english
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European Parliament: MEPs blast ‚Apple-only’ voting app
Scan-and-paper voting has become the norm for MEPs during the pandemic European Parliament: MEPs blast ‚Apple-only’ voting app The European Parliament has developed an app called iVote for remote voting during the pandemic. But left-wing MEPs are angry that it only works on Apple devices.
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Stalking via Smartphone: How security researchers are working to expose stalkerware on your phone
Das Smartphone ist immer dabei - und damit auch die Überwachung. Szene aus einem Video der Coalition Against Stalkerware. Stalking via Smartphone: How security researchers are working to expose stalkerware on your phone Stalkerware is software designed to run on your smartphone, keep tabs on everything you do and report it back to whoever decided to spy on the intimate details of your life. This is a crime in most countries, but the apps are hard to find. Security researchers are working to change that.
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Tools for encryption and anonymity: Germany and Europe need to step up to their responsibility
Tools for encryption and anonymity: Germany and Europe need to step up to their responsibility Much of the funding of projects for the technical implementation of digital freedoms is threatened by the Trump Government. It is now time for Germany and Europe to step into the breach and provide adequate and sustainable funding for the development ecosystem. A commentary.
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L'App unique: France goes it alone on digital contact tracing
The French approach to contact tracing makes the country at odds with EU partners L'App unique: France goes it alone on digital contact tracing The European Commission wants to make Corona-tracing apps work across borders ahead of the summer holidays. But the French app has been excluded.
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Guerilla marketing: German outdoor advertiser put up posters for online shop that sells drugs
This photo from Oberhausen was sent to netzpolitik.org by an allegedly worried passer-by. We pixelated the QR code on the poster. Guerilla marketing: German outdoor advertiser put up posters for online shop that sells drugs With a mixture of poster advertising and guerrilla marketing, criminals try to draw attention to a shop that sells drugs on the internet. The outdoor advertising company AWK and several media outlets are falling for this trick.
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Zoomed out: Pandemic „exposed vulnerabilities“ in EU systems
The EU Commission under chief Ursula von der Leyen faced renewed cyber attacks in the pandemic Zoomed out: Pandemic „exposed vulnerabilities“ in EU systems EU officials and diplomats lack a unified and secure way of talking to each other. The rise of telework in the Corona crisis shows a need to upgrade communications systems, says an internal report.
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Collective Action: K‑Pop Stans are boosting US-protests against racism
K-Pop meets Anonymous. Collective Action: K‑Pop Stans are boosting US-protests against racism At the protests in the USA, fans of K‑Pop appear as new political actors who mobilise against racism with collective actions on the Internet. What is happening and what does Korean pop have to do with Anonymous? A search for clues.
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Data retention: Amidst pandemic, Norway moots powers for spy agency
The Norwegian military could soon get sweeping powers to intercept communications Data retention: Amidst pandemic, Norway moots powers for spy agency With public attention diverted by the corona crisis, Norway debates a law that would give its military intelligence agency sweeping powers to collect metadata from all cross-border communication.
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Covid-19: Why is contact tracing useful?
Covid-19: Why is contact tracing useful? Covid-19 contact tracing and data protection can go together. Johannes Abeler, Matthias Bäcker and Ulf Buermeyer lay out the details of how such a technology might work.
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Freedom of the press: A German company is responsible for the deletion of videos critical of the Albanian government
Aldor Nini, CEO of Acromax Media Freedom of the press: A German company is responsible for the deletion of videos critical of the Albanian government Acromax Media reports alleged copyright infringements to platforms such as Facebook and thus also makes journalistic content disappear from the Internet. The Hamburg-based company worked, amongst others for the Albanian governing party. Reporters Without Borders considers this an attempt to suppress independent journalism.
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Interview on internet shutdowns: Jordan does not block, it throttles internet access
Internet access may be blocked. Interview on internet shutdowns: Jordan does not block, it throttles internet access Worldwide, governments are increasingly shutting down internet access to disrupt protests, block illegal content or to censor journalism. We spoke to Berhan Taye from Access Now about these excessive actions.
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No more WhatsApp: EU diplomats to use mystery app for secure messaging
Josep Borrell, head of the European External Action Service No more WhatsApp: EU diplomats to use mystery app for secure messaging While the EU Commission has asked staff to use Signal for messaging, the External Action Service is rolling out a bespoke app. But it refuses to share any details about it.
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Hacks and spying: Is WhatsApp safe for diplomats?
Hacks and spying: Is WhatsApp safe for diplomats? The Facebook-owned app has become a standard tool for international negotiations. Amid rising security concerns, EU experts now suggest a safer alternative. But the WhatsApp era is far from over.
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Digital Services Act: Rightholders lobby Berlin to tighten liability for tech firms
Digital Services Act: Rightholders lobby Berlin to tighten liability for tech firms Publishers and the TV and film industry lobbied Germany to make online platforms liable for illegal content, newly released documents reveal. The next „battle for the internet“ has begun.
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Environmental and Foreign Affairs in the Context of AI: Human Security Beyond Trump
Phaenomena worth of reconsidering security I (symbolic picture) Environmental and Foreign Affairs in the Context of AI: Human Security Beyond Trump International Conflict is on its Rise: Out-dated hostilities between the USA and Iran threaten to cause catastrophic chaos. The world needs novel security conceptions that consider artificial intelligence well, first of all: data analytic and platform technologies. How could that look like, in terms of machine understanding – its design, use and ethics? How to put AI in the service of human kind?
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Discrimination: TikTok curbed reach for people with disabilities
In order to protect people with disabilities, TikTok simply made them less visible. Discrimination: TikTok curbed reach for people with disabilities Leaked documents reveal how TikTok hid videos of people with disabilities. Queer and fat users were also pushed out of view. The Chinese company says the rules were meant to protect vulnerable users.
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Stop complaining about us! : TikTok’s Criticism and Competition Guidelines
Those who showed the logo of their direct competitors and named them in the text were slowed down. Stop complaining about us! : TikTok’s Criticism and Competition Guidelines Exaggerated corporate sensitivities? We publish excerpts from the moderation rules of TikTok which show that not only political content made the video platform nervous. The naming of competitors and criticism of the company were also punished.
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NationBuilder: European Parliament handed voter data to company linked to Donald Trump and Brexit
Voter outreach causes watchdog outrage NationBuilder: European Parliament handed voter data to company linked to Donald Trump and Brexit A voter outreach campaign by the EU parliament relied on a 135.000 euro contract with the controversial US data company NationBuilder. The EU’s data protection watchdog stopped the project.
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TikTok: Cheerfulness and censorship
TikTok stands for fun and creativity. But freedom of speech on the platform is in bad shape. TikTok: Cheerfulness and censorship Never before has a platform grown as fast as TikTok. We have gained exclusive insight into its content moderation and are publishing excerpts from its moderation rules: TikTok operates a sophisticated system to identify, control, suppress and direct content. The platform can throttle videos of protests and demonstrations according to its rules.
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Copyright vs. privacy: EU court to rule on porn trolls
Porn: big business online Copyright vs. privacy: EU court to rule on porn trolls A shell company from Cyprus pursues users across Europe for alleged illegal downloads of smutty flicks. Now their business model is about to get a reality check from the European Court of Justice.