Category Archives: Security

09Dec/22

Avast 2023 Predictions Highlight Increased Risk for Detrimental Damage Caused by Ransomware Gangs

Avast, a leading global digital security and privacy consumer brand by Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), anticipates an increased risk of ransomware attacks in 2023 threatening to leak people’s and businesses’ valuable data if ransom demands aren’t paid. Additionally, Avast researchers foresee optimization of social engineering used in scam attacks, taking advantage of economic hardships and energy crisis fears. The experts also expect increased malicious activity overall, as open-source malware becomes more accessible, and cybergangs recruit hacktivists to join their causes. Continue reading

28Nov/22

Gangs, drill music, and police databases

The Met has overhauled its ‘Gangs Violence Matrix’ database following a legal challenge by human rights organisation, Liberty. The tool is used by the police force to identify and monitor people suspected of being involved in gang-related crime.
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21Nov/22

Neurotechnology Announces the Release of SentiVeillance Cluster, Ready-to-Use Software for Surveillance Systems with Clustered Architecture Implementation for Smart-city-scale Projects

Neurotechnology, a provider of deep learning-based solutions and high-precision biometric identification technologies, today announced the release of SentiVeillance Cluster for real-time biometric face identification, tracking of people and vehicles and automatic vehicle license plate recognition. The solution has been designed for expansive surveillance systems supporting continuous video streams from multiple servers. It provides operators with structured and sorted live data, enabling faster decision-making in a variety of scenarios, including law enforcement, security and smart city monitoring applications. Continue reading

19Nov/22

Norton Encourages Online Shoppers to Stay Safe and Shop Smart This Holiday Season

In advance of Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year, Norton, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), encourages holiday shoppers to take steps to protect themselves from online fraud and identity theft – at its peak during the holidays – to bring back the joy of gifting. Continue reading

17Nov/22

The ads are watching you

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Targeted online advertisements are impossible to ignore. Ads based on our browsing history, geolocation, and personal information appear constantly on our social media feeds, news articles, and streaming platforms. As the authors of a new report on the advertising surveillance industry put it: “Targeted advertising is unavoidable for anyone who owns a smartphone or goes online.”
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15Nov/22

Facial recognition: An ethical policing tool?

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Facial recognition technology made headlines again last month as researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK said that the UK police’s use of the technology was unethical and potentially unlawful. The report from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy urged police to stop using live facial recognition (LFR) in public spaces and said trials by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police failed to meet the “minimum legal and ethical standards.” Continue reading
04Nov/22

Video doorbells: security or surveillance?

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Video doorbells are everywhere now, sold as a modern security solution that can help protect your home and belongings. They let you greet guests remotely, deter would-be parcel thieves, and could even reduce the cost of your home insurance.
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01Nov/22

Online Holiday Shopping Frenzy: Study Shows 1 in 3 Americans Tend to Take More Risks When Shopping Online During Holiday Season

A global study from Norton, a consumer Cyber Safety brand1 of NortonLifeLock (NASDAQ: NLOK), sheds new light on the risks consumers will take this holiday shopping this season. According to the 2022 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Holiday, conducted online in August 2022 among 1,000 U.S. adults 18+ by The Harris Poll, one in three American adults (34%) admit to taking more risks when online shopping during holiday season compared to other times of the year. Continue reading

27Oct/22

Pegasus: invasive spyware or national security?

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

I’m Samuel Woodhams, a digital rights researcher and journalist based in London.

The saga of the NSO Group’s invasive Pegasus spyware continues, with yet another victim confirmed this month by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and digital rights group, R3D. The organisations said Mexican opposition politician Augustín Basave Alanís was targeted in September 2021, making him the fourth person allegedly hacked during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency. Continue reading

17Oct/22

Surveillance tech is weaponry

By Rand Hammoud, Surveillance Campaigner, Access Now

Surveillance technology is weaponry – it targets, tracks, invades, and decimates – and its unbridled use is a far-reaching, destructive violation of human rights. It is an assault rifle in the sustained global offensive on civic space, and we need a global moratorium on its export, sale, transfer, servicing, and use. Continue reading