Tag: Privacy
In a recent in-depth interview with the Guardian, former security contractor Edward Snowden has stated that documents completely irrelevant to the NSA’s work — like nude photos, discovered during routine surveillance — were regularly passed around the office. Though we’ve become somewhat jaded to ongoing revelations of the NSA’s abuses of power and personal violations, Snowden’s new comments […]
In theory, the NYCLU is in favor of a proposal to create IDs for all New Yorkers regardless of their immigration status, but has some major concerns about its implementation. In a statement, the organization wrote that they understand the “significant benefits” of an ID for immigrants, transgendered people or others with identity issues. However, they […]
Avast Software recently bought 20 iPhones and Android phones and wiped them by using their basic factory settings. Then, they looked at all the stuff still there. This included family photos, nude selfies (male and female), texts, emails and contacts. Within these, they were able to discover a ton of information about each individual user, […]
Facebook has has a pretty shitty week in the media. Last week, we found out that they’d conducted an “emotional contagion” study in 2012 on almost 700,000 users without their knowledge. Advocates of privacy and informed consent raged, but defenders pointed out that Facebook’s User Agreement contains a sentence that warns users they can use your information […]
To its detractors, Google Glass is a symbol of bourgeois insensitivity, of white-guy dorkiness, but above all, of disregard for privacy. Anyone wearing camera-equipped specs could be recording you without your knowledge at any time, after all. With a Glass app called Watch Your Privacy, however, you can not only violate the privacy of everyone […]
A new website from UsVsTh3m mimics many of the absurdities one may encounter when adjusting to Facebook‘s occasional “security” changes. The Realistic Facebook Security Simulator is a race against the clock, employing terminology similar to Facebook’s own when asking users to update their privacy settings, but with a bit of social [network] commentary. The round begins with […]
I’m not so great with names but I never forget a face, neither does Facebook with its automatic tagging for newly uploaded face-images. But what if you don’t want to be recognized in last night’s drunk and shameful party photo? Too bad. In an effort to subvert this fact of #life, designer Simone C. Niquille has […]
Seeing as privacy is quickly becoming more of a concern in our daily lives, the simple act of charging your phone or any other USB equipped device in a public place now comes along with a set of risks. In a type of attack known as “juice jacking,” malicious parties can siphon data from your […]
Arne Svenson, the NYC artist who recently came under fire for taking and exhibiting photographs of his neighbors in their homes, has won his legal battle in the Manhattan Supreme Court. Svensons photos were art, ruled Justice Eileen Rakower, and art is free speech protected under the first amendment. “While it makes the [plaintiffs] cringe to […]
Is the government cracking down on internet anonymity? Thanks, in part, to Edward Snowden, we all know we’re being watched when we surf the internet. A recent incident shows that the web isn’t safe, even for those who take extra precautions. Researchers suspect that the FBI is behind software that is attacking users of Tor, the […]
