Hacker News with Generative AI: Privacy

Google Ad-Tech Targets National Security Decision Makers, People with Diseases (wired.com)
A WIRED investigation into the inner workings of Google’s advertising ecosystem reveals that a wealth of sensitive information on Americans is being openly served up to some of the world’s largest brands despite the company’s own rules against it.

Google, Advertising, Privacy, National Security, Health

5 points by impish9208 6 hours ago | 0 comments

Can ISPs NetFlow data be used to track traffic going through VPNs? (ivpn.net)
This privacy guide will help you understand what information your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can view regarding your network activity and the implications if you are using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In fact, many ISPs utilize NetFlow, a protocol developed by Cisco, to store the data concerning the traffic they route throughout the day.

Privacy, VPNs, ISPs, Network Security

11 points by rvnx 6 hours ago | 0 comments

Ask HN: How can I prepare my digital life for geopolitical disruptions? (ycombinator.com)
I'm from Germany and currently rely on macOS and iOS, with all my personal data stored in iCloud. Recent political tensions have made me question what might happen in the event of a military conflict between the US and Europe. Could Apple be forced to shut down its services in Europe? What would happen to my devices, operating systems, and stored data in such a scenario?

Geopolitics, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Technology, Data Security

13 points by mwinatschek 10 hours ago | 15 comments

Obscura VPN – Privacy that's more than a promise (obscura.net)
Meet Obscura: the first VPN that can’t log your activity and outsmarts internet censorship.

Privacy, VPN, Censorship

209 points by lostin01010101 18 hours ago | 143 comments

Behavioural Patterns Are the New Skin Colour (nthprocess.com)
In a system that can't see you, your behavioural patterns become the things that are used to discriminate against you.

Artificial Intelligence, Discrimination, Privacy, Social Justice

18 points by shaydevelops 21 hours ago | 7 comments

European Alternatives for Popular Services (european-alternatives.eu)
European alternatives for popular services

Europe, Technology, Privacy, Open Source, Alternatives

43 points by Tomte 1 day ago | 41 comments

Murena now sells a 'deGoogled' Pixel Tablet (techcrunch.com)
Murena, the French privacy firm that’s forked Android to deliver so-called deGoogled smartphones, has repeated the trick with a tablet. So if you’re keen to get your hands on a shiny Pixel Tablet — but without the usual bundle of Google apps and services — Murena has you covered.

Privacy, Android, Tablets, Google

6 points by moose44 1 day ago | 1 comments

Dutch medical records on HDDs bought for €5 at fleamarket traced to software biz (theregister.com)
Typically shoppers can expect to find tie-dye t-shirts, broken lamps and old disco records at flea markets, now it seems storage drives filled with huge volumes of sensitive data can be added to that list.

Data Security, Privacy, Netherlands, Technology, Crime

8 points by rntn 1 day ago | 0 comments

Ask HN: Is there any encrypted portfolio tracker available? (ycombinator.com)
Hi hn, over the years I have interacted with the stock market as well as cryptocurrencies but I have never put any serious effort on tracking this portfolio.

Finance, Privacy, Tools, Investing

9 points by AlexITC 1 day ago | 2 comments

uBlock Origin Has Been Disabled (ublockorigin.com)
With the advent of Manifest V3 (MV3), many users are concerned about the future of ad blockers like uBlock Origin.

Web Browsing, Privacy, Ad Blocking, Extensions

29 points by aryan14 2 days ago | 39 comments

Apps That Didn't Add 'Trader' Contact Info in the EU Removed from App Store (macrumors.com)
Apps that have not complied with the trader requirement in the European Union have been removed from the App Store, Apple informed developers today.

App Stores, EU Regulations, Privacy, Apple

13 points by tosh 2 days ago | 6 comments

Reviewing the cryptography used by Signal (soatok.blog)
Last year, I urged furries to stop using Telegram because it doesn’t actually provide them with any of the privacy guarantees they think it gives them.

Cryptography, Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps

167 points by todsacerdoti 2 days ago | 142 comments

Microsoft to remove the Location History feature in Windows (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft announced the deprecation of the Location History feature from Windows, which let applications like the Cortana virtual assistant to fetch location history of the device.

Microsoft, Operating Systems, Privacy, Windows, Cortana

12 points by workfromspace 2 days ago | 2 comments

Top Social Security Official Leaves After Musk Team Seeks Data Access (nytimes.com)
The top official at the Social Security Administration stepped down this weekend after members of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency sought access to sensitive personal data about millions of Americans held by the agency, according to people familiar with the matter.

Politics, Privacy, Social Security, Elon Musk, Government

35 points by 2OEH8eoCRo0 3 days ago | 26 comments

Google's new self-installed Android app warns you about nude images in Messages (androidauthority.com)
Google is rolling out a new Android System SafetyCore app that’ll power Sensitive Content Warnings in Google Messages.

Android, Google, Privacy, Security, Messaging

11 points by toss1 3 days ago | 8 comments

Privacy Is Not Dead: Beware the All-or-Nothing Mindset (privacyguides.org)
In my work as a privacy advocate, I regularly encounter two types of discourse that I find very damaging to privacy as a whole.

Privacy, Advocacy, Online Privacy

168 points by freddyym 3 days ago | 48 comments

South Korea blocks downloads of DeepSeek from local app stores (techcrunch.com)
South Korean officials on Saturday temporarily restricted Chinese AI Lab DeepSeek’s app from being downloaded from app stores in the country pending an assessment of how the Chinese company handles user data.

South Korea, AI, Regulations, Privacy, China

11 points by vinni2 3 days ago | 1 comments

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System with Taxpayers' Records (nytimes.com)
The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to give a team member working with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive taxpayer data, people familiar with the matter said.

Politics, Government, Privacy, Data Security, Taxes

21 points by 2OEH8eoCRo0 3 days ago | 9 comments

Show HN: share Signal links on X without getting censored (vercel.app)
Twitter is blocking links to Signal. Use this tool to circumvent that.

Social Media, Privacy, Censorship, Twitter

10 points by rpastuszak 3 days ago | 0 comments

Apple Private Relay causing mail delivery issues (vowe.net)
A few months ago, a customer reached out to me and reported that their users running iOS 18 on their iPhones and iPads were seeing an issue where they would not get push notifications for new mails.

Apple, iOS, Privacy, Email, Mobile Devices

7 points by musha68k 4 days ago | 0 comments

YouTube asks channel owner to verify phone, permanently overwrites personal info (reddit.com)
Hello Reddit. My name is Ebi. I'm an independent VTuber from the UK, and I really need your help. 🙇‍♀️

YouTube, Privacy, Verification, VTubers

400 points by Tijdreiziger 4 days ago | 272 comments

Why bother with privacy when I have nothing to hide? (2023) (hannahonprivacy.substack.com)
Why bother with privacy when I have nothing to hide?

Privacy, Surveillance, Ethics, Society

56 points by mooreds 4 days ago | 60 comments

Critics say new Google rules put profits over privacy (bbc.com)
Privacy campaigners have called Google's new rules on tracking people online "a blatant disregard for user privacy."

Privacy, Google, Regulation, Technology, Business

122 points by latexr 4 days ago | 69 comments

BleachBit is a free and open-source disk space cleaner (bleachbit.org)
When your computer is getting full, BleachBit quickly frees disk space. When your information is only your business, BleachBit guards your privacy. With BleachBit you can free cache, delete cookies, clear Internet history, shred temporary files, delete logs, and discard junk you didn't know was there. Designed for Linux and Windows systems, it wipes clean thousands of applications including Firefox, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Opera, and more.

Privacy, Open Source, Disk Space, Software, Linux

56 points by gjvc 5 days ago | 36 comments

Devenv Telemetry Warning (chaos.social)

Software, Development, Security, Privacy

39 points by todsacerdoti 5 days ago | 10 comments

Wyden Releases Draft Bill to Secure Americans' Communications (senate.gov)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a discussion draft of the Global Trust in American Online Services Act to secure Americans’ communications against abusive foreign demands to weaken the security of communications services and software used by Americans.

Privacy, Cybersecurity, Legislation

140 points by commandersaki 6 days ago | 28 comments

Researcher Captures Contents of 'DEI.gov' Before It Was Hidden Behind a Password (404media.co)
A German researcher captured the contents of the White House’s “DEI.gov” during a brief period when it was not password protected.

Government, Website Security, Privacy, US Politics

29 points by orangeteacups 6 days ago | 14 comments

Elon Musk's DOGE Posts Classified Data on Its New Website (huffpost.com)
Elon Musk’s team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency has posted classified information about the size and staff of a U.S. intelligence agency on its new website, raising bigger concerns about where Musk’s programmers got this information and what they are doing with it.

Elon Musk, Government, Security, Privacy, Intelligence

94 points by f38zf5vdt 6 days ago | 33 comments

Nearly a year later, Mozilla is still promoting Onerep (krebsonsecurity.com)
In mid-March 2024, KrebsOnSecurity revealed that the founder of the personal data removal service Onerep also founded dozens of people-search companies. Shortly after that investigation was published, Mozilla said it would stop bundling Onerep with the Firefox browser and wind down its partnership with the company. But nearly a year later, Mozilla is still promoting it to Firefox users.