Category: News

General news and updates about Privacy Online and Private Internet Access VPN Service.

PMKID Dumping: WiFi Password Attacks are Easier Than Previously Thought

It’s a little easier to attack some wireless networks than previously thought. That’s because Jens Steube, the developer of the popular password cracking tool hashcat, has found a new way to make the process easier, under the right conditions. We've developed a new attack on WPA/WPA2. There's no more complete 4-way handshake recording required. Here's … Continue reading “PMKID Dumping: WiFi Password Attacks are Easier Than Previously Thought”

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  • Aug 4, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, Net Neutrality, Networking, News, Privacy, Security,

Dedicated first responder network raises privacy, transparency and net neutrality issues

Providing first responders such as the police, fire services and paramedics with the best available technology makes sense. Lives can be saved and disasters averted if action is taken as promptly as possible, and key information shared widely among relevant personnel. But as previous posts on Privacy News Online have noted, the enhanced capabilities of … Continue reading “Dedicated first responder network raises privacy, transparency and net neutrality issues”

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Google is expanding back into China. What does that mean for freedom of information?

Google will expand into China and launch a new search engine compliant with the Chinese government’s strict censorship rules, according to a recent report by The Intercept’s Ryan Gallagher. Versions of the app have been called “Maotai” and “Longfei,” and could launch in as soon as six months — once the Chinese government approves the … Continue reading “Google is expanding back into China. What does that mean for freedom of information?”

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  • Jul 28, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • News, Open Source, Privacy, Programming, Security,

Why Gmail’s new “confidential mode” is not so great for privacy, and potentially awful for the open Web

Gmail is used by well over a billion people worldwide, making it one of the most important online services. Google has recently started rolling out a new design that includes novel features. One of the most interesting of these is the so-called “confidential mode”. At first sight, that sounds like good news for privacy: “With … Continue reading “Why Gmail’s new “confidential mode” is not so great for privacy, and potentially awful for the open Web”

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  • Jul 22, 2018 |
  • Chris Miller |
  • Governments, Net Neutrality, News,

Net Neutrality was repealed, but the fight is far from over

The FCC repealed net neutrality, which became official on June 11th.  Every second that goes by, the internet is dying just a little bit more, as ISP’s prioritize data, raise prices and unfairly eliminate their competition. The ISP’s love to say how it won’t change anything, and how they won’t use it to their advantage … Continue reading “Net Neutrality was repealed, but the fight is far from over”

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  • Jul 21, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy,

Should Facial Recognition Technologies Be Regulated by the Government? Microsoft Says ‘Yes’

Facial recognition technology represents one of the most serious threats to privacy. That’s for two principal reasons. Perhaps the most important is that it is almost impossible to change our faces: serious plastic surgery apart, there are few effective techniques to disguise our bodily appearance. Masks may hide our features, but are too cumbersome – … Continue reading “Should Facial Recognition Technologies Be Regulated by the Government? Microsoft Says ‘Yes’”

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Coalition calls on Australia’s government to reject plans to undermine encryption

Today, a global coalition led by civil society and technology experts sent a letter asking the government of Australia to abandon plans to introduce legislation that would undermine strong encryption. The letter calls on government officials to become proponents of digital security and work collaboratively to help law enforcement adapt to the digital era. In … Continue reading “Coalition calls on Australia’s government to reject plans to undermine encryption”

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Dark Patterns: How Tech Companies Use Interface Design to Undermine Online Privacy

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force back in May. One reason many people know about the GDPR is because they were bombarded with emails asking them to accept updated privacy policies as a result. Another is that some companies have required people to agree to new terms and conditions when they … Continue reading “Dark Patterns: How Tech Companies Use Interface Design to Undermine Online Privacy”

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How to Use Private Internet Access and Tor: Tor over VPN or VPN over Tor?

A big question for those who consider internet privacy essential is how to best use Tor in combination with a VPN service provider like Private Internet Access. Should a Tor connection be tunneled inside an already established VPN connection, or should a VPN connection be tunneled inside an already established Tor connection? Before you can … Continue reading “How to Use Private Internet Access and Tor: Tor over VPN or VPN over Tor?”

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TV Addons: Legal battle against Canadian media giants demonstrates severe consequences facing developers accused of copyright infringement

Earlier this year, a coalition of Canadian media groups including Bell, Rogers, Quebecor, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, presented a controversial proposal to the Canadian telecommunications regulator to implement a website-blocking system and independent agency to respond to online piracy.  While the “FairPlay Coalition” is seeking additional tools to respond to piracy and copyright infringement, … Continue reading “TV Addons: Legal battle against Canadian media giants demonstrates severe consequences facing developers accused of copyright infringement”

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