Daily Digest | 5 February 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

Apparently a version of the App Store Accountability Act got passed unanimously in the Alabama House. If you live in Alabama, look into that.

#Alabama #Privacy #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights

SB 1722 got reported favorably. Florida App Store Accountability Act. Not good!

#Florida #Privacy #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights

Daily Digest | 4 February 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

Discover the dark side of end-to-end encryption. Think twice before relying on seemingly secure solutions for your client communications. Our latest blog post exposes the truth: some popular encryption methods may actually compromise security, not protect it. Learn how five leading solutions stack up in our unbiased analysis.

Read more: https://steelefortress.com/fortress-feed/forget-what-youve-heard-the-illusion-of-end-to-end-encryption-how-it-may-actually-make-client-communications-less-secure-than-you-think

#CyberSecurity #Privacy #InfoSec #Security #DataProtection #Tech #Technology

🎥 Watch Teaser: https://steelefortress.com/7pq845

Your screen is one of the biggest security risks in the room.

Open laptops in cafés, shared offices, airport lounges, or Zoom calls expose:
• Emails and client data
• Password managers and MFA codes
• Internal dashboards and financials

Screen privacy isn’t paranoia — it’s basic operational security, for individuals and businesses alike.

#Security #Privacy #OpSec #CyberSecurity #WorkFromAnywhere

My most recent project has been self-documenting cryptography, which seeks to make password hashes traceable or useless.

The basic idea is to add "this password is for Acme Corporation, Inc." onto the end of every password, automatically and outside the control of the user, before it is hashed.

The goal is to adversarially embed an organization's name and contact information into their password hash function, so that in order to be able to crack a password hash, you must know where to report it as stolen.

https://github.com/auth-global/self-documenting-cryptography/blob/prerelease/design-documents/g3pb2.md

#cybersecurity #password #security #e2ee

Daily Digest | 3 February 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

Cryptomator is a client-side encryption tool for cloud storage services.

Data protected via AES-256 encryption.
Individual and business features.
Managed and self-hosted options.

ENCRYPTED

File content.
File/Folder name.

NOT ENCRYPTED

File/Folder access/creation/modification timestamp.
Number of files/folders in a folder/vault.
File size.

Website: https://cryptomator.org
Mastodon: @cryptomator

#Cryptomator #Encryption #InfoSec #Privacy #CyberSecurity #FreeSoftware #FOSS #FLOSS #OpenSource

Alt...

Cryptomator logo.

NicFab Newsletter #06 is out!

This week: Garante Privacy, EDPB, EDPS, European Commission, Parliament & Council updates, Digital Markets regulation, AI Standards & Certifications (CEN-CENELEC, ForHumanity), International developments, Cybersecurity, AI Act deep-dive, and more.

Read: https://www.nicfab.eu/en/newsletter/2026-02-03-issue-06/

Subscribe: https://www.nicfab.eu/en/pages/newsletter/#subscribe-now

#Privacy #DataProtection #AIAct #Cybersecurity #GDPR #AI #artificialIntelligence

Surveillance States Are Expanding... and the courts aren't helping.

#News #TechNews #Cybersecurity #Surveillance #Flock #Ring #Privacy

https://youtu.be/OlFDupB3nts

Daily podcast: Surveillance States Are Expanding... and the courts aren't helping.

#News #TechNews #Cybersecurity #Surveillance #Flock #Ring #Privacy #podcast

https://soundcloud.com/nickaesp/sse

Gizmodo: Amazon’s Ring Wants to Wash Away Your Surveillance Concerns With Lost Puppies

https://gizmodo.com/ring-wants-to-wash-away-your-surveillance-concerns-with-lost-puppies-2000716802?

#privacy #cybersecurity #fascism #ring #bigbrother

Alt...

Gizmodo: Amazon’s Ring Wants to Wash Away Your Surveillance Concerns With Lost Puppies

ICYMI: Your internet anonymity has an economy behind it.

Tor and onion services aren’t just tech — they’re part of a broader business of privacy, hosting, resilience, and risk. Some services support free access; others are funded or monetized in ways that affect real users and networks.

Understanding how the anonymity ecosystem works matters for personal privacy and organizational risk.

Read:
https://medium.com/@biytelum/tor-onion-services-and-the-business-of-anonymity-bcfe760ffb4e

#Privacy #Anonymity #Tor #CyberSecurity #DigitalRights

Scrolls 27 is now out! As usual it has a bunch of awesome #indieweb, #fediverse and #infosec / #cybersecurity goodies!

https://shellsharks.com/scrolls/scroll/2026-02-02

Everyone mentioned below is directly featured in this week’s article. Thank you all for such awesome stuff!

@cory @mathewi @manipulatedstars @mre @villapirorum @helveticablanc @someodd @stefan @autonomic @dtm @adam_caudill @soatok @autonomysolidarity @thelinuxcast @brennan @gleick @tg @sphakos @afb @ravachol @mboelen @simoncarstensen @alabut @dawid

Daily Digest | 2 February 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

Simplify Cross-Border Data Transfers and Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Complex divorce cases pose a significant challenge for family law practitioners due to international privacy laws and domestic discovery obligations. The intersection of these laws creates vulnerabilities in cross-border data transfers. Effective solutions can simplify compliance by up to 90% in under six months. Learn how our proven solution harnesses key insights to address security implications, ensure regulatory adhere...

Read more: https://steelefortress.com/fortress-feed/simplify-cross-border-data-transfers-by-90-ensure-regulatory-compliance-in-under-6-months-with-our-proven-solution

#CyberSecurity #Privacy #InfoSec #Security #DataProtection #Tech #Technology

Daily Digest | 2 February 2026

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

3 stories you should not miss.

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

#Privacy #AI #GDPR #Cybersecurity #TechLaw

The Florida App Store Accountability Act is on the agenda to be heard by the Commerce and Tourism Committee this Wed, Feb 4 at 10:30 AM.

Call down this list of senators; tell them to oppose SB 1722.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/Show/CM?pref=full

Details: https://www.miamitech.club/oppose-the-florida-app-store-accountability-act/

#Florida #Privacy #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Tech #Apple #Google

Tails 7.4.1 emergency release patches critical OpenSSL vulnerabilities in Tor's encryption 🔒
Malicious relays could potentially deanonymize users; no known exploits so far ⚠️
Updates Tor to 0.4.8.22 and Thunderbird—essential upgrade for anonymity seekers 🛡️

@tails
@torproject

🔗 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tails-7_4_1/

#TechNews #Privacy #Tails #Tor #OpenSource #Security #Cybersecurity #Encryption #Anonymity #DigitalRights #Linux #FOSS #UserFreedom #Mozilla #Firefox #Browser #Thunderbird

Tor Browser 15.0.5 released to fix Vietnamese text vandalism from malicious contributor 🛡️
No security impact, but prompts review of translation safeguards to protect open contributions 🔒
Updates Tor to 0.4.8.22, NoScript, and OpenSSL for better privacy and stability 💻

@torproject

🔗 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-1505/

#TechNews #Privacy #Tor #OpenSource #Security #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Encryption #UserFreedom #Anonymity #FOSS #InternetFreedom #Browser #Mozilla #Firefox #Brave

Sharing this Proton article with their 2026 internet predictions 📱

🔍 EU eyes permanent "voluntary" message scanning
🪪 Global age verification laws risk ID breaches
⚠️ VPN blocks expand in democracies as rogue AI agents loom

@protonprivacy

🔗 https://proton.me/blog/2026-internet-predictions

#TechNews #Privacy #VPN #AI #Surveillance #Encryption #Regulation #Data #Security #DigitalRights #Cybersecurity #UserRights #BigTech #InternetFreedom #AgeVerification #Proton #ProtonMail #EU #Europe #ChatControl #VPN #ID

UK launches major police reforms with expanded AI and live facial recognition 📹
AI analyzes CCTV footage to free up 6M officer hours yearly; facial rec vans rise to 50 🔍
Privacy concerns grow as surveillance scales without clear civil liberty protections ⚖️

🔗 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-overhaul-shabana-mahmood-home-office-ai-b2907845.html

#TechNews #Privacy #AI #FacialRecognition #Surveillance #Security #Data #Regulation #BigTech #Police #CivilLiberties #Ethics #DigitalRights #Cybersecurity #UserRights #UK #UnitedKingdom #CCTV

UK Lords vote to ban VPNs for under-18s to enforce online age checks 📵
Sees privacy tools as evasion of child safety rules under Online Safety Act; now heads to Commons for review ⚖️
Raises questions about balancing child protection with fundamental user rights to privacy and anonymity 🔍

🔗 https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/uk-lords-vote-to-ban-vpns-for-children-as-pressure-on-the-privacy-tools-increases

#TechNews #Privacy #VPN #Security #Regulation #Data #BigTech #UserRights #DigitalRights #Censorship #Freedom #Policy #Safety #Cybersecurity #OnlineFreedom #UK #UnitedKingdom

WhatsApp faces lawsuit alleging end-to-end encryption is a sham 📱
Meta calls claims "false and absurd," vowing to countersue 🔐
Users must weigh trust in encryption claims against need for verification 🧩

🔗 https://www.pcmag.com/news/lawsuit-alleges-that-whatsapp-has-no-end-to-end-encryption?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=B

#TechNews #Privacy #Encryption #Security #WhatsApp #Meta #Data #Surveillance #UserRights #BigTech #Transparency #Cybersecurity #Consent #OnlineSafety #Messaging

Privacy isn’t just a concept anymore — it’s a product tier.

Free tools log, index, and expose data by default. Paid, privacy-first alternatives minimize visibility. That difference matters for both individual users and businesses with sensitive workflows.

This article breaks down how everyday products embed the privacy divide — from email to AI tools.

Read: https://medium.com/@biytelum/the-privacy-divide-is-built-into-the-products-you-use-and-you-probably-didnt-notice-446e061b0311

#Privacy #Cybersecurity #DataProtection #TechPolicy #B2B

"Without carrying out any actual hacking, simply by logging in with an arbitrary Google account, the two researchers immediately found themselves looking at children's private conversations, the pet names kids had given their Bondu, the likes and dislikes of the toys' toddler owners, their favorite snacks and dance moves.

In total, Margolis and Thacker discovered that the data Bondu left unprotected—accessible to anyone who logged in to the company's public-facing web console with their Google username—included children's names, birth dates, family member names, “objectives” for the child chosen by a parent, and most disturbingly, detailed summaries and transcripts of every previous chat between the child and their Bondu, a toy practically designed to elicit intimate one-on-one conversation. Bondu confirmed in conversations with the researchers that more than 50,000 chat transcripts were accessible through the exposed web portal, essentially all conversations the toys had engaged in other than those that had been manually deleted by parents or staff.

“It felt pretty intrusive and really weird to know these things," Thacker says of the children's private chats and documented preferences that he saw. “Being able to see all these conversations was a massive violation of children's privacy.""

https://www.wired.com/story/an-ai-toy-exposed-50000-logs-of-its-chats-with-kids-to-anyone-with-a-gmail-account/

#AI #GenerativeAI #AISafety #CyberSecurity #Bondu #AIToy #Privacy #DataProtection

Those privacy advocates were right. 😬

"....based on data sourced from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government agencies..."

#bigbrother #privacy #fascism #cybersecurity

Daily Digest | 30 January 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

Scrolls issue 26 is now live! Take a look for all the usual awesome #IndieWeb, #fediverse and #infosec / #cybersecurity stuff!

https://shellsharks.com/scrolls/scroll/2026-01-29

Shoutout to everyone below! These awesome individuals all have work featured within this issue.

@box464 @Doomscroll @maia @villapirorum @elaine
@st3phvee @viql @yawnbox @brennan @hikingdude @vale @lennyzeltser @steffoz @frichetten @wearenew_public @mahryekuh @Daojoan @axxuy @theresmiling @shojiwax @mnot @tgagor @nicolasgouny @atomicker

Don't think you're safe just because your sensitive family files are in the cloud. Failure to implement robust access controls, audit logging, and encryption can lead to a breach of protected health information (PHI). Leave your door unlocked at home, but don't leave your data unsecured. Neglecting HIPAA compliance risks severe consequences.

Read more: https://steelefortress.com/fortress-feed/are-you-storing-secrets-in-a-cloud-thats-secretly-betraying-you

#CyberSecurity #Privacy #InfoSec #Security #DataProtection #Tech #Technology

Daily Digest | Jan 29, 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

Signal President Meredith Whittaker warns AI agents embedded in OSes are eroding end-to-end encryption's real-world security, despite its mathematical soundness. With root-like access to messages & data, they bypass E2EE isolation—urgent rethink needed! 🔒🤖❌
https://cyberinsider.com/signal-president-warns-ai-agents-are-making-encryption-irrelevant/

#AI #Privacy #Cybersecurity #Newz #Signal

Een goede oproep en brief van de AP.
https://www.autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/documenten/brief-aan-minister-ez-over-digitale-soevereiniteit
#AP #digitalesoevereiniteit #ICT #overheid #cybersecurity #privacy