Tag Archives: privacy

If you’re reading this, then you — or someone you know — was probably affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach that exposed personal data of 147 million people to hackers. (To check if you were part of the breach — and therefore eligible to file claims to recover expenses and losses — go to the …

It’s the social media hoax that won’t die. Since the beginning of the week, celebrities, politicians and everyday folks have fallen for a ruse about supposed changes coming to Instagram’s privacy policies. The practical joke declares IG is implementing a “rule where they can use your photos.” Though the head of the Facebook-owned service has debunked the hoax post, people …

Microsoft’s contractors listened in on Xbox players using Cortana voice control features, Vice reported Wednesday. Voice data was also captured from the Kinect system’s voice commands prior to Cortana being added in 2016, according to the report. Microsoft last week revealed that humans could be listening to “short snippets” of voice conversations on its audio services, including Skype and virtual …

Google’s Chrome team on Thursday proposed a “privacy sandbox” that’s designed to give us the best of both worlds: ads that publishers can target toward our interests but that don’t infringe our privacy. It’s a major development in an area where Chrome, the dominant browser, has lagged competitors. Browsers already include security sandboxes, restrictions designed to confine malware and limit …

YouTube will stop running targeted ads on videos aimed at kids, according to a Tuesday news report. Officials at the video sharing site are currently finalizing the plans, three people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.  The US Federal Trade Commission began investigating whether YouTube violates children’s online privacy laws following calls from consumer privacy groups and politicians. The advocates asked the FTC …

Facebook said Tuesday it’s rolling out a long-awaited privacy feature that will let users clear information from apps and websites they browse outside of the social network.  The world’s largest social media giant collects a trove of information about the 2.4 billion people who log into its site every month, allowing businesses to better target ads at potential customers. The …

Microsoft released the first beta version of its overhauled Edge web browser Tuesday — and it wants you to help squash its bugs to smooth the way for the mainstream release in coming months. Microsoft’s new Edge is built on top of Chromium, Google’s open-source browser foundation for Chrome. The new Edge beta is available for Windows 7, Windows 10 …

Google is apparently tightening its grip on some Android data. The search giant shut down its Mobile Network Insights service, which provided wireless carriers with data on signal strengths and connection speeds in their coverage areas, according to Reuters.  Google reportedly decided to shutter the program over concerns that sharing this Android data could draw further scrutiny from users and …

Microsoft has revealed that humans could be listening to “short snippets” of voice conversations on its audio services like Skype and virtual assistant Cortana, Motherboard reported Wednesday. Microsoft confirmed the report saying the disclosure came in an update to its privacy statement. The news comes a week after Motherboard reported that Microsoft contractors listen to recordings of some Skype conversations and …

Website publishers and companies that show ads on them can track you from one site to another, creating a profile on your interests intended to show ads more targeted toward your likely interests. But that can significantly impair your privacy, and browsers are starting to crack down. Apple on Wednesday published a policy governing how its Safari browser will block …