privacy
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Judge rejects X's attempt nullify its FTC privacy settlement
A judge has rejected Elon Musk's request to remove the FTC's consent decree on X.
Threads users can now opt out of automatically sharing posts to Facebook and Instagram
Meta now lets Threads users opt out of automatically sharing posts to other apps. The feature, which requires user action to choose the most private option, will prevent Meta’s Twitter clone from sharing posts to Instagram and Facebook on its own.
WhatsApp will let you hide your IP address from whoever you call
Turning on the feature will help protect your privacy at the cost of a slight hit to sound quality on WhatsApp calls.
Facebook and Instagram will start offering ad-free plans in Europe in November
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will soon be able to pay for an ad-free experience on both platforms. Depending on how you sign up, the plan starts at €10 per month.
23andMe user data breached in credential-stuffing attack
23andMe user data is circulating on hacker forums. The company confirmed the leak occurred through a credential-stuffing attack, according to BleepingComputer.
UK regulator says Snap’s AI chatbot may put kids’ privacy at risk
A UK regulator has suggested Snap failed to pinpoint and assess privacy risks posed by My AI to kids and other users before rolling out the chatbot. If the company doesn't adequately address the ICO's privacy concerns, the chatbot could be blocked in the UK.
Passkey support is finally available in 1Password
The popular Password manager tool, 1Password, is rolling out support for passkeys. It will be available on desktop browsers, as well as on iOS 17 devices.
Google's Bard AI can tap the company's apps — and your personal data — for better responses
The Bard AI will now be able to access YouTube, Docs, Map, Lens and a slew of other Google apps as well as your personal Workspace data (with permission).
Google settles California lawsuit over its location-privacy practices
Google will pay $93 million in a settlement it reached with the California Attorney General over claims the tech giant illegally collects consumer data relevant to a user's location without consent.
TikTok starts migrating European users' data to its first local data center
TikTok has started migrating its European users' data to its long-promised center in Ireland.
Messenger's encrypted chats expand to more users ahead of full rollout later this year
Meta is considerably expanding Messenger's encryption feature, rolling it out to "millions more people's chats" starting today.
Hack left majority of UK voters' data exposed for over a year
The UK's Electoral Commission has revealed that personal information of around 40 million voters was left exposed for over a year. The agency — which regulates party and election finance and elections in the country — said it was the target of “complex cyberattack.”
Brave's privacy-focused search engine can now find images and videos
Brave's privacy-minded search engine can now find images and videos.
Google is making it easier to remove your private information from Search
Google is making it easier for people to request the removal of their phone number, home address and email from search results. The company is also starting to blur explicit images for everyone in Search by default.
Tor’s shadowy reputation will only end if we all use it
The Onion Router, now called Tor, is a privacy-focused web browser run by a nonprofit group. This is what people think of as the “dark web,” because the sites aren’t indexed by search engines. But those sites aren’t an inherently criminal endeavor.
Congressional report condemns tax prep companies for sending data to Meta, Google
A Congressional investigation concluded that several tax prep providers shared sensitive filing data with Meta and Google. It follows a 2022 report from The Markup highlighting the practice in which TaxSlayer, H&R Block and TaxAct used Meta’s Pixel tracking tool to harvest info like filing status, approximate adjusted gross income, refund amount, names of dependents and which text-entry fields users clicked on. Meta is already facing a lawsuit connected with the initial reporting.
WhatsApp will keep your phone number completely private in community chats
WhatsApp beta testers can now use a feature that keeps their phone number truly private in communities.
Massachusetts weighs outright ban on selling user location data
The Massachusetts state legislature is considering a bill that would ban the sale of users’ phone location data. If passed, the Location Shield Act would be the first such law in the nation as Congress stalls on comprehensive user privacy solutions on a national scale. The state’s proposed legislation would also require a warrant for law enforcement to access user location data from data brokers.
Hitting the Books: How hackers turned cybercrime into a commercial service
In "Fancy Bear Goes Phishing", Yale Law professor Dr. Scott J Shapiro traces the internet's illicit history through five of the biggest attacks on digital infrastructure ever recorded.
WhatsApp can now automatically silence unknown callers
With a new update, WhatsApp wants to make spam calls less annoying and let users select the optimal privacy settings.