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Tag: privacy

Josh Centers 12 comments

Apple Improves the AirTag “Unwanted Tracking” Sound

Apple has released an AirTag firmware update that makes it easier to hear the alert sound from an unwanted AirTag.

Josh Centers No comments

A New York Times Reporter Tracked Her Husband’s Every Move. Here’s What She Learned

New York Times privacy reporter Kashmir Hill used an AirTag, a Tile, and a GPS device to track her husband’s every move (with his consent). It’s a fascinating story of how well the different products worked and how creepy it felt.

Adam Engst No comments

Apple Explains How It Will Address AirTag Privacy Issues

Media reports of AirTags being abused by criminals have stirred controversy. Apple has published a brief but detailed plan on how it is addressing privacy concerns.

Josh Centers No comments

FBI Purchased Now-Banned NSO Group Spyware

An extensive New York Times investigation has revealed that the FBI bought the controversial Pegasus spyware in 2019 but never used it.

Glenn Fleishman 4 comments

New Apple Guide Offers Personal Safety Advice

Apple has consolidated advice shared across many of its support documents and user manuals into one relatively concise guide. While welcome, it has room to improve.

Glenn Fleishman 90 comments

AirTags: Hidden Stalking Menace or Latest Overblown Urban Myth?

Mainstream and technology media report that stalkers and criminals use AirTags to track unsuspecting people and aid in car theft. Do a handful of anecdotes truly reveal a broader pattern?

Josh Centers 17 comments

Verizon Collecting Browsing Data On Users

If you’re a Verizon customer, the company has likely already enrolled you in its new “Custom Experience” data-collection scheme, but you can turn it off and delete the collected data.

Josh Centers 7 comments

Life360 Family Tracking App Is Selling Its Customers’ Precise Location Data

The Life360 app lets subscribers see where their friends and family members are at all times, but unfortunately, the company is also selling access to that data to data brokers that repackage and resell it widely.

Josh Centers 13 comments

Cut Down on Junk Mail with iCloud+’s Hide My Email

The new Hide My Email feature of iCloud+ helps you avoid junk email by creating disposable forwarding addresses when you sign up for websites and apps. Here’s how to take advantage of it.

Josh Centers 5 comments

Remember, Communication Services Cannot Guarantee Privacy

No matter how private a communication service may claim to be, it’s only as private as its weakest link, as two recent stories illustrate.

Josh Centers 3 comments

Jamf’s Quick Guide to Which iOS Permissions Apps Really Need

Many iOS apps ask your permission to access things like the camera and microphone. But which of those permissions do they really need?

Adam Engst 74 comments

New CSAM Detection Details Emerge Following Craig Federighi Interview

In an interview with Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company would be applying “multiple levels of auditability” to its controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection system. What are they? Another new Apple document explains.

Glenn Fleishman Rich Mogull 114 comments

FAQ about Apple’s Expanded Protections for Children

Apple is piercing the privacy veil on our devices to protect children. The company claims its efforts won’t open up a Pandora’s Box in the interests of averting sexual exploitation of children or recognition of sexual material handled by children under 18 when a parent wants oversight. But it’s a big change from its previous absolutist stance in favor of user privacy.

Glenn Fleishman 18 comments

Apple Extends Privacy Protections to Traffic Leaving Its Walled Garden

New services and features in operating systems coming later this year will improve security and privacy for everyone using Apple products, even outside the Apple walled-garden ecosystem. iCloud+ even adds anonymized browsing.

Adam Engst No comments

TikTok Amends Privacy Policy to Allow Collection of Biometric Identifiers and Information

It should come as no surprise that TikTok collects a vast amount of data from its users. Now the company is being more upfront about some of that biometric data. Transparent, but creepy.