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Proton Mail's desktop app is now generally available for Windows and Mac
Proton Mail has officially launched its desktop app for all Windows and Mac users, a beta version is available for Linux customers too.
Proton Mail is an enticing option for those who are looking for a privacy-focused email client. However, up until last year, it was particularly difficult to access your Proton Mail from a desktop client, with users being required to set up a "Bridge". Then, in December 2023, the company officially launched its desktop app, but gave access only to customers who were subscribed to its legacy Visionary tier. Now, it is making the client available to everyone on Windows and Mac.
This USB drive will explode to keep your data safe
You can't hack what explodes into a thousand pieces.
If you really don't want somebody getting a hold of your data, the best way to prevent theft of information is to blow it up. Until now, for obvious reasons, it's been hard to purchase a data storage device that will literally self-destruct if someone tries to misuse it. However, you can now help fund a USB drive that can explode if misused, and you can even secure your own if you donate enough.
5 great Firefox extensions and tweaks to improve your privacy
Retaining your privacy online can be difficult, but these great extensions make it easier than ever
Firefox has been in a weird state for a while now. Chrome and Chromium's dominance is complete, making up 62.85% and 75%, respectively, of the browser market in 2023. Firefox has been in consistent decline, but in recent years, Google has repeatedly attempted to use Chrome's dominance to advance technologies that make it easier to track users online and protect advertising revenue. Most recently, for example, Google has caused controversy with its Manifest V3 changes to the Chrome Extensions API.This push to control underlying web technologies has been concerning, highlighting the importance of browsers and tools not built exclusively on Chromium. Firefox is one of the largest holdouts from Chromium, and Mozilla and the open-source community have quietly been building up a great suite of privacy-focused tools and extensions to help protect your privacy online. All the extensions we'll cover today are also FOSS (Free and Open Source Software).
ChatGPT and Google Bard are privacy nightmares
If you want to use an LLM, what does that mean for your data?
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm in 2023, and with good reason. It can generate text and images for all kinds of things at a level that no other service was previously capable of. It's since been in active competition with Google and other LLMs, but by and large, ChatGPT has reigned supreme. However, ChatGPT, and by extension others like Google Bard, is a privacy nightmare for a myriad of reasons.
Google Chrome will start getting rid of third-party cookies in January 2024
Google has announced the next phase in its plan to eliminate the use of third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser.
Back in 2020, Google announced that it would soon phase out the use of third-party cookies and user-agent strings in its Chrome web browser, in a bid for better user privacy. It then began trialing various methodologies to offer alternatives to cookies under its Privacy Sandbox initiative, with mechanisms like trust tokens, the Topics API, and more. Now, it has revealed the next phase of its plans to get rid of third-party cookies in Chrome completely.
Cutting through the marketing: What VPNs can and can't do for you
VPN marketing can be confusing. We'll explain how to choose a good one, and what VPNs can (and can't) do for you online
Nowadays, it's nearly impossible to be online for any period of time without being bombarded with adverts for VPNs. They're everywhere. From big-name players to small upstarts, it feels like there's a continuous roundabout of new and old VPNs desperate to advertise to us, and in turn secure their business in protecting our internet traffic. VPNs can be an essential tool online and have helped protect the security and privacy of their users everywhere, from warzones to coffee shops. VPNs are now big business, but it's become harder than ever to pick through the marketing and understand exactly what a VPN can and can't do for you.
Microsoft's new Outlook client quietly moves your email to the cloud
Microsoft’s new version of Outlook introduces some controversial data-sharing features
Microsoft recently introduced a new version of Outlook on Windows PCs. It was designed to replace the aging Windows Mail and the classic Outlook, so it introduces a slick new design and significantly tighter cloud integrations while combining your email and calendar into one app. It also introduces new generative AI features, including writing assists and “other advanced AI features."
Google is making it easier to protect your privacy online
Google will now allow you to quickly delete the last 15 minutes of your browsing data through the three-dot menu.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been celebrated in October for the past couple of decades in the United States. Big tech firms typically announce new security features for their software and hardware during this month as a way to increase awareness of the topic and also offer more ways to enhance security on your everyday devices. Google has now announced a bunch of capabilities that it is working on in order to protect your security and privacy in online environments.
What is Signal: Everything you need to know about the secure IM service
Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that you should consider using if you care about privacy
At a time when mass surveillance by corporations and governments is increasingly becoming commonplace, consumers are looking for ways to keep their private conversations away from prying eyes. While there are plenty of messaging apps available to consumers, not all have the same level of protection or consumer interest at heart. This is where Signal comes into play.
Apple going up against the UK government could be enough to thwart data encryption threats
In response to the U.K. government's proposed IPA changes, Apple is threatening to pull out from the market, along with WhatsApp and Signal.
For years, Apple has prided itself on its privacy and security guidelines. That Apple is the benchmark in this area is not an understatement. No matter which product release or update is announced, Apple will invariably touch on security and privacy on stage, with the Vision Pro being the latest example. For those who value these aspects, Apple is the go-to brand. Sadly, though, apart from the end users, not everyone holds user privacy that high of a regard. According to recent reports, that seems to be the case with the U.K. government.
Telly is giving away free TVs, but you definitely shouldn't take one
A free TV might sound like an amazing proposition, but no piece of tech is worth surrendering your privacy.
Flat-screen TVs have come back down to earth in pricing, and some sizes and brands can be had for as low as $100. But the best high-quality panels can still be pricey, and top-of-the-line equipment costs thousands of dollars. With the way the economy is turning in many regions these days, people might not have a couple hundred bucks to spend on a new TV. That is what Telly, a new television company started by Pluto TV founder Ilya Pozin, is banking on.
Google introduced several new privacy and security settings with Android 12, including new toggles to enable/disable the camera and microphone, indicators to show when the camera and microphone were in use, a new privacy dashboard, and more. Although the company provided detailed explanations for these features, it only offered a brief overview of Android's new Private Compute Core.
T-Mobile's App Insights sells your data, but there is a way out
T-Mobile launched App Insights, a new adtertising platform that collects user data including apps installed and app usage.
T-Mobile launched a new advertising platform last week called App Insights that allows advertisers access to groups of potential customers based on the apps they have installed on their phones. This program has been in beta testing for the past year. Users are sorted into different categories based on these apps such as "video streamers" and allows advertisers to target users based on these categories.
Track your sales with Google's Privacy Sandbox Developer Preview 3
Google launched the third iteration of the Privacy Sandbox Developer Preview which adds tools for conversion tracking
Google is trying to replace the browser cookie with new targeted advertising methods in Chrome and beyond. To that end, it built the Android Privacy Sandbox and launched it in April of 2022. Today, Google is rolling out the third iteration of the Privacy Sandbox Developer Preview 3. The new sandbox is related mostly to tracking conversions from ad campaigns.
The Murena One smartphone removes Google from your life
The Murena One offers a more private smartphone experience by removing or eliminating a majority of Google's services and apps.
For years, Murena has been fighting the good fight, making its best effort to educate people about their online privacy. The company wants to help people gain better control of their digital profile, especially when it comes to smartphones. Murena has accomplished this so far by offering its services in the form of /e/OS, an operating system that is completely free of Google's services. The company is now launching its very first smartphone, the Murena One, alongside /e/OS v1.
Google starts testing Privacy Sandbox in Chrome and announces new user controls
In a blog post on Thursday, Google announced the next stage of testing for Privacy Sandbox features, including Topics API and FLEDGE.
Google’s attempts to replace browser cookies with a new solution have been met with a lot of criticism from privacy advocates and competitors. Google’s first attempt at phasing out cookies came in FLoC, short for Federated Learning of Cohorts, which Google deemed more private and better than cross-site tracking cookies. However, the company abandoned the feature following the backlash, proposing a replacement in the form of Topics API, which categorizes your interests into different topics that advertisers can target. Now Google has started testing the Topics API along with other features such as FLEDGE and Attribution Reporting.
Explaining the new Privacy settings in One UI 4 on the Samsung Galaxy S22 series
Just got yourself a new Galaxy S22 series device? Here's what you need to know about the new privacy settings in One UI 4 on Android 12.
Google introduced a host of privacy settings in Android 12, including a new Privacy Dashboard, visual indicators for camera and microphone access, toggles to enable/disable the camera and microphone, and the ability to share approximate location with apps. Samsung has integrated all of these features in One UI 4, the latest version of its custom skin based on Android 12., but its implementation is slightly different. If you've just got yourself a brand new Galaxy S22 series device or have an older Samsung phone with One UI 4.0 or above, here's everything you need to know about the new privacy features in One UI 4 and how to use them.
Android 13 DP1 updates Privacy dashboard with optional longer data retention
The first Developer Preview of Android 13 includes an option to store Privacy dashboard for even longer than is possible on Android 12.
Last year's release of Android 12 included a new Privacy dashboard, which compiled all permissions requests from all the apps on your device into a readable format. Android 13 is on the way, and even though there aren't many changes in the first Developer Preview, one of them might make the Privacy dashboard even more helpful.
Want to ditch Google services? Apple's ecosystem is almost the perfect replacement
Ditching Google services in Apple's ecosystem is doable. However, it can come with certain frustrations, depending on your routines.
Apple markets its products and services as privacy-focused ones. When you buy a device from the company and use the included software, you're assured that your data isn't getting sold to third parties. Google, on the other hand, makes most of its revenue from advertising. And what pays more than a regular advertisement is a targeted one, tailored based on your interests. It's no secret that the search giant collects all sorts of data on its users. In a way, this is what makes it superior in some aspects -- having richer, more accurate databases. However, plenty of users would rather not feed the machine learning algorithms. Ditching Google services in Apple's ecosystem is doable. It comes with many frustrations, though, that differ based on where you live, your routines, the apps you use, and other factors.
To no one's surprise, Apple AirTags are being misused to stalk people
Apple AirTags were released to help people locate their missing items. Unsurprisngly, though, they're being used to stalk others.
Back in April, Apple announced AirTags -- which are trackers with Find My network support. The concept behind them isn't new, for Tile trackers have been around for years. However, Apple tends to popularize a certain product category once it releases its own version of it. For example, wireless earbuds weren't as commonly used before the Cupertino giant introduced the AirPods. With AirTags now being a relatively cheap, available, and known product, stalking has become convenient and accessible to even more predators. Don't get us wrong --Â AirTags are great products, but they're also a privacy and security nightmare that to some extent Apple isn't taking as seriously as it should.