Google is kicking apps that ask for SMS or Call Log permissions out of the Play Store
Google has reminded developers that their apps will be removed from the Play Store if they request SMS or Call Log permissions. The policy change was announced last year, and over the next few weeks the app removal process begins.
While these particular permissions have been used to give Android users a choice of dialers and messaging apps, Google says there have also been instances of abuse. The company is introducing far stricter restrictions in the name of privacy and protecting user data.
DuckDuckGo denies using fingerprinting to track its users
Responding to a forum post that accused it of "fingerprinting users", privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo says that fears are unfounded and that it is not tracking its users.
The allegation was made after the Firefox extension CanvasBlocker showed a warning to users. The suggestion of fingerprinting -- gathering as much information as possible about a user through their browser to create a unique identifier that can be used for tracking -- is clearly something that would seem to sit in opposition to what DuckDuckGo claims to stand for. The company CEO says the accusation is simply wrong.
Weather Channel app accused of opaquely selling users' location data
The Weather Channel app holds the accolade of being the most popular mobile weather app, but it is also facing accusations of misleading users into agreeing to allow the company to sell their location data to third parties.
A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles this week alleges that the operator of the IBM-owned app -- TWC Product and Technology LLC -- sold user data to at least a dozen companies and failed to make details of this clear to users. The lawsuit says that the data was used to delivered targeted advertising and also to analyze consumer behaviour.
Microsoft tests Project Bali, a privacy-focused tool to control personal data collection
Microsoft Research is currently testing a new control panel which could enable users to manage the data the company collects about them.
Known as Project Bali, the tool is currently undergoing private beta testing. It promises to not only give users the option of managing and controlling the data collected about them, but also -- intriguingly -- the ability to monetize it.
Privacy International investigation finds a huge number of Android apps share data with Facebook -- whether you have an account or not
Facebook's track record with privacy is a rocky one, but the idea of giving up some personal data is seen by many users as an acceptable price to pay for using the social network. But an investigation by Privacy International has found that many Android apps are sharing data with Facebook about people regardless of whether they are logged into their Facebook account... or even have a Facebook account at all.
The findings of the investigation raise questions about Facebook's transparency when it comes to handling user (and non-user) data, and the privacy implications of profiling by the social networking behemoth -- particularly in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Google rolls out spam protection to Android Messages
Spam may be something that's most commonly associated with email, but it's also something that blights text messaging. Google is trying to do something about the problem with a spam protection feature for Messages on Android.
This is a feature we learned about earlier in the year, and it is now starting to roll out to handsets. In order for the feature to work, "some" information about the messages you receive needs to be sent to Google -- something that it sure to raise a few eyebrows (and hackles) among the privacy-centric.
Facebook addresses controversy over third-party access to private messages
Facebook has been the source of much privacy-related controversy over the years, particularly over the last year or so. The past few days have been no different, with the social networking giant facing questions over the level of access it granted partners to private user data.
Of particular concern to users is the suggestion that Facebook gave the likes of Spotify and Netflix access to users' private messages. Having already gone on the defensive about some of the allegations leveled at it, Facebook is now trying to defend itself about the messaging allegations -- or, as the company puts it "we wanted to provide more facts about our messaging partnerships".
Facebook gave dozens of companies access to user data such as friends lists and private messages
Details have come to light about the deals Facebook struck with the likes of Microsoft, Spotify, Netflix, Apple and Amazon. A report by the New York Times revealed that the social network had given numerous companies access to a plethora of private user data, ranging from the names of friends, to private messages.
Facebook has responded by saying that no access was granted to third parties without user permission, but questions remain about whether users were fully aware of the level of access companies had to their data, or whether they knew they were agreeing to sharing private data.
Facebook API bug may have exposed 6.8 million users' private photos
Another week and yet another in a seemingly endless stream of Facebook privacy issues. The social networking giant has found itself apologizing, yet again, for leaking users' private data. This time around, an API bug meant that private photos of millions of users may have been exposed to app developers.
The bug was present for nearly two weeks and it went further than simply giving developers access to photos users had posted to their accounts -- it also exposed photos that had been uploaded but not actually posted.
Education sector poorly prepared for cyberthreats
Data is a vital resource in the education sector and increasingly schools and colleges store information in digital form. Digital technology is also moving into the classroom, but of course all this comes with greater risk.
Yet according to new research from security rating service SecurityScorecard, across 17 industries in the US education comes second to last in terms of total cybersecurity.
Google relents and hands duck.com to privacy-centric rival DuckDuckGo
It may well just be coincidental timing, but shortly after DuckDuckGo accused Google of personalizing search results even for people not signed into their account, Google has handed control of the Duck.com domain over to its rival.
The concession comes after years of frustration for DuckDuckGo, with Google having acquired Duck.com after buying On2 Technologies (previously The Duck Corporation) in 2010. The privacy-focused search engine has long asked Google to point the address at its website, and this has finally happened. Duck.com now redirects to DuckDuckGo.
Christmas tech gadgets increase household cyber risks
Many people will be receiving new tech gadgets over the Christmas period, including smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, connected toys, and a whole range of apps to go with them.
But new research from from cybersecurity training organization the SANS Institute finds that while people are aware of the risks these devices can pose, they may not have the skills to properly protect them.
Windows 10 sends activity history to Microsoft even when told not to
We all know that Windows 10 logs data about what you do on your PC. What you may not be aware of is that it still sends that information to Microsoft even if you have told it not to. Sneaky, huh?
People on Reddit have been discussing the issue and finding that even if the option to send data to the cloud is turned off it still shows in the online Privacy Dashboard.
Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo finds Google personalizes search results even for logged out and incognito users
You might well expect that if you perform a Google search while signed into your Google account that the results will be tailored according to what that company has learned about you over the years. But what about when you're not signed into your account?
A study carried out by the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo yielded some slightly surprising results. In tests earlier in the year, it was found that even when people searched without logging into a Google account -- or when they used private browsing mode -- "most participants saw results unique to them", suggesting there was still personalization of results.
LinkedIn introduces new privacy controls to protect user data
LinkedIn has quietly launched new privacy settings that block users from exporting the email addresses of their contacts.
This is not something that many LinkedIn users would have even considered to be a problem, but it was previously possible for anyone -- from individuals to marketing firms -- to export the contact details of their connections and use it however they wanted. In what will be seen as a big win for users in general and privacy advocates, you now have to explicitly enable the setting for people to be able to export your email address.
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