Harald Eilertsen

Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway contact tracing apps among most dangerous for privacy

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:17:34 +0200

Amnesty International has had a look at contact tracing apps introduced in the wake of COVID-19:

Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway have run roughshod over people’s privacy, with highly invasive surveillance tools which go far beyond what is justified in efforts to tackle COVID-19. Privacy must not be another casualty as governments rush to roll out apps.

Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway contact tracing apps a danger for privacy

Don't say we didn't warn you.

#norway #bahrain #kuwait #covid-19 #contact-tracing #privacy #surveillace

Privacy

show all 9 comments

Esteban Manchado Velázquez

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:19:56 +0200 from ActivityPub

@harald I haven't read the article yet (had it open in another tab), but :yikes:

Harald Eilertsen

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:23:35 +0200

@Esteban Manchado Velázquez No surprises, just the same stuff we've been trying to tell them since the app was announced. But it's good to have the weight of Amnesty International on the record too. Even norwegian politicians may take notice for once.

Esteban Manchado Velázquez

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:25:30 +0200 from ActivityPub

@harald Actually I haven't been following details, so although I know people were complaining about privacy and other things, I never really understand the implications well.

Harald Eilertsen

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:42:03 +0200

@Esteban Manchado Velázquez Well it's essentially three issues:

Tracking precise location in realtime using GPS data
Using permanent identifiers for the bluetooth beacons, and having these connected with a phone number required for registering.
Storing the above data in a centralised storage location. (And using a foreign cloud provider for that storage.)

In addition it is the desicion to use a closed source development model for the app (for "security reasons", which is bullshit given how easy it is to decompile the app) and that the app has multiple purposes (contact tracing/notifications and collecting data for research) that are not separated, and you can not select which part you want to contribute to.

Pilum::🌞

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:55:37 +0200 from ActivityPub

@harald @estebanm Sums up nicely why I didn't install it.

Esteban Manchado Velázquez

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:58:55 +0200 from ActivityPub

@harald From the AI article: "On Monday, the Norwegian government announced it would press pause on using its contact tracing app. The decision came [...] after [Amnesty] shared its findings with the Norwegian authorities"

Harald Eilertsen

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:03:35 +0200

@Esteban Manchado Velázquez Yeah, and after Datatilsynet notified them about recommending a preliminary ban on handling personal data through the app: https://www.datatilsynet.no/aktuelt/aktuelle-nyheter-2020/midlertidig-stans-av-appen-smittestopp/. There's no surprise that multiple organizations are working in parallel on this.

linus

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 21:13:42 +0200

Just copy & translate the app of Germany or Austria. ;) Its open source but requires Google Play Services / Apple.

Harald Eilertsen

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 21:46:14 +0200

@linus They could have done any number of things, and few of them would be as bad as the path they chose. Somehow I'm not surprised though...

Harald Eilertsen

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:11:33 +0200

We bake cookies in your browser for a better experience. Using this site means that you consent.

Cute, but no. It does not mean I consent. Also by not giving me an option to consent or not, or to withdraw my concent if I should have given it, you're violating GDPR.

#gdpr #noconsent #tracking #privacy

Privacy

'The goal is to automate us': welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism

Harald Eilertsen

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 21:54:07 +0100

This is by far the best and most informative piece I've read about surveillance capitalism, how it affects us, and why we should care. Starts off as a review of Shoshana Zuboff's latest book – The Age of Surveillance Capital, but the interview with Shoshana Zuboff at the end is also absolutely worth reading!

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/20/shoshana-zuboff-age-of-surveillance-capitalism-google-facebook

I haven't read the book yet, but this is one I'll definitely have to read!

#surveillancecapitalism #internet #privacy

Privacy Politics Internet

show all 11 comments

ghose [D*]

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 08:22:37 +0100 from Diaspora

Viewed from this perspective [capitalism evolution], the behaviour of the digital giants looks rather different from the roseate hallucinations of Wired magazine. What one sees instead is a colonising ruthlessness of which John D Rockefeller would have been proud. First of all there was the arrogant appropriation of users’ behavioural data – viewed as a free resource, there for the taking. Then the use of patented methods to extract or infer data even when users had explicitly denied permission, followed by the use of technologies that were opaque by design and fostered user ignorance.

Thanks for sharing. Long reading, but enlighting

ghose [D*]

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 08:30:24 +0100 from Diaspora

The first surveillance capitalists also conquered by declaration. They simply declared our private experience to be theirs for the taking, for translation into data for their private ownership and their proprietary knowledge.

Harald Eilertsen

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 08:48:41 +0100

@Xose M You're welcome! My thoughts exactly, this opened perspectives I hadn't thought about before.

ghose [D*]

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 09:19:15 +0100 from Diaspora

yes, It's hard to put into words that gut feeling we most of us here have.

This (quote) is exactly what I tell people on real world but I find dificult to explain in terms they understand

For example, the idea of “data ownership” is often championed as a solution. But what is the point of owning data that should not exist in the first place?

There's hope while there are people writting this things and other people having access to read it.

Jakobu

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 09:37:27 +0100 from Diaspora

Somehow I have been thinking along these lines for a while. The data collection is a refinement of the statistical machine behind commercials, but the PR-business is really just a continued commercial version of the propaganda techniques of the early twentieth century. I have seen this as a threat against western democracy for a long time. "Fake News" is really just propaganda, and the fact that we have invented a new word for something that was there all along shows how naive and dull we are.

Meanwhile both the political left and the political right is on twitter trying to limit the freedom of speech that is what makes a place like this possible.

Harald Eilertsen

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 14:12:26 +0100

"Fake News" is really just propaganda, and the fact that we have invented a new word for something that was there all along shows how naive and dull we are.

This is actually spot on! I despise the term "Fake news," as it hides the real intent and meaning that's behind it. Disinformation and propaganda are far better and more accurate terms.

Beni Grind

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:36:41 +0100

Thanks for sharing. I just ordered the book in my local book store. I felt that this book is a great opportunity to start supporting my LBS again....

Harald Eilertsen

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:44:01 +0100

@Beni Grind I've done the same :) I prefer buying from a local store when possible, and usually it is.

Beni Grind

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:58:45 +0100

@Harald Eilertsen Honestly, for some reason it didn't occur to me that I could just email an order to them and then pick it up when they notify me that it arrived... I don't mind paying a premium for this service.

hEARt PhoniX

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 11:58:17 +0100

Harald Eilertsen

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 13:12:00 +0100

@Tobias Yes, there were so many quoteworthy passages in the piece I ended up not quoting anything. But it really does put things into perspective. Can't wait to read the book.

The Watchdogs That Didn’t Bark

Harald Eilertsen

Sat, 19 Jan 2019 15:46:38 +0100

It’s also hard to overlook the fact that a lot of privacy advocacy groups in the U.S. get funding from the same tech companies that would ostensibly be affected by government regulation of consumer data collection. EFF, for example, took in about $822,000 from Google, including donations from employees that are matched by the company, in fiscal 2017. CDT collected about $590,000 in donations and support from Google in 2016 and received $250,000 from Facebook last year. As for OTI, Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt co-founded and has been a significant donor to New America for years. He and his wife’s philanthropic foundation committed to $4 million in funding New America from 2016 to 2021. All of these groups maintain complete independence from their donors.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180921123410/https://slate.com/technology/2018/04/why-arent-privacy-groups-fighting-to-regulate-facebook.html

#politics #internet #privacy

Politics Internet Privacy

show all 7 comments

tomgrz

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 03:25:01 +0100 from Diaspora

The best way to tame an oversight institution is to give it food. Feed it enough treats and it will beg for more.

tomgrz

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 03:26:22 +0100 from Diaspora

The Green Party US understands this, deeply. They do not take money from Corporate-linked PACs.

tomgrz

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 03:26:52 +0100 from Diaspora

The Green Party US understands this, deeply. They do not take money from Corporate-linked PACs or Foundations.

Harald Eilertsen

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 11:39:22 +0100

Derek Caelin wrote the following post Sun, 30 Dec 2018 02:23:56 +0100

"We found that at least 61 percent of apps we tested automatically transfer data to Facebook the moment a user opens the app. This happens whether people have a Facebook account or not, or whether they are logged into Facebook or not."

😱😱😱

Investigating Apps interactions with Facebook on Android | Privacy International

https://privacyinternational.org/campaigns/investigating-apps-interactions-facebook-android

Privacy

EU parliament calls for Privacy Shield to be pulled until US complies

Harald Eilertsen

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 19:18:03 +0200

Interesting, and about time, if you ask me:
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/05/eu-parliament-calls-for-privacy-shield-to-be-pulled-until-us-complies/

Privacy EU PrivacyShield US

Juggalos figured out how to beat facial recognition

Harald Eilertsen

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:20:29 +0200 last edited: Fri, 29 Mar 2019 20:13:58 +0100

Welcome to a world where Juggalo makeup is your best shot at avoiding involuntary surveillance.

https://theoutline.com/post/5172/juggalo-juggalette-facepaint-makeup-hack-beat-facial-recognition-technology

My immediate question was of course how to Black Metal corpsepaint fare against the surveillance tools? But they answered that too:

Face-painting styles like “corpse” makeup also obscure the face. However, they don’t create enough contrast to effectively confuse most facial recognition systems

#juggalos #surveillance #facialrecognition

Privacy

Brian Ó

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:25:26 +0200 from Diaspora

Woop woop!

Harald Eilertsen

harald@hub.volse.no