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> Unjust Technology Legislation I - Everyone is presumed guilty

You are innocent until proven guilty, or until you decide to go online. The internet used to be a haven of free expression. Now it’s a place where every individual is suspected of being a terrorist or a pirate. Governments are caught up in an arms race of mass surveillance and hardly anyone appears to stop and think about the direction we’re heading in. It’s time to take a critical look at the technology legislation that undermines the core principles of a free society.


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> GDPR: impact of the new European privacy law

Europe's new privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will become effective on 25 May 2018. It's a date a lot of organisations are dreading, as they need to get their IT systems in order. A less talked about subject is the impact of the law on users, who get additional rights. This article explores what it means for users and discusses the effects on your life.


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> The uncomfortable business model of the internet

When you're online, you're being watched. Not just by the websites you visit, but also by advertisers and data brokers behind the scenes. Your behavioural patterns and interests are registered, turned into profit. Where do these companies get their data and what do they do with it?


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> Physical privacy measures - control of your own surroundings

When you think of digital privacy, you think of digital solutions. You install a tracker blocker, you use different information in online forms and you look for privacy-friendly ways of communication. What you may never think of is that protection can be physical as well. Let's step away from the screen for a moment and see what's out there.


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> The habits of highly successful people: is there any truth to them?

Success. We all desire it in one way or another. We often look at the ranks of famous achievers for inspiration. From what they eat for breakfast to the toilet paper they use, the habits of successful people have been thoroughly analysed. But is there any reason we should even investigate them at all?


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> Choosing the right adblocker

It may be a pop-up that blocks you from accessing a website. Or perhaps that video that starts playing on a volume your deaf neighbour can hear. At some point, online advertisements become too intrusive to deal with. This week I review some of the most popular adblockers to help you choose the one that fits your preferences for advertisements.


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> Google Chrome: protecting the advertisement business

We all know them, those annoying advertisements. Your screen gets blocked, a large advertisement loads and you're forced to wait before you can continue. Highly annoying. Now, such advertisements may soon belong to the past. Google Chrome is getting a built-in adblocker aimed at improving the user experience by blocking bad advertising practices. What's the catch?


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> Giving up privacy: trade-off or resignation?

One of the most common beliefs about privacy is that consumers don't care for it. They don't mind the data collection and aren't worried about what's done with it. To them, the trade-off of giving up privacy in exchange for personalised services is either a neutral or a good thing. But do they really think that? Research point in a radically different direction.


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> Dead at conception: the European cookie law - A retrospective of unenforceable legislation

The European Cookie Law was intended to protect internet users from unbridled tracking. Its aim was to make users more privacy-aware and to make tracking mechanisms explicit. When the law was set in place, the internet braced itself for a European Union ready to flex its muscles. But nothing happened. How come?


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> 2017 in review: Online surveillance, lethal hacking and internet censorship

In a time where digital innovations are lauded by the world, those with any interest in privacy have ample reason to become increasingly disquieted. 2017 saw one of the biggest data breaches in history, increasing regulatory pressure on privacy and scarily effective security threats. Though not all is doom and gloom, a word of worry should be uttered for the increasing digital threats and their unfathomable scale. Let's look at the worst 2017 had to offer.