This post is a quick, temporary break from my usual privacy/civil rights posts, to a post of a slightly more technical nature. As WordPress is the most popular blogging platform on the internet, updates become crucial. However, the way WordPress runs at certain clients of mine means it’s not always just a question of clicking… Continue reading Automatically update WordPress to the latest version
Category: Security
The Age of the Gait-Recognising Cameras Is Here!
A few days ago I read an article (NRC, Dutch, published 11 September, interestingly) about how TNO (the Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, the largest research institute in the Netherlands) developed technology (PDF) for smart cameras for use at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. These cameras were installed at Schiphol airport by the Qubit Visual Intelligence,… Continue reading The Age of the Gait-Recognising Cameras Is Here!
Country X: The Country That Shall Not Be Named
On Monday, 19 May 2014, Glenn Greenwald published his report entitled Data Pirates of the Caribbean: The NSA is recording every cell call in the Bahamas, in which he reported about the NSA SOMALGET program, which is part of the larger MYSTIC program. MYSTIC has been used to intercept the communications of several countries, namely… Continue reading Country X: The Country That Shall Not Be Named
Security Measures against Terrorism: Costs v. Benefits
Note: This article is also available in Portuguese, translated by Anders Bateva. A few days ago, the Dutch Home Office Minister Ronald Plasterk said in a debate in parliament that he’s apparently OK with the American intelligence community, the NSA among others, to spy on the Netherlands. His reasoning is flawed from the get-go, and went… Continue reading Security Measures against Terrorism: Costs v. Benefits
At the Crossroads: Surveillance State or Freedom?
When I went to OHM2013 last week, it was great to see such increased political activism from the hackers and geeks at the festival. I truly believe we are currently at a very important crossroads: either let governments the world over get away with crimes against the people’s interests, with programs like PRISM, ECHELON, TEMPORA… Continue reading At the Crossroads: Surveillance State or Freedom?
Ubiquitous Tracking by Big Mega Corporations and What We Can Do About It
Nowadays, if you surf the web like any normal person, chances are your movements on the internet will be tracked. There are a lot of companies tracking you and building detailed profiles about your behaviour on the internet. With all the news about the revelations of Edward Snowden about the mass surveillance going on by… Continue reading Ubiquitous Tracking by Big Mega Corporations and What We Can Do About It