For example, I have been using Google or Apple for 7 years, and seeing that I was fingerprinted, tracked through third-party cookies, etc. I want to switch to a more private option.

But is it worth it? They know about me, they have now AI that can just use the behavior pattern for the last 7 years and still track me.

Again the question comes, should I become "privacy-focused" despite my data before I was "privacy-focused" used and sold?

With UK's new security bill that seems to more dismantle security rather than help. Am I still legally okay to use signal, VPN, tutanota, https, tor?

Seems like banning all advertising would end all this stupidity. Seems like Google Android is following iOS's lead...

When I use a public jitsi instance am I really putting my privacy at risk?

Vern.cc is a group that hosts a bunch of services such as jitsi and piped. I use there stuff a lot because they are a close to me. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Its not just you

From the article:

Senior officials at the Home Office secretly lobbied the UK’s independent privacy regulator to act “favourably” towards a private firm keen to roll out controversial facial recognition technology across the country, according to internal government emails seen by the Observer.

Correspondence reveals that the Home Office wrote to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warning that policing minister, Chris Philp, would “write to your commissioner” if the regulator’s investigation into Facewatch – whose facial recognition cameras have provoked huge opposition after being installed in shops – was not positive towards the firm.

I’ve been using cloudflare for dynamic dns for my self hosted nextcloud, audio book service and matrix server, but I’m trying to get away from depending on a big tech company. What alternative can I use?

Can I host my own service?

Apologies if this is a dumb question. I use a different VPN instead of Mullvad. If I install that VPN's plug-in and delete the Mullvad's VPN plug-in would that make me easier to identify since I've made changes to the browser?

i keep getting "connection refused" from https://feeds.megaphone.fm podcasts like 'twenty thousand hertz' or 'unexplainable' on antennaPod.

With a direct connection, i can download. Through orbot i can neither stream, nor download.

This might have been discussed to death by now, unfortunately I couldn't find any discussion on it on Lemmy. Though I would love to be corrected on that!

How does an always on incognito Chromium with uBlock Origin on medium mode (and other hardening/privacy settings enabled) compare to Brave (with e.g. Privacy Guides' recommended settings) with respect to security and privacy on Linux^[1]^?

Commonly heard whataboutisms:

• "With the looming advent of Manifest v3, this discussion might not be very relevant for long." I'm aware.
• "Just use Firefox/Librewolf or any other privacy-conscious browser that isn't Chromium-based." I already do, but some websites/platforms don't play nice on non-Chromium-based browsers due to Google's monopoly on the web. Sometimes I can afford to not use that website/platform, but unfortunately not always.
• "Brave's [insert controversy] makes them unreliable to take services from." Honestly, I think that if both solutions are as effective that a reason like this might be sufficient to tip the balance in favor of one. Because ultimately this all comes down to trust.
• "Just use Ungoogled Chromium." Some more knowledgeable people than me advice against it. Though, I'd say I'm open to hear different opinions on this as long as they're somewhat sophisticated.
• "Just use [insert another Chromium-based browser]." If it has merits beyond Brave and Chromium with respect to security and privacy, I'll consider it.

Thanks in advance!

1. I can be more specific about which distro I prefer using, but I don't think it matters. I might be wrong though*.

115 civil society organisations are calling on EU lawmakers to to regulate the use of AI technology for harmful and discriminatory surveillance by law enforcement, migration authorities and national security forces in the AI Act.

TL;DR

Google’s ‘ad auctions’ face a privacy challenge in the Netherlands. Google has been accused of intrusive online surveillance by more than 82,000 people who have signed up to a class action lawsuit against the tech giant in the Netherlands.

Adobe starts paying out stock contributors for helping train AI. To train Firefly, its generative AI model, the company only uses content that it has rights to through its stock image platform Adobe Stock or that is in the public domain. Adobe has now started to make good on its promise to compensate Adobe Stock creators who may lose out from the widespread adoption of AI.

UK backs down on encryption-breaking plan. The plan was to compel service providers, including messengers, to scan encrypted chats for child porn. Although the British government promised not to force companies to use unproven technology to snoop on users, it may try to enforce the so-called “spy clause” in the future if better and more secure (in the government’s eyes) technology emerges.

WhatsApp denies it will have ads. The Financial Times has reported that WhatsApp is considering inserting ads into lists of conversations with contacts in a bid to increase its revenue. A rebuttal from WhatsApp head Will Cathcart followed. “This @FT story is false. We aren’t doing this.” Still, the FT stood by their story, claiming that before it was published they had reached out to WhatsApp, and they had not denied such conversations could have taken place. Citing sources within WhatsApp, the FT then reported that another option that was being discussed is to introduce a paid ad-free version of WhatsApp.

X unveils verification system based on govt. ID. X, formerly Twitter, has begun offering its paid subscribers a new way of verification. Now, they can upload their government-issued IDs along with their selfie, and get an “ID verified” label on their profile along with “prioritized support.”

Hi guys

What apps for security and privacy do you use?

Below is the full-text of a Mozilla campaign email I received. Mozilla's consumer buyer's guide Privacy not included reviews apps and consumer electronics to help the general public choose products that better respect their privacy, and occasionally organizes petitions & campaigns to push for privacy regulation and accountability.

The bad news: major car companies say they can listen to us in our cars, collect our genetic information, track information about our sex lives, and sometimes even sell our personal information to places we don’t even know.

The good news: major car companies are also listening to our complaints about data privacy.

Last week, [Mozilla] revealed research showing that 25 global car brands are out of control when it comes to collecting, protecting, and even selling our personal information. And [Mozilla] stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Immediately, the auto industry scrambled to defend their disturbing surveillance practices: They spoke to the international press and wrote to the United States Congress, claiming that their car companies are “committed to protecting consumer privacy” and even called for regulation themselves.

As infuriating as this may be, it’s actually good news for our cause. If the auto industry is already getting so defensive, it means they are feeling the pressure from our research and all the bad press. And that means we’re making an impact.

Now is the time to use the momentum, increase public pressure and make car companies stop their intrusive data collection practices. Will you join thousands of Mozilla supporters and become part of the campaign?

Are there any ways to avoid handing over your real phone number, besides having an extra SIM? Lots of places/services want SMS verification, but i rarely want to hand out my actual phone number.

I know some people here distrust F-droid for some reason. Here is a blog post explaining how they are working on improving security

Not affiliated with Waterfox at all, but I am a user, and this seems like great news for me.

Hello, we would like to find out where our cousin, who recently started secondary school, is located. Additionally, we wish to set hourly restrictions on the apps they can access. Privacy is a concern when it comes to technologies created by large tech companies. Do you have any recommendations for Microsoft Family alternatives that prioritize maintaining privacy? Thank you.

• integrated DNSCrypt, Tor and Purple I2P
• can work as firewall if DNSCrypt or tor is enabled and InviZible Pro app is set up to run in VPN proxy mode

Firewall config:

• You can set up apps to go on clear net by enabling LAN
• you can set up apps to go trough Tor by disabling LAN and enabling WiFi or Data connection, tor needs to run
• you can block apps by disabling any available connection