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Payment apps are fairly secure & very convenient, but NOT private. And Venmo is the worst. Venmo is the only payment app that is primarily a “social” app. That’s shorthand for “share as much info as possible, with as many people as possible”. If you weren’t already aware, all Venmo transactions are public by default. (That might come as an unwelcome surprise to the third of millennials who have used Venmo to pay for drugs.) Your Venmo friends list is also public by default, as Joe Biden recently discovered. But perhaps due to that event, Venmo at least now gives you a way to make it private. I’ll tell you how to change this and other Venmo privacy settings – and also which apps are better at privacy.
Lots of other news to cover today: Amazon Sidewalk has been activated for all new Echo and Ring devices (like it or not), but you can turn it off; Amazon Ring is offering more transparency on requests for video footage by law enforcement; Apple addresses some of the “stalker” privacy concerns with AirTags; apps are sidestepping Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency (shocker); TikTok just changed its privacy policy to mention the collection of your biometric info, including “faceprints” and “voiceprints”; we found out how the hackers got into the Colonial Pipeline computers and (maybe) how the FBI managed to get back some of the ransom money; the FBI secretly ran an encrypted communication platform marketed to criminals called Anom; and a new facial recognition service allows you (or come creeper) to search the web for anyone’s face for free.
Article Links
- Amazon is about to share your Internet connection with neighbors. Here’s how to turn it off. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/06/07/amazon-sidewalk-network/
- Ring will require police & fire departments to make public requests for video footage https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/06/03/ring-will-require-police-fire-departments-to-make-public-requests-for-video-footage
- Apple announces AirTag privacy improvements, Android app coming this year https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/03/airtag-privacy-improvements-sound-android-app/
- How to Check Your AirTags Firmware Version https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/check-airtags-firmware-version/
- Apps Continuing to Track Users Despite Apple’s Privacy Prompt https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/07/apps-continuing-to-track-users/
- WhatsApp is getting a crafty new way to verify your identity https://www.techradar.com/news/whatsapp-is-getting-a-crafty-new-way-to-verify-your-identity
- TikTok just gave itself permission to collect biometric data on U.S. users, including ‘faceprints and voiceprints’ https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/03/tiktok-just-gave-itself-permission-to-collect-biometric-data-on-u-s-users-including-faceprints-and-voiceprints/
- Ransomware attackers used compromised password to access Colonial Pipeline network https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/04/politics/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-password/index.html
- How could the FBI recover BTC from Colonial’s ransomware payment? https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2021/06/09/how-could-the-fbi-recover-btc-from-colonials-ransomware-payment/
- The FBI’s Anom Stunt Rattles the Encryption Debate https://www.wired.com/story/fbi-anom-phone-network-encryption-debate/
- This facial recognition website can turn anyone into a cop – or a stalker https://news.yahoo.com/facial-recognition-website-turn-anyone-113646451.html
- VICTORY: You Can Now Make Your Venmo Friends List Private. Here’s How. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/06/victory-you-can-now-make-your-venmo-friends-list-private-heres-how
Further Info
- HUGE sale on my book right now (55% off)! Use code SUMMER2021: https://www.apress.com/us/book/9781484261880
- Get your custom d20 challenge coin! https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/get-your-official-challenge-coin/
- Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons
- Would you like me to speak to your group about security and/or privacy? http://bit.ly/Firewalls-Speaker
- Generate secure passphrases! https://d20key.com/#/
