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Apple limits tracking and ads in kid-focused apps
Apple had an unexpected trick up its sleeve on the privacy front when it unveiled a Sign in with Apple option for apps and services at WWDC. But that's not the only privacy-focused measure it revealed today. Developers are no longer permitted to include third-party ads or analytics tools (which are ostensibly used for tracking) in apps in the App Store's kids category.
'Sign in with Apple' protects your email and info from apps
Apple has long touted its approach to privacy as a selling point, and at WWDC, it revealed more privacy-oriented features. It's offering a "Sign in with Apple" option for apps and services it says provides "fast, easy sign in without the tracking" that other login options such as Facebook and Google use.
London Underground will track everyone's Tube trip via WiFi
Transport for London, the UK capital's transit authority, will start collecting data on how people move around the Underground system by tracking phones and other connected devices using its extensive WiFi network. The agency's systems will depersonalize the data automatically and won't pick up any browsing or historical information from the devices. The data should offer sturdier details on how people move around the Tube system and even within stations, which will help the agency with long-term planning and providing effective updates to travelers.
Apple is trying to make web ads truly private
Apple's privacy push is extending to an area where you might not expect it: web ad tracking. The company's John Wilander has outlined a new system, Privacy Preserving Ad Click Attribution, that would help marketers track the success of ads without tracking individual users. Host sites would store generic ad clicks, while the advertisers' sites would match the number of conversions (people who went on to make transactions) with a 24- to 48-hour delay to prevent profiling. Your browser would send ad click attribution data for those matches, but only in a special, optional private browsing session that prevents cross-site tracking.
'To Live and Die in LA' shows how much Google knows about you
In episode five, season one of the podcast Serial, Sarah Koenig navigates the strip malls and parks of Baltimore, attempting to fulfill a challenge set down by Adnan Syed -- the convicted murderer whose case she's investigating. Over a prison phone, Syed tells Koenig the state's timeline of the murder is impossible, so she gathers reams of call logs and cell tower records, and pieces together the route he supposedly took the night he killed his girlfriend in 1999. Memories from witnesses have changed over the years, but the data points on the cell tower map tell the same story every time.
How to digitally track everything your baby does
There are plenty of ways to be a data-conscious parent today, including gadgets, apps and some decidedly old-school methods.
Chrome will let you block cross-site tracking
The rumors were true -- Google plans to let you block cross-site tracking in Chrome. The search firm has unveiled efforts to improve its cookie controls by distinguishing between single- and multi-site cookies, giving you the option to delete trackers without losing the cookies you use for logins and other important tasks. To make that work, Google will ask web developers to specify which cookies work across sites -- if they don't, Chrome won't play nicely.
Google may let users limit tracking in Chrome
Google might not be done tightening privacy controls. Wall Street Journal contacts claim that the search firm is poised to launch a "dashboard-like" element in Chrome that would not only show more detail about tracking cookies, but give you options to limit them. While the concept isn't novel (Mozilla practically builds Firefox around tracking protection), it would be a significant break for a company whose very business revolves around advertising and user data.
Apple may be developing a Tile-like tracking tag
Apple might be preparing to move into Tile's territory, as it's reportedly developing a physical tag you'd be able to attach to any object to track its location. It's also working on an app that will essentially merge Find My Friends and Find My iPhone, according to 9to5 Mac.
Withings' entry-level Move smartwatch arrives with custom colors
Back in January, smartwatch maker Withings announced the Move, a low-cost fitness tracker watch that could be customized by the user. Now, a month after the company initially promised shipments would begin, you can finally get hold of the first versions.
UK will track thousands of criminals with GPS tags
It's not a novel idea to make criminals wear GPS bracelets, but they could soon be relatively commonplace in the UK. The country's government plans to use them for around-the-clock monitoring of criminals across England and Wales by the summer, with a handful of regions already putting them to use. They'll be used to both track behavior when out of prison (say, to ensure offenders attend rehab) and enforce geographic limits like restraining orders.
Hong Kong is testing high-tech monitoring systems for 'smart' prisons
Prisons in Hong Kong are testing a variety of high-tech services that will allow correctional facilities to better track inmates, according to the South China Morning Post. The city's Commissioner of Correctional Services, Danny Woo Ying-min, claimed the new services will be used to monitor for abnormal behavior among the incarcerated, prevent self-harm, and operate the prisons more efficiently.
'Beat Saber' players were so fast that they broke Steam VR
Beat Saber, one of the coolest and most physical games available on VR, has some incredibly fast players. Valve recently announced that it updated Steam VR to "increase limits of what we thought was humanly possible for controller motion based on tracking data from Beat Saber experts." That's because some players are so good at the rhythm game that Steam VR couldn't even track them.
Firefox offers clearer, more flexible privacy controls
Mozilla has made privacy a focus in Firefox for years, but it knows that only matters if you're actually comfortable using those privacy features. To that end, it's releasing a desktop update that's all about simplifying those controls while simultaneously offering more powerful tools. Firefox 65 includes a reworked Content Blocking section that gives you three options: Standard (blocks known trackers in private sessions), Strict (blocks those trackers in all sessions) and Custom. You can be as hands-off or specific as you like, and you don't have to compromise privacy in the process.
ActionDash brings 'digital well being' tracking to more Android phones
Late last year Google released a Digital Wellbeing app that surfaced insights about exactly how much you're using your phone, and in which apps. Apple installed a similar feature in iOS 12 with Screen Time, but on Android, Google's app only works with a few phones running Android P. For everyone else, there's now another option -- ActionDash, a free app from the developer of Action Launcher and Tweet Lanes. It keeps a record of everything from screen time, to which apps were opened and how many notifications were delivered.
Chinese schools keep tabs on kids with 'intelligent uniforms'
Even schoolkids can't escape China's increasing obsession with surveillance. Over 10 schools in the country's southwestern Guizhou province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have made students wear "intelligent uniforms" from Guanyu Technology in the name of improving attendance and safety. Each uniform has two chips that indicate when a student is entering or exiting school grounds, and automatically sends that data to both parents and teachers. Leave without permission and an automatic voice alarm will make it patently clear you're a truant.
Firefox update adds improved tracking protection
Mozilla is trying to do something about that eerie feeling you get when you think of cat food and all of a sudden start seeing targeted ads about cat food -- with the new Firefox update, anti-tracking measures are being implemented that will prevent websites from following you as you jump from site to site. This comes a year after Firefox's last major update, Quantum , which brought with it increased speed, as well as an earlier version of tracking protection.
Google clarifies how it tracks users even with Location History off
After the Associated Press reported that certain Google apps still track you even if you turned off location history, Google has changed its help pages and tried to clarify the issue. "We have been updating the explanatory language about Location History to make it more consistent and clear across our platforms and help centers," Google told the AP in a statement.
Beijing subways may soon get facial recognition and hand scanners
A bio-ID surveillance framework that can recognize subway users may soon come to Beijing. China Daily reports two forms of bio-recognition being put forward -- palm touch and facial recognition. Together, they could offer a viable long-term solution to ease congestion issues and help reduce fare evasion.
'Defector' on the Oculus is basically VR spy training
While I may be a rather incompetent assassin, it turns out that I'm not a half-bad secret agent man. At E3 on Thursday, I was afforded the opportunity to don an Oculus headset and play through a level of Twisted Pixel's upcoming espionage simulator, Defector. I only blew my own cover twice!
