CBP Traveler and License Plate Photos Stolen
Images of travelers and their license plates collected by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been compromised, thanks to a federal contractor who did not follow protocol. The agency…
Privacy
General Data Protection Regulation one year on: what next?
A previous post discussed what has happened in the world of the GDPR during its first year. Although only a few rulings have been handed down, there are many legal…
General Data Protection Regulation one year on: what has it done?
A year ago, arguably the most important event in the recent history of privacy occurred: the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) started to be enforced. To mark that anniversary…
How much is good online security worth to you? How about $100,000?
Readers of this blog know that a VPN is an indispensable tool for today's digital world. VPNs address a key part of the challenge of staying safe online. They protect…
Why 5G is a huge future threat to privacy
The next-generation of mobile communications, 5G, is currently a hot topic in two very different domains: technology – and politics. The latter is because of President Trump's attempts to shut…
“Digital strip-searches”: police increasingly downloading everything from smartphones – including from crime victims
Full-body scanners are now a routine sight at airports. Most people are resigned to these virtual strip-searches, despite the obviously intrusive nature of appearing naked to the machines' operators. But…
“The future is private” says Zuckerberg; not with him, judging by new investigations of Facebook for data protection failures
Another week, another declaration from Mark Zuckerberg that he's really serious about putting privacy at the heart of Facebook. During his keynote speech at the Facebook Developer Conference F8, he…
Biometrics are not Protected in the United States – Court Case Reaffirms
In Massachusetts, a judge has forced a number of people to attempt to unlock an iPhone to determine the owner and get access to the underlying data. This reaffirms what…
How to use a FreedomBox running open source software to regain control of your online privacy
As numerous posts on this blog have noted, some of the biggest threats to privacy come from Internet giants like Facebook and Google. The centralized nature of their services allows…
Here’s how Internet of Things malware is undermining privacy
The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly part of our everyday lives, with so-called "smart" speakers especially popular, But for all their undoubted technical merits, they also represent a growing…