European Union warns against fragmented approach for digital technologies and mobile apps, used to help track the Coronavirus pandemic
News Privacy
Smartphone Scheme Aims To Track Coronavirus While Protecting Privacy
Boston University proposal would involve tracking randomly generated IDs via short-range broadcasts as means to contain coronavirus infections
Coronavirus: Google Releases Location Data To Help Authorities Check Lock-downs
Location data is being released by Google in 131 countries so officials can see if people are obeying self-isolating rules
Coronavirus: NSO Offers Covid-19 Tracking Software
Surveillance specialist NSO offers Western governments software that uses mobile phone data to monitor and predict the spread of coronavirus
Coronavirus: WHO Expert Calls For Mobile Phone Tracking
Time to track? To ensure people follow self isolation, their smartphones need to be tracked, expert at World Health Organisation warns
Coronavirus: Has The Government Requested Mobile Location Data?
Contradictory reports state the government has requested location data of citizens to see if they are obeying Coronavirus advice
Amazon Ring Logs All Doorbell And App Interactions
Privacy issue emerges as Amazon confirms it logs records of every motion detected by installed Ring doorbells, and interactions with its app
Drone Industry Up In Arms Over ‘Remote ID’ Regulations
US regulator proposes 'digital licence plate' for drones, but critics say regulations would be expensive and complex to implement
FCC Proposes To Fine US Telcos For Selling Location Data
Fines of more than $200m proposed for selling subscribers' real-time location data, but critics say the penalties are little more than a slap on the wrist
Met Boss: Facial Recognition Less Concerning Than Knife In Chest
The United Kingdom's most senior police officer Cressida Dick has strongly defended the use of facial recognition by police forces
Mozilla Turns On DoH By Default For US Firefox Users
Mozilla Foundation has turned on its privacy feature called DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) for American users of the Firefox browser
WhatsApp Hits Two Billion Users, Defends Encryption
Facebook-owned messaging app now used by a staggering 2 billion people, as platform defends its default use of end-to-end encryption
Google Sent Private Videos In Google Photos To Strangers
Oh boy. Google admits significant privacy gaffe with its popular Google Photos service that saw people's videos shared with other users
Twitter Warns ‘State-Sponsored Actors’ Accessed Phone Numbers
Platform warns IP addresses with 'ties to state-sponsored actors' attempted to access phone numbers associated with user accounts
Twitter Demands AI Firm Cease Facial Image Collection
Privacy concern. Cease-and-desist letter from Twitter to AI firm Clearview demands it stop collecting photos from social media platforms
EU Proposes Five-Year Ban On Facial Recognition Technology
European Commission could temporarily bar facial recognition in public places as new rules to protect individuals' privacy are worked out
President Trump Slams Apple Over Pensacola Shooter Case
President of the US wades into privacy and encryption case of Apple and the unlocking of iPhones belonging to dead terrorist
Amazon Hit By Potential Class-Action Lawsuit Over Ring Security Issues
Lawsuit accuses Amazon and Ring of failing to provide adequate protection against cyber-attacks amidst rash of security incidents
Russia ‘Successfully Tests’ Sovereign Internet – Report
Russian pursuit of “sovereign internet” sees the country test its Internet unplugged from rest of the world
Twitter Fixes Serious Security Glitch In Android App
Company urges Android users to update to latest version of app after finding bug that could allow account takeovers and information leaks
Reporters Use Leaked Location Data To Track President Trump
New York Times follows Donald Trump's movements in real time as part of exposé into lack of regulation around smartphone tracking industry
Facebook Investigating Report Of 267m User Records Posted Online
Data including names and phone numbers could be used by criminals to carry out phishing attacks, in latest Facebook privacy lapse
Facebook Wins Data Transfer Opinion Against Max Schrems
ECJ advisor says that personal data transfers from tech companies in the EU into the United States are “valid”, in a victory for Facebook
Facebook Payroll Data Stolen After Theft From Car – Report
Personal banking information for tens of thousands of Facebook staff compromised after hard drive theft from a car in the United States
DoJ To Investigate Google’s Fitbit Acquisition – Report
What you going to do with that data? US Justice Depart will include acquisition probe into its existing Google investigation
Apple iPhone Collects Location Data Even If Turned Off, Warns Krebs
Flagship iPhone 11 Pro will track a user's location, even when location settings are turned off, researcher warns. Apple promises change
European Commission Launches New Google Data Probe
Commission taking a new look into Google's collection and use of data in wake of multiple antitrust decisions and 8 billion euros in fines
China Law Requires Face Scans For Mobile Services
New law requires biometric identification for SIM card purchases, but detractors call the move 'dystopian' and say it could aid scammers
EU Member States Block Progress Of Controversial ePrivacy Rules
Member states fail to agree on scope of regulations that aim to apply more rigorous privacy standards to the likes of Skype and WhatsApp
Microsoft Confirms Default DoH Adoption
Microsoft joins Mozilla and Google after confirming it will adopt DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) as browser default