Privacy & Security

Can Obama’s New Consumer Privacy Bill Keep Your Data Safe?

Today, the Obama administration is to unveil a new Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, which it hopes to roll out in order to protect people’s privacy online. The question is, can it work? The bill sets out to give users more control: to police what data is collected, how it’s used and shared, even how…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

YouPorn Gets Caught With Its Pants Down—Users’ Email and Passwords Compromised

It looks like the Internet sex site YouPorn just took one in the eye. A years-old coding error has exposed the emails and passwords of over a million of its smut-loving chat users. The YP site itself wasn’t hacked but rather its associated sex-chat site—which is run by an outside company—somehow left bales of unencrypted…

Privacy & Security Andrew Tarantola

Apps That Abuse Privacy Will Now Be Punished By the Law

Kamala Harris, California’s Attorney General, says the state has reached an agreement with Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM and others to prosecute developers who do not abide by new privacy policies. Basically, this new agreement will protect you from rogue apps that broadcast your data without your knowledge. https://gizmodo.com/paths-big-mistake-updated-5883395 According to the NY Times, the new…

Privacy & Security Casey Chan

Visualize How Dumb Your Password Reuse Is

Depending on what tactics you use, your passwords might be great or they might be awful. One thing is certain, though: if you reuse the same password across multiple websites, that is definitely a bad idea. Mozilla are keen to show you just how bad. https://gizmodo.com/how-the-gizmodo-crew-manages-their-passwords-5881219 If you use the same password across multiple websites,…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

NSA: Anonymous Could Cause Power Outages Through Cyberattacks

Anonymous already has a diverse set of tactics, including showing up to awards ceremonies. But the NSA is worried that its cyberattacks could bring about power outages across the US. https://gizmodo.com/anonymous-invades-the-spanish-academy-awards-ceremony-f-5886437 The Wall Street Journal reports that Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the NSA, has described in private meetings how “Anonymous could have the ability…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

The Simple, Brilliant Way to Stop RFID Robbers

The money of the future won’t be cash, or even sliding plastic—it’ll just be a wave of the hand, we’re all told. RFID-enabled credit cards sound great, but add an unprecedented theft risk. So how about an on/off switch? The idea is wonderfully clever: just hold the card on a certain spot if you want…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Here’s How to See If the FBI Might Cut Off Your Internet March 8th

We just learned that the FBI might shut off the internet for millions of people in an effort to rid the country’s Internet infrastructure of the DNSChanger Trojan. You should really check if you’re infected—here’s how. https://gizmodo.com/the-fbi-might-cut-off-the-internet-for-millions-of-peop-5885716 In the possible-but-unlikely event that the FBI decides to cut off the internet to infected systems on March…

Privacy & Security Mario Aguilar

The FBI Might Cut Off the Internet For Millions of People on March 8th

In an unprecedented move, the FBI may cut off Internet access to millions of people on March 8th to try to rid the country of a Trojan. Millions of computers are infected worldwide—maybe even yours. The DNSChanger Trojan originated in Estonia and might be lurking undetected on as many as a half-million computers in the…

Privacy & Security Mario Aguilar

Path Is Also Planning to Nuke Tappable Links (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

We’ve been talking a lot about Path lately, thanks to a privacy issue that caused Congress to nastrygram Apple, and Apple to change policy. And just like Path rectified its privacy problem, it’s got another impending fix I’m happy about. https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-letter-congress-sent-to-apple-asking-what-the-5885366 Earlier this year, I wrote a story about how much I’ve been digging Path,…

Privacy & Security Mat Honan

Feds Want to Warrantlessly Track Phones Bought with Fake Names

If the DOJ gets its way, it won’t need a warrant to monitor people who buy cell phones and other electronic services using a fake name, according to a story in today’s Wall Street Journal. The DOJ is arguing that because a California man used a fake name when he bought a broadband card, service…

Privacy & Security Mat Honan

When Progress Leaves Us in the Dark

The Obama administration has prosecuted more government officials for media leaks than any other before it. Combined. The New York Times notes the government’s ability to perpetually keep tabs on anyone with security clearance. This more vigorous approach can mostly be attributed to rapid advances in technology. But to what extent will this cripple the…

Privacy & Security Adrian Covert

Here Are the Crazy Things the TSA Found Last Week: Cannonballs, Grenades, Ninja Stars and More

We poke fun of the TSA for being dumb but sometimes we forget that normal people do even dumber things. Like pack a grenade launcher in their carry on. Or try to bring a cannonball on board. Here’s a list of the crazy things the TSA found just last week. In the picture above, from…

Privacy & Security Casey Chan

Boston Police Department’s Response to Anonymous is Hilarious

Earlier this month, Anonymous smashed the Boston Police Department’s website. It’s hard to retaliate against an organization of hackers, so the police department has done the next best thing: it’s made an ironic video and posted it on YouTube. https://gizmodo.com/anonymous-smashes-boston-police-departments-website-up-5881987 The original hack replaced the front page of the site with a message and, most…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

Travelling in Modern Day China Requires Cold War Era Secret Agent Skills

If Kenneth G. Lieberthal were anything but a China expert at the Brookings institution, his travelling-in-China security procedures would read like the product of a paranoid mind that watched too many spy movies as a kid: He leaves his cellphone and laptop at home and instead brings “loaner” devices, which he erases before he leaves…

Privacy & Security Michael Zhao

Watch As Zoo Keepers Struggle To Contain a Deadly Rhino Pinata

Even zoos have to prepare for worst-case-scenarios, like when an animal escapes its enclosure. But I’m not so sure the paper mache rhinoceros used at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo really drives the point home of how dangerous this could be. I doubt a wall of nets is going to deter it from charging, nor…

Privacy & Security Andrew Liszewski

They Know You’re Reading This

I was recently complaining to a teller at my bank that the another bank down the street had given my 3 year-old daughter a stuffed horse for nothing more than walking past the front door. I jokingly asked her what gifts my own bank would be willing to offer to compete for the affections of…

Privacy & Security Dave Pell

Foxconn Hacked, Making Its Passwords Publicly Available

Foxconn has more to worry about. As well as struggling to deal with allegations of exploitative working conditions in its factories, it’s now had the bad fortune of being hacked, having login and password information spread across the web. https://gizmodo.com/why-apple-doesnt-make-the-iphone-in-america-5878209 9to5Mac reports that a hacker group called SwaggSec gained access to Foxconn’s internal networks through…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

Path Does the Right Thing On User Privacy

The little mobile-only social network kicked up a big privacy debacle by uploading its members address book data to its servers without their knowledge. Today, Path announced that it’s deleting that data, and released a new version of its app. The new version gives users the ability to opt-in or out of sharing address book…

Privacy & Security Mat Honan

Path’s Big Mistake (Updated)

Facebook is a privacy disaster. Nobody with an iota of sense really trusts it to respect their privacy. Which is precisely one of Path’s big selling points: It’s got better privacy. Or so it seemed. But then it surprised everyone. (Updated) Path got caught uploading users’ entire address books to its servers. It wouldn’t have…

Privacy & Security Mat Honan

Path Uploads Your Entire Address Book to Its Servers Without Your Explicit Permission

While searching for a way to create an OS X app for Path’s social network, hacker Arun Thampi stumbled on to something that could raise privacy issues with the app. Arun was looking into the Path APIs when he noticed that his entire address book was being uploaded to Path’s servers without his permission. When…

Privacy & Security Roberto Baldwin

Can Obama’s New Consumer Privacy Bill Keep Your Data Safe?

YouPorn Gets Caught With Its Pants Down—Users’ Email and Passwords Compromised

Apps That Abuse Privacy Will Now Be Punished By the Law

Visualize How Dumb Your Password Reuse Is

NSA: Anonymous Could Cause Power Outages Through Cyberattacks

The Simple, Brilliant Way to Stop RFID Robbers

Here’s How to See If the FBI Might Cut Off Your Internet March 8th

The FBI Might Cut Off the Internet For Millions of People on March 8th

Path Is Also Planning to Nuke Tappable Links (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

Feds Want to Warrantlessly Track Phones Bought with Fake Names

When Progress Leaves Us in the Dark

Here Are the Crazy Things the TSA Found Last Week: Cannonballs, Grenades, Ninja Stars and More

Boston Police Department’s Response to Anonymous is Hilarious

Travelling in Modern Day China Requires Cold War Era Secret Agent Skills

Watch As Zoo Keepers Struggle To Contain a Deadly Rhino Pinata

They Know You’re Reading This

Foxconn Hacked, Making Its Passwords Publicly Available

Path Does the Right Thing On User Privacy

Path’s Big Mistake (Updated)

Path Uploads Your Entire Address Book to Its Servers Without Your Explicit Permission

Getting Stuck Inside a Glitching Robotaxi Is a Whole New Thing to Be Scared of

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Humanity’s Epic Return to the Moon 🔴

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Blasts Off

Disney’s Robot Olaf Dying Is the Funniest Thing to Happen in 2026

Kia’s EV3 Is Headed to the US This Year With Up to 320 Miles of Range

This Is the Way to Lego’s April Releases

Group Pushing Age Verification Requirements for AI Turns Out to Be Sneakily Backed by OpenAI

Amazon Facilities in Bahrain Hit Again as Iran Follows Through on Threat, Report Says

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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