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.

Online Privacy & Security

Leave a comment

Backdoor Accounts Discovered in 29 FTTH Devices from Chinese Vendor C-Data

Here is another argument in favor of encryption without any “back doors”: In a report published this week, security researchers Pierre Kim and Alexandre Torres said they discovered seven vulnerabilities in the firmware of FTTH OLT devices manufactured by Chinese equipment vendor C-Data. Kim and Torres said they confirmed the vulnerabilities by analyzing the latest firmware running on two devices, but they believe that the same vulnerabilities impact 27 other […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Kinda Sorta Weakened Version of EARN IT Act Creeps Closer

The EARN It Act currently being debated in the US Senate promises to combat the scourge of online child sex abuse materials. But is it really just a thinly-veiled attack by government on privacy and end-to-end encryption? Most privacy experts believe the second possibility is the true intent of the proposed piece of legislation. The true purpose of the  EARN It Act is an attack by the U.S. government on […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Federal Judge Rejects Much of Legal Challenge to Maine Internet Privacy Law

A federal judge has rejected much of a legal challenge to Maine’s internet privacy law. The law, which just took effect on July 1, requires internet service providers to get consumers’ consent before using or sharing their internet-use data. Four internet industry groups representing internet service providers and led by a Pennsylvania-based trade group called ACA Connects sued in February seeking to block the law, which sets some of the […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

The Most Important Privacy Case You’ve Never Heard Of

“One of the most important privacy cases you’ve never heard of is being litigated right now in a federal district court in Maine. ACA v. Frey is a challenge by the nation’s largest broadband Internet access providers to a Maine law that protects the privacy of the state’s broadband Internet users. If the broadband providers prevail, this case could eliminate sector-specific privacy laws across the nation, foreclose national privacy legislation, […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Blockchain Can Provide the Right to Privacy That Everyone Deserves

Reuben Yap has just published an article that I believe everyone should read, especially our elected representatives. He writes (in part): “Contrary to popular belief, privacy is not for those with something to hide but with everything to lose. Authoritarian governments across the globe are increasingly using surveillance to control their citizens at the expense of personal freedoms and civil liberties. The privacy of one’s financial transactions is intricately linked […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Under This New Law, Cryptocurrency Could Become Illegal

I wrote about an absurd proposed piece of legislation 5 days ago at https://bit.ly/2VwfKhN. If passed, a new bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate will destroy personal, corporate, and most other private online communications. It will be a gift to credit card thieves, identity thieves, Facebook’s advertisers, as well as to local and foreign governments alike. In short, the bill proposes requiring “back doors” in all encrypted communications created […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

CryptPad: a Privacy-Focused Collaborative Online Office Suite with Chat

If you or your family or your team at work need privacy and security, you might want to check out CryptPad. CryptPad is a privacy protecting alternative to Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online, and other online office suites. And while protecting privacy, it still allows for real-time collaboration between creative partners. Yes, you can (optionally) share your documents with others. The suite includes rich text (like a word processor), presentation, […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

GoldenSpy: Chinese Bank Requires a Foreign Firm to Install App With Covert Backdoor

Here is another reason to never use Windows: A large, multinational technology company got a nasty surprise recently as it was expanding its operations to China. A local bank required the company to install another program that contained an advanced backdoor. The cautionary tale, detailed in a report published Thursday, said the software package, called Intelligent Tax and produced by Beijing-based Aisino Corporation, worked as advertised. Behind the scenes, it […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Google to Auto-Delete Users’ Records by Default

Google is changing its default settings to automatically delete some of the data it collects about users. Web and app activity, including a log of website searches and pages visited, as well as location data, will now be wiped after 18 months. YouTube histories – including which clips were watched and for how long – will be erased after 36 months. The changes apply to new accounts only but existing […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Fed Up With Facebook? Here Are 5 Alternatives

“Facebook is unparalleled as a tool for social connection and organization. The same massive scale that makes it so useful, though, also makes its privacy issues, constant tracking, security breaches, and general dominance extra-concerning. That’s probably why you are looking for Facebook alternatives.” You can read a lot more in an article by Andrew Braun in the MakeTechEasier web site at https://www.maketecheasier.com/facebook-alternatives-social-networks.

Continue Reading →