Phone numbers, browser histories, and social media posts are all examples of the sort of data that could be mined from those entering the US under Trump’s “extreme vetting” policy, Department of Homeland Security secretary John Kelly said today. As Talking Points Memo reported, Kelly held a press conference this afternoon to discuss the president’s Read more about Trump’s ‘Extreme Vetting’ for US Visitors Could Involve Social Media Posts and Browser Histories[…]

Secret FBI rules allow agents to obtain journalists’ phone records with approval from two internal officials — far less oversight than under normal judicial procedures. The classified rules, obtained by The Intercept and dating from 2013, govern the FBI’s use of national security letters, which allow the bureau to obtain information about journalists’ calls without Read more about Secret Rules Make It Pretty Easy for the FBI to Spy on Journalists[…]

NEW YORK — The U.S. government quietly began requesting that select foreign visitors provide their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts upon arriving in the country […] Since Tuesday, foreign travelers arriving in the United States on the visa waiver program have been presented with an “optional” request to “enter information associated with your Read more about U.S. government begins asking foreign travelers about social media[…]

Previously, when the NSA passed data it collected through its secretive, advanced, and sometimes illegal methods, an NSA analyst would strip the data that pertained to innocent people, and would only pass on what they deemed necessary. Now, when the NSA shares information with another intelligence agency, it will pass on the raw data, with Read more about Way More People Will Now Have Access to the NSA’s Raw, Unfiltered Data[…]

Microsoft offers two settings – on and almost off – and a dashboard of collected data Source: New Windows 10 privacy controls: Just a little snooping – or the max Incredibly MS just won’t listen and even more incredibly, I’m seeing a lot of windows 10 machines 🙁

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/28/amazon-refuses-to-let-police-access-suspects-echo-recordings Just to remind you, the more smart devices you have, the more they listen to you. It’s just a totalitarian state away from being used against you. 

Now, instead of plugging in an address, you can sync up your contacts and choose a friend’s name. The lucky buddy will receive a request from Uber—via push notification if they’re an Uber user, and via text message if they’re not—to provide their location. If they accept, their location is then transmitted to the driver, Read more about Uber’s Latest Update seeks location and phone info from non Uber-using friends[…]

Privacy Badger is a browser extension that automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers that would otherwise follow you around the web and spy on your browsing habits. Privacy Badger now has approximately 900,000 daily users and counting. Third-party tracking—that is, when advertisers and websites track your browsing activity across the web without your knowledge, control, or Read more about The New and Improved Privacy Badger 2.0 Is Here | Electronic Frontier Foundation[…]

Instantly get a list of all your accounts, matched with direct links to delete them Source: deseat.me

Maps and database of 802.11 wireless networks, with statistics, submitted by wardrivers, netstumblers, and net huggers. Source: WiGLE: Wireless Network Mapping Can be used to find the physical address of someone’s wifi ssid

The app update (it’s 3.222.4, for those keeping track) changes the way Uber collects location data from its users. Previously, Uber only collected location information while a user had the app open – now, Uber asks users to always share their location with the ride-hailing company. Uber says that, even though it can harvest your Read more about Uber begins collection of rider location data – whether using the app or not[…]

While the UK was obsessing with Brexit and its aftermath, parliament quietly passed a contentious snooping law that gives authorities, everyone from police and spies to food regulators, fire officials and tax inspectors, the right to legally look at the internet browsing records of everyone in the country. […] Which government agencies have access to Read more about These Are The 48 Organizations That Now Have Access To Every Brit’s Browsing History[…]

Scientists say they can deduce the lifestyle of an individual, down to the kind of grooming products they use, food they eat and medications they take, from chemicals found on the surface of their mobile phone. Experts say analysis of someone’s phone could be a boon both to healthcare professionals, and the police. “You can Read more about Chemical traces on your phone reveal your lifestyle, scientists say[…]

According to Facebook, if you send a message to a company, they then have permission to send you sponsored messages—or as we humans call them, ads. These will be unprompted “highly targeted, in-context” ads. Businesses that already have chat bots set up can start using the new feature immediately. Source: Facebook Will Let Brands Send Read more about Facebook Will Let Brands Send You Ads If You’ve Messaged Them Before[…]

In the case of Nvidia, Telemetry gets installed alongside the driver package. While you may — and should — customize the installation of the Nvidia driver so that only the bits that you require are installed, there is no option to disable the Telemetry components from being installed. These do get installed even if you Read more about Nvidia Tracking you on Windows now – and how to stop it (for now)[…]