Topic: online privacy
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How Digital Identities Can Protect Your Online Privacy
Surveillance capitalism has restructured the internet to profit from tracking and profiling individuals, turning personal data into a commodity that data brokers buy, sell, and cross-reference without explicit consent. The system’s harm is delayed and diffuse,surfacing as spam, price discriminati...
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Here is the rewritten headline: What Your ISP, Sites, and Advertisers See About You
Every time you browse, your ISP can see which sites you visit, websites can track your activity via analytics and ads, and advertising networks can build detailed profiles based on your behavior. Private browsing (incognito) only prevents your browser from saving local history; it does not hide y...
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VPN Crackdown Could Follow Online Age Verification
VPNs were originally developed in the 1990s as a corporate tool for secure, encrypted connections between offices over the public internet. Public adoption surged after the 2013 Snowden disclosures, driven by privacy concerns and the use of VPNs to access geo-restricted streaming content. New onl...
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DeleteMe Review: Does It Actually Remove Your Info From the Internet?
Data removal services like DeleteMe and Incogni contact data brokers to remove personal information, reducing unwanted marketing and cleaning up search results, though they can't guarantee total privacy. U.S. data broker regulation is a legal gray area with no comprehensive federal law, so protec...
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Your Home Address Is Being Sold Online—Here's How to Stop It
Data brokers profit by selling personal details like home addresses online, compromising safety by making this information accessible to telemarketers, stalkers, and criminals. Google offers a free tool called "Results About You" that helps users monitor and request removal of their personal info...
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AI Tools Expose Anonymous Online Identities
AI systems can now link pseudonymous online accounts to real individuals by analyzing writing patterns and scattered personal details, significantly lowering the barrier for mass-scale deanonymization. In controlled experiments using public data, an AI-based approach correctly identified up to 68...
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Stop TikTok From Tracking You - Even Without the App
TikTok tracks users' online activity across third-party websites using hidden pixels and code, collecting sensitive data like health and financial information even from non-users. Privacy concerns have intensified due to corporate changes and the platform's potential for expansive data collection...
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AI can now identify anonymous users with startling precision
New AI technology can accurately link burner social media profiles to real individuals, fundamentally undermining online pseudonymity as a privacy tool. The AI-driven approach achieves high precision and recall in deanonymization, posing serious risks like harassment and invasive profiling for us...
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Wisconsin governor rejects mandatory age verification for porn sites
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would have required age verification for accessing adult content online, calling it an intrusive burden on adults. The veto contrasts with a national trend, as over two dozen other states have enacted similar laws aimed at protecting minors. The de...
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The Future of Trans Identity Online
The internet provides vital support and resources for transgender individuals but also creates conflicts between safety and visibility in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Digital permanence transforms previously supportive online content into potential vulnerabilities, as personal journeys b...
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FTC Won't Enforce Kids' Privacy Law for Age Verification Data
The FTC will not enforce a key children's privacy law (COPPA) against websites that collect minors' data **solely for age verification**, aiming to encourage the adoption of new age-checking technologies. To qualify, websites must follow strict protocols, including promptly deleting the data afte...
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10 Browser Safety Tips to Stop 50% of Cyberattacks
Web browsers are involved in nearly half of all cybersecurity incidents, making them a primary target for varied threats like phishing and credential theft. Key protective measures include promptly installing browser updates, carefully inspecting website addresses for security indicators, and usi...
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This $40 Ad Blocker Protects Your Family Forever
AdGuard's Lifetime Family Plan offers a one-time payment of $39.99 to permanently block ads, enhance privacy, and manage content across devices without recurring fees. The software eliminates intrusive ads for a cleaner, faster browsing experience while also providing security features against ma...
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Lifetime Ad & Malware Protection for Your Family: Only $40
The AdGuard Family Plan offers a lifetime subscription for $39.99, blocking intrusive ads and providing cybersecurity protection against malware and phishing. It covers up to nine devices, is compatible with iOS and Android, and enhances browsing speed and privacy by preventing tracking. The plan...
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Firefox Profiles Let You Separate Your Browsing Sessions
Mozilla is introducing a new profiles feature in Firefox, launching on October 14th, allowing users to create separate browsing environments with distinct bookmarks, history, and extensions. Each profile is fully independent, with personalized avatars and themes, offering enhanced privacy and eli...
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'The Chair Company': A Show About the Joy of Computing
The series celebrates a specific, methodical digital proficiency, focusing on characters who skillfully navigate the forgotten corners of the internet, like website footers, to find information. It contrasts this active exploration with modern, algorithm-driven online consumption, portraying the ...
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Navigating Ethical Proxy Sourcing Challenges
Proxy servers are essential for AI infrastructure, enabling web scraping and data collection that trains large language models, but their growing use has raised critical concerns about ethical sourcing. Many proxy IPs are obtained from residential users or compromised devices without clear consen...
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Mysterious Bot Traffic Floods the Web
A mysterious surge of bot traffic, primarily originating from China and Singapore, has been targeting diverse websites globally, drastically distorting analytics data. The bot activity is widely believed to be linked to companies harvesting public web data to train artificial intelligence models,...
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Your Top 20 Tech Buys This Month, According to CNET Readers
CNET curates monthly popular tech purchases, with February highlighting AI laptops, smart home devices, and practical accessories based on reader buying trends. Top products include the Lenovo ThinkPad for work, the Yale smart lock for security, and the Levoit humidifier for air quality, emphasiz...
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