Privacy
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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UK orders tech firms to implement age assurance checks: kids can’t just click “I’m 13” anymore
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is calling on social media and video-sharing platforms to do more to prevent children from using their services.
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Scottish police fined £66K for collecting too much personal information from a suspect
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed a fine of £66,000 on Police Scotland for failing to properly protect sensitive personal information.
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App meant to help people quit porn reportedly exposed the intimate habits of over 600,000 users
Quittr, a popular app designed to help people with a sex addiction, has leaked intimate data on hundreds of thousands of its users.
Read more about App meant to help people quit porn reportedly exposed the intimate habits of over 600,000 users
WhatsApp rolls out parent-managed accounts for kids under 13
WhatsApp is rolling out parent-managed accounts for kids under 13 in the US, giving families new controls over contacts, groups, and activity alerts as pressure grows to protect children online.
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Dutch DPA calls pay-or-okay models “undesirable, but not forbidden”
The Dutch privacy and data protection authority (DPA) considers pay-or-okay policies “undesirable.” However, websites aren’t prohibited from implementing such business models.
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“There’s only one way out for Europe:” create its own social media platform
Citizens from all over the European Union have registered a so-called European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) for a European social media platform.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party pushes social media ban for kids under 15
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party submitted to parliament on Wednesday a draft bill that would ban social media access for children younger than 15.
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Scientists slam the brakes on rushed age verification laws for teens
More than 400 security and privacy researchers and scientists from 30 countries have signed an open letter warning that proposed online age verification laws are flawed.
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Virginia defends one-hour daily social media cap for kids in court
Virginia has appealed a judge's preliminary injunction against a state law limiting children under 16 to one hour of social media use a day.
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Trying to message mom on WhatsApp? Expect ads
WhatsApp users in the EU will now see ads as soon as they open the Updates tab. This means that users all around the world are now offered advertisements in Meta’s chat application.
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Europe supports social media age limits: "the aim is to close gaps in existing laws"
Members of the European Parliament support implementing online age verification checks across the European Union.
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Samsung comes clean after collecting Texans’ TV data
The State of Texas and Samsung have reached a settlement over the collection of Texans’ viewing habits through smart TVs.
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$100 devices turn your car’s tire sensors into 24/7 trackers – no GPS needed
Privacy advocates warn that tire pressure monitoring systems – required in nearly every passenger vehicle – can allow hackers to track vehicle locations 24/7, exposing drivers’ travel patterns, habits, daily routines, and more.
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“What currently exists is a sham:” Poland plans social media ban for under 15s
Poland is among the latest countries to jump on the social media ban wagon in Europe. Lithuania does, too.
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FTC encourages websites to use age verification: “It’s some of the most child-protective technologies to have emerged in decades”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is encouraging websites to use age-verification tools and has issued a new policy statement on the collection of personal data to determine a user's age.
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