Elon Musk switched on X calling by default: Here’s how to switch it off

In his quest to turn a simple and functioning Twitter app into X, the everything app that doesn’t do anything very well, Elon Musk launched audio and video calling on X last week — and this new feature is switched on by default, it leaks your IP address to anyone you talk with, and it’s […]

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Signal’s Meredith Whittaker scorns anti-encryption efforts as ‘parochial, magical thinking’

AI is “not open in any sense,” the battle over encryption is far from won, and Signal’s principled (and uncompromising) approach may complicate interoperability efforts, warned the company’s president, Meredith Whittaker. But it’s not all bad news. (Actually, it is all bad news, because I wrote up the good news separately.) Speaking on stage with […]

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Why Signal ‘turned our architecture inside out’ for its latest privacy feature

Adding usernames to a messaging app may seem like a standard feature, but for Signal, such identifiers were anathema to its mission of total privacy and security — until now. The upcoming 7.0 version adds usernames, but the company’s president, Meredith Whittaker, explained that this was nowhere near as simple a decision as it may […]

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Punkt rocks its minimalist roots with ‘privacy-first’ MC02 smartphone

Punkt first made a name for itself in the world of mobile with pared-down, monochromatic phones focused on voice, text, and not much else. Now, the Swiss company has taken its concept of minimalism and changed it up, with the launch of its first smartphone — a device that positions itself at the crossroads of […]

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Now the EU is asking questions about Meta’s ‘pay or be tracked’ consent model

Meta’s controversial pay or be tracked ‘consent’ choice for users the European Union is facing questions from the European Commission. Today the bloc said it’s sent Facebook and Instagram’s owner a formal request for information (RFI) under the Digital Services Act (DSA), asking it to provide more detail on the “Subscription for no Ads options” […]

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A leaky database spilled 2FA codes for the world’s tech giants

A technology company that routes millions of SMS text messages across the world has secured an exposed database that was spilling one-time security codes that may have granted users’ access to their Facebook, Google and TikTok accounts. The Asian technology and internet company YX International manufactures cellular networking equipment and provides SMS text message routing […]

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Meta’s ‘consent or pay’ data grab in EU faces fresh charges of privacy coercion

A controversial move by Meta last year, when it switched to charging users in the Europe Union for an ad-free subscription for access Facebook and/or Instagram unless they agreed to be tracked and profiled so it could keep running its attention-mining microtargeting ad business, has triggered a set of complaints from consumer rights groups. The […]

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FTC bans antivirus giant Avast from selling its users’ browsing data to advertisers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday said it will ban the antivirus giant Avast from selling consumers’ web browsing data to advertisers after Avast claimed its products would prevent its users from online tracking. Avast also settled the federal regulator’s charges for $16.5 million, which the FTC said will provide redress for Avast’s users […]

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Yorba’s service is like Mint for uncluttering your entire digital life

Spend enough time online, and you’ll collect a digital paper trail of accounts, logins, subscriptions, mailing lists, and passwords wrapped up in data breaches. A new startup called Yorba can help you get a better handle on your ever-expanding digital footprint with the launch of its multi-purpose tool for decluttering your online life. From its […]

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Women In AI: Rashida Richardson, senior counsel at Mastercard focusing on AI and privacy

To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We’ll publish several pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting key work that often goes unrecognized. Read more […]

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