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User Safety
Data Surveillance Data tracking Mobile Security User Privacy User Safety

An Unusual Tracking Feature Identified on Millions of iPhone Users

 

Millions of iPhone users across the globe discovered an interesting new setting that was automatically switched on in their iPhones. The latest software version included a new setting called "Discoverable by Others''. It can be located under 'Journalling Suggestions' in iPhone's privacy and security settings. Journalling Suggestions was included in the new Journal app, which was launched with iOS 17.2 in December 2023. 

When enabled, the feature accesses past data stored on the user's iPhone. Music, images, workouts, who they've called or texted, and significant locations are all included in the data. It is used to suggest what times to write about in the Journal app.

The feature is enabled by default and stays so even after a user deletes the Journal app. According to Joanna Stern, a senior personal technology correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Apple has confirmed that customers' phones can use Bluetooth to locate nearby devices associated with their contact list. However, the phone does not save any information about the detected contacts. This feature offers context to enhance Journalling suggestions.

The firm has also denied disclosing users' identities and locations to anyone. To clarify their point, Apple provided an example of holding a dinner party at your home with pals listed in your contacts. According to the tech behemoth, the system may prioritise the event in Journalling Suggestions. This is because it recognises that the number of guests made it more than just another night at home with your family.

As per Apple's support page, if you disable the 'Discoverable by Others' option to avoid yourself from being counted among your contacts, the 'Prefer Suggestions with Others' feature will also be turned off. This implies that the Journalling Suggestions feature will be unable to determine the number of devices and contacts in your vicinity.
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User Security
Cyber Security Data Leak Data tracking Kiosks User Security

Kiosks in Brookline is Tracking Cell Phone Data

 

Data is everywhere. It is at your fingertips. It's all over town, yet your info may be shared around without your knowledge. Brookline put digital signs throughout town, which have gotten people talking since they are collecting individual cell phone data. 

Glen Gay, who was passing by one of the Washington Street kiosks, stated, "I guess everything is tracked in today's world whether you like to or not." "I am just a little curious what they are doing with the data?” 

Brookline.News initially reported on the kiosks, which are created by a local US company called Soofa. They display a wide range of information, including bus arrival times and local activities. The boards contain sensors in the kiosks that detect a unique identity in your phone when WiFi is turned on. The company claims that the data is encrypted before it is delivered to their data site. The information helps the city in tracking how often people cross the boards. 

Town officials said the data will help them determine the size of the audience the board is reaching. The town hopes to use the boards to send out localised messages ahead of the Boston Marathon. The foot traffic data will also help them learn how many people visit the kiosks throughout the marathon, allowing them to better adapt the board content to high-traffic regions next year. Phone users will not see a prompt indicating that the kiosk is keeping track of their data.

"I linger here 10 to 15 minutes a day, so knowing that freaked me out a little bit," stated Jenna Woods, as she sits near a kiosk. "I wish that it was more public knowledge. I mean, I have nothing to hide, so they can collect as much as they want. Will it be interesting? Probably not.” 

Cyber experts claim that, contrary to popular belief, all of this is completely legal. Usually, the data they monitor is broadcast data from a mobile device.

"It says I am here, and a clock that says I am here for a certain period of time. There is no personal identifiable information," notes Peter Tran, Chief Information Security Officer with the IT security firm Infersight. "With cell phones, users have to be aware that you are broadcasting out certain types of information, so the cell towers can authenticate you and know it's your cellphone. What you are normally broadcasting is some basic information about your hardware, your place in the network of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile.” 

Tran claims that while these are individual bits of public information, integrating them can be financially beneficial. Soofa claims that no data correlation is performed, nor that any data is sold to a third party. Only your phone's unique identification is collected. To avoid collecting, Tran recommends turning off your WiFi while you are not using it. The same goes for your Bluetooth.
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User Privacy
Data tracking Digital Privacy malware Phishing Attacks Surveillance Tool User Privacy

Rise of Bossware: Balancing Workplace Surveillance and Employee Privacy

 

The emergence of 'Bossware' or staff surveillance software in recent years has been a troubling trend in offices all around the world. Bossware refers to a collection of devices and software that give employers the ability to track, keep an eye on, and even automate the administration of their workers. While advocates claim that these tools boost output and expedite processes, others raise severe concerns about privacy invasion and abuse possibilities.
Employee monitoring software, which enables businesses to closely monitor their employees' digital activity throughout the workday, is one such tool that is growing in popularity. These tools can monitor time spent on particular tasks as well as emails and website visits. According to a report by StandOut CV, 75% of UK employees have experienced some type of employee monitoring, which causes understandable discomfort and tension among workers.

Bossware is being used more frequently throughout numerous industries, not just in a few exceptional instances. The use of intrusive worker monitoring technologies is growing, and without sufficient regulation, it might spiral out of control, according to research by the TUC (Trades Union Congress). More than ever, employees feel the pressure of constant scrutiny and worry about the repercussions of every digital action.

Critics argue that such extensive monitoring undermines trust within the workplace and fosters an environment of constant pressure. A joint effort by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the Global Financial Integrity (GFI) has raised the alarm, warning the White House of the risks of workplace electronic surveillance. They emphasize that this surveillance can lead to an abuse of power, and individuals may be subjected to disciplinary actions for seemingly innocent online behaviors.

The effects of this phenomenon extend beyond the digital sphere. The productivity of warehouse workers has occasionally been tracked using physical monitoring devices, such as Amazon's Time Off Task system. Workers have expressed concerns about being treated like robots and not receiving even the most basic privacy, as reported by Reuters, and this surveillance has drawn a lot of criticism.

Employers' efforts to boost productivity and safeguard corporate assets are sensible, but it's important to strike a balance between surveillance and employee privacy. Jenny Stevens, a privacy advocate, cautions that "it's important for employers to recognize that employees are not just data points but human beings deserving of respect."

Organizations and policymakers must collaborate to set precise rules and laws regulating the use of Bossware in order to allay these worries. With the correct supervision, these tools can be utilized responsibly without jeopardizing the rights and welfare of the employees.

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User Privacy
Apple Data tracking Developers iOS Privacy Twitter User Privacy

Apple Accused Over Monitoring Users' Behavior Without Consent


According to a lawsuit, despite the fact that settings on Apple's iPhones and other devices are designed to prevent any tracking or sharing of app data, the corporation nonetheless collects, tracks, and monetizes user details even after users have turned off sharing.

When using the App Store app on iOS 14.6, each click users make is recorded and given to Apple, according to the thread posted last week by the Twitter account Mysk, which is maintained by two developers in Canada and Germany. 

The developers assert that this occurs regardless of users’ preferences and settings. The developers claim that "opting out or switching the personalization options off did not decrease the amount of detailed data that the app was transmitting." Apple provides a number of toggles designed to limit tracking.

In a follow-up report by Gizmodo, the developers discovered that although the privacy toggles, a number of additional apps, including Music, TV, Books, the iTunes Store, and Stocks, all transferred data to Apple. The site claims that the majority of the apps that transmitted analytics data shared constant ID numbers, which would allow Apple to follow user behavior across its services like the Health and Wallet apps.

Elliot Libman, the plaintiff, alleged  Apple's assurances that users have control over the data they provide when using iPhone apps are factually false and in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

The thread also notes how ironic Apple's alleged surveillance appears given that strong controls were introduced in iOS 14.5 to stop third-party developers from tracking users against their own will. Although the iOS 14.6 operating system has been around for more than a year, the researchers said they observed identical apps sending comparable data packets when using iOS 16.

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Porn websites
Data tracking Facebook Google Porn websites

Google, Facebook tracking porn preferences of users








Researchers at Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pennsylvania found out that Google and Facebook are tracking users porn consumption data, even in incognito mode. 

The experts analyzed 22,484 porn sites and 93 percent of them send data to several domains that are owned by third-party companies.

“[E]veryone is at risk when such data is accessible without users’ consent, and thus can potentially be leveraged against them,” write the authors. “These risks are heightened for vulnerable populations whose porn usage might be classified as non-normative or contrary to their public life.” 

According to the study, Google is the No.1 company who receives data from the third parties. The research found that Google or its subsidiaries had trackers on 74% of the pornography sites, while  Facebook had trackers on 10% of the sites. 

“[M]any sites and apps include code from other parties of which users are typically unaware,” the authors say. “Such ‘third-party’ code can allow companies to monitor the actions of users without their knowledge or consent and build detailed profiles of their habits and interests.”

Only 17 percent of all the analyzed sites in the research sample were encrypted. More ever, 49.97 percent of porn site URLs expose or strongly suggest the identities, sexual orientation, and intimate interests of visitors.

“[T]hese porn domains contain words or phrases that would likely be generally understood as an indicator of a particular sexual preference or interest inherent in the site’s content,” the researchers say. [T]hese might also likely be assumed to be tied to the user accessing that content.”

The study found that only 17 percent of porn sites have a privacy policy and encrypted data transfer. 


“The policies were written such that one might need a two-year college education to understand them,” the authors note. 
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