Episode #38 of This Week in Privacy is live right now, we're answering questions from the community and covering the latest privacy news! youtube.com/live/Hpgn3xr... #privacy #privacyguides #twip

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In the middle of the screen there is the whatsapp logo with a unlocked padlock next to it, underneath it says This Week In Privacy Live 38.

Episode #38 of This Week in Privacy is live right now, we're answering questions from the community and covering the latest privacy news! https://streamyard.com/watch/u5phsBZ9bdN7

#privacy #privacyguides #twip

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In the middle of the screen there is the whatsapp logo with a unlocked padlock next to it, underneath it says This Week In Privacy Live 38.

"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

📰 Apple Boosts Privacy in iOS 26.3 with 'Limit Precise Location' Feature

🍏 Apple's new iOS 26.3 update introduces a 'limit precise location' setting. This feature enhances user privacy by reducing the accuracy of location data shared with cellular networks. #Apple #iOS #Privacy #Security

🔗 https://cyber.netsecops.io/articles/apple-enhances-location-privacy-in-ios-26-3-update/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitter_auto

CyberInsider reports on the new “Encrypt It Already” campaign, pushing Big Tech to make strong end‑to‑end encryption the default across popular platforms 🔐📱 Read more: https://cyberinsider.com/encrypt-it-already-campaign-demands-strong-e2ee-across-popular-platforms/ #EncryptItAlready #E2EE #Privacy
#EFF

Logseq is a free, open-source, local-first note-taking & knowledge base built on plain Markdown and Org files.

No accounts, no cloud by default — your data stays on your device. Supports bi-directional links, graphs, daily journals, and powerful queries, with optional sync & end-to-end encryption.

👉 https://github.com/logseq/logseq

👉 More tools like this: https://digital-escape-tools-phi.vercel.app/

#Privacy #OpenSource #LocalFirst #PKM #FOSS #DeGoogle

Tip of the day: Any time you store your data on servers you don’t operate, you have to trust they will respect your privacy. But even if you feel fairly comfortable, it’s not a bad idea to take a few further steps to protect your data. #backups #devonthink #devonthinktogo #ios #pkm #privacy #productivity #tipoftheday https://www.devontechnologies.com/blog/20250304-advanced-data-protection

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/microsoft-gave-fbi-a-set-of-bitlocker-encryption-keys-to-unlock-suspects-laptops-reports/

Microsoft, handed Bitlocker encryption keys to the FBI. In this case it was a suspect, in a federal investigation, but the fact remains this proves, that Microsoft HAS the keys to your encrypted hard drive, which means it might as well not be encrypted at all.

If you can, use Linux, if you can't, I suggest veracrypt as opposed to Windows built-in BitLocker

#Security #Privacy #Microsoft #Encryption

The WTA said that calls from players for more privacy away from the court at tournaments were valid after videos of Coco Gauff smashing her racket at the Australian Open were broadcast worldwide. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2026/01/30/tennis/wta-privacy-coco-gauff-support/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #tennis #cocogauff #australianopen #wtatour #privacy

CNBC: Google settles Google Assistant privacy lawsuit for $68 million. “Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that ⁠its voice-activated assistant spied inappropriately on smartphone users, violating ‍their privacy.”

Encrypt It Already

End-to-end encryption protects the privacy of your data, puts control over how the data gets used into your hands, and is the best way we have to ensure private conversations remain private. Not enough companies use it as broadly as they should. Learn more here.
— by @eff

🔐 https://encryptitalready.org

#EncryptItAlready #privacy #encryption #itsec #itsecurity #facebook #apple #ring #google #bluesky #telegram #whatsapp #messenger #e2ee #encryption #protection #endtoendencryption

Good point, "Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker said artificial intelligence agents embedded within operating systems are eroding the practical security guarantees of end-to-end encryption (E2EE)."
https://cyberinsider.com/signal-president-warns-ai-agents-are-making-encryption-irrelevant/
#AI #security #E2EE #Signal #privacy

Gizmodo: Microsoft Reportedly Turned Over BitLocker Encryption Keys to the FBI. “Microsoft handed over encryption keys for its hard drive encryption software BitLocker to the FBI last year, complying with a search warrant tied to a fraud investigation in Guam. This marks the first known case of the tech giant providing BitLocker recovery keys to law enforcement.”

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

Anyone have any experience with @Tutanota?

I created an account while on VPN and was told they needed to manually approve my account because people try to abuse their system using VPN.

Totally understand that. I was patient. Days later they denied me. Not with a notification, but by simply closing the account. Never even got to use it.

#InfoSec #OpSec #Privacy #Tuta #Email

Apple acquired Israeli startup Q.AI for roughly $2 billion, gaining technology that reads facial micro-movements to decode silent speech. The cameras could integrate into future wearables like glasses or earbuds. Q.AI's founder previously sold PrimeSense to Apple, which became Face ID. Raises questions about privacy boundaries as AI moves closer to reading unspoken thoughts.

#Apple #AIacquisition #privacy

https://www.implicator.ai/apple-pays-2-billion-to-read-your-face/

There's a lot going on in the United States. If you plan to exercise your legal right to protest, we kindly remind you to not RSVP online, "check in" on a social app, or share your name or email with protest organizers.

Protesting a tyrannical government is core to American culture, and Constitutionally enshrined. You can do so by simply showing up, while maintaining good opsec & data privacy.

#Protest #HumanRights #USpol #USA #SocialMedia #Privacy #Security #PrivacyGuides #DataPrivacyWeek

hat.sh lets you encrypt files locally in your browser using modern cryptography — nothing is uploaded or stored.

Perfect for securing files before sharing or using cloud storage. Open-source and self-hostable.

👉 https://github.com/sh-dv/hat.sh

👉 More tools like this : https://digital-escape-tools-phi.vercel.app/

#Privacy #Encryption #OpenSource #SelfHosting #DigitalSecurity

The FBI obtained encryption keys from Microsoft to unlock BitLocker-encrypted laptops and Microsoft complied.

That’s a sharp break from past industry resistance to key handovers.

https://www.theverge.com/news/867244/microsoft-bitlocker-privacy-fbi

#fbi #microsoft #bitlocker #theverge #encryption #privacy
1/3

"Notesnook 3.3.8 brings note expiration, CSV import/export, and improved customization"

"Expired notes are now moved to the trash, enhancing both privacy and organization. Notesnook3.3.8, the latest release of the privacy-focused note-taking app, introduces automatic note expiration."

https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/1/notesnook-3-3-8-brings-note-expiration-csv-import-export-and-improved-customization/

#Privacy

The Austrian Data Protection Authority ruled that the use of tracking cookies in Microsoft's 365 Education products violates data protection law.

Austria is paying Microsoft an obscene amount of money per year for the "privilege" of exposing children to digital exploitation. Microsoft, on the other side, is cashing in twice - by selling user licenses and by selling their users.

That's how techno-capitalism works. Not for us, but for someone else.
--
#privacy #DataProtection #GDPR

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/introducing-encrypt-it-already

the EFF is now launching "Encrypt It Already" a push to try and get companies to invest in stronger privacy protections for Data & communications

You can find out more at the announcement/article above, and the official website here: https://encryptitalready.org/

#EFF #Privacy #Security #Encryption #E2EE

Via Steve Herman: "WhatsApp can access virtually all of it 3 billion users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications,” according to a lawsuit filed against Meta"

https://flipboard.social/@newsguyusa/115979004543134782

#privacy #whatsapp #lawsuit

Tubefilter: Woman who went viral for texting and driving is suing YouTube and Meta. “The suit asks a judge to issue a court order that will force YouTube, Meta, Reddit, and news outlets to remove video of G.P. from their websites. It also seeks monetary damages from [the car’s owner], and cites violations of the Washington Privacy Act, the federal wiretapping law, misappropriation of her name […]

Data Privacy Week is still ongoing! 🔒

We are Privacy Guides 💛 an impartial, non-profit organization focused on building a strong privacy advocacy community and delivering the best consumer technology rights advice. 🌎

Here's what we're doing to make privacy accessible to everyone! 🧵

#PrivacyGuides #DataPrivacyWeek #Activism #SocialMedia #Privacy #Thread