Privacy
X trained Grok on European user data, watchdog claims
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced it will launch an investigation into X for processing the personal data of European users to train its large language models (LLMs).
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US to screen social media activity of wanna-be citizens for antisemitic behavior
US Immigration Services said it will begin screening the social media accounts of aliens for antisemitic activity, including permenant resident applicants and foreign students.
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How websites misused cookie banners: sometimes, they made them impossible to refuse
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) launched five investigations into the use of cookie banners last year. In all cases, the organizations responsible for the websites violated the law. Since then, the cookie banners have been adjusted.
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EU nations sign ‘Pall Mall’ pact on intrusive spyware use, US nowhere in sight
The Trump administration is "noticeably absent" from this year’s Pall Mall conference in France, where 21 nations signed a pact vowing responsible government use of spyware, surveillance, and other commercially available cyber intrusion tools.
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Google simplifies end-to-end encrypted emails for businesses on Gmail
Gmail enterprise users will soon be able to send end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) emails directly to other Gmail inboxes.
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FTC head says 23andMe genetic data safe in wake of bankruptcy sale
US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman Andrew Ferguson on Monday assured the public that their genetic data is safe after issuing a letter to the US trustee handling the 23andMe bankruptcy case, who is expected to sell the company to a third party.
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Mozilla introduces VPN extension with per-site IP controls
Mozilla has introduced a new extension for its VPN service that allows Firefox users to set IP addresses for specific websites. However, it only works on Windows and the service itself depends on Mullvad, a third-party vendor.
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Google timeline data loss: privacy win or user betrayal?
Google’s Timeline data purge has begun, with some users losing years of location history overnight. Are you next?
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NYPD deploys more drones to 911 calls, privacy advocates are worried
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is increasingly deploying drones for reconnaissance flights when 911 is called.
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China's Baidu denies data breach after executive's daughter leaks personal info
Chinese search giant Baidu on Wednesday denied allegations it had suffered an internal data breach after a top executive's teenage daughter posted personal details of other internet users online, sparking a controversy.
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“No difference between us and Signal:” WhatsApp counters rumors
Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's head, is trying to debunk claims that are circulating in the Netherlands about the platform’s data-collecting practices.
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Dutch intelligence agencies are secretly collecting more information
The General and Military Intelligence Security Service (AIVD and MIVD) have used their special powers more often to secretly gather information.
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No need to ditch adblocker on Chrome: impaired, but “better than nothing”
Google’s changes to its Chrome extensions have left many users confused about their options, with their preferred adblockers either no longer available, or ineffective. The impaired Chrome adblockers are still better than nothing, Ghostery believes, yet warns about potential user migration to other browsers.
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Lloyds Bank accidental data leak affects dozen customers
The UK bank has mistakenly sent information to a customer that affects a dozen of its other clients.
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BSI: “Phishing attacks and data breaches biggest threats for consumers”
The Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI), Germany’s cybersecurity agency, found that phishing attacks and data leaks were the most significant digital threats in 2024 for consumers.
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Whittaker: “AI agents pose profound privacy and security risks”
AI agents may be helpful in handling various online tasks, but this new paradigm of computing has a “profound issue” with privacy and security.
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TikTok accused of profiting from child exploitation livestreams, BBC investigation reveals
TikTok is allegedly profiting from teenagers as young as 15 performing sexual livestreams.
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Apple appeals to overturn UK government's 'back door' order – media
Apple has appealed against a British government order to create a "back door" in its most secure cloud storage systems, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday citing people familiar with the matter.
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