Privacy - ~this week in security~

10

Jun

'26

The sneaky ways that governments get your private data

Discover some of the most common ways that authorities, police, and spies obtain your personal data, and how you can prevent it from ending up in their hands.

12 min read

a photo of a bank of Hikvision cctv cameras on a lamp post in an urban/city environment, surrounded by a bunch of vehicles in the distance.

23

Apr

'26

Why your doctor's AI recorder can be bad for your health (and privacy)

Privacy experts have nine good reasons why you can — and should — decline a doctor or therapist's request to record your conversations with AI tools.

3 min read

a person sitting at a desk with a computer, phone in hand, as if to talk to an AI recording tool on his phone.

26

Mar

'26

Security precautions to consider while traveling through airports

As border device searches rise, there are practical steps you can take to protect your devices and data from airport searches.

4 min read

a person walking past quickly, slightly blurred, a security checkpoint at an unspecified airport.

21

Mar

'26

Lawmakers seek to close loophole that allows feds to buy people's location data without a warrant

Federal agencies have been purchasing large datasets to track people's whereabouts from data brokers without asking a court for approval.

3 min read

a screenshot of a C-SPAN stream showing FBI director Kash Patel testifying to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with people sat behind him.

18

Mar

'26

Papers, please: Age verification laws threaten everyone's online security and privacy

Laws that require adults to upload their driver's licenses or passports to access apps, websites, and VPNs will make the entire web less safe.

7 min read

a photo of a computer screen showing an age verification check, saying "confirm your age" and presenting two buttons, one saying I am 18 years old or older, and I am under 18 years old.

14

Feb

'26

How tech giants track you across the web, even if you don't use their apps

Ad tech giants use near-invisible "pixels" on web pages to track what you do online, even if you don't have an account or use their apps. Thankfully, there is a solution.

3 min read

a close up photo of a cursor on a display and black background, shown as very pixelated.

10

Feb

'26

Apple's Lockdown Mode: Once an 'extreme' security protection, now a necessity for Americans

An optional "extreme" security feature that Apple has baked-in to modern iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Watches has passed a significant real-world test.

7 min read

an angled screenshot showing Lockdown Mode on an iPhone.

14

Jan

'26

TriZetto failed to stop hackers stealing Americans' health data for a year

The health tech giant, which supports 200 million people, said hackers accessed sensitive personal and health data, and has begun notifying millions of victims.

4 min read

A long-exposure photo of rainbow light streaming from a keyboard's keys on a dark background.

12

Dec

'25

Last-minute cybersecurity and privacy gifts your friends and family won't hate

Running out of gift ideas for the security or privacy buff in your life? Here are some thoughtful suggestions, including what tech you might want to avoid.

10 min read

Photo of a programmer's laptop with a red-backlit keyboard, with many energy drinks and holiday twinkly lights, in a darkened room.

06

Dec

'25

I've investigated 'stalkerware' for five years. Here's what I've learned

Stalkerware is a pervasive surveillance used by millions around the world, but these operations keep getting hacked and leaking victims' private phone data.

11 min read