CBP wordt Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens

Per 1 januari is de naam van het College bescherming persoonsgegevens (CBP) veranderd in Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Voortaan kan de Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens boetes opleggen en zijn organisaties verplicht ernstige datalekken direct te melden aan de toezichthouder. Onvoldoende zorgvuldige omgang met persoonsgegevens levert voortaan dus zowel een boete als reputatieschade op. De maximale boete is 820.000 euro. Read more about CBP wordt Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens[…]

Spying on Congress and Israel: NSA Cheerleaders Discover Value of Privacy Only When Their Own Is Violated

NSA under President Obama targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top aides for surveillance. In the process, the agency ended up eavesdropping on “the contents of some of their private conversations with U.S. lawmakers and American-Jewish groups” about how to sabotage the Iran Deal. All sorts of people who spent many years cheering Read more about Spying on Congress and Israel: NSA Cheerleaders Discover Value of Privacy Only When Their Own Is Violated[…]

Why is Microsoft monitoring how long you use Windows 10?

This might seem like a slightly strange statistic for Microsoft to keep track of, but the company knows how long, collectively, Windows 10 has been running on computers around the world. To have reached this figure (11 billion hours in December, apparently) Microsoft must have been logging individuals’ usage times Source: Why is Microsoft monitoring Read more about Why is Microsoft monitoring how long you use Windows 10?[…]

AVG: “Web TuneUP” extension multiple critical vulnerabilities: exposes browsing history and other personal data

When a user installs AVG AntiVirus, a Chrome extension called “AVG Web TuneUp” with extension id chfdnecihphmhljaaejmgoiahnihplgn is force-installed. I can see from the webstore statistics it has nearly 9 million active Chrome users. the attached exploit steals cookies from avg.com. It also exposes browsing history and other personal data to the internet, I wouldn’t Read more about AVG: “Web TuneUP” extension multiple critical vulnerabilities: exposes browsing history and other personal data[…]

Windows 10 uploads your Encryption Key to Microsoft with no opt-out.

One of the excellent features of new Windows devices is that disk encryption is built-in and turned on by default, protecting your data in case your device is lost or stolen. But what is less well-known is that, if you are like most users and login to Windows 10 using your Microsoft account, your computer Read more about Windows 10 uploads your Encryption Key to Microsoft with no opt-out.[…]

Congress strips out privacy protections from CISA ‘security’ bill

Under the original CISA legislation, companies would share their users’ information with federal government departments once it had been anonymized. The government could then analyze it for online threats, while the companies received legal immunity from prosecution for breaking existing privacy agreements. But as the bill was amended, the privacy parts of the proposed law Read more about Congress strips out privacy protections from CISA ‘security’ bill[…]

Ted Cruz campaign using firm that harvested data on millions of unwitting Facebook users

Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign is using psychological data based on research spanning tens of millions of Facebook users, harvested largely without their permission, to boost his surging White House run and gain an edge over Donald Trump and other Republican rivals, the Guardian can reveal. A little-known data company (Cambridge Analytica), now embedded within Cruz’s Read more about Ted Cruz campaign using firm that harvested data on millions of unwitting Facebook users[…]

GCHQ can hack your systems at will – thanks to ‘soft touch’ oversight, judges not needed thanks

Privacy International battle exposes ‘bulk’ warrants Documents released by GCHQ to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal suggest the agency may be allowed to hack multiple computers in the UK under single “thematic” or “class” warrants. Responding to complaints brought by Privacy International and seven global internet and communication service providers, the British spy agency told the Read more about GCHQ can hack your systems at will – thanks to ‘soft touch’ oversight, judges not needed thanks[…]

Russia’s blanket phone spying busted Europe’s human rights laws

Russia’s legal framework around the mass surveillance was found to be unfit because it did not limit the circumstances in which public authorities were allowed to conduct their surveillance activities, nor were there any limits on the duration of those activities. Additionally, there was insufficient supervision of the interception and a lack of “procedures for Read more about Russia’s blanket phone spying busted Europe’s human rights laws[…]

Anti-NSA Easter egg in HTTP/2: every connection starts with PRISM

British programmer and writer John Graham-Cumming has spotted something interesting in the opening protocol of any HTTP/2 connection: an array of explicitly formatted code which spells the word PRISM, in an apparent reference to the NSA’s primary program for mass-surveillance of the internet, as disclosed by Edward Snowden in 2013. The HTTP/2 client connection begins Read more about Anti-NSA Easter egg in HTTP/2: every connection starts with PRISM[…]

Revealed: What info the FBI can collect with a National Security Letter. Hint – a lot.

Merrill is now able to reveal that the FBI believes it can force online companies to turn over the following information simply by sending an NSL demanding it: an individual’s complete web browsing history; the IP addresses of everyone a person has corresponded with; and records of all online purchases. The FBI also claims authority Read more about Revealed: What info the FBI can collect with a National Security Letter. Hint – a lot.[…]

ADNAUSEAM – Clicking Ads So You Don’t Have To

AdNauseam is a browser extension designed to obfuscate browsing data and protect users from surveillance and tracking by advertising networks. Simultaneously, AdNauseam serves as a means of amplifying users’ discontent with advertising networks that disregard privacy and facilitate bulk surveillance agendas. Source: ADNAUSEAM – Clicking Ads So You Don’t Have To

New IBM tech lets apps authenticate you without personal data

Identity Mixer is designed to protect users’ privacy by focusing just on the essentials of the proof. Thanks to a set of algorithms based on cryptography work done at IBM Research, the tool allows developers to build apps that can authenticate users’ identities using what’s known as a “zero-knowledge proof” that collects no personal data. Read more about New IBM tech lets apps authenticate you without personal data[…]

How TV ads silently ping commands to phones: Sneaky SilverPush code reverse-engineered

Earlier this week the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) warned that an Indian firm called SilverPush has technology that allows adverts to ping inaudible commands to smartphones and tablets. Now someone has reverse-engineered the code and published it for everyone to check. SilverPush’s software kit can be baked into apps, and is designed to Read more about How TV ads silently ping commands to phones: Sneaky SilverPush code reverse-engineered[…]

Massive Hack of 70 Million Prisoner Phone Calls Indicates Violations of Attorney-Client Privilege – calls recorded and searchable

The materials — leaked via SecureDrop by an anonymous hacker who believes that Securus is violating the constitutional rights of inmates — comprise over 70 million records of phone calls, placed by prisoners to at least 37 states, in addition to links to downloadable recordings of the calls. The calls span a nearly two-and-a-half year Read more about Massive Hack of 70 Million Prisoner Phone Calls Indicates Violations of Attorney-Client Privilege – calls recorded and searchable[…]

How to Create an Untraceable Messaging Device With an Old Phone

Secret, anonymous messages aren’t just for the dastardly. Luckily, a little privacy isn’t difficult to get. With some effort and a spare phone, you’ll be whistleblowing, protecting your privacy from harassers, and staying anonymous when selling on Craigslist or looking for dates on Match. Here’s how. Source: How to Create an Untraceable Messaging Device With Read more about How to Create an Untraceable Messaging Device With an Old Phone[…]

Cops are asking Ancestry.com and 23andMe for their customers’ DNA

When companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe first invited people to send in their DNA for genealogy tracing and medical diagnostic tests, privacy advocates warned about the creation of giant genetic databases that might one day be used against participants by law enforcement. Source: Cops are asking Ancestry.com and 23andMe for their customers’ DNA So, people Read more about Cops are asking Ancestry.com and 23andMe for their customers’ DNA[…]

Microsoft now uses Windows 10’s Start menu to display ads

We’ve all become used to the idea of ads online — it’s something that has become part and parcel of using the internet — but in Windows? If you’ve updated to build 10565 of Windows 10, you’re in for something of a surprise: the Start menu is now being used to display ads. Source: Microsoft Read more about Microsoft now uses Windows 10’s Start menu to display ads[…]