hebel. today · 14 November 202627 / 80

Technology · Digital Privacy Rights

Securing digital life against ambient and cloud surveillance

To counter the risks of ambient surveillance from devices like Meta's smart glasses or Apple's transcription-enabled watches, you can now audit and restrict system-level permissions that bypass standard consent. Apple users can navigate to…

To counter the risks of ambient surveillance from devices like Meta's smart glasses or Apple's transcription-enabled watches, you can now audit and restrict system-level permissions that bypass standard consent. Apple users can navigate to Settings to disable full disk access for third-party apps that do not require it, while also enabling Advanced Data Protection to ensure iCloud backups remain encrypted with a user-held key (Emily Long from Lifehacker, EFF). For email, you can move away from plaintext providers like Gmail or Outlook by layering OpenPGP protocols over existing accounts or switching to dedicated end-to-end encrypted services that prevent providers from scanning or logging message content (Emily Long from Lifehacker, Emily Long from Lifehacker).

  • Samsung, LG, and Vizio televisions can be configured to disable Automatic Content Recognition, which tracks and shares viewing habits for advertising purposes (Techish).
  • Safari users can enable advanced tracking and fingerprint protection in standard browsing sessions to hide IP addresses and strip link tracking without losing autofill features (Emily Long from Lifehacker).
  • Advanced Data Protection for iCloud provides end-to-end encryption for your backups, though it requires setting up an alternative recovery method like a physical key (Emily Long from Lifehacker).
  • Browser-based tools like Mailvelope or third-party applications such as PreVeil, SecureMyEmail, and Virtru add encryption layers to existing email accounts (Emily Long from Lifehacker).
  • Healthcare organizations in the UK face intensified regulatory pressure to install real-time monitoring systems after staff accessed patient records over 1,400 times since 2019 (The Register).

Try today · 10 min

Audit your Mac's full disk access permissions to remove untrusted applications.

Open System Settings, then navigate to Privacy & Security to review the list of apps with full disk access.

You need

  • Mac computer
  • Administrator password

Steps

  1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
  2. Select Privacy & Security from the sidebar.
  3. Click on Full Disk Access.
  4. Review the list of apps currently granted access.
  5. Toggle off the switch for any third-party app that does not require full system access to function.
  6. Enter your administrator password to confirm the changes.

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Sources

  1. Emily Long, Lifehacker on hebel. → ✎ Written by a personThis guide details how to restrict full disk access on macOS and enable end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups.

  2. Techish on hebel. →This piece provides specific menu paths to disable Automatic Content Recognition tracking on major television brands.

  3. The Register on hebel. →This report covers the ICO's crackdown on unauthorized medical record access and the necessity of real-time monitoring systems.

  4. EFF on hebel. →This analysis discusses the privacy implications of ambient recording devices like smart glasses and transcription-enabled wearables.

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