Data Security / Privacy Protection
Advances in, news about, and failures in data/privacy protection and security.
Collection by Charles Baldwin
The Hacker News
New SIM Card Flaw Lets Hackers Hijack Any Phone Just By Sending SMS
3 min read · From 2019 · Cybersecurity researchers today revealed the existence of Simjacker, a SIM Card vulnerability that could allow remote hackers to spy on devices just by sending SMS
Forbes
Google Finally Confirms Security Problem For 1.5 Billion Gmail And Calendar Users
2 min read · From 2019 · Google has confirmed it is working on a fix for a credential-stealing problem that leaves more than a billion Calendar users exposed to attack
Forbes
Google Has My Dead Grandpa’s Data And He Never Used The Internet
6 min read · From 2019 · The data wasn't manually entered manually by me or anyone using my account, but yet the data is associated with my account? How did that happen?
Mozilla
Today’s Firefox Blocks Third-Party Tracking Cookies and Cryptomining by Default
2 min read · From 2019 · Today, Firefox on desktop and Android will — by default — empower and protect all our users by blocking third-party tracking cookies and cryptominers. This milestone marks a major step ...
TechCrunch
A huge database of Facebook users’ phone numbers found online
2 min read · From 2019 · Hundreds of millions of phone numbers linked to Facebook accounts have been found online. The exposed server contained more than 419 million records over several databases on users across geographies,…
TechCrunch
Police hijack a botnet and remotely kill 850,000 malware infections
2 min read · From 2019 · In a rare feat, French police have hijacked and neutralized a massive cryptocurrency mining botnet controlling close to a million infected computers. The notorious Retadup malware infects computers…
MIT Technology Review
Websites have been quietly hacking iPhones for years, says Google
3 min read · From 2019 · Websites delivered iOS malware to thousands of visitors in the biggest iPhone hack ever. There’s no telling who was infected—or who was behind it.
Guardian Tech
Amazon's doorbell camera Ring is working with police
7 min read · From 2019 · Ring shapes communications of police agencies it works with. Critics fear it’s building up a for-profit private surveillance network
BuzzFeed News
The CEO Of Twitter's Twitter Was Hacked
3 min read · From 2019 · Jack Dorsey's Twitter account was hacked on Friday afternoon and tweeted the n-word and antisemitic remarks.
EFF
Don't Play in Google's Privacy Sandbox
8 min read · From 2019 · Last week, Google announced a plan to “build a more private web.” The announcement post was, frankly, a mess. The company that tracks user behavior on over ⅔ of the web said that “Privacy is paramount…
BBC News (World)
School's facial recognition checks lead to fine
2 min read · From 2019 · Sweden has fined a local authority £17,000 for using facial recognition on school students.
The Wall Street Journal
FTC Approves Settlement With YouTube Over Children’s Privacy
From 2019 · The Federal Trade Commission has approved a settlement with YouTube over children’s privacy issues that imposes a fine of around $150 million to $200 million, people familiar with the matter said.
nature
Halt the use of facial-recognition technology until it is regulated
3 min read · From 2019 · Until appropriate safeguards are in place, we need a moratorium on biometric technology that identifies individuals, says Kate Crawford.
EFF
EFF Sues DHS To Uncover Information About Border Agents Using GPS Devices Without a Warrant To Track Vehicles
3 min read · From 2019 · Washington, D.C.—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its component agencies today to obtain information about the agencies’ warrantless use of…
VICE
Microsoft Contractors Listened to Xbox Owners in Their Homes
4 min read · From 2019 · Multiple contractors working for Microsoft explain how they listened to audio captured by Xbox consoles.
EFF
Don't Renew Section 215 Indefinitely
3 min read · From 2019 · The New York Times reported that the Trump administration wants Section 215, the legal authority that allows the National Security Agency to collect Americans’ telephone records, renewed indefinitely.…
