Interview with Anthony Antolino, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at eyeLock on how their authentication platform is responding to the recent rise of Internet of Things and what he thinks 2015 has in store for cybersecurity across industries.
We chatted with Victor from Vysk about how their end-to-end encryption phone case can secure your privacy.
Stay tuned and follow us on Twitter @ipglab for more CES coverage throughout the whole week.
Read original story on: The Next Web
In light of the national debate of net neutrality, BitTorrent has launched a revolutionary browser that aims to keep the Internet open and neutral while ensuring privacy for all users. The browser, dubbed “Project Maelstrom”, uses its peer-to-peer distribution technology to make the Internet more open by giving control back to users, as it requires the crowd to work together to host content so no central servers are necessary. The project is still its early days of alpha test, but we are very interested to see where it is going.
Read original story on: NYTimes
Uber is having a terrible week. After being sued in Portland and India, banned in Spain and Thailand, and hassled in Rio, the popular on-demand car service received yet another blow when New York Times published an opinion piece titled “We Can’t Trust Uber”, criticizing the way Uber has been handling data generated by Uber rides.
With numerous incidences of data breaches exposed in recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware of the privacy concerns and are therefore looking to take back the control of their personal data. One possible solution to Uber’s data woes would be to do what we have suggested in our POV on the data dilemma: be transparent, be helpful, and get well-informed consent from users.
Read original story on: Ars Technica
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has approved a new version of the Bluetooth standard. Besides improved speed and support for IPv6 and 6LoWPAN, Bluetooth 4.2 also adds new security features preventing unauthorized users from hacking your Bluetooth signal and using it to track your phone and devices as you move about, a clear attempt to address privacy concerns.
Read original story on: Wired
Ever since the SnapChat hack a few weeks back, security issues on messaging apps have been raising concerns. So it is definitely a welcome surprise that the most recent update to WhatsApp’s Android app includes strong end-to-end encryption, developed in partnership with Open WhisperSystems, that is enabled by default. This means that WhatsApp won’t be able to decrypt the messages itself, even if the company is compelled by law enforcement. For now, it’s unclear when such feature will come to iOS, but it’s still a huge step towards better mobile privacy for millions of Android users.
Read original story on: WIRED
In a deviously brilliant move, Facebook has replaced its privacy policy with a simplified, legalese-free version and released an interactive privacy guide to help educate its users, all without ceding any control over how data is sold to advertisers.
The updated privacy rules actually clear the way for its upcoming push for payments and location-based ads, which is only natural in this stage of Facebook’s evolution. Being upfront might be a great tactic for Facebook, but it’s a tricky line to walk when users are still not getting a fair deal in the value exchange for personal data.
Read original story on: TechCrunch
The digital privacy paradox that we recently explored in our POV on consumer data has been reiterated by a new PEW Research study, which found that an overwhelming 91% of the 607 adults surveyed said they agree or strongly agree that consumers have lost control over how personal information is being collected and used by businesses.
Yet highlighting this data/privacy paradox, 55% of people surveyed also said they are willing to share information about themselves with web companies in order to use their services free. The underlying value exchange, therefore, is crucial to solving this data dilemma that many brands are facing today.
For more insights on this topic, download our POV here.
Contrary to popular belief, Gen Z knows what they are doing when it comes to digital privacy.
Adults often criticize Generation Z — teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 — for their lack of interest in protecting digital privacy. Such a consensus is bolstered by the numerous selfies posted, the tons of private information cavalierly shared, and the details about their personal life broadcasted through social media — a consensus seemingly backed up by relevant studies.
Despite all the alarming oversharing, however, Gen Z is not unconcerned with privacy. Today’s teens might just have a different idea about what privacy entails. They don’t separate their online and offline lives the way older generations might, but they are concerned with sharing information with a selective group of trusted friends or brands.
Privacy Settings Are Key
Teens are savvy about using privacy settings online, which is why they are so much more comfortable sharing personal information online. Facebook privacy settings, for example, are especially put to good use by today’s teens. Instead of thinking that “whatever’s online can be found” as many older users would, teens feel free to share while protecting their privacy. That’s why 60 percent of teenagers have their Facebook profiles set to private so that people they are not friends with cannot access their information, according to a Pew Research study
Self Expression v.s. Privacy
Today’s teens trust social media more than older generations do and consider it to be a platform for creative expression. Many teens dislike the cyberbullying common on social media therefore prefer sites that do not require users to provide their real names or personal information — places where bullies and enemies are less likely to find them.
Growing up as digital natives attuned to NSA surveillance as well as targeted ads on Facebook, Gen Z has learned to navigate with ease between the “do-not-track” features and the convenience that location services provides. They are shunning away from Facebook and other “un-cool” platforms alike and flocking towards apps like Instagram and Snapchat. Gen Z prefers platforms that have earned their trust by allowing them greater degrees of anonymity and privacy without sacrificing their ability to express themselves and connect with each other.
Read original story on: Lifehacker
With news of security breaches popping up everyday (this week so far: credit card breach at Staples stores and targeted phone system hacking), strengthening digital security has become a growing concern among consumers. To address this issue, Google is now launching a two-step verification feature with Security Key, a physical USB security key that only works after verifying the login site is truly a Google website. Such a move clearly indicates Google’s intention to move away from the single password standard for consumer security. Whether the users would be willing to sacrifice a little convenience for added security measures, however, remains to be seen.
