Privacy articles

European policymakers finally plan to fix the cookie banner headache they created

Why it matters: More than a decade ago, Europe rewrote internet rules which effectively forced the entire internet to adopt stricter rules on cookie consent by amending the ePrivacy Directive. Since 2009, from big tech giants, to small personal blogs, and virtually any internet-based organization had to display a "cookie banner" to first-time visitors. Collectively, European users spend an estimated 575 hours every year clicking through those pesky prompts.

Google faces unprecedented order to hand over search data to rivals

Which browser first introduced private/incognito mode?

There has never been a successful, widespread malware attack against iPhone, claims Apple

Encrypted email provider Tuta warns EU privacy is at risk with Chat Control law

Ransomware hackers threaten to feed stolen art to AI companies

Jury orders Google to pay $425 million for unlawfully tracking millions of users

Disney fined $10M by FTC for mislabeling kids' videos on YouTube

Gen Z pushes back against smart glasses and cameras over privacy fears

Age checks spread across the US as critics warn of privacy and free speech risks

Free Chrome VPN extension turns malicious, silently recording user activity

Former employee accuses Meta of inflating ad metrics and sidestepping rules

Russia orders state-backed Max messaging app preinstalled on all devices

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could feature built-in privacy screen to block snoopers

Clear launches biometric eGates at major US airports ahead of 2026 World Cup

Apple wins fight as as UK abandons Apple iCloud backdoor mandate

Stanford's brain-computer interface turns inner speech into spoken words

Radar captures subtle cellphone vibrations to eavesdrop on calls from several feet away

Something to look forward to: Researchers at Penn State University have demonstrated a new method of remote surveillance that enables the reconstruction of phone conversations using the subtle vibrations generated by a cellphone's earpiece. This technique, known as wireless tapping, uses millimeter wave radar sensors to detect and interpret these minute vibrations from distances of up to ten feet.

Perplexity AI apparently just offered Google $34.5 billion to buy Chrome

Swedish prime minister admits to using AI chatbots for insight on political decisions

Thousands of private ChatGPT conversations found via Google search after feature mishap

Google search flaw allows articles to vanish through "clever" censorship tactics

Trump administration's digital health tracking system gives tech giants access to medical records

Forward-looking: The Trump administration wants the US public to upload personal health data and medical records to a series of apps and systems managed by private health companies and tech giants. The move is supposed to allow easier access to health records across the nation, bringing personal healthcare into the digital age, but there are plenty of concerns about the security of the data and the possibility that it could be exploited.

Brits are circumventing UK age verification with VPNs and Death Stranding photos

Cutting corners: When the United Kingdom began strictly enforcing age verification rules on all adult websites, many predicted a spike in VPN usage – and provider Proton now has the data to prove it. But another unusual and amusing workaround has also emerged.

Privacy apps Signal, Brave, and AdGuard push back against Windows Recall