Privacy

Apple Intelligence privacy is a key differentiator for the company’s own AI initiative, with the company taking a three-step approach to safeguard personal data.

But Apple says we won’t have to take the company’s word for it: It is taking an “extraordinary step” to enable third-party security researchers to fully and independently verify the privacy protections in place …

Today at WWDC 2024, Apple introduced a slew of new iPhone features that will be available on all compatible devices later this Fall. While Apple Intelligence and enhanced customization were among the most heavily showcased, iOS 18 will also introduce some nice new privacy features, including improved Contacts permissions, the ability to lock and hide apps, Private Cloud Compute, a standalone Passwords app, and more.

Microsoft Recall sounded like a very cool idea, but was very quickly revealed to be a security disaster. Instead of helping you recall everything you’ve done on your Windows PC, it was found that it could easily help a hacker do the same.

However, as much as the company messed-up the implementation, I do think there’s mileage in the concept, and if there’s one company I’d trust to do it with proper privacy protections, it’s Apple …

A Frontier hack exposed the personal data of at least 750,000 customers, including full names and social security numbers, which places them at significant risk of identity theft. The ransomware group said to be behind the attack claims that the actual number is two million.

The company has now notified the customers it believes to have been impacted by the security breach, but waited almost two months to do so …

Apple is set to unveil a host of AI-centric updates in iOS 18 and its other software platforms this Monday at WWDC.

Much of what the company will announce is playing catch-up to its competitors, though at a scale and accessibility that’s hard to match. However, where the company is especially poised to make an AI splash is in its differentiated approach.

Unlike its competitors, Apple has strengths in two areas that are currently PR headaches for AI: privacy and the environment.

Here’s what that means for its AI reveals at WWDC.

DuckDuckGo is out today with the news that its built-in AI Chat is available for all users. The free functionality offers the choice between four different AI models while protecting user anonymity. Here are all the details.

Update: Both the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office and the European Commission have now launched investigations into the legality of making it opt-out instead of opt-in.

If you use Instagram or Facebook, Meta is using your data to train its AI models. The company uses posts as training material for its generative AI systems. Privacy legislation in the UK and European Union means that the company is forced to offer an opt-out option – but it is doing so in a rather sketchy way …

Security researchers report that a key element of Apple Location Services contains what they call “a really serious privacy vulnerability” that allowed troop movements to be tracked.

The issue could also allow an attacker to work out the location of anyone using a mobile wifi router, such as those in RVs, and travel routers sometimes used by business travellers …

The first ever Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor camera has today been announced, offering a full 360 degrees of horizontal coverage, with 160 degrees of vertical tilt.

The motorized base can be remotely controlled using the Ring app. The security camera comes with a manual privacy blind, and is available in five different colors …

Have you noticed your iPhone jump onto a WiFi network when you’re away from home without asking first? Or maybe you want to check what networks your iPhone is auto-joining? Follow along for how to turn off iPhone WiFi auto-join for public and carrier networks.

DuckDuckGo started life as a privacy-first search engine before adding a web browser, email protection and more, and the company has now announced its first ever paid subscription: DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro.

This bundles an open-source VPN service with personal information removal and identify theft restoration for $9.99 per month …

The need for a federal privacy law has long been clear to most, but making it actually happen has been another matter. However, a compromise could potentially see it introduced by the end of the year.

Apple has been calling for Congress to pass a GDPR-style privacy law since at least 2018, but little progress has been made since then. All that may be about to change, however …

Many iOS apps ask for precise location tracking permission by default the first time you open them. But it can be easy to forget how many or which apps you’ve given that permission. Here’s how to turn off precise iPhone location tracking.

Floridian kids aged 13 or younger face a social media app ban in Florida, while those aged 14 to 16 will only be allowed to use the apps with parental permission.

Opponents argue that the new law, known as HB 3, will do more harm than good, putting user privacy at risk …

iOS 17.4.1 and macOS 14.4.1 have arrived for all users after the major iOS 17.4/macOS 14.4 updates. Now Apple has revealed what important security patches come with the latest updates for iPhone, Mac, and more.

University researchers have found an unpatchable security flaw in Apple Silicon Macs, which would allow an attacker to break encryption and get access to cryptographic keys.

The flaw is present in M1, M2, and M3 chips, and because the failing is part of the architecture of the chips, there’s no way for Apple to fix it in current devices …

ExpressVPN has been making impressive moves in the hardware space since the introduction of the Aircove router in 2022. Today, the popular virtual private network provider is expanding its lineup by launching its first portable Wi-Fi 6 router with built-in VPN protection. Meet Aircove Go.

We learned with the public launch of iOS 17.4 that Apple included fixes for two exploited vulnerabilities and two other security issues. Now with the arrival of macOS 14.4, there are over 50 security patches and the list of security fixes for iOS 17.4 has been updated to over 40.