Surveillance
The US Shot Down The Chinese Spy Balloon And The Memes Are Gold
“Hey, did anyone lose a big white balloon?” tweeted the city of Myrtle Beach's tourism account after the US military shot down the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.
Steffi Cao
Your iPhone And iPad Have An Awesome New Security Feature. Here's Why You Need To Turn It On Now.
Just do it.
Pranav Dixit
Why The Computer Company Raspberry Pi’s New Hire Caused A Social Media Firestorm
“I think what we’re looking at is a dogpile that’s being organized somewhere,” a Raspberry Pi cofounder told BuzzFeed News.
Chris Stokel-Walker
Apple Finally Will Let You Encrypt iCloud Backups. Here’s Why That’s Important.
Opting in will keep your iCloud backups safe from hackers, law enforcement, and Apple itself.
Pranav Dixit
Heads Up, BeReal Users: You May Be Revealing More About Your Location Than You Think
⚠️Time to post your near-exact whereabouts.⚠️
Katie Notopoulos
Apps That Tell You Your Friends' Locations Are Now A Way Of Life
We’re in an age of apps where “it is no longer the format of ‘I’m selectively sharing what I want to,’ but sharing whatever possible.”
Greta Rainbow
A South African City Says It's Putting QR Codes On Informal Settlement Cabins To Help Services. But Residents And Privacy Experts Are Uncertain.
A new pilot program by city officials says documenting the settlements will help residents get repairs and services. But some are wary.
Ray Mwareya
Democrats Want To Stop Google's Location Data From Being Used Against People Who Get Abortions
If adopted, the change would dramatically reduce police access to citizens’ physical location and affect much more than abortion prosecutions.
Emily Baker-White
In A Post-Roe America, Googling "Abortion" Could Put You At Risk. Here’s How To Protect Yourself.
If you’re planning an abortion in certain states, the data on your smartphone could be used against you if you’re not careful.
Sarah Emerson
ICE Conducted Sweeping Surveillance Of Money Transfers Sent To And From The US, A Senator Says
Sen. Ron Wyden is seeking an investigation into whether the program, which obtained about 6 million records from people in several Southwest states, was constitutional.
Hamed Aleaziz
Lyra Health, Which Provides Therapy For Google And Facebook Employees, Is Facing Concerns Over Privacy And Treatment
“This isn’t an assembly line. This is actually people,” said one former therapist.
Richard Nieva
Nothing Sacred: These Apps Reserve The Right To Sell Your Prayers
Prominent venture capitalists are flocking to invest in Christian worship apps. The apps say users’ prayers are a business asset.
Emily Baker-White
The San Francisco Police Department Has Encrypted Its Radio Feeds
The SFPD’s move is part of a growing law enforcement trend of encrypting agency communications previously available to the public.
Sarah Emerson
France Has Ordered Clearview AI To Delete Its Facial Recognition Data
The order is the latest in a global rebuke of the controversial tech firm by privacy regulators since BuzzFeed News revealed its use by law enforcement agencies around the world.
Richard Nieva
Clearview AI Is Facing A $23 Million Fine Over Facial Recognition In The UK
The provisional decision comes after a series of BuzzFeed News investigations revealing widespread and sometimes unsanctioned use of the company’s facial recognition software around the world.
Richard Nieva
Why Facebook Shutting Down Its Old Facial Recognition System Doesn’t Matter
Facebook just made a big deal of shutting down its original facial recognition system. But the company’s pivot to the metaverse means collecting more personal information than ever before.
Emily Baker-White
Australia Has Ordered Clearview AI To Delete All Facial Recognition Data Belonging To Its Citizens
The move follows a pair of BuzzFeed News investigations revealing widespread and sometimes unsanctioned use of the company’s facial recognition software by law enforcement agencies around the world.
John Paczkowski
New Capitol Surveillance Footage Shows A Breach By Jan. 6 Rioters From Start To Finish
Two 40-minute videos from Jan. 6 show how hundreds of rioters breached one Capitol entry point and how police eventually regained control.
Zoe Tillman
Britney Spears’ Phone And Private Conversations Were Allegedly Under Strict Surveillance And Monitoring, According To A Former Security Member
“It didn't feel like she was being treated like a human being.”
Krystie Lee Yandoli
Prosecutors Lost A Fight To Keep A Set Of Jan. 6 Capitol Surveillance Videos Under Seal
A judge rebuffed the government’s argument that releasing more surveillance videos posed a national security risk.
Zoe Tillman
Eight Months After The Capitol Riots, Thousands Of Hours Of Surveillance Footage Remain Secret
There are 14,000 hours of surveillance footage from the Capitol riots. Most of it isn’t public, and the government is fighting to keep it that way.
Zoe Tillman
Police In At Least 24 Countries Have Used Clearview AI. Find Out Which Ones Here.
As of February 2020, 88 law enforcement and government-affiliated agencies in 24 countries outside the United States have tried to use controversial facial recognition technology Clearview AI, according to a BuzzFeed News investigation.
Ryan Mac
The FBI Is Selling A Surveillance Plane It Used On Black Lives Matter Protests
The aircraft watched protests in Washington, DC, in June last year and also flew over Baltimore in 2015 after Freddie Gray’s death.
Peter Aldhous
Venmo Is Ditching Its Public Feed. But It Still Needs To Do More.
The payments platform still needs to make friends and transactions private by default.
Katie Notopoulos
A Government Watchdog May Have Missed Clearview AI Use By Five Federal Agencies In A New Report
In a government accountability report about facial recognition, five federal agencies said they didn't use Clearview AI. Data reviewed by BuzzFeed News suggests they should have.
Caroline Haskins
There Are No Laws Restricting “Stingray” Use. This New Bill Would Help.
“Stingrays” mimic cellphone towers to intercept phone calls and texts. This is the first law that would regulate their use.
Caroline Haskins
If You Have Venmo, Do This Now: Make Friends Private
Pete Buttigieg, Antony Blinken, and other Biden Cabinet officials were recently exposing their personal information on the payments app. Here's how you can make your account safer.
Katie Notopoulos
Ring Now Has 350 Fire Departments In Its Neighborhood Surveillance Program
The home surveillance camera company owned by Amazon has also partnered with more than 1,800 police departments.
Caroline Haskins
Venmo Will Now Let You Hide Your Friend List Because We Found Biden’s Account
Venmo confirmed it is adding a feature that would let people set their friend list to private or visible only to their friends.
Ryan Mac
WhatsApp Is Suing The Indian Government To Protect People’s Privacy
The company is fighting back against new rules that go into effect today in India.
Pranav Dixit
