Glyn Moody is a freelance journalist who writes and speaks about privacy, surveillance, digital rights, open source, copyright, patents and general policy issues involving digital technology. He started covering the business use of the Internet in 1994, and wrote the first mainstream feature about Linux, which appeared in Wired in August 1997. His book, "Rebel Code," is the first and only detailed history of the rise of open source, while his subsequent work, "The Digital Code of Life," explores bioinformatics - the intersection of computing with genomics.
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about an important order from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It set minimum privacy requirements for biometric surveillance in commercial settings, and…
It's well known that we are routinely tracked whenever we use the internet. Most people also understand that the primary business model online is surveillance advertising, whereby huge quantities of…
Last month we wrote about the latest development in a long-running saga to make Meta abide by the EU’s GDPR privacy law. It’s a vital battle for two reasons: first,…
We've previously warned that the rise of internet-connected doorbell cameras could give local police forces a powerful new surveillance tool. A follow-up article looked at the increasing number of partnerships…
Over the last couple of years, it has become increasingly common for customers to be watched, tracked, and analyzed in stores. A key element of this surveillance is AI-based facial…
One of the big battles underway in the world of privacy at the moment involves attempts by governments around the globe to undermine encryption. The principal justification for doing so…
Constant surveillance from CCTV cameras, which often use AI software to identify people, is common across the world. While problematic, mounted cameras are at fixed locations, which you can avoid…
The EU has reached a political agreement on its groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence Act, which was first proposed back in 2021. All the main elements have been agreed, but some of…
Although it’s hard to believe, it's only a year since ChatGPT appeared and ignited the current frenzy over AI and large language models. As an article in the New York…
Back in August we wrote about Meta’s surprise announcement that it would seek consent from users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland before showing them behavioral advertisements. A few weeks…