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

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Handshake Goes Live With an Uncensorable Internet Browser

From an article by Daniel Kuhn in the CoinDesk web site: Handshake set out to disrupt the World Wide Web of internet names. Now it’s looking to reinvent browsing. Today, as the Handshake Network records its 1 millionth transaction, HandyBrowser will go live. It’s a dedicated way to access the uncensorable internet ecosystem made possible through the distributed Handshake Network, as well as anything else you would normally search for. […]

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Multiple “CIA Failures” Led to Theft of Agency’s Top-Secret Hacking Tools

Your tax dollars at work: the CIA developed all sorts of (mostly illegal) tools to spy on Americans and foreign citizens alike and the unwittingly allowed those tools to fall into the hands of anyone and everyone in the world. In early 2017, WikiLeaks began publishing details of top-secret CIA hacking tools that researchers soon confirmed were part of a large tranche of confidential documents stolen from one of the […]

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How to Get the Most Out of Signal and Encrypted Chat

Of all the popular text messaging, voice conversation, and 2-way video services available today, Signal is probably the one that offers the best privacy, using end-to-end encryption on all information sent and received. Assuming you are interested in such privacy concerns, you will want to read Brian Barrett’s article, How to Get the Most Out of Signal and Encrypted Chat, in the Wired web site at: https://www.wired.com/story/signal-tips-private-messaging-encryption/.

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There Has Never Been a Better Time to Quit Facebook

There is interesting reading in an article by Dave Smith in an article in the Business Insider web site. The article provides a lot of food for thought. Here are a few extracts: I quit Facebook in December 2019. I don’t miss it, and I know I’m better off without it. You probably are, too. Facebook refuses to police information on its own vast network, despite being the largest media […]

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Signal Launches Face-Blurring Tool as US Protesters Embrace Encrypted Messaging

Law enforcement officials across the U.S. have already revealed that they will leverage facial recognition technology to retroactively target protesters following the killing of George Floyd, with police asking the public for footage and photos. Against this backdrop, Signal is introducing a new feature that can automatically obfuscate faces shared within the encrypted messaging app, as the company says it’s “working hard to keep up with the increased traffic” from […]

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Zoom Thinks Law Enforcement Should Get Access to all Your Calls (Unless You Pay)

When I first read that Zoom was planning to add end-to-end encryption, I was delighted. Then I read this article in the Android Authority web site: https://www.androidauthority.com/zoom-encryption-1125396/.  I immediately became very disappointed. Oh well, I will continue to use Signal for one-on-one video calls because (1.) it is free and (2.) it encrypts all text, audio, and even video conversations. For Chats with groups of users, I will use whatever […]

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What Is Tor? Your Guide to Using the Private Browser

If you have an interest in maintaining your online privacy, you will want to read an article by Rae Hodge in the C|Net web site at https://www.cnet.com/how-to/what-is-tor-your-guide-to-using-the-private-browser/. Tor is the U.S. government’s gift to people everywhere who do not wish to be spied upon. Yes, Tor was invented by a mathematician and two computer scientists working for the U.S. government at the Naval Research Lab looking for ways to securely […]

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Zoom Releases Updated Version of App With Latest Encryption, Security Features

The Zoom videoconferencing program at https://zoom.us/ has proven very popular during the CoronaVirus pandemic with all the various isolation policies in place. while popular, the Zoom app has also been criticized for not being fully encrypted, not totally private, and for lacking several other features. Now Zoom has released an enhanced and encrypted version of the application in order to ensure protection and privacy of personal information, and is asking […]

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Brave Now Enables Encrypted Video Calls

Brave Browser has announced video calls can soon be made on the testing version of its browser. The service, Brave Together, offers end-to-end encryption with its calls—unlike a number of other video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom. Unlimited participants can join the calls, though features are still in development. Please notice this new feature is still in beta test, available only on the nightly (test) builds. It will become a […]

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