Privacy
Dutch spy agency slammed for almost unlawfully bad handling of citizens’ private data
Dutch intelligence agencies are failing to properly safeguard vast collections of citizens’ personal data, according to a watchdog report that warns of repeated privacy violations in large-scale data processing. The review body says AIVD and MIVD staff have accessed and retained sensitive datasets in ways that breach legal safeguards.
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Supreme Court just made it harder for authorities to get location data from Google and Apple
Tech companies can hand users' location data to authorities, but the Supreme Court now requires authorities to take a different route when dealing with a suspectless crime.
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New EU proposal aims to stop drivers from speeding using satellites
Road safety is a serious issue for the European Union. In an attempt to reduce the number of casualties caused by speeding, the European Commission is considering using satellite technology to control vehicle speeds.
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Discord testing users’ ages – and patience – with verification via selfies
As the worrying wave of age verification online is being pushed by regulators across multiple jurisdictions, popular communication platform Discord has confirmed it's testing a controversial method to verify users’ ages.
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Hyundai and Kia support GrapheneOS; now the privacy-focused OS wants Volkswagen drivers to pile on the pressure
GrapheneOS is urging Volkswagen customers who use its app to pressure the car maker into restoring compatibility with its mobile app, pointing to Hyundai and Kia as examples of manufacturers that already support the privacy-focused Android operation system.
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UK hospital reports itself after 40 staff accessed crocodile attack victim’s records
Cambridge University Hospitals is investigating a potential data breach after 40 people were found to have accessed the medical records of a three-year-old who was allegedly thrown into a crocodile pit last week, and has reported itself to the UK’s data watchdog, the ICO.
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Australia tightens teen social media ban amid Reddit reports of easy bypassing
Australia's prime minister said on Friday he was keen to make sure the country's social media ban for children was as strong as possible, as a new study found that the measure – the first of its kind and now six months old – had little impact on teen use.
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TD Bank begins monitoring staff activity as experts warn Canada lacks workplace surveillance safeguards
Canadian employees have few legal protections against workplace monitoring, experts said, after TD Bank told some staff it would use software to track their work activity, raising concerns about consent and privacy.
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The end of CAPTCHAs? Mozilla has a new plan for stopping bots while keeping it private
Mozilla has proposed a new anti-bot system that privacy enthusiasts may love, with AI threatening the future of CAPTCHAs.
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Are age tokens and zero-knowledge proofs replacing one form of surveillance with another?
Reusable digital credentials are becoming the tools of choice for online age verification, replacing the need to upload passports, selfies, and credit cards – but experts warn the technology could create new ways to track users across the internet.
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Data centers are surveillance facilities, aren’t they?
Forget the energy bills, what if the true cost of data centers is the mass surveillance infrastructure they power?
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"To see a play, you must now pay with your privacy”: backlash over facial recognition expansion in London’s West End
The Met Police is extending its use of static live facial recognition cameras into some of London’s busiest areas, including the West End and Soho, prompting warnings that millions of shoppers and theatre goers could be scanned.
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Meta hits pause on tracking employees’ keystrokes after internal leak
Meta has announced it’s pausing the controversial program that tracks employee mouse movements and digital activity for AI training. The tech giant claims it is now investigating data security concerns.
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Canadian lender TD tells some employees it will use software to monitor their work
Toronto-Dominion Bank told some employees working in its financial crimes and risk management team that it would run software to track their work, prompting questions around consent and privacy in the workplace as the Canadian lender tries to increase productivity, according to a recording of a team call reviewed by Reuters and a document TD shared with employees.
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Dutch privacy regulator warns municipalities are struggling to control public camera surveillance
The Dutch privacy and data protection authority (DPA) claims that many municipalities in the Netherlands attempt to comply with privacy rules and regulations for camera surveillance, but fail miserably.
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It’s just become impossible to de-Google from Volkswagen, say GrapheneOS users
Carmaker Volkswagen is facing criticism from privacy-conscious drivers after GrapheneOS users reported being locked out of the company’s mobile app, leaving some unable to log in, sync vehicle data, or remotely control their cars.
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The fathers of internet encryption are watching their invention enter middle age
Half a century after a paper rewrote the rules of digital security, the system it spawned is being rebuilt while the world prepares for a shift toward quantum computing. With Father’s Day on Sunday, the legacy of Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman, the “fathers of encryption,” is being reflected on at a moment when the cryptographic systems they helped create face one of their biggest challenges yet.
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Teens under 16 in Ohio will need parents’ permission to sign up for social media, court rules
Ohio can implement a law requiring social media companies, including Meta Platforms' Instagram, to obtain parental consent before allowing children under 16 to use their platforms, a US appeals court ruled on Thursday.
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Swedish regulator says Securitas, a security company, unlawfully monitored drivers with in-car cameras
The Swedish data protection authority IMY has criticized security company Securitas for unlawfully monitoring employees using in-car cameras installed in company vehicles. Securitas, a security firm, used the system to track driver behavior, including phone use, seatbelt use, fatigue, and smoking, during a pilot program.
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Is the UK really considering a VPN ban after its social media crackdown?
Speculation is mounting that the UK government could move to restrict or ban virtual private networks (VPNs) as part of its efforts to enforce a social media ban for under-16s. However, the idea of a “Great British Firewall” may be little more than clickbait.
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