Tag Archives: privacy

Kingston has a number of portable storage devices geared towards privacy and security. Today, the company is launching its latest, the new IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD, Kingston's first OS-independent external SSD with touch-screen and hardware-encryption.  Using the IronKey VP80ES aims to be as simple as using a smartphone, …

Last year when Riot Games launched Valorant, the game launched with its own kernel-level anti-cheat system called Vanguard. Now, Activision is pulling a similar move with a new anti-cheat system for Call of Duty, known as ‘Ricochet'.  Activision has been talking up its plans for anti-cheat over the course of …

It looks like Facebook is going to be making headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week, as personal data from 533 million accounts has leaked online. The leak sees accounts from users in 106 countries compromised, including 32 million users in the US and 11 million users from the UK.

Apple's encryption method for the iPhone has been the subject of much debate for the US government, with agencies begrudging the fact that they can no longer break into iOS devices with ease during investigations. So far, Apple has been doing a good job of defending its customers' right to …

iOS 13 and iPad OS 13 have been rolling out for almost a week now and bug reports are rolling in. Some issues have already been squashed by a swift 13.1 software update, but Apple still has a relatively big problem with third-party keyboards, which can be given ‘full access’ …

Last month, Apple found itself in the middle of a privacy controversy after it came to light that the tech giant had contractors employed to listen in on secretly obtained Siri recordings. This practice was quickly called out by privacy advocates, leading to Apple suspending the program indefinitely. Now, Apple …

Within the last couple of weeks, Apple has found itself in the middle of another privacy and security misstep. A report surfaced stating that contractors were given access to Siri recordings and would often hear private conversations while trying to ‘grade' Siri commands in order to improve the service in …

Best known for its antivirus efforts, Avast has placed an increasing amount of focus on the security of its browser with anti-phishing features and an Extension Guard for malicious plugins. Now, the company is bolstering the Avast Secure Browser with all-new privacy features, helping to stop prying eyes and protect …

Two large datasets were found on public servers yesterday, exposing hundreds of millions of Facebook records. The social network has launched an investigation to determine whether the data was used maliciously, after it was found to contain account names, Facebook IDs, comments, likes, reactions and, in a number of cases, …

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg openly opposed the strict enforcement of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). More recently however, Zuckerberg has had a change of heart with aims of a more “privacy focused” Facebook, calling upon governments around the world to …

It’s been known for quite some time that Facebook’s partnerships with companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Spotify granted “deep access” to data, allegedly without the user’s consent. Facebook maintains that this is not the case, and is now hoping that US authorities will come to the same conclusion in …

Facebook has become the poster child for data misuse in recent years, from Cambridge Analytica to run-ins with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). CEO Mark Zuckerberg is attempting to change that image, announcing that he wants to make Facebook a “privacy-focused platform.” Announcing the upcoming method of …

Last year, a creepy image began circulating the internet dubbed Momo, making headlines when publications tried to establish a cause-and-effect relationship to the suicide of a 12-year-old girl in Argentina. While these sensationalist articles were short lived, police in Northern Ireland have now issued a warning that Momo is actually …

Facebook is capping off the year in the same way that it started it, knee-deep in a controversy surrounding privacy. Although the social network refrained from selling user data directly, it apparently had no qualms in forming special partnerships with major tech companies that granted intrusive access to its users’ …

When the Russian government first passed its new data retention law, it was with the goal of only using Russian made hardware. The law came into effect on the 1st of July, but no Russian telecoms firm were ready to start storing the data required. Due to this, Russia has …

Valve has revised its privacy policies, updating its Steam client to provide users with the ability to hide what information is accessible to others such as owned games and the playtime behind them. Unfortunately, this has caused some unrest among tracking sites such as Steam Spy, which relies on the …

It looks like Facebook could find itself in trouble with the European Union again, as the EU Parliament announced today that it will be investigating the social network on suspicion of data misuse. The EU reckons that more than 50 million Facebook users have had their data misused, violating the …

Your smartphone is a complex device capable of performing a multitude of functions previously limited to separate devices. It’s a phone, a camera, a computer, a GPS, a game console, a flashlight, a compass, and so much more. Along with the possibilities provided by smartphones come several serious privacy concerns. …

This week most major advertising organisations all cried out in pain after Apple announced that it would be improving user privacy on macOS. Apple is planning to integrate cookie-blocking technology into its Safari browsers for desktop and mobile, which will limit the amount of information marketing agencies and advertisers can …

Microsoft will be rolling out another major Windows update next month, so the company is starting to go over some of its upcoming changes. The Windows 10 privacy policy already went through some changes with the first Creators Update but it looks like further tweaks to privacy settings will be …

Microsoft has received plenty of criticism for some of its Windows 10 policies over the last couple of years. Most notably, the company’s data collection and privacy policies have caused a stir online. However, with this year’s Creators Update, Microsoft aimed to revamp its privacy settings and so far, the …

The UK Government has been waging a bit of a war on internet privacy over the last couple of years, even going as far as to propose that encrypted internet services be outlawed. However, when it comes to getting your information removed off of Google, the government seems to have …

The debate surrounding encryption and backdoors has been heating up again recently. While the UK's conservative party wants to enforce a ban on encrypted services, the EU's parliament has proposed new legislation that would make end-to-end encryption required across all digital communications. The European Union's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice …

There have been privacy concerns surrounding Windows 10 ever since its launch, prompting complaints not just from users but from government watchdogs as well, particularly here in Europe. However, it looks like Microsoft is finally prepared to do something about it, starting off with an update to its privacy statement …

The European Union's data protection watchdog appears to still be concerned about Windows 10 and Microsoft's privacy settings. Several countries within the EU have taken issue with Windows 10's privacy policies over the last year and while some changes have been made, it appears that the union isn't satisfied just …

It looks like Vizio has some explaining to do as the Federal Trade Commission has found that the US TV seller illegally tracked its customer's viewing habits and then sold that information on all without any form of consent. Vizio is said to have installed software on 11 million of …

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is worried about the state of privacy and net neutrality online, but it's really worried about it once Donald Trump comes to power in January next year. To try and get the jump on that, it's taken out a full page advert in Wired magazine to …

It's rare to find internet service providers that will take the side of their customers when it comes to cases of copyright trolling and extortion letters, but one Swedish ISP is doing just that. Bahnhof has begun deleting customer logs as soon as it legally can and has restricted access to …

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is taking aim at Microsoft this week, joining a growing list of organisations with complaints about privacy in Windows 10. In a lengthy editorial, the EFF claims that Windows 10 is sending an “unprecedented amount of usage data back to Microsoft”, and Cortana integration increases that …

The battery status and longevity check built into HTML5 to allow web providers to display low-power versions of their sites to those without much battery left, has been hijacked by tracking APIs to keep an eye on web users. Using battery status and estimated time left as unique identifiers, they …