Privacy News Update, 4-1-18

That’s the famous first sentence of “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” George Orwell’s classic 1949 novel. Orwell imagined Oceania, a dystopia with powerful symbols like “Big Brother,” double think (“War is Peace”) and the systematic destruction of the English language.

Evoking double think and the purging of language has echoes in this country. The Washington Post recently reported on a Trump administration directive that bars use of certain words and phrases by divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services. When identified words were used by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), documents were flagged and sent back for “correction.”

The White House directive cited seven words and phrases that must not appear in official budget transmittals: vulnerable, transgender, fetus, diversity, entitlement, science-based and evidence-based.

This is not the first time that the Trump administration has barred commonly-used words and phrases. Earlier “sex education” was banned and a substitute proscribed. That phrase has been replaced by “sexual risk avoidance,” a term limited to abstinence-only education. At the Department of Agriculture, staffers were given a list of replacements for the phrases “climate change” and “reduce greenhouse gases.” A political appointee at the Environmental Protection Agency was seen striking out the words “climate change” from grant applications.

The idea of disallowing words is chilling. In Orwell’s fictional novel, the hero Winston Smith was employed at the Ministry of Truth — known as Minitrue in Newspeak, the language devised to replace Oldspeak or Standard English. Winston’s job was to rewrite articles and documents using approved vocabulary.

The new language was to have far fewer words. Winston’s friend Syme was employed writing a Newspeak dictionary, “cutting the language down to the bone.” Syme tells Winston: “It is a good thing the destruction of words. . . After all, what justification is there for a word which is the opposite of some other words? If you have a word like ‘good,’ what need is there for a word like ‘bad’? ‘Ungood’ will do just as well.”

Orwell wrote that the object of Newspeak was to narrow the range of thought in Oceania. Without a wide vocabulary, thought would become more difficult. With words eliminated, eventually it would be impossible to commit “Thoughtcrime.” Reduction of language was one horror of Orwell’s totalitarian state.

Oceania, thankfully, is fiction; but now to today’s reality: Early response to the heavy-handed censorship of the Centers for Disease Control has mainly been “surely this is just kidding” or “they can’t be serious.” There have been some attempts at denial. However, the Orwellian move seems to have occurred. In fact, officials have even suggested work arounds. Take the case of the phrase “science-based.” It’s not okay to say that, but you can say something like: “The CDC bases its recommendation on science in consideration with community standards and wishes.”

Not surprisingly there has been a strong backlash. Planned Parenthood vice president Dana Singisler was quoted saying, “This is not just a change in vocabulary. It means that the Trump-Pence Administration is trying to radically change the focus of the entire agency.”

The idea of a directive to stop using certain words not only flies in the face of the First Amendment but into the very concept of American democracy. It is particularly egregious directed at the CDC which uses science to protect us against disease and disaster. If terms like “vulnerable” and “fetus” are abolished, how can you work to combat the devastation of the Zeka virus? If “climate change” is forbidden, how can we save the planet? Where is this language clampdown taking us?

This war of words is not worthy of an open society, either in its Orwellian censorship or in the administration’s flaunting of science and reason. It is high time that people and politicians of good will and constitutional backbone stand up for what is right and insist on an end to would-be thought police.

Privacy News Update, 1-1-18

January 1st, 2018 / Filed Under: Uncategorized / Comments Off

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Featured:

12/30: The man who can’t face the internet

12/29: Easy, Expert Setup Tips for Maximum Privacy on Your New Device

12/29: How to securely erase hard drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs)

12/29: Hundreds of Creepy Mobile Games Can Use Your Mic to Track What You Watch on TV

12/28: Facebook Just Clarified That It Is Not Collecting Data From India’s Controversial National ID Database

12/28: Dirt Boxes: The Newest Government Tool for Warrantless Privacy Invasion

12/28: Congressional Discussion On Section 702 Renewal Postponed Until 2018

12/28: How to Keep Your Smartened-Up Home Safe From Hackers

12/28: How to Stop Creeping Authoritarianism

12/27: 5 New Year’s Resolutions to Protect Your Technology

12/27: Column: A federal judge takes aim at ‘voluntary’ company wellness programs that invade your privacy

12/27: Meet the Newest Cryptocurrency Trend: Privacy Coins

12/27: Privacy Advocate Richard Holober on the Tech Backlash of 2017

12/24: In Practice, Police Accountability Is Not The Main Function Of Body Cameras

12/24: StealthCrypto Launches Privacy for Mobile Phones Worldwide

12/23: Companies you’ve never heard of are exposing your personal data

12/23: What to do before selling or donating your phone

12/22: ‘Tis the season for unfettered government access to your data

12/22: Tech toys could put kids’ privacy at risk. Here’s how to stay safe.

12/22: Top 10 privacy podcasts of 2017

12/22: Justice Dept. Won’t Budge on Terms of Intelligence Law

12/22: Privacy Complaints Mount Over Phone Searches at U.S. Border Since 2011

12/22: US Government Alleges Edward Snowden Is Talking With Russian Spy Agencies

12/22: FOIA Researchers Are Targeting a Shadowy FBI Program Called ‘Gravestone’

12/22: Snowden’s New App Turns Your Spare Android Phone into a Pocket-Sized Security System

12/21: A look back at privacy in 2017

12/21: Privacy in 2017: A year in review

12/21: Senators seek to stop expansion of airport facial scans

12/21: Burger Joint Teams Up With Surveillance Giant to Scan Your Face for Loyalty Points

12/21: Homeland Security’s Airport Facial Scans Are Buggy and Possibly Illegal, Report Finds

12/20: Central banks using big data to learn about who they serve

12/20: Facebook launches facial recognition service to address privacy concerns

12/20: How to securely erase an iPhone in just 3 steps

12/20: Wickr introduces end-to-end encryption for screen sharing

12/19: A Groundbreaking Case May Force Controversial Data Firm Cambridge Analytica to Reveal Trump Secrets

12/19: The most read Privacy Advisor stories of 2017

12/19: Facebook Swears It Won’t Use Its New Powerful Face Recognition to Suggest ‘People You May Know’

12/19: Facebook wants your face data in the name of privacy

12/19: Facebook to notify users when photos of them are uploaded

12/19: Facebook Wants Your Face and You’ll Probably Let Them Have It

12/18: What to keep in mind about your privacy when taking genetics tests like 23andMe or AncestryDNA

12/18: When Justin Trudeau was in opposition, he voted for Canada’s PATRIOT Act but promised to fix it; instead he’s making it much, much worse

12/18: Facebook said the US government is making more secret requests for data than ever before

12/17: Uber Ex-Manager Details Company’s Alleged Surveillance Tactics

12/16: Big Brother on wheels? Fired security robot divides local homeless people

12/15: 35 Times Privacy Was A Lie In 2017

12/15: ACLU calls for public involvement on Boston IoT project

12/15: Former Employee Accused Uber of Hacking and Surveillance

12/14: Social media may help chronically ill connect to doctors, fellow patients

12/13: FPF announces 2017 Privacy Papers winners

12/13: Teens don’t realize how much their parents track them online

12/13: DNA kits raise security concerns

12/13: Digital assistants offer convenience, but what about privacy?

Local (PNW):

12/28: Seattle Bans Landlords From Screening “Qualified” Tenants

12/26: Commentary: Portland takes further steps to ensure HIV patients’ privacy, city’s public health director says

12/15: Error With Recording Device Leads to Dismissal of 61 Cases From Prostitution Bust

Govt (Fed):

12/26: Worried about your online privacy? So is SC Congressman Mark Sanford

12/21: Spy chiefs pressure Congress to renew expiring surveillance law

12/21: Paul, Wyden plan filibuster to oppose Section 702 extension

12/21: Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Secure Election Systems

12/20: Snowden, privacy groups oppose new surveillance bill

12/20: Senate Republicans seek short-term Section 702 extension

12/20: U.S. lawmakers seek temporary extension to internet spying program

12/20: Congress Keeps Delaying Renewal of Its ‘Must-Pass’ Warrantless Surveillance Program

12/19: HHS launches efforts to address opioid crisis while focusing on privacy

12/17: “There Is a Constitutional Right of the Public to Film the Official Activities of Police Officers in a Public Place.”

12/16: Sen. Brian Schatz: Net neutrality isn’t dead

Govt (States & Cities):

12/30: Here’s how California lawmakers could step in to protect the online privacy of consumers in 2018

12/29: Excessive Force, Bodily Privacy Claims Upheld Against Gwinnett Deputies

12/21: Santa Clara County names first chief privacy officer

12/20: Wyoming Supreme Court: Users can sue rent-to-own company for privacy invasion

12/20: Maine AG to review whether sharing patient data violated privacy law

12/18: Can privacy trump First Amendment in Iowa Supreme Court case v. Des Moines Register?

12/15: Wisconsin, the Surveillance State

12/13: NYC passes legislation to address algorithmic bias

Policy & Opinion:

12/30: The Best Way to Rule for Carpenter (Or, How to Expand Fourth Amendment Protections Without Making A Mess)

12/28: Fourth Amendment Challenge to Personal Privacy in the 21st Century

12/21: The Disparate Impact of Surveillance

12/21: Commentary: Technology is an important tool, but we must limit its influence over our lives

12/21: What to do about internet-connected toys?

12/21: Reconciling Katz and the Fourth Amendment Text

12/19: On the tension between municipal open data and privacy

12/15: Op-Ed: Why engineering for privacy needs standards

Overseas:

12/31: Iran Moves to Block Social Media Apps, Mobile Networks as Protests Spread

12/30: Tracking part of tech firm’s plan to transform part of Toronto

12/29: Police, civic workers could be fined or jailed under new anti-snooping law (Canada)

12/29: What is the GDPR? GeekWire’s guide to new European data protection laws that impact the cloud

12/29: City of the Future? Humans, Not Technology, Are the Challenge in Toronto (Canada)

12/28: NSW failing to protect public’s private data from identity fraud (Oz)

12/27: China is testing an electronic identification system on WeChat

12/26: Olympic Planners Want to Scan the Faces of Hundreds of Thousands at the 2020 Tokyo Games

12/23: One of America’s biggest allies in the Middle East is hiring ex-CIA officers to build a spy empire

12/22: P.E.I. privacy commissioner: 2011 election leak violated provincial law (Canada)

12/22: Op-Ed: ePrivacy reg shouldn’t penalize sites for blocking ad-blockers (EU)

12/22: ECHR: Video surveillance at work breached personal privacy (EU)

12/21: Op-Ed: Hong Kong surveillance ordinance needs an update

12/21: Researchers able to re-identify government data (Oz)

12/21: Chinese company ends live-streaming feature amid privacy concerns

12/21: Canadian Government Looking To Step Up Domestic Surveillance, Scale Back Intelligence Oversight

12/20: China surveillance streaming platform shut down amid privacy concerns

12/19: Australian government’s recklessness with medical data is symptom of deeper problems

12/19: Facebook just added a simple ‘on/off switch’ for its facial recognition features

12/19: Twelve Days in Xinjiang: How China’s Surveillance State Overwhelms Daily Life

12/19: Court Says German Intelligence Agency Can No Longer Hoard Billions Of Metadata Records

12/18: France to Facebook: You Have 30 Days to Stop Harvesting WhatsApp User Data

12/18: China will collect the DNA of every adult in Xinjiang province, where Uyghur people are systematically oppressed

12/16: Uber secretly recorded phone calls with its employees without their permission, explosive letter claims

12/15: Halifax airport installs facial recognition kiosks (Canada)

12/15: Will Canada have its own right to be forgotten?

12/14: Human Rights Watch sounds alarm on biometric data collection in Xinjiang

12/14: NZ Privacy Commissioner files brief in US v. Microsoft

12/14: Op-Ed: Australian businesses need a culture shift around privacy

12/13: Want cheaper British car insurance? Mind how you shop

12/13: World’s Biggest Biometric Database Grows in India Amid Doubt

12/13: India’s digital ID sparks debate over human right to personal data

Tech:

12/29: What the Tech? Cyber snoopers

12/29: How to Get Around OkCupid’s Stupid New ‘Real Name’ Policy

12/28: Smart products gaining favor in American homes

12/28: What is Windows Hello? Microsoft’s biometrics security system explained

12/26: Guidemaster: Everything Amazon’s Alexa can do, plus the best skills to enable

12/26: Privacy Concerns about ‘always listening’ smart home devices

12/22: Amazon acquires security camera and doorbell maker Blink

12/22: Mandrake Linux Founder Announces Android OS Without Google Apps

12/21: CVS-Aetna merger could see tech advances, and privacy issues

12/20: After a busy 2017, Alexa is still on top — and still evolving

12/20: These three privacy-centric companies took part in Google’s ‘Adopt a Startup’ program

12/20: Twitter Finally Fixed Its Two Factor Authentication

12/20: Who’s who in the cybersecurity market? The inside scoop for 2018

12/20: An AI Accurately Guessed Race and Voting Patterns by Counting Cars on Google Street View

12/19: Drone Tracking Plan Moves U.S. Delivery by Air Closer to Reality

12/18: New Cybersecurity Nonprofit SAMSOC Aims to Draw Business to San Antonio

12/18: Why Siemens sees data privacy as a competitive advantage

12/18: World View unveils first pictures from its Stratollite high-altitude balloon platform

12/15: As drones rise in popularity, privacy concerns grow as well

12/15: Industry group releases privacy guidance on mobile health apps

12/14: Symantec CTO warns financial industry about using biometric authentication

Books/Media/Misc:

1/2: Digital Natives or Digital Exiles?

12/29: In Season 4 Of ‘Black Mirror,’ Power Corrupts, But Love Still Matters

12/21: Peace on Earth? Not during New York suburbs’ Christmas light wars

Seattle-area TECC Volunteer Opportunity!

December 17th, 2017 / Filed Under: Uncategorized / Comments Off

as sent to the Seattle Privacy list today – Thanks to the TECC Clinic for doing this work and good luck in your efforts! #6

Hello all!

I’ve been working with a volunteer committee that includes a mixture of city and nonprofit representatives who share the common goal of reducing technology enabled coercive control (TECC) in Seattle. TECC can be defined as an abusive situation where technology is being used by the abuser to enable their abuse of the victim. These cases usually look like domestic violence cases with a cyber stalking component. For example, an estranged spouse may lock you out of your gmail account and delete evidence such as email histories. Victims may be repeatedly hacked by their spouses or relatives who know their security question answers and backup email addresses. This account compromise often prevents private communication between the victim and their legal representation.

The TECC Committee includes Natalie Dolci from the Seattle Police Department Domestic Violence Unit, Candace Faber from Seattle Information Technology, the nonprofit New Beginnings and others. I’m the CEO of a privacy startup and I participate on the committee as a tech volunteer.

We are looking for additional technology volunteers who are willing to donate their time to the TECC Volunteer Clinic by either 1) helping to develop curriculum for both the volunteers and the victims or 2) working one on one with victims to help them reclaim and secure their accounts, help them set up two factor authentication, etc.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, feel free to reach out. I’ve also attached a document with more information about the TECC Volunteer Clinic.

Best,

Amy

Amy Eskridge Pettigrew
CEO, Arkham Storage

(256) 541-6457 / @amypgrew / https://arkham.io

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