A third of people would like to delete themselves from the internet
Around a third of web users say they would like to delete themselves from the internet, with people in the US and Canada being at the top of the list.
Research from cybersecurity company NordVPN and personal data removal service Incogni, finds that worldwide 45 percent of people are worried about being hacked, one of the key reasons for wanting to take themselves off the web.
Windows 12 won't pull me away from Linux unless Microsoft fixes these 5 things
Windows 12 has been the subject of leaks and speculation, which can be totally fun to discuss and imagine. But let’s be honest, folks -- that operating system is not likely to arrive this year. In fact, it could still be several years away. On a positive note, however, that should give Microsoft plenty of time to make sure the OS is actually worth using.
As a regular Linux user, I have some very serious demands if I’m ever going to consider switching, and Microsoft has a golden opportunity to get things right. Here are five things the company needs to deliver before I even think about going with Windows 12.
Elections and increasing censorship spark hike in VPN use
With authoritarian governments increasingly turning to censorship to silence dissent, limit information, and manipulate public opinion, it's perhaps not surprising that more people are turning to VPNs.
A new report from Proton VPN finds 2024 saw spikes in signups in 119 countries, including six countries with at least one spike in signups of over 5,000 percent, and four countries with at least one spike in signups of over 10,000 percent.
New tools help prevent leaks of personal data
One of the risks AI teams face is sensitive data lurking where it shouldn't be -- risks that are increasing as the volume unstructured data grows across all industries, a situation made worse still by GenAI.
Unstructured data management specialist Komprise is launching new sensitive data detection and mitigation capabilities to help organizations prevent the leakage of PII and other sensitive data to AI and reduce the risk of potentially ruinous data breaches.
AI-powered Chrome extensions are watching you…
It's not exactly Big Brother, but a new analysis of Chrome extensions from Incogni reveals that 67 percent collect user data, and 41 percent collect personally identifiable information (PII), including sensitive details like credit card numbers, passwords, and location data.
Extensions like Grammarly, which make writing almost anything effortless, or Vetted, which act as online shopping assistants, are quickly becoming essentials of everyday life. But because many users trust Google's ecosystem, they also assume that third-party extensions vetted through the Chrome Web Store are equally safe.
Celebrating Data Privacy Day: Ensuring ethical agentic AI in our daily interactions
Both AI agents and agentic AI are becoming increasingly powerful and prevalent. With AI agents, we can automate simple tasks and save time in our everyday lives. With agentic AI, businesses can automate complex enterprise processes. Widespread AI use is an inevitability, and the question going forward is not if we’ll use the technology but how well.
In a world where AI takes on more responsibility, we need to know how to measure its effectiveness. Metrics like the number of human hours saved or the costs reduced are, of course, important. But we also need to consider things like how ethically and securely our AI solutions operate. This is true when adopting third-party solutions and when training AI in house.
TikTok, AliExpress, Temu and more hit with GDPR complaints over unlawful data transfers to China
Austria-based data protection and privacy advocating NGO noyb (none of your business) has filed a series of complaints against AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, TikTok, WeChat, and Xiaomi for violating European general data protection regulation (GDPR).
The six firms stand accused of unlawfully transferring user data to China. In its complaints, noyb says that “given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, companies can’t realistically shield EU users’ data from access by the Chinese government”.
Apple defends Siri, saying the data it collects is never used for advertising, never sold, and never used for profiling
Having agreed to pay out $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging Siri recorded private conversations without consent, Apple has doubled down on its assertion that it has done nothing wrong.
In a statement entitled “Our longstanding privacy commitment with Siri”, the company stresses it is committed to protecting user privacy. Referring specifically to Siri as “the most private digital assistant”, Apple insists that it “has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose”.
Apple agrees to $95 million payouts to settle lawsuit alleging Siri recorded private conversations
Despite not admitting to having done anything wrong, Apple has agreed $95 million in settlement payouts for “unintentional” Siri activations that may have resulted in private conversations being recorded.
The payment agreement comes after years of legal back and forth following reports from users that Siri was “spying” on them after being activated unbidden. The proposed class action lawsuit has its roots in complaints dating back to 2014.
New investment, state legislation and more penalties -- privacy predictions for 2025
As both businesses and individuals become more reliant on connectivity and data so concerns around privacy are increasingly to the fore.
Here are the views of some industry experts on what the privacy landscape may look like in 2025.
Mozilla removes Do Not Track setting from Firefox and suggests an alternative
Mozilla has removed support for Do Not Track from Firefox, with the company stating that it was a setting that was largely ignored by websites anyway.
More than this, Mozilla believes that Do Not Track sometimes served to reduce privacy, rather than increasing it. The suggestion for affected users is to start using options within Global Privacy Control (GPC) which are legally enforced in some countries, and far more widely respected by websites regardless of legislative requirements.
Australia passes social media ban for under 16s
After a period of intense public and political debate, Australia has approved laws that will ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media.
While the laws were passed yesterday, it may well be a year until they come into effect -- and they will be the strictest in the world. Once in force, tech companies such as Meta could be hit with fines of up to AUS$50 million (US $32.5 million) for failing to comply.
Apple Find My can now share AirTag locations with airlines and third parties
Apple has launched a beta feature called Share Item Location in iOS 18.2, allowing users to share the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties. This update is designed to simplify the process of locating misplaced items, particularly when traveling. Users can generate a secure link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which can then be shared. The recipient can access an interactive map that shows the item’s location and updates automatically. The shared link expires after seven days or when the item is recovered, maintaining privacy and security.
“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”
X starts the rollout of update that renders blocking near-pointless
Back in September, Elon Musk announced upcoming changes to the blocking feature of X. Once fully implemented, the change means that when an X user blocks someone, that blocked user will still be able to see all of the content posted by the blocker, although no interaction will be possible.
The precise reasons for changing the functionality of blocking in this way is not really clear, but it is something that has sparked concern. In addition to risks to privacy, there are also worries about what the changes could mean for victims of cyber-stalking.
Shoppers willing to hand over personal data to get a holiday bargain
A new survey from Norton shows that 60 percent of UK holiday shoppers say they are swayed by good holiday deals and nearly two-thirds (61 percent) give away their personal information to receive a discount when shopping.
The study reveals that 70 percent of Brits have tried to secure discount codes, through means like signing up to a website's mailing list or answering a survey. 61 percent of those who tried to secure discounts admit to divulging their personal information to do so.
Recent Headlines
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.