Internet Voices
EFF Releases Privacy Guide for Parents and Youth Amid Age-Verification Push
EFF releases a privacy guide for parents and youth, using threat modeling and warning of age-verification leaks and limits.
Tags: Privacy
Dev
VPN Explained: How It Works, Free Version Risks and How to Choose
A comprehensive guide to how VPNs work, their types, free-version risks, and how to choose a paid plan, including speed and security criteria.
Internet Voices
EFF Urges Warrant Requirement for Police ALPR Data Searches
EFF calls for a warrant requirement for stored ALPR data searches, citing abuse cases, the San Jose lawsuit, and a federal court ruling.
Internet Voices
Incognito Mode Can't Stop Browser Fingerprinting, Report Shows
How fingerprint tracking evades private browsing, its limits, and practical defenses.
Internet Voices
Federal Court Blocks Utah VPN Law, Backs EFF
A federal court blocked the VPN provisions of Utah's age-verification law SB 73, citing extraterritorial overreach and technical impossibility.
Internet Voices
How to Block Tracking in Chrome With Privacy Settings and Safety Check
Guide to blocking third-party cookies, stopping tracking, and running Safety Check in Chrome to curb data collection.
Gadgets
Apple Reportedly Developing Indoor Camera That Doesn't Record Video
Apple reportedly developing indoor camera that notifies in text without recording video. Details on J450 specs and aims.
Gadgets
Apple Watch Always-On Listening Sparks Unease Despite Encryption
New Apple Watch feature listens and summarizes all day. Despite encryption, unease lingers over norms for conversational spaces.
AI
Rent Tech Faces Criticism for Dehumanizing Renters With Personality Tests, AI Responses
Report details how rent tech handling applications and payments dehumanizes renters through excessive data collection and automation.
AI
Meta's Muse Denies Reading Messages After Notification Claims Fuel Distrust
Mac version of Meta's Muse appeared to access private messages via notifications. We unpack permissions and conflicting explanations.
AI
EFF Issues Statement on California Governor's AI Order
EFF issued a statement on California governor's AI executive order, urging action on immediate harms and stronger reporting.
AI
How to Limit What Siri AI Can Access in iOS 27
Siri AI in iOS 27 integrates with Spotlight to reference on-device data. Explains PCC transmission, onscreen awareness, and how to limit it.
AI
Humans Reviewing ChatGPT Conversations: The Reality of Project Lily
Details emerge on Project Lily, in which OpenAI has contract reviewers read real ChatGPT chats to improve responses.
AI
Survey of Terms for 36 AI Products: Handling of Audio and PDFs Differs
Surveyed the terms of 36 AI products by format. Handling of recordings and images varies by product and edition, defying uniform judgment.
Internet Voices
Federal Court Dismisses LinkedIn Extension-Scanning Lawsuit
Federal court dismisses class action over LinkedIn's extension scanning for lack of standing.
Internet Voices
Apple Sued for $2.7 Billion Over ATT, Alleged Harm to Developers
A former UK competition official sues Apple for $2.7B, alleging ATT disadvantaged third-party apps, alongside European regulatory trends.
Internet Voices
Effective Ad Blocking on Android: Brave and DNS Combination Proves Effective
A practical setup combining Brave's aggressive blocking with Android Private DNS to curb ads and tracking, plus VPN and battery benefits.
AI
How to Edit Claude Memory: Topic-Based Management Steps
Anthropic's Claude now supports topic-based memory editing. We outline how to edit, delete, and handle sensitive topics.
Internet Voices
What Is Browser Fingerprinting? How It Works, Risks, and Countermeasures Explained
Explains how combining browser and device data identifies users, covering mechanisms, data collected, risks, detection, and defenses.
Gadgets
$7 Hidden Camera Detector Achieves 94% Accuracy with AI and LEDs
The $7 clip-on detector SweepLED developed by KAIST detects hidden cameras with 93.9% accuracy using an LED grid and AI. Here is how it works.
Internet Voices
AliExpress Uses Inaudible Sound Waves to Fingerprint Browsers
AliExpress was found using inaudible sound waves for browser fingerprinting. A researcher's accidental discovery revealed the technique's reality and current effectiveness.
AI
Flock Safety Developing AI Tool for Police That Can Track Individuals
Flock Safety's AI tool under development for police can identify and track individuals solely based on vehicle behavior patterns. Concerns over privacy invasion are escalating.
AI
EFF and Others Demand Nottinghamshire Police Halt Live Facial Recognition
EFF and 7 civil society groups send an open letter to UK's Nottinghamshire Police demanding a stop to live facial recognition in public spaces, citing expanded surveillance and human rights violations.
Internet Voices
Apple Wallet Driver's License Support to Expand to Four More US States
Apple Wallet's driver's license and ID feature expands to North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia. Support is expected to reach 18 states and Puerto Rico.
Internet Voices
NYC Councilmember Pushes to Ban Biometric Monitoring at MSG
The New York City Council is advancing a bill to ban the use of biometric identification technology at Madison Square Garden. Concerns are raised over audience tracking and risk scoring.
Internet Voices
Flock Safety Announces ALPR Reforms, But Fundamental Problems Remain
Flock Safety announces vehicle surveillance reforms. Default data retention cut to 7 days, but criticism of corporate-led privacy management persists.
Gadgets
German NPO Files Criminal Complaint Against Meta Smart Glasses
A German human rights group has filed a criminal complaint alleging that Meta's smart glasses violate privacy laws.
Gadgets
Friend AI Pendant: Price Doubles and Monthly Subscription Introduced as Downgrade
Friend's new AI pendant: price doubles to $249, adds $10/month subscription. Built-in speaker enables voice responses, but the unsettling core design remains unchanged.
Internet Voices
Ariana Grande Files Lawsuit Over Long-Term Hacking; 45 Songs Leaked
Ariana Grande has filed a John Doe lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming 45 unreleased songs were hacked and leaked in 2023 alone. The long-term breach targeted her staff and collaborators, analyzed from a technological perspective.
Internet Voices
Claude Chats Exposed in Google Search Results
Snapshots of chats shared by users on Anthropic's Claude were found appearing in Google and Bing search results due to the absence of noindex tags.
Gadgets
Meta Pauses Conversation Focus Subscription Plan
Meta pauses its planned $20 monthly subscription for the Ray-Ban smart glasses' Conversation Focus feature after backlash over charging for on-device functionality and a 15-hour monthly usage cap. The company's broader premium subscription strategy remains intact.
Internet Voices
No Suspicion Needed for Manual Border Phone Searches, U.S. Federal Appeals Court Rules
The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that manual searches of electronic devices at borders do not require suspicion. The EFF is raising concerns.
Dev
Google Now Allows Account Sign-In Using Selfie Videos
A new authentication method enables account access even without passwords or 2FA devices, by matching pre-registered facial videos.
Internet Voices
California DROP Tool Centralizes Personal Data Deletion
California's DROP tool lets users request deletion and sales halt of personal data from 614 data brokers in a single application. It's gaining attention as a mechanism to enhance privacy protection effectiveness.
Gadgets
Punkt MC03 Now Shipping, AYANEO Pocket Micro 2 Reopens for Pre-Orders, MINIX Launches New AI Mini PC
The privacy-focused, Google-free Android smartphone "Punkt MC03" has begun shipping. AYANEO Pocket Micro 2 reopens for pre-orders. MINIX introduces an AI mini PC with Panther Lake.
Dev
Windows GDID Helps Identify Scattered Spider Suspect
The FBI used Windows' GDID (Global Device Identifier) to identify a suspect from the Scattered Spider group, spotlighting the role of OS telemetry data in criminal investigations.
Dev
Autocrypt v2 Achieves Post-Quantum Cryptography and Reliable Deletion
Autocrypt v2 has been released. It combines post-quantum cryptography (ML-KEM-768) with reliable deletion (clock-time based), achieving forward secrecy without synchronization. Based on OpenPGP v6, the certificate is 2938 bytes.
Internet Voices
EFF Urges Grindr to Adopt Privacy-First Default Settings
During Pride Month, EFF issued an open letter to Grindr, calling for default opt-outs for behavioral ads and explicit consent for AI training, to protect LGBTQ+ users.
Internet Voices
Paraguay's Secrecy on Facial Recognition Challenged at Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
EFF, TEDIC, and CEJIL have filed a complaint against the Paraguayan government at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over its refusal to disclose information about its facial recognition technology, arguing that the lack of transparency constitutes a human rights violation.
Dev
SimpleX Chat Gains Attention as a Privacy-Focused Messaging Platform Without Identifiers
The decentralized messaging platform SimpleX Chat, which operates without user identifiers, has appeared on GitHub Trending, drawing attention for its design that protects even metadata within the developer community.