The US Government can search your phone at the border without a warrant
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has ruled that border security doesn’t need a warrant to do a digital search of your device at borders. The court…
General Privacy News
The battle over the EU’s far-reaching ePrivacy Regulation enters its final and crucial stage
The EU's GDPR has had a massive effect on privacy worldwide. But as a post explained back in 2018, there's more EU privacy legislation coming through which could have a…
Code is law: why software openness and algorithmic transparency are vital for privacy
This blog has written a number of times about the growing threat that low-cost, rapid DNA sequencing represents for privacy. The increased use of genetic material by the police to…
South Africa’s highest court bans bulk internet surveillance
South Africa’s Constitutional Court - or Concourt as it is often referred to - has banned mass surveillance of internet communications in the country. The court decisions came as a…
Police used geofence warrant to make Google to identify George Floyd protestors
In the aftermath of the George Floyd Protests, Police served Google with a geofence warrant to identify suspects in crimes committed during the protests. Minneapolis Police say that the looting…
Time to get rid of pervasive online ad tracking once and for all: the alternative is simple, effective, and fully respects privacy
This blog has been pointing out for years the fundamental incompatibility between privacy and the current online advertising model. Today, most Web sites seek to gather as much personal information…
Users have privacy concerns about Microsoft’s inclusion in Raspberry Pi OS
An unannounced update to Raspberry Pi OS has added Microsoft’s GPG key and apt repository for VSCode to the popular operating system previously known as Raspbian which is used on…
Google doesn’t want your permission to track you on iOS
Google will be updating its in house iOS apps to avoid scaring users with a tracking permission prompt. Apple’s iOS14 privacy upgrades - specifically Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) initiative…
UK Police Chief falsely claims that end to end encrypted messaging “puts lives at risk”
The Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom (UK) really really don’t want Facebook to bring end to end encryption to Facebook Messenger and Instagram. In fact, a police chief went…
China releases draft of major new privacy law: why it matters to everyone online
China has frequently figured in this blog, usually in the context of its censorship, surveillance activities, and wide-ranging abuse of human rights. But there's another side to the story. Like…