The continually evolving fight for freedom
On the back of our announcement yesterday and the various media coverage relating to the upcoming merger acquisition with Kape Technologies, I wanted to take a moment to address the…
General Privacy News
Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes (“The War of All Against All”)
Millions of years ago, when we were the prey, we relied on our ability to have privacy to hide our location, smell and sounds. With privacy, we gained freedom —…
At last, some good news for privacy: signs that micro-targeted advertising may be on the way out
At the beginning of this year Privacy News Online wrote about how people were waking up to the dangers of micro-targeted advertising. Despite that, nothing much happened – until now.…
Introducing Private.sh: A search engine that cryptographically protects your privacy
Private.sh is a new private search engine that uses cryptography to ensure that your search history cannot be tracked by anyone - even us. Private.sh comes from the same privacy…
Federal court rules that the Fourth Amendment protects your laptops and smartphones from suspicionless searches at the border
A federal court in Boston has ruled that suspicionless searches of the smartphones and laptops of travelers violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)…
Google, Facebook and many others are coming for your health data: watch out for your privacy
Last week, Google announced that it would be buying Fitbit, valuing the 12-year-old company at $2.1 billion. Many have seen this as an attempt to boost Google's position in the…
Australia proposed using facial recognition technology for online gambling and pornography age verification
The Australian government’s Department of Home Affairs has proposed using facial recognition for online age verification for pornography and gambling websites visited by Australians as an update to Australia’s National…
ACLU sues to find out status of facial recognition mass surveillance in America
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DoJ), and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The case was…
Beyond Aadhaar: India wants to create a giant centralized facial recognition database
Two years ago, Privacy News Online wrote about Aadhaar, India's billion-person biometric database, used to check identity, and its potential to become the world's biggest privacy disaster. Barely six months…
Smartphones with wheels: how modern transportation brings new privacy problems
Tracking vehicles as a way of carrying out surveillance has been used by governments around the world for years. When exactly it should be allowed is still a hot topic,…