The hottest Digital Privacy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

TikTok is just the beginning

Noahpinion • 27118 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy Technology Regulation Digital Privacy Social media China relations
  1. TikTok is facing potential shutdown in the U.S. because of a law that requires foreign apps to be sold to American buyers. If the owner doesn't comply, the app could be removed from stores for new downloads.
  2. The Chinese government prefers to control TikTok rather than let it be sold or used freely in America. They believe it's too important to lose, even if it means shutting it down altogether.
  3. Concerns about TikTok focus on privacy issues and how it might be used to spread propaganda. Evidence suggests that the app can suppress negative content about China and promote pro-government views.

There's Another Kind of Virus Out There That Can Ruin Your Life.

OK Doomer • 111 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Data Protection Digital Privacy Online Security
  1. Data protection often feels like it's entirely your responsibility. You have to keep track of passwords and pay for security services to avoid getting hacked.
  2. Hackers can clone websites and impersonate real companies, making it hard to tell what's safe online. This has become a serious issue that many people don’t realize.
  3. There's a frustrating trend where the emphasis is on personal responsibility for cybersecurity, instead of holding companies and platforms accountable for our safety.

Beyond the attention economy, true power lies in access to individuals

storyvoyager • 7 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Social media Digital Privacy Data security
  1. Access to individuals is the key to power in today's digital world. Just like past authoritarian regimes used information to control people, social media platforms use our data for economic gain.
  2. TikTok's popularity raises concerns about privacy and power. Its ability to collect user data makes it a potential national security threat, highlighting how digital platforms can influence politics and society.
  3. The future of social media could either deepen inequalities or promote positive change. As technology evolves, we need to decide how we want to use these platforms to influence our lives and the world.

KOSA is back. Or is it?

Tech + Regulation • 39 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Child safety Digital Privacy Social media Regulation
  1. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) aims to improve online safety for children and teens. It includes new rules for social media platforms to protect young users from risks like bullying and harmful content.
  2. KOSA introduces a 'duty of care' that requires platforms to actively prevent online harm to minors. This means they have to find a balance between allowing access to information and not promoting harmful content.
  3. The bill also changes how advertising works for younger users. Platforms will need to inform them why they see certain ads and limit certain design features that encourage excessive use.
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Solving for age assurance

Tech + Regulation • 1 HN point • 01 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Digital Privacy
  1. There is a growing need for better ways to verify ages online, especially for protecting kids from harmful content. Events are happening around the world to discuss how to improve age assurance methods.
  2. A Universal Age API could be created to help share reliable age data between different platforms. This would make it easier to know who is using their services without compromising privacy.
  3. Debates on age assurance often mix different issues, making it hard to find solutions. It's important to focus on creating a variety of age verification methods that work for different situations, rather than looking for one perfect solution.

UK's National Cyber Force: A Bunch of Mindf-ckers

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Malware Hacking Digital Privacy Tech industry
  1. The UK's National Cyber Force aims to disrupt adversary behavior by exploiting their reliance on digital technology.
  2. Offensive cyber operations by the NCF focus on cognitive effects and disrupting adversary systems over a period.
  3. The response to the 3CX supply chain attack was quicker compared to past breaches, showing improvement in addressing cyber threats.

Detecting LLM-generated text is hard

The Counterfactual • 0 implied HN points • 07 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Text generation Machine Learning Digital Privacy
  1. It's tough to tell if text is written by a human or a language model like ChatGPT. People are concerned about students using it for school work or spreading false information.
  2. There are different methods being proposed to detect machine-generated text, like checking word patterns or adding hidden markers to the text. However, each method has its own challenges and limitations.
  3. As more tools become available for generating text easily, it raises worries about the quality and authenticity of online content. Many fear this could make online information less trustworthy.

You're being a jerk.

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 06 Apr 15
🕹 Technology Internet Social Networks Tech Trends Digital Privacy Online Culture
  1. Social networks use nostalgia for financial gain, but it also offers psychological benefits to users.
  2. Being the target of an internet joke can be hurtful, especially when there's a personal story behind the image.
  3. Even when exposing information for a perceived good cause, like doxing, it's important to consider the impact and potential harm.