New Privacy Guides article ️
by me:

Last week, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman
announced his ambitious plan for the World project, formerly known as Worldcoin.

The company opened 6 stores where people can go to get their biometric data collected from a creepy iris scanner called The Orb.

But this isn't just a cryptocurrency grift anymore, this is much more dystopian.

In this article, I describe the risk of using such service, the unethical practices the World project has been employing to gather numbers, and how this is a slippery slope towards the normalization of mass surveillance we should all worry about.

Say NO to the Orb!

Don't scan your eyeballs!

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/10/sam-altman-wants-your-eyeball/

Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced his ambitious plan for the World project, formerly known as Worldcoin.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/10/sam-altman-wants-your-eyeball/

When Code Became a Weapon

It's easy to take strong encryption for granted, but that hasn't always been the case. This week we're diving into the "Crypto Wars," covering historical attempts by the US government to restrict strong encryption being exported internationally.

https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/05/08/when-code-became-a-weapon/

Let us know what you think of this style of video! We're trying something different, and this is the first in a planned series lined up

Age verification laws and propositions forcing platforms to restrict content accessed by children and teens have been multiplying in recent years. The problem is, implementing such measures necessarily requires identifying each user accessing this content, one way or another. This is bad news for your privacy.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/06/age-verification-wants-your-face/

PSA: The Tor Browser Security Level slider cannot be relied upon without a full browser restart (per an anonymous community report and confirmed by Privacy Guides staff) - Make sure you are aware of this if you rely on this feature for your safety.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/02/tor-security-slider-flaw/

Tor Browser opsec discovery: The security level slider cannot be relied upon without a full browser restart: https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/02/tor-security-slider-flaw/

If you frequently switch between security levels in Tor Browser (or Mullvad Browser!), make sure you are fully restarting the browser every time, otherwise you could still unexpectedly have dangerous JS features enabled!

This requirement is not publicly documented anywhere. Hopefully @torproject will add a prompt to restart after modifying this setting in a future Tor Browser release.

This World Password Day, it's important to remember these best practices for keeping your online accounts safe!

1. Use randomly generated, unique passwords for every website!
2. Use a password manager! Our website has many recommendations to take your pick from. It can seem a little intimidating at first, but trust us, it will make your digital life SO much easier going forward!

https://www.privacyguides.org/en/basics/passwords-overview/

New Privacy Guides article
by me:

If you are not sure what Tor is,
this article is for you

If you want to tell your friends
how important Tor is,
this article is for them too

If you want to read about how fundamental Tor is not only to the privacy community, but to everyone who needs its protection,
this article is for this as well

Thank you @torproject

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/30/in-praise-of-tor/

Many people have heard of Tor in the media, but despite its long history of protecting the free internet, most consider it a niche tool and have never ventured to try it themselves.

In reality, Tor is easy to use for anyone. It helps not only journalists and activists, but anybody who seeks greater privacy online or access to information regardless of location.

What is Tor exactly? How can Tor help you? And why is it such an important tool? Staff writer @Em0nM4stodon explains in the latest Privacy Guides article: https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/30/in-praise-of-tor/

Another excellent Privacy Guides video
by @jw

Privacy
is
not
dead!

As long as we fight for it

https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/04/17/is-privacy-dead/

Meta has decided to start training it's AI-models on EU user data

To exempt yourself from this:
1. Open your email inbox
2. Search for an email including "AI at Meta"
3. Click object
4. Fill out the form (stating a reason for objecting is NOT mandatory)

5. Spread the warning (especially among your less tech-savvy connections)

Discussing privacy and cybersecurity on Reddit and Twitter? That doesn't make too much sense to us.

Privacy Guides is doing something different! Join our forum to discuss the news, chat about tech, and get advice from the internet's largest community of personal privacy advocates and experts.

https://discuss.privacyguides.net

Privacy isn’t dead. In fact, it’s growing!

In our latest video we explore common arguments against protecting your privacy, and why they're not only wrong, but dangerous.

https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/04/17/is-privacy-dead/

We all know services that require authentication can correlate your activity on that service with your account. This becomes particularly dangerous when that account is linked with payment information that could potentially link back to your real identity.

It doesn't have to be this way though: The Privacy Pass protocol presents a path forward for "blind" authentication, if more services adopt it. Our team member @fria walks us through how it works:

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/21/privacy-pass/

Encryption is a cornerstone of security on the modern internet. In this video we dive into how it works and explain why it's so important.

This is especially crucial as many governments around the world are pushing to ban encryption and breach our fundamental right to privacy.

https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/04/03/is-your-data-really-safe-understanding-encryption/

Think Privacy Is Dead? You're Wrong.

https://neat.tube/w/sSx1yyXESXhvZh1E3VTwtG

New Privacy Guides article
by me:

Encryption Is Not a Crime

The war against encryption isn't new, but the quantity of data about us that needs protection is.

Despite the senseless attacks,
it is vital that we fight back to protect the right to using end-to-end encryption.

Encryption protects us all: https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/11/encryption-is-not-a-crime/

Privacy reminder! Have you disabled AirDrop yet?

One of the most innocuous features enabled on millions of iPhones is also one of the most dangerous for those seeking to protect their privacy in public. Apple's AirDrop protocol uses trivially bypassed security measures that authorities like the Chinese government have openly bragged about cracking to identify users since at least 2022.

You should assume that any device with AirDrop enabled is constantly broadcasting your name, email address, and phone number to everyone around you, even if you have it set to "Contacts Only." Apple has known about this flaw since 2019 and has not issued any fix.

Encryption is not a crime, encryption protects all of us. Encryption, and especially end-to-end encryption, is an essential tool to protect everyone online. Attempts to undermine encryption are an attack to our fundamental right to privacy and also an attack to our inherent right to security and safety.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/04/11/encryption-is-not-a-crime/

I created a video at @privacyguides to explain what encryption is and why it's so important in keeping you safe online.

Governments worldwide are increasingly cracking down on encryption.

For people in vulnerable positions, encryption can be the difference between life and death. Just because you don't need encryption for everything you do, doesn't mean that the fundamental right to use it should be denied.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uQVzK8QWsw
PeerTube: coming soon...