Confidential health records from UK BioBank project exposed online https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/mar/14/confidential-health-records-exposed-online-uk-biobank #Genetics #Biology #Science #UkNews #Privacy

Confidential health records from UK BioBank project exposed online https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/mar/14/confidential-health-records-exposed-online-uk-biobank #Genetics #Biology #Science #UkNews #Privacy

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@Em0nM4stodon/116194451395085142

Y’all. Em brings a wealth of privacy, digital rights, and open-source information to the world. And she’s super smart and friendly.

If you need to fill a gap on your team, do yourself a favor and give her a look.

#FediHire #GetFediHired #Tech #Privacy #DigitalRights

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@Em0nM4stodon/116194451395085142

Y’all. Em brings a wealth of privacy, digital rights, and open-source information to the world. And she’s super smart and friendly.

If you need to fill a gap on your team, do yourself a favor and give her a look.

#FediHire #GetFediHired #Tech #Privacy #DigitalRights

Meta Platforms: Lobbying, Dark Money, and the App Store Accountability Act

https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings

#privacy #security

UK MPs have passed an amendment giving the government powers to restrict access to VPNs.

Imposing digital ID checks will turn people away from using a tool that keeps them safe and secure online.

Instead it'll fuel the surveillance-based economy that causes harms.

Sign our petition to protect VPN use in the UK ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-government-protect-vpn-use-uk

#vpn #privacy #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

UK MPs have passed an amendment giving the government powers to restrict access to VPNs.

Imposing digital ID checks will turn people away from using a tool that keeps them safe and secure online.

Instead it'll fuel the surveillance-based economy that causes harms.

Sign our petition to protect VPN use in the UK ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-government-protect-vpn-use-uk

#vpn #privacy #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

"There is little evidence that young people are using VPNs to bypass digital ID checks imposed by the [UK] Online Safety Act."

Age gating them "will have little impact on children's online safety but will deter adults from using them or force people to hand over personal documents or biometric data."

🗣️ @JamesBaker for ORG.

https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/vpn-ban-uk-b2934934.html

#vpn #privacy #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

Is this the first time a major service has removed end-to-end encryption instead of adding it? Why Instagram?

#instagram #socialmedia #privacy #infosec #technology #enshittification

Self-Host Weekly (2026-03-13)

#Booklore turns sour, software updates and launches, a spotlight on #OpenDroneLog -- a #drone flight log app, and more in this week's #selfhosted recap!

https://selfh.st/weekly/2026-03-13

#selfhost #selfhosting #foss #opensource #homelab #devops #sysadmin #newsletter #privacy #security #fediverse #app #apps #smarthome #truenas #ntfy

Self-Host Weekly (2026-03-13)

#Booklore turns sour, software updates and launches, a spotlight on #OpenDroneLog -- a #drone flight log app, and more in this week's #selfhosted recap!

https://selfh.st/weekly/2026-03-13

#selfhost #selfhosting #foss #opensource #homelab #devops #sysadmin #newsletter #privacy #security #fediverse #app #apps #smarthome #truenas #ntfy

RE: https://flipboard.com/@cbcnews/ottawa-dpigmqdrz/-/a-D_0zMFpaTUyhkHd-k3EisA%3Aa%3A107108217-%2F0

Mandatory tracking being proposed. Even with guard rails, I'd rather not have that data be collected.

Also, can't they determine our locations already based on which cell towers you're connected to? Why is this needed?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lawfull-access-legislation-liberal-9.7125891

#CanadaPoli #cdnpoli #privacy

There’s a vulnerability with Proton VPN on macOS. The kill switch leaks your real IP between connections.

https://neat.tube/w/stZcmNsKx3eH9j97UmG1jv

#VPN #Privacy #InfoSec #Proton #Vulnerability #KillSwitch

RE: https://flipboard.com/@cbcnews/ottawa-dpigmqdrz/-/a-D_0zMFpaTUyhkHd-k3EisA%3Aa%3A107108217-%2F0

Mandatory tracking being proposed. Even with guard rails, I'd rather not have that data be collected.

Also, can't they determine our locations already based on which cell towers you're connected to? Why is this needed?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lawfull-access-legislation-liberal-9.7125891

#CanadaPoli #cdnpoli #privacy

RE: https://flipboard.com/@cbcnews/ottawa-dpigmqdrz/-/a-D_0zMFpaTUyhkHd-k3EisA%3Aa%3A107108217-%2F0

Mandatory tracking being proposed. Even with guard rails, I'd rather not have that data be collected.

Also, can't they determine our locations already based on which cell towers you're connected to? Why is this needed?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lawfull-access-legislation-liberal-9.7125891

#CanadaPoli #cdnpoli #privacy

When we think about privacy, we often focus on the technical tools. While this is an important part of it, it's crucial to also consider how regulations and invasive practices can impact us collectively.

♾️ Learn more on how to expand your perspective on data privacy.

🧰 Check our Privacy Activist Toolbox tip to Don't Stop at Individual Solutions: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/activism/toolbox/tip-dont-stop-at-individual-solutions/

#PrivacyGuides #Activism #PrivacyActivistToolbox #Privacy

When we think about privacy, we often focus on the technical tools. While this is an important part of it, it's crucial to also consider how regulations and invasive practices can impact us collectively.

♾️ Learn more on how to expand your perspective on data privacy.

🧰 Check our Privacy Activist Toolbox tip to Don't Stop at Individual Solutions: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/activism/toolbox/tip-dont-stop-at-individual-solutions/

#PrivacyGuides #Activism #PrivacyActivistToolbox #Privacy

Thanks for getting the word out about this @Em0nM4stodon ! @Paulatics do you know the timeframe for likely action on the Canadian online harms bill?

We just successfully prevented the Washington state legislature from passing several age verification laws, so it certainly can be done! A couple of key takeaways:

• The letter from a coalition of 90 organizations dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, rights for youth, privacy, and freedom of speech has a great summary of the harms of these technologies:

"For vulnerable communities, a biometric scan or an ID upload can serve as a huge obstacle, especially for low-income, unhoused, and undocumented people who already have to navigate an increasingly digital world, with less access to tech tools."

Online ID Checks Censor Abortion Information Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet are also good at highlighting harms to vulnerable users.

• Discord is the poster child for age verification's privacy problems. Discord Breach Sparks Age Verification & Third-Party Privacy Concerns highlights the risks of hackers getting at age verification data. Discord's age verification rollout has ties to Palantir co-founder and panopticon architect Peter Thiel Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web highlights how broadly age verification vendors share the data. US laws typically have clauses that put some limits on retention and sharing but in practice they're not enough.

• Lobbyists have succeeded in convincing legislators that age estimation software works well ... but actually it doesn't. Error rates are high, and higher for people of color; and people. As a result, even if the vendor claims they're using some fancy-shmancy approach involving biometrics or selfies, in practice a lot of people have to send in their government IDs (with all the aspects of fraud that involves). My [updated written testimony for Appropriations[(https://privacy.thenexus.today/hb-1834-approps/#updated-written-testimony) discusses this, based on the data from the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (search for "You've probably heard lobbyists and vendors talk about how accurate today's age systems are, but reality begs to differ") and also talks about the privacy issues.

• @eff's Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person? counters one of the most common talking points of age verification proponents (although, I'm not sure how effective it is, so it might be worth taking another crack at this).

• It's critical to highlight age verification's impact on 2SLGBTQIA_ communities. But, 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused organizations have so much on their plate that this may not be on their radar. So as well as contacting legislatures, reach out to 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused orgs, try to get them involved, and brief them on the issues.

#ageVerification #canada #privacy

Thanks for getting the word out about this @Em0nM4stodon ! @Paulatics do you know the timeframe for likely action on the Canadian online harms bill?

We just successfully prevented the Washington state legislature from passing several age verification laws, so it certainly can be done! A couple of key takeaways:

• The letter from a coalition of 90 organizations dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, rights for youth, privacy, and freedom of speech has a great summary of the harms of these technologies:

"For vulnerable communities, a biometric scan or an ID upload can serve as a huge obstacle, especially for low-income, unhoused, and undocumented people who already have to navigate an increasingly digital world, with less access to tech tools."

Online ID Checks Censor Abortion Information Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet are also good at highlighting harms to vulnerable users.

• Discord is the poster child for age verification's privacy problems. Discord Breach Sparks Age Verification & Third-Party Privacy Concerns highlights the risks of hackers getting at age verification data. Discord's age verification rollout has ties to Palantir co-founder and panopticon architect Peter Thiel Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web highlights how broadly age verification vendors share the data. US laws typically have clauses that put some limits on retention and sharing but in practice they're not enough.

• Lobbyists have succeeded in convincing legislators that age estimation software works well ... but actually it doesn't. Error rates are high, and higher for people of color; and people. As a result, even if the vendor claims they're using some fancy-shmancy approach involving biometrics or selfies, in practice a lot of people have to send in their government IDs (with all the aspects of fraud that involves). My [updated written testimony for Appropriations[(https://privacy.thenexus.today/hb-1834-approps/#updated-written-testimony) discusses this, based on the data from the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (search for "You've probably heard lobbyists and vendors talk about how accurate today's age systems are, but reality begs to differ") and also talks about the privacy issues.

• @eff's Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person? counters one of the most common talking points of age verification proponents (although, I'm not sure how effective it is, so it might be worth taking another crack at this).

• It's critical to highlight age verification's impact on 2SLGBTQIA_ communities. But, 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused organizations have so much on their plate that this may not be on their radar. So as well as contacting legislatures, reach out to 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused orgs, try to get them involved, and brief them on the issues.

#ageVerification #canada #privacy

Whenever you hear "ban for kids" on the internet, read in reality "ID collection by a sketchy third-party company that will definitely use it or leak it or both for every adult."

Because that's what this truly means.
Also, it doesn't even help the kids.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance #Authoritarianism