Privacy
16-hour scroll puts social media engagement algorithms on trial
The head of Instagram recently stated that when a user spends sixteen hours a day using the app, it is a "problem" but not an addiction in a bid to clarify the difference between heavy use and clinical dependency.
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Tech companies urge Europe to swiftly extend voluntary chat control
Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Snap are asking the European Union to reach an agreement on extending monitoring chat communication for potential child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
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LinkedIn caught spying on users’ browsers: sensitive data harvested
LinkedIn may have been spying on you, an investigation reveals, calling it “the largest corporate espionage and data breach scandals in digital history.”
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Dutch regulators demand total nudify ban beyond EU rules
Multiple Dutch regulators and law enforcement authorities have welcomed Europe’s ban on AI-nudify apps and websites. But to be truly effective, a complete ban is necessary.
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Apple removes custom apps from Russian store as minister escalates war on VPNs
Apple has reportedly begun removing Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps from the Russian App Store that let users set up custom connections to bypass internet restrictions.
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Only one in five people back up their data: Germany warns most risk losing everything
Happy World Backup Day! Today, governments, hosting providers, and other sponsors are calling on people to create a backup of their most important files. One of them is the German government.
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Match’s OkCupid hit with 20-year privacy crackdown after sharing users’ private photos with AI firm
Match and OkCupid are facing a proposed 20-year privacy crackdown after the FTC said the dating app deceived users by sharing nearly 3 million private photos and other sensitive information with AI firm Clarifai.
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Epstein victims sue Google and DoJ for “dumping” their personal information
Victims found that their personal information had been released by the Department of Justice. Then, Google’s AI Mode neatly organized the victims’ PII to allegedly be used in harassment campaigns. Now, Google and the US government are being sued.
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UK privacy groups slam Apple over iPhone age checks requiring ID
UK privacy campaigners have hit out at Apple after it introduced age checks for iPhone users, warning that millions could be forced to hand over ID or credit card details to access parts of the internet.
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Age verification laws causing discord in Linux community, with multiple users forking systemd
New laws requiring operating systems to verify users’ age are giving the Linux community more reasons to divide. On GitHub, multiple forks of systemd are appearing after the fundamental Linux system component added a field to store the user’s birthdate.
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New law enables Hong Kong police to demand passwords
Because of an amendment to Hong Kong’s National Security Law, police officers can now force a suspect to hand over their passwords for their smartphone or laptop.
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Pinterest CEO demands under-16 social media ban as he slams tech giants for “failed” self-regulation
Bill Ready, Pinterest's CEO, is calling on governments to ban social media for users under 16.
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Children see porn on 4chan unchecked: site fined £450,000, refuses to comply
American internet forum 4chan has received a £450,000 fine (approximately $600,000) for failing to implement age verification technology to prevent children from seeing pornography on its website.
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Tinder wants to scan your camera roll: this is why you should opt out
If dating apps aren’t scary enough, Tinder is testing out a new feature that will scan your device’s photo gallery to check for trends or themes that could help you find your perfect match.
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Cloudflare appeals Italy's €14M fine as Piracy Shield "black box" sparks censorship fears
Cloudflare is persisting in its legal battle against Italy’s Piracy Shield, which is considered a “blunt tool” to fight copyright infringement, and AGCOM’s fine of €14 million for violating anti-piracy regulations.
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Mozilla is launching a free built-in VPN for Firefox later this month
Mozilla has announced a brand-new feature for its Firefox web browser: a free built-in VPN. It’ll be available later this month for a selected group of people.
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Amazon dodges €746m fine as privacy regulator's math doesn't add up
The Administrative Court of Luxembourg has cancelled a massive fine of €746 million that was issued against Amazon for several violations of Europe’s privacy laws.
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French ad tech giant Criteo loses €40M privacy fine appeal
French ad tech giant Criteo has lost its bid to overturn a €40 million privacy fine after France’s top administrative court sided with the country’s data protection watchdog.
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Moscow residents turn to pagers and paper maps as week-long internet blackout continues
Moscow residents are now using pagers, walkie-talkies and paper maps after a week-long internet disruption continues. It’s not only digital control and surveillance in Russia that’s raising concerns. It’s how to stay connected.
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The web should be “casually anonymous” by default, Mozilla claims
No mandated age restrictions or online identification. Instead, the internet should be “casually anonymous.”
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