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Topic: Privacy

Its Ireland data center is finally operational. News 

TikTok Begins Transferring European Users’ Data to Its First Regional Data Center

Jim Hendler, , ,

TikTok has begun transferring the data of its European users to its newly established data center in Ireland. The social media platform, which primarily focuses on videos, has confirmed that its Ireland data center is now operational, marking a significant milestone in its ongoing Project Clover. The initiative was introduced by TikTok in March, following the European Commission’s decision to prohibit its employees from using the app on work devices. Despite announcing plans for the data center in Ireland as early as 2020, TikTok faced delays and had initially anticipated…

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The switch to secure chats forced Meta to 'redesign the entire system.' News 

Messenger’s Encrypted Chats to be Available to More People Before Full Release in 2021

Adarsh V.K, ,

Meta has announced that it will be significantly expanding the encryption feature of Messenger, making it accessible to “millions more people’s chats” starting today. The company plans to make end-to-end encryption (E2EE) the standard for all users by the end of 2023. Meta also acknowledged the complexity and challenges involved in implementing this transition, referring to it as an intricate engineering puzzle. The system protects conversations from eavesdropping and interception using public key encryption technology – no one, not even law enforcement, can access the conversations. At the same time,…

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Intruders accessed systems that stored the names and addresses of domestic and overseas voters. News 

UK Voters’ Data Breach Leaves Majority Vulnerable for Over 12 Months

Febin Mathew,

Around 40 million voters in the UK had their personal information exposed for over a year, according to the Electoral Commission. The agency, responsible for overseeing party and election finance as well as elections in the country, disclosed that it fell victim to a “complex cyberattack.” Although the suspicious activity on its network was initially detected in October 2022, the intruders had actually gained entry to the systems in August 2021. The perpetrators found their way to the Electoral Commission’s servers, which host the agency’s e-mail and monitoring systems, as…

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It's not the criminal hacking browser you think it is. News 

Using Tor Could Help Improve Its Reputation

Sanjay Patil,

The term “Tor” conjures up thoughts of the dark web, a realm where one can hire assassins or purchase illegal substances, and is currently heavily monitored by law enforcement to apprehend wrongdoers. However, the truth is far less exciting, yet significantly more reliable in terms of security. The Onion Router, now called Tor, is a privacy-focused web browser run by a non-profit group. You can download it for free and use it to shop online or browse social media, just like Chrome, Firefox or Safari, but with additional access to…

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Dutch police have arrested a man they described as their most wanted suspect in the investigation into the Genesis Market, a dark web marketplace for stolen computer credentials, shut down in a multinational crackdown dubbed "Operation Cookie Monster". News 

Dutch Police Capture Most Wanted Cyber Criminal in ‘Operation Cookie Monster’

Febin Mathew

A man who was considered the top suspect by Dutch police in the investigation of the Genesis Market, a dark web platform for stolen computer credentials, has been apprehended. This arrest took place as part of a multinational operation called “Operation Cookie Monster,” which aimed to dismantle the illicit marketplace. The Genesis website was shut down in April in an operation that was reported at the time to have involved law enforcement from 17 countries and more than 120 arrests. According to international researchers, the site has been used to…

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The alleged culprits include TaxSlayer, H&R Block and TaxAct. News 

Congressional Report Slams Tax Prep Companies for Sharing Data with Meta and Google

Jim Hendler,

After a Congressional investigation, it has been determined that Meta and Google received sensitive filing data from multiple tax preparation providers. This investigation comes after The Markup’s 2022 report, which exposed the practice of TaxSlayer, H&R Block, and TaxAct utilizing Meta’s Pixel tracking tool to collect information such as filing status, approximate adjusted gross income, refund amount, names of dependents, and the specific text-entry fields users interacted with. Meta is currently facing a lawsuit related to these revelations. The panel sent its findings to the IRS, FTC, DOJ, and the…

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Scammers are posing as army officers are targeting property owners and tenants online. They share fake ID cards and ask for money without even seeing the property. Here's how this scam works. News 

Beware: Imposters Posing as Military Personnel Preying on Landlords Advertising Vacancies on Real Estate Platforms

Nitin Misra, ,

Scammers have discovered a fresh method to deceive individuals who post property advertisements on online platforms such as Magicbricks, 99acres, Commonfloor, and others. Whether it is individuals seeking to rent a flat or flat owners themselves, these scammers have devised a strategy to profit from their victims. What is particularly alarming is that these scammers are assuming the identities of officers from the Indian Army, CISF, police, and other government organizations in order to gain the trust of their targets. Furthermore, they are providing counterfeit government IDs like canteen cards…

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ShadowVault is an infostealer malware that can steal sensitive information from unsecure MacBooks. (Pexels) News 

Rise in Online Fraud Prompts Warning of New Mac Malware Capable of Stealing Funds

Febin Mathew, ,

India has witnessed a surge in cyber crimes, including online scams, in recent months. According to a report, a man from Mumbai lost Rs. 2.65 lakh after falling victim to an online scam while purchasing sweets. This incident is reminiscent of actress Shubhangi Atre’s experience last year, where she lost Rs. 2.24 lakh to a similar scam. These cases serve as a reminder that no one is immune to these cyber criminals, and even seemingly harmless activities like buying sweets can lead to the loss of one’s life savings. Adding…

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As we leverage the cloud to make our lives easier, it’s imperative that we consider all the precautions to secure that cloud data. (Pixabay) News 

Securing Your Data and Maintaining Privacy with Cloud Services

Adarsh V.K, ,

Cloud computing has become an essential tool for both businesses and individuals in India, as the country undergoes rapid digitization. This technology has completely transformed the way data is stored, accessed, and shared. People are utilizing the cloud for various purposes, such as safeguarding valuable photos or confidential data. Nevertheless, as the popularity of cloud services increases, it is vital for users to acknowledge and tackle the security and privacy issues linked to this form of computing. According to a Thales Group survey report, cloud assets and IoT devices were…

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The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework gives Europeans a way to file a complaint about what US firms do with their data. News 

US Tech Companies Allowed to Keep European User Data on US Servers Under New Agreement

Adarsh V.K, , , ,

The European Union has approved a plan that will enable US tech giants to store data about European users in the US, following a court decision in 2020 that posed a threat to transatlantic e-commerce. The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework, announced on Monday by the European Commission, allows Europeans to engage with a US court if they believe their data privacy rights have been violated by a US tech platform. President Joe Biden established the Data Protection Review Court through an executive order last year, which has the authority to…

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It would be the first such law in the nation. News 

Massachusetts considers prohibiting sale of user location information

Jim Hendler,

The Massachusetts state legislature is currently reviewing a proposed bill that aims to prohibit the sale of phone location data belonging to users. If approved, the Location Shield Act would become the first law of its kind in the country, filling the void left by Congress’s lack of progress in implementing comprehensive user privacy measures on a national level. Additionally, the state’s proposed legislation would mandate that law enforcement obtain a warrant before accessing user location data from data brokers. Today, The Wall Street Journal published a report with numerous…

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Civil liberties groups are concerned about potential abuses. News 

French Assembly Approves Legislation Allowing Law Enforcement to Remotely Activate Mobile Device Cameras and Microphones for Surveillance

Jim Hendler, , ,

French law enforcement could soon have extensive powers to monitor suspected criminals, as a bill allowing police to remotely activate cameras, microphones, and GPS location systems on phones and other devices has been passed by lawmakers in the National Assembly. The use of these powers will require approval from a judge, and the amended bill specifically prohibits their use against journalists, lawyers, and other “sensitive professions,” as reported by Le Monde. The intention behind this measure is to restrict its use to serious cases and for a maximum period of…

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While the European Union has adopted GDPR and enforced it very diligently, India has been way behind. (Pixabay) News 

Creating an Effective Enforcement Authority for Data Protection Legislation

Febin Mathew,

Multiple reports have confirmed that today, the Union Cabinet has granted approval to the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill. The primary objective of this bill is to safeguard the personal data of citizens and ensure that business entities responsible for handling such data are held responsible. In particular, the protection of personal data has been neglected in India for too long. My personal data was leaked in the Domino’s Pizza breach and the Big Basket Breach already in 2020, but in the absence of a personal data protection bill,…

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Complete sexual assault case folios containing these details were among more than 300,000 files dumped online ( (iStockphoto)) News 

Hackers Posting Private Files of Children Following School Cyberattacks

Nitin Misra, ,

Ransomware gangs have stolen confidential documents from schools and released them online, revealing deeply personal and distressing information. These documents provide explicit details about student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy, and even suicide attempts. “Please do something,” one student pleaded in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of repeatedly running into her former abuser at a Minneapolis school. Other victims spoke of wetting the bed or crying themselves to sleep. Complete sexual-assault case files containing that information were among more than 300,000 files released online in March after…

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Sweden's privacy protection agency, the IMY, said it had examined the use of Google Analytics by the firms following a complaint by a data privacy group News 

Sweden Worries Over Data Privacy as Google Analytics is Utilized

Adriana Marais, ,

Sweden has issued an order to four companies, instructing them to cease using a Google tool that assesses and examines internet traffic. The reason behind this directive is that the tool transfers personal information to the United States. Additionally, one of the companies has been fined an amount exceeding $1.1 million. Sweden’s data protection agency IMY said it had investigated the use of Google Analytics by companies after a complaint was filed by the Austrian data protection group noyb (not your company), which has filed dozens of complaints against Google…

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Every Nigerian prince has to start somewhere. News 

Hackers turn cybercrime into a commercial service

Jim Hendler, , , ,

Online gamers are all too familiar with the frequent annoyance of DDoS (dedicated denial of service) attacks on the internet. These attacks involve hackers utilizing a vast network of compromised computers to overwhelm game servers, resulting in hours or even days of downtime for players. The issue has become increasingly widespread as hackers have started selling their botnets and spamming tools to anyone willing to pay for access to the same level of power. There’s a big internet out there, and bad Actors abound. There are worse things than spammers…

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The open beta includes features such as Duck Player and email protection. News 

DuckDuckGo’s Privacy-Focused Web Browser Now Available for Windows Users

Jim Hendler, , ,

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-oriented substitute for Google, has been developing its own browser. After being introduced in open beta for Mac towards the end of last year, the DuckDuckGo browser is now being launched in beta for Windows from today. According to DuckDuckGo, this is the product that has been most requested for years. Naturally, DuckDuckGo is the default search engine here. But the browser has some additional features like Duck Player that prevent YouTube from showing targeted ads and block recommendations that users follow. YouTube will still see this as…

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National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) celebrated its foundation day on Monday, completing 20 years while working towards building the country's internet infrastructure News 

Digital Transformation Offers Opportunities But Could Be Daunting, Warn NIXI CEO And MeitY Secretary

Sanjay Patil,

Anil Kumar Jain, the CEO of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), spoke about the challenges facing Digital India during the organization’s foundation day celebrations on Monday. He acknowledged that the rapid advancements in digitization can be intimidating, but assured attendees that NIXI is committed to ensuring that all internet users benefit from the use of technology. As NIXI celebrated 20 years of working to build India’s Internet infrastructure, the CEO said, “India’s vast population demands and deserves access to the Internet, and NIXI strives to meet these expectations…

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Ransomware gang BlackCat is likely behind a February attack on the company. News 

Hackers on Reddit Issue Ultimatum for $4.5 Million and API Alterations or Risk Leak of 80GB of Data

Febin Mathew, , , , ,

Reddit disclosed in February that it had fallen prey to a focused phishing attack that resulted in the exposure of confidential documents, code, dashboards, and contracts, as well as the personal information of some advertisers and current and former employees. Although none of the data has been made public, this could change soon. BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, a ransomware gang, has claimed responsibility for the breach and says it has 80GB of compressed data. In a post titled “The Reddit Files,” BlackCat has stated that it will erase the…

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We also checked the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature on a Realme C55 smartphone and found that the feature, which was spotted by Bagree, was activated by default on the device. News 

Indian Government Launches Probe into Realme’s Alleged Data Misuse

Adarsh V.K, , ,

According to a recent tweet, Realme smartphones allegedly have a feature called Enhanced Intelligent Services that gathers device information, such as call logs, SMS, location data, and personal data. A Twitter user named Rishi Bagree wrote on his handle, “Realme smartphone has a feature (Enhanced Intelligent Services) that stores user data (call logs, text messages and location data) and it is ‘On’ by default. You will only see this ‘on’ by default when you go to Settings -> Advanced Settings -> System Services -> Enhanced Intelligent Services,” Realme’s smartphone has…

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