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How our personal data is exploited in unexpected ways - BBC Reel. Google promises to drop personalised ad tracking. TikTok agrees legal payout over facial recognition. 'Spy pixels in emails have become endemic' Grindr faces £8.5m fine for selling user data. WhatsApp changes: Signal messaging platform stops working as downloads surge. WhatsApp extends 'confusing' update deadline. WhatsApp users flock to rival message platforms. Google Chrome browser privacy plan investigated in UK. WhatsApp and Facebook to share users' data outside Europe and UK. Facebook and Instagram disable features in Europe. Apple forces apps to display what they do with data. US regulators open privacy probes into tech giants. Google fined £91m over ad-tracking cookies. Your data and how it is used to gain your vote. Why don't Facebook and Apple like each other? NHS data: Can web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee fix it?

How artificial intelligence may be making you buy things. Amazon unveils flying Ring security drone and Luna games service. Image copyrightAmazon Amazon's smart home security division Ring has unveiled a flying camera that launches if sensors detect a potential home break-in.

Amazon unveils flying Ring security drone and Luna games service

It is designed to activate only when residents are out, works indoors, and is limited to one floor of a building. The firm also unveiled an online games-streaming service and a voice-activated screen that swivels about. But one campaign group described the drone camera as Amazon's "most chilling home surveillance product" yet. Android 11 system update released by Google. Image copyrightGoogle New privacy controls and a screen-recording tool are among features being added to Android phones in the latest major update to Google's mobile operating system (OS).

Android 11 system update released by Google

Android 11 also makes it easier to keep track of chat messages across multiple apps, and control smart home gadgets. Google has made efforts to encourage third-party device manufacturers to roll out its system updates more quickly than they used to. But some brands lag behind others. The tech giant has said that in addition to its own Pixel brand, the following firms would be the first to offer downloads of Android 11: NSA surveillance exposed by Snowden ruled unlawful. A National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program has been ruled unlawful, seven years after it was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

NSA surveillance exposed by Snowden ruled unlawful

The surveillance of millions of Americans' telephone records first came to light in 2013. Now, the US Court of Appeals has ruled intelligence leaders who publicly defended the program lied. And Mr Snowden has said he feels vindicated by the ruling. Facebook-Oculus login rift grows as sales stop in Germany. Facebook has halted sales of Oculus Rift and Quest virtual reality (VR) headsets to customers in Germany.

Facebook-Oculus login rift grows as sales stop in Germany

“We will continue supporting users who already own an Oculus device and we're looking forward to resuming sales in Germany soon," it added. It comes as the German data regulator criticises the decision to require Oculus users to move to Facebook logins for their headsets by 2023. Facebook purchased Oculus, a VR start-up, in 2014. The annual Oculus conference, now called Facebook Connect, is due to go ahead in an online-only format on 16 September. On 18 August, Oculus revealed: Apps for children must offer privacy by default.

Image copyrightGetty Images Apps, social media platforms and online games that are specifically targeted at children will now have to put privacy at the heart of their design.

Apps for children must offer privacy by default

A code of practice outlining how children's data should be protected has come into force and firms have 12 months to comply with the new rules. If they do not, they could face huge fines imposed by the Information Commissioner's Office. Some questioned whether the code would bring about real change. Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said it was an important step towards protecting children online.

Facebook says Apple ad-blocking settings could halve revenue. Danish military intelligence head Lars Findsen suspended. Image copyright Getty Images Denmark's military intelligence head has been suspended after it was revealed the agency had broken laws and misled the intelligence watchdog.

Danish military intelligence head Lars Findsen suspended

Lars Findsen has been relieved from duty "for the time being" and two other employees have also been suspended. The Danish Defence Intelligence Service is said to have been spying on Danish citizens over the past six years. The investigation into the agency was launched after whistleblowers handed over information. According to local media, the Defence Intelligence Service is accused of failing to investigate allegations of espionage in the armed services. It is unclear if members of the public will ever be told if they were targeted and what information has been passed on. The spy agency has been accused of hiding offences and failing to inform the watchdog that monitors the country's spy agencies. Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen said an investigation will be launched into the case. Germans hand police too much data, court rules.

Image copyright Getty Images German authorities have too much access to people's internet and mobile phone data and laws must be rewritten as they are unconstitutional, a court says.

Germans hand police too much data, court rules

The federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has ruled that the privacy of Germans should be better protected. Police investigating crimes or trying to prevent terror attacks are currently allowed to access names, addresses, birth dates and IP addresses. Facebook flaw let 5,000 developers gather personal data. Google to auto-delete users' records by default. Image copyright Getty Images Google is changing its default settings to automatically delete some of the data it collects about users.

Google to auto-delete users' records by default

Web and app activity, including a log of website searches and pages visited, as well as location data, will now be wiped after 18 months. YouTube histories - including which clips were watched and for how long - will be erased after 36 months. The changes apply to new accounts only but existing users will soon be shown new prompts to adjust their settings. Google in $5bn lawsuit for tracking in 'private' mode. Image copyright Getty Images Google has been sued in the US over claims it illegally invades the privacy of users by tracking people even when they are browsing in "private mode".

Google in $5bn lawsuit for tracking in 'private' mode

The class action wants at least $5bn (£4bn) from Google and owner Alphabet. Many internet users assume their search history isn't being tracked when they view in private mode, but Google says this isn't the case. The search engine denies this is illegal and says it is upfront about the data it collects in this mode. The proposed class action likely includes "millions" of Google users who since 1 June 2016 browsed the internet in private mode according to law firm Boies Schiller Flexner who filed the claim on Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, California.

Incognito mode within Google's Chrome browser gives users the choice to search the internet without their activity being saved to the browser or device. Facebook shareholders try to block encryption plan. Image copyright Getty Images Investors at Facebook's annual stockholder meeting will vote on a proposal to postpone the firm's plans for end-to-end encryption.

Facebook shareholders try to block encryption plan

The firm says it wants to make the measure the default option across its messaging platforms to protect privacy. But activist shareholders say this would make it nearly impossible to detect child exploitation on Facebook. The group wants the company to delay the move until after its board of directors studies the risk further. Grandmother ordered to delete Facebook photos under GDPR. Image copyright Getty Images A woman must delete photographs of her grandchildren that she posted on Facebook and Pinterest without their parents' permission, a court in the Netherlands has ruled.

It ended up in court after a falling-out between the woman and her daughter. The judge ruled the matter was within the scope of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). One expert said the ruling reflected the "position that the European Court has taken over many years". The case went to court after the woman refused to delete photographs of her grandchildren which she had posted on social media.

The mother of the children had asked several times for the pictures to be deleted. Coronavirus: Teachers in Singapore stop using Zoom after 'lewd' incidents. Image copyright Reuters Singapore has suspended the use of video-conferencing tool Zoom by its teachers, after a "very serious incident" during a home-based lesson. Singapore closed its schools on Wednesday in response to a rising number of coronavirus cases. Zoom boss apologises for security issues and promises fixes. Image copyright Zoom Zoom is to pause the development of any new features to concentrate on safety and privacy issues, in the wake of criticism from users of the app.

In a blog, the chief executive of the video conferencing app apologised for "falling short" on security issues and promised to address concerns. He said that the use of Zoom had soared in ways he could never have foreseen prior to the coronavirus pandemic. One security expert said he hoped the company culture would change. Zoom is now being used by millions of people for work and leisure, as lockdowns are imposed in many countries.

Eric Yuan spoke candidly about how "usage of Zoom ballooned overnight". Zoom 'unsuitable' for government secrets, researchers say. Image copyright AFP The hugely popular video meetings app Zoom has "significant weaknesses" which might make it unsuitable for secrets. A team at The Citizen Lab found that Zoom was using a non-standard type of encryption, and transmitting information through China. Government use - such as Boris Johnson's use of the app for Cabinet meetings - may not be wise, the researchers warned. But the app is fine for keeping in touch for most people, they said. Until recently, Zoom was used mainly by large businesses for video conference calls. Amazon's Ring logs every doorbell press and app action. Image copyright Amazon Amazon keeps records of every motion detected by its Ring doorbells, as well as the exact time they are logged down to the millisecond.

The details were revealed via a data request submitted by the BBC. It also disclosed that every interaction with Ring's app is also stored, including the model of phone or tablet and mobile network used. One expert said it gave Amazon the potential for even broader insight into its customers' lives. "What's most interesting is not just the data itself, but all the patterns and insights that can be learned from it," commented independent privacy expert Frederike Kaltheuner.

What can you use instead of Google and Facebook? Met Police chief defends facial recognition from 'ill-informed' critics. Facebook settles facial recognition dispute. Image copyright Getty Images. Why people leave Facebook – and what it tells us about the future of social media. The number of active users of Facebook (those people who have logged onto the site in the previous month) has reached a historic high of 2.45 billion.

To put this in some context, approximately 32% of the global population now use the social media platform, and the trend line of participation is still going up. With the exception of Google, there has never been a company that has had this many people using its services. What can you use instead of Google and Facebook? Twitter demands AI company stops 'collecting faces' Image copyright Getty Images Twitter has demanded an AI company stop taking images from its website. Clearview has already amassed more than three billion photographs from sites including Facebook and Twitter. Facial recognition: EU considers ban of up to five years. Amazon Ring workers fired for accessing user video. California's new privacy law puts you first. Too bad companies are ignoring it.

Project Nightingale: Google probed over US patient data deal. Project Nightingale: Google accesses trove of US patient data. Apple throws Instagram 'stalker' app off store. China facial recognition: Law professor sues wildlife park. 'I was a victim of the WhatsApp hack' Facebook agrees to pay Cambridge Analytica fine to UK. Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home. Digital Pricacy - Can you stay anonymous online? China's Study the Great Nation app 'enables spying via back door' Facebook encryption: Should governments be given keys to access our messages? Google 'tracking iPhone users' case goes ahead.

Sex lives of app users 'shared with Facebook' Apple 'sorry' that workers listened to Siri voice recordings. Facebook to stop stalking you off-site - but only if asked. Facebook workers listened to Messenger conversations. King's Cross developer defends use of facial recognition. Black Hat: GDPR privacy law exploited to reveal personal data. Facebook faces legal fight over facial recognition. Microsoft workers 'listen' to some translated Skype calls. Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa. Amazon Alexa: Luxembourg watchdog in discussions about recordings.

I gave my DNA away. Can I get it back? Apple and Google stop workers playing back voice recordings. Amazon Ring: Police tie-up criticised by anti-surveillance campaigners. Facebook funds AI mind-reading experiment. Why Facebook's new 'privacy cop' is doomed to fail. Tips for making it big in the music industry. FaceApp: Chuck Schumer asks for FBI investigation. Can you trust FaceApp with your face? Facebook 'to be fined $5bn over Cambridge Analytica scandal' Wikipedia founder calls for social media strike. Why the BBC does not want to store your data. Facebook may be 'pivoting' to something worse. How 'filthy rich' alter egos can protect your privacy.

Amazon sued over Alexa child recordings in US. Google and Apple criticise GCHQ eavesdropping idea. Would you recognise yourself from your data? Facebook facing most probes by Irish data regulator. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes says it's time to break up the social media giant. Google to 'auto-delete' web tracking history. Facebook boss reveals changes in response to criticism. Facebook broke Canada privacy laws, watchdog says. Facebook sets aside $3bn for privacy probe. Facebook says it 'unintentionally uploaded' 1.5 million people's email contacts without their consent. Smart speaker recordings reviewed by humans. Data on 540 million Facebook users exposed.

Mark Zuckerberg asks governments to help control internet content. Can you stop your parents sharing photos of you online? Facebook staff 'flagged Cambridge Analytica fears earlier than thought' Facebook sues over 'data-grabbing' quizzes. What Is Mark Zuckerberg Really Saying About Facebook’s Future? Facebook: What's in Mark Zuckerberg's privacy plan? Zuckerberg outlines plan for 'privacy-focused' Facebook. Ad-free social network Vero to charge subscription fees. Governor Cuomo Directs New York Department of State and Department of Financial Services to Investigate Report That Facebook is Secretly Accessing Personal Information. Another Facebook data row. But who to blame?