Osman

Osman

I like to think about the impact that the internet has on humanity. In my free time, I'm wolfing down pasta.

  • Tests, shots, apps: The invasive new world of travel

    Tests, shots, apps: The invasive new world of travel

    Amid still-high numbers of Covid-19 cases in some countries and uneven vaccination rollouts around the world, talk about travel and upcoming summer getaways has started to hit fever pitch. The UK is m...

    Osman 26.04.2021 4 mins
  • Google’s tracking cookies are going away. Is that good?

    Google’s tracking cookies are going away. Is that good?

    Update: Google has since scrapped FLoC and replaced it with Topics, a system that attempts to ascertain categories of a user's interests. In March, Google signaled its intentions to phase out third-pa...

    Osman 15.04.2021 3 mins
  • What is a QR Code?

    What is a QR Code?

    QR code stands for “quick response code”. They are a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid that conveys information when scanned. Originally used as an alternative to barcodes to track vehicle ...

    Osman 08.12.2022 15 mins
  • Facebook wearables are coming. Would you want them?

    Facebook wearables are coming. Would you want them?

    Facebook made almost 85 billion USD in 2020 selling ads across its platforms, but it appears that the company wants to diversify its revenue streams further. Given that ad sales constitute approximate...

    Osman 25.03.2021 2 mins
  • Digital vaccination passports are here

    Digital vaccination passports are here

    This post was originally published on March 4, 2021. With vaccinations against Covid-19 rapidly gaining momentum, we’re approaching a time when restrictions on travel and movement are likely to be e...

    Osman 04.03.2021 4 mins
  • Data ethics: When your public images are used for profit

    Data ethics: When your public images are used for profit

    NOTE: This post was originally published on February 17, 2021 The Canadian government came down hard on facial-recognition company Clearview AI earlier this month, determining that the firm’s practi...

    Osman 16.02.2021 3 mins
  • Contact-tracing apps: A privacy paradox

    Contact-tracing apps: A privacy paradox

    NOTE: This post was originally published on February 4, 2021 The wide adoption of contact-tracing apps in 2020 seemed to herald a rare moment of unity in public-health circles, leveraging the ubiquity...

    Osman 04.02.2021 3 mins
  • How your car data can be used against you

    How your car data can be used against you

    We’ve previously discussed how your car could be potentially spying on you, as an array of sophisticated technologies and onboard computers track things like your location, speed, and voice commands...

    Osman 28.01.2021 4 mins
  • What does a VPN hide?

    What does a VPN hide?

    A VPN hides your IP address and location from apps and websites you visit. It also hides your web activity from ISPs, Wi-Fi admins, and other third parties. A VPN gives you greater online privacy, sec...

    Osman 16.01.2021 7 mins
  • How to protect your data when you die

    How to protect your data when you die

    It’s a privacy question that concerns us all: What happens to all our online photos, location history, and data when we die? Data privacy laws like the GDPR and the right to be forgotten give citize...

    Osman 08.01.2021 3 mins
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