Privacy

HiddenAlbumLock requires authentication to view the ‘Hidden’ album in your Photos app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 1, 2019

You can hide images from the Camera Roll in iOS’ native Photos app to prevent them from appearing in your image list, but hidden images are quickly discovered by prying eyes when someone holding your iPhone opens the “Hidden” album in the Photos app.

If you wish Apple took better care of your Hidden images, then you might enjoy a new free jailbreak tweak called HiddenAlbumLock by iOS developer smokin1337. Just as the name implies, this tweak locks the Hidden album and requires authentication to unlock it for viewing.

A bug permitted apps to access photos you uploaded to Facebook but chose not to post

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 14, 2018

A bug that Facebook discovered in its photo API may have permitted some third-party apps that you granted permission to access your account to also retrieve photos which you uploaded to Facebook but chose not to post.

In response to serious bug, Saurik disables purchases in Cydia Store

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 13, 2018

Saurik (Jay Freeman) was forced to make a tough decision involving the Cydia Store on Thursday after receiving troubling news from concerned developers in the jailbreak community.

As it would seem, a severe bug discovered in the platform by Andy Wiik could have enabled arbitrary Cydia Store package purchases via users’ PayPal accounts if they were logged into a Cydia account with a linked PayPal account and browsing potentially malicious third-party repositories in the app.

Independent Super Micro audit finds absolutely no evidence of Chinese spy chips

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2018

A third-party audit has found absolutely no evidence of Chinese spy chips being secretly embedded on server motherboards manufactured by Super Micro, poking another hole in Bloomberg's bombastic, highly questionable Big Hack story which it refuses to retract.

Apple’s reportedly shelved plans that would’ve significantly curtailed location collection

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 10, 2018

Apple's allegedly abandoned plans to make changes to its iOS mobile operating system that sources say would've helped reduce the amount of location data collected by your iPhone.

How to block access to specific websites on iPhone or iPad

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated August 11, 2025

Learn how to block access to specific websites on iPhone or iPad, and protect your child from the dangers of the Internet.

European privacy regulators could take action against Google over location tracking

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 27, 2018

Google is already being scrutinized in the US for allegedly tracking phone users regardless of their privacy settings, and now the Internet giant could be facing a similar lawsuit in Europe.

Instagram has finally begun cracking down on fake likes and follows

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 19, 2018

At long last, the photo-sharing service Instagram has announced that its algorithm will be deleting inauthentic likes and follows that those fitness trainers and life coaches you've been following have bought from specialized services.

Sources say locked Apple ID accounts have nothing to do with a software bug

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 13, 2018

I'm sure you've noticed this morning, or during the past few days, a significant rise in online complaints on social media sites like Twitter and Reddit (1, 2), indicating that an unknown number of customers have been locked out of their Apple IDs for security reasons.

iOS 12.1 has fixed a nasty Lock screen bypass that exposed your photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 31, 2018

The iOS 12.1 update, which released yesterday, has fixed an underreported yet dangerous Lock screen vulnerability which permitted anyone in possession of your iPhone or iPad to view your photos and—worse—use the Share function to send them to anyone.

Watch Tim Cook’s full Brussels keynote blasting Big Tech’s abuse of user privacy

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 25, 2018

Wednesday, Tim Cook gave an incredibly passionate keynote address at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Brussels that took us by surprise. In it, the CEO of Apple vehemently defended privacy as a fundamental human right, called for a comprehensive federal privacy law in the US, warned about the dangers of AI and blasted Silicon Valley technology companies for their sweeping abuse of user privacy.

Facebook’s former security chief criticizes Tim Cook’s comments on privacy

Bryan M. Wolfe ∙ October 24, 2018

Facebook’s former chief security officer is calling out Tim Cook for his recent speech about privacy and what he calls the steady rise of the “data industrial complex.” While Alex Stamos says he mostly agrees with what the Apple CEO said during his Wednesday speech at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, he suggests Cooks is perhaps being hypocritical because of his company's dealings with China.