Violet Blue
Engadget
San Francisco, CA, United States
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Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Violet:
After US Capitol assault, a different cybersecurity threat emerges
The insurrection at the Capitol had many worried about nation-state actors. It turns out, the real threat could be much closer to home. → Read More
Everything you need to know about getting a VPN
Here's a list of the best VPN services you can get right now, plus advice on how to choose the best VPN for you. → Read More
How it feels to survive Silicon Valley and a pandemic
It shouldn’t feel like it took a pandemic to get Twitter to boot 7,000 QAnon accounts (and crack down on 150,000 more related to the violent conspiracy group), but it does. At least Twitter is doing harm mitigation around its role in this interconnected disaster. Five months in, you’d think 145,000 American deaths would move platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to ban virus “truther”… → Read More
It’s time to start using a password manager: Here’s how
These are the best password managers you can use to keep your information safe and secure. → Read More
Twitter's Bitcoin hackers had almost limitless access
Imagine getting the keys to the Twitter kingdom -- access to all the account admin panels in the world. What would you do? If you're any kind of seasoned attacker, you wouldn't blow your own cover by tweeting from the world's biggest accounts -- for a bitcoin scam. → Read More
Hype and hope: Wearables in the covid era
It’s a pretty cool idea, but my point is that it’s the app making the claim, and not necessarily the ring. → Read More
The Trojan Horse in Trump’s anti-Twitter executive order
The order’s gist centers on the White House belief (or rather, tactic) that fact-checking the White House or its allies constitutes anti-conservative bias. So yeah, here we go with Section 230 (again). FOSTA was vague and sought to neuter Section 230, too. → Read More
Yes, the Patriot Act amendment to track us online is real
Looks like more bad news with the renewal of the Patriot Act/USA Freedom Act — and its terrible provision to allow government collection of Americans’ internet browsing and search histories without a warrant. → Read More
How to secure your video calls like a pro
During a cyberpunk dystopia, a highly contagious pandemic, and tons of leadership incompetence, it's surprising that video call privacy and security is pissing me off the most. → Read More
Contact tracing apps are coming whether we like it or not
Can you imagine trying to get 80 percent of Americans, from the privacy and security aware to coronavirus “truthers,” to download a tracking app? It could also save a lot of money; our economy is bleeding out before our eyes. → Read More
Zoom is now 'the Facebook of video apps'
A lot of us are wondering just how full of crap Zoom is. Acting like Facebook is already bad, even more so now that we’re all fighting for our lives. → Read More
The surveillance profiteers of COVID-19 are here
Our worlds are so upside-down and backwards right now that Wired claims Surveillance Could Save Lives Amid a Public Health Crisis, and privacy activist Maciej Cegłowski flat-out stated We Need A Massive Surveillance Program. → Read More
We need to talk about sex, tech and COVID-19
When asked about coronavirus and dating safety earlier this week, Bumble mumbled to press about its video chat features — evasions on par with how the company avoids talking about sexual health. Grindr is at least up-front about the topic; even still, the hookup app has no info on the erotic quandaries of quarantine. Tinder, for its part, has acknowledged the coronavirus. But rather than… → Read More
Coronavirus bursts Big Tech’s bubble
Virus enthusiasts from all over the world converged in San Francisco this week for America's largest security event: RSA Conference 2020. Before it began, four... → Read More
It doesn’t matter if China hacked Equifax
On Monday the FBI and AG Barr announced "an indictment last week charging four members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) with hacking into the compu... → Read More
Phishing scams leveled up and we didn’t
More than a bit of "I'm smarter than you" politics creates the divide between hacking headlines and what we actually need to worry about. On one side, researche... → Read More
Your online activity is now effectively a social ‘credit score’
Kaylen Ward's Twitter fundraiser for the Australian bushfire relief has ended. The Los Angeles-based model said she raised $1 million (by comparison Jeff Bezos... → Read More
How home assistants ruined us, an explanation
Our situation became clear when my friend ran through Trader Joe's screaming "ALEXA WHAT TIME IS IT?" This wasn't a cringey mockumentary comedy segment. It's th... → Read More
Security fails we’re kinda thankful for
As we gather 'round the fire warming our facepalm-weary hands, the blaze burning bright with the shreds of our privacy and security, it's important to reflect o... → Read More
That Apple Card may not be as private as you think
Apple's new credit card may not be as private as you think. → Read More