OnePlus denies sending clipboard data to China
Phone-maker OnePlus has had a tough time of things in the press recently with claims about users' clipboard data being mined, and the problems following a credit card breach. A second suggestion that the company was sending clipboard data back to China surfaced recently, but the company has been quick to deny any wrongdoing.
Suspicions were raised when a OnePlus user noticed a file called badwords.txt which includes a list of words such as "chairman," "private message" and "address."
Corporations seen as a bigger threat to data privacy than cyber criminals
Ahead of this Sunday's (January 28) Data Privacy Day, enterprise cyber security company Tripwire has conducted a poll of Twitter users asking who they were most concerned about collecting their private information.
Of the more than 300 people who took part, 40 percent say they would be most worried about corporations stealing their information. While nearly a third (27 percent) say they are most concerned about the government gathering their critical data.
Microsoft announces additional improvements to Windows 10 privacy
When Microsoft first launched Windows 10 back in 2015, one of the big complaints people had about the new operating system was that it spied on users. Really spied on them.
Following the inevitable backlash, the software giant has reigned in this snooping with each new feature update, and the next big release -- codenamed Redstone 4 -- will take things further when it arrives in a few months' time.
UK organizations urged to get ready for tougher data protection laws
New research released today by the UK government shows that fewer than half of all businesses and charities are aware of new data protection laws with just four months to go before they come into force.
Knowledge varies by industry, businesses in the finance and insurance sectors have the highest awareness of the changes to be brought in through the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is to be implemented in UK law via the Data Protection Bill in May 2018.
Facebook to roll out new privacy tools ahead of European GDPR laws
Facebook has faced numerous complaints and accusations when it comes to privacy, and nowhere has this been more obvious than in Europe. In response to European Union plans to change the laws concerning the privacy of personal data, the social network is on the verge of rolling out a new privacy center to users.
The upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is designed to give people more control over their personal data, and it is due to come into force in May. Facebook's response means that its millions of global users will all benefit from additional privacy controls.
More than half of UK businesses still unaware of GDPR
With GDPR implementation only a few months away, a worrying new survey shows that 55 percent of UK businesses are still unaware of the GDPR regulations.
The study by compliance solution PORT.im also reveals that only 27 percent of businesses believe GDPR applies to them, despite 73 percent saying that they collect personal data on their customers -- a strong indication that GDPR does apply.
Privacy: WhatsApp's group messages might not be as secure as you think
Security researchers have discovered a method of infiltrating group chats in WhatsApp, effectively rendering the chat tool's end-to-end encryption useless.
Researchers from Germany's Ruhr University Bochum have unearthed an encryption flaw that makes it possible for group conversations to be compromised. While the vulnerability is not one that poses immediate concerns -- it requires direct access to WhatsApp servers -- it still raises questions about the security of the platform.
WPA3 will boost Wi-Fi security and privacy
Wi-Fi Protected Access is commonly used to secure Wi-Fi connections between pretty much all devices that we use nowadays. For many of us, WPA2 -- the most-recent version of the protocol -- is what we tick to make our router's wireless network private. But, pretty soon, there will be a new option available.
The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced the introduction of WPA3, which will be available for both personal and enterprise Wi-Fi devices this year. The big additions over its predecessor, for which certifications began in late-2004, are improved security and privacy.
Lenovo unveils 2018 ThinkPad lineup with 8th-gen Intel Core processors
With CES 2018 just around the corner, tech companies are starting to announce the products that they will showcase at the popular trade show later this month. Lenovo is among the first to do so, as today it takes the wraps off the 2018 ThinkPad lineup.
The new ThinkPad lineup is powered by 8th-generation Intel Core processors and brings more modern designs to the market. Lenovo says that its new products are thinner, lighter and have support for features like facial recognition for Windows Hello, USB Type-C power adapters, physical covers for the webcam, and more.
Hundreds of Android and iOS apps use your mic to check what TV shows you are watching
Advertisers are keen for their ads to be seen, that goes without saying. But it's more important to be seen by the right people, hence the explosion in targeted advertising. Social media is a great way to gather massive amounts of data about people and deliver ads accordingly, but some mobile games take things further.
There are a large number of games for both iOS and Android which include Alphonso software. This uses smartphones' microphones to record audio which is then used to determine which TV shows and commercials you're watching -- and then deliver targeted ads accordingly. Is this being done in secret? Not really. Details of the activities are included in Alphonso software's privacy policy.
Privacy: Kodi's remote access could be used to spy on you
There's no denying the massive popularity of Kodi, and the streaming media center has become infamous as well as famous. While the negative press concerning the software tends to focus on the potential for piracy, there's also the question of privacy and security.
Kodi includes -- as does the likes of Plex -- a remote access feature. While wonderfully useful for when you're away from home, it also poses a security risk and represents a serious privacy concern if not correctly configured.
Facebook to use facial recognition to notify users when photos of them are uploaded
A new feature touted as a privacy tool sees Facebook automatically identifying users in photographs that are uploaded. It uses the same technology already employed to make image tagging suggestions.
The social networking giant is using facial recognition to alert people when someone uploads a photo of them, regardless of whether they have been tagged in the image. For the feature to work, Facebook users will have to agree to the company keeping a record of them in a facial database.
Privacy: WhatsApp told to stop sharing user data with Facebook
A French privacy watchdog has ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with Facebook. The CNIL (National Data Protection Commission) issued the Facebook-owned company with formal notice to cease violations of the French Data Protection Act, suggesting that user consent was not properly obtained.
A change to WhatsApp's privacy policy last year saw the app transferring data to its parent company for the purposes of "business intelligence" and security purposes. It is the business intelligence side of things -- which analyses user behaviour -- that France considers illegal.
Consumers lack data breach awareness
New research from cyber exposure company Tenable reveals a widespread lack of consumer awareness surrounding the impact of data breaches.
The results based on an online Harris Poll of more than 2000 US adults show that only 12 percent think their data has been stolen over the past year. But given the Equifax breach exposed up to 143 million Americans, that number is statistically impossible.
Your HP laptop may be harboring a secret keylogger in Synaptics touchpad drivers
If you have an HP laptop, there's a reasonable chance that you have an keylogger installed. The tool is embedded in Synaptics touchpad drivers.
Before you start panicking too much, it's worth noting that the keylogging capabilities of the tool are disabled by default, but that's not to say there's no cause for alarm. This may all sound slightly familiar; back in May, HP hit the headlines for a keylogger that was buried in an audio driver. If you want to check if you are affected by the latest privacy violation -- and what you can do about it -- read on...
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