Washington Post – Shira Ovide [free to read this week]: ” I moved my Gmail to a less creepy email. It was surprisingly easy. Moving 15 years of Gmail messages to a smaller email service let me glimpse true tech freedom…Corporate tech giants make some great products. But we also have little choice but to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Mail
Privacy Tools Guide: Website for Encrypted Software & Apps
Privacy Tools Guide: Website for Encrypted Software & Apps – “Many of the activities we carry out on the internet leave a trail of data that can be used to track our behavior and access some personal information. Some of the activities that collect data include credit card transactions, GPS, phone records, browsing history, instant… Continue Reading
We Found 650,000 Ways Advertisers Label You
The MarkUp: “A spreadsheet on ad platform Xandr’s website revealed a massive collection of “audience segments” used to target consumers based on highly specific, sometimes intimate information and inferences.” – By Jon Keegan and Joel Eastwood. “If you spend any time online, you probably have some idea that the digital ad industry is constantly collecting… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, June 11, 2023
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, June 11, 2023 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
Here’s what your boss might be able to see while you’re at work
Washington Post [free link] – “Workplace software like Microsoft, Google Workspace, Slack and Zoom log certain activities that could be accessed by your employer…The software tools you use to do tasks like collaborate with your colleagues, host meetings or create digital files often track certain activities for various purposes, in many cases for safety, security… Continue Reading
Awesome Privacy Guides
Awesome Privacy – List of free, open source and privacy respecting services and alternatives to private services, such as those provided by Google/Alphabet. Anonymity, Privacy, and Security are often used interchangeably, but they actually represent distinct concepts. It is important to understand the differences between them. Read more in this section below.The primary focus of… Continue Reading
Why won’t Google give a straight answer on whether Bard was trained on Gmail data?
Skiff Blog: “… Google’s Smart Compose feature was trained on Gmail users’ private emails.Bard is not Google’s only language-focused machine learning model. Anyone who’s used Gmail in the past few years knows about the Smart Compose and Smart Reply features, which auto-complete sentences for you as you go. According to Google’s 2019 paper introducing Smart Compose, the feature was… Continue Reading
Google Builds on Tech’s Latest Craze With Its Own A.I. Products
Washington Post: “Google is changing the way we search with AI. It could upend the web. Google Search will start answering some queries directly by generating its own results — a move dreaded by publishers and bloggers..” The New York Times: “On Wednesday [May 10, 2023], at its annual conference in Mountain View, Calif., the… Continue Reading
Gmail is starting to show more ads, including in the middle of email lists
9to5Google: “Ads are a central part of Google’s business and, in many cases, the way that the company’s products are provided at no charge. That includes Gmail, which is starting to show more ads for a lot of folks. Gmail has shown ads for years and years now. Google brought ads to the mobile apps… Continue Reading
Gmail is adding a blue checkmark to better verify senders
9 to 5 Google: “After adding support for verified brand logos in 2021, Gmail is now going further by adding a blue checkmark to emails. The existing system is based on the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard, where brand logos appear in the “avatar slot” next to the sender’s name and address. For… Continue Reading
So long passwords, thanks for all the phish
Google Blog: “Starting today, you can create and use passkeys on your personal Google Account. When you do, Google will not ask for your password or 2-Step Verification (2SV) when you sign in Passkeys are a more convenient and safer alternative to passwords. They work on all major platforms and browsers, and allow users to… Continue Reading
Whistleblowers Are the Conscience of Society, Yet Suffer Gravely For Trying to Hold the Rich and Powerful Accountable For Their Sins
Via LLRX – Whistleblowers Are the Conscience of Society, Yet Suffer Gravely For Trying to Hold the Rich and Powerful Accountable For Their Sins – Lawyer, activist, author, and whistleblower Ashley Gjovik states: “I blew the whistle and was met with an experience so destructive that I did not have the words to describe what… Continue Reading
