Privacy & Surveillance
Privacy concerns, surveillance programs, and tracking
42 articles
Congress kicks the can on FISA renewal, leaving surveillance powers in limbo
Congress passed a short-term extension for the controversial FISA Section 702 surveillance law, punting a major privacy and security debate to June.
Congress kicks the can down the road on surveillance law (again)
A one-year extension of FISA Section 702 papers over deep divisions on privacy and surveillance, failing to resolve the core issue of warrantless sear
House renews controversial spy program, but the fight for privacy is far from over
The U.S. House has reauthorized the controversial FISA Section 702 surveillance program, but a failure to add a warrant requirement leaves privacy con
Norway's proposed social media ban for teens puts age verification tech to the test
Norway's proposed social media ban for users under 13 puts the tech industry's age verification capabilities under intense scrutiny.
Geofence warrants on trial: The Supreme Court weighs privacy against policing
The Supreme Court is considering Chatrie v. United States, a case that will decide if geofence warrants—digital dragnets of location data—are constitu
FISA Section 702 renewed for two years after contentious congressional battle
A contentious legislative battle ends with a two-year renewal of the controversial FISA Section 702 surveillance program, side-stepping major privacy
Google's war on bad ads escalates as Android 17 promises major privacy overhaul
Google's latest report reveals a massive crackdown, blocking 8.3 billion malicious ads in 2025, while preparing a major privacy overhaul for Android 1
The surveillance law Congress can’t quit — and can’t explain
Despite a 2024 overhaul with 56 amendments, Section 702 of FISA remains deeply controversial as supporters and critics cannot even agree on its scope.
Congress renews controversial FISA Section 702 surveillance law after years of debate
Congress renewed the controversial FISA Section 702 spying law for two years, preserving a key intelligence tool despite fierce opposition over privac
Audit: Big Tech often ignores California privacy law opt-out requests
An audit by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse found that Google, Meta, and Microsoft fail to honor consumer 'Do Not Sell or Share' requests about half
The battle over FISA's Section 702: A temporary truce in the war between national security and American privacy
A contentious U.S. surveillance law, Section 702 of FISA, was renewed for two years, continuing the debate over national security versus American priv
Big tech fails to opt-out users requesting not to be tracked much of the time, new research says
A new audit from privacy organization webXray reveals 194 online ad services are ignoring the legally binding Global Privacy Control opt-out signal.
Claims of LinkedIn browser 'spying' clash with security research findings
Sensational claims of corporate espionage by LinkedIn's browser extension were largely refuted by researchers, who found its data collection served fe
Majority of Australian youth still use social media despite school ban, researchers find
New research reveals that a statewide social media ban in NSW schools is largely ineffective, with two-thirds of students easily bypassing restriction
Citizen Lab: How law enforcement used ad data to track millions of devices
A Citizen Lab report reveals how a surveillance tool called Webloc uses real-time bidding ad data to enable global location tracking by law enforcemen
Big tech continues CSAM scanning in Europe's legal vacuum, igniting privacy firestorm
Major tech firms continue scanning for CSAM in the EU without a legal mandate, sparking a fierce debate over child safety, privacy, and mass surveilla
LinkedIn secretly scans for over 6,000 Chrome extensions, collects data
A new "BrowserGate" report reveals LinkedIn's hidden script that scans for 6,000+ Chrome extensions, raising major privacy and user profiling concerns
XR headsets could use your skull's vibrations to log you in
Emerging research details a biometric system that uses the unique skull vibrations from a user's heartbeat and respiration to provide continuous authe
Wyden's warning to the SSA: The data security threat behind a federal voter database
An analysis of Senator Wyden's 2018 warning on how a proposed federal voter database posed grave risks to data privacy, cybersecurity, and voter right
FCC targets robocall supply chain with new identity verification rules
The FCC has approved new 'Know Your Customer' rules for voice providers to block scammers from acquiring US phone numbers and is exploring onshoring c
ICE's use of blacklisted Paragon spyware sparks congressional condemnation
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed its use of spyware from a blacklisted Israeli firm, Candiru, sparking sharp condemnation from Congr
France's social media age gate bill: A child safety win or a privacy nightmare?
France's bill to require parental consent for social media access for under-15s aims to protect children but introduces serious privacy risks through
This week in security: A sophisticated Linux backdoor, FBI data purchases, and rapid exploits
A near-catastrophic Linux backdoor, government data purchases, and rapid zero-day attacks highlight persistent digital risks for everyone.
Google's new Android developer verification sparks security vs. openness debate
Google's new policy requiring identity verification for sideloaded Android apps aims to boost security but sparks a debate on platform openness and co