Breaking Up a Digital Monopoly
Our proposal rests on the notion that distribution of public discourse and other acquired content serves the common good of the community of content providers and consumers.
Breaking Up a Digital Monopoly Read MoreTag: Privacy & Personal Information
Mapping the Privacy Landscape for Central Bank Digital Currencies
While there are exceptions, the gap in concrete privacy solutions in policy reports is puzzling, as economists have argued that CBDC could make an essential difference in providing privacy in digital payments.
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Informing California Privacy Regulations with Evidence from Research
This story provides a case study of how academic researchers can refocus their research to answer policymakers’ questions.
Informing California Privacy Regulations with Evidence from Research Read More
How to Read Your iOS 15 App Privacy Report
Your iPhone now gives you lots of transparency into what your downloads are up to. Here’s what to look out for.
How to Read Your iOS 15 App Privacy Report Read More
Microsoft Password Guidance
This paper provides Microsoft’s recommendations for password management based on current research and lessons from our own experience as one of the largest Identity Providers (IdPs) in the world. It covers recommendations for end users and identity administrators.
Microsoft Password Guidance Read More
Life Without the Tech Giants
Maybe you’re in the camp of people who worry that these companies have too much access to our purchases, our movements, our social networks—and perhaps even our thoughts. Maybe you’re disturbed by the concentration of so much economic power in a handful of companies built on the West Coast’s fault lines. Or maybe you want them to have less insight into your life so they have less sway over our society. But how? How do you reduce their power? Is it even possible?
The common retort to these concerns is that you should “just stop using their services.” So I decided to try.
Want to Really Block the Tech Giants? Here’s How
As consumers, we are afforded only a few avenues of acceptable dissent—the most reasonable of which is that, if you don’t like what a company is doing, you can move your money and data elsewhere. But increasingly this option is unavailable to us.
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I Cut the ‘Big Five’ Tech Giants From My Life. It Was Hell
Over the course of five weeks, I blocked Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple one at a time, to find out how to live in the modern age without each one. To end my experiment, I’m going to see if I can survive blocking all five at once.
I Cut the ‘Big Five’ Tech Giants From My Life. It Was Hell Read More
All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It
The retail empire is obsessed with your data. But is the convenience worth giving up your personal information?
All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It Read More
Google’s cookie ban and FLoC, explained
At some point next year, Google Chrome will stop using third-party cookies. It’s a move that could upend the global advertising and publishing industries – and it has major implications for your privacy.
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Reading in the Panopticon: Your Kindle May Be Spying on You, But You Can’t Be Sure
eBook surveillance is potentially part of a larger trend in which data collection that would be illegal if performed by a state actor has become a common business practice of a private actor.
Reading in the Panopticon: Your Kindle May Be Spying on You, But You Can’t Be Sure Read More
Does Facebook Use Sensitive Data for Advertising Purposes?
Citizens worldwide have demonstrated serious concerns regarding the management of personal information by online services. Policymakers have reacted to this situation by passing or proposing new regulations in the area of privacy and/or data protection. In a recent work, we demonstrated that Facebook (FB) labels 73% of users within the EU with potentially sensitive interests (referred to as ad preferences as well), which may contravene the GDPR. First, this article extends the scope of our analysis from the EU to 197 countries worldwide in February 2019. Second, we analyze whether the enactment of the GDPR on May 28, 2018 had some impact on the FB practices regarding the use of sensitive ad preferences. Third, we discuss privacy and ethics risks that may be derived from the exploitation of sensitive FB ad preferences. Finally, we present a technical solution that allows users to remove in a simple way the sensitive interests FB has assigned them.
Does Facebook Use Sensitive Data for Advertising Purposes? Read More