Tag: internet

Why I won’t recommend Signal anymore

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. One of the things I do is cryptography and infosec training for investigative journalists who have a need to keep either their sources and communications confidential so they can more safely do their work in the public interest. Often they work in places… Continue reading Why I won’t recommend Signal anymore

Automatically update WordPress to the latest version

This post is a quick, temporary break from my usual privacy/civil rights posts, to a post of a slightly more technical nature. As WordPress is the most popular blogging platform on the internet, updates become crucial. However, the way WordPress runs at certain clients of mine means it’s not always just a question of clicking… Continue reading Automatically update WordPress to the latest version

Belgian Privacy Commission Found Facebook in Violation of EU and Belgian Privacy Law

About two weeks ago KU Leuven University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium published a report commissioned by the Belgian Privacy Commission about the tracking behaviour of Facebook on the internet, more specifically how they track their users (and non-users!) through the ‘Like’ buttons and Share buttons that are found on millions of websites across… Continue reading Belgian Privacy Commission Found Facebook in Violation of EU and Belgian Privacy Law

Dutch Data Retention Law Struck Down

Good news on privacy protection for once: after an 11 March 2015 ruling of the Court of The Hague in the Netherlands in the case of the Privacy First Foundation c.s. versus The Netherlands, the court decided to strike down the Dutch data retention law. The law required telecommunication providers and ISPs to store communication… Continue reading Dutch Data Retention Law Struck Down

Regin: The Trojan Horse From GCHQ

In 2010, Belgacom, the Belgian telecommunications company was hacked. This attack was discovered in September 2013, and has been going on for years. We know that this attack is the work of Western intelligence, more specifically, GCHQ, thanks to documents from Edward Snowden. This operation was called Operation Socialist. Now, however, we know a little… Continue reading Regin: The Trojan Horse From GCHQ

The Internet of Privacy-Infringing Things?

Let’s talk a little bit about the rapid proliferation of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). The Internet of Things is a catch-all term for all sorts of embedded devices that are hooked up to the internet in order to make them “smarter,” able to react to certain circumstances, automate things etcetera. This can include… Continue reading The Internet of Privacy-Infringing Things?

Gave Privacy By Design Talk At eth0

I gave my talk about privacy by design last Saturday at eth0 2014 winter edition, a small hacker get-together which was organised in Lievelde, The Netherlands this year. eth0 organizes conferences that aim at bringing people with different computer-related interests together. They organise two events per year, one during winter. I’ve previously given a very… Continue reading Gave Privacy By Design Talk At eth0

NSA is coming to town!

I just stumbled upon this funny video made by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). It fits perfectly, and it’s funny to see that when invasions of privacy gets really personal (Santa photographing your face, recording your conversations and rifling through your smartphone), people really don’t like this and some respond strongly, but when the… Continue reading NSA is coming to town!

Economic Consequences of NSA Surveillance

Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. (Note: A version of this article also got published on Consortium News) In the last 6 months or so, Edward Snowden, former NSA contractor, came forward with revelations about the NSA, disclosing quite a few of the agency’s surveillance programs, and revealing that… Continue reading Economic Consequences of NSA Surveillance