05 Jun. 2015

7 reasons not to shrug at the Snowden revelations

This is the final post of our blog series on "why shrugging at the Snowden revelations is a bad idea".

04 Jun. 2015

Nothing to Hide? Asking the Wrong Question (part 3)

It's been 2 years since the Snowden revelations started, yet many still argue that they have "nothing to hide". The problem with this debate is that we are asking the wrong question.

03 Jun. 2015

Nothing to Hide? Stories our Data Tells About Us (part 2)

Almost everything we do online is constantly being collected, analysed and processed by algorithms. Is it really up to us to decide if we have “something to hide”? Or is it up to data analysts...and their data mining software?

02 Jun. 2015

Nothing to Hide? Almost Nothing to Control (part 1)

When confronted with questions around corporate and government surveillance, many argue that they have "nothing to hide". This is the first blog of a series which counters this all-too-common refrain.

13 May. 2015

This Tool Lets You See Exactly Who’s Tracking What You’re Reading Online

Have you ever read a newspaper and noticed a stranger reading it over your shoulder? Reading the news online is like having Google, Facebook, or Twitter doing the same thing. Known as third-party trackers, these companies collect data about who you are, what you’re reading, and what you’re interested in, usually without you ever knowing it.

30 Mar. 2015

Tactical Tech's New Tool Helps You Watch the Watchers

When we think about surveillance, we tend to forget that many of our normal daily activities, like reading the news online, are recorded and collected for commercial purposes. This is often done without our knowledge or informed consent, and serves as a gold mine for data analysts and the data industry. This industry is opaque, as it is unclear to us which and how many companies are tracking us...

19 Mar. 2015

Meet the Trackers: This is how they claim to handle our data

Trackography shows that hundreds of companies track our online activity when we read the news online. But how do these companies handle our data? This post examines the privacy policies of some of the globally prevailing tracking companies.

26 Feb. 2015

The false promises of data anonymisation

The false promise of data anonymisation. Find out what happens to our data when it is collected and 'anonymised' in the times of big data analytics, where what is “personal” is no longer so straightforward. Information algorithmically derived from anonymised data is not necessarily “personally identifiable”. Yet, it can tell intimate stories about you. It can prevent you from entering a univer...

25 Feb. 2015

Profiling: glass data masks we wear unknowingly

When you query Google for images of a “mask”, its algorithm places the Guy Fawkes mask adopted by the Anonymous on top of the results page across European countries. This mask has become a symbol of anonymity in the digital age. Ironically, anonymity is in short supply for “netizens” - persons online. Masks have been used by humans for protection, disguise and performance. Today, a new brand ...

24 Feb. 2015

Exploring the Data Industry

Many activists and advocacy groups we talk to are not entirely sure why they should care about big data, nor what this means for their community. Even though big data is seen by government and companies as a quick fix solution for a 'better world', we know very little about the creation and use of these datasets. In a journey to unravel the data industry, Tactical Tech will explore what this i...

17 Feb. 2015

What's up with crypto in WhatsApp?

WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encrytpion last month, protecting their users from third parties spying on their content. However, what does the protection of content by a commercial company mean? Has metadata become more interesting than content?

08 Jan. 2015

Lies and Revelations: Why mass surveillance is not about catching the “bad guys”

Law enforcement agencies around the world keep arguing that surveillance can safeguard national security and that it is necessary to detect the so-called "bad guys". However, the documents leaked by Snowden reveal that a lot of surveillance carried out by intelligence agencies does not target criminals and terrorists at all. In fact, a lot of it is geared towards international politi...

09 Dec. 2014

Can we Play Hide and Seek in the Panopticon?

Can we hide through mass surveillance? Read more to find out.

14 Nov. 2014

The False Dichotomy of Better and Worse Spies

Would you rather be spied on by the Americans...than, say, the Chinese? This blog challenges the dichotomy of better and worse spies.

24 Oct. 2014

3 (scary) things Snowden taught us about surveillance

This blog post includes three things Snowden taught us about surveillance.

23 Oct. 2014

Blog series: Why shrugging at the Snowden revelations is a bad idea

Read our blog series on why we think shrugging at the Snowden revelations is a bad idea.

25 Feb. 2014

We're selling ourselves and we think it's cool

The day after Facebook bought Whatsapp, 500,000 people signed up to Telegram. With three out of four Europeans worried about how companies, including search engines and social networks, use their information, some users are voting with their feet and for good reason.

11 Apr. 2013

More Things to Know about recent Changes in Facebook

It is not easy to keep up to date with how Facebook changes. Some things change for better, some for worse. Can you be sure that you didn't miss the latest update of Facebook's terms of service? Here's the second post in a series about how to protect you privacy when using Facebook.

20 Mar. 2013

Things to know about recent changes in Facebook

It is not easy to keep up to date with how Facebook changes. Some things change for better, some for worse. Can you be sure that you didn't miss the latest update of Facebook's Terms of Service? These are some of the changes you might be interested in.

22 Jan. 2013

Me and My Shadow Flipcards

We have created a set of 7 cards that you can download, print out and distribute to friends and colleagues. These cards are aimed at raising awareness about our 'digital shadows' and providing information about how to protect your privacy.

18 Sep. 2012

Google Security

There may come a time when you want to have a record of all of your Google data, perhaps before you delete a compromised Google Gmail, Picasa, Google+, Google Docs or Buzz account.