German Police takes over illegal market places on Telegram

Among other things, drugs were traded in the telegram chat groups. Now they were confiscated by the police.

Drugs, forged documents or other illegal goods are not only to be found on marketplaces in Clear- or Darknet, but increasingly also on the Telegram messenger platform. Nine such chat groups were taken over and seized by the police after months of investigation. Administrators and dealers were identified and their homes searched.

👀 👉🏼 Translated with DeepL
https://www.golem.de/news/kriminalitaet-polizei-uebernimmt-illegale-marktplaetze-auf-telegram-2010-151831.html

👀 👉🏼 https://www.bka.de/DE/Presse/Listenseite_Pressemitteilungen/2020/Presse2020/201030_pmEVTelegram.html

#telegram #germany #police #busted #channel #drugs #illegal
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Data protection activist Max Schrems: Google illegally tracks Android users

Facebook watchdog Max Schrems is taking on Google. He has filed a complaint in France accusing Google of massive violations of the GDPR - specifically, tracking via advertising ID.

Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Google in France with his privacy association Noyb, alleging that the U.S. tech giant is illegally tracking the use of Android smartphones without the consent of their users. He bases his accusation on the unique advertising ID that every Android smartphone carries.

Accusation: Google's advertising ID allows tracking without consent

These IDs allow Google and its advertisers to track the surfing behavior of Android users in order to target them with suitable advertising. Apple has very similar technology with its Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA).

In the complaint filed Wednesday with France's data protection authority, Schrems accuses the tech giant of conducting "illegal operations" that violate EU data protection laws when creating and storing the advertising ID. In particular, he arguably sees the requirement for prior consent violated.

Schrems is calling on the data protection authorities to launch an investigation against Google. This should reveal Google's tracking practices and ultimately force the company to behave in a DSGVO-compliant manner. In addition, Schrems is calling for the imposition of hefty fines in the event that the authority finds evidence of misconduct.

"Trail of powder" allows detailed tracking

‼️ "These hidden identifiers on your phone allow Google and third parties to track users without their consent," Schrems' privacy lawyer Stefano Rossetti tells the Financial Times, adding, "It's like having a powder on your hands that leaves a trail of everything you do on your phone - from whether you swiped right or left to what song you were listening to."

Google has not yet commented on the allegations. Apple has just impressively proven that Schrems' concerns are not without substance by wanting to make the use of the advertising ID subject to consent in the upcoming iOS update.

(Paywall) https://www.ft.com/content/4617cc99-3ed2-49e1-b97f-db4f1b45b5db

https://t3n.de/news/google-trackt-android-1371162/#%E2%80%9ESpur_aus_Puder%E2%80%9C_erlaubt_detailliertes_Tracking

#dataprotection #android #advertising #id #user #tracking #illegal #gdpr #thinkabout
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WhatsApp's new privacy policy is so bad it might be illegal

A German data protection agency has opened proceedings

WhatsApp has been facing one hell of a backlash ever since it shared that it wanted to update its privacy policy with changes that would allow Facebook to aggregate all of its users' data across all of its services. And now, the company might be in for some regulatory issues, as well. A German privacy regulator (via Bloomberg) has opened proceedings to stop the company from moving forward with the privacy policy update.

The Hamburg commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, Johannes Caspar, is looking to stop Facebook from aggregating the data from WhatsApp, fearing that the company would use it to expand its marketing and advertising business.

Caspar said in a statement: "Currently, there is reason to believe that the data sharing provisions between WhatsApp and Facebook are intended to be unlawfully enforced due to the lack of voluntary and informed consent. In order to prevent unlawful mass data sharing and to put an end to unlawful consent pressure on millions of people, a formal administrative procedure has now been initiated to protect data subjects."

The goal is to reach a decision before May 15, the date when users have to accept the new privacy policy or (presumably) stop using WhatsApp. It's highly possible that the order will only apply for German residents, but we can still hope that the proceedings will set a precedence for other countries and regulators.

The Hamburg commissioner previously successfully issued a similar order against Facebook four and a half years ago for updating WhatsApp's terms and services with changes regarding information sharing across Facebook companies. The order was confirmed by two instances after Facebook took legal action against it, and data sharing between Facebook and WhatsApp has been more limited in the EU than in other regions ever since.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/04/13/whatsapps-new-privacy-policy-is-so-bad-it-might-be-illegal/

#whatsapp #DeleteWhatsapp #privacy #policy #illegal #data #protection #germany
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