privacy
New Chirp tool uses audio tones to send messages between devices
A new open-source tool named ‘Chirp’ transmits data, such as text messages, between computers (and smartphones) through different audio tones. The tool, developed by cybersecurity researcher solst/ICE, maps each character into a specific sound frequency and plays it along with real-time visualization. Other microphone-equipped computers running Chirp may capture the sound and translate the message back into […]
Open-source tool ‘Rayhunter’ helps users detect Stingray attacks
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released a free, open-source tool named Rayhunter that is designed to detect cell-site simulators (CSS), also known as IMSI catchers or Stingrays. Stingray devices mimic legitimate cell towers to trick phones into connecting, allowing them to capture sensitive data, accurately geolocate users, and potentially intercept communications. With the release […]
UK watchdog probes TikTok and Reddit over child privacy concerns
On Monday, the United Kingdom’s privacy watchdog announced that it’s investigating TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur because of privacy concerns about how they are processing children’s data. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says it’s now looking into how TikTok uses children’s data to make recommendations that could lead to inappropriate or harmful content being added to their […]
New WinRAR version strips Windows metadata to increase privacy
WinRAR 7.10 was released yesterday with numerous features, such as larger memory pages, a dark mode, and the ability to fine-tune how Windows Mark-of-the-Web flags are propagated when extracting files. WinRAR is a popular file archiver and compression tool for Windows that allows users to create, extract, and manage compressed files, primarily in RAR, ZIP, […]
Microsoft to remove the Location History feature in Windows
Microsoft announced the deprecation of the Location History feature from Windows, which let applications like the Cortana virtual assistant to fetch location history of the device. By deprecating and removing the feature means that the data will no longer be saved locally and the setting will disappear from the operating system (Windows 10 and 11). […]
X now blocks Signal contact links, flags them as malicious
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is now blocking links to “Signal.me,” a URL used by the Signal encrypted messaging to share your account info with another person. According to GeekFeed’s tests and other users’ reports, attempting to post Signal.me links via public posts, direct messages, or profile bios receive error messages citing spam or […]
Brave now lets you inject custom JavaScript to tweak websites
Brave Browser is getting a new feature called ‘custom scriptlets’ that lets advanced users inject their own JavaScript into websites, allowing deep customization and control over their browsing experience. The new feature is coming in Brave Browser version 1.75 for the desktop and is very similar to the popular TamperMonkey and GreaseMonkey browser extensions, which allow users to create […]
Microsoft kills off Defender ‘Privacy Protection’ VPN feature
Microsoft announced it is killing off its Privacy Protection VPN feature in the Microsoft Defender app at the end of the month to focus on other features. The tech giant’s announcement does not give a detailed explanation as to why the feature is being deprecated. However, the wording indicates the feature is not being heavily used, and the […]
Brave Search now lets users ‘Rerank’ results from favorite sites
Brave Search has introduced a new feature called Rerank, which allows users to define search results ordering preferences and set specific sites rank higher. Brave Search is a privacy-focused search tool created by Brave Software, which uses its own web index to generate search results. It is marketed as a privacy-first alternative to Google or Bing search […]
Cloudflare CDN flaw leaks user location data, even through secure chat apps
A security researcher discovered a flaw in Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), which could expose a person’s general location by simply sending them an image on platforms like Signal and Discord. While the geo-locating capability of the attack is not precise enough for street-level tracking, it can provide enough data to infer what geographic region a […]