OLDER ARTICLES
On our main page we currently only show the 35 latest articles, so here are older ones.
Last updated on (UTC):
2022-10-12 22:15:20
Politico (Europe),
Tue 09/27:
US expected to publish Privacy Shield executive order next week
The White House is expected to publish its long-awaited executive order on transatlantic data transfers next week, according to three officials with knowledge of the matter. The order is designed to address European concerns over surveillance practices in the United States and may be signed by President Joe Biden and then published as early as October 3, one of the officials said. Once made public next week, the executive order will kick off a ratification process by the European Commission, which is expected to take as long as six months.
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EFF,
Mon 09/26:
Ban Government Use of Face Recognition In the UK
In 2015, Leicestershire Police scanned the faces of 90,000 individuals at a music festival in the UK and checked these images against a database of people suspected of crimes across Europe. In the years since, the surveillance technology has been frequently used throughout the country with little government oversight and no electoral mandate. Face recognition presents an inherent threat to individual privacy, free expression, information security, and social justice. Of course, even if overnight the technology somehow had 100% accuracy, it would still be an unacceptable tool of invasive surveillance capable of identifying and tracking people on a massive scale. That’s why we are calling for a ban on government use of face recognition in the UK. London-based civil liberties group Big Brother Watch has been driving the fight to end government-use of face recognition across the country. Police Scotland has reported its intention to introduce LFR by 2026. In particular, the court found that the police had too much discretion in determining the location of video cameras and the composition of watchlists. Images on the PND are predominantly sourced from people who have been arrested, … cont
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Gizmodo,
Mon 09/26:
TikTok May Have Illegally Used Kids’ Data, UK's ICO Says
The UK’s privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has today served TikTok with notice that it believes the app may have breached UK data protection law, including processing the data of children under the age of 13 without parental consent. Internal documentation, obtained by Gizmodo and dating back to the time that the ICO believes TikTok may have breached children’s privacy rules, advises employees in the company’s PR department to say that “The app is only for users aged 13 and over, according to our terms and conditions. Advertisement
The reason the ICO is so cagey in not definitively declaring wrongdoing is that it has been down this path before with a big tech company. In the end, both parties settled in October 2019, with Facebook admitting no liability to the ICO about mishandling user data. “My main thought is that I think it shows poor judgment” on behalf of the ICO, says Tim Turner, a UK-based data protection expert. “ Advertisement
“The announcement doesn’t tell us anything concrete,” adds Turner. “ We don’t know how big the fine is going to be or even if there’s going to be one. Previously, TikTok advised its public r… cont
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gizmodo.com/../tiktok-kids-data-uk..
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The Verge,
Mon 09/26:
Australia to overhaul privacy laws after massive data breach
Following one of the biggest data breaches in Australian history, the government of Australia is planning to get stricter on requirements for disclosure of cyber attacks. Reporting from ABC News Australia suggested the breach may have resulted from an improperly secured API that Optus developed to comply with regulations around providing users multifactor authentication options. The hacker also released a number of free “sample files,” which they said contained the full address information of 10,000 Optus users.
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theverge.com/../australian-hack-di..
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The Hill,
Mon 09/26:
TikTok could face $29 million fine from UK over kids’ data privacy violations
TikTok could face a fine of 27 million pounds, or roughly $29 million, over allegations of violating the United Kingdom’s children’s data privacy protection standards, a U.K. agency said Monday. TikTok allegedly breached the U.K.’s protections for children’s data privacy between May 2018 and July 2020, in part by processing the data for children under 13 without appropriate parental consent, according to an investigation by the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). TikTok and other social media platforms have been targeted over how they handle the data of minors.
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thehill.com/../3661303-tiktok-coul..
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The Guardian (UK),
Mon 09/26:
TikTok could face £27m fine for failing to protect children’s privacy
TikTok is facing the prospect of a £27m fine for failing to protect the privacy of children, the UK’s data watchdog has said. “Companies providing digital services have a legal duty to put those protections in place but our provisional view is that TikTok fell short of meeting that requirement.” For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. In May, the ICO fined the facial recognition company Clearview AI £7.5m– the third largest it has imposed – for collecting images of people from social media platforms and the web to add to a global database.
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theguardian.com/../tiktok-fine-pro..
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The Guardian (UK),
Sun 09/25:
Optus data breach: Cybersecurity reforms expected to enable companies to rapidly inform financial institutions
The minister for home affairs and cybersecurity, Clare O’Neil, is expected to announce reforms that would enable Optus to inform financial institutions about the data compromised in its recent cyber-attack. O’Neil is expected to announce reforms in the coming week that would enable companies such as Optus to more rapidly provide data to banks following security breaches. Details including names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and passport and driver’s licence numbers have been stolen. Optus chief executive, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said on Friday that the company was not sure exactly how many customers had their details compromised, but said 9.8 million was the “worst case scenario”. In the past, the telco has proposed changes to privacy laws that would enable customers to request their data be destroyed.
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theguardian.com/../optus-data-brea..
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The Tribune (India),
Sun 09/25:
Dealing with digital invasion of privacy
Renu Sud Sinha
“THe Internet has become the central lifeline of our day-to-day life that we can’t leave. Checks and balances Senior Supreme Court advocate Vibha Datta Makhija suggests common toilets to be device-free zones in educational institutions, hostels. Even after all precautions, if any breach happens, report immediately to police. The recent Chandigarh University video leak case has brought into focus the issue of privacy invasion in the digital age. We have begun to take the Internet for granted but forget that it never forgets. In Himachal Pradesh, cyber crime cases have gone up in the past two to three years, particularly during the lockdown, says Narvir Singh Rathaur, Additional SP, cyber crime, Shimla. A high conviction rate would have acted as a deterrent, but it remains quite low. Most of the time there is a delay in providing information to us,” says the HP cyber cop. The key lies in creating awareness and sensitising people about cyber security, says Prajakta Ahvad, a Kharar-based lawyer who also runs an NGO that works with adolescent girls. “ Law definitely provides a remedy but prevention is more important and that can come only through education… cont
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tribuneindia.com/../dealing-with-d..
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The Guardian (UK),
Fri 09/23:
Optus cyber-attack: company opposed changes to privacy laws to give customers more rights over their data
Optus has repeatedly opposed a proposed change to privacy laws that would give customers the right to request their data be destroyed, with the telco arguing there were “significant hurdles” to implementing such a system and it would come at “significant cost”. Any substantial changes to the act would “place a further drag on innovation and limit the benefits of digitisation,” the company said. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. In its response in January this year, Optus reiterated its opposition to the proposals, arguing the existing processes for consumer complaints were more “flexible”.
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theguardian.com/../optus-cyber-att..
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EFF,
Fri 09/23:
Study of Electronic Monitoring Smartphone Apps Confirms Advocates’ Concerns of Privacy Harms
Researchers at the University of Washington and Harvard Law School recently published a groundbreaking study analyzing the technical capabilities of 16 electronic monitoring (EM) smartphone apps used as “alternatives” to criminal and civil detention. The way it works is simple: in lieu of incarceration/detention or an ankle monitor, a person agrees to download an EM app on their own phone that allows the agency to track the person’s location and may require the person to submit to additional conditions such as check-ins involving face or voice recognition. The low costs associated with requiring a person to use their own device for EM likely explains the explosion of EM apps in recent years. Such a high usage calls for a greater need for public understanding of these apps and the information they collect, retain, and share. Information Flows
The study aimed to capture the kinds of network traffic these apps sent during normal operation, but was limited by not having active accounts for any of the apps (either because the researchers could not create their own accounts or did not do so to avoid agreeing to terms of service). Even still, by installing software that al… cont
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eff.org/../study-electronic-monito..
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The Verge,
Fri 09/23:
San Francisco police can now watch private surveillance cameras in real time
Sundar Pichai addressed employees’ questions about Google’s spending changes at an all-hands this week, according to CNBC. In the all-hands, Google’s head of finance also asked staff to try not to go “over the top” for holiday parties.
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theverge.com/../san-francisco-poli..
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The Guardian (UK),
Fri 09/23:
Optus cyber-attack leaves customers feeling ‘powerless’ over risk of identity theft
Optus customers caught up in a cyber-attack that may have exposed the personal information of 9.8 million people say they are angry and concerned about having been exposed to the risk of identity fraud. The messages, addressed from the Optus chief executive, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, were labelled as an “urgent update from Optus about your personal information” and began with Rosmarin expressing her “great disappointment” about the data breach before outlining what information had been taken – and what had not. The email said Optus was “currently not aware of customers having suffered any harm” but offered a checklist for people to follow to protect themselves. Then just a number for a call centre that no doubt is flooded.” For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. But they said the responsibility ultimately lay with the government for requiring corporations to collect so much data in order to access a basic necessity of modern life.
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theguardian.com/../optus-cyber-att..
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The Guardian (UK),
Fri 09/23:
Apple says it prioritizes privacy. Experts say gaps remain
For years, Apple has carefully curated a reputation as a privacy stalwart among data-hungry and growth-seeking tech companies. Of those 7,122 requests, the iPhone maker challenged or rejected 261 requests. The company’s positive response rate is largely in line with, and at times slightly higher than that of counterparts like Facebook and Google. That’s more than six times the number of law enforcement requests Apple received in a comparable time frame. That’s because the amount of data Apple collects on its users pales in comparison with other players in the space, said Jennifer Golbeck, a computer science professor at the University of Maryland. Apple’s drafted detailed guidelines outlining exactly what data authorities can obtain and how it can get it – a level of detail, the company says, which is in keeping with best practices. “iCloud content, as it exists in the customer’s account” can be handed over to law enforcement in response to a search warrant, Apple’s law enforcement guidelines read. When we say they’re better than everyone else, it’s more an indictment of what everyone else is doing Erica Portnoy, Electronic Frontier Foundation
“[Apple’s] hardware is… cont
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theguardian.com/../apple-user-data..
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Gizmodo,
Thu 09/22:
TikTok Company's New VR Headset Competes with Meta on Price and Privacy
Meta is terrified of TikTok’s domineering presence in the social media market, and now it seems the company behind the app, ByteDance, is coming for Meta’s own stake in the Metaverse with a headset that’s the closest we’ve seen in price to the Quest 2. Considering Meta’s already contracted with Qualcomm for custom chipsets, it will be interesting to see how powerful this device will be compared to future Quests. Buy for $90 from Amazon Advertisement
The headband is just a single strap, but Pico is promoting that the weight of the device is balanced due to the 5300mAh battery sitting behind the head. The four buttons used in most modern games are shared between both controllers. Of course, the company did not show off this feature in-action. It was a deal that mirrored Facebook when it purchased Oculus back in 2014. Pico seems to be going after Meta and its metaverse directly with its “Avatar System.” The company also boasts its device’s ability to track facial muscles that will be reproduced on player’s avatars.
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gizmodo.com/../tiktok-vr-bytedance..
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epic.org,
Thu 09/22:
The Rise of Chinese Surveillance Technology in Africa (part 5 of 6)
Personal Data Vulnerabilities in Africa
By Bulelani Jili, EPIC Scholar-in-Residence
Digital initiatives have widened the range of personal data collected by African states. This digitization initiative was justified as a way to bolster tax recovery, streamline administrative processes, and strengthen national security priorities. This disagreement was never resolved since the ambitious plan for a panoptic biometric registration, announced by the government in the early 2010s, ultimately never came to pass. Following this outcome, Safaricom launched their micro-loan program, M-Shwari. The database contains information, including biometric information, on Kenyan citizens and foreign residents in the country. Accordingly, the court ruled to pause the rollout of Huduma Namba because (i) there was no practical legislation in place to guarantee the security and safety of the biometric data processed by the state and its corporate partners and (ii) there were no means to ensure that the systems would not deprive access to historically marginalized groups in Kenya. These trends in the application of administrative and surveillance tools are particularly prevale… cont
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epic.org/../the-rise-of-chinese-su..
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EFF,
Thu 09/22:
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors Grants Police More Surveillance Powers
In a 4-7 vote, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed a 15-month pilot program granting the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) more live surveillance powers. Make no mistake, misdemeanors like vandalism or jaywalking happen on nearly every street of San Francisco on any given day—meaning that this ordinance essentially gives the SFPD the ability to put the entire city under live surveillance indefinitely. The first would have prohibited the SFPD from live monitoring public gatherings unless there was imminent threat of death or bodily harm. Moreover, as Supervisor Shamann Walton pointed out, police have always been able to get historical footage of crimes simply by sending a request to the camera’s owner—this is especially true of the thousands of Business Improvement District/Commercial Benefit District cameras from which police have long been obtaining historic footage to build cases or gather evidence. A Heartfelt Thank You
A very large coalition pushed against this ordinance. Commendations should also be heaped upon Supervisors Chan, Preston, Ronen, and Walton for their brave stand at the Board of Supervisors meeting, their sharp critique and questionin… cont
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eff.org/../san-franciscos-board-su..
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EFF,
Thu 09/22:
Lawsuit: SMUD and Sacramento Police Violate State Law and Utility Customers’ Privacy by Sharing Data Without a Warrant
SACRAMENTO—The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) searches entire zip codes’ worth of people’s private data and discloses it to police without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing, according to a privacy lawsuit filed Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court. “SMUD’s policies claim that ‘privacy is fundamental’ and that it ‘strictly enforces privacy safeguards,’ but in reality, its standard practice has been to hand over its extensive trove of customer data whenever police request it,” said EFF Staff Attorney Saira Hussain. “ Utility data has historically provided a detailed picture of what occurs within a home. The California Public Utilities Code says public utilities generally “shall not share, disclose, or otherwise make accessible to any third party a customer’s electrical consumption data ....” except “as required under federal or state law.”
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eff.org/../lawsuit-smud-and-sacram..
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Politico (Europe),
Thu 09/22:
EU privacy watchdog sues lawmakers over new Europol mandate
Europol has been ordered to erase data concerning individuals with no established link to a crime | iStock
The European Union's in-house privacy watchdog has sued lawmakers over legislation that would effectively wipe out its previous enforcement against Europol, the bloc’s law enforcement agency. The legal action comes just days after the EDPS ordered Europol to approve Dutch activist Frank van der Linde's access request to the data it holds on him, topping off a torrid week for the law enforcement agency even as it hosts its renowned annual EDEN conference, where it convenes privacy experts from around the world to talk about data protection in law enforcement. The EDPS investigation found that Europol thought that deleting his data could be a solution to the problem of his access request. I think there are hundreds or even thousands of people in Europol’s database where their data is not correct.
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politico.eu/../eu-privacy-watchdog..
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Mac Rumors,
Thu 09/22:
Meta Sued Over Tracking iPhone Users Despite Apple's Privacy Features
Meta is facing a new proposed class action lawsuit that accuses it of tracking and collecting the personal data of iPhone users, despite features and policies made by Apple which are meant to stop that same type of tracking. In August, it was revealed that with the Facebook and Instagram apps, Meta can track all of a user's key taps, keyboard inputs, and more, when using the in-app browser. The proposed class action lawsuit accuses Meta of violating Apple's ATT framework and state and federal laws by collecting user data without user consent within its Facebook and Instagram apps.
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macrumors.com/../meta-sued-trackin..
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The Guardian (UK),
Thu 09/22:
Ofcom to investigate tech giants’ dominance of cloud computing
Ofcom will investigate the world’s biggest tech companies to ensure their dominance in areas such as cloud computing, messaging and smart devices works for the people and businesses of Britain, the communications regulator has said. Over the coming year, the regulator will begin investigating a wider range of digital services. WhatsApp, FaceTime and Zoom will come under the lens, with Ofcom looking at how their market power is affecting traditional calling and messaging, and whether the lack of interoperability “raises potential concerns”. The cloud study, which begins in the coming weeks, “will examine the strength of competition in cloud services generally and the position the three hyperscalers hold in the market”, the regulator said in a statement.
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theguardian.com/../ofcom-investiga..
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news.bloomberglaw.com,
Thu 09/22:
California’s trailblazing law directing online services like Instagram and TikTok to protect children’s privacy is likely to complicate the path forward for a federal bill safeguarding consumer data. Photo: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Progress on House lawmakers’ bipartisan federal privacy bill ( H.R. 8152 ) has stalled over concerns about preemption of state laws and enforcement-related issues. When combined, they would be similar in strength to California’s law, Golin said. California’s law is “a huge win and we need more,” kids advocacy group CommonSense founder Jim Steyer said. “This should be a big spur to several of the major federal bills,” he added in reference to committee-approved bills that would require safeguards to control minors’ experience on platforms ( S. 3663 ) and update an existing federal children’s privacy law (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA) to make the handling of kids’ data safer ( S. 1628 ). Markey’s bill would extend the law to children under 17, while California’s new law targets online services likely to be accessed by children under age 18. A spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc. , which owns… cont
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The Guardian (UK),
Thu 09/22:
Customers’ personal data stolen as Optus suffers massive cyber-attack
Optus has suffered a massive cyber-attack, with the personal information of customers stolen, including names, dates of birth, addresses, and contact details. “Optus has also notified key financial institutions about this matter,” Bayer Rosmarin said. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said the Australian Cyber Security Centre was providing cyber security advice and technical assistance to Optus, and that Australian companies and organisations were being consistently targeted for cyber-attacks by cybercriminals and hostile nations. “Under the NDB scheme, organisations covered by the Privacy Act must notify affected individuals and the OAIC as quickly as possible if they experience a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to individuals whose personal information is involved,” the OAIC said.
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theguardian.com/../customers-perso..
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epic.org,
Wed 09/21:
Report: DOD Agencies Provided Access to “Petabytes” of Data, Including Internet Browsing and Email Data, via Data Broker Mass Monitoring Tool
In a letter to the DOD, DHS, and DOJ Inspectors General, Sen. Ron Wyden revealed that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has purchased a subscription to Augury, a service that provides access to internet browsing and email data. EPIC has long challenged warrantless government surveillance and searches of sensitive digital data, including internet browsing and search history, and has called for hearings on the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, which would end the government’s end-run around Carpenter by purchasing Americans’ personal information from data brokers.
Read full article here:
epic.org/../report-dod-agencies-pr..
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Privacy International,
Wed 09/21:
PI's submission on the working draft of the WHO’s Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord
Privacy International welcomes the opportunity to provide written input on the working draft of the WHO’s Pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response accord (“WHO CAII”) published on 13 July 2022. This submission is based on our research and assessment of data-reliant and tech-intensive measures deployed by governments and companies in response to Covid-19 and its aftermath, which documented how these measures impacted people’s fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to privacy and other human rights.
Read full article here:
privacyinternational.org/../pis-su..
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The Guardian (UK),
Wed 09/21:
TikTok tightens policies around political issues in run-up to US midterms
Politicians on TikTok will no longer be able to use the app tipping tools, nor access advertising features on the social network, as the company tightens its policies around political issues in the run-up to the US midterm elections in six weeks’ time. Now, new rules will again limit political players’ ability to use the app for anything other than organic activity, to “help ensure TikTok remains a fun, positive and joyful experience”, the company said. “This means accounts belonging to politicians and political parties will automatically have their access to advertising features turned off, which will help us more consistently enforce our existing policy.” But the company won’t remove “organic” content that does the same.
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theguardian.com/../tiktok-tightens..
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Gizmodo,
Tue 09/20:
NYC Subways Are Getting a 'Big Brother' Addition
No, not more trains, more stops, fewer delays, or updated stations, but instead a ton more surveillance cameras. The addition of cameras on train cars is the expansion of pilot program which began in June. Advertisement
Following the shooting, NYC also increased the amount of police officers in subway stations. The 472 subway stations throughout the city already have surveillance cameras, including the Sunset Park station where the April shooting began. Buy for $441 from Amazon Advertisement
In her announcement, Hochul implied that the cameras were also intended to boost ridership, as well as security. Yet, the situation she described was one of decreasing crime—down 4% from 2019 numbers and 21% from June to September of 2022. Advertisement
Hochul pre emptively dismissed potential concerns about the increased surveillance, adding “If you’re concerned about this, the best answer is don’t commit any crimes on the subways, then you won’t have any problems.” Real public safety comes from investing in our communities, not from omnipresent government surveillance,” Schwarz wrote.
Read full article here:
gizmodo.com/../nyc-cameras-surveil..
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Gizmodo,
Tue 09/20:
Advocacy Groups Demand Amazon, MGM Cancel Creepy 'Ring Nation' Surveillance Reality Show
40 privacy and racial justice groups signed an open letter demanding MGM Studios cancel Ring Nation, a dystopian reality television show based on security footage captured from Ring home cameras. Advertisement
“MGM and others affiliated with the show are hiding behind the concept of consent in order to rationalize airing Ring Nation,” the groups wrote. “ If you live in densely populated areas with Ring cameras you probably already understand this experience all too well. The deal’s already managed to draw the attention of Federal Trade Commission regulators. Advertisement
Activist groups, including several who signed the Tuesday letter calling for Ring Nation’s cancellation, want to see the FTC launch similar probes into Amazon’s other pending acquisitions. More than two dozen groups signed a letter earlier this month calling on the agency to block Amazon’s more recent $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot.
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gizmodo.com/../amazon-mgm-ring-nat..
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The Verge,
Tue 09/20:
Dozens of civil rights groups are calling on Amazon and MGM to cancel Ring Nation reality show
Amazon and MGM are marketing Ring Nation, their upcoming reality TV show hosted by comedian and former NSA agent Wanda Sykes, as “a new twist on the popular clip show genre.” But over 40 different civil rights organizations are now speaking out against the program for being a dangerous piece of pro-surveillance corporate propaganda and are calling on the studios to cancel the show before it ever sees the light of day. The letter, addressed to MGM TV chairman Mark Burnett and MGM president of unscripted TV Barry Poznick, goes into detail about the dangers Ring cameras and the culture associated with them pose to vulnerable communities and argues that Ring Nation is just the latest piece of Amazon’s Ring-branded “surveillance network” being sold as entertainment. While Ring Nation pulls from footage that Ring users themselves choose to share, what’s troubling is the way that the show — just by existing — presents Ring cameras as a source of entertainment by way of their normalized use.
Read full article here:
theverge.com/../ring-nation-mgm-am..
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The Markup,
Mon 09/19:
Meta Faces Mounting Questions from Congress on Health Data Privacy As Hospitals Remove Facebook Tracker – The Markup
After a Markup investigation in June, 28 hospitals removed the Meta Pixel or blocked it from sending patient information to Facebook By Todd Feathers and Simon Fondrie-Teitler
Meta is facing mounting questions about its access to sensitive medical data following a Markup investigation that found the company’s pixel tracking tool collecting details about patients’ doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and health conditions on hospital websites. During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) requested that Meta—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—provide a “comprehensive and precise” accounting of the medical information it keeps on users. Our system is designed to filter out potentially sensitive data it is able to detect.” Report Deeply and Fix Things Because it turns out moving fast and breaking things broke some super important things. In the breach notification, Novant Health stated the pixel was added as part of a promotional campaign to encourage use of Novant’s MyChart patient portal, but “the pixel was configured incorrectly and may have allowed certain private information to be trans… cont
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themarkup.org/../meta-faces-mounti..
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The Intercept,
Sat 09/17:
Detroit Cops Want $7 Million in Covid Relief Money for Surveillance Microphones
Detroit’s city council will soon vote on whether to spend millions in federal cash meant to ease the economic pains of the coronavirus pandemic on ShotSpotter, a controversial surveillance technology critics say is invasive, discriminatory, and fundamentally broken. Once the company’s black-box algorithm thinks it has identified a gunshot, it sends a recording of the sound — and the moments preceding and following it — to a team of human analysts. Detroit already has a $1.5 million contract with ShotSpotter, a California company, to deploy the microphones in select areas, but city officials, including Mayor Mike Duggan, insist that substantially expanding the audio surveillance network will deter gun slayings. Some cities have chosen to use a portion of these funds for ShotSpotter’s technology,” she said. Asked about Detroit’s system, Olive said the city owns the data collected by ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter’s opponents in Detroit agreed that gun violence is a serious problem but said Covid-19 relief money would be far better spent on addressing the social ills that form the basis of crime. They very likely could have prevented two and probably three tragedies had they had an immed… cont
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theintercept.com/../police-surveil..
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The Verge,
Fri 09/16:
Apple is too strict with copy and paste in iOS 16
In my time using iOS 16 so far, I’ve generally been very pleased with the new features and improvements. But only a few days after the new software rolled out, I’ve already found my biggest frustration: iOS now asks if it’s okay to paste an item from one app to another. Just give us some way of establishing permanence for our copy and paste preferences.
Read full article here:
theverge.com/../apple-ios-16-iphon..
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Gizmodo,
Fri 09/16:
Congresswoman Urges FTC to Investigate Newly Revealed Police Software Surveilling Americans' Movements
California Congresswoman Anna Eshoo is urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate a Virginia-based company revealed by the Associated Press to provide law enforcement agencies across the U.S. with access to cellphone tracking technology capable of mapping people’s movements “months back in time.” The company has previously declined to reveal how many police contracts it holds.) Fog Reveal is one of several services exploiting what some constitutional experts have come to call a Fourth Amendment “loophole.” Advertisement
Fog Data Science could not be immediately reached for comment. The notice for this process broadly defines the issue, encompassing virtually all forms of data collected commercially. Advertisement
Jessica Rich, the former director of the FTC’s consumer protection bureau, has joined others, meanwhile, in questioning whether the rulemaking is a “serious effort,” or merely an “attempt to push Congress to move forward” and pass a comprehensive privacy bill known as the American Data Privacy and Prevention Act (reported on in-depth by Gizmodo last month). Advertisement
Like the ADPPA, which is the first major privac… cont
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The Hill,
Fri 09/16:
Why ‘sharenting’ is sparking real fears about children’s privacy
Story at a glance The popularity of social media has led to increasing numbers of parents and caregivers sharing photos or videos of their children, a practice dubbed “sharenting.” For parents, grandparents and caregivers, snapping a photo of their child and sharing it on social media may seem like a routine, harmless act. After all, being proud of your child and wanting to share that pride with loved ones is a completely normal and largely universal feeling. Data collection and consent
In a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, co-author Laurel Cook, a social marketing and public policy researcher at West Virginia University, outlined the risks sharenting poses to youth. “It’s a lot more nefarious than I think [parents] realize and they are putting out this information that I would encourage them to consider to keep more private,” she said. In some cases, these footprints can begin before the child is even born. Only one law currently regulates this area of the internet, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA was first introduced in 1998 when the internet was still in its infancy, and smartphones and social media had yet to take o… cont
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The Hill,
Thu 09/15:
Reproductive health apps strengthened privacy, but serious risks remain – The Hill
Story at a glance Reproductive health app Flo announced a new Anonymous Mode feature that lets users access the app without requiring a name, email address or other technical identifiers. The new feature is intended to protect users’ sensitive health data from state abortion laws. One of the world’s most popular period tracking apps released a heightened privacy mode for users to activate in an effort to protect their sensitive health data from abortion bans cropping up across the country. That’s because many period tracking apps, including Flo, allow users to input their menstrual cycles, sexual activity and ovulation windows. There’s currently no federal law preventing companies from collecting and selling user data and a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that more regulations are needed to manage how companies collect, use and sell online personal information — often done with a consumer’s knowledge or consent. However, Crawford says there are proactive measures companies can take, like limiting the amount of unnecessary information collected on users and in instances where it is collected, it’s deleted quickly.
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thehill.com/../3645121-how-reprodu..
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EFF,
Thu 09/15:
Members of Congress Urge FTC to Investigate Fog Data Science
In the week since EFF and the Associated Press exposed how Fog Data Science purchases geolocation data on hundreds of millions of digital devices in the United States, and maps them for easy-to-use and cheap mass surveillance by police, elected officials have voiced serious concerns about this dangerous tech. Eshoo also pointed out the new threat that Fog’s surveillance tool poses to people seeking reproductive healthcare. Senator Ron Wyden said in a tweet about Fog’s ability to facilitate mass surveillance, “Unfortunately, while it’s outrageous that data brokers are selling location data to law-enforcement agencies, it’s not surprising.”
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eff.org/../members-congress-urge-f..
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Last updated on:
2022-10-12 15:15 (Pacific)