cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/4069856

(Also, I am aware that using an iPhone is not great for privacy. Please stop telling me.)

It seems like yet another good messenger app has become shit. I am of course talking about wire. I REALLY like where it didn't need my phone number to sign up, unlike signal does. Also they heavily market it towards corporates and governments.

Back when I first started to use it, they had the old UI. It was good looking, it had a lot of normie fun stuff like scribble and GIF (I can live without it but always a +) and it worked fine at start. It didn't need my phone number, so it was a BIG +. So I started to use it with my friends and family.

After finally convincing them to join here, issues started popping up. Messages aren't being notified to the users. I mean fun stuff is good but THE ONE THING eveey messenger MUST have is to NOTIFY THE PEOPLE. I tried turning on websocket connection, helping my peers troubleshoot and all but NO. NO NOTIFICATION WHATSOVER TO THEM, or rarely they get a delayed one.

Left it temporarily in hunt for other apps. Session was too buggy in connecting to nodes, simpleX is a bit too hard to connect with links and stuff, briar is also like simplex, so after long time I came back to wire in desperation hoping they have fixed this, as again IT IS THE ONE THING A MESSAGING APP MUST HAVE.

But nope. NO NOTIFICATIONS. It came to the point I can't communicate with them unless I SMS them (I don't use whatsapp). And finally, I took the decision. I apologized to them and deleted my wire account. Thinking for now let's f***ing use signal (the other option is whatsapp so yeah).

WHY WE CAN'T HAVE A SINGLE GOOD APP THAT BALANCES BETWEEN CONVENIENCE, USABILITY AND PRIVACY? Is there any app, even paid ones that fits as a perfect alternative? (By payment I mean crypto based, otherwise it's basically as bad as giving the phone number)

Firefox has added a new built-in full page translation feature that allows you to seamlessly browse the web in your preferred language. As you navigate the site, Firefox continuously translates new content in real time. This feature will be rolled out gradually and should be available for all users starting in Firefox version 118.

Note: Unlike other browsers that rely on cloud services, Firefox keeps your data safe on your device. There's no privacy risk of sending text to third parties for analysis because translation happens on your device, not externally.

I'm helping my older neighbor deal with tons of spam email that she's getting. For dealing with spam I thought about using thunderbird with with some extensions and making comprehensive filters. To reduce the volume in the future I thought about using deleteme and simplelogin so that her information doesn't continue to be spread.

Anyone have thoughts on the approach or maybe improvements that could be better?

Shelly is proud of their devices being:

• No hub neeeded
• Not required to be online
• Compatible all major hubs if you do want to connect them.

I do not work for Shelly. I just really like how I don't have to use an app for them and they're compatible with seemingly everything. I've bought the devices and I can do what I want with them.

I had owned two of their smart plugs for a couple of years and they decided to stop responding to resetting and could talk to them. Shelly support sent out two new plugs for me and asked for the defective ones back so they could troubleshoot them. Great service.

Just seems that privacy-centric people should be using privacy focused devices.

They are headquartered in Germany so very unlikely they'll go back on their offline compatibility anytime soon.

I've seen FFUpdater recommended a couple of times, but I'm unsure why you would need this updater if youve installed your browser from F-droid and update your apps regularly. Does FFUpdater do anything special?

Cross post from [email protected]

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB)'s report on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) recommends that Congress enact a wide range of reforms to Section 702, including a requirement that federal agents obtain approval from a judge to access data collected under Section 702 for an American’s communications.

My password manager told me that my info was leaked, including IP address, address, email, personal information, and phone number, in a data breach of eye4fraud.com. However, I don't use eye4fraud, so it must have been a site that uses their services. I would like to change my login credentials on the site that shared my data with them (and stop using their service since they're sharing my info with a security company that was breached), but I don't know which site that was. I found this list of sites that use eye4fraud, but that list has over 1,600 entries. Other than reviewing every single sight on the list, is there a way of finding out which site that I use leaked my info?

NewPipe also allows the use of other platforms like SoundCloud, PeerTube, Bandcamp and media.ccc.de

Panquake have released some source code. Not for Panquake itself, but for a link shortening service. I suppose it's a brand-exposure exercise.

https://talkliberation.substack.com/p/panquake-early-release-pnqk-now-available

Related material, not all as optimistic as the ABC news article:

• Video interview with Dr Katharine Kemp.
• Government response to the Privacy Act Review Report.
• Govt kicks Privacy Act can down the road - Only commits to a handful of review recommendations..

I want to be able to create an account without providing an email

Ive opened user.js and set browser.startup.page to 3. according to the gui that should resume previous session (0=blank, 1=home, 2=last visited page, 3=resume previous session)

It does say, however, that "Session Restore is cleared with history (2811), and not used in Private Browsing mode", so I set user_pref("privacy.clearOnShutdown.sessions", false); // [DEFAULT: true] to false, but still it opens to a new tab.

other issues: ff opens windowed, and Enhanced Tracking Protection settings dont save (I changed it to block all cross site cookies)

help appreciated :)

Searx is a metasearch engine that aggregates results from over seventy sources while protecting the privacy of its users. This utility forwards your search query to one of 39 random volunteer-run public servers to thwart mass surveillance.

Bookmark this link (select categories above) and add a keyword for fast searching (e.g. s ).

Firefox will recognize it as search engine you can add in address bar

• f-droid.org
• F-droid onion
• direct download apk on signal.org

Twórcy stron internetowych często dostosowują je w taki sposób, że przeglądarka użytkownika nawiązuje połączenia z zewnętrznymi serwisami bez wyraźnej zgody użytkownika. Co istotne, w wielu przypadkach jest to związane z udostępnianiem prywatnych informacji użytkownika innym firmom lub organizacjom.

Summary

A recent privacy study from Cornell University reveals that Amazon Alexa, the virtual assistant found in smart speakers, collects user data for targeted advertising both on and off its platform. This practice has raised concerns about privacy violations. The study also highlights that Amazon's and third-party skills' operational practices are often not transparent in their privacy policies.

Amazon Alexa is designed to respond to voice commands and is present in various Amazon devices, offering a wide range of functionalities, including controlling smart devices, providing information, and playing music.

While Amazon claims that Alexa only records when activated by its wake word ("Alexa"), research has shown that it can sometimes activate accidentally, leading to unintended recordings. Amazon employees listen to and transcribe these recordings, raising concerns about privacy.

Amazon links interactions with Alexa to user accounts, using this data for targeted advertising. Advertisers pay a premium for this information, making it highly valuable. Although Amazon allows users to delete their recordings, compliance with this feature has been questioned.

Additionally, third-party "skills" on Alexa can access user data, and many developers abuse Amazon's privacy policies by collecting voice data and sharing it with third parties without proper oversight.

The recent FTC fine against Amazon highlights its failure to delete certain data, including voice recordings, after users requested their removal, violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

While Amazon Alexa offers convenience, it comes at the cost of privacy. Users looking for more privacy-friendly alternatives can consider Apple's Siri, which offers stronger privacy protection. For those interested in open-source options, Mycroft provides a natural language voice assistant with an emphasis on privacy, but note that the company may be shutting down soon.