• Jan 31, 2024
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

How Massive Server-to-Server Data Transfers Represent a Hidden Threat to Privacy

It’s well known that we are routinely tracked whenever we use the internet. Most people also understand that the primary business model online is surveillance advertising, whereby huge quantities of personal data are collected and aggregated in order to provide information for highly targeted digital advertising. While those facts are common knowledge, we still lack … Continue reading “How Massive Server-to-Server Data Transfers Represent a Hidden Threat to Privacy”

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  • Jan 19, 2024
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media,

The Latest Instalment in the Privacy Battle between Max Schrems and Meta Just Dropped

Last month we wrote about the latest development in a long-running saga to make Meta abide by the EU’s GDPR privacy law. It’s a vital battle for two reasons: first, because Meta is a huge company that impacts the lives of billions of people around the world, so it’s important that it not only follows … Continue reading “The Latest Instalment in the Privacy Battle between Max Schrems and Meta Just Dropped”

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  • Jan 3, 2024
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media,

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 is to protect children – always a powerful, if not entirely honest, argument. In the EU, the fight is especially fierce because the controversial Chat … Continue reading “Privacy Activists File Complaints against the European Commission and X over Chat Control Ad Campaign”

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  • Dec 15, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • Announcements, General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Online Security, Surveillance,

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 the technical details still need to be filled in over the next few weeks. There’s no final text yet, but press releases from the European … Continue reading “What’s in the New EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and What Will It Mean for Global Privacy?”

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  • Dec 8, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

ChatGPT Is One Year Old: Here’s AI’s Next Attack on Privacy, and What to Do About It

Although it’s hard to believe, it’s only a year since ChatGPT appeared and ignited the current frenzy over AI and large language models. As an article in the New York Times makes clear, the feverish pace of development since then has been driven by companies that are afraid of being left behind in the race … Continue reading “ChatGPT Is One Year Old: Here’s AI’s Next Attack on Privacy, and What to Do About It”

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  • Dec 6, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media,

Meta’s New Ad-Free Subscriptions Are Already Under Legal Attack from Privacy Activists

Back in August we wrote about Meta’s surprise announcement that it would seek consent from users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland before showing them behavioral advertisements. A few weeks ago, Meta provided more details of the proposed change. It turned out that users would be required to pay a substantial subscription fee – €120 … Continue reading “Meta’s New Ad-Free Subscriptions Are Already Under Legal Attack from Privacy Activists”

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  • Nov 23, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media, Surveillance,

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 a second after you click a link on most site, the blank advertising slots are put up for an automated auction among potential advertisers. In … Continue reading “Real-Time Bidding Is Bad for Your Privacy and a Serious Threat to National Security”

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  • Nov 2, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

Meta Offers Ad-Free Subscriptions in EU, but Is Banned from Using Behavioral Advertising without Consent

One of the most important and longest-running privacy battles has been taking place over Meta’s use of behavioral ads on Facebook and Instagram. As we shared back in August, the end seems to be close for surveillance advertising in the EU, with Meta announcing that it will seek user consent for behavioral ads. A big … Continue reading “Meta Offers Ad-Free Subscriptions in EU, but Is Banned from Using Behavioral Advertising without Consent”

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  • Oct 20, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • Censorship, Encryption, Governments, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media, Surveillance,

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 now entering the final stages of the EU legislative process, and the fight over whether it will include real-time mass surveillance is becoming fiercer. In … Continue reading “Chat Control, EU’s Plan for Real-Time Mass Surveillance, Takes a Dramatic Turn”

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  • Oct 13, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media, Surveillance,

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 two important respects – the spread of disinformation, and the surveillance of journalists – unless last-minute changes are made. The EMFA is the latest in … Continue reading “Will the New European Media Freedom Act Mean Freedom to Spy on Journalists and Spread Disinformation?”

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