Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Ceases Operations
The new acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Russell Vought, has effectively brought the entire agency to a screeching halt. Vought sent out an email telling all staff members to cease operations, rendering the CFPB powerless. The organization was formed 13 years ago to safeguard the financial interests of ordinary consumers. Most recently, the staff's jobs are safe for now, the future of the bureau remains uncertain.
The Bottom Line: We can't be certain of the consequences of this action, but not having an agency to watch our backs when it comes to banks and other financial institutions certainly feels bleak.
The UK Government Wants to Spy on Your iCloud Data
The UK government is demanding blanket backdoor access to encrypted iCloud storage, no matter who the user is or where they are located. Even users with Advanced Data Protection enabled would be affected by this order, which the UK government claims will help stop terrorists and criminals. Apple is able to appeal the order, which we hope it will. If the order goes into effect, Apple is not allowed to let users know that their encrypted data is no longer secure.
The Bottom Line: Backdoors into encrypted storage are ripe for abuse from bad actors, so we're hoping Apple will do everything in its power to resist the UK's order. Considering Apple's history with protecting user privacy, we're confident it will. In the meantime, I would definitely recommend enabling Advanced Data Protection to protect your data.
Related: How to Enable Advanced Data Protection
Keep Your Data out of the Wrong Hands
Data brokers buy and sell your information with just a few clicks of the mouse. Incogni gets you off those lists to cut down on spam calls, security risks, and more.
True Crime or AI Fiction? How to Tell
A reporter at 404media discovered a YouTube channel called True Crime Case Files, which had uploaded over a hundred videos that, as the name of the channel implies, covered various true crime cases. However, it was quickly discovered that none of the incidents had actually happened. In fact, the videos are entirely AI-generated, and the crimes are all fictional. Although the channel has now been shut down, the channel's creator claims that the goal of the channel was to bring attention to the way people treat true crime as entertainment rather than actual news.
The Bottom Line: With the rise of AI, it can be difficult to differentiate reality from fiction, so it's important to be wary of the content you consume online. If you're looking for news, go to reliable sources rather than relying on social media posts or YouTube videos.
X Discouraging Users from Using Encrypted Messaging
A couple of weeks ago, our Test Your Security Skills quiz suggested using Signal for secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging. Now, X (formerly Twitter) appears to be blocking links to Signal.me, which is a URL used for contacting a Signal user directly. This affects both public posts and direct messages. Interestingly, it seems that linking to the Signal website is fine; only Signal.me links are banned.
The Bottom Line: Why X is preventing users from sharing links to Signal is a mystery to us. However, if you are an X user, be aware that you won't be able to share or click on links to Signal.
Google's reCAPTCHA Does Not Deter Bot Activity
Have you ever clicked a checkbox to confirm you're not a robot? Almost all of us have. This system is called reCAPTCHA and is powered by Google. It's meant to deter bots and ensure only human users are accessing a website. However, according to TechSpot, a 2023 study showed that this system is not effective at deterring bots. A YouTuber called Chuppl designed a bot that can easily bypass the latest version of reCAPTCHA. So, what is the point of clicking that checkbox? Chuppl believes that reCAPTCHA is collecting user data and using it to track user activity.
The Bottom Line: As always, we recommend using adblockers and a privacy-focused web browser, such as Firefox or Safari, to reduce tracking from sites that use reCAPTCHA. If you have iCloud+, you can also enable iCloud Private Relay for extra protection. However keep in mind when using these tools to reduce tracking, you might end up encountering more reCAPTCHAs.
Related: How to Use Private Relay on iPhone
Good News for Australia: Law Passed to Protect You from Scammers
Australia is taking action to help prevent its citizens from falling for scams. This new legislation requires organizations like banks and social media companies to "proactively detect and disrupt scams and report scam activity." Australia hopes that this framework will reduce cybercrime and common scams.
The Bottom Line: If you're an Australian resident, this should mean that it will soon be more difficult for scammers to take advantage of you. Still, it's good to continue to exercise caution when it comes to giving out personal information, such as banking details.
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