Startpage launches its privacy-centric Google Translate alternative, Private Language Translator
As a search engine for people looking to avoid Google -- or for anyone with privacy concerns in general -- Startpage has earned itself a strong following and a solid reputation. Building on the popularity of its private search tool, the company is continuing the expansion of its privacy-focused services.
Having already launched Private Shopping, Private Currency Converter and Private Stocks this year, Startpage has now added Private Language Translator to its rostrum.
Audacity says it is 'deeply sorry' for privacy policy fiasco, publishes lengthy update and explanation
The development team behind Audacity learned the hard way that people do not take kindly to the introduction of telemetry, particularly when communication is poor.
Over the last few months, there has been a very public debacle involving Audacity's proposed changes to its privacy policy. It resulted in the software being branded "possible spyware" and led to explanations, apologies and backtracking. Now the team behind the open source audio editor has published its updated privacy policy along with a lengthy explanation about various elements of it and an apology for the "significant lapse in communication".
DuckDuckGo launches privacy-focused @duck.com email forwarding
DuckDuckGo is a pretty cool company that focuses heavily on privacy. Its claim to fame is its search engine that aims to compete with the likes of Google and Bing, but without tracking you. Believe it or not, its search results are pretty good comparatively, although Google still edges it out.
Over time, DuckDuckGo has launched its own web browser and browser extensions, constantly trying to keep humans safe from the eyes of "Big Tech." And now the company announces its latest creation -- @duck.com email accounts.
Investigation uncovers global abuse of Pegasus malware to spy on journalists, activists and more
Spyware produce by the Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group has been abused by governments to target dissenting journalists, activists, lawyers and more, an investigation by human rights groups and media organizations has found.
The Pegasus spyware was produced with the intention of targeting terrorists and other criminals, but an investigation into a huge data leak shows that it has also be misused by authoritarian governments to gather text message, photos, call logs and more from iPhones and Android handsets. The malware can also be used to acti8vate the microphone of a targeted device to eavesdrop on conversations. Targets includes not only journalists and activists, but also key business figures, members of government, presidents and prime ministers.
Google is making it easier to hide the searches you want to keep secret
Perform a search using Google, and details of your search are saved in your Google account for posterity -- unless, of course, you take action.
If you want to keep a search to yourself, you could use Incognito mode in Chrome and it will not be saved. Or you could manually delete your search history, although this does mean losing potentially useful historic information; the same is true of the auto-delete option for your online activity. But now there is new option to delete the last 15 minutes of search activity -- just enough to cover your tracks when you need to.
Privacy-focused Google makes 'My Activity' more secure with new verification options
Google tracks you. Yeah, yeah, we all know that. It is nothing new. The truth is, that tracking is both a gift and a curse. True, it isn't a nice feeling to know a company is watching your activity across its services, but at the same time, that tracking allows Google to provide you with a more personal experience. For instance, I choose to let Google track me, and my overall web experience is better as a result.
Thankfully, the search giant does empower its users by letting them limit some of the sharing. And now, Google is making "My Activity" (the page which displays much of this tracking history) more secure. You see, the company is now providing extra verification options when accessing My Activity.
Tor Browser 10.5 is here... and it kills off support for older Onion services
Web users' interest in privacy and security has gradually increased over the years, and demand for secure, anonymity-offering browsers like Tor is also on the up. Now a new version of Tor Browser is upon us, introducing various protection methods.
Perhaps most apparent in Tor Browser 10.5 is the improved experience of connecting to Tor. While the Tor Network has undeniably rocketed in popularity, there are still plenty of people who like the idea of the security and privacy it offers, but feel uncomfortable with getting started. In particular, this latest version of the browser makes life easier for people forced to use censored connections.
Audacity responds to concerns about its controversial privacy policy
Following yet another vocal backlash against a new privacy policy, the makers of open-source audio editor Audacity have responded to concerns, blaming "unclear phrasing" in its policy update.
While a previously proposed policy change was not implemented because of the negative response from users, it does not seem that this latest change will be halted. Instead, the developers say that it will be rectifying what it regards as poor wording, and goes to some lengths to explain the reasons for the changes in an attempt to justify them. While the type of data collected is nothing particularly out of the ordinary, the arrival of telemetry is not something that is welcomed by fans of open source software.
Audacity branded 'possible spyware' after controversial privacy policy update
Popular open source audio editor Audacity has become rather more familiar with controversy recently than it is probably comfortable with. Concerns built up following the software's acquisition by Muse Group and subsequent changes to telemetry and privacy settings. With the latest changes to its privacy policy page, the controversy continues.
Having already faced a fierce backlash and backing down a little in its plans, Audacity now finds itself hit with the label of "possible spyware" by an independent publisher covering open source software. FOSS Post even advises users to uninstall Audacity as soon as possible.
Mozilla launches new data sharing research platform
Data, as we know, has become a valuable commodity and that has thrown the privacy and transparency aspects of what information organizations hold about us into sharp relief.
Mozilla believes that we should have more control over our data and is launching a new platform to give people more choice over what data they share and with who, and allowing them to help with research projects.
Companies back employee privacy but don't deliver it
In a new survey of over 1,200 IT and security practitioners 63 percent say it's important or very important to protect employees' privacy in the workforce, yet only 34 percent of organizations think they are effective or very effective in doing so.
The study, carried out by the Ponemon Institute for workforce cyber intelligence company DTEX Systems, also finds that most organizations have a difficult time balancing workforce privacy with the growing need to monitor employee engagement and internal risk, given the shift to remote work.
Linux Foundation launches Open Voice Network
Many organizations are now relying on voice assistant systems to handle enquiries, but just as with other forms of information it's important to protect the consumer and the proprietary data that flows through voice.
The Linux Foundation is launching an Open Voice Network, an open source association dedicated to advancing open standards that support the adoption of AI-enabled voice assistance systems.
Facing the business challenge of open data [Q&A]
We're all familiar with the term 'big data' but not perhaps with 'open data'. Open data is information that can be freely reused and distributed, it's often linked with mixing datasets too.
But what challenges does dealing with open data present for enterprises? We spoke to Mo Ladha, product manager at content services platform Hyland, to find out.
Windows 10 users need to brace themselves for more irritating nags from Microsoft
Windows 10 users are not strangers to seeing annoying popups, ads and other irritants from Microsoft. The company has a long history of badgering people with nags about its services via pop-up messages and entries in the Start menu or taskbar. With an upcoming version of Edge, this is something that's set to continue.
In the latest dev build of Microsoft Edge, there is evidence that Microsoft is going to display a message to users inviting them to "make the web work for you". This is the company seeking permission from people to use their browsing histories and activities "to personalize Microsoft Edge and Microsoft services". In other words: telemetry.
Majority of consumers don't trust 'big tech' with their data
Only a third of consumers trust 'big tech' companies more with their data compared to smaller, independent or local companies according to a new study from API management platform Axway.
The study of over 1,000 US adults finds 82 percent of consumers wish they knew what specific data companies have collected about them, and they have concerns that their online data may not be secure.
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