StartMail

19/06/2026

British Prime Minister Kier Starmer is threatening tech firms with legal action if they don't install software that blocks explicit images on children’s mobile phones:

Companies such as Apple and Google have until September to install software or face legislation, says PM

18/06/2026

This company wants to add phone, AirPod, and smartwatch trackers to license plate readers, so that authorities and data brokers can link your devices to your car:

SignalTrace “links devices that regularly travel together, correlating them to license plate.” It is a surveillance product that will sweep up and add all sorts of Bluetooth and other data to license plate readers, linking specific devices—and people—to cars.

17/06/2026

Do you know what data your apps can access on your phone? Even if you're wary, apps update all the time and employ all sorts of tricks to gain access to your data. Do this ten minute phone permission audit NOW! No seriously, now.

16/06/2026

Meta has finally removed facial recognition software from their smart classes after tech journalists caught them covertly installing it on users' devices:

Just days after a damning WIRED report exposed that Meta had quietly embedded facial recognition technology (FRT) code into millions of phones, the tech giant has quietly acquiesced in demands to reverse course.Last week, researchers identified code in Meta AI, a companion app for its line of smart....

15/06/2026

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld multimillion dollar penalties imposed on telecom giants AT&T and Verizon for mishandling their customers' personal data:

The US Supreme Court has upheld the FCC's power to pursue roughly $100 million in fines against AT&T and Verizon over alleged mishandling of customer location data.

14/06/2026

QUICK! Do you know exactly what data all of your apps are collecting? Are you SURE?? If not, you could be giving away very personal information without even realizing it, all because you hit "agree"! That's why you need to perform this quick app permissions audit, so that you can take control of your data BACK! Do it now! Yes, NOW!

13/06/2026

Researchers have developed a way to identify people using ambient wi-fi signals in their environment, even if the person is not carrying any devices on them:

If you pass by a café that operates a WiFi network, you can be identified – even if you do not carry a cell phone with you. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have found a way to identify people solely through recording WiFi communication. They point out that this constitutes ...

11/06/2026

U.S. soldiers have reportedly been targeted on the battlefield using commercially available location data, according to reports by military officials:

U.S. forces deployed to ​war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how ‌the global surveillance economy is shaping the battlefield.

10/06/2026

Giving apps access to your data is about WAY more than functionality. Yyou may not even know what they can learn with it! Read our latest blog article to learn more about the data apps gather and how to adjust your settings to protect yourself! https://www.startmail.com/review-these-app-permissions

09/06/2026

Next month, Microsoft will be remotely disabling standalone versions of Office 2019 for Mac and iOS, forcing users to either buy new licenses or subscribe to Office 365:

Microsoft will be effectively bricking the standalone Office 2019 for Mac, iPad, and iPhone users on July 13, 2026. There's not much you can do about it, other than buy again, or subscribe to Office 365.