Privacy
Thank Zuck it's Friday #10 - Google as the privacy good guy and Darktrace IPO
One member down this week, the Computing team tackle the latest Test and Trace app bungle and the controversies around Darktrace's now-confirmed IPO
EU set to ban AI use for 'indiscriminate surveillance'
The draft proposal would also ban algorithms that judge people's trustworthiness based on their social behaviour
Apple and Google block NHS Covid-19 app update over privacy issues
Apple and Google's Exposure Notification API specifically disallows asking people to share their location data
Home Office is creating a 'super database' on people's race, health and biometrics, report
Data collected also includes people's names, location details, identification numbers and online identifiers
Facebook has no plans to notify 533 million users affected by data leak
The company says it is not confident that it has full visibility on which users will need to be informed
Open Rights Group demands Home Office transparency on end-to-end encryption
The Home Office is allegedly considering measures to compel Facebook to break encryption on its messaging apps
Facebook data on 533 million users dumped on hacking forum
The company says this is old data previously reported in 2019
Government backs down over NHS deal with Palantir
Victory for openDemocracy as the government promises public consultation before expanding Palantir's contract
Facebook is building a kids version of Instagram for children under 13
It will likely be similar to the Messenger Kids which was launched in 2017 for children aged between 6 to 12 years
Would you pay to use a search engine? A UK startup is betting you will
Better Internet Search seeks a new ad-free funding model
DuckDuckGo calls out Google over user data collection
'Spying has nothing to do with building a great web browser or search engine,' said the Google rival
Federal judge slaps down Google's motion to dismiss lawsuit
The case of Brown v. Google claims the search giant tracks users without their consent
Home Office and ISPs have been testing new mass surveillance tool in secret for two years
The tests are being conducted under the controversial Investigatory Powers Act
Has GDPR failed because of a lack of will to enforce it?
'The Commission is not serious about it; the member states are not serious about and activists aren't serious about it either' says Johnny Ryan of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties during a roundtable debate
Thank Zuck it's Friday #5 - Budget, Vaccine passports and Browser tracking
The Computing team discuss the week's top technology news, including Rishi Sunak's latest budget, the argument around vaccine passports, and Google's intention to stop selling ads based on tracked browser history
The pitfalls and opportunities of a digital health passport
Political, social and privacy concerns stand in the way of what, on the face of it, seems like a quick and easy solution to fixing the global economy
Google plans to stop selling ads based on tracked browsing history
Google says its new approach will enhance privacy, but critics say it moves essential parts of the open web into the firm's walled garden
Facebook ordered to pay $650m to settle facial recognition lawsuit
Settlement of class-action lawsuit one of the largest ever for privacy violation
Thank Zuck it's Friday #3 - Data adequacy, Darktrace and 'spy pixels'
Join the Computing team for episode three of the podcast that gives you the lowdown on the hottest tech news of the week
'Spy pixels' in emails can track engagement and location
Even UK regulator the ICO was found to use tracking pixels
Rights groups seek ban on biometric surveillance
'Biometric mass surveillance brings Internet-style omnipresent tracking to the offline world' say campaigners
CBP scanned 23 million faces in 2020, and didn't find a single imposter
Despite scanning millions of people, Customs and Border Protection failed to identify anyone trying to enter the USA under a false ID
Tiny favicons can be utilised to track users' movements online
Favicons can store a unique ID which is not easily cleared by a user and which can bypass VPNs and other privacy tools
Facebook sued in UK for Cambridge Analytica scandal
The class action lawsuit seeks damages from Facebook over a failure to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998