ABC News (Australia): Inside the police database that holds 40 million private records and any officer can access. “An ABC investigation has exposed privacy breaches of the central police records database that holds files on millions of Australians. The Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) database holds more than 40 million records that can be accessed by NSW’s 16,000 police officers.”
privacy
ZDNet: Ad agency leaks data on US military veterans’ combat injuries
ZDNet: Ad agency leaks data on US military veterans’ combat injuries. “A Florida-based ad agency has left a database open on the internet that leaked details about past advertising campaigns, including information regarding medical malpractice cases, and sensitive details about combat injuries sustained by US military veterans.”
ZDNet: Meds prescriptions for 78,000 patients left in a database with no password
ZDNet: Meds prescriptions for 78,000 patients left in a database with no password. “A MongoDB database was left open on the internet without a password, and by doing so, exposed the personal details and prescription information for more than 78,000 US patients.”
Buyer Beware: Used Nest Cams Can Let People Spy on You (Wirecutter)
Wirecutter: Buyer Beware: Used Nest Cams Can Let People Spy on You. “We’ve explained before that when you’re selling or giving away your old smart-home devices, it’s critical to do a factory reset on them first in order to protect your data and privacy. We’ve recently learned, however, that even performing a factory reset may not be enough to protect privacy for owners of the popular Nest Cam Indoor. And in a twist, this time the risk is on the side of the person receiving the device, not the person disposing of it.”
CNN: At least 50,000 license plates leaked in hack of border contractor not authorized to retain them
CNN: At least 50,000 license plates leaked in hack of border contractor not authorized to retain them. “At least 50,000 American license plate numbers have been made available on the dark web after a company hired by Customs and Border Protection was at the center of a major data breach, according to CNN analysis of the hacked data. What’s more, the company was never authorized to keep the information, the agency told CNN.”
Wired: It’s Time To Switch To A Privacy Browser
Wired: It’s Time To Switch To A Privacy Browser. “If you want to push back against online tracking, you’ve got several options to pick from when choosing a default browser. These are the browsers that put user privacy high on the list of their priorities.”
TechCrunch: Millions of Venmo transactions scraped in warning over privacy settings
TechCrunch: Millions of Venmo transactions scraped in warning over privacy settings. “A computer science student has scraped seven million Venmo transactions to prove that users’ public activity can still be easily obtained, a year after a privacy researcher downloaded hundreds of millions of Venmo transactions in a similar feat. Dan Salmon said he scraped the transactions during a cumulative six months to raise awareness and warn users to set their Venmo payments to private.”
