#privacy

See tagged statuses in the local Rambling Readers community

"Another tracker which cannot be removed once created is the Google Android ID, a device identifier that's linked to a user's Google account and created after the first connection made to the device by Google Play Services.

It continues to send data about the device back to Google even after the user logs out of their Google account and the only way to remove it, and its data, is to factory-reset the device."

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/04/google_android/

There is an optional feature on Mastodon which lets you automatically delete your posts after a certain amount of time:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/deleting-posts-automatically-in-mastodon-after-a-certain-time-period

If you activate this, your posts that are older than a certain number of weeks, months or years are automatically deleted by your server.

The setup process for autodelete also lets you choose types of post or specific posts not to delete.

(If you want to keep everything, just don't activate autodelete 🙂 )

If you’re in the UK you now can’t trust any online service to protect your data now that the government can just order them not to. A company revealing that they have been instructed to violate your privacy is itself an offence, but their actions make it clear they have.

Apple have removed iCloud end to end encryption for new UK users and will force existing users to disable it.


https://www.theverge.com/news/617273/apple-removes-encryption-advanced-data-protection-adp-uk-spying-backdoor

The state of state privacy laws in 2025 -- a report from @epicprivacy and US-PIRG

Of the 19 states that have passed data privacy laws, nearly half of them receive a failing grade

https://pirg.org/edfund/resources/state-privacy-laws/

"All across the country, tech and other companies are pushing for weak laws. The majority of the 19 state laws passed so far closely follow a model that was initially drafted by industry giants such as Amazon. From tech to telecomms, there’s a lot of companies making a lot of money in data.

In 2021, Virginia became the second state in the nation to pass a comprehensive consumer data privacy law. Where California’s law — which was passed in 2018 — established some real protections, Virginia’s was almost entirely void of meaningful provisions. A notable difference: While California’s rules became law in response to a proposed ballot question, Virginia’s legislation had been handed …

ORG and over 150 signatories call on the UK government to RESCIND its demand to create a backdoor to Apple encryption.

It "jeopardises the security and privacy of millions, undermines the UK tech sector, and sets a dangerous precedent for global cybersecurity."

"The world’s second-largest provider of mobile devices would be built on top of a systemic security flaw, putting all of its users’ security and privacy at risk."

https://www.globalencryption.org/2025/02/joint-letter-on-the-uk-governments-use-of-investigatory-powers-act-to-attack-end-to-end-encryption/

🍪 A 2023 study concluded CAPTCHAs are 'a tracking cookie farm for profit masquerading as a security service' that made us spend 819 billion hours clicking on traffic lights to generate nearly $1 trillion for Google

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-2023-study-concluded-captchas-are-a-tracking-cookie-farm-for-profit-masquerading-as-a-security-service-that-made-us-spend-819-billion-hours-clicking-on-traffic-lights-to-generate-nearly-usd1-trillion-for-google/