Welcome to the first news roundup of the year! Here are some stories and articles we followed over the break.

Token settlement for wiretapping entire user-base

There was slow media coverage over Apple violating rights of all their users by "accidently" wiretapping conversations using Siri. You can read some coverage here, and see the court documents here. It is also alleged that these Siri conversations were eventually sold to third party advertisers, something Apple fan-bois have claimed Apple never does.

From the Apple privacy policy

Apple may share personal data with Apple-affiliated companies, service providers who act on our behalf, our partners, developers, and publishers, or others at your direction. Further, Apple does not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Queue the 'I don't believe you' meme. If you own Apple devices and are in the US, make sure to watch for your $20 bucks.

Net not-so-neutral

This recent NPR article discusses a significant ruling by a U.S. Federal Appeals Court that struck down the FCC's net neutrality rules. This decision effectively ends the regulation of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as utilities, which had been in place to ensure equal access to the internet for all users.

The court's ruling has sparked a debate about the future of internet access and digital trust. Proponents of net neutrality argue that this decision could lead to ISPs prioritizing certain content or services, potentially creating a "pay-to-play" internet. On the other hand, opponents believe that deregulation will encourage innovation and investment in broadband infrastructure.

This development is crucial for discussions on digital trust, as it highlights the ongoing tension between regulation and innovation in the digital space. It raises important questions about how to balance the interests of consumers, businesses, and regulators to ensure a fair and open internet.

Dude, where's your car?

Don't worry, VW knows! This recent article from Der Spiegel highlights a massive data breach at Volkswagen's subsidiary, Cariad, which exposed the personal data of approximately 800,000 electric vehicle (EV) owners. The breach included sensitive geolocation data, making it possible to track the movements and parking locations of these vehicles. The data was left exposed on an unprotected Amazon cloud storage system for months before being discovered by the Chaos Computer Club, a hacker association.

This incident raises significant concerns about vehicle privacy and the security measures employed by automakers. Despite Volkswagen's assurances that no sensitive information like passwords or payment data was compromised, the breach has alarmed many, including high-profile individuals whose data was exposed.