Trump says TikTok will be banned if not sold by Sept. 15, demands cut of sale fee because he made the deal possible. Extortion much?

President Trump said Monday that TikTok will be shut down in the U.S. if it hasn’t been bought by Microsoft or another company by Sept. 15, and argued — without elaborating — that the U.S. Treasury should get “a very substantial portion” of the sale fee. Why it matters: Trump appears to have backed off Read more about Trump says TikTok will be banned if not sold by Sept. 15, demands cut of sale fee because he made the deal possible. Extortion much?[…]

Windows 10: HOSTS file blocking telemetry is now flagged as a risk

Starting at the end of July, Microsoft has begun detecting HOSTS files that block Windows 10 telemetry servers as a ‘Severe’ security risk. The HOSTS file is a text file located at C:\Windows\system32\driver\etc\HOSTS and can only be edited by a program with Administrator privileges. […] Microsoft now detects HOSTS files that block Windows telemetry Since Read more about Windows 10: HOSTS file blocking telemetry is now flagged as a risk[…]

Lawmakers Ask California DMV How It Makes $50 Million a Year Selling Drivers’ Data

A group of nearly a dozen lawmakers led by member of Congress Anna Eshoo wrote to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on Wednesday looking for answers on how and why the organization sells the personal data of residents. The letter comes after Motherboard revealed last year that the DMV was making $50 million Read more about Lawmakers Ask California DMV How It Makes $50 Million a Year Selling Drivers’ Data[…]

Private equity wants to own your DNA – Blackstone buys Ancestry at $250,- per person

The nation’s largest private equity firm is interested in buying your DNA data. The going rate: $261 per person. That appears to be what Blackstone, the $63 billion private equity giant, is willing to pay for genetic data controlled by one of the major companies gathering it from millions of customers. Earlier this week, Blackstone Read more about Private equity wants to own your DNA – Blackstone buys Ancestry at $250,- per person[…]

Facebook Relaxed Fact-Checking Standards on Conservative Pages: Report

In an attempt to correct the perception of a small but very vocal minority that claims Facebook’s silencing conservative voices on its platforms, the company’s reportedly swung too far in the opposite direction and essentially gave a free pass to conservative pages to spew their bullshit online. According to leaked documents reviewed by NBC, Facebook Read more about Facebook Relaxed Fact-Checking Standards on Conservative Pages: Report[…]

Whoops, our bad, we just may have ‘accidentally’ left Google Home devices recording your every word, sound, sorry

Your Google Home speaker may have been quietly recording sounds around your house without your permission or authorization, it was revealed this week. The Chocolate Factory admitted it had accidentally turned on a feature that allowed its voice-controlled AI-based assistant to activate and snoop on its surroundings. Normally, the device only starts actively listening in Read more about Whoops, our bad, we just may have ‘accidentally’ left Google Home devices recording your every word, sound, sorry[…]

Google victory in German top court over right to be forgotten means you can’t just delete the evil stuff you did

A German court has sided with Google and rejected requests to wipe entries from search results. The cases hinged on whether the right to be forgotten outweighed the public’s right to know. Germany’s highest court agreed on Monday with lower courts and rejected the two plaintiffs’ appeals over privacy concerns. In the first case, a Read more about Google victory in German top court over right to be forgotten means you can’t just delete the evil stuff you did[…]

YouTube threatens to remove music videos in Denmark over songwriter royalty fallout

YouTube is embroiled in a very public spat with songwriters and music publishers in Denmark, via local collection society Koda. According to Koda – Denmark’s equivalent of ASCAP/BMI (US) or PRS For Music (UK) – YouTube has threatened to remove “Danish music content” (ie. music written by Danish songwriters) from its service. The cause of Read more about YouTube threatens to remove music videos in Denmark over songwriter royalty fallout[…]

Libraries lend books, and must continue to lend books: Internet Archive responds to greedy publishers’ lawsuit

Yesterday, the Internet Archive filed our response to the lawsuit brought by four commercial publishers to end the practice of Controlled Digital Lending (CDL), the digital equivalent of traditional library lending. CDL is a respectful and secure way to bring the breadth of our library collections to digital learners. Commercial ebooks, while useful, only cover Read more about Libraries lend books, and must continue to lend books: Internet Archive responds to greedy publishers’ lawsuit[…]

secret police Federal officer louts to pull out of Portland in a major reversal for Trump administration

The Trump administration is to pull federal paramilitaries out of Portland starting on Thursday in a major reversal after weeks of escalating protests and violence. Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, said she agreed to the pullout in talks with Vice-President Mike Pence. Brown said state and city police officers will replace Department of Homeland Security agents Read more about secret police Federal officer louts to pull out of Portland in a major reversal for Trump administration[…]

Australian government sues Google for misleading consumers in Doubleclick data collection

The Australian government has filed its second lawsuit against Google in less than a year over privacy concerns, this time alleging the tech giant misled Australian consumers in an attempt to gather information for targeted ads. The Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC), the country’s consumer watchdog, says Google didn’t obtain explicit consent from consumers Read more about Australian government sues Google for misleading consumers in Doubleclick data collection[…]

See When Other Apps Use Your Microphone or Camera With This Android App

you can get this functionality by downloading and installing a simple app from the Google Play Store: Access Dots. It’s free, it’s easy, and it helps you up your Android’s security game. I would almost call it a must-install for anyone, because it’s as unobtrusive as it is helpful. Download and launch the app, and Read more about See When Other Apps Use Your Microphone or Camera With This Android App[…]

We’re suing Google for harvesting our personal info even though we opted out of Chrome sync – netizens

A handful of Chrome users have sued Google, accusing the browser maker of collecting personal information despite their decision not to sync data stored in Chrome with a Google Account. The lawsuit [PDF], filed on Monday in a US federal district court in San Jose, California, claimed Google promises not to collect personal information from Read more about We’re suing Google for harvesting our personal info even though we opted out of Chrome sync – netizens[…]

Twitter Contractors Abused Access to Beyoncé’s Account: Report

Twitter contractors with high-level administrative access to accounts regularly abused their privileges to spy on celebrities including Beyoncé, including approximating their movements via internet protocol addresses, according to a report by Bloomberg. Over 1,500 workers and contractors at Twitter who handle internal support requests and manage user accounts have high-level privileges that enable them to Read more about Twitter Contractors Abused Access to Beyoncé’s Account: Report[…]

EU demands strange concessions from Google over Fitbit deal – wants to share movement data to third parties

The EU has demanded that Google make major concessions relating to its $2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-tracking company Fitbit if the deal is to be allowed to proceed imminently, according to people with direct knowledge of the discussions. Since it was announced last November, the acquisition has faced steep opposition from consumer groups and regulators, Read more about EU demands strange concessions from Google over Fitbit deal – wants to share movement data to third parties[…]

Instagram and 50 other apps found that quietly access iOS device’s camera

Apple’s iOS 14 beta has proven surprisingly handy at sussing out what apps are snooping on your phone’s data. It ratted out LinkedIn, Reddit, and TikTok for secretly copying clipboard content earlier this month, and now Instagram’s in hot water after several users reported that their camera’s “in use” indicator stays on even when they’re Read more about Instagram and 50 other apps found that quietly access iOS device’s camera[…]

Facebook settles unauthorised use of facial recognition for $650 million

Facebook has agreed to pay a total of $650 million in a landmark class action lawsuit over the company’s unauthorized use of facial recognition, a new court filing shows. The filing represents a revised settlement that increases the total payout by $100 million and comes after a federal judge balked at the original proposal on Read more about Facebook settles unauthorised use of facial recognition for $650 million[…]

Amazon’s auditing of Alexa Skills is so good, these boffins got all 200+ rule-breaking apps past the reviewers

Amazon claims it reviews the software created by third-party developers for its Alexa voice assistant platform, yet US academics were able to create more than 200 policy-violating Alexa Skills and get them certified. In a paper [PDF] presented at the US Federal Trade Commission’s PrivacyCon 2020 event this week, Clemson University researchers Long Cheng, Christin Read more about Amazon’s auditing of Alexa Skills is so good, these boffins got all 200+ rule-breaking apps past the reviewers[…]

The Record Industry Is Going After Parody Songs Written By an Algorithm

Georgia Tech researcher Mark Riedl didn’t expect that his machine learning model “Weird A.I. Yankovic,” which generates new rhyming lyrics for existing songs would cause any trouble. But it did. On May 15, Reidl posted an AI-generated lyric video featuring the instrumental to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” It was taken down on July 14, Reidl Read more about The Record Industry Is Going After Parody Songs Written By an Algorithm[…]

Copyright Claims Block Star Trek, Cartoon Network Comic-Con Panels video streams. Somehow they get to fix DMCA in 20 minutes – why doesn’t the  rest of the world?

It wouldn’t be a virtual event without a few technical difficulties. Though I can’t imagine the media giants showcasing at San Diego Comic-Con’s online event were worried about copyright violations affecting their panels. Considering, you know, they’re the ones that own the copyright. Of course, that’s exactly what happened. On Thursday, ViacomCBS livestreamed an hour-long Read more about Copyright Claims Block Star Trek, Cartoon Network Comic-Con Panels video streams. Somehow they get to fix DMCA in 20 minutes – why doesn’t the  rest of the world?[…]

Firefox on Android: Camera remains active when phone is locked or the user switches apps after streaming

Mozilla says it’s working on fixing a bug in Firefox for Android that keeps the smartphone camera active even after users have moved the browser in the background or the phone screen was locked. A Mozilla spokesperson told ZDNet in an email this week that a fix is expected for later this year in October. Read more about Firefox on Android: Camera remains active when phone is locked or the user switches apps after streaming[…]

Mozilla offers trusted VPN services – good timing!

Starting today, there’s a VPN on the market from a company you trust. The Mozilla VPN (Virtual Private Network) is now available on Windows and Android devices. This fast and easy-to-use VPN service is brought to you by Mozilla, the makers of Firefox, and a trusted name in online consumer security and privacy services. See Read more about Mozilla offers trusted VPN services – good timing![…]

E.U. Court Invalidates Data-Sharing Agreement With U.S.

The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that an agreement that allows big tech companies to transfer data to the United States is invalid, and that national regulators need to take tougher action to protect the privacy of users’ data. The ruling does not mean an immediate halt to all data transfers outside the EU, Read more about E.U. Court Invalidates Data-Sharing Agreement With U.S.[…]

Google faces lawsuit over tracking in apps even when users opted out

Google records what people are doing on hundreds of thousands of mobile apps even when they follow the company’s recommended settings for stopping such monitoring, a lawsuit seeking class action status alleged on Tuesday. The data privacy lawsuit is the second filed in as many months against Google by the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner Read more about Google faces lawsuit over tracking in apps even when users opted out[…]

Only 9% of visitors give GDPR consent to be tracked

Most GDPR consent banner implementations are deliberately engineered to be difficult to use and are full of dark patterns that are illegal according to the law. I wanted to find out how many visitors would engage with a GDPR banner if it were implemented properly and how many would grant consent to their information being Read more about Only 9% of visitors give GDPR consent to be tracked[…]