In the news...
- Only Approved Phones Can Pass Google’s New reCAPTCHA, Locking Out Privacy-Focused Alternatives [cybernews.com]
GrapheneOS is sounding the alarm on a recent reCAPTCHA change that could effectively require an iOS or certified Android device to access large swaths of the web — even from a desktop or laptop. Google's new QR-code-based challenge, rolled out in April as an AI-resistant bot mitigation, can only be completed on a "compatible mobile device," which means Apple hardware or Android phones with Google Play Services installed. Users on deGoogled Android, Linux phones, or other alternative platforms are left unable to verify. GrapheneOS calls the move "enormously anti-competitive," arguing it's an expansion of hardware-based attestation that locks out OS competition under the guise of security.
- GM to Pay $12.75 Million to Settle California Driver Privacy Probe [reuters.com]
General Motors has agreed to a $12.75 million settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to resolve allegations that the automaker illegally sold detailed driving data on hundreds of thousands of Californians to two data brokers. Beyond the civil penalties, the deal — still pending court approval — restricts how GM can use consumer driving data collected through its OnStar service, bans the sale of that data to brokers, and imposes a five-year ban on the sale of personal data overall.
- How to Browse Safely Online: Best Security and Privacy Tools to Protect Your Data [techtimes.com]
With more of daily life happening online — banking, shopping, work, communication — safe browsing has shifted from "nice to have" to a basic digital skill. This Tech Times piece rounds up the essentials and explains what to watch out for while browsing.
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