Neowin News Feed for: Spying

U.S. delegation throws away all burner phones and gifts from China before takeoff

Usama Jawad — Sat, 16 May 2026 07:26:01 +0000

A bizarre scene unfolded after Trump's China visit, with officials tossing gifts, badges, and phones into bins. Read more...

EFF sounds the alarm on Chat Control, a regulation allowing scanning of private messages

Usama Jawad — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 20:16:01 +0000

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has criticized Europe's Chat Control regulation, which potentially allows governments to spy on phones. Read more...

This popular Chrome extension spies on you, delete it immediately

Usama Jawad — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:52:01 +0000

A troubling exposé has shined a light on a very popular VPN extension in Chrome that is taking screenshots of everything its users do. Read more...

Report: ByteDance's VS Code fork Trae is a resource hog that spies on you

Usama Jawad — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:30:01 +0000

A detailed investigation into the VS Code fork, Trae, developed by TikTok's parent company ByteDance has revealed that the IDE is a resource hog and spies on you even when telemetry is disabled. Read more...

Windows 10 is the reason why we are so conscious about privacy now

Usama Jawad — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 21:44:01 +0000

Windows 10 has an ardent fanbase now, but things weren't always this way. When the OS launched back in 2015, there was massive uproar around one word: telemetry. Read more...

The US government reportedly asked TikTok for unprecedented spying powers to avoid a ban

Mehrotra A — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 04:30:01 +0000

The US government proposed a contract with ByteDance last year that gave the government unprecedented powers over the app and the content in exchange for the app to continue in the country. Read more...

FBI allegedly used NSO Group spyware after Biden's ban

Omer Dursun — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 22:08:01 +0000

The FBI has been accused of using NSO Group's spyware to track suspects in Mexico, despite Biden's ban on the use of commercial spyware. It claims it was misled by a private contractor. Read more...

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Neowin Deals — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 17:00:01 +0000

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WhatsApp says mic usage in background on Android devices is due to an Android bug

Mehrotra A — Wed, 10 May 2023 05:54:01 +0000

WhatsApp claims a bug within Android is mis-attributing information in Privacy Dashboard and is causing the app to use microphone in the background, even when WhatsApp is not in use. Read more...

Huawei under suspicion of tracking and spying on visitors at its MWC 2023 booth

Anushe Fawaz — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 16:48:01 +0000

According to reports, Huawei was allegedly tracking visitors at its booth during the MWC 2023 event. Visitors found the security badges given by the company rather suspicious on further investigation. Read more...

ByteDance finds four employees had accessed US journalists' TikTok data; fires them

Hemant Saxena — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 08:06:01 +0000

An internal report from ByteDance reveals it has fired four employees for inappropriately accessing TikTok data of 2 U.S. journalists in an attempt to track down the source of information leaks. Read more...

Columbia Univ builds breakthrough algorithm that stops spying microphones from listening

Sayan Sen — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 05:18:02 +0000

The Columbia University's computer science department has developed a new algorithm that can be used to stop microphones and automatic speech recognition systems from spying on the public. Read more...

Apple is suing NSO Group for spying on its customers

Paul Hill — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 18:56:01 +0000

Apple has decided to sue NSO Group and its parent company for using exploits to spy on Apple users. The number of people targeted by NSO Group was small but they held sensitive occupations. Read more...

Huawei ready to share source code to alleviate security worries

Paul Hill — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 19:40:01 +0000

John Suffolk, an official at Huawei, has announced that the company would be open to sharing its source code with various governments in order to alleviate fears that it's helping China spy. Read more...

German industry group says evidence ought to be shown over Huawei spying claims

Paul Hill — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 16:16:01 +0000

The German industry group, BDI, has called on the government to not exclude any firms from delivering 5G unless it can show evidence for claims that it makes as to why a firm shouldn't participate. Read more...

UK Government makes amendments to Snoopers' Charter

Paul Hill — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 20:00:01 +0000

The UK Government has had to amend its Snoopers' Charter bill after an EU court ruling last year. The changes create an independent body to authorise law enforcement requests for data. Read more...

Germany bans smartwatches for children over privacy

Paul Hill — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:24:01 +0000

The German telecoms regulator has decided to ban some smartwatches aimed at children due to privacy and security concerns. The decision follows a report which said the watches have security flaws. Read more...

The FBI advises companies to drop Kaspersky Lab as it is filled with Russian spies

Richard Tyr Blewitt — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 16:06:01 +0000

The FBI is advising large private firms against the continued use of products made by the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. Allegedly Kaspersky Lab can be exploited for espionage or other purposes. Read more...

Chinese authorities reportedly forcing its Muslim population to install spyware

Dreyer Smit — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 08:18:01 +0000

When it comes to spying on its citizens, China is way ahead of its peers, and have recently started forcing the citizens in the province of Xingjiang to install spyware on their Android phones. Read more...

Facebook updates its terms to prohibit spying on users

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 09:06:01 +0000

Facebook has changed its terms and conditions today to bar developers and companies from using its data to spy on users. This comes after social network data was used to track peaceful protesters. Read more...

EFF sets out battle plans for digital rights during first 100 days of Trump's presidency

Vlad Dudau — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:12:01 +0000

Privacy, liberty, and accountability are not partisan issues, said the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as it set out its agenda to defend digital rights for the first 100 days of Trump's reign. Read more...

UK rights group crowdfunds legal challenge against mass-spying Snoopers' Charter bill

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 09:54:01 +0000

The Investigatory Powers Act, or Snoopers' Charter, is "the most extreme surveillance regime of any democracy in history" according to Liberty NGO, who's mounting a legal challenge to the bill. Read more...

FTC complaint says kid's toys "spy" by recording, storing audio on remote servers

Jett Goldsmith — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 22:56:01 +0000

A complaint filed to the FTC today by four consumer advocacy groups has alleged that two popular toys subject children to ongoing surveillance by recording audio and uploading it to remote servers. Read more...

One in two American adults are in the government's facial recognition database

Vlad Dudau — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 08:14:01 +0000

A new extensive report shows that numerous law enforcement agencies are using facial recognition software with no oversight whatsoever, and that half of the US adult population is on file. Read more...

Obama to Russia, China: Let's not hack each other because the US will win

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 07:02:01 +0000

In a speech in China, the US president called for de-escalation of cyber tensions between major world powers. He suggested governments should stop hacking each other and go after cyber criminals. Read more...

U.S. sponsored report says governments should attack Bitcoin and undermine it

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 11:10:01 +0000

A new report from the influential RAND think tank suggests that governments should attack Bitcoin and blockchain technologies to undermine the public's perception of their utility and security. Read more...

GCHQ open sources 'Gaffer' in possible community relations bid

Paul Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 03:58:01 +0000

GCHQ has released one of its projects on Github in a bid to improve community relations and entice developers into getting involved with the agency and possibly joining it. Read more...

Russian prosecutors urged to investigate Microsoft over claims Windows 10 is ‘spying' on users

Andy Weir — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 06:18:01 +0000

Russia's Prosecutor General has been asked to look into Microsoft amid claims that Windows 10 'illicitly' collects user data, by a state official who says the OS is 'effectively spying on its users'. Read more...

Tech giants urge Obama to reject weakening encryption with government backdoors

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 19 May 2015 08:46:01 +0000

More than 140 tech giants, security experts and government investigators are urging President Obama to stand against government backdoors and weakening encryption in the nation's software. Read more...

Netflix to deploy HTTPS across its service at a 'significant cost'

Jerry Grey — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 07:34:01 +0000

Netflix wants to prevent eavesdropping on its members by deploying HTTPS across its service over the next year, but the change will not be cheap with the costs said to be 'significant'. Read more...

US gov creates spyware that invades the firmware of HDDs

Jerry Grey — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:40:01 +0000

The US National Security Agency has been caught eavesdropping again using the firmware of hard drives to host its own spyware, according to the Russian computer security firm, Kaspersky Lab. Read more...

NSA rules on spying get tweaked; non-US citizens might have basic human rights

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 11:08:01 +0000

New rules with regards to NSA spying are expected to be made public today with the agency having to concede a modicum of privacy to non-US citizens. The NSA will now have to delete data. Read more...

China squeezes US companies over cybersecurity: demands source code, state-approved encryption

Vlad Dudau — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 13:40:01 +0000

The Chinese government wants foreign technology companies operating inside its borders to hand over their software's source code and use only state-approved encryption algorithms. Read more...

DEA is tracking millions of cars in real-time across the US

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:54:01 +0000

A new report shows that the US Drug Enforcement Agency is tracking millions of cars and people in real-time as they move across the country. They also have a database with hundreds of millions of more Read more...

Spying on citizens: It's not just for the NSA anymore

Christopher White — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 20:30:01 +0000

If you thought the NSA was the only government agency spying on U.S. citizens, this news will be disheartening to you: The Department of Justice kept all of your phone records until the end of 2013. Read more...

UK spy agency wants future tech entrepreneurs working for them

Vlad Dudau — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 12:28:01 +0000

The UK's GCHQ, an analog of the NSA, wants to implement a program with which to entice future technology entrepreneurs to work for them for a limited time before starting their own business. Read more...

Richard Stallman believes you shouldn't use Uber

Steven Johns — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:32:01 +0000

Citing various issues from privacy concerns to customer tracking, Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, has provided a list of reasons why everyone should avoid Uber. Read more...

US government using planes to spy on cellphones

Usama Jawad — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 09:54:01 +0000

The Wall Street Journal has published an alarming report which has been met by criticism from many of the US citizens while being treated as a matter-of-fact by other non-plussed citizens. Read more...

Report says Russia may be gathering intelligence with malware

Jett Goldsmith — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 08:02:02 +0000

A new report by cyber security firm Fire Eye says that malware may have been developed and deployed by the Russian government to collect intelligence and other sensitive information. Read more...

Apple manipulates journalists using anonymous social media accounts

Jett Goldsmith — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 22:26:01 +0000

Apple has long been praised for its PR mastery, but it's hordes of positive press isn't a coincidence: the company whips certain journalists to provide good coverage, and even spies on writers. Read more...