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Privacy is a growing concern in today’s world. Follow along with all our coverage related to privacy, security, what Apple and other companies are doing to keep your information safe, and what steps you can take to keep your information private.

PSA: X audio and video calls probably don’t use strong encryption

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X audio and video calls started rolling out last year, in a feature nobody appeared to ask for and few seem to want. We previously shared how to deactivate the feature, and now it seems there’s another reason to do so …

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iPhone spyware company NSO suffers major defeat in US court, in Meta lawsuit

iPhone spyware company NSO must reveal code | Code on monitor viewed through glasses

The Android and iPhone spyware company NSO has suffered a major defeat in a US court, after a judge ruled that the company must hand over its Pegasus code to Meta.

It’s the latest setback for the company, which has been blacklisted in the US, sued by Apple, seen victims alerted by the iPhone maker, and faced severe financial problems

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PSA: Don’t trust Amazon’s Choice video doorbells – some allow anyone to spy on you

Consumer Reports found that some Amazon’s Choice video bells have security so bad that a complete stranger can pair their phone to your doorbell simply by holding the exterior button for eight seconds.

Bad actors can even access still images from thousands of miles away, without needing any credentials for your account, creating a privacy nightmare …

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Security Bite: Jamf warns cyber hygiene among many Apple-using businesses is ‘abysmal’

Hey, Arin here. Last week was the busiest for security so far this year. We saw an unprecedented offensive on the LockBit ransomware gang; Apple moved to make iMessage future-proof with quantum computer protection, and the topic of this week, Jamf’s new report highlighting some alarming statistics around Apple-using businesses. So, grab your drink of choice. Let’s get into it…


9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.


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CSAM scanning would be abused, says Apple – using argument it originally rejected

CSAM scanning would be abused | Unlocked padlocks

When Apple announced its own approach to CSAM scanning, many of us warned that the process used to check for child sexual abuse materials would ultimately be abused by repressive governments to scan for things like political protest plans.

The Cupertino company rejected that reasoning at the time, but in an ironic twist is now using precisely this argument in response to the Australian government …

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Wyze camera breach let 13,000 customers view other people’s homes

Wyze camera breach | Two cameras shown

A Wyze camera breach allowed some 13,000 customers view footage from other people’s homes. The company had originally said that the serious privacy and security breach had only happened for 14 people.

Wyze says that most of these customers only saw a thumbnail, but that more than 1,500 users saw either a full-size still or a video recording of an event …

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Security Bite: What exactly does Vision Pro share about your surroundings?

Security Bite by 9to5mac

Last week, Apple finally released an in-depth Vision Pro and visionOS data privacy overview. While it was arguably something that the company could’ve been available at launch, it helps explain what precisely the spatial computer collects from our surroundings and sends to third-party applications, and more…


9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.


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DuckDuckGo: Sync passwords and bookmarks across devices; no account needed

DuckDuckGo sync passwords and bookmarks – screengrabs shown

The ability to sync passwords and bookmarks between devices is a core feature of most browsers, but not something DuckDuckGo supported until today.

Safari lets you do this using your Apple ID, and Chrome via your Google account – but that’s not an approach DuckDuckGo wanted to take. The privacy-first company said that it was focused on creating an entirely private way to do this, with no account needed …

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Security Bite: Use these iPhone privacy and security features in iOS 17.3, more

iOS 17 iPhone security and privacy features

Last week on Security Bite, I discussed a vulnerability in Stolen Device Protection, a newly added security feature in iOS 17.3. Vision Pro has since hit the market and has been dominating the headlines. This Sunday, I wanted to give your feed fresh air and discuss some of my favorite security and privacy features as of iOS 17.3. Admittedly, this will also give me more time to poke around at Vision Pro’s privacy and security protections in the real world.


9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.


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Apple ‘preparing’ to buy AI startup with advanced privacy tech to bolster Apple Vision Pro

Sources indicate Apple plans to acquire Brighter AI, a German AI startup specializing in anonymizing face and license plate data. Apple aims to use this acquisition to enhance privacy features on Apple Vision Pro, 9to5Mac is told. Apple may be considering Brighter AI’s technology to minimize the risk of Apple Vision Pro capturing identifiable information in videos or photos taken in public.

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UK law that could ban Apple security updates worldwide is an unprecedented overreach

UK law could ban Apple security updates worldwide | Close-up of keyboard

Proposed amendments to the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) which could ban Apple security updates worldwide are an “unprecedented overreach,” says the Cupertino company.

Apple previously described the planned powers as “a serious and direct threat to data security and information privacy” – not just to British citizens, but to all tech users worldwide …

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Security Bite: iPhone’s Stolen Device Protection has a fatal flaw, but you can fix it

Stolen Device Protection for iPhone

Last week, Apple released iOS 17.3 with a new security feature called Stolen Device Protection, which aims to help protect your data in case a thief has stolen your iPhone and obtained the password. However, there’s one flaw that you should be aware of…


9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.


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NSA buys personal data illegally-obtained from smartphone users, reveals senator

NSA buys personal data illegally-obtained | Conceptual image of data surveillance

A letter to the US Director of National Intelligence reveals that the NSA buys personal data which was illegally-obtained from smartphone users through the apps they use.

The open letter was sent by US senator and member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Ron Wyden. He asks US security services to cease this practice, and to purge existing data which was obtained illegally …

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Ads and push notifications being used to spy on iPhone users

Ads and push notifications used to on iPhone users | Eye looking through a hole in a wall

Both in-app ads and push notifications are being used to identify and spy on iPhone users, according to two separate reports.

The first says that in-app ads are being used to gather data intended to identify your iPhone and send highly sensitive data to security services, while the second found that apps like Facebook and TikTok are using a vulnerability in the way push notifications are handled by iOS to obtain the data for their own use …

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AirDrop cracked by China, revealing phone number and email address of sender

AirDrop cracked by China | AirDrop on two iPhones, against Chinese flag

In a significant breach of Apple’s privacy measures, a new report says that AirDrop was cracked by the Chinese government, to reveal the phone number and email address of senders.

The anonymity of AirDrop was one of the reasons it has been commonly used by activists to share information about protests, and other information censored by the government …

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Xfinity data breach revealed: Names, contact info, security Q&As, and more at risk

Xfinity data breach revealed | Low-key photo of keyboard

An Xfinity data breach has been revealed by the company, in which hackers were able to obtain a wide range of customer information.

Data obtained for at least some Xfinity customers “may” include usernames, hashed passwords, real names, contact information, date of birth, last four digits of social security numbers, and security questions and answers …

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Marketing company claims it can eavesdrop on your conversations thru your devices

Claims to eavesdrop on your conversations | Microphone against colorful background

In what would be a massive privacy breach if it were true, a major marketing company is claiming that it can eavesdrop on your conversations, through microphones in smartphones, TVs, and smart speakers.

Calling the claimed capability Active Listening, Cox Media Group (CMG) has been promoting the service on its website, and pitching it to brands …

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