Forensic insights from
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By Simon Davies The evolution of GPS and the smart-phone market has spawned a macabre industry of surveillance apps designed to be covertly installed onto the cellphones of vulnerable employees, business associates, partners and children. Products such as Flexispy and Mobile Spy – allegedly used by hundreds of thousands of voyeurs – are chiefly marketed …
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By Simon Davies Facebook has again been accused of unlawful collusion with the Pakistan government after the publication today of a list of url’s that have been blocked by the company – including an influential page dedicated to human rights and political discourse. A partial list of blocked pages is published below. While some of …
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By Simon Davies The Privacy Surgeon today launches its new audio interview series “The Privacy Channel” in which we explore a range of key issues with some of the world’s most influential leaders of thought and policy. Our aim isn’t just to discuss privacy with defenders and experts, but also to engage with those who …
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By Simon Davies Formal complaints have today been lodged with national Data Protection Commissioners in fourteen European countries requesting an investigation into Google’s latest controversial changes to its Terms of Service and seeking suspension of the new policy. Google has activated a “Shared Endorsements” policy that exploits the images, personal data and identities of its …
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By Simon Davies The next time you check into a hotel in any European country – or indeed in many countries outside the EU – chances are you’ll be required to fill out a guest registration form. At the very least this form will demand information such as passport number, nationality, home address, telephone number, …
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By Simon Davies Earlier today I submitted a comprehensive access request to the EU Competition Commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, seeking detailed information about his investigative procedures and requesting clarification of a number of aspects of the conduct of his current inquiry into Google. The request, which can also be read by clicking the link in the …
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By Simon Davies Getting to grips with how the world ended up under a blanket of extensive surveillance can be a challenge, even for the experts. Surveillance is now so deeply embedded in our societies and legal systems that understanding its causes is a full-time task. With this in mind Privacy Surgeon is pleased to …
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By Simon Davies For more than forty years privacy scholars have made a core distinction between targeted surveillance (directed at individuals and small groups) and mass surveillance (directed against large populations). Experts agreed that the world was moving toward an era of mass surveillance in which there was a reversal of the onus of proof, …
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By Simon Davies One irony of the storm over the NSA and other security agencies is that many people hope the matter will be resolved by the very institutions that nurtured the problems in the first place. There’s a largely misplaced trust that government and judicial systems have the ability – and the will – …
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By Simon Davies A new report on the regulation of drones in the US has identified a surge in state legislation to control the technology. The analysis “The Year of the Drone” was prepared by Allie Bohm of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It presents an interesting picture of increased activity by state legislatures …
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