Privacy
Anti-vehicle stalking law expands domestic abuse protections in CA
A new bill aimed at protecting domestic violence victims from tech-enabled abuse – such as being tracked using location data provided by the victim’s own vehicle – is signed into law by California’s Governor.
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Use at your own risk: how top education apps can spy on you
Coursera, Duolingo, Moodle, or Udemy – all of the top educational apps have access to your private data, Cybernews research has found.
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German police raid Tor-linked group in bid to uncover Tor network users
Article 5 eV, a civil rights group helping to maintain the Tor network, has reported that German police raided the private address where the non-profit was registered.
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German digital rights groups condemn government surveillance plans
Civil society in Germany is outraged by the federal government's draft law, which grants extensive powers to police to automatically monitor publicly available biometric data, such as photos. Six nonprofits, including Amnesty International, have rallied against the restriction “of the basic rights of millions.”
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“View Once” messages on WhatsApp can be accessed repeatedly, researchers warn
Users of WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, may fall into a false sense of privacy when using “View Once” messages. Because it turns out that those messages are stored for two weeks, can be viewed unlimited times, and sometimes even outsiders can view them, a report by Zengo X Research Team reveals.
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Torrenting copyrighted content is illegal, yet nearly half of US adults do it
A survey found that 47% of adults in the US use torrenting websites to access content that’s either unavailable in their country or hasn’t been released yet.
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Denmark wants to ban encrypted Telegram, Signal chats
The country’s Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, said he would “very much like” to block encrypted messaging services amidst skyrocketing gang-related crime.
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Texas police acquire AI surveillance tool capable of tracking phones without a warrant
The Texas Department of Public Safety has signed a five-year contract and will spend $5.3 million on an AI-powered surveillance tool. The tool is capable of conducting online undercover investigations and tracking devices, the Texas Observer reports.
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Data for sale: 75% of US House members exposed by people search sites
US data brokers have collected and put up for sale the personal information of at least 329 US House members, the data opt-out service Incogni has found. People search sites offer detailed profiles that include home addresses, phone numbers, relatives, property records, and even information about neighbors.
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Homeowners angry: eyes in the sky and AI lead to lost insurance coverage
Customers are angry with insurance companies not renewing their home coverage after using drones to inspect their properties. Sometimes unfair decisions are based on incomplete or inaccurate information.
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Black Hat USA 2024, DEF CON 32 attendees treated like children – or criminals – with invasive hotel room checks
Resorts World Las Vegas, a popular hotel for Black Hat and DEF CON 2024 conference attendees, has mud on its face after it was revealed earlier this week that all hotel guests will be subjected to invasive and mandatory room checks.
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US sues TikTok for collecting mass data on kids 13 and under
The US government on Friday filed suit against TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance over “widespread” violations claiming the short video app illegally collects data on kids 13 and under without parental permission.
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European Parliament member claims he was targeted by dangerous spyware
Daniel Freund, a German politician who serves with the Greens as a European Parliament (EP) member, says he was targeted by commercial spyware, possibly Candiru.
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Google backtracks on the decision that could eliminate tracking-cookies
Despite promises to limit advertisers’ use of browser tracking cookies, following suit after other browsers made the change, Google has been delaying the process and is now backtracking.
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“The internet has become a massive web of surveillance:” Firefox defends its decision
Firefox CTO Bobby Holley has rebutted worries that the privacy-focused browser will be used by advertisers to collect user data. The goal is to create an industry-wide privacy-preserving mechanism that would keep both advertisers and users happy while moving away from predatory data collection practices.
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Firefox’s new data collection feature sparks user backlash: here’s how to disable it
The browser that promises “no shady privacy notices or advertiser backdoors” on its storefront has suddenly added an experimental feature to beam user interactions to advertisers and enables it by default. Many are not happy.
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This AI app will clone anyone you (dis)like, but needs to see your WhatsApp chat history
The latest AI companion app promises to clone your loved one – or favorite entertainer – so they can become your artificially intelligent emotional support system. What could go wrong?
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Apple policy sparks outcry as more VPNs removed from Russian App store
AdGuard VPN led the charge against Apple on Tuesday, responding to a recent notice announcing the removal of dozens of VPN services from the Russian App Store – all at the request of the Kremlin’s digital watchdog.
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Apple removes VPN services from its store in Russia
Russia’s citizens can no longer download popular VPN services from the official AppStore.
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The impact of Idaho, Nebraska, and Kansas's laws on Pornhub users
In a significant development impacting internet governance and digital rights, states like Idaho, Nebraska, and Kansas are preparing to pass legislation requiring adult websites to verify that users are over 18 years old.
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