Google's Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 introduces a new 'Data logging' section inside Privacy Dashboard that lets users monitor data leaving the Private Compute Core, the isolated sandbox behind features like Live Caption and Smart Reply. Users can toggle logging on or off, choose between a limited three-day/100MB mode and a more exhaustive 12-hour/100MB detailed mode, and download or delete the resulting log files.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-31
A CDT-commissioned poll of 2,000 British adults, conducted by Public First, found 93% believe they have a right to private online conversations and 89% think no one should read their messages without a court order. Two-thirds said they wouldn't trust the current or any future UK government with the power to access encrypted chats, a view shared across supporters of all major parties.
theregister.com
· 2026-08-30
Proton's new report examined VPN apps available in the US and found that 64 are linked to Chinese companies, many collecting device IDs, network data, carrier information and even user location. These apps were downloaded more than 13 million times in June alone, and 31 relied on shell companies in places like Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK to obscure ownership. About a quarter of the flagged apps were found actively tracking location data.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-27
Bluesky rolled out a new privacy toggle letting users exclude their posts from the app's algorithmic Discover feed, which can otherwise surface any public post on the network. The setting, found under Privacy and Security, takes up to an hour to apply and doesn't make posts private—only less discoverable to people outside a user's follower base.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-08-27
Google's next Android release will support Encrypted Client Hello, a TLS extension that encrypts the hostname portion of the connection handshake so it can no longer be read in plain text. Paired with private DNS, this stops internet providers and Wi-Fi operators from easily seeing which sites or apps a device is contacting. The feature will be on by default for apps targeting Android 17 that use updated networking libraries like OkHttp, WebView, or HttpEngine.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-08-27
Apple has silently fixed a flaw in iCloud Private Relay that allowed a user's real IP address to leak under three specific conditions, despite the feature being enabled. Security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk, who discovered the issue and built a public tool to test for it, confirmed the fix landed in iOS 26.6.1 (and matching updates for other Apple platforms) though Apple did not disclose it in official release notes. The researchers noted the repair appears limited to Safari and was made without them first reporting it to Apple.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-25
Global Energy Monitor's updated tracking shows gas-fired power capacity in development specifically for data centers reached over 189 gigawatts by mid-2026, up from 97 gigawatts at the end of 2025 and just 4 gigawatts in early 2024. The surge reflects tech companies building private 'behind-the-meter' gas plants to power AI data centers rather than waiting for grid connections.
wired.com
· 2026-08-25
Apple announced that iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses will continue to use the icloud.com domain, reversing an earlier plan to move them. Meanwhile, new Sign in with Apple relay addresses will switch from privaterelay.appleid.com to private.icloud.com later this year, though existing addresses will keep working without disruption.
developer.apple.com
· 2026-08-24
Apple has canceled its plan to move iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses to a new private.icloud.com domain, just two months after announcing the change. The company said Hide My Email will stay on icloud.com, though Sign in with Apple will still shift new addresses from privaterelay.appleid.com to private.icloud.com later this year, with old addresses continuing to work.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-24
Entrepreneur contributors argue that in today's tighter, more expensive financing environment, buyers and lenders are shifting focus away from EBITDA and toward how much actual cash a business generates. While EBITDA remains useful for gauging operating performance, it excludes real costs like working capital needs and capital expenditures that determine whether cash truly reaches the bank account.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-08-24