Internet privacy in the spotlight

Tech guru Aki Anastasiou dishes the latest in the world of technology.

All across the internet, everyone is being bombarded with privacy policy update notices from nearly every last online service they’ve ever signed up for, which can start to feel kind of eerie when it happens all at once like this.

Online privacy has been a major national conversation lately, what with Facebook’s role in the election and Mark Zuckerberg’s half-hearted apology tour, but this is actually the result of something international. While we struggle for even the most basic accountability from our tech companies, the European Union is going on the attack with a new law called GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations).

So, the basis of the GDPR is essentially to simplify all of that and require online services to allow users to willfully opt into more simplified, specific ways in which their data will be used, rather than leave them trying to find out how much they can opt out of later on. (It also has other functions, like putting more responsibility on businesses for stolen or misused personal data.)

https://www.themarysue.com/why-everyone-update-privacy-policy/

A Portland, Oregan, woman’s claim that her Amazon Echo device secretly recorded a private conversation between her and her husband and sent it to an acquaintance of theirs has sparked questions about just how secure these smart speakers are.

The woman, who only gave her name as Danielle, told her local TV news station that she and her husband were shocked when one of his employees, who lives in another state, contacted them to tell them he had received a message containing a recording of their private conversation.

<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">https://www.recode.net/2018/5/24/17391480/amazon-alexa-woman-secret-recording-echo-explanation <span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif; color:black">

Reaching a traffic light just as it turns green can cheer up the most miserable of drivers. Now, thanks to new technology to be tested in Britain, sets of lights could help motorists to avoid stopping altogether.

The new lights will be able to communicate with each other and collect data from drivers’ mobile phones.

This will allow them to advise motorists what speed they should maintain to ensure they arrive at the next set as they hit green.

California-based engineering firm AECOM, which is also running projects in the US, developed the scheme to cut congestion and reduce vehicle emissions.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5759573/California-based-firm-trial-technology-help-motorists-hit-light-green.html

Take a listen to what Aki has to say below:

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