privacy - Blog - Andreas Wiebe

30 Jun 2025

2 min

Failures in the Digital World – When Facial Recognition Becomes a Tool of Control

Facial recognition technologies often operate in the shadows and without the knowledge of those being observed. In social networks and platforms like Clearview AI, millions of photos have been collected and stored in databases — entirely without consent. [...]

23 Apr 2025

2 min

Spring Discounts at Swisscows – Get 15% Off Everything Now!

Spring is here, and it’s bringing not just fresh air, but fresh discounts too! To celebrate the warmer days, we’ve got an exclusive offer for you: 15% off all our products – for a limited time only! No tracking, no ads, no data sharing. Your digital freedom is our priority. [...]

Tags: Swisscows Discounts Get 15% Swisscows VPN Swisscows E-Mail Swisscows Platinum

25 Mar 2024

2 min

What is a VPN and how does it work?

The VPN software or app establishes an encrypted connection between the device and a VPN server. This can be located in the same country or in another country, depending on the purpose. This connection is also known as a VPN tunnel. [...]

Tags: Swisscows VPN VPN VPN tunnel encrypted privacy IP address

12 Jan 2023

2 min

Is facial recognition dangerous?

it is used to monitor certain public places, recognize people in social media, or optimize security measures at train stations or airports. But problems can quickly arise if the people concerned are not informed and do not give their consent. [...]

Tags: Facial recognition dangerous TECHNOLOGY recognize Legal privacy

09 Nov 2022

2 min

Apple Is Tracking You Even When Its Own Privacy Settings Say It’s Not

According to a new report by independent researchers, though, Apple collects extremely detailed information on you with its own apps even when you turn off tracking, an apparent direct contradiction of Apple’s own description of how the privacy protection works. [...]

Tags: Apple Apple-Apps Tracking privacy privacymatters settings

04 Aug 2022

2 min

Australia wants to identify all social media users with digital IDs

Anyone who spends time on social media and is active there is to be able to be uniquely identified with a digital ID in Australia from now on. There is a lot of discussion about biometric and digital identification. [...]

Tags: Australia digital ID Social Media Identity programs misinformation privacy

01 Jul 2022

2 min

VR goggles Oculus Rift turn out to be a data hunter

Once upon a time, these very special VR glasses started as a Kickstarter and as an independent project, but now the situation looks very different. The Oculus Rift VR goggles function like a giant data hunter on Facebook. [...]

Tags: Oculus-Rift VR goggles data hunter facebook collect data privacy

27 Jun 2022

2 min

Zoom plans to read emotions from the faces

As a globally popular program, Zoom now intends to also scan the emotions of conference participants in the future so that their faces can be read accordingly. Civil rights activists are sounding the alarm. [...]

Tags: Zoom emotion scanner videocall privacy monitored

09 May 2022

2 min

Meta and Apple apparently passed on user data to criminals

According to media reports, there was a recent leak of sensitive user data. Both Apple and Meta were affected. Emergency requests were misused for this, but they were not genuine. [...]

Tags: Meta Apple user data criminals hackers privacy

17 Jan 2022

2 min

Vulnerable due to weak passwords

If you want to protect yourself from criminal attacks from the net, you have to choose a secure password. Weak passwords automatically increase the risk. Only a few companies actually succeed in enforcing [...]

Tags: passwords privacy guidelines stolen password Two-factor authentication phishing attacks

08 Dec 2021

1 min

Swisscows Privacy Search

Finally we can offer you app from our data secure search engine Swisscows, which serves for absolute security. Swisscows App enables secure web search and provides optimal and non-manipulated search results, privately and [...]

Tags: Swisscows privacy PrivateSearch data-safe anonymous safety

08 Dez. 2021

1 min

Swisscows Privacy Search App

Endlich können wir Ihnen App von unserer datensicherer Suchmaschine Swisscows anbieten, die zur absoluten Sicherheit dient. Swisscows [https://swisscows.com/] App ermöglicht eine sichere Websuche und bietet optimale und nicht manipulierte Suchergebnisse, privat [...]

Tags: Swisscows App privacy Search PrivateSearch Suchmaschine

03 Dec 2021

2 min

Advantages and disadvantages of the nude photo filter for iMessage

The special nude photo filter for iMessage will soon be on all Apple user devices. However, this is a very controversial feature. This will be loaded onto every iPhone with the new update. [...]

Tags: iMessage Filter Photo Image privacy analyze

24 Nov 2021

1 min

The demographics of cybercrime

Research has shown that there are indeed groups of the population who are more exposed to cybercrime. These include mostly uneducated and low-income groups. So cybercrime does not affect everyone equally. Certain demographic [...]

Tags: cybercrime demographics threat Internet security privacy

26 Mar 2020

4 min

Beware! Corona virus - License for mass surveillance?!

In Austria, Italy and Germany, people are monitored by respective telecommunications providers, this is now being discussed in Switzerland. Is cell phone tracking a sensible solution to contain the corona virus, or will the state have a powerful mass surveillance tool at its feet? [...]

Tags: Corona virus surveillance telecommunications cell phone tracking privacy

19 Aug. 2019

2 min

Der Weg zur totalen Überwachung

Die Polizei in Wales will eine App testen, die es Polizisten ermöglicht, vor Ort die Identität einer kontrollierten Person auszumachen. Es ist jedoch ein sehr heiss umstrittenes Thema, da stark in die Grundrechte des Menschen eingegriffen wird, was einigen gar nicht gefällt. [...]

Tags: Polizei App Gesichtserkennung Überwachung Datenschutz privacymatters

24 Jun 2019

1 min

Saxony-Anhalt gets out on Facebook

Saxony-Anhalt has now also recognized it. Saxony-Anhalt will be the first federal state to remove its Facebook presence from the net. It has recognized that data protection is an important issue and wants to close the Facebook page with more than 12,000 subscribers. [...]

Tags: facebook data protection privacy privacymatters

22 May 2019

3 min

Into the Stasi era with Alexa

When Amazon introduced the voice-operated assistant, the world was thrilled. After all, it's also a good idea, because with Alexa you can play music, set an alarm or manage calendars, and all that is voice-controlled. [...]

Tags: amazon Alexa privacy secure Cam Cyber

21 May 2019

1 min

Google with new business model "Privacy"

You can earn a lot of money with user data. Google is a showcase example. No other company knows us better and because of this data, the group can place ads perfectly. [...]

Tags: Google Datenschutz privacymatters privacy secure Search Engigen

13 May 2019

1 min

Where the state intervenes in our privacy

As you may have heard, the EU countries are planning to collect biometric data of citizens in Europe. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) considers the collection to be "absolutely necessary". But why? [...]

Tags: privacy privacymatters fingerprints chip

13 May 2019

2 min

Why DuckDuckGo should NOT be trusted…

DuckDuckGo is good enough to reduce the tracking of advertisers and to reduce the data profile as much as possible, but does not offer the protection that some hope for. [...]

Tags: privacymatters secure monitoring privacy DuckDuckGo Swisscows

10 Apr 2019

2 min

Why Swisscows has what it takes to become a serious competitor to Google

he search engine Swisscows launched in 2014 wants to stand up to Google and become a serious competitor. Why this is not hot air, is obvious. [...]

Tags: Swisscows Google privacymatters privacy monitoring