A large number of Android mobile apps listed on the official Google Play Store contain self-contradictory language in their privacy policies in regards to data collection practices. From a report: In an academic study published last year, researchers created a tool named PolicyLint that analyzed the language used in the privacy policies of 11,430 Play Store apps. They found that 14.2%…
Tag: privacy policy
MLB: Use Electronic Surveillance To Capture Fans’ Data, Not Opponents’ Signs
theodp writes: Major League Baseball Regulations “prohibit the use of electronic equipment during games and state that no such equipment may be used for the purpose of stealing signs or conveying information designed to give a Club an advantage,” reminded MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Monday as harsh punishment was meted out for the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal. You can read…
Verizon Media Launches OneSearch, a Privacy-Focused Search Engine
An anonymous reader quotes a report from VentureBeat: Verizon Media, the media and digital offshoot of telecommunications giant Verizon, has launched a “privacy-focused” search engine called OneSearch. With OneSearch, Verizon promises there will be no cookie tracking, no ad personalization, no profiling, no data-storing, and no data-sharing with advertisers. With its default dark mode, OneSearch lets you know that Advanced Privacy…
Amazon Warned Holiday Shopper That Honey, a Popular Browser Extension, Was a ‘Security Risk’
In an apparent swipe at PayPal’s recent $4 billion acquisition of Honey, a popular browser extension that tracks prices and discount codes, Amazon labeled the service as “a security risk” for shoppers over the holidays. Wired reports: “Honey tracks your private shopping behavior, collects data like your order history and items saved, and can read or change any of your data…
How Should Students Respond To Their School’s Surveillance Systems?
Hundreds of thousands of American students are being tracked by their colleges to monitor attendance, analyze behavior and assess their mental health, the Washington Post reported this week. That article has now provoked some responses… Jay Balan, chief security researcher at Bitdefender, told Gizmodo that the makers of the student-tracking apps should at least offer bug bounties and disclose their source…
How Much Are Cars Spying On Their Owners?
“We’re at a turning point for driving surveillance,” reports the Washington Post (in an article shared by long-time Slashdot reader davidwr ). “In the 2020 model year, most new cars sold in the United States will come with built-in Internet connections, including 100 percent of Fords, GMs and BMWs and all but one model Toyota and Volkswagen.” Often included for free…
Engineer Says Google Fired Her For Browser Pop-Up About Worker Rights
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Another former employee has accused Google of violating federal labor law by firing her for activities related to labor organizing. In a Tuesday blog post, Kathryn Spiers says Google terminated her after she created a browser tool to notify employees of their organizing rights. Spiers says she worked on a Google security…
If Logged Into Facebook, Oculus VR Data Will Now Be Used For Ads
“Facebook will now use information about your Oculus activity, like which apps you use, to help provide […] more relevant content, including ads” — assuming you’ve connected your Oculus ID to your Facebook account. UploadVR reports: The company is updating its privacy policy and rolling out new social VR features backed by your “Facebook identity” with the intention of “clarifying how…
The iPhone 11 Pro’s Location Data Puzzler
Brian Krebs: One of the more curious behaviors of Apple’s new iPhone 11 Pro is that it intermittently seeks the user’s location information even when all applications and system services on the phone are individually set to never request this data. Apple says this is by design, but that response seems at odds with the company’s own privacy policy. The privacy…