Category: privacy

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Zoom’s Commitment to User Security Depends on Whether you Pay It or Not

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, encryption, privacy, Security technology, securitypolicies, videoconferencing

Zoom was doing so well…. And now we have this: Corporate clients will get access to Zoom’s end-to-end encryption service now being developed, but Yuan said free users won’t enjoy that level of privacy, which makes it impossible for third parties to decipher communications. “Free users for sure we don’t want to give that because … Read More “Zoom’s Commitment to User Security Depends on Whether you Pay It or Not” »

Bart Gellman on Snowden

Posted on By infossl
books, edwardsnowden, nsa, operationalsecurity, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

Bart Gellman’s long-awaited (at least by me) book on Edward Snowden, Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State, will finally be published in a couple of weeks. There is an adapted excerpt in the Atlantic. It’s an interesting read, mostly about the government surveillance of him and other journalists. He speaks about an … Read More “Bart Gellman on Snowden” »

Another California Data Privacy Law

Posted on By infossl
dataprotection, laws, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

The California Consumer Privacy Act is a lesson in missed opportunities. It was passed in haste, to stop a ballot initiative that would have been even more restrictive: In September 2017, Alastair Mactaggart and Mary Ross proposed a statewide ballot initiative entitled the “California Consumer Privacy Act.” Ballot initiatives are a process under California law … Read More “Another California Data Privacy Law” »

Me on COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps

Posted on By infossl
baserate, bluetooth, covid19, falsenegatives, falsepositives, gps, identification, medicine, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, tracing

I was quoted in BuzzFeed: “My problem with contact tracing apps is that they have absolutely no value,” Bruce Schneier, a privacy expert and fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, told BuzzFeed News. “I’m not even talking about the privacy concerns, I mean the efficacy. Does anybody think … Read More “Me on COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps” »

How Did Facebook Beat a Federal Wiretap Demand?

Posted on By infossl
aclu, courts, crime, eavesdropping, encryption, facebook, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

This is interesting: Facebook Inc. in 2018 beat back federal prosecutors seeking to wiretap its encrypted Messenger app. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to find out how. The entire proceeding was confidential, with only the result leaking to the press. Lawyers for the ACLU and the Washington Post on Tuesday asked a … Read More “How Did Facebook Beat a Federal Wiretap Demand?” »

Global Surveillance in the Wake of COVID-19

Posted on By infossl
covid19, facerecognition, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, tracking

OneZero is tracking thirty countries around the world who are implementing surveillance programs in the wake of COVID-19: The most common form of surveillance implemented to battle the pandemic is the use of smartphone location data, which can track population-level movement down to enforcing individual quarantines. Some governments are making apps that offer coronavirus health … Read More “Global Surveillance in the Wake of COVID-19” »

California Needlessly Reduces Privacy During COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on By infossl
breaches, covid19, medicine, privacy, Security technology

This one isn’t even related to contact tracing: On March 17, 2020, the federal government relaxed a number of telehealth-related regulatory requirements due to COVID-19. On April 3, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-43-20 (the Order), which relaxes various telehealth reporting requirements, penalties, and enforcements otherwise imposed under state laws, including those … Read More “California Needlessly Reduces Privacy During COVID-19 Pandemic” »

Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps

Posted on By infossl
apple, covid19, epidemiology, google, privacy, Security technology, tracing, tracking

Google and Apple have announced a joint project to create a privacy-preserving COVID-19 contact tracing app. (Details, such as we have them, are here.) It’s similar to the app being developed at MIT, and similar to others being described and developed elsewhere. It’s nice seeing the privacy protections; they’re well thought out. I was going … Read More “Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps” »

Security and Privacy Implications of Zoom

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, datacollection, encryption, privacy, Security technology, vulnerabilities

Over the past few weeks, Zoom’s use has exploded since it became the video conferencing platform of choice in today’s COVID-19 world. (My own university, Harvard, uses it for all of its classes. Boris Johnson had a cabinet meeting over Zoom.) Over that same period, the company has been exposed for having both lousy privacy … Read More “Security and Privacy Implications of Zoom” »

Privacy vs. Surveillance in the Age of COVID-19

Posted on By infossl
covid19, lawenforcement, medicine, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, tracking

The trade-offs are changing: As countries around the world race to contain the pandemic, many are deploying digital surveillance tools as a means to exert social control, even turning security agency technologies on their own civilians. Health and law enforcement authorities are understandably eager to employ every tool at their disposal to try to hinder … Read More “Privacy vs. Surveillance in the Age of COVID-19” »