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Category Archives: E-Records

The Opt Out: When it comes to privacy, smart devices are not the smarter choice

Popular Science: “The technology in modern home appliances has breathed new life (and plausibility) into the old saying “If these walls could talk.” Your fridge and smart speaker may not have mouths, but they have an internet connection, and that can be more dangerous than the sharpest of tongues. …Tech companies and manufacturers have made… Continue Reading

Your Memories. Their Cloud.

The New York Times – “Google, Apple and Meta offer near-limitless digital basements in which to store photos, videos and important documents, but you should keep a copy of what you hold most dear…Getting all your data and figuring out how to securely store it is cumbersome, complicated and costly. There’s a reason most people… Continue Reading

Google will pay $9.5 million to settle Washington DC AG’s location-tracking lawsuit

engadget: “Google has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who accused the company earlier this year of “deceiving users and invading their privacy.” Google has also agreed to change some of its practices, primarily concerning how it informs users about collecting, storing and using… Continue Reading

Fifth U.S. Open Government National Action Plan

USAGov via White House: “The American people have strived for a more inclusive, accountable, transparent, and responsive government since our Nation’s founding. That spirit is embodied in key milestones across U.S. history, including expansions of the right to vote, broadening of basic civil rights protections to ensure dignity and equal treatment, improving protections for press… Continue Reading

Everyone Is Using Google Photos Wrong

Wired: “Every year, more than a billion people use the Google Photos app to upload and store billions of pictures and videos. For many, the process is likely identical: You snap some photos with your phone and they’re automatically uploaded to Google’s cloud service. You might pick the best photo and share it on WhatsApp or… Continue Reading

Welcome to Hotel Elsevier: you can check-out any time you like … not

Dr. Eiko Fried: “In December 2021, Robin Kok wrote a series of tweets about his Elsevier data access request. I did the same a few days later. This here is the resulting collaborative blog post, summarizing our journey in trying to understand what data Elsevier collects; what data Elsevier has collected on us two specifically;… Continue Reading

Spam texts are out of control, say all 51 attorneys general

FoxNews:”A proposal to force cellphone companies to block certain spam texts is gaining momentum. Meanwhile, there are simple things you can do right now to stop spam texts, which I’ll get to shortly. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has expressed his support for a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put an end… Continue Reading

Forever connected: the realities of parenting and growing up online

Password and Malwarebytes: “Forever connected: the realities of parenting and growing up online Have you posted those baby photos?” Decades ago, this would have sounded like gibberish. Today, we hear it all the time. Underneath these words is the understanding that we’ll share nearly everything online. And kids face the same expectation to build and… Continue Reading

America Online: A Cautionary Tale

The Nation $: On the rise and fall of the quintessential ’90s online service provider—and a warning about today’s social-media giants. “…America Online debuted in 1991, the same year that the World Wide Web opened to the public. With revenue from advertising and subscriber fees, AOL had a market cap that soared past $150 billion… Continue Reading

Riana Pfefferkorn on End-to-End Encryption for iPhone Backups to iCloud

LawFare Podcast: “Last week, Apple made an announcement about some new security features it would be offering to users. One of those features involves users’ ability to opt in to encryption for iPhone backups to iCloud. While this new feature will enhance data privacy and security for those users who choose to opt in, it… Continue Reading

Dozens of Telehealth Startups Sent Sensitive Health Information to Big Tech Companies

MarkUp: “Open the website of WorkIt Health, and the path to treatment starts with a simple intake form: Are you in danger of harming yourself or others? If not, what’s your current opioid and alcohol use? How much methadone do you use? Within minutes, patients looking for online treatment for opioid use and other addictions… Continue Reading