Choosing an operating system isn’t just about productivity
It’s about who you trust by default

Windows favors ecosystem integration, cloud services, and telemetry controls
Linux favors transparency, local control, and user responsibility

Neither is “bad”
But for regulated teams and privacy conscious orgs, the trade offs are real
#Privacy #DataProtection #B2B #Linux

Gizmodo: Disney to Pay $10 Million After Feds Say It Broke Kids’ Privacy Rules on YouTube. “Disney has agreed to pay $10 million in civil penalties to settle allegations that it violated federal data-collection laws designed to protect children. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that a federal court has entered a stipulated order resolving a case against Disney Worldwide […]

Computers and Phones aren't the only threat to our privacy.
Learn More:
https://www.korte.co/gmcp
#privacy #AI #smarthome

🫠 There Is No One Left On Debian's Data Protection Team - Phoronix

｢ Besides Debian's aging bug tracker interface, another challenge as the Debian Linux distribution project begins 2026 is that all volunteers have left their Data Protection Team. The Debian Data Protection Team deals with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) issues and related data protection/privacy related matters ｣

https://www.phoronix.com/news/No-Debian-Data-Protection-Team

#debian #gdpr #privacy #opensource

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/115847232165161059

Microsoft 365 has not been renamed “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” ⚠️

The mobile app’s name changed last year to reflect AI features, but the core suite remains Microsoft 365. 🖥️
Copilot is an added AI feature, not a rebrand. Users should note the distinction for subscriptions and privacy. 🔒

@Tutanota

🔗 https://office-watch.com/2026/microsoft-365-has-not-been-renamed-microsoft-365-copilot/

#TechNews #Microsoft #AI #Productivity #Software #Cloud #Privacy #DataSecurity #UserRights #OpenSource #Business #IT #Apps #Microsoft365 #DigitalSafety #Innovation #Copilot

Tuta » 🌐 2026-01-06
@Tutanota@mastodon.social

🚨 BREAKING: Microsoft just renamed Office to "Microsoft 365 Copilot app"

All users are now "AI users"

And this will lead to higher prices: https://tuta.com/blog/microsoft-365-price-increase

#Microsoft #Copilot

Alt...

Screenshot from the new Microsoft 365 Copilot app: "The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) lets you create, share and collaborate all in one place with your favorite apps now including copilot."

Wayland is replacing X11 as Linux’s display protocol, offering lower latency, simpler design, and stronger security. 🖥️
By restricting app access to input and screen data, it reduces long-standing privacy risks. 🔐

Gains are clear, but compatibility and tooling still slow full adoption. ⚖️

🔗 https://hintnal.com/the-great-display-revolution-how-wayland-is-reshaping-linuxs-graphical-future/

#TechNews #Linux #OpenSource #Privacy #Security #Software #Developers #Freedom #Technology #Computing #Wayland #X11 #Debian #Fedora #Ubuntu #Arch #FOSS #OS

EFF:Flock Safety and Texas Sheriff Claimed License Plate Search Was for a Missing Person. It Was an Abortion Investigation.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flock-safety-and-texas-sheriff-claimed-license-plate-search-was-missing-person-it

#privacy #smartappliances

Also, tracking your hormonal levels in the United States in this day an age is a massive, massive invitation for trouble in the current regime. Miss a period? Your homes fluctuate? Suddenly the cops are at your door.

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/10/1097482967/roe-v-wade-supreme-court-abortion-period-apps

#privacy

As Florida will have another age verification bill to fight in the next few weeks, it's a good time to familiarize yourself with the problems and knock-on effects of this policy. It's supposed to protect kids. Instead it endangers them and everyone else
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-verification-coming-internet-we-built-you-resource-hub-fight-back

#Privacy #Florida #AgeVerification #Miami #DigitalRights #Tech

"The nation’s strictest privacy law just took effect, to data brokers’ chagrin"

"Californians can now submit demands requiring 500 brokers to delete their data."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/data-broker-hoarding-is-rampant-new-law-lets-consumers-fight-back/

#Privacy

The State of Anti-Surveillance Design

To outsmart #surveillance systems, it’s helpful to understand them. #Facialrecognition —which identifies an individual face—works differently from #biometric scans that look at a person’s #iris or #fingerprints , & those systems work diff from #ALPR , which could in theory match an individual’s movements to a car through a DB. & consumer-level facial recognition systems, like #Pimeyes , operate using diff #algorithms & DB
#privacy

https://www.404media.co/the-state-of-anti-surveillance-design/

Search queries are more than convenience — they’re a form of data exhaust most orgs overlook.
This piece compares SearXNG (self-hosted, architectural control) and Brave Search (privacy-focused search as a service), helping privacy and compliance teams assess where trust should live. It’s not just about privacy for individuals — it’s about governance for organizations.
👉 https://medium.com/@biytelum/searxng-vs-brave-search-control-or-convenience-for-privacy-minded-teams-6064a30c28cf
#Privacy #Tech #B2B #DataGovernance

https://youtu.be/uB0gr7Fh6lY

#Flock #FuckFlock #Security #Privacy #hacking #FlockSux

End-to-end encryption protects messages.
Metadata protects (or exposes) people.

Recent research shows how WhatsApp metadata can be enumerated, correlated, and used for device fingerprinting and targeting — without touching message content.

I analysed the implications for privacy, GDPR, and why federated protocols like XMPP and Matrix represent a different governance model.

🔗 https://www.nicfab.eu/en/posts/whatsapp-metadata-privacy/

#Privacy #Metadata #GDPR #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #XMPP #Matrix

@matrix
@xmpp

I've been using the DDG app anti-tracking doodad on my phone for several months and it reports regularly on how many tracking attempts it blocks through my other apps. It's been thousands and thousands. Libby is trying to phone home almost continuously. Blocking these trackers doesn't have any deleterious effect on app functions. #privacy

Apple is allowing alternative browser engines on iOS in Japan with iOS 26.2, ending the WebKit-only rule in response to antitrust law. 🧭

The change expands browser choice but applies only regionally, with Apple retaining control via entitlements and privacy rules. ⚖️

Will similar openness reach Europe under the DMA? 🇪🇺

@mozilla

🔗 https://www.webpronews.com/apple-opens-ios-to-alternative-browser-engines-in-japan-via-ios-26-2/

#TechNews #Apple #iOS #Antitrust #Competition #Privacy #DigitalRights #OpenWeb #Regulation #Innovation #Mobile #Japan #Europe #DMA #Security

Back-to-school in 2026 could look very different in Europe: France proposes banning social media for under-15s and restricting phones in high schools to curb screen time and protect well-being. 🎒

Key questions remain on enforcement, privacy, and open access to information. Safety and accountability must guide any rollout. 📵

🔗 https://www.ma-grande-taille.com/en/societe/europe-back-to-school-season-2026-without-social-media-or-mobile-phones-for-teenagers-431722

#TechNews #Education #Privacy #OpenSource #UserRights #DataProtection #DigitalRights #France #Europe #Youth #School #TechPolicy #SocialMedia

France plans a 2026 social media ban for under-15s - enforced via mandatory digital ID age checks.

Child safety vs privacy is becoming a global infosec issue.

https://www.technadu.com/france-plans-2026-ban-on-social-media-for-children-under-15/617508/

Thoughts?

#Privacy #DigitalIdentity #Policy

Alt...

France Plans 2026 Ban on Social Media for Children Under 15

Is there facility to run the phone app via TOR network, to hide user IP from the relay?

#Holos #Tor #Fediverse #Privacy #Anonymity #ActivityPub

Can someone explain to me what Google is using to spy on what you do within a browser tab elsewhere in the browser?

I swear to god, it feels like they must be using keylogging software sometimes. #Privacy

Reminder: You better hurry!

@monocles and #Conversations_im are available for free on your Android device since Dec 24th and until the 31st on Google Play!

Get your friends and family and don’t miss out on the opportunity to install and onboard them in one (or both) of the most featureful #XMPP clients on Android!

Set them free from invasive, data harvesting, centralized IM communications networks!

#RunJBR #Privacy #Security #Decentralization #PrivacyIsAHumanRight #DigitalSovereignty #Jabber

#Privacy #AI #Singularity

@Tutanota

Some other simple things

8. Disable google advertising ID in phone settings

9. Install F-Droid where you can discover many FLOSS apps deliberately not published on google play

10. Switch from a fingerprint to a pin (added bonus that police in several countries can legally force your thumb onto your phone but cant legally force you to give up a pin)

11. Switch from google notification servers to something else like microg and/or set notifications to not display message content or at least not display message content when the phone is locked (Im pretty sure all that can be done from notification settings)

12. Switch from googles keyboard app to an open source alternative from f-droid (google has been fined millions before for illegally and secretly tracking geolocation it wouldnt surprise me if they do the same with keystrokes, and also mic and camera)

13. There's a bunch of other phone-home features spread across the settings but mostly under privacy category and accessibility category that you might want to turn off if you have no use for

#Google #Android #Privacy #PSA #FLOSS #FDroid #Advertising #Microg