WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using the app.

On 6th February 2021, the data that WhatsApp collects through their app will now be shared with Facebook and anyone else with enough interest in purchasing your personal data.

This includes your phone numbers, other people’s phone numbers stored in your address books, profile names, profile pictures, status messages including when a user was last online, and diagnostic data collected from the app logs.

If you’re happy and comfortable allowing WhatsApp to share your personal details with Facebook and other tech companies, simply agree to the WhatsApp Terms and Privacy Policy notification when it appears.

People who object to the new terms and policy should consider using an alternative app such as the Signal Private Messenger app which provides the same robust encryption with a much more transparent privacy policy and terms of service. In addition to providing encrypted chats, SIGNAL also offers encrypted audio and video calls. And SIGNAL can also be used as the default SMS app on your phone.

Signal offers versions for Android and iPhone/iPad mobile devices, and there’s even versions for yor desktop on Windows and Mac. Head over to their download page to get started: https://www.signal.org/download/

Read more about WhatsApp’s ultimatum on the Ars Technica website

The Center for Humane Technology envision a world where technology is realigned with humanity’s best interests.

Their work expands beyond tech addiction to the broader societal threats that the attention economy poses to our well-being, relationships, democracy, and shared information environment, and that these threats must be addressed to conquer our biggest global challenges like pandemics, inequality, and climate change.

Read more about CHT and their work here:
https://www.humanetech.com/

We tweet, we like, and we share – but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media?

The Social Dilemma is a documentary-drama hybrid that reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

Click this link to find out more about this worrying situation:
https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/the-film/

VPNs have long been essential online tools that provide security, freedom, and most importantly, privacy.

Google knows this and products like ProtonVPN have long been a threat to Google’s business model because they stand for something completely different. Proton believes everyone should have access to privacy, security, and freedom, whereas Google VPN is a thinly disguised attempt to keep control over user data.

Read ProtonVPN’s Andy Yen’s revealing article on this subject:
https://protonvpn.com/blog/google-vpn/
 

Most people know by now that anytime they search for something in Google, the search is saved and used to serve them ads. What is less well known are the different tools that Google has at its disposal to vacuum up data: Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Calendar, YouTube, and especially Chrome.

While the easiest solution to avoid having Google sweep up all your data is to avoid using their products, that is not possible for everyone. There are some simple steps you can take though that will improve your privacy and limit the amount of data that Google can collect.

Read ProtonVPN’s Richie Koch’s brilliant article on this subject:
https://protonvpn.com/blog/how-to-delete-your-google-data/