privacy
FTC orders GM to stop collecting and selling driver’s data
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against General Motors (GM) and its subsidiary, OnStar, for unlawful collection and selling drivers’ precise geolocation and driving behavior data from millions of vehicles. The U.S. government organization proposes a settlement in which the automotive giant will be barred from sharing drivers’ sensitive data for five years. The car […]
GDPR complaints filed against TikTok, Temu for sending user data to China
Non-profit privacy advocacy group “None of Your Business” (noyb) has filed six complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat, and Xiaomi, for unlawfully transferring European user’s data to China and infringing European Union’s general data protection regulation (GDPR). Founded by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, NOYB works through legal action against companies that violate users’ privacy rights, particularly in […]
Allstate car insurer sued for tracking drivers without permission
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Allstate and its data subsidiary Arity for unlawfully collecting, using, and selling driving data from over 45 million Americans. The two companies are accused of paying millions of dollars to app developers to embed tracking code in widely used mobile apps to gather the location […]
Telegram hands over data on thousands of users to US law enforcement
Telegram reveals that the communications platform has fulfilled 900 U.S. government requests, sharing the phone number or IP address information of 2,253 users with law enforcement. This number is a steep increase from previous years, with most requests processed after the platform’s policy shift on sharing user data, announced in September 2024. While Telegram has long been […]
Apple offers $95 million in Siri privacy violation settlement
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit in the U.S. alleging that its Siri assistant recorded private conversations and shared them with third parties. The proposed lawsuit alleges that the audio data was disclosed without users’ consent to a network of third-party marketers and advertisers. Users complained of being targeted on their […]
Tor needs 200 new WebTunnel bridges to fight censorship
The Tor Project has put out an urgent call to the privacy community asking volunteers to help deploy 200 new WebTunnel bridges by the end of the year to fight government censorship. Currently, the Tor Project operates 143 WebTunnel bridges, which help users in heavily censored regions bypass internet access restrictions and website blocks. This […]
Brave on iOS adds new “Shred” button to wipe site-specific data
Brave Browser 1.71 for iOS introduces a new privacy-focused feature called “Shred,” which allows users to easily delete site-specific mobile browsing data. Many sites use first-party cookies for paywall systems and usage limits, which technically enables user tracking across sessions and makes this data susceptible to sharing with third parties. Brave’s new Shred feature works […]
Signal introduces convenient “call links” for private group chats
The Signal messenger application has announced a set of new features aimed at making private group chats more convenient and easier for people to join. The highlight feature announced is “call links,” which allow users to create and share links with other Signal users without needing to create a group chat. The links can be […]
Telegram now shares users’ IP and phone number on legal requests
Telegram will now share users’ phone numbers and IP addresses with law enforcement if they are found to be violating the platform’s rules following a valid legal request. According to a newly updated privacy policy announced by CEO Pavel Durov on Monday, Telegram will comply with such requests only after receiving a valid court order confirming that […]
Tor says it’s “still safe” amid reports of police deanonymizing users
The Tor Project is attempting to assure users that the network is still safe after a recent investigative report warned that law enforcement from Germany and other countries are working together to deanonymize users through timing attacks. The team behind the specialized web browser claims that adequate protections are in place for those using the […]