Telegram rolls out fix for voicemail hack used against Brazilian politicians - ZDNet
hackers have hijacked more than 1,000 accounts in Brazil.
Some of the most high-profile victims of recent attacks include Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro
Think FaceApp Is Scary? Wait Till You Hear About Facebook - WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/faceapp-privacy-backlash-facebook/
The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking - The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-hidden-costs-of-automated-thinking
Overreliance on artificial intelligence may put us in intellectual debt
Kunne sovjeterne ha blitt først på Månen? – Veien til Mars – Eirik Newth
https://www.newth.net/mars/kunne-sovjeterne-ha-blitt-forst-pa-manen/
Hackers breach FSB contractor, expose Tor deanonymization project and more - ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-breach-fsb-contractor-expose-tor-deanonymization-project/
SyTech, the hacked company, was working on research projects for the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service.
The Kazakhstan government is making ISPs force users to install a government-issued certificate on all devices and in every browser to intercept HTTPS traffic - ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/kazakhstan-government-is-now-intercepting-all-https-traffic/
Dropbox Widely Distributed Their New Shittier Desktop App Today — Pixel Envy
Bluetooth exploit can track and identify iOS, Microsoft mobile device users - ZDNet
A flaw in the Bluetooth communication protocol may expose modern device users to tracking and could leak their ID
can be used to spy on users despite native OS protections that are in place
Free VPN App Investigation
https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-app-investigation/
Over half of the most popular free VPN apps are run by secretive companies with hidden Chinese ownership. Very few do enough to earn the trust of the privacy-conscious.
Microsoft Office 365: Banned in German schools over privacy fears - ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-office-365-banned-in-german-schools-over-privacy-fears/
“if data is sent to Microsoft in the US, it is subject to US mass-surveillance laws. This is illegal under EU law.”
Hong Kong Protests Show Dangers of a Cashless Society – Reason.com
https://reason.com/2019/07/02/hong-kong-protests-show-dangers-of-a-cashless-society/
Many digital payments can be tracked, potentially assisting an authoritarian crackdown.
F.T.C. Approves Facebook Fine of About $5 Billion - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/technology/facebook-ftc-fine.html
for mishandling users’ personal information
Facebook to be fined $5bn for Cambridge Analytica privacy violations – The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/12/facebook-fine-ftc-privacy-violations
Critics say the changes required of Facebook are not substantial enough, and the fine will hardly make a dent in Facebook’s bank account.
How U.S. Tech Giants Are Helping to Build China’s Surveillance State
https://theintercept.com/2019/07/11/china-surveillance-google-ibm-semptian/
Chinese state security agencies are likely using the technology to target human rights activists, pro-democracy advocates, and critics of President Xi Jinping’s regime
Belgian broadcaster obtains 1,000+ Google Assistant audio clips from a Google contractor, some of which seem to be recorded inadvertently and may violate GDPR - WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/whos-listening-talk-google-assistant/
More than 1,000 Android apps harvest data even after you deny permissions - CNET
The apps gather information such as location, even after owners explicitly say no. Google says a fix won’t come until Android Q.
Amazon Alexa keeps your data with no expiration date, and shares it too - CNET
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-alexa-keeps-your-data-with-no-expiration-date-and-shares-it-too/
A US senator asked questions, and Amazon provided answers you might not want to hear.
Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers - Bloomberg
how a company renowned for meticulous design made seemingly basic software mistakes leading to a pair of deadly crashes.
Huawei Personnel Worked With China Military on Research Projects - Bloomberg
indicating closer ties to the country’s military than previously acknowledged by the smartphone and networking powerhouse.
NASA hacked because of unauthorized Raspberry Pi connected to its network - ZDNet
NASA described the hackers as an “advanced persistent threat,” a term generally used for nation-state hacking groups.