The Wall Street Journal
“Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp texting service said it had strengthened its encryption so only the sender and receiver are able to read the contents of messages.” Also covered in Newsweek and Slate.
Why WhatsApp’s Encryption Embrace Is a Landmark Event
Fortune
“For privacy advocates, this marks an enormous victory that few would have predicted would come so soon after Snowden’s revelations.”
Overnight Cybersecurity: Panama Papers leak stirs debate on encryption
The Hill
“Privacy advocates are touting the so-called Panama Papers as a key example of how encryption can protect courageous whistleblowers and other vulnerable individuals. According to reporters and editors involved in the project, dozens of researchers and writers relied on anonymous chatting platforms and encrypted email to protect the whistleblower and keep under wraps leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca, a prominent Panamanian law firm that allegedly helped wealthy people stash fortunes from domestic tax laws.”
F.B.I. Lawyer Won’t Say if Data From Unlocked iPhone Is Useful
The New York Times
“The epic fight between the F.B.I. and Apple over a locked iPhone is now over, but a central question in the case has remained unanswered: What secrets did the phone, used by one of the attackers in the San Bernardino, Calif., rampage, actually hold?”
Can testing outfit Underwriters Laboratories secure the Internet of Things?
The Christian Science Monitor
“The testing outfit Underwriters Laboratories that got its start more than a century ago evaluating products for fire hazards is turning its skeptical eye on the Internet of Things.”
Spy Tool Ruling Inches the Stingray Debate Closer to the Supreme Court
Wired
“When a Maryland appeal’s court recently ruled that police were wrong to use a secretive cell-phone tracking device known as a stingray without a warrant, civil liberties groups cheered over the clear privacy message the three-judge panel sent to law enforcement.”
How Surveillance Stifles Dissent on the Internet
The Atlantic
“Most people behave differently when they know they’re being watched, a fact that holds both in the real world and online. For many Internet users, the knowledge that their words and actions might be examined by the government leads them to self-censor opinions that they consider outside the mainstream.”
Germany’s Cryptic Debate on Data and Privacy
U.S. News and World Report
“In a quiet neighborhood of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, C-base, a hackers den designed to resemble a space station – complete with LED kitsch – is a hive of activity. On a Wednesday evening, several dozen Berliners gather to socialize and hear presentations on net-related topics while sipping pilsners. This is the monthly “Internet politics” evening of Berlin’s Digitale Gesellschaft – Digital Society, in English – an organization that campaigns for civil rights and consumer protection in Internet policy.”
The Question of Who Owns the Data Is About to Get a Lot Trickier
Fortune
“The issue of data ownership is about to get a lot more complicated. In the consumer world, it’s already somewhat fraught: Older people may not be aware that their smartphones feed their location and other information back to their mobile carrier and/or device maker. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Many younger folks know but don’t care. They figure there are no secrets in this world and if they get some benefit from sharing that data, it’s all good.”