Book Review: Data and Goliath
Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World Bruce Schneier (2015) Digital Tattoo Rating: 4/5 1 2 3 4 5 Leave it on the shelf Give it a skim An informative read Would give to a friend A must read!!! Summary Once, while talking with Digital Tattoo contributor Elyse, […]
Voice as Identity: Rising Use of Vocal Biometrics
In this blog post, we will look at: What are voice biometrics? Why would companies want to start using voice biometrics? Are there risks in using voice biometrics? We may be becoming more familiar, and even more comfortable, with using biometric identifiers for authentication or security keys. A common usage of a type of biometric […]
In the News: Government Malware Disguised as Android Apps
A report by Vice News [1] published last week points to a report made by the cybersecurity group Security Without Borders [2] about Android malware that disguises itself as innocuous apps on Google’s Play Store. While disguising malicious software as harmless applications is not a technique that is new [3], the article published by Vice […]
In the News: Screen Composers Guild of Canada Proposes ‘Copyright Tax’ On Internet Use
A proposal by the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) to The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, released on September 25, 2018, aims to introduce a ‘copyright tax’ on Internet use, according to the documents released by TorrentFreak [1] In the report [2], the SCGC proposed a tax collected by internet service providers “that is […]
Book Review: Shareveillance
Shareveillance: The Dangers of Openly Sharing and Covertly Collecting Data Clare Birchall (2017) Digital Tattoo Rating: 2/5 Summary What does it mean to share in the Digital Age? In her book Shareveillance: The Dangers of Openly Sharing and Covertly Collecting Data, Clare Birchall investigates the intricacies of digital sharing on personal and state levels, and […]
In the News: Google Automatically Logs Users Into Chrome Browser on Google Sites
Google launched version 69.0 of its Chrome web browser on September 5, 2018 [1]. After the last version update of the browser [2], we talked Google’s decision to mark all HTTP-only websites as ‘Not Secure’. In their update for Chrome 69, Google decided to log users who had turned the ‘Sync’ feature into their […]
In the News: Google Tracks Smartphones that Disabled Location Services
You probably already know that there are tradeoffs involved with certain services offered through the internet. One such tradeoff is providing a service with your geographic location to find out where you are, or how to get to a destination from your current location. Google also receives your current geographic location via GPS data sent […]
In the News: Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance: “Privacy is not Absolute”
Five Eyes (FVEY) Intelligence Alliance is a multi-national agreement for signals intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom [1]. This group emerged as a result of the 1943 Britain-United States of America Agreement (1943 BRUSA Agreement)[2]. Although the treaty was signed and enacted in 1943, the public was only […]
In the News: Smart Meters are Internet Connected Devices Too!
Thinking of upgrading your thermostat or doorbell to a smart, internet-enabled device? You may want to consider the consequences of creating a connection to certain parts or systems of your home through the internet. Smart electricity meters are one example of internet-enabled elements of a person’s home. These meters can read and send the monthly […]
In The News: US Prosecutor Obliges Suspect to Surrender Passcode
A recent development in a 2017 case in Louisiana has resulted in a suspect being compelled to surrender the passcode to his smartphone. In the case of State of Louisiana v. Sean-Paul Gott [1], one of the four defendants was ordered under a ‘Motion to Compel’ to reveal the password to his smartphone, which was […]
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