[ DuckDuckGo Privacy Weekly ] For Feb 4, 2021

• What Is Signal, and Why Is Everybody Downloading It Right Now? [vox.com]
  In mid-January privacy-minded Signal was the most popular app in the US. In fact, "demand for privacy-focused messaging apps has grown in the last few years, as internet privacy becomes a more mainstream issue."
• Google's Privacy Sandbox Isn't About Your Privacy. It's About Google's Bottom Line. [eff.org]
  18 months later and this is still 100% correct. Don't be fooled by Google's recent attempts at privacy washing. You can’t just put privacy in the title and have it magically be private.
• Facebook Said It Would Stop Pushing Users to Join Partisan Political Groups. It Didn't. [themarkup.org]
  Ahead of the 2020 US election, "Facebook said it was taking 'emergency' measures to prevent people from using the platform to spread misinformation or coordinate violence..." but they still recommended political groups to users...
• Flo Gets FTC Slap for Sharing User Data When It Promised Privacy [techcrunch.com]
  Don't go with the Flo: They only stopped sharing sensitive user health data in response to bad press. A new FTC settlement will require Flo to "obtain a review of its privacy practices and obtain app users’ consent before sharing health info," says Natasha Lomas.
• Data Privacy and Telehealth: Protect the Data, Protect the Patient [himss.org]
  Doctor-patient confidentiality is expected... but what about patient data privacy? The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has tips for protecting your privacy when using telehealth software:
  • Use strong, complex passwords
  • Keep a clean device
  • Never use public WiFi

Our thoughts

• Global Privacy Control (GPC) Enabled by Default in DuckDuckGo Apps & Extensions [spreadprivacy.com]
  Global Privacy Control (GPC), the setting exercising your legal right to opt-out of the sale & sharing of personal data, is now enabled by default in the DuckDuckGo app and extension. It's also respected by The New York Times with The Washington Post and Automattic (makers of WordPress) to follow.

And finally…

Calling all C# developers: We're building a new way to use DuckDuckGo on Windows and we need your help. Learn more about this position, or check out all our other open roles at duckduckgo.com/hiring.

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