Category: Privacy

Privacy blogs and articles from one of the world’s leading suppliers of VPN services. Learn all about privacy from Private Internet Access.
  • Jul 24, 2017 |
  • Caleb Chen |
  • Governments, News, Privacy,

Thousands march in Moscow, Russia to support Internet Freedom, protest VPN ban




Over 2,000 protestors marched in Moscow, Russia over the weekend to protest the recent VPN ban and the tightening grip of internet censorship in Russia. The protest was in response to the anti VPN and proxy bill that passed in the State Duma on July 21st, and was officially allowed by Moscow City Hall. The … Continue reading “Thousands march in Moscow, Russia to support Internet Freedom, protest VPN ban”

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  • Jul 23, 2017 |
  • Caleb Chen |
  • Governments, News, Privacy, Security,

In Xinjiang, China, police have set up checkpoints to ensure that the government-mandated “Jingwang” spyware is installed




In Xinjiang, China, citizens are being forced to install a targeted surveillance mobile app called Jingwang. Additionally, the government has set up random checkpoints on the streets to check whether the spyware is properly installed on your smartphone. On July 10th, mobile phone users in the region received a notification letting them know that they … Continue reading “In Xinjiang, China, police have set up checkpoints to ensure that the government-mandated “Jingwang” spyware is installed”

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Worst known governmental leak ever is slowly coming to light: Agency moved nation’s secret data to “The Cloud”




Sweden’s Transport Agency moved all of its data to “the cloud”, apparently unaware that there is no cloud, only somebody else’s computer. In doing so, it exposed and leaked every conceivable top secret database: fighter pilots, SEAL team operators, police suspects, people under witness relocation. Names, photos, and home addresses: the list is just getting … Continue reading “Worst known governmental leak ever is slowly coming to light: Agency moved nation’s secret data to “The Cloud””

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  • Jul 20, 2017 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, Privacy, Security,

Putting together the pieces of the Chinese VPN jigsaw puzzle




VPNs are indispensable tools for today’s Internet users, and nowhere more so than in China. The famous “Great Firewall of China” – the name given to the set of technologies used to enforce censorship of foreign sites – can be circumvented by VPNs, but not in a consistent way. Sometimes VPNs are blocked, sometimes they … Continue reading “Putting together the pieces of the Chinese VPN jigsaw puzzle”

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  • Jul 17, 2017 |
  • Caleb Chen |
  • Governments, News, Privacy,

UK government to force porn sites to perform compulsory age verification, but only for UK visitors, starting April 2018




The Digital Economy Law, which mandates compulsory age verifications on pornography sites and was passed in the United Kingdom (UK) last year, will officially be rolled out in April of 2018. Starting April, online pornography sites will be forced to deploy age verification to UK visitors or be blocked by the Great Firewall of Britain. … Continue reading “UK government to force porn sites to perform compulsory age verification, but only for UK visitors, starting April 2018”

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IBM acquired millions of medical records for their “Watson” AI: an incredibly multifaceted privacy story




IBM acquired the detailed medical records of 61 million Italians, as reported on this site by Glyn Moody. This is a largely underreported story that doesn’t not just need more exposure, but more discussion: I believe it’s one of those stories where the future will show this was the correct thing to do, even though … Continue reading “IBM acquired millions of medical records for their “Watson” AI: an incredibly multifaceted privacy story”

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  • Jul 15, 2017 |
  • Caleb Chen |
  • Governments, News, Privacy,

Australian Prime Minister Turnbull: The laws of mathematics don’t apply in Australia




Australia’s Prime Minister Michael Turnbull doesn’t believe in the laws of mathematics – a troubling sign for a world leader to say the least. Australia’s leader spoke the infamous words at a press conference yesterday in Sydney, Australia. When asked by a journalist if the laws of mathematics would trump the laws of Australia (as … Continue reading “Australian Prime Minister Turnbull: The laws of mathematics don’t apply in Australia”

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  • Jul 14, 2017 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy, Security,

Which would you prefer: backdoored crypto, government malware – or the third way?




As regular readers of this blog will have noticed, one of the hottest topics in the world of online privacy is government access to communications. Essentially, the authorities want to be able to read encrypted information, but at the same time, they insist that they do not want to weaken the online security of law-abiding … Continue reading “Which would you prefer: backdoored crypto, government malware – or the third way?”

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There are already police visors with built-in face recognition and fugitive spotting




Police already have access to visors with built-in face recognition and fugitive spotting. The technology was in prototype stage a few years ago, and was successfully tested when police officers walked into dark cinemas full of people and got so-called People of Interest highlighted directly onto their field of vision. The future is approaching fast, … Continue reading “There are already police visors with built-in face recognition and fugitive spotting”

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  • Jul 6, 2017 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy,

Privacy and population-wide whole-genome sequencing in the age of Google




Back in May, Privacy News Online noted that the legal basis of a data-sharing agreement between Google’s AI subsidiary DeepMind and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) was suspected to be “inappropriate”. That rather vague judgement has now been clarified, with a ruling from the UK’s independent body created to uphold information rights, the Information … Continue reading “Privacy and population-wide whole-genome sequencing in the age of Google”

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