Red Wing Daily: January 17, 2024
Techy things you need to know
Learning more about how we consumers allow Big Tech and Big Government to track and follow us online is a passion. We offer these tips that anyone can implement to help stay more safe online and cut down on the tracking.
Do you use Siri, Bixby, or Alexa? Then your smartphone is likely always listening to you — that’s how voice-recognition “assistants” work. But have you ever seen ads on your device for some odd thing after you were just talking to a friend or family member about it? Some experts say that some apps “could” use your device’s microphone to record snippets of your conversations without your consent (they say it’s for “personalized ads”). You can follow the instructions here to block that from happening.
Have you wondered if your email or personal information is compromised on the web? Take a look at this free awareness tool — “What Is my Digital Footprint?” — sponsored by Malwarebytes, a well regarded, leading online security firm, and find out.
“Hackers have found a way to gain unauthorized access to Google accounts, bypassing any multi-factor authentication (MFA) the user may have set up. To do this they steal authentication cookies and then extend their lifespan. It doesn’t even help if the owner of the account changes their password.” … Google says no vulnerability is being exploited by the malware, but numerous white and black hat security researchers are expressing concerns.
Here’s how you can check on whether someone has accessed your Google account (and what to do about that). Take time to check, especially if you are noticing weird things with your devices like shorter battery life, the device is getting warm when you’re not using it, a larger bill for data usage than you expect, odd popups, new programs you don’t remember, difficulty signing into normal accounts, etc.
Apple AirTags can certainly help you locate your easy-to-lose items, but are they just making stalking crimes easier? Victims are suing Apple in a negligence claim, saying AirTags are empowering abusers, and are reminding Apple about experts who warned against the technology when it was first being introduced — and for that very reason, that it would enable stalkers to follow and more easily terrorize their victims. Apple has since improved the technology to allow someone to see if an AirTag they don’t own is moving with them over time. Go here to learn how (iPhone users only).
Finally, here’s a bit of international news to keep your eye on because, after all, how much do we really know about how that “smartphone” we voluntarily carry around with us really works?
”Chinese state-backed experts have found a way to identify people who use Apple's encrypted AirDrop messaging service, according to the Beijing municipal government. AirDrop allows users to send content to Apple devices in close proximity without an internet connection, encoded so they cannot be viewed by other people. The service was widely used by participants in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019…. Apple also limited file-sharing for Chinese iPhone users in 2022 following protests against the ruling Communist Party's stringent zero-COVID policy ... Apple has long faced criticism for making perceived concessions to Xi's increasingly repressive China.”