Technology Pill Privacy International

On Tuesday, we said goodbye to Yahoo Answers in the appropriate spirit - by answering questions from the Computers and Internet section of Yahoo.

Links 

- Listen to Love Letter and find more from Sepia on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sepiamusicuk/love-letter (he's also on most other music platforms!)

- Find out more about Dark Patterns: https://www.darkpatterns.org/

- The Electronic Freedome Foundation on what comes after cookies: https://www.eff.org/issues/online-behavioral-tracking

- WHO on COVID vaccine safety: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-vaccines-safety

- COVID and social change - our thoughts from earlier in the pandemic: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/4074/looming-disaster-immunity-passports-and-digital-identity

- Our podcast on immunity passports: https://privacyinternational.org/video/4072/podcast-immunity-passports

- Workplace surveillance and Covid-19: https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/3757/unlocking-workplaces-virtually-locking-workers

- Resources on staying safe digitally from control and abuse: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/3366/womens-aid-and-privacy-international-launch-digital-information-cards-help-women

- Google's policy on "stalkerware": https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/4204/stalkerware-wont-disappear-notification

- Listen to the Voyager Golden Record on Nasa's soundcloud page 

         - Greetings to the Universe here: https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/golden-record-greetings-to-the

         - Sounds of Earth here: https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/golden-record-sounds-of

- Find out more about Ann Druyan's brain waves here: https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/28apr_voyager2

- Find out more about Ann Druyan falling in love by listening to this RadioLab podcast: https://www.npr.org/2010/02/12/123534818/carl-sagan-and-ann-druyans-ultimate-mix-tape?t=1619644250998 

- Our work on pre-installed apps (and other issues with low-cost phones): https://privacyinternational.org/campaigns/privacy-shouldnt-be-luxury

- Our podcast on General Warrants: https://privacyinternational.org/video/4418/general-warrants-victory-uk-high-court-and-250-year-old-law

- Our survey: pvcy.org/tpsurvey

This week we talk about the different kinds of facial recognition and which you might see where. We also chat about the Facebook leak of 553million records.

Remember: sign our ECI! pvcy.org/banbiometrics

And you can find our survey here: pvcy.org/tpsurvey

Links

Facebook Leak

- Facebook Leak: https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4?r=US&IR=T

- Mark Zuckerburg on signal?: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/14595265/mark-zuckerberg-using-whatsapp-rival-signal/

- Irish DPA investigation: https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-under-investigation-in-europe-over-massive-personal-data-leak-gdpr/

- EU implications of the Facebook leak: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-leaders-facebook-data-leak-cybersecurity-didier-reynders/

- Facebook use of 2FA: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2019/12/23/facebook-will-finally-stop-using-2fa-phone-numbers-to-suggest-friends/

- The second cache of phone numbers found by Motherboard: https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj8dj5/facebook-phone-number-data-breach-telegram-bot

Facial Recognition Links

* Proctorio and recognising black people'sfaces: https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5gxg3/proctorio-is-using-racist-algorithms-to-detect-faces

* Public order offence for avoiding facial recognition: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/facial-recognition-cameras-technology-london-trial-met-police-face-cover-man-fined-a8756936.html

* Kings cross facial recognition: https://sprivacyinternational.org/case-study/3973/kings-cross-has-been-watching-you-and-police-helped

* Function creep in a largely jewish community in Belgium [in Flemish] https://myprivacy.dpgmedia.be/consent?siteKey=6OfBU0sZ5RFXpOOK&callbackUrl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.demorgen.be%2fprivacy-wall%2faccept%3fredirectUri%3d%252fnieuws%252fcamera-s-in-antwerpse-joodse-wijk-controleren-bezoek-aan-synagoges-en-feestzalen%257eb5824508%252f%253freferrer%253dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Ft.co%25252F

* Categorisation systems for telling if you're gay: https://www.theregister.com/2019/03/05/ai_gaydar/ 

This week we're rebroadcasting a coversation we had last year with PI's Tech Co-ordination Groups, bringing you tips and tricks about how to start cleaning up and securing your phone or computer. Please note - Whatsapp does now offer disappearing messages.

Episode notes 

Useful info

Tech pill survey: pvcy.org/tpsurvey

How to minimise targeted ads: privacyinternational.org/act/minimise-targeted-ads

Protect yourself from online tracking: privacyinternational.org/act/protect-yourself-online-tracking 

Social media account settings: privacyinternational.org/act/protect-yourself-social-media-monitoring 

Our Onion address: privacyintyqcroe.onion

Episode Info

6:06 - reasons to delete apps you’re not using

8:00 - 4 things you should do first

8:19 - Updates

9:41 - Password managers Keepass, 1password, Lastpass

13:22 - Has your data been breached? haveibeenpwned.com/

14:38 - Backups

20:47 - Apps

22:34 - Firewalls

Netguard - play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard&hl=en_GB 

Clamwin - clamwin.com 

30:27 - When is too old too old

32:54 - iPhone

Better Blocker - better.fyi 

38:09 - Android

42:11 - Social Media

42:11 Facebook/instagram

Facebook TOR address: facebookcorewwwi.onion 

Zynga hack: theguardian.com/games/2019/dec/19/170m-passwords-stolen-in-zynga-words-with-friends-hack-monitor-says 

47:02 - Twitter

MicahFlee - delete your tweets: micahflee.com/2019/06/semiphemeral-automatically-delete-your-old-tweets-except-for-the-ones-you-want-to-keep/ 

Social media monitoring by local authorities - privacyinternational.org/long-read/3586/when-local-authorities-arent-your-friends 

51:22 - Email

53:17 - Desktops

53:32 - Windows

CCleaner - ccleaner.com/

WinDirStat - windirstat.net/

57:24 - Mac OS

Little snitch - obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html

1:00:02 - Linux

Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) - linux.com/training-tutorials/introduction-uncomplicated-firewall-ufw/

Firewall D - firewalld.org/

1:03:22 Encryption

Veracrypt - veracrypt.fr/en/Introduction.html 

Bitlocker - support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028713/windows-10-turn-on-device-encryption

Content warning: this episode includes some disturbing stories of people  who have died after having their benefits cut or withdrawn by the UK  Department of Work and Pensions 

This week we're looking at the ways in which the UK Department of Work  and Pensions surveil benefit recipients.

Links 

You can find out more about the DWP's surveillance here: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/4395/shedding-light-dwp-part-1-we-read-uk-welfare-agencys-995-page-guide-conducting  

You can find out more about the DWP's alogrithims here: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/4397/shedding-light-dwp-part-2-long-days-journey-towards-transparency    

You can find out more about each of the cases of people who died after their benefits withdrawn below.

Errol Graham:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-51283186 

The 5,000: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jan/16/people-died-benefits-error 

Jodey Whiting: https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/jodey-whiting-dwp-continued-to-phone-woman-who-took-her-own-life-inquiry-finds/ 

Phillipa Day: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-55826996 

David Clapson: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/03/victims-britains-harsh-welfare-sanctions

If you're having problems navigating the UK's benefits system Citizen's Advice is a good place to go for help and support: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

This week we're joined by Dr Courtney Thompson to discuss the history of phrenology and physiognomy and their relationship to modern technologies and culture. 

Links

- Find more of Dr Thompson's work and her book 'An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America': history.msstate.edu/people/courtney-thompson/

- Or you can find her on twitter at: twitter.com/Dr_C_Thompson

- You can see the 'Good and Bad heads' picture in her article 'Rediscovering “Good” and “Bad” Heads in the Phrenological Present' here: nursingclio.org/2020/12/08/rediscovering-good-and-bad-heads-in-the-phrenological-present/

- Find out more about Physogs and Photofit in Courtney's article in Endeavour: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160932719300468?via%3Dihub

- You can listen to our podcast on Facial Recognition here: privacyinternational.org/video/4368/podcast-end-privacy-spread-facial-recognition

- And you can support Privacy International here: support.privacyinternational.org

We hear that we're paranoid a lot - but what is paranoia? What does it mean to be paranoid? And is it all bad? We spoke to Dr David Crepaz-Keay from the Mental Health Foundation to find out. 

Links

- Learn more about mental health at the mental health foundation's website: mentalhealth.org.uk/

- Learn more about PI's work at: privacyinternational.org

- You can listen to our first episode with David about tracking on mental health websites here: privacyinternational.org/video/4279/podcast-your-mental-health-sale