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Content type: Long Read
24th February 2020
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day to celebrate relationships, but many relationships that begin romantically can quickly become controlling, with partners reading emails, checking texts and locations of social media posts. This can be just the beginning.
Today, Friday 14th February, Privacy International and Women’s Aid are launching a series of digital social media cards giving women practical information on how to help stay safe digitally from control and abuse.
Did you know that…
Content type: Guide step
23rd June 2020
Chat history
If you know your device might be accessed and your Whatsapp conversations might be used against you, the chat history feature offers the opportunity to clean all your chats. “Delete all chats” will effectively delete all your conversations. Note that if you have chat backups enabled (we don’t recommend this), these conversations might still be available in the cloud. This setting also lets you export specific chats should you want to save it locally.
To access chat history:
Open…
Content type: Guide step
23rd June 2020
Other devices on which you might be logged in
You might have used Telegram on another phone or a computer. A good practice after doing so is to logout to make sure nobody can use your account without your permission. If you ever forget, Telegram allows you to terminate any session that is not on the current device you are using. We recommend checking this on a regular basis and removing everything you don't recognise. If you only use one device (such as your phone), this list should be empty…
Content type: Guide step
23rd June 2020
Phone
The first time you use Telegram it will ask for permissions to use your phone. This is used for the verification process but shouldn't be used later on. However, if you don't change this permission, Telegram is theoretically able to make phone calls on your behalf. We recommend you check the app's permissions to disable anything you don't use within the app, such as permission to access phone calls or location. You will likely find this in your phone settings rather than the app.
To…
Content type: Video
9th July 2020
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast where ever you normally find your podcasts:
Spotify
Apple podcasts
Google podcasts
Castbox
Overcast
Pocket Casts
Peertube
Youtube
Stitcher
And more...
Episode notes
Useful info
How to minimise targeted ads: privacyinternational.org/act/minimise-targeted-ads
Protect yourself from online tracking: privacyinternational.org/act/protect-yourself-online-tracking
Social media account settings: privacyinternational.org/act/protect-yourself-…
Content type: Guide step
6th June 2019
uBlock Origin is an independant and open-source ad-blocker relying on a currated list of servers. It prevents your browser from connecting to these servers to serve you ads. We recommand it over AdBlock Plus which authorise certain ads to be displayed according to its "Acceptable Ads program". It is also recommended by Firefox.
Installation
To install uBlock Origin on Firefox, the safest way is to visit the Mozilla Firefox Add-ons store and search for "uBlock Origin". Alternatively, click…
Content type: Guide step
10th June 2020
We suggest using Two-Factor authentication, as it provides an extra security step in order to access your account. This way, besides asking for your username and password, Instagram will verify your identity by sending a unique code to your device.
This can be done by SMS (text message) or using an authentication app suggested by Instagram. Let's go through both.
On mobile app:
Go to your profile by clicking the bottom right corner icon. Then tap the three stripe icon on the top right and…
Content type: Guide step
10th June 2020
A lot of third-party apps ask you to get access to your Instagram data. This is the case with social media managing apps for example. The more apps have private information on you, the more likely it is that information can be misused. So it is important to make sure that you only allow Instagram access to apps that really need it. You can do this from your web browser or using the app.
On the Web:
After logging in, click the person icon on the upper-right corner of the screen, and then click…
Content type: Guide step
5th June 2020
This is the first step in improving your privacy on Instagram. When you first create your account, it is set as "public" by default, meaning anybody can find it and see what you share.
Making your account private lets you share your content with a select group of people that you care about. Anyone else that might want to access it needs to send you a follow request to get your approval first.
On mobile app:
Go to your profile by clicking the bottom right corner icon. Then tap the three…
Content type: Guide step
10th June 2020
Even with the tightest privacy settings it's important to acknowledge that the way you and others use the app can still be compromising in terms of sensitive data being shared. In addition to in-app settings there's a few good practices that you should keep in mind:
Let people know that you don't want your picture posted without your consent - if you make your profile private because you don't want unknown people to have access to photos of you, then you should make sure there are no photos…
Content type: Guide step
10th June 2020
Blocking someone on Instagram will make them unable to find your profile, stories and posts. When you block someone, they do not get a notification about your action. Blocking someone means you will stop getting notifications from that person. You cannot follow an account you have blocked. Keep in mind that if your profile is set to public, anyone that you have blocked can find you if they login through another account.
On the mobile app or on your browser (procedure is exactly the same):
Go…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
Uber appears to offer few options to limit data collection and it’s unclear how the data the company has about users is shared with third parties including advertisers, although there have been numerous reports about Uber’s data sharing activities. These screenshots show a few things you can do.
It’s tough to minimise targeted ads on phones because ads can be delivered based on data from the device level (such as what operating system your phone is using or based on unique numbers that…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
Twitter plays an increasingly important role as a space facilitating democratic engagement, debate and dissent. However, Twitter's track record in relation to protecting people's data has in some instances fallen short of expectations. In August 2019, for example, Twitter revealed that it had shared with advertisers the data of users who had opted-out of personalised ads. More recently, Twitter admitted that data which had been given by users for safety security purposes had been "inadvertently…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
Google dominates online search. The company also owns YouTube and Android, with the latter reportedly making up nearly 75% of the global smart phone market share. PI has written about the numerous problems that come from corporate concentration and the use of data by monopolistic companies, and there are numerous examples of Google's failure to protect its users.
Below is a set of steps you can take if you wish to minimise ad targeting when using Google.
1. Go to gmail.com and sign in
Content type: Guide step
24th June 2020
On your browser head to the upper right corner of the Facebook page. Click Settings and Privacy > Privacy. On the left side you should be able to see a field named Apps and Websites where you will see which apps currently have access to your data. If you click View and edit you can make changes on this list. We recommend removing any apps that you don’t know or that you no longer use.
Content type: Guide step
24th June 2020
If you are accessing Facebook through your browser, go to your profile and then select About. You will see a summary of the information you have provided to Facebook under Overview.
Content type: Guide step
24th June 2020
Let’s start by checking your default post sharing settings.
If you are accessing Facebook through your browser go to Settings > Privacy > Your Activity > Who can see future posts. We recommend setting your default to Friends or Friends except… which is the same setting with exceptions you can manually add in case you don’t want some friends to be able to see your posts. When set to Public, all your posts can be seen by anyone on or off Facebook.
Content type: Guide step
24th June 2020
Don’t accept friend requests from unknown people.
Let people know that you don’t want your picture posted without your consent.
Don’t post photos of other people without their consent.
Don’t post sensitive information in your photos or captions.
Don’t reveal your location/make sure the location is not revealed by background details.
Don’t use hashtags that may reveal private data (or the location).
Be wary when posting photos of your kids on social media.
If you log into your Facebook…
Content type: Call to Action
16th June 2020
You might have read our investigation into advertisers who upload your data on Facebook and found out some companies doing the same to you. Well, you can join us and hold them accountable by sending your own Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)!
Before you get started we suggest you read our FAQ and take a look at our 7+1 tips to make the most out of your DSAR before and after.
To do so you simply need to copy the message bellow and send it to the companies that uploaded your data despite the…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
A common theme of all major pieces of national jurisprudence analyzing the rights implications of national identity system is an analysis of the systems’ impacts on the right to privacy.
The use of any data by the State including the implementation of an ID system must be done against this backdrop with respect for all fundamental human rights. The collection of data to be used in the system and the storage of data can each independently implicate privacy rights and involve overlapping and…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
Rather than providing a list of arguments, as is the case in the other sections of this guide, the fifth section provides a general overview describing the absence of consideration of these themes in existing jurisprudence and the reasons why these themes warrant future consideration including identity systems’ implications for the rule of law, the role of international human rights law, and considerations of gender identity.
Democracy, the Rule of Law and Access to Justice: This analysis of…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
While identity systems pose grave dangers to the right to privacy, based on the particularities of the design and implementation of the ID system, they can also impact upon other fundamental rights and freedoms upheld by other international human rights instruments including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights such as the right to be free from unlawful discrimination, the right to liberty, the right to…
Content type: Report
15th September 2020
Privacy International partnered with the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School to guide the reader through a simple presentation of the legal arguments explored by national courts around the world who have been tasked with national courts that discuss the negative implications of identity systems, particularly on human rights, and to present their judgement.
This argumentation guide seeks to fill that gap by providing a clear, centralised source of the arguments advanced in…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
National identity systems naturally implicate data protection issues, given the high volume of data necessary for the systems’ functioning.
This wide range and high volume of data implicates raises the following issues:
consent as individuals should be aware and approve of their data’s collection, storage, and use if the system is to function lawfully. Despite this, identity systems often lack necessary safeguards requiring consent and the mandatory nature of systems ignores consent entirely…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
Identity systems frequently rely on the collection and storage of biometric data during system registration, to be compared with biometric data collected at the point of a given transaction requiring identity system verification.
While courts have arguably overstated the effectiveness and necessity of biometric data for identity verification in the past, the frequency of biometric authentication failure is frequently overlooked. These failures have the potential to have profoundly negative…
Content type: Report
11th September 2020
Many countries in the world have existing ID cards - of varying types and prevalence - there has been a new wave in recent years of state “digital identity” initiatives.
The systems that states put in place to identify citizens and non-citizens bring with them a great deal of risks.
This is particularly the case when they involve biometrics - the physical characteristics of a person, like fingerprints, iris scans, and facial photographs.
Activists and civil society organisations around the…
Content type: Explainer
16th June 2020
Hello friend,
You may have found your way here because you are thinking about, or have just submitted, a Data Subject Access Request, maybe to your Facebook advertisers like we did. Or maybe you are curious to see if Policing, Inc. has your personal data.
The right to access your personal data (or access right) is just one of a number of data rights that may be found in data protection law, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, better known as "GDPR",…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
The screenshots below outline some steps you can take to minimise the data you share on WhatsApp. The company announced changes to group privacy (details here) but we are not currently (as of 14/05/19) able to see these changes (PI is UK-based).
It’s tough to minimise targeted ads on phones because ads can be delivered based on data from the device level (such as what operating system your phone is using or based on unique numbers that identify your phone), browser level (what you search for…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
TikTok is a short-form video app (owned by ByteDance) which allows advertising and sponsored content. Two thirds of TikTok’s over 113 million users (are reportedly aged 16-24) and it was the second most downloaded app in 2019, beaten only by WhatsApp’s 849 million). Like other tech platforms, ByteDance makes most of its money from advertising. TikTok allows advertisers to target ads on the basis of custom or lookalike audiences, namely targeting users on the basis of pre-defined characteristics…
Content type: Guide step
1st May 2020
While Telegram says in its privacy policy that the company doesn’t “use your data for ad targeting or other commercial purposes”, the company says that “no third party bot developers are affiliated with Telegram” and that developers “should ask [users] for [their] permission before they access [their] data or [users] make it available to them. It’s unclear what oversight Telegram provides over how these developers use the platform to communicate with users. The screenshots below outline some…