Privacy Blog

"Friends don’t let friends get spied on.' – Richard Stallman, President of the Free Software Foundation and longtime advocate of privacy in technology.

Current Affairs

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Facebook Is a Normal Sleazy Company Now

Interesting reading: excepts from an article by Siva Vaidhyanathan in the Slate web site at http://bit.ly/2PWUQa6: “The leaders of Facebook can no longer pretend they are special people running a special company. Facebook is now just another normal sleazy American company run by normal sleazy executives, engaged in normal sleazy lobbying and corporate propaganda.” Later in the article: “All of the scandals and crises the company has facilitated in recent […]

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Ads Will Soon Appear in WhatsApp

Bad news: Advertisements are coming to WhatsApp. Like we need more advertising on the Internet? I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. WhatsApp once was a successful freeware and cross-platform encrypted messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) product that treated its customers like real human beings. Then the company was bought out by Facebook for approximately US$19.3 billion. Since then, the encrypted service has been abused by various groups. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp#Reception_and_criticism […]

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A New Report Claims Internet Freedom Continues to Decline Around the World

Governments are reining in liberty for the eighth consecutive year, Freedom House reports. Digital authoritarianism is on the rise, according to a new report from a group that monitors internet freedoms. Freedom House, a pro-democracy think tank, said today that governments are seeking more control over users’ data while also using laws nominally intended to address “fake news” to suppress dissent. It marked the eighth consecutive year that Freedom House […]

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Thousands of Swedes Are Inserting Microchips Under Their Skin

In Sweden, a country rich with technological advancement, thousands have had microchips inserted into their hands. The chips are designed to speed up users’ daily routines and make their lives more convenient — accessing their homes, offices and gyms is as easy as swiping their hands against digital readers. They also can be used to store emergency contact details, social media profiles or e-tickets for events and rail journeys within […]

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Spotty Data or Internet after Hurricane Michael? Try these Apps to Communicate

Thousands of residents are without power after Hurricane Michael barreled through the Florida panhandle and across Georgia Wednesday and Thursday. Telephone lines are down in many areas. Some people have reported spotty cell phone service and internet service in Michael’s aftermath, likely because of the continued power outages. Yet others, perhaps only a few miles away, report reliable cell phone service and internet service. What should you do if you […]

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Pentagon’s New Next-Gen Weapons Systems Are Laughably Easy To Hack

Your tax dollars at work! Well, that’s true if you pay taxes in the USofA. New computerized weapons systems currently under development by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) can be easily hacked, according to a report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency that provides auditing, evaluation, and investigative services for Congress. The report detailed some of the most eye-catching hacks GAO testers performed during their […]

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Database Shows Information on School Shootings in US

Two postgraduate students in California have put together an unusual database. It has information on every school shooting in the U.S. over the past 50 years. One of the database creators, David Riedman, says his site allows you to search 16 different categories, ranging from suicides to fights. He calls his database a good tool for school administrators building budgets and making plans for school security. You can learn more […]

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