Articles about Privacy

Microsoft is just one of many tech companies that people view with suspicion when it comes to privacy. Over the years, Windows has been infected with all manner of privacy-invading telemetry features and settings -- particularly in the case of Windows 11 -- and there has been a fightback from users and software developers alike.

DoNotSpy11 is a tool that empowers concerned users to protect their privacy by blocking telemetry and disabling features of Windows. Now the software has been updated, and DoNotSpy11 version 1.2.0.0 introduces full support for the latest Windows 11 23H2 and makes it possible to disable the AI-powered Copilot.

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Ask your clients, your friends, or anyone on the street: nobody likes to share their data, especially with people or companies they don't know. We routinely press 'no' on pop-ups asking for cookies in our browser, and of course you’re just as likely to say 'no' to any proposal to share your data to improve a product, even anonymously. People value privacy, even if that's somehow in contradiction with the fact that some of us also share the most private moments on social media. 

Does this diffused privacy awareness influence how companies relate to their customers and manage their products and services? Well, not quite. Most of the time, organizations simply don't implement anything which would truly protect the privacy of their users. They typically say things like "your data is protected" or "we are trusted by big companies". And even where regulations and policies are in place, this might not always force these organizations to have particular protections, even when it comes to very sensitive data like health data or financial information. Why? Is it not possible to do more? 

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Whether browsing online for clothes or catching up on the latest news, we’ve all had that unwanted internet cookie pop-up appear. At face-value they may seem harmless, but cookies are a goldmine of private information, posing a serious risk to your data privacy. Today, consumers face a new predicament surrounding attitudes toward their valuable data. When personal data is stolen by a cybercriminal, that offense is the online equivalent of a physical robbery, but the severity of data theft is being overlooked.

From a regulatory standpoint, concerns over data privacy have prompted stricter actions from governments and organizations globally as they try to grapple with the challenge of striking a balance between data security and user privacy. Now, in response to increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics, there must be a shift from slow, reactive regulation towards adopting more proactive strategies that both anticipate and mitigate against potential risks. This will be key to shaping a secure, privacy-conscious future.

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It’s no secret the depreciation of third-party cookies has been a popular topic of conversation in the industry. Now, however, Google is making changes that will eventually lead to the demise of third-party cookies. The tech giant is rolling out its Privacy Sandbox initiative in the latest version of Chrome and for Android. With any big privacy change, there is a ton of controversy and impending regulations that may mean the Privacy Sandbox is not the futureproof solution brands hope it is.

So, what can IT teams do to help marketers take back control of their data collection strategies and ethically reach customers during this time of change?

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Google is preparing to launch a new Chrome feature which will give users the ability to hide their IP address. Previously known as Gnatcatcher, the feature is now called IP Protection and makes use of proxies to help prevent online tracking.

IP Protection is described as "a privacy proxy that anonymizes IP addresses for qualifying traffic". One of its primary aims is to limit the possibility for fingerprinting as a means of tracking users online, which is something that has become increasingly common as steps are taken to block, and even kill off, third-party cookies.

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AI is just about everywhere now. Its ubiquity makes it nearly impossible to avoid, and Microsoft is just one of the big tech firms to have thrown everything at artificial intelligence.

As well as adding AI to Windows 11 with Copilot, Microsoft has also brought a generous dose of it to its Edge browser courtesy of Bing Chat. What users of this feature may not be aware of is that their browsing data is being used to personalize Copilot, meaning that a huge amount of potentially revealing information is being shared with the artificial intelligence tool.

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Today, Global Encryption Day 2023, marks the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has been a highly challenging year for the technology.

Encryption acts as a fundamental safeguard of data privacy, securing data both during transmission and while at rest. It often serves as a primary defense against hackers and is indispensable in preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. With the risk of reputational damage and massive fines for those who are breached, it is essential for any organizations looking to ensure regulatory compliance.  

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Let’s talk about the personal information that belongs to you, your personal personal information. What is your level of tolerance for the amount of data collected about you? Are you willing to provide your email to get a 15 percent discount? What if it’s 50 percent? What if it’s your phone number, too? These are all questions that we are faced with almost everyday and everyone has a different opinion.

One of the biggest problems is knowing what you are signing up for, and what personal information may have already been obtained. When you first visit a site, cookies and other technologies can automatically collect your IP address, set trackers, and more. Once you enter your personal information into other places, you may unwittingly allow yourself to receive direct marketing, allow the business to sell your information, or allow it to be shared with others for purposes you were not anticipating. 

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One web browser spying on another? Surely not! However, if you are using both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, Microsoft's browser could be grabbing all of your browsing history from Chrome every time you launch it.

If you decided to jump from Firefox to Chrome, from Edge to Firefox, from Opera to Edge or any other combination, you will probably have taken advantage of the option to import browsing history, saved passwords and so on. But you likely don’t want this cross-browser communication to continue indefinitely. Here’s how to check whether this sneaky data swapping is happening in the background and how to stop it if it is.

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Your browsing history can be very revealing; there are countless reasons for not wanting a list of the sites you have visited to be seen by others. While it can be hard to maintain complete privacy, there are steps you can take on a local basis -- such as simply deleting your browsing history.

It is easy to see the deletion of browsing history as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and for a very long time it was very much an "all or nothing" approach. Over time, Google and others introduced options to limit how much browsing history should be deleted, and now Chrome users are being offered even more fine-grained controls.

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Lots of apps are potentially transmitting and saving user data without express permission and this has led some administrations to consider bans.

In May, Montana passed the first bill to ban TikTok statewide due to data concerns, and India has banned 60 apps, including TikTok, claiming they were transmitting user data back to China.

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A new survey of over 3,000 digital testing professionals reveals concerns about bias, copyright issues and privacy.

The study from testing specialist Applause shows that 90 percent of respondents expressed concern, with 25 percent 'very concerned' that bias may affect the accuracy, tone or relevance of the content produced by AI.

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Transatlantic data flows underpin more than $7 trillion in cross-border trade and investment per year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The recently announced EU-US Data Privacy Framework (TADPF), in place as of July 10 2023, is expected to further promote opportunity and economic fruitfulness on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, many are rightfully questioning the staying power of this latest version of the TADPF. Will it be third-time lucky or Groundhog Day all over again? Against this backdrop of uncertainty, many companies must evaluate their short- and long-term regulatory resilience.

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Data privacy regulation, GDPR, has been in force for five years but it will soon be superseded by UK GDPR. The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, now wending its way through parliament, will see organisations move to a UK equivalent following the country's withdrawal from the EU. But what will the change mean in practice?

We spoke to Jon Fielding, managing director of EMEA at Apricorn, to find out how UK GDPR will affect businesses and how they handle and protect data.

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Today's online world relies on monetizing information. Sensitive data is sourced through search engines, web browsers, and app developers and can be used to target marketing and more.

If you're concerned about how your data is used you might be interested in the launch by Myntex of Renati. This is a security-focused, Android-based mobile operating system for Pixel devices designed to disrupt data collection.

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