Google’s Infinite Reach – How Google Builds a Profile on Everyone
There's a lot of talk about the invasive practices of FaceBook right now, but somehow Google has skated by largely unfazed by the public outcry against privacy violations and the…
Privacy
China’s AI-based prisons – both indoors and outdoors – offer a warning of how privacy may die elsewhere
Online freedom of speech is under attack around the world. The EU's new Copyright Directive is about to become law, and brings with it a need to filter all uploads…
Zuck’s back, calling for “new rules” for the Internet, which will entrench Facebook’s power, but do nothing for privacy
Last month, Privacy News Online looked at a 3000-word essay entitled "A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking", written by Mark Zuckerberg. It's a measure of the political pressure that Facebook…
The Challenges Facing Privacy Apps
When we talk about privacy as a concept, we tend to drill into the benefits of privacy and the crucial role that it plays in our lives as individuals. In…
The march to mandatory, nationwide DNA databases picks up pace around the world
DNA is without doubt one of the new frontiers for privacy – and for the loss of it. As we wrote last year, genetic privacy is becoming a thing of…
AI-based predictive policing systems widely used in US and UK, despite concerns about privacy, and flaws in the approach
Back in 2017, Privacy News Online wrote about a massive police system being built in China that would allow "predictive policing" – the ability to spot criminals before they even…
Preparing for Travel – Properly Backing Up Your Android Cell Phone
When I prepare for travel, I take some steps to make sure that my protected data will not be read or otherwise mishandled by customs. I then follow-up with rigorous…
Don’t be fooled: the main beneficiary of Mark Zuckerberg’s apparent embrace of privacy is Facebook, not you
Last week, you could have been forgiven for thinking that privacy had finally arrived. Mark Zuckerberg published a 3000-word essay entitled "A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking", and wrote: As…
Identity and Card Theft – Shielding Yourself from the Unsafe Small Business
With a constant stream of news of big organizations that have neglected their security, we often forget that the most vulnerable organizations are the small and medium businesses that don't…
A million tiny eyes in the sky: how a new generation of nanosatellites pose a threat to privacy
Everyone knows that surveillance is ubiquitous – on the Internet, in the street, at work, at school, in our homes. What made that constant spying possible was the amazing advance…