Latest posts

  • AI allows hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts, study finds

    New research suggests tech behind AI platforms such as ChatGPT makes it easier to perform sophisticated privacy attacks AI has made it vastly easier for malicious hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts, a new study has warned. In most test scenarios, large language models (LLMs) – the technology behind platforms such as ChatGPT –…

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  • Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more

    A handful of companies monopolise the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives There’s not much to love about big tech these days. So many ills can be laid at its door: social media harms, misinformation, polarisation, mining and misuse of personal…

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  • ‘It’s really sad’: US TikTok users rethink app over concerns about privacy and censorship

    Some users are stepping away from the app after it made a deal to create a US entity and updated terms and conditions Many TikTok users across the US say they’re rethinking their relationship with the platform since its ownership and terms and conditions have recently changed, with some citing censorship and lack of trust…

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  • US authorities reportedly investigate claims that Meta can read encrypted WhatsApp messages

    A lawsuit filed last week alleges tech firm ‘can access virtually all’ private communications, a claim the company has denied US authorities have reportedly investigated claims that Meta can read users’ encrypted chats on the WhatsApp messaging platform, which it owns. The reports follow a lawsuit filed last week, which claimed Meta “can access virtually…

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  • Why I gave the world wide web away for free | Tim Berners-Lee

    My vision was based on sharing, not exploitation – and here’s why it’s still worth fighting for I was 34 years old when I first had the idea for the world wide web. I took every opportunity to talk about it: pitching it in meetings, sketching it out on a whiteboard for anyone who was…

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  • Starmer to unveil digital ID cards in plan set to ignite civil liberties row

    ‘Brit card’ already facing opposition from privacy campaigners as government looks for ways to tackle illegal immigration All working adults will need digital ID cards under plans to be announced by Keir Starmer, in a move that will spark a battle with civil liberties campaigners. The prime minister will set out the measures on Friday…

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  • Hackers reportedly steal pictures of 8,000 children from Kido nursery chain

    Firm, which has 18 sites around London and more in US, India and China, has received ransom demand, say reports The names, pictures and addresses of about 8,000 children have reportedly been stolen from the Kido nursery chain by a gang of cybercriminals. The criminals have demanded a ransom from the company – which has…

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  • US border patrol collected DNA from thousands of US citizens for years, data shows

    CBP officers took DNA samples from about 2,000 citizens, some as young as 14 and many who never faced criminal charges, new analysis shows In March 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen was traveling through Chicago’s Midway airport when they were stopped by US border patrol agents. Though charged with no crime, the 25-year-old was subjected…

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  • A third of UK firms using ‘bossware’ to monitor workers’ activity, survey reveals

    Research suggests increase in office snooping in trend that some managers claim undermines trust with staff How employers are gathering Australian workers’ data Share your experience of tech surveillance at work in the UK A third of UK employers are using “bossware” technology to track workers’ activity with the most common methods including monitoring emails…

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