All news with #privacy engineering tag

🔎 Meta is prototyping facial recognition systems intended for use by police and military, reportedly working with a Pentagon supplier to develop tools that can identify people in real time. The project follows longstanding interest from agencies like ICE in deploying camera-equipped eyewear and other devices for live identification. Concerns persist about privacy, accuracy, and potential misuse as the company explores real-time identification capabilities.

📄 Ten years after the GDPR came into force, data protection is far more established across Europe and beyond, raising consumer awareness and making privacy a competitive factor for businesses. Record fines against major tech firms underline enforcement seriousness, even as many penalties remain disputed. Companies increasingly view the regulation as burdensome and legally uncertain, complicating innovation, notably in AI development.

🔒 Google announced new privacy controls that separate saved history and personalization for Search services and Google Play, rolling out in users' Google Accounts in the coming days. The update creates distinct Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings, and similarly splits Play History and Personalization in Play. If Web & App Activity is on, the new Search Services History and its Save Media subsetting will be enabled after transition, but users can disable or delete saved media later.

🔒 Wearables raise acute privacy concerns for professional athletes because biometric data can directly affect livelihoods. While such data can aid training and injury prevention, access by coaches, teams, or leagues risks misuse in discipline, contract negotiations, and betting markets. Experts warn commercialization could enable gamblers and teams to exploit sensitive signals like sleep or heart rate, and aging or injured players may be most vulnerable. Legal and ethical safeguards remain unresolved.

📰 The UK’s information commissioner, John Edwards, resigned on June 19 after an internal HR investigation concluded there was a case to answer for conduct that fell short of expected standards. Secretary of state Liz Kendall cited vulgar, sexualized language and thanked those who came forward. The ICO reiterated its commitment to a safe workplace and said it does not accept harassment, bullying or discrimination. Edwards acknowledged poor judgement, described his role as untenable and announced his resignation.

🔒 Apple is changing the domain used for newly generated Hide My Email aliases from "@icloud.com" to "@private.icloud.com", a tweak that has drawn criticism from privacy-minded users. The shift makes generated addresses identifiable as aliases, potentially allowing sites to block anonymous sign-ups. Existing aliases will continue to function, while new ones will be issued on the new domain later this summer. Users warned this could reduce the feature's effectiveness for anonymity.

🔒 Google has notified advertisers it will begin using IP addresses to identify devices for ad measurement and personalization across the EEA, UK and Switzerland on or shortly after August 3, 2026. The change repurposes IPs — already transmitted to route traffic and deliver ads — for purposes that trigger consent requirements under UK and EU law. Google will register for IAB Europe TCF Feature 3 and says it will rely on privacy-enhancing technologies while offering later user choices on its properties. Advertisers remain responsible for obtaining valid consent under Google’s EU User Consent Policy.

🔒 The UK will ban under-16s from social media and require age checks for new accounts, likely via ID upload or facial age scans, with regulations due before Christmas and rules effective spring 2027. Longstanding accounts are largely grandfathered, but new account creation will typically need verification. Experts warn checks are easy to circumvent, risk exposing ID/biometric data, and were pushed through with limited scrutiny. The government cites parental support and aims to restrict high-risk features and certain AI chatbot functions.

📷 Multiple instances nationwide show police using the Flock surveillance camera system to obsessively and illegally stalk individuals. Reports indicate over a dozen cases where the system has been misapplied, raising privacy and civil rights concerns. The pattern highlights how persistent surveillance technologies can be abused without adequate oversight. Flock deployments and law enforcement practices are facing increased scrutiny.

🛡️ The FCC has proposed a rule that would eliminate so-called burner phones by requiring telecom providers to collect and retain detailed personal information from virtually all phone customers. The rule would mandate submission of government-issued ID numbers, physical addresses, and additional data for business and foreign accounts, raising alarm among privacy and civil rights advocates. Supporters argue the changes target scammers and illicit activity, while critics warn of significant privacy, surveillance, and cybersecurity consequences if carriers must store this expanded dataset.

🔒 The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) fined e-commerce firm Coupang 624.6 billion won (~$409M) after a major data breach that exposed about 37.55 million people’s information. A subsidiary, Coupang Fulfillment Service, was also fined 248 million won for unlawful handling of personal and sensitive data. Investigators cited poor authentication key management, inadequate access controls, delayed breach disclosure, interference with the data protection officer’s independence, and obstruction of the probe.

🔎 A surveillance company proposes adding Bluetooth sensors to automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) so devices could capture both license plates and unique identifiers from phones, wearables, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Called SignalTrace, the technology would enable ALPRs to move from vehicle tracking to more direct tracking of specific people. ALPRs are widespread across the U.S., and SignalTrace would significantly increase the scope of data collected. While concerning, the proposal highlights broader issues given how much data smartphones already gather.

🔒 Meta announced it will repurpose information businesses share about users' activity off its platforms to personalize Feed content and AI chatbot responses, expanding beyond targeted ads. The company said no new data collection is involved and that users can control this through an updated "Activity from other businesses" setting, replacing "Your activity off Meta technologies." The change will roll out next month in the U.S. and several other countries.

🔒 Brave Software released Brave Origin, a paid, minimalist edition of its browser that omits cryptocurrency, AI, rewards, and monetization-focused features. The company positions Origin for users seeking a streamlined, privacy-focused experience while retaining core protections like Brave Shields. Origin is available as a standalone download or as an upgrade for existing installations, priced at a one-time $59.99 for up to 10 devices (free on Linux).

🔒 Proton struggles to block criminals while preserving its core privacy guarantees. COO Raphael Auphan explained that the service cannot access encrypted message contents or geolocate users due to its end-to-end encryption model. Instead, Proton invests in account-level and behavioral defenses, including ML models to detect bot-driven sign-ups and abuse. Lawful takedown requests are handled only after Swiss authorities vet and validate them.

🔒 Children face lasting identity and privacy risks online from school accounts, gaming profiles, apps and devices. These data can be exploited for fraud or synthetic identity creation, often remaining undetected for years. Parents, schools and vendors all share responsibility; practical steps include data minimization, strong passwords, MFA, privacy settings, parental controls and credit freezes.

🩺 Generative AI chatbots are increasingly used for health questions, but they carry significant risks ranging from incorrect diagnoses to privacy exposures. Users may unknowingly share sensitive medical details that could be used for model training or passed to third parties. Health-focused services vary in their data-handling promises, and most consumer chatbots are not covered by HIPAA. Follow practical precautions and always verify AI advice with qualified medical professionals.

🔍 This post argues that many on-camera "age verification" schemes are not primarily about keeping minors out but about deanonymizing critics and giving governments a pretext to deny platform access. It notes real-world abuses such as attempts to de-bank protesters and explains why complete failure to exclude minors is unsurprising when that is not the objective. The piece also links related technical developments — from provocative zero-knowledge research to hard drive firmware reverse engineering — that change the threat landscape and raise questions about hardware attestation and vendor control.

👓 Smart glasses are returning with advanced sensors and AI, creating new privacy and security challenges for users and bystanders. They can record or livestream covertly and feed footage to AI systems for face recognition and data retrieval, enabling stalking, fraud, and surveillance. Platform policies and outsourced review raise additional exposure. Mitigations include updates, permissions control, MFA, and disabling AI training where possible.

⚖️ NOYB has filed a complaint in an Austrian court arguing that LinkedIn’s paywalled "Who’s Viewed Your Profile" feature violates GDPR Article 15 by denying EU users free access to profile-visitor data. The group says LinkedIn refuses Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) from non-paying users while providing the same information to Premium subscribers. LinkedIn rejects the claim, saying it discloses the information via its Privacy Policy and that users can control visibility settings. NOYB seeks regulatory enforcement and potential fines to stop what it calls illegal monetization of access rights.