UK
Edward Snowden: New tech systems need to be created to protect rights of internet users
Snowden was the keynote speaker at Open Rights Group’s OrgCon 2019.
Amazon Prime Day is a bonanza of privacy-invasion and surveillance hardware
Prime Day is a time of the year where these smart devices sell like hotcakes.
Twitter suspends the account of Unity4J, prominent Julian Assange free speech support community
Users are shocked at Twitter’s stance against free speech.
UK police are still investigating journalists over the Edward Snowden case from 2013
UK’s National Union of Journalists criticized it by saying that reporting about unlawful surveillance was in the public interest.
UK Home Secretary pushes crime facial recognition tech that only worked 8 out of 42 times
The technology has been called illegal by civil rights groups.
FTC approves Facebook fine of one month’s revenue in privacy settlement
The fine is related to an investigation around the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Britain’s state health service announces partnership with Amazon Alexa, raising privacy concerns
This comes months after reports revealed it was possible for Amazon staff to listen to customer Alexa chats.
UK Facebook use drops 38% in the last year, analytics company shows
People’s suspicions have been confirmed – people are turning their backs on Facebook.
UK’s ICO advises that website owners need to get users’ permission to use analytics
Whether analytics are considered essential has long been debated among website owners.
Senator Lindsey Graham to host “Protecting Innocence in a Digital World” hearing tomorrow
There are no details on what the hearing will cover but the title suggests it will focus on measures to protect children online – measures that often result in more censorship and data collection.
UK threatens social media companies with hefty fines if they don’t block “bullying” content
The UK Culture secretary was bullied at school so now he’s on a mission.
Podimo is the next company that wants to paywall podcasts
The open standard of podcasting is increasingly under threat as companies move to centralize the medium.