Millions of new cars sold in the US and Europe are “connected,” having some mechanism for exchanging data with their manufacturers after the cars are sold; these cars stream or batch-upload location data and other telemetry to their manufacturers, who argue that they are allowed to do virtually anything they want with this data, thanks Read more about Thanks to “consent” buried deep in sales agreements, car manufacturers are tracking tens of millions of US and EU cars[…]

The software giant has produced a tool that’s claimed to show users how much personal information its Windows 10 operating system collects and sends back to Redmond for diagnostics.The application is dubbed Diagnostic Data Viewer, and is free from the Windows Store. It reveals that stuff like the computer’s device name, OS version, and serial Read more about Microsoft whips out tool so you can measure Windows 10’s data-slurping creepiness[…]

The US House of Representatives has passed a six-year extension to the controversial Section 702 spying program, rejecting an amendment that would have required the authorities to get a warrant before searching for information on US citizens. The 256-164 vote effectively retains the status quo and undermines a multi-year effort to bring accountability to a Read more about US House reps green-light Fourth Amendment busting spy program[…]

OnePlus has admitted that the clipboard app in a beta build of its Android OS was beaming back mystery data to a cloud service in China. Someone running the latest test version of OnePlus’s Oreo-based operating system revealed in its support forums that unusual activity from the builtin clipboard manager had been detected by a Read more about OnePlus Android mobes’ clipboard app caught phoning home to China[…]

More than six million people use Slack daily, spending on average more than two hours each day inside the chat app. For many employees, work life is contingent on Slack, and surely plenty of us use it for more than just, say, work talk. You probably have a #CATS and a women-only channel, and you’ve Read more about What’s Slack Doing With Your Data?[…]

That innocent-looking mobile game you just downloaded might just have an ulterior motive. Behind the scenes, hundreds of different apps could be using your smartphone’s microphone to figure out what you watch on TV, a new report from The New York Times reveals. […] All of these apps need to get your permission before they Read more about How to Stop Apps From Listening in on Your TV Habits (it turns out thousands are)[…]

A group of researchers in France and Japan say RequestPolicyContinued and NoScript have the toughest policies, while Ghostery and uBlock Origin offer good blocking performance and a better user experience. The study also gave a nod to the EFF’s Privacy Badger, which uses heuristics rather than block lists, but once trained is nearly as good Read more about Ghostery, uBlock, Privacy Badger lead the anti-tracking browser extensions[…]

Using only data that can be legally collected by an app developer without the consent of a cellphone’s owner, researchers have been able to produce a privacy attack that can accurately pinpoint a user’s location and trajectory without accessing the device’s Global Position System—GPS. And while the ramifications of this ability falling into the wrong Read more about How to Track a Cellphone Without GPS—or Consent[…]

According to OMC’s data, a full 19 percent of all “conversational” email is now tracked. That’s one in five of the emails you get from your friends. And you probably never noticed.“Surprisingly, while there is a vast literature on web tracking, email tracking has seen little research,” noted an October 2017 paper published by three Read more about Email tracking now extends to your acquantances: 1 in 5![…]

The Google Home Mini is a super-affordable way to get Google Assistant in your life, but Google was forced to hobble the device shortly after launch because a sticky touch sensor caused Artem’s Mini to record everything he said. Part of that functionality is now coming back with a small tweak. Instead of tapping the Read more about New Google Home Mini update 1.29 restores top tap functionality with long-press on the side: doesn’t record everything anymore?[…]

Let me make this point dreadfully clear, though: Your family members do not need an Amazon Echo or a Google Home or an Apple HomePod or whatever that one smart speaker that uses Cortana is called. And you don’t either. You only want one because every single gadget-slinger on the planet is marketing them to Read more about Don’t Buy Anyone an Echo[…]

For the past few years, Gingerich has been laying the groundwork for Sopranica, an open source, DIY cell network that allows smartphone owners to make calls, send texts and eventually browse the internet with total anonymity.In January, Gingerich published the code for the first part of Sopranica called JMP. This is essentially a way of Read more about Sopranica: an Anonymous, DIY Cell Phone Network[…]

A California federal court has ordered Coinbase to turn over identifying records for all users who have bought, sold, sent, or received more than $20,000 through their accounts in a single year between 2013 and 2015. Coinbase estimates that 14,355 users meet the government’s requirements. The full order is embedded below. For each account, the Read more about Coinbase ordered to report 14,355 users to the IRS[…]

Last month, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) warned that smartwatches marketed to kids were a serious threat to children’s privacy. A report published by the Norwegian Consumer Council in mid-October revealed serious flaws in several of the devices that could easily allow hackers to seize control. Doing so could grant attackers access to both real-time Read more about German Regulators Ban Smartwatches for Kids, Urge Parents to Destroy Them[…]

The companies asked by the consumer protection authority are de ANWB, Nuon en Oxfam Novib. De Bijenkorf stopte hier al eerder mee. Essent heeft toegezegd binnenkort te stoppen en KLM en Transavia heroverwegen hun aanpak. De Bankgiroloterij, FBTO, KPN/Telfort, Postcodeloterij, Vakantieveilingen, Vriendenloterij en de Persgroep blijven gewoon doorgaan. Van Heerlijk.nl, HelloFresh en Hotels.nl To be Read more about Large companies in NL giving Facebook personal client data freely[…]

Many people worried that Google was scanning users’ documents in real time to determine if they’re being mean or somehow bad. You actually agree to such oversight in Google G Suite’s terms of service. Those terms include include personal conduct stipulations and copyright protection, as well as adhering to “program policies.” Who knows what made the Read more about Yes, Google is reading your corporate documents and you agreed to it.[…]

An investigation by 24 data protection regulators from around the world – led by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office – concluded that ‘there is significant room for improvement in terms of specific details contained in privacy communications’.The privacy notices, communications and practices of 455 websites and apps in sectors including retail, finance and banking, travel, Read more about International (24 regulators) enforcement operation finds website privacy notices are too vague and generally inadequate (over 455 websites and apps)[…]

Google snuck a questionable feature into the operating system with a recent update. A new permission called “activity recognition” may be tracking your physical activity and sharing it with third-party apps, and there’s no easy way to stop it. What Is Activity Recognition? The “activity recognition” permission was shared on Reddit earlier this week. Basically, Read more about Android Is Quietly Sharing Your Physical Activity with Other Apps[…]

When you spit in a test tube in in hopes of finding out about your ancestry or health or that perfect, genetically optimized bottle of wine, you’re giving companies access to some very intimate details about what makes you, you. Your genes don’t determine everything about who you are, but they do contain revealing information Read more about What DNA Testing Companies’ Terrifying Privacy Policies Actually Mean[…]

The idea is straightforward: Associate a series of ads with a specific individual as well as predetermined GPS coordinates. When those ads are served to a smartphone app, you know where that individual has been… It’s a surprisingly simple technique, and the researchers say you can pull it off for “$1,000 or less.” The relatively Read more about For Under $1,000, Mobile Ads Can Track Your Location[…]

Cortana is a decent voice assistant. Hell, “she” is probably better than Apple’s woefully disappointing Siri, but that isn’t saying very much. Still, Microsoft’s assistant very much annoys me on Windows 10. I don’t necessarily want to use my desktop PC like my phone, and sometimes I feel like she is intruding on my computer. Read more about Warning: Microsoft is using Cortana to read your private Skype conversations[…]

Sonos’ policy change, outlined by chief legal officer Craig Shelburne, allows the gizmo manufacturer to slurp personal information about each owner, such as email addresses and locations, and system telemetry – collectively referred to as functional data – in order to implement third-party services, specifically voice control through Amazon’s Alexa software, and for its own Read more about If you don’t want Sonos to have your personal data, they will brick your players for you[…]