Our weekly picks of digital trust-related articles

While free fitness apps may seem like a cost-effective way to stay in shape, it’s worth reconsidering the hidden price you pay with the sensitive data these apps collect and sell. Some of these do so with sensitive information, such as racial or ethnic background, disability status, and location data to third parties, yet very few of us are aware that this is happening. As we kick off this year’s Data Privacy Week with the theme “put privacy first,” why not shift the focus to a “put the individual first” mindset that prioritizes the needs of individuals whose data should be protected from the start. By doing so, we can work to transition away from managing our privacy through complex T&Cs that almost none of us read, and towards a reality where we can make informed decisions that reduce exposure to privacy risks when simply trying to meet our new year health resolutions.

While the 'Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online' that the European Commission included into the Digital Services Act (DSA) is work in progress, the fact that even companies such as Meta and X feel compelled to sign shows that regulations are far from the toothless tigers that they are often made out to be - and that the EU is capable of protecting their citizens in an increasingly hostile digital landscape.

I never get tired of yet another story about hacking into connected cars. This time it's Subaru! Their 'STARLINK' system (nothing to do with the satellites) allowed anybody to start, stop, lock, or unlock a car from a distance (among other things). Funny side note: the author, a security researcher, bought the car for his mom under the condition that he would be allowed to try to hack it!

Cryptocurrencies are in again thanks to Donald Trump. Is the U-turn the new government is taking on digital assets due to careful deliberations of the advantages and risks? Is its goal to take currencies into the 21st century and beyond? Or is it nothing but the result of an extremely successful lobbying campaign? This may be a new golden age for cryptocurrencies, but whether it will be beneficial for society at large only time will tell.

We've been having a lot of discussion about the 'Swiss Government Cloud,' which is effectively hosted in the USA and China. The EU has the same setup, but someone - likely in the Trump administration - is now attempting to put holes in it by removing parts of the privacy guarantees its remote cloud has. Will the EU and Switzerland rise up to the challenge of actually offering a local alternative?

DeepSeek, a new Chinese open-source LLM that uses limited resources—particularly older Nvidia chip models—extremely efficiently, has exploded onto the AI tech scene almost overnight. Many are calling this a new 'Sputnik moment' for the US. Already the most downloaded free app on the US Apple Store, DeepSeek is expected to challenge the oversized investment bubble in AI, notably through the announcement of Stargate, by demonstrating that innovative AI can thrive even under restrictive resource environments. Overall, this is bad news for the US, but possibly good news for countries like Switzerland, which were surprisingly excluded from the group granted access to high-performance US chips.

I find this article interesting because it reveals how popular apps are being used to collect personal location data through real-time bidding (RTB), all without the knowledge of the app developers. The hacked Gravy Analytics files prove how apps, even those that are supposed to be private, can accidentally become part of this data supply chain, This article also exposes the secretive practices of some (?) data brokers, linking them to government agencies.

I'm quite surprised that even Apple cannot get rid of LLMs hallucinations in its products. And I always thought that one of the best parts of LLMs are the summaries they produce. So for the moment it seems like a good idea to wait some more for the AI revolution.

Here is an article, in Cory Doctorow's signature style, discussing social networks and what drives them and what makes people leave or stay. I like specifically how he dissects the way the once-good services these platforms used to provide got untethered from the profits their creators and CEOs were chasing over the years. Towards the end he gives some interesting insights into how we can go forward from here.

The awesome Molly White throws light upon how to calculate the market cap of a crypto coin. I still think that decentralized systems like blockchains are very useful in some cases. However, the run for the coin with the most money seems very sad to me, and not just because of all the investors who will lose money.

This article discusses the effectiveness of the fact-checking mechanism that was recently discontinued by Facebook. I like it because it is easy to read and offers an objective perspective based on scientific statements.

This provides a great overview of the extent and methods by which US critical infrastructure has been infiltrated over the past two years. It is clear that the lack of baseline cybersecurity requirements and inadequate product life cycle management by technology suppliers and telecom companies have created significant vulnerabilities. Equally concerning is the shift from hacking for espionage or commercial secrets to targeting critical national and civil security infrastructure with the intent to incapacitate the US.

The year ahead is likely to be a complicated one... Tech giants' efforts to influence traditional media reflects both (positive) implications regarding traditional media's enduring relevance as well as (cynical) implications regarding tech's sway over them.

Meta lays out in this blog post their rationale behind axing third-party fact checking and sweeping changes in content moderation on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. It is important to read this (or watch Mark Zuckerberg's video) with recent company history in mind: Facebook's failure to properly moderate content helped fan the flames in the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar in 2017. Last year when 2 billion voters headed to the polls across the world, the platform was criticized for failing to enforce their policies on hate speech in political ads. Contrast this with Meta lamenting that of all the removed content - accounting to less than 1% of daily content as per their estimates - 'one to two out of every 10' actions to take down content were mistakes, and you are left wondering about the priorities of that company.

For a long time, Google dominated the search market, but this may be changing with new search habits emerging. Instead of googling multiple sites, I now primarily use two AI chatbots, challenge them to avoid hallucinations, and, if needed, click on their suggested links. For me, this is a more concise and much faster way to find information. This article highlights a confluence between Microsoft and OpenAI and the willingness of the former to capitalize on the AI trend. This will potentially create a new monopoly not only in search but also in personal computing, cloud computing, and AI services. Should such an outcome come to pass, it could last as long as Microsoft's previous dominance in personal computing. Only the future will reveal the antitrust issues that might arise from this confluence.

In a sea of unsettling news, the US’s new Cyber Trust Mark labelling program is a welcome beacon of light. With consumers’ personal and home office spaces increasingly populated by connected devices, from door locks and doorbells, to baby monitors, vacuums, and TVs, the security of “smart home ecosystems” has never been more important. The US's voluntary and consumer-focused approach differs from the EU’s more comprehensive and regulatory approach, but it is still a big step in the right direction.

The leaked data from location data company Gravy takes the absurdity of the user's "informed consent" in the face of today's data market to new heights: if not even the app providers themselves are aware anymore who is collecting what data and when, how could their users possibly know?

From data theft to interference in democratic processes, we've often warned of the negative consequences of digitalization in our weekly picks. To end the year on a more positive note, I like the way this site allows you to visualize the migrations flows of different bird species. Beautiful and peaceful.

Looking for something different this holiday season, but don’t want to go overboard? Consider exploring social media feeds without relying on "The Algorithm" to dictate what you see. While this option isn't available on every platform and isn't equally sensible for all, the EU has made it possible for you to have this choice. We're hopeful for further improvements to come.

Soon Santa Claus will be the easiest thing to explain to kids watching Christmas videos, thanks to AI generating other more curious peculiarities.

Séquence nostalgie en ces périodes de fêtes. Nouvo a 20 ans, et c'était une (petite) révolution avant-gardiste dans le monde de la télévision suisse: un aperçu rapide et accessible des sujets d'actualité du web, des innovations et des tendances émergentes, ceci avec un montage dynamique et une approche multi-canaux.

Say cheese! This artist has created a whimsical website that allows New Yorkers to take selfies with traffic surveillance cameras installed all over the city. Maybe it can be used to track Santa's whereabouts?

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a drone? In a year full of much-needed escapism, from 24/7 Moo Deng livestreams to embracing a 'brat summer,' let's wrap up 2024 by imagining the mysterious sightings in the US East Coast were none other than Santa's sleigh!

I like this step-by-step discovery of a potential supply chain vulnerability described in the article. It's easy to follow and shows some of the impasses the author went through, and how they solved the problem in the end. Bonus points for OpenWRT to be really reactive and fixing their systems in a timely manner!