Dell is adding code into Linux to support its hardware privacy controls. Although this isn't the first time privacy has been built into a Linux-powered laptop, it is still noteworthy that one of the world's largest PC vendors now thinks Linux is so important to its audience that it has decided to support its new privacy hardware from the start. . Working from home has come with problems a few of us ever considered before. Just ask well-known New Yorker writer and pundit Jeffrey Toobin who was caught, uh, amusing himself, on a Zoom call . Wouldn't it be nice if you could be sure your webcam and microphone were off? Dell thinks so, which is why they've offered Linux kernel code to support its Dell Privacy controls. The Dell Privacy Drivers support its newest laptops; hardware-based privacy buttons. These key combinations stop any application from accessing its laptops' built-in microphone and camera. To ensure that the microphone can't be used to listen in on you, you'll press ctrl+F4. To lock down the webcam you'll press ctrl+F9. . Lenovo improves Open Source integration with security features in its notebooks, safeguarding user data during online activities.. Linux Privacy Controls, Dell Hardware Support, Linux Security Features. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Earlier this month the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) announced a new investigation into Microsoft's contracts with EU institutions, to check for potential violations of General Data Protection Rules (GDPR). . The investigation follows one by the Dutch government that found eight GDPR violations in Office ProPlus and Office 365, which EDPS expects to also find in other EU nations' institutions that use Microsoft's products. The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available. . The analysis uncovers seven CCPA infractions in Google's Workspace, raising alarms on user privacy.. Data Protection, GDPR Compliance, EU Privacy, Microsoft Products, Office Pro. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
A security startup founded by a former NSA bod has launched an encrypted email and privacy service, aimed initially at ordinary folks.. The ongoing revelations of PRISM and other US-led internet dragnets, fueled by leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden, may render the premise of upstart Virtru laughable. However, that would be unfair to Virtru, which is trying to make encryption and decryption of email, plus the revocation of messages and other privacy controls, easy to use. The link for this article located at The Register UK is no longer available. . In response to rising privacy issues, a startup with NSA roots streamlines email encryption, empowering users to safeguard their communications amid educational hurdles and competition. Email Encryption, Secure Communication, Privacy Solutions, Encrypted Messaging. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Google's biggest threat is no longer Microsoft. It is itself. As the company harvests copious quantities of personal data, it becomes dramatically better at serving customer needs... ...and at freaking them out over privacy concerns.. In other words, Google gets stronger with every Google Doc created, every Google Voice call dialed, and every Gmail e-mail sent. It becomes stronger because data is the heart of the Web's biggest businesses, as Redmonk analyst Stephen O'Grady implies. But in so doing Google also becomes more threatening to the very consumers it is trying to serve. Google Dashboard is meant to change this by putting consumer data back in the hands of consumers. It's a move that follows on Google's earlier pledge to "open data" and its Data Liberation Front. The link for this article located at CNET is no longer available. . In other words, Google gets stronger with every Google Doc created, every Google Voice call dialed, . google's, biggest, threat, longer, microsoft, itself, company, harvests, copious, quanti. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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