smart city Exposed Chinese Smart City Database Leaks Facial Recognition Scans A publicly accessible database hosted on Alibaba Cloud reveals how smart city technology collects and stores sensitive facial recognition data on hundreds of residents.
mueller report Mueller Report Reveals Encrypted Apps Hindered Trump Investigation The Mueller report highlights how Trump associates and Russian hackers use encrypted and self-destructing messaging apps to evade investigative scrutiny. Unlike other law enforcement officials, Mueller simply notes this obstacle without attacking the technology companies.
iot inspector Princeton Researchers Develop Open Source Tool to Monitor Smart Home Privacy A new web app called IoT Inspector allows users to easily monitor their smart home devices to see if they are secretly sending data to third parties. The Princeton University research team also uses the collected network traffic to study IoT security and privacy risks.
facebook Facebook Spends $20 Million on Zuckerberg's Personal Security in 2018 Facebook pays over $20 million for Mark Zuckerberg's personal security in 2018, nearly tripling the previous year's costs amid heightened public scrutiny. Sheryl Sandberg also receives millions for her own protection detail.
algorithmic accountability act New Algorithmic Accountability Act Demands Bias Testing for Big Tech Democratic lawmakers introduce the Algorithmic Accountability Act, a bill that requires large tech companies to evaluate their automated systems for bias and discrimination. The legislation routes regulatory enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission.
twitter Twitter Slashes Daily Follow Limit to 400 to Combat Spam Twitter reduces the maximum number of accounts users can follow daily from 1,000 to 400 to stop aggressive spam tactics. The change follows recent API bans for services that automate bulk following and unfollowing.
self-sovereign identity Decentralized Self-Sovereign Identity Promises to End Traditional Documents Self-sovereign identity aims to put control of personal documents like passports and driver's licenses directly into the hands of individuals through decentralized technology. This system replaces physical paperwork with cryptographic attestations stored on a shared global network.
cloudflare Cloudflare Launches Warp, a Mobile VPN Designed to Speed Up Connections Cloudflare introduces Warp, a new VPN service that aims to improve mobile internet speeds while adding security and privacy. The service targets everyday users rather than power users seeking to bypass geographic restrictions.
cloudflare Cloudflare Introduces Warp, a Free Mobile VPN Designed to Boost Speed Cloudflare launches Warp, a free mobile VPN service that protects user traffic while actually improving internet speeds. The service is available now through the existing 1.1.1.1 app via a waitlist.
proxy Proxy Raises $13.6M to Build a Bluetooth Identity Layer Proxy emerges from stealth with a $13.6 million Series A to replace office badges with a privacy-focused Bluetooth identity system. The startup aims to let users seamlessly unlock doors and customize devices without extracting their phones.
voting machines Senators Demand Answers From Voting Machine Giants Over Security Flaws Four senior senators pressure top U.S. voting machine makers to explain why they sell insecure, outdated devices ahead of the 2020 election. The lawmakers demand to know why these companies lack paper ballot options despite controlling most of the market.
data leak Exposed Server Leaks Real-Time Locations of Over 238,000 Family Tracking App Users A popular family tracking app called Family Locator exposes highly sensitive real-time locations and plaintext passwords for hundreds of thousands of users due to an unprotected database. The developer remains unresponsive despite efforts to report the massive security breach.
facebook Facebook Exposes Hundreds of Millions of User Passwords in Plaintext Facebook admits to storing hundreds of millions of user passwords in readable plaintext since 2012. The company claims no internal abuse occurred, though thousands of employees had potential access to the unprotected data.
facebook Facebook Exposes Hundreds of Millions of User Passwords in Plaintext Facebook admits to storing hundreds of millions of user passwords in readable plaintext format since 2012. The company claims no internal abuse occurred, but the massive security lapse affects Facebook Lite, Facebook, and Instagram users.
china Leaked Database Exposes Massive Real-Time Tracking of Millions in Xinjiang A security researcher discovers an exposed database that live-tracks 2.6 million residents in Xinjiang, revealing the true extent of China's digital surveillance state.