A U.S. agency abruptly closed an investigation into allegations that Meta can access encrypted WhatsApp messages, ending an inquiry into claims that challenge how the company markets the chat service's privacy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/04/29/tech/us-investigation-whatsapp-privacy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #whatsapp #meta #privacy #apps #markzuckerberg #us #surveillance

What Epstein's Surveillance Network Means for Your Privacy
#epstein #epsteinfiles #privacy #surveillance #palantir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bugB0sA7FcA

"You can get dragged into a police investigation by proximity alone — for now"

"On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Chatrie v. A years-old bank heist may soon have major privacy implications for every American who owns a cellphone."

https://www.theverge.com/report/919664/chatrie-v-united-states-supreme-court-arguments-fourth-amendment-geofence-warrants

#Privacy

🧐 Headlines in #privacy from @thenewoil

“# Turkey to Ban Anonymous VPNs https:// reclaimthenet.org/turkey-to-ba n-anonymous-vpns # anonymity # privacy # politics # VPN # Türkiye”

https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@thenewoil/116477499868737720

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🚨 NEWS: La Corte Suprema USA valuta i mandati di geofencing: un bivio per la privacy

Ecco i punti chiave in breve:
💡 Un dibattito cruciale sulla privacy e la sicurezzaLa Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti si trova ad affrontare un caso epocale che potrebbe ridefinire i confini tra la sorveglianza go...

🚀 LINK: https://meteoraweb.com/news/la-corte-suprema-usa-valuta-i-mandati-di-geofencing-un-bivio-per-la-privacy

#datiDiLocalizzazione #privacy #tecnologia #sorveglianza #geofencing

#Congress Must Reject New Insufficient 702 Reauthorization Bill

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/congress-must-reject-new-insufficient-702-reauthorization-bill

#Section702 #FISA #NSA #surveillance #privacy #politics

Free #blog post idea for the #privacy and #cybersec people out there:

You Are Insignificant. That's a Good Thing (Privacy edition)
• Using email aliases makes emails look suspicious, but no one looks at them with suspicion
• Video surveillance is happening en masse, so you are not being watched
• No one listens to your conversations, because it’s too costly and chaotic
• Web advertising can be tricked/incapacitated automatically

Hackers threaten to leak over 9M #Amtrak records, including personal info

https://cybernews.com/security/hackers-threaten-amtrak-data-leak/

#travel #transit #privacy #cybersecurity #DataBreach #trains

#Canada arrests three for operating “#SMSBlaster” device in #Toronto

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/canada-arrests-three-for-operating-sms-blaster-device-in-toronto/

#phishing #privacy #cybersecurity #SMS

Google blocks 8.3B Policy-Violating Ads in 2025, launches Android 17 Privacy Overhaul.

The new policy updates relate to contact and location permissions in Android, allowing third-party apps to access the contact lists and a user's location in a more privacy-friendly manner. This includes a new Contact Picker, which offers a standardized, secure, and searchable interface for contact selection.

"This feature allows users to grant apps access only to the specific contacts they choose, aligning with Android's commitment to data transparency and minimized permission footprints," Google said.

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/contact-picker-privacy-first-contact.html

⁉️To comply with this update, developers are being urged to review their apps location usage to ensure that they are requesting the minimum amount of location data necessary for them to function.⁉️

#android #security #privacy #engineer #media #infosec #developer #tech #news

Alt...

⁉️"If your app targets Android 17 and above and uses precise location for discrete, temporary actions, implement the location button by adding the onlyForLocationButton flag in your manifest," the tech giant said. "If your app requires persistent, precise location to function, you will need to submit a Play Developer Declaration in Play Console to show why the new button or coarse location isn't sufficient for your app's core features."⁉️ The declaration form is expected to be available before October 2026, with pre-review checks in the Play Console to go live starting October 27 to identify potential contacts or location permissions policy issues. 👾Google is also implementing a secure way for businesses to transfer ownership of their apps through a native account transfer feature built into Play Console so as to stay protected against fraud. The company is recommending that app developers handle account ownership changes through this feature starting May 27, 2026.👾 "That means that unofficial transfers (like sharing login credentials or buying and selling accounts on third-party marketplaces), which leave your business vulnerable, are not permitted," it said.

Alt...

👾Previously, apps requiring access to a specific user's contacts relied on READ_CONTACTS, an overly broad permission that granted apps the ability to access all contacts and their associated information. With the latest change introduced in Android 17, apps can specify which fields from a contact they need, such as phone numbers or email addresses, as opposed to reading the entire record.👾 The updated policy will require all applicable apps to use the picker [or the Android Sharesheet] as the main way to access users' contacts, with READ_CONTACTS now reserved only for apps that can't function without it. It's advised to entirely remove the READ_CONTACTS permission from the app manifest declaration if it's targeting Android versions 17 [currently in beta] and later. <https://developer.android.com/training/sharing/send> ⁉️The second policy change revolves around a streamlined location button that Google has introduced in Android 17 that enables apps to request one-time access to a user's precise location. In doing so, it allows the user to make a better choice about how much information they want to share and for what duration. What's more, a persistent indicator will appear to alert a user every time a non-system app accesses their location.⁉️ <https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/location-privacy.html>

Anyone asserting encryption is a tool for crime is either painfully misinformed or is attempting to manipulate legislators to gain oppressive power over the people.

Encryption is not a crime,
encryption is a shield.

Encryption protects you from cyberattack, identity theft, discrimination, doxxing, stalking, sexual violence, physical harm, and much more.

For safety, for privacy, for democracy, and for all our human rights, it's critical that we defend our right to encryption.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/11/encryption-is-not-a-crime/

#Privacy #Encryption #DigitalRights #HumanRights #Democracy #RootForE2EE

RE: https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@nateb/116482814748540996

We can not have democracy without privacy.

#Democracy #Privacy #Dissent #HumanRights #FreeSpeech #Resistance #Law

Home #security giant #ADT #DataBreach affects 5.5 million people

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/home-security-giant-adt-data-breach-affects-55-million-people/

#cybersecurity #privacy

👀

LA Times: Disneyland rolls out facial recognition at park entrances. Here’s how it works

"...Disneyland has deployed facial recognition technology at park entrances to verify tickets and prevent fraud — a trend spreading across major U.S. entertainment venues.

Privacy experts caution that the technology normalizes surveillance and poses security risks, though Disney says facial recognition is optional and data are deleted after 30 days...."

(paywall)
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-28/disneyland-rolls-out-facial-recognition-at-park-entrances-heres-how-it-works

#privacy #bigbrother

#Medtronic confirms breach after hackers claim 9 million records theft

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/medtronic-confirms-breach-after-hackers-claim-9-million-records-theft/

#privacy #cybersecurity #medical #healthcare

HomeBox is a lightweight, open-source home inventory system you can self-host.Track your items, locations, receipts, warranties, and maintenance in one place without relying on third-party apps.

Simple setup (Docker ready), fast (SQLite), and you keep full control over your data.

👉 https://github.com/sysadminsmedia/homebox
👉 More privacy-friendly tools: https://digitalescapetools.com/

#OpenSource #SelfHosting #Privacy #Homelab #DigitalMinimalism #HomeInventory

Alt...

A screenshot of the HomeBox project documentation. It features an isometric line-art icon of an open cardboard box. Below the title are status badges indicating "passing" checks, an AGPL-3.0 license, and release v0.25.0. Links are provided for Docs, Demo, and Discord, alongside social buttons for Reddit, Mastodon, and Lemmy. The text defines HomeBox as an inventory and organization system built for home users with a focus on simplicity.

Gifted link.

...Justices from across the ideological spectrum appeared concerned about our changing expectations of privacy at a time when cellphones are ubiquitous...

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/us/politics/supreme-court-cell-data-geofence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eVA.Ychf.y4uLDLT578qs&smid=url-share

#geofencing #privacy #scotus

#OpenAI could be making a phone with #AI agents replacing #apps

https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/openai-could-be-making-a-phone-with-ai-agents-replacing-apps/

#AgenticAI #privacy #cybersecurity

Papers, please!

Digital ID age checks have taken another lunge forward. UK MPs have agreed to new powers to expand age verification across online platforms.

More and more everyday web services will be locked behind digital checkpoints, despite the serious privacy and security risks of this system.

Read more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/papers-please-mps-back-mass-online-digital-id-checkpoints/

#ageverification #digitalid #socialmedia #socialmediaban #freedomofexpression #childrensbill #privacy #ukpoltics #ukpol

Money launderer linked to $230M #crypto heist gets 70 months in prison

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/money-launderer-linked-to-230m-crypto-heist-gets-70-months-in-prison/

#phishing #privacy #cybersecurity #MoneyLaundering #crime

Some browser extensions aren’t just tools, they’re data collectors.

New research shows dozens of popular extensions openly sell or share user data, often hidden in vague privacy policies that most people never read.

Even ad blockers and media extensions have been caught tracking behavior, building user profiles, and monetizing that data at scale.

Convenience comes at a cost.

read more: https://digitalescapetools.com/2026/04/browser-extensions-selling-user-data.html

#Privacy #CyberSecurity #OpenSource #SelfHosting #Tracking #DigitalMinimalism

Secret Letter Detailing Late #Medieval #Britain Fully Decoded

https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/secret-letter-detailing-late-medieval-britain-fully-decoded/

#cryptography #privacy

Daily Digest | 28 April 2026

Your daily dose of Privacy, Data Protection, AI & Cybersecurity news.

5 stories you should not miss.

Read more: https://www.nicfab.eu/daily-digest/

#Privacy #AI #GDPR #Cybersecurity #TechLaw

A bank robber’s cellphone gave him away. Now the Supreme Court is hearing his case

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-geofence-warrants-unreasonable-searches-constitution-a61c200a806cba89ded43685279eccae

#privacy #geofence #crime #surveillance

#Manitoba to ban #SocialMedia, #AI chatbots for youth, premier says

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-social-media-age-restrictions-9.7177470

#privacy #cybersecurity #Canada #AgeVerification #IdentityVerification

The Register: Scotland Yard can keep using live facial recognition on people in London, say judges. “London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has survived a legal challenge that attempted to curb its rollout of live facial recognition (LFR) technology across the capital. The challenge was brought against the Met by civil liberties organization Big Brother Watch, which was representing Shaun […]

Proton analyzed 54k profiles using 2025 ad auction data, estimating US user value at $1,605/year, ranging from $31 to $17,929 by age, device, and behavior. 📊
Desktop users generate ~4.9× more value than Android users, and the top 10% of profiles account for 43% of total advertiser value. 🔒

@protonprivacy

🔗 https://proton.me/blog/what-is-your-data-worth-to-google

#TechNews #Google #Proton #AdTech #Privacy #DataEconomy #Surveillance #FOSS #Encryption #Security #BigTech #DigitalRights #Transparency #Internet #Data #Ad #US #USA

There needs to be an urgent rethink on digital ID age checks.

Unregulated providers sitting on a pot of highly sensitive data. What could go wrong?

Breaches have already happened, T&Cs allow them to use it for advertising purposes and behind-the-scenes links to surveillance companies.

Read more ⬇️

https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/23/proton_ceo_age_checks_id_checkpoint/

#ageverification #privacy #dataprotection #ukpolitics #ukpol

#Privacy

Prosecutors argued that Chatrie had no expectation of privacy because he voluntarily opted into Google’s location history.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-geofence-warrants-unreasonable-searches-constitution-a61c200a806cba89ded43685279eccae

#Privacy Advocate Accuses US Gov of Investing in AI-Powered Mass #Surveillance

The Conversation published this warning from privacy/tech law/electronic surveillance attorney Anne Toomey McKenna (also an affiliated faculty member at Penn State's Institute for Computational & Data Sciences). The U.S. gov "is able to purchase Americans' sensitive data because the info it buys is not subject to the same restrictions as information it collects directly.
#surveillance #ai

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/04/26/0541202/privacy-advocate-accuses-us-government-of-investing-in-ai-powered-mass-surveillance?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

#Colorado Adds Open-Source Exemption to Age-Verification Bill
#opensource #ageverification #security #privacy

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/04/25/2124221/colorado-adds-open-source-exemption-to-age-verification-bill?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

What is #VentureCapital and what is the problem with it?

I am trying to audit the #Nym VPN/mixnet: https://nym.com/

It uses a native cryptocurrency called NYM with an ICO. Info here: https://icodrops.com/nym/
What does all this mean? Both semantically and for the security and privacy of the Nym network?

#economics #cryptocurrency #anonymity #privacy #AskFedi

🧠 Our mental privacy is undermined and under threat - it's time to wake-up and take control of our biometrics.

#mentalprivacy #privacy #neurorights #cognitiveliberty #ai #biometrics #neurotechnology #brain

Alt...

A mind map charting the various aspects of existing and emerging mental privacy issues.æ