Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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Probe reveals secret Israeli spyware that infects via ads (www.theregister.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

16 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Israeli software maker Insanet has developed a commercial product called Sherlock that can infect devices via online adverts to snoop on targets and collect data about them for the biz's clients. This is the first time details of Insanet and its surveillanceware have been made public. Sherlock is capable of drilling its way into Microsoft Windows, Google Android, and Apple iOS devices. Insanet received approval from Israel's Defense Ministry to sell Sherlock globally as a military product albeit under various tight restrictions, such as only selling to Western nations.

To market its snoopware, Insanet reportedly teamed up with Candiru, an Israel-based spyware maker that has been sanctioned in the US, to offer Sherlock along with Candiru's spyware.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Director of Activism Jason Kelley said Insanet's use of advertising technology to infect devices and spy on clients' targets makes it especially worrisome.

There are some measures netizens can take to protect themselves from Sherlock and other data-harvesting technologies.

not loading JavaScript
using ad blockers or privacy-aware browsers
not clicking on advertisements
pass consumer data privacy laws

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[–] [email protected] 96 points 1 year ago (2 children)

To the user in this community who argued that adblockers are killing the internet, lol. Lmao, even. Enjoy your attack vector, buddy.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

I install ublock origin on my parents' device mainly for this reason. It cuts down on a most of the scams and other bullshit that they might encounter.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Someone on here tried to argue IN FAVOR of ads?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Cliffsnotes: adblockers are ruining the internet!

they’re a response to the internet being ruined. Self served ads are the only way forward.

The internet is ruined? See? Adblockers already ruined it.

It was a young person without a grasp on the situation and only a very cursory understanding of what caused adblockers to become popular. They were as much trying to convince themselves as me, and the argument frankly made me nostalgic.