Security News

Privacy activist Max Schrems on Microsoft's EU data move: It won't keep the NSA away
2021-05-07 15:20

Microsoft has announced plans to ensure data processing of EU cloud services within the borders of the political bloc in a move that expert observers claim reveals problems with the firm's existing setup. In a blog, Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said the software and cloud services giant would, by the end 2022, enable EU customers of Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 to have all their data processed physically within the EU. To my understanding, there would still be direct access to data and keys from the US in this new Microsoft setup.

Twitter Tip Jar may expose PayPal address, sparks privacy concerns
2021-05-07 13:11

Twitter 'Tip Jar' may expose your PayPal shipping address. "For now, a limited group of people around the world who use Twitter in English can add Tip Jar to their profile and accept tips."

Google Play to require privacy labels on apps in 2022, almost two years after Apple
2021-05-07 02:57

Google has decided the time has come to require app developers to disclose the data their wares collect, and their security practices, in their Play Store listings. The data-harvesting ad giant on Thursday detailed plans to create a "Safety section in Google Play" that it says "Will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security."

Google Play Store to add privacy information for all Android apps
2021-05-06 16:00

Google announced the introduction of a privacy information section on the entries of Android applications listed in its Google Play Store digital distribution service starting with Q1 2022. "Today, we're pre-announcing an upcoming safety section in Google Play that will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security," Suzanne Frey, Product VP for Android Security and Privacy, said.

BigID App Marketplace provides modular add-on apps for data privacy, protection, and perspective
2021-05-05 01:45

BigID announced the release of the BigID App Marketplace, designed to provide BigID customers with modular add-on apps for data privacy, protection, and perspective - in a unified data management platform. BigID's app marketplace makes it easy for organizations to get more value from their data discovery, catalog and classification by easily adding apps for actioning data in data compliance, security or governance.

How to set up camera privacy settings in Windows 10
2021-05-03 18:04

Before you can use a camera app in Windows 10 you have to allow access to the camera itself. This how-to tutorial shows you how to access camera settings in Windows 10 and how to grant permission to access a camera to specific apps.

Effort to Protect Consumer Data Privacy Stalls in Florida
2021-05-03 00:59

A campaign by Gov. Ron DeSantis to help Floridians regain ownership of the troves of data that companies collect came to a halt Friday, when state lawmakers could not agree on how tightly to limit how Big Data harvests and uses people's information. Unlike the social media proposal, the legislative effort to address consumer data privacy was mostly bipartisan.

Apple’s iPhone Privacy Clampdown Arrives After 7-Month Delay
2021-04-27 00:26

The new privacy feature, dubbed "App Tracking Transparency," rolled out Monday as part of an update to the operating system powering the iPhone and iPad. The anti-tracking shield included in iOS 14.5 arrives after a seven-month delay during which Apple and Facebook attacked each other's business models and motives for decisions that affect billions of people around the world. Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut on most payments processed through an iPhone app.

Apple Moving Forward on App Privacy, Despite Pushback
2021-04-25 10:52

Apple will begin requiring app makers to tell users what tracking information they want to gather and get permission to do so, displaying what have been referred to as "Privacy nutrition labels." "Unless you receive permission from the user to enable tracking, the device's advertising identifier value will be all zeros and you may not track them," Apple said this week in an online message to developers.

Apple AirDrop has “significant privacy leak”, say German researchers
2021-04-23 18:59

The paper itself has a neutrally worded title that simply states the algorithm that it introduces, namely: PrivateDrop: Practical Privacy-Preserving Authentication for Apple AirDrop. For those who don't have iPhones or Macs, AirDrop is a surprisingly handy but proprietary Apple protocol that lets you share files directly but wirelessly with other Apple users nearby.