The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It

Posted on by GadgetComa

If the capabilities of this technology doesn’t scare you enough, the idea that Peter Thiel is helping finance it should.

A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says. Until recently, Hoan Ton-That’s greatest hits included an obscure iPhone game and an app that let people put Donald Trump’s distinctive yellow hair on their own photos.

Read the full article at www.nytimes.com.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials Returns to Safari – The Mac Observer

Posted on by GadgetComa

F*ck Google. Search with privacy.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials is a Safari extension that blocks trackers and provides a privacy dashboard for each website you visit. Due to changes in Safari 12 the company had to remove and retool the extension, but now it’s back with Safari 13.

Read the full article at www.macobserver.com.

Think You’ve Got Your Credit Freezes Covered? Think Again.

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This is infuriating! Equifax has a handy little backdoor way of getting around credit freezes to still make money off of our data. (Not to mention the other companies that have easy access without much oversight.)

I spent a few days last week speaking at and attending a conference on responding to identity theft. The forum was held in Florida, one of the major epicenters for identity fraud complaints in United States.

Read the full article at krebsonsecurity.com.

Facebook To Offer Users Opt-Outs That Comply With New European Privacy Rules

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It will be interesting to watch how Facebook’s compliance with GDPR works and if it passes muster with the EU. Significant violations could result in a fine as large as 4% of gross revenue. That’s going to hurt.

Facebook on Wednesday announced it is introducing “new privacy experiences” aimed at complying with European Union regulations that will give users worldwide a chance to opt out of some features that could expose their personal data.

Read the full article at www.npr.org.

OMG! WiFi has been hacked! The World is Ending!

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Sorry for the drama, but I needed to get your attention. Over the next several days (likely starting today), you’re going to hear breathless stories from all sorts of media outlets (newspapers, cable news, Twitter, etc.) saying that most WiFi connections can easily be hacked.

DON’T PANIC.*

Researchers have found a flaw that could allow hacking of the most-used type of WiFi. But, they don’t believe hackers are using this technique yet. Also, most people should think about how likely it is that someone would try to hack their home WiFi. Read more

Has Your Facebook Account Really Been Hacked?

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Imitation is the Insincerest Form of Fakery.

Chances are pretty good that you’ve either seen Facebook friend requests from someone you’re already friends with or you’ve received questions from your Facebook friends asking why you’re requesting to be their friend again. Confusing and scary, huh? Has Facebook been hacked? Does someone have your password? Is your memory going? Most likely, none of these apply (well, okay, I can’t confirm that you aren’t losing your memory…). So, what’s really going on? Read more