Impact Assessment: Recent Episodes
Mark Nunnikhoven
This show will help you better understand how technology impacts you and your community.
Security and privacy are often seen as complicated issues that are beyond your control. Is that really true? For issues that have such a massive impact on our lives, shouldn't we have a better understanding of them? In this series, we'll examine the privacy and security issues around common technologies using everyday language and relatable examples.
How much data does a social media network actually collect? Is your smartphone tracking you? Does that little lock in your browser actually do anything?
We'll look to answer these questions and more.
Passwords are the worst. Trying to pick a "secure" one makes the whole thing worse. Every site and service has it's own variation on the "rules" for making a strong password and it's hard to remember what you've set your password to.
Are those rules really making our passwords stronger? Do we need so many different passwords? Is it even possible to keep track of all of these passwords?
How to cybercriminals attack your passwords? What do hackers do with the passwords they gain access to? What are cybersecurity defenders doing to help?
In this episode, we'll try to tackle these questions and more. At the end, you'll get some straight forward actionable advice that can help you make handling passwords a little bit easier while actually increasing your security.
References;
- Standardized guidelines on passwords from NIST via Security Boulevard, https://securityboulevard.com/2019/03/nist-800-63-password-guidelines/
- An example of rainbow tables, https://project-rainbowcrack.com/table.htm
- A discussion of the "show password" UX by LukeW, https://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1941
- XKCD's famous passphrase comic, https://xkcd.com/936/
- Wired on the 5 best password managers, https://www.wired.com/story/best-password-managers/
Apple recently launched macOS Big Sur and a cybersecurity researcher's post vent viral highlighting a steady stream of communications that "phone home" detailing what apps you're using on your system. What's going on here?
Is privacy promoting Apple actually spying on every app running on every macOS system around the world? Or is something much less sinister going on...something that might even help us?
In this episode, we dive in to see what's really going on.
Index:
- Intro [00:00]
- Big Sur launches [00:11]
- Is Apple spying on you? [01:32]
- macOS Gatekeeper [02:19]
- Apple's control [04:22]
- Privacy impacts [04:53]
- iCloud risks [06:49]
- Blocking Gatekeep [07:46]
- The impact [08:32]
References:
- macOS Big Sur is compatible with these computers from Apple Support, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211238
- macOS Big Sur launch appears to cause temporary slowdown in even non-Big Sur Macs by Ars Technica, https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/macos-big-sur-launch-appears-to-cause-temporary-slowdown-in-even-non-big-sur-macs/
- "Your Computer Isn’t Yours", a security research post by Jeffrey Paul, https://sneak.berlin/20201112/your-computer-isnt-yours/
- OCSP or Online Certificate Status Protocol via Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Certificate_Status_Protocol
- Apple service endpoints, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210060
- "Safely open apps on your Mac", more on Gatekeeper from Apple Support, https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202491
- Gatekeeper and it's history via Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeper_(macOS)
- Apple Developer Program, https://developer.apple.com/programs/
- "Notarization" via the Apple Developer Documentation, https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/notarizing_macos_software_before_distribution
- iCloud Security Overview from Apple Support, https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202303
Ad-tech, digital marketing, and the surveillance economy are worth billions and billions of dollars. It all hinges on the ability to target ads and you can't target ads without tracking users and their devices.
A privacy-focused design decision by Apple for iOS 14 puts Facebook on edge and Google on notice. What is the IDFA? What happens in iOS 14? And why you should care...all covered in this episode.
Show notes available at: https://markn.ca/ia/4
Index:
- The question [00:00]
- The digital ad market [00:29]
- What is ad-tech? [02:02]
- Apple's design choice [04:06]
- The IDFA [06:16]
- The impact [08:28]
- The delay [09:25]
References:
- Global Digital Ad Spending 2019, https://www.emarketer.com/content/global-digital-ad-spending-2019
- How Super Bowl ad costs have skyrocketed over the years, https://www.businessinsider.com/super-bowl-ad-price-cost-2017-2
- Surveillance capitalism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalism
- 67+ Revealing Statistics about Smartphone Usage in 2020, https://techjury.net/blog/smartphone-usage-statistics/
- YouTube: 2B Monthly Users, 250M Hours Streamed on TV Screens Daily, https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/youtube-2-billion-users-tv-screen-watch-time-hours-1203204267/
- "Preparing Our Partners for iOS 14" by Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/business/news/preparing-our-partners-for-ios-14-launch/
- "Preparing your app for iOS 14+" by Google, https://support.google.com/admob/answer/9997589?hl=en
- How to block ad tracking on your iPhone, https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/30/18644778/iphone-ad-tracking-block-how-to-data-apps-upload
- iOS upgrade rates continue to destroy Android, https://bgr.com/2019/01/02/iphone-vs-android-pie-ios-12-adoption-numbers/
- Details for app privacy questions now available, by Apple, https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=hx9s63c5&1599152522
- User Privacy and Data Use - App Store, by Apple, https://developer.apple.com/app-store/user-privacy-and-data-use/
- Apple delays privacy feature that would let iPhone owners keep ad tracking at bay, https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/3/21420176/apple-ios-14-tracking-permission-rule-developers-delay
- Online Privacy Should Be Modeled on Real-World Privacy, https://daringfireball.net/2020/09/online_privacy_real_world_privacy
Epic Games is current waging war on Apple and Google over the right to distribute apps to mobile users. There's been a ton of excellent coverage of the issues, but it's usually missing one key perspective; what do we as users get from the App Stores?
This episode if Impact Assessment looks at the cybersecurity and privacy impacts of the App Store model. Do App Store delivery do anything to improve the security of our devices? Can Apple or Google help protect our privacy? Will they?
- The question [00:00]
- Epic Games vs Apple & Google [00:26]
- Apple's App Store Review Guidelines [01:53]
- Google's guidelines [05:40]
- Granting permissions [07:19]
- App Store ecosystems [09:12]
- The impact [11:10]
References:
- The Fortnite Mega Drop - Permanent Discounts Up to 20%, https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news/the-fortnite-mega-drop-permanent-discounts-up-to-20-percent
- Fortnite Usage and Revenue Statistics (2020) - Business of Apps, https://www.businessofapps.com/data/fortnite-statistics/
- The EPIC TRUTH About Fortnite’s WAR on APPLE - YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM4QmEw6QDM
- App Store Review Guidelines - Apple Developer, https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA”) | Federal Trade Commission, https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reform-proceedings/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule
- Apple Developer Documentation, https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/protecting_the_user_s_privacy
- Privacy - Apple, https://www.apple.com/privacy/
- Developer Policy Center, https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/
- Apple rips into Epic Games in a court filing about the Fortnite saga, https://thenextweb.com/apple/2020/08/21/apple-rips-into-epic-games-court-filing-about-fortnite-saga/
- Review, Refocus, and Recalibrate: The 2019 Mobile Threat Landscape - Security Roundup - Trend Micro USA, https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/research-and-analysis/threat-reports/roundup/review-refocus-and-recalibrate-the-2019-mobile-threat-landscape
- Unprecedented new iPhone malware discovered - Malwarebytes Labs | Malwarebytes Labs, https://blog.malwarebytes.com/mac/2019/08/unprecedented-new-iphone-malware-discovered/
On July 15th, 2020, Twitter was hit with the most visible hack of a social network of all time. 130 of the top accounts tweeted out a bitcoin scam. A month after, have we learned anything? What's the impact of continuing to use Twitter?
In this episode we're going to take a look at the issue to see if we can't answer those questions and more.
- The question [00:00]
- The hack [00:15]
- How did Twitter respond? [01:17]
- Support tools at risk [02:14]
- How do I protect my account? [03:18]
- Breach of trust [04:24]
- Is this my account? [05:47]
- Terms of Service [06:21]
- Feeling helpless [06:56]
- The Impact [07:28]
Who am I? Check out the show trailer at https://youtu.be/kNoxpQGPZQs.
You can read more about this on my site at https://markn.ca/ia/2
References for this episode:
- Twitter temporarily disabled tweets from verified accounts, https://www.engadget.com/twitter-disabled-verified-tweets-231734579.html
- An update on our security incident, https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/an-update-on-our-security-incident.html
- Teen accused in Twitter hack targeting Obama, Bill Gates, others pleads not guilty, https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/twitter-hack-not-guilty-plea-1.5673801
- Hackers Tell the Story of the Twitter Attack From the Inside, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/technology/twitter-hackers-interview.html
- The most disturbing part of the Twitter hack: Many of its employees have access to accounts, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-most-disturbing-part-of-the-twitter-hack-many-of-its-employees-have-access-to-accounts-2020-07-25
- Twitter Terms of Service, https://twitter.com/en/tos
- Years before big hack, Twitter contractors reportedly spied on celebs, including Beyoncé, https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/27/21340581/twitter-big-hack-contractors-spied-celebs-beyonce-bitcoin
The President has promised to ban TikTok in the United States for national security reasons. Is that the case? Are there real concerns or is this purely a political move?
In this episode, we look at the security and privacy impact of TikTok. Do you need to be worried?
- The question [00:00]
- The latest blow up [00:17]
- What is TikTok [00:50]
- Censorship on the platform [02:00]
- Who can access my data? [04:00]
- What user data is involved? [05:41]
- What meta data is involved? [06:40]
- What can be done with that data? [08:03]
- Risks for the military [08:28]
- Risks for politics [08:54]
- The Impact [09:15]
Who am I? Check out the show trailer at https://youtu.be/Vb56o6JADDw.
You can read more about this on my site at https://markn.ca/2020/should-i-worry-about-tiktok/.
References for this episode;
- Should I Worry About TikTok? https://markn.ca/2020/should-i-worry-about-tiktok/
- TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics, https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
- TikTok owner ByteDance reportedly made a profit of $3 billion on $17 billion of revenue last year, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/27/tiktok-bytedance-profit.html
- A Beginner's Guide to TikTok, https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-tik-tok/
- TikTok Strikes Short-Term Licensing Deals With Sony, Warner, Universal, https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/04/01/tiktok-music-licensing-sony-warner-universal/
- TikTok Inks Global Deal with Music Publishers (Who Previously Threatened To Sue It), https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-inks-global-multi-year-deal-with-music-publishers/
- TikTok inks licensing deal with Merlin to use music from independent labels in videos and new Resso streaming service, https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/23/tiktok-inks-licensing-deal-with-merlin-to-use-music-from-independent-labels-in-videos-and-new-resso-streaming-service/
- TikTok isn't the new Vine — it's much better, https://www.statepress.com/article/2019/09/specho-tiktok-not-new-vine
- TikTok Privacy controls, https://support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/comment-duet-and-direct-message-control-default
- ByteDance on Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ByteDance
- TikTok Users Are Finally Posting About Hong Kong, But Only To See If They'll Get Censored, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/tiktok-users-are-finally-posting-about-hong-kong-but-only
- Revealed: how TikTok censors videos that do not please Beijing, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-how-tiktok-censors-videos-that-do-not-please-beijing
- TikTok Community Guidelines, https://www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines?lang=en
- Under fire from Washington, TikTok pledges U.S. job growth, https://www.axios.com/tiktok-plans-to-add-10000-jobs-963c6ee4-9dbf-431f-9ac8-1bb381855df4.html
- The United States is 'looking at' banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps, Pompeo says, https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/07/tech/us-tiktok-ban/index.html
- Trump says he will ban TikTok, https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/tech/tiktok-trump-bytedance-sale/index.html
- TikTok is a national security threat, US politicians say. Here's what experts think, https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/09/tech/tiktok-security-threat/index.html
- Amazon bans TikTok on employee phones, then calls it a mistake, https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/07/amazon-bans-tiktok-on-employee-phones-as-us-govt-scrutinizes-chinese-app/
- DNC and RNC warn campaigns about using TikTok, https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/politics/dnc-warning-tiktok/index.html
- TikTok. See the full list of countries, companies, and organizations that have already banned it, https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-banned-by-countries-organizations-companies-list-2020-7
- TikTok Privacy Policy, https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy?lang=en