We Need Privacy Laws for the Metaverse and We Need Them Now
Back in December 2021, we discussed the potential privacy risks of the metaverse on the PIA blog, the current term for what used to be called virtual reality. It might…
General Privacy News
Why Smart Speaker Privacy Might Be the Next Big Data Collection Scandal
It was over five years ago that we first warned about an imminent invasion of “listening, eavesdropping, spying things” in the form of so-called “smart” speakers. The cosy term “smart”…
UK Government Is Engaged in Large-Scale Surveillance of Social Media
New US And EU Laws Bring Risks To Privacy The UK civil rights group Big Brother Watch has published a major new document about the UK government's surveillance of social…
EU to Use ePrivacy and GDPR to Tackle Illegal Cookie Walls
One of the biggest criticisms of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is that it has led to a plague of annoying pop-ups and Web pages requesting permission to…
Meta’s Lawsuit Against NSO Goes Forward – The Fight Against NSO Spyware Gains Strength
The murky world of government spyware has never been the same after the Pegasus Project leaked in July 2021 a list of over 50,000 phone numbers believed to be people…
Can Websites & Apps Track Your Phone?
It’s easier than ever for websites and apps to track your phone. You may not know it, but your phone contains information specifically designed to help third parties track you.…
Meta’s Tracking Woes Confirmed As It Intensifies Its Battle For Control Of The EU’s GDPR
In December 2022, we discussed the leak of an important ruling by EU privacy regulators regarding Meta's micro-targeted advertising, a system entirely based on constant online surveillance. The two parts…
How to Get Secure Wi-Fi While Traveling
Is it worth the effort to secure your internet connection while traveling? Couldn't you just hop onto a free public Wi-Fi connection? You could — but you’d be putting yourself…
Biometric Data Is a Disaster For Your Privacy – And It May Already Be Used Against You
We've written many times on the PIA blog about the increasing use of biometric systems as a way of establishing identity and controlling access. Biometrics being used in this way…
Apple Updates: Better iCloud Security
Apple has made two important announcements that will enhance privacy for its users, and that could have important beneficial knock-on effects around the world: Wired reported that Apple has dropped…