Ad blocker Shine does a complete u-turn... and rebrands as ad company Rainbow
In a perfect example of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, Israeli company Shine -- known for producing ad blocking software -- has rebranded as Rainbow and will instead offer an advertising service. Rainbow will work primarily with telecoms companies, and will have a strong focus on targeted advertising.
The company says that it wants to provide "a better ad experience for consumers", having apparently decided that blocking ads was not working for everyone. Rainbow aims to win round consumers by providing an opt-in service that means people will see only advertisements that comply with industry standards and observe privacy rules.
Study shows that whistleblowers need greater protection due to surveillance and anti-privacy tech
A study by London University's Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) shows that journalists find it harder to protect their sources in the digital age, and suggests that whistleblowers should be afforded greater legal protection. The arrival of Donald Trump on the scene has created a greater sense of urgency.
The report, entitled "Protecting Sources and Whistleblowers in a Digital Age", says that monitoring of phone calls as well as online surveillance means it is now easier to identify sources that would otherwise have remained anonymous. People like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange have brought whistleblowing into the spotlight in recent years, and proposed changes to the UK's Official Secrets Act that would deny using "public interest" as a defense, coupled with the increased interest in surveillance mean that this is a hot topic once again.
Americans at risk of identity theft as they file their tax returns
As we move into the tax return season a new study reveals that attitudes to identity theft and a pattern of poor practices are leaving much of the public vulnerable.
Data security and ID theft protection company CyberScout has carried out its second annual Tax Season Risk Report and finds 58 percent of Americans are not worried about tax fraud in spite of federal reports of 787,000 confirmed identity theft returns in 2016, totaling more than $4 billion in potential fraud.
The top three barriers to digital transformation
To stay competitive in an increasingly digital world, companies are looking to transform their digital environment to improve collaboration and maintain their edge.
But a new study by Intralinks and the Cloud Security Alliance reveals that digital transformation strategies are being hindered by three main barriers.
Europe still has concerns about privacy in Windows 10
Privacy fears abound with Windows 10, with individuals and privacy groups continually questioning the company's motives in gathering user data. The threat of a court case in Switzerland resulted in Microsoft making changes to Windows -- in addition to the privacy changes it had already made.
But for European privacy watchdogs, the latest batch of changes are still not enough. The Article 29 Working Party voices concern about the settings that are in place by default, the lack of control users are given over data collection, and a general lack of transparency.
Americans more concerned about online privacy and security than a year ago
New data released today shows that Americans are increasingly concerned about their online privacy and security, including apprehension about increased government surveillance in the new presidential administration.
The survey by secure access specialist AnchorFree of over 1,000 users of the company's Hotspot Shield personal VPN application reveals 84 percent say they are more concerned about their online privacy and security today than they were a year ago.
Privacy-protecting Ghostery extension sold, Ghostery Inc becomes Evidon after acquisition
There's big news in the world of Ghostery Inc, the company best-known for the browser extension that boosts privacy. The firm's consumer operations have been sold to Cliqz, a German company part-owned by Mozilla, where the Ghostery extension will live on.
Ghostery Inc is rebranding to its former identity of Evidon, which will have a B2B focus. Evidon Inc will provide "monitoring and consent solutions for over 500 leading brands across the world." The deal with Cliqz is an all-cash affair, but details have not been released.
New platform helps enterprises comply with privacy regulations
Privacy regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mean that enterprises can face substantial fines for non-compliance.
As 2016 saw a record number of personal record data breaches this is something all businesses need to take seriously.
New authentication platform seeks to tackle fake news and profiles
Fake news is big news at the moment, making it increasingly difficult to assess the reliability of material, particularly when it appears online.
A new company launching today at the 2017 RSA conference is seeking to create a secure online community to identify individuals and provide a more "authentic" online experience.
Planning to visit the US soon? You might be asked to hand over your internet passwords
Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban might have been overturned for now, but the new administration intends to do what it can to tighten entry into the United States.
One of the plans being considered as part of Trump’s "extreme vetting" policy is to ask visitors what websites they visit, and request their passwords. Should anyone refuse to hand over this information they will be prevented from entering the US.
ZTE leads the way in unwanted call protection
Phone spam from robot calling systems is a major issue in the US and around the world, prompting regulators to look at controlling the problem.
Smartphone maker ZTE is taking a proactive approach and teaming up with caller profile service Hiya to integrate caller identification, spam detection and call blocking into its latest Axon 7 handset.
House of Representatives approves Email Privacy Act requiring warrants to search email and data
The Email Privacy Act (HR 387) has passed through the House of Representatives for the second time. It's an attempt to update the now-ancient Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) from 1986 which gave cause for concern as it grants the government the ability to access emails and data older than 180 days which is stored on third-party servers without the need for a warrant.
The Email Privacy Act changes that. Privacy advocates are currently celebrating the fact that the updated Act has been approved by the House, but it now needs to pass through the Senate -- where it already faltered last year. Google is among those to welcome the Act's progress.
US judge says Google must hand over foreign emails to FBI, even though Microsoft need not
A US judge has ordered Google to comply with FBI search warrants which ask for customer emails that are stored outside of the US. This is in stark contrast to a recent case in which a federal appeal court ruling concluded that Microsoft did not need to comply with such orders.
The FBI issued a warrant in relation to a fraud case, and Google argued that because the emails in question were stored on foreign servers, the authorities should not be able to seize the data. However, Google has been told that transferring the emails to another server for investigation by the FBI does not constitute seizure, but conceded it was a potential invasion of privacy.
Facebook rolls out creepy Discover People feature on mobile, suggesting you make friends with strangers
If you're using the Facebook app on your phone, you might notice the appearance of a new Discover People section. As you would probably guess this is a feature designed to connect you with people on the social network, but there's something of a creepy twist.
Unlike the current "People you may know" section which suggests that you might like to become friends with people because you have a common acquaintance, the experimental Discover People adopts a different approach. It suggests that you become friends with complete strangers.
New platform offers holistic risk assessment for enterprises
The proliferation of cloud services and diverse platforms in modern enterprises makes guarding against risk and protecting data a major challenge.
Cyber risk assurance company TechDemocracy is addressing this problem with the launch of a new platform to analyze the effectiveness of existing cyber risk and compliance solutions and offers a consolidated view of enterprise risk posture.
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