News

Open-Source Genetic Database openSNP Shuts Down

Amazon Submits Last-Minute Offer to Buy TikTok

Viral ChatGPT Photo Geolocation Game Raises Privacy and Safety Concerns

At first, the “geoguess this” game seems fun, with many people online testing it and finding it performs very well to geolocate image locations within cities, by landmarks or even businesses or restaurants, using only subtle visual clues, even with image metadata stripped out. However, this ability can raise significant privacy issues, especially with cyberstalking...

By Jackie Leavitt — 18 Apr'25 Last Updated: 18 Apr'25

Google Loses Ad Tech Monopoly Trial, Plans to Appeal

The court found that Google intentionally engaged in anti-competitive monopolistic behavior — forcing customers to use its publisher ad server (DFP) and its ad exchange (AdX) — which restricted fair advertising competition. In the 115-page ruling, Judge Leonie Brinkema concluded: “Plaintiffs have proven that Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to...

By Jackie Leavitt — 18 Apr'25 Last Updated: 18 Apr'25

How to Clean Up Your Digital Footprint Before US Travel Inspections

In recent weeks, there has been increased scrutiny at U.S. borders, with reports of some travelers being denied entry for suspicious activities — such as circuitous flight routes to their end destination — or even allegedly for having digital evidence of being critical about the Trump administration. There has been rising concern about travelers’ wellbeing...

By Jackie Leavitt — 09 Apr'25 Last Updated: 10 Apr'25

ProtectEU Internal Security Strategy Seemingly Sets the Stage for Attack on EU Encryption

The strategy was first announced as part of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for the 2024-2029 five-year period, where she announced a new “European Internal Security Strategy.” However, only recently did the Commission put out a fleshed out document detailing what the strategy will entail. The document covers many security proposals,...

By Aleksander Hougen — 07 Apr'25 Last Updated: 07 Apr'25

ByteDance Gets Second Extension to Sell, Postponing TikTok Ban Another 75 Days

With the original deadline extension only a few hours from expiring, President Donald Trump on Friday issued another 75-day extension to the order for TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the social media app or face a nationwide ban. This is the second time Trump has granted a stay of execution of sorts for the...

By Aleksander Hougen — 05 Apr'25 Last Updated: 05 Apr'25

Open-Source Genetic Database openSNP Shuts Down

Citing a rise in authoritarianism and the bankruptcy of ancestry service 23andMe, Bastian Greshake Tzovaras announced that the website will shut down permanently at the end of April, deleting all of its data in the process. openSNP started as a way to make genetic data publicly available for anyone to use, with the intention of...

By Aleksander Hougen — 02 Apr'25 Last Updated: 02 Apr'25

Amazon Submits Last-Minute Offer to Buy TikTok

The news comes from reporting from the New York Times, which has been in contact with sources close to the matter. The offer reportedly came in the form of a letter addressed to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. It’s notable that the offer to purchase the app went to the...

By Aleksander Hougen — 02 Apr'25 Last Updated: 03 Apr'25

Meta Used Enormous Database of Pirated Books to Train its AI, Court Documents Reveal

Recently unsealed court documents consisting of internal Meta communications have confirmed that the company accessed millions of copyrighted books and papers through the well-known online shadow library LibGen. What’s more, the documents make it clear that this was done with the express permission of the company’s CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg (referred to as “MZ”...

By Aleksander Hougen — 28 Mar'25 Last Updated: 28 Mar'25

Chrome Patches Operation ForumTroll Zero-Day Vulnerability

If you use Chrome on a PC, you should update your browser ASAP to ensure you’re using the version that patches a new zero-day vulnerability. The vulnerability affects any browser based on Chromium — including Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi and more — so if you use a Chrome alternative, keep an eye out for...

By Jackie Leavitt — 27 Mar'25 Last Updated: 27 Mar'25

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U.S. AI Action Plan Proposals: AI Companies Seek “Freedom” to Access Data & Copyrighted Information for LLMs Training

In response to the White House’s request for input for the U.S. AI Action Plan, Google and OpenAI have submitted proposals requesting that the U.S. government let the companies train their AI LLMs on copyrighted data. Both these proposals equate to the companies asking the government to exempt LLMs from established copyright laws — and...

By Jackie Leavitt — 24 Mar'25 Last Updated: 24 Mar'25

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Boycott USA: Options for Cloud Tech Consumers Seeking US Alternatives from Dropbox and Google Cloud

As the U.S. government pursues an increasingly opportunistic and transactional approach to international relationships, some consumers are responding in turn: there is emerging interest in boycotting U.S. services and seeking domestic alternatives, including in cloud technology. Many Google trends in February and March have shown 100% to 400% increase in searches related to European cloud...

By Jackie Leavitt — 13 Mar'25 Last Updated: 13 Mar'25

French National Assembly Rejects Encryption Backdoor

In what feels like a rare bit of good news on encryption, France has rejected a controversial new proposal that would’ve called for a backdoor into all encrypted messaging and email applications. The proposal came in the form of Article 8 of the Drug Trafficking Act, a bill that is currently being drafted in the...

By Aleksander Hougen — 12 Mar'25 Last Updated: 14 Mar'25

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UK Government Removes Encryption Advice From Websites

The U.K. government has removed advice to use encryption services from its guidance page for high-risk individuals. This comes after a months-long row between the government and Apple over an order requiring the tech giant to provide access to encrypted user-data to law enforcement agencies. In an earlier version of this advice, published as a...

By Aleksander Hougen — 07 Mar'25 Last Updated: 11 Mar'25

Apple Appeals UK Encryption Backdoor Order

Apple is challenging the U.K. government’s order to provide a backdoor into its encrypted user data, issued in January. A source familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the tech giant has lodged an appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the regulatory body that hears complaints against U.K. intelligence services. This potentially represents...

By Aleksander Hougen — 05 Mar'25 Last Updated: 12 Mar'25

Microsoft Shutting Down Skype

RIP Skype. After more than two decades of operation, the popular VoIP messaging and video conferencing service is shutting down in May 2025. Microsoft, which purchased Skype back in 2011, announced in a blog post that Skype will be permanently shutting down on May 5. In the post, the company explains that the move is...

By Aleksander Hougen — 01 Mar'25 Last Updated: 11 Mar'25

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Amazon Removes Option to Download & Transfer Via USB for Kindle Books

On February 26, 2025, Amazon removed the ability for users to download their Kindle books directly onto a PC or Mac. Although this feature was used by only a minority of Kindle users — at least once WiFi connectivity became standard across all Kindle devices — it has always been the best way to load...

By Aleksander Hougen — 26 Feb'25 Last Updated: 11 Mar'25

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Apple Removes Advanced Data Protection for UK Users

Apple has stopped offering Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for new users in the United Kingdom, effective Feb. 21, 2025. This comes after the U.K. Home Office reportedly requested blanket backdoor access to all encrypted user data that Apple holds. Initially, neither the Home Office nor Apple were willing to comment on the issue, but now...

By Aleksander Hougen — 23 Feb'25 Last Updated: 11 Mar'25

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UK Government Requests Backdoor to Apple’s User Data

In January 2025, the U.K. government requested backdoor access to all encrypted user data across Apple’s services. In reporting by the Washington Post, a source close to the matter said that the government’s order amounts to “blanket access” to all encrypted material stored by Apple users. The government order (known as a “technical capability notice”)...

By Aleksander Hougen — 09 Feb'25 Last Updated: 11 Mar'25