privacy
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 […]
Proton VPN adds ‘Discreet Icons’ to hide app on Android devices
Proton VPN has announced a series of updates to its Windows and Android apps to help users combat censorship, circumvent blocks, and protect themselves from authoritarian governments due to using forbidden tools. One of the standout features is ‘Discreet Icon,’ a new setting allowing users to disguise the Proton VPN app icon and make it […]
macOS Sequoia brings better Gatekeeper, stalkerware protections
Apple’s macOS Sequoia, now in beta testing, will make it harder to bypass Gatekeeper warnings and add system alerts for potential stalkerware threats. Gatekeeper is a security feature that checks all apps downloaded from the Internet to see if they’re developer-signed (approved by Apple) and notarized by checking an extended attribute named com.apple.quarantine that is […]
US sues TikTok for violating children privacy protection laws
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against popular social media platform TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, alleging widespread violations of children’s privacy laws. This lawsuit alleges that TikTok collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Since 2019, TikTok has also […]
X begins training Grok AI with your posts, here’s how to disable
X has quietly begun training its Grok AI chat platform using members’ public posts without first alerting anyone that it is doing it by default. As AI platforms war for dominance, they are constantly seeking data to train their large language models (LLMs). This makes your data very valuable. However, instead of asking for permission, most platforms use […]