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Facebook referred to EU regulator over ad targeting methods
Facebook is about to face more scrutiny over its ad targeting methods. Just days after fining Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office has referred the social network to the Irish Data Protection Commission, the European Union's main body for investigating Facebook under GDPR rules. The ICO has "ongoing concerns" about Facebook's systems for ad targeting, such as how it tracks "browsing habits, interactions and behavior" across the internet.
Firefox will soon block ad trackers by default
Mozilla has for years let you stop ad trackers from collecting your data, and, soon, Firefox will block them by default. The browser will also give you more control over the data you share with websites.
Mozilla shares Firefox user data for research and public use
In 2016, Mozilla launched its Hardware Report, which shares information about what type of hardware Firefox clients are using, and now the company is introducing its Public Data Report. Based on non-sensitive data collected from Firefox desktop browsers' Telemetry system, the new report shows info on how folks around the world are using Firefox and the internet. "Similar to the hardware report for developers, we hope the report can be a resource for journalists, researchers and the public for understanding not only the state of desktop browsing but also how data is used at Mozilla," the company said in a blog post. "We try to be open by design and users should know how data is collected, what data is collected and how that data is used."
Verizon VPN app protects against shady public WiFi
Add Verizon to the list of tech giants that can't resist the temptation to offer their own virtual private network services. The carrier (and Engadget's parent company) has released a Safe Wi-Fi app for Android that uses the encryption of a VPN to protect you against dodgy WiFi hotspots. Ideally, you won't have to worry about a fake access point intercepting your data traffic at the airport or coffee shop. The app even blocks ad trackers that can lead to targeted marketing -- yes, the telecom that got in trouble for aggressive ad tracking is now helping you avoid it.
Facebook buys data on users' offline habits for better ads
At this point, it's well-known that Facebook is as much an advertising company as it is a social network. The company is probably second only to Google in the data it collects on users, but the info we all share on the Facebook site just isn't enough. A report from ProPublica published this week digs into the vast network of third-party data that Facebook can purchase to fill out what it knows about its users. The fact that Facebook is buying data on its users isn't new -- the company first signed a deal with data broker Datalogix in 2012 -- but ProPublica's report nonetheless contains a lot of info on the visibility Facebook may have into your life.
EFF's browser extension that blocks spying ads officially launches
After more than a year of testing, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is releasing Privacy Badger 1.0, a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that prevents ads and sites from tracking your activity on the web. The EFF says over a 250,000 users have used the early versions of the extension, following a call for testers last May. So how does it work? Privacy Badger blocks so-called super cookies and browser fingerprinting, both of which can be used to track your browsing habits across multiple sites. It works together with the Do Not Track setting in browsers, which also allows you to opt out of ad tracking, but requires services to honor that setting. Together, they should both offer some peace of mind if you're worried about increasingly powerful web ads, but don't want to stop ads entirely with services like AdBlock.
Google plays privacy catch-up, adds Do Not Track option to Chrome
Google's had one foot in the web privacy door for a while, offering Chrome users the Keep My Opt-Outs extension in its browser's Web Store since 2011. Still, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari already offer a Do Not Track option directly in their browser settings. Mountain View is now working to close that gap by bringing that same privacy configuration to Chrome. Do Not Track will let users opt out of tracking cookies and targeted advertising (from ad networks that comply with the standard, that is), and is currently live on Chrome's developer channel. The option will reportedly be baked into the stable version of the browser by the end of the year.
