Volla Phone 22 is a privacy-focused smartphone that runs the Google-free Android-based Volla OS, Ubuntu Touch, or Sailfish OS [Review]
When buying a smartphone, you have two real choices. You can opt for an iPhone, which runs iOS, or one of the many Android handsets available from the likes of Google, Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus and Sony.
If you value your privacy, then you might want a phone that truly does too. Volla Phone 22, from German firm Hallo Welt Systeme UG, is a good-looking device that is focused on keeping you safe and secure. It runs a choice of operating systems -- Volla OS, Ubuntu Touch, and the recently added Sailfish OS -- that can be selected on start-up. Support for additional mobile operating systems is coming soon.
How digital IDs are set to shake up the way we access services [Q&A]
Around the world governments are increasingly keen on introducing digital identity systems for their citizens. These are seen as a secure way for people to access government and other services as these move online.
We spoke with Philipp Pointner, chief of digital identity at Jumio, to find out more about digital ID and its implications for security and privacy.
Enterprises urged to be transparent about employee monitoring
With larger numbers of people working remotely, employers are keen to understand the effect this has on productivity. They're using technology like facial recognition and other tools to monitor the use of apps and gather other information.
However, software adoption platform Pendo is calling on companies to be more transparent with employees about what they do and don’t monitor, and why.
Your personal data has become an AI training manual and you're not getting it back
Art imitates life, that we all know. But what if art imitates your personal life, your personal likeness and does it so well that the line between what is real and surreal blurs?
Unbeknownst to us, we are becoming models for state-of-the-art AI technology that trains on terabytes of poorly filtered data scraped from all over the web. This data can include our personal photos, medical images, and even copyrighted content -- basically, anything ever posted online.
How far will you go to protect your personal data?
No longer shop with a brand? Pay more for goods and services from a company with a better privacy record? Stop using an app?
All of these and more are actions people are prepared to take if they find out organizations aren't keeping their data safe, according to a new report from DataGrail.
Google launches My Ad Center to give you more control over the ads you see
Ads are now part and parcel of using the internet and many apps, and much of what you see is because of Google. It is going to be a long time before Google changes its business model and is no longer reliant on showing you ads, but the company is aware of the annoyance people experience when they see advertising that is is completely inappropriate or touches on sensitive topics.
As such, Google has announced My Ad Center, a portal through which it is possible to gain more control over your ad experience. What this means in practice is that you will be able to do things such as choose whether or not you'd like to see tailored ads, control what sort of information Google is able to use to personalise your ads, and even opt out of seeing ads for certain topics.
Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo arrives on macOS in beta
After what has felt like a very long wait, DuckDuckGo for Mac is now available to anyone who would like to try out the private web browser. Previously only available as a closed beta, the macOS version of DuckDuckGo beta is now open to all.
In addition to protecting privacy in general web browsing, DuckDuckGo for Mac also includes Duck Player, a built-in YouTube player that blocks targeted advertising and stops profiling.
Consumers want businesses to be more transparent about handling data
Consumers want to see more transparency from businesses around how their data is handled, according to the Cisco 2022 Consumer Privacy Survey.
The survey also shows that while consumers are supportive of artificial intelligence -- 54 percent are willing to share their anonymized data to improve AI products -- they are concerned about how businesses use AI, with 65 percent having lost trust in organizations due to their AI use.
Revolut customer data exposed in cyberattack
Fintech firm Revolut has been hit by a cyberattack that resulted in personal data of tens of thousands of users being exposed.
Described as a "highly targeted" attack -- although it is not clear who was targeted or why -- the security incident took place on the night of September 11. The attack gave an unauthorized third-party access to a range of data including postal and email addresses, account information, and phone numbers.
Chrome and Microsoft Edge's enhanced spellcheckers can leak your passwords and personal data
Privacy and security are something that all browser manufacturers like to brag about in relation to their products, with Google and Microsoft being no different to others in this regard. But if you are making use of the Enhanced Spellcheck in Chrome or Microsoft Editor in Edge, some highly sensitive information can be sent to the two software giants.
In addition to passwords, we are talking about personal information entered into online forms such as your social security number, date of birth, username and so on. The worrying discovery was made by security researchers from JavaScript security firm otto-js who warn that this is something that will be of particular concern to enterprise users.
Have consumer privacy concerns trumped innovation?
The Internet of Things (IoT) grows larger by the day, with the number of connected devices feeding into it climbing exponentially. Currently sat at around 14 billion, the number of active connections is expected to almost double to 27 billion by 2025.
While remarkable, we must also acknowledge that increasing connectedness has fueled consumer concerns over the way their data is collected and used.
DuckDuckGo's free email protection beta is now open to all
DuckDuckGo is best known as a privacy-first search engine, but the company also offers other privacy tools, and for the past year it has been testing out an email forwarding servicing.
If you wanted to try this feature out previously, you will have had to join a waitlist, but today the company announces that the beta is open for everyone. I’ve been using the service since day one, and I can definitely recommend it.
Improved data privacy equals improved revenues
According to a new survey, 94 percent of chief data officers (CDOs) from healthcare organizations and financial services firms say that deploying data privacy technology that enforces existing privacy regulations would result in increased revenues for their organizations.
The study from privacy technology specialist TripleBlind finds 37 percent of respondents estimate improved collaboration would increase revenues as much as 20 percent. In addition, 46 percent say increased data collaboration would give their organization a competitive advantage over others.
WhatsApp is gaining some great new privacy features including screenshot blocking
WhatsApp is not only one of the popular messaging apps out there, it is also one that is subject to some of the fastest development work. Existing features are constantly being tweaked, new options are being added all the time, and Mark Zuckerberg has just revealed three exciting new privacy-focused features.
In an announcement on his personal Facebook page, the CEO of Meta teased a trio of new features which will help to improve the privacy of group and one-on-one chats. The upcoming additions are part of a new global campaign from WhatsApp that focuses on and promotes privacy and security features.
Twitter comes clean about serious security incident affecting millions of accounts
Twitter has confirmed that a hacker was able to exploit a security vulnerability on the social platform earlier this year, gaining access to the private data of millions of users.
In total, 5.4 million accounts were affected, with the attacker able to link account names to email addresses and phone numbers. While the incident took place back in January this year, Twitter has also revealed that the exposed user data was made available to buy just last month. In what will be regarded by many as something of an understatement, the company says that "it is unfortunate that this happened".
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