privacy - page 7

This week on The CultCast: It’s not your imagination — Apple changed AirPods Pro and made them worse! We’ll tell you what’s going on. Plus: A new report says Apple caved to FBI pressure to keep your iCloud backups less safe. And stay tuned to hear about about Tim Cook’s favorite new … shower tech? Rub-a-dub-dub, my friends.

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Facebook Messenger could soon add Face ID support to protect your conversations from nosy neighbors.

The feature would prevent access to Messenger until it is first unlocked with your face. It seems like a useful addition to the app for the security-conscious, but it’s still in development for now.

Did you know that your boss might be tracking when you open and read her emails? Or that anyone who operates a mailing list can see when you open their emails, thanks to read receipts?

But did you also know that it’s trivially easy to block read receipts? You can make your overreaching boss think that you never read her emails, or at least make her a bit more paranoid. Email tracking uses something called tracking pixels. Let’s see how to block them, and disable email read receipts on Mac and iOS.

Apple is testing an iOS fix for Location Services that will potentially allay any privacy concerns among iPhone 11 users.

Apple makes privacy part of its brand yet found itself answering questions when a security news site in December discovered the iPhone 11 Pro continued to track user location even after all Location Services toggles were switched off.

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), Apple wants to have its cake and eat it, too. That is to say that it wants cutting edge data-driven machine learning on its devices, without violating its own user privacy pledge.

And you know what? It’s managing to pull it off — as the company’s latest AI startup acquisition underlines.

Apple’s chief privacy officer says that Apple scans photos uploaded to iCloud to check whether they contain child abuse. Jane Horvath discussed the use of the technology during a Tuesday panel on user privacy at CES.

Horvath didn’t reveal exactly how Apple carries this out. Many companies — including Facebook, Twitter and Google — already use a Microsoft-developed tool called PhotoDNA. This checks images against a database of previously identified pictures.

Apple has made its return to CES for the first time in 28 years, as a representative of the world’s biggest tech company appeared on-stage at the world’s biggest tech conference.

Apple wasn’t showing off new products, however. Instead, Jane Horvath, Apple’s senior director of global privacy, participated in a panel Tuesday titled “Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable: What Do Consumers Want?” The panel also included representatives from Facebook, Procter & Gamble, and the FTC.

U.S. Senators grilled Apple and Facebook execs over encryption practices today, threatening to regulate the technology if the companies don’t take action on their own.

Republicans and Democrats appeared unified in their disdain for end-to-end encryption. The technology, which Apple uses for iCloud and other services, sometimes thwarts law enforcement officials’ investigations into child abuse and mass shootings. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the harshest critics, demanded that the companies add backdoors to their encryption keys.

Apple is finally making a comeback to the biggest tech trade show in the world after being a no show at the event for nearly three decades.

CES posted its speaker agenda this morning which revealed Apple will have an official presence at the event. The company won’t have a product booth and isn’t expected to announce anything major at the event this coming January. Instead, Apple will be there to discuss one of its favorite topics: privacy.

Apple skillfully protects user privacy by preventing advertisers from tracking everyone. Companies buying ads are less interested in anyone using Apple’s Safari browser because advertising agencies can’t use cookies to build profiles on those users.

Google added new privacy protection features to the iOS version of Google Maps today, including Incognito Mode. The new feature, which has been available on Google Maps for Android for a while, makes it so that your searches and other navigation data isn’t saved to your Google Account.

Here’s how to toggle it on and off:

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved legislation that requires all phones and computers come bundled with third-party software localized for Russia. This is giving Apple such privacy concerns it might withdraw from the country.

iPhone 11 units are using location services even after access has been blocked by the user, a new report reveals.

Security researchers have discovered that Apple’s latest handsets intermittently seek location information regardless of the user’s privacy settings. Apple says it is “expected behavior.”

Most people seem to agree that Apple’s stance on user privacy is a good one. However, U.S. lawmakers suggest it could be a cover for something else: anti-competitive behavior.

According to a new report, some legislators think Apple might be using privacy as a “shield” to get away with behavior that lets it strengthen its own position, while hurting rivals.

Tim Cook says that tech companies are doing a poor job creating policies that protect user privacy. The CEO of Apple wants the US government to step in.

Facebook is quietly using your iPhone’s camera in the background while you scroll through your news feed.

The issue is believed to be a bug that affects devices running certain versions of iOS. It has been replicated on handsets with iOS 13.2.2, but not those still using iOS 13.1.3.

Apple failed to kill a bug in the Mail app for macOS for months despite its potential to expose private details in emails that the user thought was encrypted.

Security researcher Bob Gendler first discovered the flaw in July and notified Apple of it. Despite releasing four updates for macOS since that time, the privacy flaw still hasn’t been fixed. Apple says it’s working to resolve the issue soon though.

Apple has updated its privacy pages for the fourth year running, continuing to emphasize its focus on user privacy.

For the first time, Apple has also released white papers on Safari, Photos, Location Services, and Sign In With Apple.

Apple just posted a new video advertisement on Youtube, as the company does from time to time.

The ad is about privacy on iPhone which has been one of the company’s biggest talking points over the last few years. Honestly, I don’t think a single word from the ad actually entered my ears. I was too blown away with the creepy beautiful FPV drone shots that transport you from being a distant observer to an intimate guest in someone’s life.

Check it out:

Firefox fans can expect this web browser to be less of a drain on their MacBook’s battery. Plus, the latest version gives users a report showing the dozens of cookies attempting to track them across the Web.

Apple refutes accusations that it sends information from every iPhone’s and Mac’s Safari browser to China’s Tencent. These are apparently based on a vaguely-worded explanation in Settings which Apple just clarified.

Safari does use a list of fraudulent websites compiled by this Chinese company to protect users, but only if these users are themselves located in China.

iOS 13.2 adds controls for Apple’s unpopular Siri data collection program. Now, users can opt in to “Siri and Dictation Analytics,” which translates to letting your iPhone or iPad upload all your Siri interactions so Cupertino can improve the virtual assistant’s accuracy.

Previously, Apple disabled this program because of its unpopularity. Now, it’s back — but under your control.

Safari’s content blockers effectively block trackers and other Bad Stuff on the web, but that only works in Apple’s browser. Any other app you install on your iPhone or iPad can send all kinds of personal information to anyone, without you ever knowing. Your location, the details of your menstrual cycle, how long you spend asleep — pretty much anything.

So how do you stop this? Well, iOS 13 itself can help limit some abuses. But what you really need is an iOS firewall app that can detect and shut down any unauthorized connections.

Google just promised that Incognito mode will soon be added to Maps. And YouTube is getting timed auto-delete for the user’s video history. In addition, a new Password Checkup tool helps users avoid common passcodes.

This advertising company has been making similar changes to its other services in hopes of shaking a reputation for privacy invasion.

The one huge new feature in the Apple Watch Series 5 is the always-on display. Day or night, the screen never shuts off. It dims as soon as you stop using it, and all animations stop, but the face stands ready for your curious glance at any time.

However, if you wear your Apple Watch in bed, or you don’t like the idea of the watch showing your info to anybody who cares to look at the device, then there are a few settings that can help. Let’s take a look.