Author: mfeilner

Let’s make them pay for using our personal data

“Basically what happens is that Google without your (explicit) confirmation collects all history of you search requests and sell it to another company. This happens not only with search requests but with almost everything. I’m pretty sure that your Uber’s trips, photos on Samsung cloud or liked songs are being collected, analyzed, formatted and eventually sold to other companies.“

http://amortizedcost.net/make-them-pay-for-personal-data/

Opinion | Why Is America So Far Behind Europe on Digital Privacy? – The New York Times

Once again Europe just doesn’t realize how far ahead we are in some technical an economic and social things. Wake up, lady!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/opinion/sunday/privacy-congress-facebook-google.html

“G.D.P.R.establishes several privacy rights that do not exist in the United States — including a requirement for companies to inform users about their data practices and receive explicit permission before collecting any personal information. Although Americans cannot legally avail themselves of specific rights under G.D.P.R., the fact that the biggest global tech companies are complying everywhere with the new European rules means that the technocrats in Brussels are doing more for Americans’ digital privacy rights than their own Congress.“

#toldyouso

“Forward-thinking legislation — and the public hearings that would inform its passage — are urgently needed. Americans deserve a robust discussion of what privacy rights they are entitled to and strong privacy laws to protect them.”
(…)

“Congress should seize the moment and the public momentum to enshrine digital privacy rights into federal law.“

Weniger Licht am Abend macht den Schlaf besser – messbar am Melatonin

Melatonin-Produktion: Warum uns selbst Kerzenlicht den Schlaf rauben kann – Spektrum der Wissenschaft … :

“Im Durchschnitt halbierte sich die Melatoninproduktion, wenn die Probanden in den vier Stunden nach Sonnenuntergang 25 Lux ausgesetzt waren, was schwacher abendlicher Zimmerbeleuchtung entspricht. Die Forscher untersuchten zwar nicht, ob die Probanden auch später einschliefen. Frühere Studien legen jedoch nahe, dass es hier – je nach Person – einen deutlichen Zusammenhang mit der Melatoninausschüttung gibt.“

Nice. Now Apple can locate your offline Device. What could possibly go wrong?

Reality update: How does Apple (privately) find your offline devices? – A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering … :

“The idea of the new system is to turn Apple’s existing network of iPhones into a massive crowdsourced location tracking system. Every active iPhone will continuously monitor for BLE beacon messages that might be coming from a lost device.”

I wonder how long it will take until authorities want to use that for prosecution. I wonder if secret services not already are. What a brilliant idea. I suggest watching Iron Sky 2.