• 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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  • Oct 25, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media, Surveillance,

Contextual Advertising Should Be Great for Privacy, But It Risks Being Undermined

We’ve been discussing the privacy advantages of contextual advertising – a system that places ads based on a webpage’s content and not who’s viewing it (also known as behavioral advertising) – for over four years now. In a clear sign that the tide is turning against surveillance-led behavioral advertising, the adtech industry itself is starting … Continue reading “Contextual Advertising Should Be Great for Privacy, But It Risks Being Undermined”

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  • Sep 13, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • Cybersecurity, General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Online Security, Surveillance,

Google Built a Surveillance System Into Its Chrome Browser to “Improve Privacy”

Google has announced that its Privacy Sandbox for the Web is now generally available to anyone using Chrome browser. It’s the latest iteration of Google’s efforts to improve online privacy without harming its digital advertising ecosystem, which currently provides around $30 billion of its revenue each year. This blog first wrote about Google’s Privacy Sandbox … Continue reading “Google Built a Surveillance System Into Its Chrome Browser to “Improve Privacy””

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  • Aug 31, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

What Does the EU’s Far-Reaching New Digital Services Act Mean for Privacy Worldwide?

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a major new EU law with the potential to be as influential globally as the 2016 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It aims to end the current era of weak self-regulation, and to force companies to actively tackle some of the internet’s more harmful aspects. It includes rules to ensure … Continue reading “What Does the EU’s Far-Reaching New Digital Services Act Mean for Privacy Worldwide?”

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  • Aug 23, 2023
  • Glyn Moody
  • General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance, VPN,

Canada’s New C-18 “Link Tax” Law Tackles the Wrong Problem. The Real Solution Would Enhance Privacy.

In June, Canada passed the Online News Act, commonly known as C-18. It’s framed as a law that’s designed to help Canadian news publishers financially, as it forces large tech companies to pay when they link to news stories. What Is C-18? The Canadian government describes the key element of the new law as follows: [C-18] … Continue reading “Canada’s New C-18 “Link Tax” Law Tackles the Wrong Problem. The Real Solution Would Enhance Privacy.”

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