Privacy
Smartphone ambient light sensors allow spying
Android and iPhone ambient light sensors can be turned into cameras, allowing malicious actors to secretly film unsuspecting victims and their surroundings.
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Facebook and Instagram “worst” apps for privacy
Facebook and Instagram are the least privacy-sensitive apps out there, while X is the most at ease about sharing private data with third parties, according to new research.
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China claims to have cracked AirDrop encryption
China said it had found a way to identify senders who share content that it deems illegal via Apple’s AirDrop.
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Anonymity should be your lifestyle choice
Guarding privacy and anonymity online should be considered a lifestyle choice.
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Apple study: 2.6 billion user records exposed, end‑to‑end encryption wins
A new Apple study shows 2.6 billion personal records were exposed in past two years, bolstering the case for end‑to‑end encryption.
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Amnezia VPN adds new protocol to evade censors more easily
Based on an open-source WireGuard protocol, AmneziaWG was specifically designed to help users bypass strict internet censorship in countries that ban virtual private networks (VPNs).
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FTC unveils voice cloning challenge to combat AI fraud
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched its first-ever ‘Voice Cloning Challenge’ – including a $25K grand prize – all in an effort to combat the growing threat of AI-enabled voice cloning scams.
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Google to weaken ad blockers on Chrome in a push for security
Starting June 2024, adblockers such as uBlock Origin and many other extensions on Chrome will no longer work as intended. Google Chrome will begin disabling extensions based on an older extension platform, called Manifest V2, as it moves to the more limited V3 version.
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VPN audits: why do they matter?
Audits help to evaluate the promises that VPN providers make to attract customers.
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New privacy bill gives Californians ability to “delete” their online data
California Governor Gavin Newsom has inked a new privacy law that will make it easier for CA residents to force shady data brokers to take their personal info off the web – with just the push of a button.
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Worldcoin iris-scanning devices raise hackles among EU privacy watchdogs
EU privacy watchdogs are investigating the legality of OpenAI Sam Altman’s Worldcoin biometric iris scanning device – the Orb – over its widescale data collection practices.
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When it comes to data protection, Black Hat puts its money where its mouth is
From embarrassing dating profiles to unprotected corporate earning reports, Cybernews discovers what really happens to all that sensitive information flowing – ahem, leaking – through the Black Hat Network Operations Center (NOC) once summer camp for hackers finally ends.
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The privacy pitfalls of EU's eIDAS framework
The EU Commission has formally agreed on the use of a digital identity wallet, but the tech industry believes it may break internet security.
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New Outlook copies user emails from other accounts to Microsoft cloud
The new Microsoft Outlook, replacing Calendar and Mail in Windows 11, syncs user data, including credentials or emails, to Microsoft Cloud by default. This applies even when using Gmail and mail accounts unless specified otherwise.
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Most internet users blindly accept cookies
Gen Z is most likely to accept cookies, while baby boomers are the most cautious.
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Popular DNA testing service 23andMe investigates data leak claims
Adversaries claim to have acquired a large chest of private user data from 23andMe, one of the most popular direct-to-consumer genetic testing services. Scraped data samples are allegedly doing the rounds online as the company investigates the situation. It has yet to identify any breach, however.
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Child abuse site taken down, organized child exploitation crime suspected – exclusive
Unfortunately, this is just a drop in the ocean, given the scope of the child exploitation problem worldwide.
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Meta admits to scraping public Facebook and Instagram posts to train new AI bot
Meta’s execs reveal its new AI virtual assistant was trained using public posts scraped from the Facebook and Instagram social media platforms owned by the tech giant.
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Rights advocates back surveillance tech bans in EU
Different forms of biometric surveillance, predictive policing, and “harmful” uses of AI in migration control must be banned in the EU, rights advocates say.
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UK scraps Online Safety Bill 'spy clause' due to unrealistic tech
After months of pushback from Big Tech and privacy advocates, UK lawmakers have dropped a controversial clause in their Online Safety Bill that would have allowed regulators access to private messages sent using end-to-end encryption – all because the technology is not currently feasible.
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