Newsletter Archives

• Privacy is complicated

  Posted on November 27, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Will Fastie

  

  ISSUE 20.48 • 2023-11-27

  EDITORIAL

  

  By Will Fastie

  AskWoody spends a lot of time discussing matters of privacy and security.

  It would be great if we could write one article that would serve as a permanent primer on the subject. Unfortunately, you know from decades of experience that the threat landscape changes constantly. We’re lucky if we can stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

  Or, for that matter, the good guys, who seem hell bent on learning everything they can about us and using that information — for better or for worse.

  Although a single primer seems an unreachable goal, we can offer some guidance around specific technologies. That’s the theme of this, our fall Bonus Issue. In the following four articles, Susan Bradley shares her thoughts and offers guidance to help you keep your personal information as private as possible, short of becoming a hermit on an isolated atoll in the remote Pacific. She covers privacy from the perspective of location, gadgets, the Web, and the PC.

  Your patronage makes it possible to provide this bonus material, and more. Thank you for being a Plus member.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

  Editorial Bonus Issue, Newsletters, Privacy

• Why do computers want my location?

  Posted on November 27, 2023 at 02:44 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PRIVACY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  On a regular basis, my phone and computers ask whether they can use my location.

  iPhone apps, in particular, often generate multiple requests. To be fair, these annoying prompts are meant to alert you to the fact that the apps want your location for one reason or another.

  But why do these apps need location information? Are they spying on you?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

  Privacy Location Services, Location Tracking, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Privacy, VPNs

• Keeping gadgets talking and secure

  Posted on November 27, 2023 at 02:43 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PRIVACY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I admit to being a lover of gadgets, from streaming audio devices to IoT sprinkler systems to dog-minding cameras.

  I use all sorts of gadgets in my house. But when I do, I understand two things. First, I must choose the device carefully, read the entire end-user license agreement, and determine whether I will accept the risks.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

  Privacy EULA, Gadgets, Internet of Things, Networking, Newsletters, Passwords, Patch Lady Posts, Privacy

• Spying or helpful? You decide.

  Posted on November 27, 2023 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PRIVACY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Years ago, my girlfriend had her first baby.

  Suddenly, I found myself sitting in front of my computer, searching only for baby bottles, baby clothes — everything baby-related.

  Milliseconds later (at least it seemed that fast), I was receiving mail for everything baby-related. Clearly, my online activity was being tracked, but I was missing the prominent online notices explaining how I could opt out.

  Then something really weird happened. That baby got a bit older. When he became a toddler, the marketing machine made sure I heard about the perfect baby pull-up pants. He hit kindergarten and I learned about all the books he needed to read.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

  Privacy Ad Blockers, Newsletters, Notifications, Patch Lady Posts, Privacy, VPNs, Web Browsers, Websites, Windows notifications

• Hardening for privacy

  Posted on November 27, 2023 at 02:41 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PRIVACY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Privacy means different things to different people.

  At the office, we want to keep our information private from certain individuals and certain departments, but not from ultimate business needs.

  In fact, we will often “spy” on our own employees. Want to know exactly what your users in the office do? Consider an analytics app such as ActivTrak to monitor the productivity of employees.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

  Privacy DNS, DNS over HTTP, ISP privacy, ISPs, Mozilla Foundation, Newsletters, OpenDNS, Patch Lady Posts, Privacy, Quad9

• Tax simplification

  Posted on October 16, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  The Inflation Reduction Act gave the U.S. Treasury Department billions of dollars to create a world-class customer experience for taxpayers.

  Let’s put aside the question “Do we want a world-class customer experience, or do we deserve something better — maybe an Amazon-class customer experience?” Because I’m not really sure how customer-friendly the typical world tax system is. I mean, half the world’s population is in India and China.

  Maybe they’re great — I just don’t know.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.42.0, 2023-10-16).

  Legal Brief Government, Newsletters, Privacy, Security, Taxation

• A dozen problems with privacy

  Posted on July 31, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  The right to privacy appears to be on a roll.

  Here are a few examples from just the last few months involving Meta, Twitter, Amazon, and Ring.

  Meta was fined $1.3 billion for violating European Union privacy rules (it stored data in that notorious data piracy haven — the United States). Meta is appealing the fine.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.31.0, 2023-07-31).

  Legal Brief Newsletters, Privacy, Rights

• Browser security and privacy — with the right extensions

  Posted on May 15, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  INTERNET

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Each browser offers its own settings for security and privacy, but you can often control these options better via third-party extensions.

  Managing your online privacy and security is always a challenge, especially as you browse different websites where you shop, bank, invest, and sign in to accounts personal or professional.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.20.0, 2023-05-15).

  Internet Browser Extensions, Internet tracking, Newsletters, Privacy, Security, Web Browsers

• How to manage your browser cookies

  Posted on April 17, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  INTERNET

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Browser cookies can be helpful or harmful, depending on how and why they’re used in your browser. The key lies in taking control of them.

  You probably already know that Web browsers use cookies to save certain information. Over the years, cookies have developed a bad rep because many websites and advertisers use them to track your online activities for the purpose of sending you ads and other targeted content.

  But cookies can also help you by storing key details at websites that you frequently use. The trick here is knowing which cookies are good and which are bad, and how to manage them in general.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.16.0, 2023-04-17).

  Internet Android, Chrome, Cookies, Edge, Firefox, iOS, Newsletters, Privacy, Safari, Security, Web Browsers, Windows

• The best tech secrets of 2022: AirTags, TikTok, Twitter, oh my

  Posted on December 26, 2022 at 02:45 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.52 • 2022-12-26

  Look for our BONUS issue on January 2, 2023!

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Amid my efforts to help you protect yourself against some rather aggressive technologies, I’m glad to report that there’s been at least some progress this year on the worst aspects of our “labor-saving” devices.

  Please note: I’m not claiming that my columns by themselves caused any of the changes I describe below. I just report the problems. We can all celebrate when bad tech is improved, whoever may have developed a particular solution.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.52.0, 2022-12-26).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender AirTags, Cryptocurrency, Newsletters, NFT, Privacy, Security, Surveillance, TikTok, Twitter

• Be watchful for scams in the forums

  Posted on November 21, 2022 at 02:44 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  FROM THE FORUMS

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Last week, there was an incident in the forums that was unexpected and of some concern.

  Someone (let’s codename the person “Rogue”) signed up for a Plus membership, then used it to send direct messages (DMs) to several other members. The DM contained a solicitation.

  I took immediate action.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.47.0, 2022-11-21).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  From the Forums Forums, Privacy, Scams, Security

• Can DuckDuckGo raise enough money to give Google a scare?

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.44 • 2022-10-31

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  People in a small but dedicated movement known as “degoogling” strive to avoid being tracked by the Google search giant. That’s a challenge, because Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., also compiles data on you through YouTube, the Play Store, and many other subsidiaries.

  A major alternative is a privacy-focused search engine with the weird name of DuckDuckGo. (Founder Gabriel Weinberg, soon to become a father, chose the moniker in 2008 after the children’s game Duck, Duck, Goose.) DDG, as the search engine is sometimes known, promises not to save searches you enter nor retain any information about you.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender Newsletters, Privacy, search engines
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