[ DuckDuckGo Privacy Weekly ] For May 20, 2021

• WhatsApp Will Turn Your Account Into a Useless Zombie If You Don't Accept Its New Privacy Policy [gizmodo.com]
  If you don't accept WhatsApp's new privacy policy, they won't technically disable your account, but will make "it pretty much unusable," reports Shoshana Wodinsky. We believe products should be built to serve users, not surveil them.
• 96% of US Users Opt Out of App Tracking in iOS 14.5, Analytics Find [arstechnica.com]
  When given the choice, people choose privacy.
• Big Tech's Reputation Takes a Pandemic Plunge [axios.com]
  Tech companies that abuse user trust and privacy are seeing their reputations plunge. "The biggest loser among tech giants was Google, which faced PR headwinds in 2020 as the government sued it for monopolistic practices."
• Shhhh, They're Listening: Inside the Coming Voice-Profiling Revolution [fastcompany.com]
  Data collected by your voice assistant could be used for ad profiling — an effort to hyper-target you based on the tone, inflection, and pitch of your voice. Joseph Turow breaks down this incredibly creepy new ad-tech.
• About Face [eff.org]
  Join the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and communities around the US to demand an about-face on the proliferation of government use of face surveillance.

Our thoughts

• Search Engines Should be Able to Guide Consumers to Search Preference Menus [spreadprivacy.com]
  To empower consumers and level the playing field for search competitors, Google browsers and devices should allow search engines to launch search preference menus whenever a consumer wants.

Proudly Private,



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