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Content type: Explainer
The internet is filled with guides on how to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Depending on the country you are in, it is likely that a local NGO – or your national freedom of information authority. – will have come up with one. The Global Investigative Journalism Network has an excellent list of FOI resources available in many countries across every continent. We really recommend you take a look at it; many of the FOI guides we love are in that repository.At PI we equally spend much…
Content type: Case Study
The Ugandan government has a running contract with the Chinese tech giant, Huawei, to supply and install CCTV cameras along major highways within the capital, Kampala, and other cities.
While details of the contract remain concealed from the public, the Uganda Police Force (UPF) released a statement, simply confirming its existing business partnership for telecommunication and surveillance hardware, and software between the security force and Huawei. However, it is not clear whether the…
Content type: Case Study
Well into the 21st century, Serbia still does not have a strong privacy culture, which has been left in the shadows of past regimes and widespread surveillance. Even today, direct police and security agencies’ access to communications metadata stored by mobile and internet operators makes mass surveillance possible.
However, a new threat to human rights and freedoms in Serbia has emerged. In early 2019, the Minister of Interior and the Police Director announced that Belgrade will receive “a…
Content type: Report
The majority of people today carry a mobile phone with them wherever they go, which they use to stay connected to the world. Yet an intrusive tool, known as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher, or “IMSI catcher” is a form of surveillance equipment that enables governments and state authorities to conduct indiscriminate surveillance of mobile devices, and by extension, on users.
IMSI catchers can do much more than monitor and intercept mobile communications. Designed to imitate…
Content type: Examples
Although the Home Office does not record ethnicity data for detainees, analysis of nationalities of those recently held within the immigration detention estate found that citizens from countries with predominantly black and brown populations are held for substantially longer periods than those from predominantly white countries.
Around a third – approximately a 1,000 – being held in immigration detention centres were freed at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to try and stop the spread of…
Content type: Examples
Immigration rules that have left 1 million migrant workers in the UK at risk of destitution because they cannot claim universal credit should be suspended on public health grounds during the pandemic, a cross-party group of MPs has recommended.
The work and pensions select committee said the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) rule – which hit the headlines recently when Boris Johnson appeared not to be aware of its existence – meant many foreign nationals faced a choice of staying at home in…
Content type: News & Analysis
Name: Google/Fitbit merger
Age: Gestating
Appearance: A bit dodgy. One of the world’s biggest tech giants, trying to purchase a company that makes fitness tracking devices, and therefore has huge amounts of our health data.
I don’t get it. Basically Google is trying to buy Fitbit. As if Google doesn’t already have enough data about us, it now wants huge amounts of health data too.
Oh, Fitbit, that’s that weird little watch-type-thing that people get for Christmas, wear for about a month…
Content type: Guide step
Don’t accept friend requests from unknown people.
Let people know that you don’t want your picture posted without your consent.
Don’t post photos of other people without their consent.
Don’t post sensitive information in your photos or captions.
Don’t reveal your location/make sure the location is not revealed by background details.
Don’t use hashtags that may reveal private data (or the location).
Be wary when posting photos of your kids on social media.
If you log into your Facebook…
Content type: Guide step
No aceptes solicitudes de amistad de gente desconocida.
Avísale a la gente que no quieres que publiquen tu sin tu consentimiento.
No publiques fotos de otras personas sin su consentimiento.
No publiques información delicada en tus fotos o en las leyendas.
No reveles tu ubicación/asegúrate de que los detalles en el fondo no revelen tu ubicación.
No uses hashtags que podrían revelar datos privados (o la ubicación).
Ten cautela cuando publiques fotos de tus hijos en las redes sociales.
Si…
Content type: Guide step
On your browser head to the upper right corner of the Facebook page. Click Settings and Privacy > Privacy. On the left side you should be able to see a field named Apps and Websites where you will see which apps currently have access to your data. If you click View and edit you can make changes on this list. We recommend you consider removing any apps that you don’t know or that you no longer use.
Content type: Guide step
En tu navegador ve a la esquina superior derecha de la página de Facebook. Haz clic en Configuración y Privacidad y luego en Privacidad. A la izquierda vas a ver un campo llamado Apps y sitios web donde podrás ver cuáles aplicaciones tienen acceso a tus datos actualmente. Puedes modificar la lista si seleccionas Ver y editar. Recomendamos mantener la lista al mínimo y eliminar cualquier aplicación que no reconozcas o que hayas dejado de usar.
Content type: Guide step
If you are accessing Facebook through your browser, go to your profile and then select About. You will see a summary of the information you have provided to Facebook under Overview.
Content type: Guide step
En tu navegador, si vas a tu perfil y luego seleccionas Información verás un resumen de la información que le has dado a Facebook en Información general.
Content type: Guide step
Facebook can be an important tool for individuals to spread messages and ideas around the globe. For these reasons, it’s not possible for some people to simply stop using Facebook. However, we continue to be very concerned about the company’s conduct.
Let’s start by checking your default post sharing settings.
If you are accessing Facebook through your browser go to Settings > Privacy > Your Activity > Who can see future posts. We recommend you consider setting your default to Friends…
Content type: Guide step
Empecemos por repasar la configuración preestablecida por defecto para compartir tus publicaciones.
En la web ve a Configuración > Privacidad > Tu actividad > ¿Quién puede ver tus publicaciones futuras?. Recomendamos que establezcas tu configuración por defecto a Amigos o Amigos excepto…, que es la misma configuración solo que con excepciones que puedes añadir manualmente si no quieres que alguna amistad pueda ver tus publicaciones. Cuando seleccionas Público, todas tus publicaciones…
Content type: News & Analysis
Last week, Facebook announced that it would allow voters in the United States to opt out of seeing social issue, electoral or political ads from candidates in their Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Whilst Facebook’s attempt to increase the agency of users during the election period is commendable, the binary choice left to voters to either see political ads or not see them at all is a limited and short-sighted one.
Real transparency concerns are still unaddressed
Whilst Facebook…
Content type: Video
Immediately following the UK general election in December 2019, we worked with Open Rights Group to commission a YouGov poll about public understanding and public opinion about the use of data-driven campaigning in elections.
The poll used a representative sample of 1,664 adults across the UK population.
'Data-driven political campaigning' is about using specific data about you to target specific messages at you. So, for this might involve knowing that you are, for example, likely to…
Content type: Guide step
Other devices on which you might be logged inYou might have used Telegram on another phone or a computer. A good practice after doing so is to logout to make sure nobody can use your account without your permission. If you ever forget, Telegram allows you to terminate any session that is not on the current device you are using. We recommend checking this on a regular basis and removing everything you don't recognise. If you only use one device (such as your phone), this list should be empty.To…
Content type: Guide step
Otros dispositivos en los que puede haber iniciado sesión
Es posible que haya usado Telegram en otro teléfono o computadora. Una buena práctica después de hacerlo es cerrar la sesión para asegurarse de que nadie pueda usar su cuenta sin su permiso. Si alguna vez lo olvidas, Telegram te permite terminar cualquier sesión que no esté en el dispositivo actual que estás usando. Recomendamos verificar esto con regularidad y eliminar todo lo que no reconozca. Si solo usa un dispositivo (como su…
Content type: Guide step
Aceso al teléfono
Telegram te va a pedir permiso para usar el teléfono la primera vez que utilices esta aplicación. Esto sirve para el proceso de verificación, pero no debe ser usado después. Sin embargo, si no cambias este permiso, en teoría Telegram puede pasar llamadas a nombre tuyo. Recomendamos que revises los permisos de la aplicación para desactivar las funciones que no utilices, como el permiso para acceder a tu teléfono o tu ubicación. Probablemente vas a encontrar esto en la…
Content type: Guide step
PhoneThe first time you use Telegram it will ask for permissions to use your phone. This is used for the verification process but shouldn't be used later on. However, if you don't change this permission, Telegram is theoretically able to make phone calls on your behalf. We recommend you check the app's permissions to disable anything you don't use within the app, such as permission to access phone calls or location. You will likely find this in your phone settings rather than the app.To access…
Content type: Guide step
To access any of the settings discussed here
Open Telegram and tap the three bars on the top left corner
Tap Settings > Privacy and Security
Tap the desired setting
Visibilidad del número telefónico
Telegram pide un número telefónico para crear una cuenta. La configuración predeterminada permite que tus contactos vean tu número telefónico (podrían ser muchas personas si permites que la aplicación tenga acceso a tus contactos). Sin embargo, puedes configurar la visibilidad a “nadie”.…
Content type: Guide step
To access any of the settings discussed hereOpen Telegram and tap the three bars on the top left cornerTap Settings > Privacy and SecurityTap the desired settingPhone numberTelegram requires a phone number to create an account. By default, this phone number will be visible by your Telegram contacts. If you have given Telegram access to your contact books when creating your account, this means all these contact will be able to see your phone number and know that you are using Telegram. To…
Content type: Guide step
Chat history
If you know your device might be accessed and your Whatsapp conversations might be used against you, the chat history feature offers the opportunity to clean all your chats. “Delete all chats” will effectively delete all your conversations. Note that if you have chat backups enabled (we don’t recommend this), these conversations might still be available in the cloud. This setting also lets you export specific chats should you want to save it locally.
To access chat history:…
Content type: Guide step
Ajustes > Chats
Historial de chats: Esta función ofrece la oportunidad de limpiar todos tus chats si sabes que alguien podría acceder a tu dispositivo y tus conversaciones de Whatsapp podrían ser usadas en tu contra. “Eliminar todos los chats” eliminará efectivamente todas tus conversaciones. Ten en cuenta que si tienes activada la copia de seguridad de los chats (lo que no recomendamos), es posible que estas conversaciones todavía estén disponibles en la nube. Esta función también permite…
Content type: Video
This podcast is part of a special series from PI's Reproductive Rights and Privacy Project.
The series comes out on the last Monday of every month.
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast where ever you normally find your podcasts:
Spotify
Apple podcasts
Google podcasts
Castbox
Overcast
Pocket Casts
Peertube
Youtube
Stitcher
and more...
Content type: People
Nuno (he/him) is a Senior Technologist at PI. He conducts technical research, desk research and data analysis to inform our work and since joining has contributed to policy developments across several areas of PI's work.
Nuno is also coordinating our ongoing work on Public Education. The focus of this strand of work is the production and dissemination of trustworthy explainers and guides with the aim of assisting the public in enjoying their privacy rights in a more conscious and informed way.…
Content type: News & Analysis
IMSI catchers (or stingrays as they are known in the US) are one of the surveillance technologies that has come to the forefront again in the protests against police brutality and systemic racism that have been sparked by the murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020.
An International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher – in short an “IMSI catcher” – is an intrusive piece of technology that can be used to locate and track all mobile phones that are switched on in a certain area. It does so by…
Content type: Case Study
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei creates art that highlights the harmful effects of surveillance on society — and is himself a target of persistent surveillance by the Chinese government. In an article for Agence France-Presse, he said, "In my life, there is so much surveillance and monitoring -- my phone, my computer ... Our office has been searched, I have been searched, every day I am being followed, there are surveillance cameras in front of my house.”
Weiwei is an artist, blogger, documentary…
Content type: Long Read
Monday, 16 June 2025
It’s 7:33 am. Lila’s GoogBit watch vibrates. “You got 6 hours and 57 minutes of sleep last night, including 2 hours and 12 minutes of deep sleep”, the watch reads. “In total, you tossed and turned for 15 minutes only”. Taking into account Lila’s online browsing activity, her sleep pattern, the recent disruptions in some of her other biorhythms, as well as her daily schedule, GoogBit watch has calculated the very best minute to wake her up.