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Most users don't know Facebook keeps a list of their interests, traits
Ignorance may be bliss for Facebook's users.About 74 percent of adults in the US who use Facebook didn't know the social network keeps a list of their interests and traits for ad targeting, says a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.
Change your phone settings so Apple, Google can’t track your movements
Technology companies have been pummeled by revelations about how poorly they protect their customers’ personal information, including an in-depth New York Times report detailing the ability of smartphone apps to track users’ locations.
The Internet is Facing a Catastrophe For Free Expression and Competition: You Could Tip The Balance
Update: Monday 14th 2019: We've added contact details and an action for Belgium.Sweden: Take Action Here.Germany: Take Action Here. Luxembourg: Take Action Here.Poland: Take Action Here.Belgium: Take Action Here.Czechia: TAKE ACTION HERE.The new EU Copyright Directive is progressing at an alarming...
life online in China, Russia, Cuba and India
What’s it like in Cuba? In Cuba, internet access is limited. But if you can’t get to the internet, there are ways of bringing it physically to you.
Government-funded body's survey of cyber sector reveals encryption bill dread
A government-funded body's survey of Australian cyber security companies, which was conducted before the controversial encryption bill was passed but not released until late last month, reveals most firms fear the legislation will have a profoundly negative impact on their businesses.
What is still being held back in Cabinet papers release?
The annual release of Cabinet documents from 20 years ago is generally seen as an exercise in transparency, with the public able to get an insight into the issues considered by the government of the day, and the advice given by various ministers.
This clever AI hid data from its creators to cheat at its appointed task
Depending on how paranoid you are, this research from Stanford and Google will be either terrifying or fascinating.
Climate change: 'Right to repair' gathers force
It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost. You can’t repair it and can’t find anyone else to at a decent price, so it joins the global mountain of junk.
How to protect your privacy and data online
For those very reasons, it’s important that everyone has a basic understanding of how to protect their data and privacy online. Here’s how you can protect your data and privacy online in 6 easy steps.
Case Study: Profiling and Elections - How Political Campaigns Know Our Deepest Secrets
Political campaigns around the world have turned into sophisticated data operations. In the US, Evangelical Christians candidates reach out to unregistered Christians and use a scoring system to predict how seriously millions these of voters take their faith.
Critics want My Health Record delayed again after recording 42 data breaches this year
Currently, six million Australians are in the My Health Record database. The number is expected to increase by about 17 million when the opt-out period ends on January 31. By the end of October, 1.1 million Australians had opted out of My Health Record.
We Should Be Able to Take Facebook to Court
Ms. Guliani is a lawyer.
Give Up the Ghost
Government Communications Headquarters, the U.K.’s counterpart to the National Security Agency, has fired the latest shot in the crypto wars.
Swig Security Review 2018: Part I
In a year that’s seen data-slurping scandals, supposed high-profile supply chain attacks, and more data breaches than you can shake a stick at, it’s fair to say 2018 has been a wild one.
Why Internet Censorship Doesn’t Work and Never Will
Regulating speech is difficult even under the best of conditions, and the internet is far from the best of conditions. Its patchwork system of regulation by private entities satisfies no one, yet it is likely to endure for the foreseeable future.
'The drought is over': mass US copyright expiry brings flood of works into public domain
Robert Frost’s haunting little poem, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, entered the public domain in the US on 1 January alongside thousands of works, by authors from Agatha Christie to Virginia Woolf, in an unprecedented expiration of copyrights.
Popular apps share data with Facebook without user consent
Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more.
It’s Time for a Bill of Data Rights
It is the summer of 2023, and Rachel is broke. Sitting in a bar one evening, browsing job ads on her phone, she gets a text message. Researchers doing…
How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.
In late November, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against eight people accused of fleecing advertisers of $36 million in two of the largest digital ad-fraud operations ever uncovered.
Australia made third highest number of requests for Apple data in the world
Apple received 2,357 “device requests” from the Australian government and law enforcement in the first half of 2018, the third-highest rate of requests in the world.
From ideas boom to innovation bust: How Australia turned against tech
On December 7, 2015, an upbeat Malcolm Turnbull unveiled his first major policy initiative since becoming prime minister: the 'Ideas Boom', a $1 billion package of measures designed to boost innovation.
Unboxing Google Robot: Dragonfly enabled version
An actual Google Humanoid may be science fiction, but a system that watches your every move isn't.https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involv...
Implications of the Assistance and Access Bill 2018
The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 and the resulting legislation have been of significant interest to a range of Australian and international stakeholders. In public submissions through the consultation phase, various industry stakeholders and voices raised several concerns about the potential economic implications of the Bill.
Is Australia's fate as a police state sealed?
On the chaotic final sitting day of parliament a fortnight ago, the Morrison government got its wish.
Digital IDs Are More Dangerous Than You Think
There are significant, real-world benefits to having an accepted and recognized identity. That’s why the concept of a digital identity is being pursued around the world, from Australia to India.
Billions Served? Human Rights in the Facebook Era
This post draws on stories originally reported by Fernanda Canofre, Sahar Habib Ghazi, Ellie Ng (via Hong Kong Free Press), Dalia Othman, Inji Pennu and Thant Sin.
As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants
For years, Facebook gave some of the world’s largest technology companies more intrusive access to users’ personal data than it has disclosed, effectively exempting those business partners from its usual privacy rules, according to internal records and interviews.
You Don’t Have To Like Julian Assange To Believe His Journalism Deserves A Defence
Remember WikiLeaks? The maverick publisher that won infamy dumping the raw material of war crimes, corporate malfeasance and diplomatic bastardry into the public domain? Since 2006 they’ve been providing unfiltered windows into the violence of power, from Inside Somalia to the Iraq War Logs to the
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Turning Off Facebook Location Tracking Doesn't Stop It From Tracking Your Location
Aleksandra Korolova has turned off Facebook’s access to her location in every way that she can. She has turned off location history in the Facebook app and told her iPhone that she “Never” wants the app to get her location.
Santa and the elf on the shelf may be doing our kids more harm than good
Related Story: Weird and wonderful ways the world is celebrating Christmas Related Story: What possesses grown men to dress up as Santa? Related Story: What your child can learn from writing a letter to Santa Related Story: 'I want to hear Santa talk': Michelle Obama answers Christmas calls Children
How you can protect yourself from online data trackers
Related Story: Do you know what your phone is up to while you sleep? Related Story: My phone is spying on me, so I decided to spy on it Since launching an investigation into how our phones share our personal information, the most common question among many hundreds I've received has been: What can I
Signal: we can't comply with Aussie encryption law even if we wanted to
A developer from popular end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal says it can’t help law enforcement decrypt Signal messages under Australia’s new Assistance and Access law.
Encryption law not smart politics, says Signal developer
The Federal Government's encryption law does not seem like smart politics, but then nothing about it seems particularly smart, according to developer Joshua Lund who works for the project developing the encrypted messaging app Signal.
How to opt-out of My Health Record top Google search for Australians
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We compare from a wide set of major banks, insurers and product issuers. finder.com.au has access to track details from the product issuers listed on our sites.
Opinion || Encryption laws impact on human rights
In the last hour, of the last day of Federal Parliament this year, unprecedented encryption access laws were rammed through the Senate and became law. This oc...
Facebook says a new bug allowed apps to access private photos of up to 6.8 million users
Facebook on Friday revealed that a major software bug may have allowed third-party apps to wrongly access the photos of up to 6.8 million users, including images that people began uploading to the site but didn’t post publicly.
'Negative for tech sector': Fitch slams new encryption laws
He said the spyware scenario could include compelling local telco providers to install this software on customers' mobile phones. Like many critics of the legislation, Fitch warned this "weakness" would increase the threat of non-state actors, like hackers, being able to access these messages.
Australia's anti-encryption law is so unpopular, there was only 1 comment in support and 342 against — and now the head of its spy agency is defending the law
Last month, Australia passed a controversial law that gives it the power to fine technology companies millions of dollars if law enforcement isn’t granted access to encrypted messages.
Submission to Home Affairs on the Assistance and Access Bill 2018
On 14 August 2018, the Department of Home Affairs released an exposure draft of the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018.
Taylor Swift used facial recognition software to detect stalkers at LA concert
The periphery of a Taylor Swift concert is as thought out as the show she presents on stage. Beyond the traditional merchandise stands, there are often dedicated selfie-staging points and staff distributing light-up bracelets.
Dutton won't accept all of Labor's encryption changes
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Photo: AAP/Dan PeledThe Opposition agreed last week to pass the national security laws before parliament rose for the year, on the condition all of its proposed changes would be adopted early next year.
Spy chief hot under the collar as he comes in from the cold on encryption
The head of one of Australia's secretive intelligence agencies has struck out at critics of Australia's freshly minted encryption laws, saying those claiming the new regime is dangerous are "hyperbolic, inaccurate and influenced by self-interest".
Encryption laws will allow targeting of those suspected of minor crimes, experts warn
The Morrison government’s new encryption bill uses “a sledgehammer to crack a nut” and would capture minor offences dealt with in local courts, as well as potentially allowing law enforcement agencies to target journalists and whistleblowers, experts have warned.
Australians Should Defy Their Government’s Poorly Considered Surveillance State
Political consensus is an interesting thing to behold—especially when ruling parties and their nominal "opposition" join to force truly terrible legislation down the throats of their subjects.
Australia's tech community drags Bill Shorten over encryption busting bill
A contingent of Australia's technology community has called out the Australian Labor Party for allowing the government's controversial encryption-busting to pass into law without any of the amendments it previously deemed were vital.
Shetler blasts its new encryption busting laws - Strategy - Security - iTne
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“We’ve weakened our national security”: Concern over new encryption law
Liberty Victoria has expressed concern about the Australia’s new encryption laws. The civil liberties organisation’s president Jessie Taylor told Neil Mitchell there are serious issues with the Assistance and Access Bill, which passed through parliament last week.
Grindr Is Sharing The HIV Status Of Its Users With Other Companies
A data analysis conducted by an outside research firm, and independently verified by BuzzFeed News, shows that a popular gay dating app is sharing its users’ HIV status with two other companies. (Update: Late on Monday Grindr said it would stop sharing this information.
ACCC target Facebook, Google in bid to improve digital privacy
Two of the worlds biggest tech companies are once again under pressure to improve the way they use the personal information of consumers. This time, it's the Australian competition watchdog seeking stricter rules and better protection of the information stored and used by Facebook and Google.