An app that sends users an alert every time a US drone strike is reported in the news is too crude for Apple. The company has pulled the plug on Metadata+, an app from journalist Josh Begley that simply notifies…
Skynet Is Real, and the NSA Uses It To Track Locations with Phone Metadata
When a spy agency decides to call one of its various tracking programs Skynet, it’s just screwing with us, right? A troubling report about a journalist misidentified as a terrorist from The Intercept has revealed that the National Security Agency…
NSA’s Bulk Phone Data Collection Illegal, Court Rules
A federal appeals court has ruled that the bulk collections of your phone records is illegal. In a nearly 100-page ruling, the court vacated a lower court’s decision and stated that the bulk collection of metadata is not authorized by…
Google’s Cutts Talks EXIF Data As A Ranking Factor
Google may use EXIF data attached to images as a ranking factor in search results. This isn’t exactly a new revelation, but it is the topic of a new “Webmaster Help” video from the company. Matt Cutts responds to the…
Rand Paul Sues Obama and NSA Over “Metadata”
Rand Paul has taken a bold step against the NSA’s collection of “metadata” from U.S. citizens. He announced today that he has filed a historic lawsuit against the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA Director Keith Alexander, FBI Director…
Pinterest, Getty Ink Image Metadata Deal
Thanks to a new partnership with Getty Images, Pinterest is about to provide a whole bunch of metadata to millions of photos that are pinned on the site. Starting soon, the Getty Images collection on Pinterest will include information like…
FISA Court Orders NSA To Release Phone Surveillance Documents
Since early June, the U.S. government has been slowly opening up about the NSA’s numerous surveillance programs in response to a number of leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Some civil liberty groups, however, think that the government isn’t…
Facebook Assuages Photo-Posting Privacy Concerns, Talks EXIF Data
You may have seen a viral message sweeping around Facebook lately – one that claims that simply posting a photo on the network could open you up to info-snooping. Basically, the warning suggests that stored EXIF metadata in photos are…
House Proves Yet Again That It Cares Not For Your Privacy
The House proved earlier this year that it doesn’t care about your privacy when it voted in favor of CISPA yet again. Now the House has cemented the fact that it cares not for your civil liberties. The Hill reports…
Privacy Group Wants Supreme Court To Rule On NSA Phone Metadata Collection
Are the NSA’s spy programs unconstitutional? One group hopes to convince the Supreme Court that at least one of them is. The Hill reports that the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, is planning to file an emergency petition before…