Researchers analyzed the security of four popular smartwatches for children and found pre-installed downloaders, weak passwords, and unencrypted data transmissions. The analysis demonstrates that most of these devices arbitrarily collect and periodically transmit sensitive data to remote servers without the user knowing about it.This finding is worrisome as these devices quickly grow in popularity, with … Read more
UK privacy regulator ICO plans to fine facial recognition company Clearview AI €20 million for violating UK privacy law. Clearview collected photos from Facebook, LinkedIn and other websites for training a facial recognition system. This system contains a database of ten billion collected images, according to the ICO. This allows police services to identify unknown … Read more
Irish DPC demanded noyb to sign a “non-disclosure agreement” or remove noyb from Facebook procedure. Schrems: “The DPC engaged in procedural blackmail. Only if we shut up, the DPC would ‘grant’ us our legal right to be heard. This is a regulator clearly asking for a ‘quid pro quo’ to do its job, which likely constitutes bribery in Austria.” … Read more
Apps for Wifi-strength measurement and another to scan barcodes were selling location data without proper consent. It was unclear to users that apps they had downloaded for one purpose were sharing information for a completely different one.
The ruling stated that the devices’ ability to capture conversations at ranges of between 40ft and 68ft away was excessive. The fact remains that anyone with a Ring Doorbell can turn their area of the neighbourhood into a surveilled space due to its video recording functionality and audio processors which are able to pick up … Read more
Several popular Android phones have been found to collect and share data on a large scale, including with third parties, and users cannot opt out, according to researchers from Trinity College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh. The study https://lnkd.in/eiVzvJj3 examined six variants of the Android operating system, namely those from Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Realme, LineageOS and … Read more
The Norwegian privacy regulator Datatilsynet has decided on the basis of research not to create a Facebook page because the privacy risks for users are too great. To the best of its knowledge, the regulator is the first organization to have carried out a risk analysis and a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) into the … Read more
The introduction of a corona QR-ticket necessity for access catering, theaters and events with the exception of terraces will be implemented on the 25th of September in The Netherlands following EU countries like France and Italy. The members in favour have great concerns about security, privacy, freedom of choice but think the measure is proportionate … Read more
Apple has abandoned its once-famous commitment to security and privacy. The next version of iOS will contain software that scans users’ photos and messages. Under pressure from U.S. law enforcement, Apple has put a backdoor into their encryption system.
In the USA 10 major data brokers have data on individuals’ demographic characteristics (from race to gender to income level) and political preferences and beliefs (including support for the NAACP, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the National LGBTQ Task Force), and on current US government and military personnel. Several of these firms also market: Americans’ geo-locations. … Read more