Kim is traveling in Japan but the A-Team is here! Why did the social networks go down? Andrew and Allie tell you what they know. Plus, American Express customers get hacked, and a Chinese app that can tell if you’ve photoshopped. That’s not all: Lil Jon releases a meditation app.
Think Big Tech knows a lot? Your ISP is just as bad
Your privacy is put at risk every time you go online. Your browsing habits and choice of apps and accounts do have a significant impact on your level of exposure. Social networks are among the biggest offenders, and that’s scary when you consider how many users they have.
Facebook has been accused of eavesdropping on people’s conversations, and there is some truth to this. Your phone’s microphone settings determine whether or not the social network can hear what you say. Tap or click here for three ways to make sure Facebook is not listening.
It seems we’re always finding new culprits when it comes to breaches of privacy. According to the Federal Trade Commission, your internet service provider is also spying on you. Read on for a simple way to block them.
The guilty parties
The FTC reviewed privacy practices of six ISPs and released a report last week. The results show that some ISPs invade privacy just as much as Google and Facebook.
The report notes that because of corporate takeovers and mergers, people are getting their internet, television, streaming and mobile services from just one or two companies. This means more available data from each consumer plus easier tracking.
The FTC issued orders to the country’s six largest ISPs: AT&T, Verizon, Charter, Comcast, T-Mobile and Google Fiber. The orders sought
information from these ISPs regarding data collection and use, along with what tools are provided to consumers to control these practices.
The collected information spans from July 2019 to July 2020 and includes publicly available information.
Report highlights
Your ISP probably has your contact and billing information. It might also have your birthday and information from your government ID, which is used to verify your identity and check up on your credit. This has become common practice.
ISPs also collect device information to establish a connection for your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet, etc. Other factors like location are used to test signal strength in a specific area. Some information is collected to comply with legal requests, such as court orders.
It’s known that ISPs collect information to provide services to their consumers. The report showed that they are collecting additional data that isn’t needed for services. That extra information goes towards advertising.
Security tip: How to spot fake social media profiles
Social media is packed with interesting accounts to follow and tons of useful information, but some people use the internet’s power for nefarious purposes by creating fake profiles. Whether it is to scam other users, spread spam messages or post questionable article links, fake social media profiles are a huge problem on almost all platforms.
Facebook's Instagram accused of illegal facial recognition scans of millions of users
Instagram is one of the most popular social networks on the planet, but are you familiar with who is running the platform? No, it’s not an independent company — it’s everyone’s favorite data aggregator: Facebook.
Unlike Facebook proper, Instagram has managed to steer clear of most of the reputational damage endured by its parent platform. Plus, as a visually-focused medium, it’s a lot more obvious when you’re being marketed to on Instagram than it is on Facebook. Tap or click here to see why it feels like there are more ads on Instagram nowadays.
Data breach reveals Walmart, ICE and Best Buy's dealings with facial recognition app
Facial surveillance is coming whether we like it or not. The technology is already here, and is inside many of our phones and laptops, but it’s only a matter of time before we see it implemented for use by law enforcement and government agencies.