Living Tech
June 4th, 2020
If you think switching from one device to another makes you less track-able, then you haven’t heard about cross-device tracking.
You are already aware that when you’re online, companies are trying to learn all about you and what you’re doing. Most of the time, they’re looking for better ways sell you things that you might need as well as things you definitely don’t. That’s tracking. Cross-device tracking is, as they say, on another…... Continue reading >
February 18th, 2021
You probably assume AirDrop is safe. It’s built right into your iPhone or iPad: a feature that lets people quickly share information with each other in the same room wirelessly. No need to transfer it through an Internet server first (as one does through DropBox or iCloud). So simple, so convenient. So private and secure, too? If you’re into updates, yes.
The good news is, it’s been made safer lately. But the technology…... Continue reading >
December 22nd, 2021
The holiday shopping
season is upon us, and people are increasingly turning to the Internet to find
the gifts that they want for themselves, their family and their friends. With
every search for the perfect present and with every purchase, people are divulging
information about themselves, their family and friends to the Internet. This is
a problem for several reasons.
Devices are interconnected. Our phones, tablets, laptops—they’re all linked to the profiles the Internet (or the tech firms…... Continue reading >
March 3rd, 2021
In the effort to protect our online transactions, have we ceded too much power to too few? Is Sift, whose algorithms protect corporate behemoths from McDonald’s to Twitter, merely a free-market version of China’s intrusive Sesame Score? What is the cost of safety?
Online shopping may be pervasive, but it isn’t without risks. Credit card fraud, for example, is on the rise each year, eclipsing $30 billion annually, with the majority of the…... Continue reading >
January 26th, 2021
COPPA—the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act—was supposed to help guard our kids’ privacy on the internet. More than two decades after its passage, the results are mixed. Yes, COPPA protects some kids, but it is too narrow in scope and needs to be updated.
Congress enacted the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998 to give parents control over what kinds of information companies can gather about their kids and improve…... Continue reading >
November 18th, 2020
Covid exposure apps may steer you from danger, but the Bluetooth technology they use can chip away at your privacy. Here’s how the apps work, and what you should be thinking about if you use one.
Most Covid exposure apps rely on Bluetooth technology, a system that enables two devices near one another to exchange information wirelessly. Using Bluetooth, exposure apps can tell whether anyone you encounter while running errands tests positive for Covid.
... Continue reading >
October 16th, 2020
You don’t need to be a privacy fanatic to see the problems with letting a camera-equipped drone fly around your house, feeding video to your phone (and the cloud) as it buzzes from room to room. Amazon is betting you won’t care. You should. It’s a privacy disaster.
In case you haven’t heard, earlier this fall Amazon introduced the Ring Always Home Cam, a small drone that acts as an all-seeing eye as…... Continue reading >
August 27th, 2020
Every minute of every day, predictive analytics are changing our lives. Your social media feed is calibrated to present posts that you’re most likely to care about. Online ads appear because an algorithm has decided you’ll want to see them. Every song you listen to informs your streaming service about which song it should choose to play next. It’s efficient and effective. It’s also dangerously manipulative.
Why Predictive Analytics Matter
In…... Continue reading >
June 18th, 2020
What’s the difference between a browser and a search engine? Think of it this way: A browser is your public library: the building, the tables, the shelves, the librarians—all of it. A search engine is the card catalog. If car analogies work better for you, a browser is your Buick Roadmaster; a search engine is the map spread across the seat. We all use both of them all the time, but they’re different, and it’s important…... Continue reading >
April 24th, 2020
As governments, health experts and tech companies collaborate in the fight against COVID-19, privacy advocates worry the response will weaken our already loose grip on our personal data. Foreign Policy, among other, are publishing pieces looking into how digital tracking tools must be carefully regulated to preserve our privacy rights.
... Continue reading >