Worried about how FaceApp is using your photos? Here’s how to delete your data
Are you concerned about how FaceApp is using your photos? If so, there's a way to remove your data from the app. FaceApp now says it will delete user data upon request, but it's already facing a major backlog.
Random people might have listened to your Google Assistant commands
The Belgian public broadcasting network VRT NWS issued a report that confirms Google uses professional contractors to transcribe commands given to their smart assistants. The problem is that not all of these commands were intentional and Google Assistant overheard private conversations.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wants you to get off Facebook
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak joined a growing list of tech titans in criticizing Facebook, saying that most people should delete their accounts and stop using the world's largest social media platform. "You should figure out a way to get off of Facebook," he said.
Gmail tracks everything you purchase and you STILL can’t delete it or opt out
In May, it was revealed that Google was tracking the purchase history of its users, through a little-known Purchases page which pulls information from Gmail emails like order confirmations. This was bad enough, but it gets worse. Even when emails are deleted, the information remains on the Purchases page.
A Delaware senator stepped into the ring with Amazon over information privacy
If you don't trust Amazon with your data, you aren't alone. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) demanded answers from Amazon over exactly how long user voice recordings and transcripts were kept, and what the information was used for. The company's answers did not inspire confidence in the senator.
Tim Cook said Silicon Valley built a chaos factory. Are Apple’s hands clean?
Giving a commencement speech at Stanford University, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Silicon Valley has built a "chaos factory" that neglects privacy. It's part of Apple's bigger strategy as regulators come down hard on big tech.
How to protect your family videos on YouTube
Not everyone has good intentions when it comes to viewing videos of kids online, so keep your family videos private and away from YouTube's algorithm
The U.S. will now check social media accounts before approving visas
The application for a U.S. visa now requires most applicants to list their social media profile details, along with previous emails and phone numbers. Previously, the information was only required from some applicants. Individuals that don't have social media accounts can still apply.
Lawsuit alleges Apple disclosed information about iTunes purchases
Apple may promote itself as a privacy-focused company, but a new lawsuit alleges that it sells off personal data regarding iTunes purchases.The lawsuit is brought by three iTunes customers from Rhode Island and Michigan, and was brought to federal court in San Fransisco on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
Personal information from Grindr was accessible by Chinese engineers
When the Chinese Kunlun Group bought gay dating app Grindr last year, there were concerns raised about users' privacy which were serious enough to prompt U.S. officials to get involved. Now an investigation reveals how the issue of the private data on Grindr became a national security concern.
Yes, Google tracks and collects your online purchases through Gmail. But why?
Google has been tracking the purchase history of its users via Gmail. The company says that the tracking is an effort to provide users with a single place to view their shopping history, but there are some odd aspects that suggest that Google may have other motives for collecting this data.
Gmail logs your purchase history, undermining Google’s commitment to privacy
Google has tried to portray itself as privacy-focused, including an op-ed from CEO Sundar Pichai in the New York Times saying privacy should not be a luxury good. But Google tracks many of your online purchases, even if they are bought from a non-Google affiliated store like Amazon.
Twitter sorry for mistakenly storing and sharing some users’ location data
Twitter has revealed that a bug led to it accidentally storing and sharing location data for a number of iOS users. The issue, which has now been fixed, affected those operating more than one Twitter account from the app. The company apologized for the blunder and said it’s contacting those impacted by it.
Amazon retains text data on users even when audio recordings are deleted
Although you can delete your Amazon Echo audio history, Amazon still has text recordings of your conversations with the device — a fact that has raised concerns with many privacy advocates. Amazon claims the data is used to improve language recognition and processing.
Facebook says the future is private, but what does that mean?
At Facebook's F8 developer conference, the company emphasized its desire to take a more hands-on approach to privacy over the future. But what, exactly, will a more privacy-focused Facebook end up looking like? Here are the six core pillars that the company wants to base the "new Facebook" on.
Centinel Mobiles’ Android phone hopes to protect your privacy and your privates
Centinel Mobiles is working on a new Android smartphone with a special privacy switch that can be configured to offer different levels of connectivity. It's also working on a new antenna design for boosting quality, but limiting radio frequency exposure for people with concerns about radiation.
Japanese taxis will use facial recognition to target you with ads as you ride
Japanese startup Premium Taxi Vision is trying to reinvent in-taxi advertising for 2019, by using facial recognition technology to identify the key characteristics of riders and then presenting them with appropriate ads. Smart concept or privacy headache? You make the call!
Brands look to personalization to reach customers, but at what cost to privacy?
The days of blanket advertising are all but over. Increasingly, advertising and other messaging will be addressed directly to you and will cater to your needs and desires. This is part of the new move toward personalization by brands. But, as a consumer, it also means you have to surrender a degree of privacy.
Kanopy privacy breach reveals which movies members have been streaming
Free video streaming site, Kanopy, has been inadvertently publishing millions of lines of web log data for days, according to a new security report. The data is sufficient for someone to guess at a person's identity, and see what they've been watching, even though names and passwords weren't among the data.
Yes, data is the new oil and the fight to reclaim it from tech giants starts now
From Europe to the United States, a growing number of new privacy laws promise to change the behavior of data-grubbing giants -- and the internet as a whole. Welcome to the revolution. Here's what you need to know about GDPR, CCPA, and their high-profile tech supporters.
Facebook’s privacy-focused clear history tool is set to land in 2019
Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal that saw the data of tens of millions of Facebook users harvested by third-party apps for political purposes, the social networking giant promised a privacy-focused “clear history” tool for its community. The company plans to launch it before year's end.
The Nest Secure included a microphone no one knew about — except Google
The Nest Secure home security system has always had a built-in microphone that no one knew about, except Google. Although Google claims the microphone was included to add more features in the future, people are wary of technology that may violate their privacy -- especially when they don't know about it.
Apple stomps on one FaceTime bug, only to have another one appear
Having fixed a FaceTime bug that let users eavesdrop on calls, another issue with Apple's video chat app appears to have surfaced. It concerns adding people to group calls, though there is a workaround. Apple launched group calls for FaceTime in 2018, though the rollout has been far from smooth.
Social media sites can predict your behavior even if you don’t use them
Bad news for people trying to preserve their privacy by staying off social media -- a new study has found that your privacy is at risk even if you are not personally using social media sites. The findings show "privacy on social media is like second-hand smoke. It's controlled by the people around you."
Project Alias is a ‘smart parasite’ that stops smart speakers from listening
Two designers chose to do something about nosy smart speakers. The result is Project Alias, a "smart parasite" that whispers nonsense to Google Home and Alexa until it hears a specific wake word. While not a perfect solution, Project Alias is the first step toward a more private future.
AT&T to stop selling location data to third parties after explosive report
After a report from Motherboard highlighted that carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint were selling location information to third parties and sometimes ended up in the wrong hands, all three carriers have announced that they will stop location selling practices.
Facebook users unknowingly gave companies permission to see private messages
Another day, another Facebook privacy scandal. Facebook's third-party API practices are once again under scrutiny after an investigative report showed Facebook gave companies access to private messages. Facebook says users gave permission for the access but that API guidelines are already under review.
Ring, Amazon’s smart doorbell maker, explores technology that alerts police
Ring, the smart doorbell and other smart technology manufacturer recently acquired by Amazon, has filed a pair of patents that indicate the company might be looking at facial-recognition technology that could compare individuals' profiles to databases of "suspicious persons" and automatically notify police.
Windows 10 user activity logs are sent to Microsoft despite users opting out
Windows 10 PCs are still sending user activity logs to Microsoft even after users select Privacy options to prevent the transmission of that data. Choosing to stop Windows 10 from syncing their data to the cloud is not enough to stop their PCs from releasing their data.
Encryption-busting law passed in Australia may have global privacy implications
A legal battle brewing in Australia right now could have global consequences for security and privacy on the internet. Controversial laws have been passed in Australia which oblige tech companies to allow the police to access encrypted messages, undermining the privacy of encryption.
Google denies claim that it’s tracking internet users when incognito mode is on
After rival privacy-focused search engine reported that Google is following users on the internet to deliver personlized search results -- even when incognito mode is enabled -- Google released a statement denying those claims. Google claimed that DuckDuckGo's study was flawed, and that it's not tracking users.
A study says that smart speakers aren’t offering privacy, and it’s our fault
A team of researchers decided to test consumers' acceptance of convenience over privacy during smart speaker use, comparing their behaviors and attitudes to counterparts who refuse to embrace smart speaker technology. The results from talking to smart speaker users and non-users are pretty revealing.
Powerful data privacy legislation drafted by Democratic senator from Oregon
Oregon senator Ron Wyden has drafted a data privacy bill for the U.S. which proposes sweeping changes to data laws to make data use more transparent and accessible to customers. The bill aims to protect Americans' privacy by giving customers more control over the sharing or selling of their data.
Privacy is becoming obsolete, but not everyone thinks you should fear its demise
Privacy often seems to be at odds with government surveillance and smart assistant technologies like Siri and Cortana. But do we need to sacrifice one for the other? We asked experts in a variety of fields to find out what a future without privacy might look like and whether that's really such a bad thing.