With the ever-increasing use of HTML email, senders can embed images into their emails. These can then be loaded from a remote web server or attached directly to email. When images are remote, they can be tagged by the sender to know who, exactly, opened the message and when. Giving them, in effect, a return-receipt capability that can't be disabled by the recipient. Here's a safe demonstration of this concept. Luckily, I loathe HTML email so I have it disabled anyway.
Master Plan, about the power of Google.
Younger people revealing their private lives on the Internet, the biggest generation gap since the early days of rock and roll?
The EFF’s Terms-Of-Service Tracker keeps an eye on multiple websites’ policies.
The EFF's Terms-Of-Service Tracker keeps an eye on multiple websites' policies.
New version of the EFF’s Panopticlick. Audit your browser’s privacy protection settings.
The European Commission’s proposed copyright directive includes a mandatory “censorship machine” to filter all uploads from every user in the EU. It never ends…
Combining multiple freely available data sources is often just as accurate as a single one, if not more.
Nice privacy-focused alternative to public DNS resolvers like Google or Quad9. No Logging and DNSSEC-enabled.
It does feel a little sinister.
A smart city is a privatised city and nobody knows what will happen to your data.
The smart city will capture, store and remember every microscopic detail of your daily life.
If you really have to be on Facebook, use Firefox with this extension.
Amusing prank that shows how privacy can be a privilege of the wealthy who hoover up everyone else’s.
Cloudflare just announced their new public DNS service. I just switched to it and it’s incredibly fast. Faster than any other one I’ve tried, including Google.
Tables ranking various service providers for security and privacy: email, vpn, password management, etc.
“Facebook gives people the appearance of choice and then carefully directs users to making the right ones”.
Use an ad blocker, just not this one.
Reversing the smart city paradigm. Barcelona is moving from the surveillance capitalism model, where data is opaque and owned by subcontractors and third parties, to a model where citizens own their data.
Starting with Chrome 69, logging into a Google site will auto-log you into Chrome. Not a good move.
Due to all the negative reactions, Google updates Chrome to make auto-login an option. Better but not perfect.
In this article, Mike Davidson criticises the classic "Build first, ask questions later" methods of Silicon Valley. Specifically here, the much-hyped Superhuman email client that lets you track opens.
If you do anything, make sure you use an email client that disables images by default. That should prevent most of these unethical invasions of privacy.
When we tell companies about ourselves, we give away details about others, too. This annoys me so much I've often been tempted to block communication with people on gmail as I don't want google hoovering up my personal discussions and relationships.
Unfortunately, it would probably kill a good third of my email, much of it work-related, so I have to live with my privacy being invaded because others don't care or don't understand.
Good. More of this, please.
The Irish Data Protection Commission just validated Facebook's "unusual" reading of the GDPR. Facebook having its European HQ in Ireland doesn't inspire faith in their impartiality, of course.
Max Schrems:
The DPC developed the 'GDPR bypass' with Facebook, that it is now greenlighting as a regulator. Instead of a regulator, it acts as a ‘big tech’ advisor.
It's probable the other European DPCs won't let this pass but it's more proof the system needs an overhaul.
Fawkes is a piece of software that modifies your photos in a non-visible way to stop facial recognition models from indexing them and associating them with you. Basically poisoning the machine-learning well.
Because they aren't creepy enough, Facebook have been found to be using the accelerometer on iPhones to track all their owners' movements. Just delete your account.
If you haven't seen it yet, this segment from John Oliver about data brokers is worth a watch, particularly the magnificent ending.
A great explanation of real time bidding and how your personal information does get shared by google (and many others) with thousands of third-parties, some in China and Russia. Whatever sneaky language they use to reassure you, this is the reality of the online advertising world.
Another video concerning online tracking and all the data about you constantly being hoovered up. This one takes a good look at the difference between privacy and security.
Steer clear of Google Chrome if you value your privacy. They've just introduced a misleadingly labeled "privacy sandbox" feature, which, paradoxically, undermines user privacy rather than protecting it.
An interesting deep dive into how your geolocation data gets exfiltrated by advertising networks via apps on your phone and sold to, not only the highest bidder, but basically any data broker, government agency, or other organisation that can afford it.
All of this, of course, despite you setting your phone to not allow these apps to track you.
By the way, the list of apps that do this (Google Docs) contained 2 apps I had installed on my phone. I'd take a look and see what apps you should be removing from yours.
