Android Security: Is Android Safe?
People are often die-hard fans of their favorite phone operating system, and usually stay dedicated to one of the two big contenders: iOS and Android. Security is one of the…
Online Security
Privacy Activists File Complaints against the European Commission and X over Chat Control Ad Campaign
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…
What’s in the New EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and What Will It Mean for Global Privacy?
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…
Private Internet Access Is Paying It Forward with Our New Privacy Pass
Private Internet Access (PIA) has taken a firm stance against digital repression for more than a decade. Online privacy is our core value, and over the years, we’ve worked in…
EFF Agrees: Protecting Privacy Is the Best Way to Address the Internet’s Biggest Problems
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is probably the best-known organization that's fighting for digital rights. It's just released a new report with a title that's certain to interest the readers…
Real-Time Bidding Is Bad for Your Privacy and a Serious Threat to National Security
It’s extraordinary to think that it's been six years since this blog started warning readers about real-time bidding (RTB), the system behind most online ads. In the few hundredths of…
Advanced AI Chatbots Can Now Infer Detailed Personal Attributes from General Social Media Posts
It's old news that the exciting new generation of LLM-based AI chatbots posed a serious threat to people’s privacy. But nine months is a long time in the world of…
Contextual Advertising Should Be Great for Privacy, But It Risks Being Undermined
We've been discussing the privacy advantages of contextual advertising – a system that places ads based on a webpage’s content and not who's viewing it (also known as behavioral advertising)…
Chat Control, EU’s Plan for Real-Time Mass Surveillance, Takes a Dramatic Turn
We discussed the EU’s plans to undermine end-to-end encryption, generally known as “Chat Control,” a year ago. The proposed law, which intends “to prevent and combat child sexual abuse,” is…
Will the New European Media Freedom Act Mean Freedom to Spy on Journalists and Spread Disinformation?
The European Union's important new law, the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), is likely to have an impact well beyond the EU’s borders. Unfortunately, that impact will be negative in…