Latest news with #cyberstalking
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Midday Report Essentials for Wednesday 11 June 2025
technology environment about 1 hour ago In today's episode, the government is being warned there could be diplomatic retaliation from Israel after New Zealand joined with a number of other allies in imposing sanctions on two Israeli far-right ministers, a New Zealand vessel has pulled up six tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl, the four-laned, 11.5 kilometre Te Ahu a Tararanga - linking Manawatu and Tararua - has officially opened to traffic, and experts are warning women who use period tracking apps are a goldmine for advertisers, and information from them - in the wrong hands - could result in risks to job prospects, workplace monitoring, health insurance discrimination, cyberstalking, and limit access to abortion.
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
Period Data ‘Gold Mine' Poses Serious Health and Safety Risks, Report Finds
A new report highlights the dangers of menstrual tracking apps, which collect data that could jeopardize the safety and wellbeing of people who menstruate. Apps that help people track their menstrual cycle are data 'gold mines' for advertisers, a new report warns. Advertisers use this highly valuable data for customer profiling, allowing them to tailor marketing campaigns to specific groups of consumers. The report, published by the University of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy on Tuesday, June 10, explains that the risks to app users go far beyond just targeted ads. When this data falls into the wrong hands, it can affect users' job prospects and lead to workplace surveillance, health insurance discrimination, and cyberstalking. It has even been used to limit access to abortion in the U.S., the study warns. Hundreds of millions of people use period tracking apps. A 2024 study estimated that the number of global downloads for the three most popular apps exceeds 250 million. These platforms are run by companies that profit from the mountain of user data they collect—particularly pregnancy data. According to the University of Cambridge report, data on pregnancy is 200 times more valuable to advertisers than data on age, gender, or location. Investigations conducted in 2019 and 2020 by Privacy International, a U.K.-based nonprofit, found that multiple apps directly shared personal data with advertisers. A follow-up study published on May 28 found that while major menstrual app companies have improved their approach to data privacy, they still collect device data from users in the U.K. and U.S. with 'no meaningful consent.' Stefanie Felsberger, sociologist and lead author of the University of Cambridge report, interviewed period tracking app users in Austria to understand why they use them and what they track. She was surprised to find that many people she spoke with didn't think of their menstrual data as personal or intimate and were unaware of its incredible commercial value. 'Period tracking apps collect a vast number of different kinds of information,' Felsberger told Gizmodo. 'They don't just collect information about the menstrual cycle as such, they also collect information about people's reproductive choices, sexual activities, their wellbeing, health, [and] medication intake,' she said. These apps also gather background information about users, including their age, gender, IP addresses, app behavior, and device information, she added. 'We have limited and also changing knowledge about how and where this data has been shared and who has access to it,' Felsberger said. In the U.S., menstrual tracking apps are regulated as general wellness devices, so the data they collect don't get any special legal protections, she explained. Advertisers aren't the only ones who can exploit this lack of safeguarding to access menstrual data. Government officials can also get their hands on this information and use it to restrict abortion access. 'Menstrual tracking data is being used to control people's reproductive lives.' Felsberger's report highlights two such cases, though in these instances, menstrual data did not come specifically from period tracking apps. Still, they illustrate how governments can use this information to limit access to abortion at both state and federal levels. In 2019, Missouri's state health department used menstrual tracking data to investigate failed abortions. They also tracked patients' medical ID numbers, the gestational age of fetuses, and the dates of medical procedures. As a result of this investigation, the state attempted to withhold the license of St. Louis' Planned Parenthood clinic—the only abortion provider in the state at that time. This led to a year-long legal battle that ultimately restored the clinic's license. During President Donald Trump's first administration, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement tracked the menstrual cycles of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S. They aimed to prevent these minors from obtaining abortions even in cases of rape. A freedom of information request by MSNBC uncovered a spreadsheet containing dates of the minors' menstrual cycles, lengths of their pregnancies, whether the sex had been consensual, and whether they had requested an abortion. These cases underscore the dangers of failing to protect users' period tracking data, especially in a post-Dobbs world. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, abortion access has become deeply fragmented across the U.S. This procedure is currently banned in 13 states and access is significantly limited in an additional 11 states. In the European Union and the U.K., period tracking apps have more legal protections. 'But they are not often implemented very well,' Felsberger said. Their privacy policies tend to be 'very vague,' which makes it difficult for users to understand who can access their data. 'App developers and companies have a very large responsibility, because they do present themselves as providing people with this opportunity to learn about their menstrual cycles,' she said. 'I think they should also do their utmost to keep people's data safe and be transparent about the way that they use data.' There is also a need for stronger federal regulations, especially in the U.S., she added. Given that these apps offer valuable health insights, it's unrealistic to expect users to stop using them entirely. But Felsberger recommends switching to non-commercial period tracking apps that provide more data privacy. These platforms are run by non-profit organizations or research institutions that won't share your information with third parties. As the landscape of reproductive health becomes increasingly treacherous in the U.S., understanding how third parties may exploit your menstrual data has never been more important. 'Menstrual tracking data is being used to control people's reproductive lives,' Felsberger said in a University statement. 'It should not be left in the hands of private companies.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Brentwood Man Found Guilty of Stalking New Jersey Judge
A Brentwood man who threatened multiple New Jersey public officials with harassing emails and social media posts was convicted of cyberstalking in a Los Angeles federal courtroom. Jonathan Lipman, 36, first garnered attention from law enforcement when he posted threatening content on a Facebook page belonging to the Lacey Township Police Department, according to an indictment. That led to a complaint to the LAPD, who paid Lipman a visit and filed a restraining order that barred him from owning firearms, which led him, according to prosecutors, to escalate his attacks against Garden State officials, including Judge Kimarie Rahill. Rahill was the judge who signed an order barring Lipman from owning weapons, which garnered his increasing anger. In one email to the judge, the man allegedly included a picture of a shotgun, with the subject line reading, "Is a photo illegal?" The body of the message was blank, except for a winking emoticon, according to court documents. Another threat, Lipman wrote from his Brentwood home, read: 'If I want to put Judge Kimarie Rahill's head on a mantle all I need is a photo of her and a picture frame." Lipman has been in federal custody since September 2023, when he was arrested. He had been cyber-stalking public officials for eight months by then, according to federal prosecutors. During that time, prosecutors say, "Lipman sent dozens of emails to the victim, a New Jersey Superior Court judge, intending to harass, intimidate, and terrorize the victim." Lipman is facing five years in federal prison and will face a judge on October 3.
New York Times
10-05-2025
- New York Times
Ohio Man Sent Threats Saying He Had Bullets Etched With People's Names, U.S. Says
An Ohio man who over the past 10 months sent dozens of threatening messages to 34 people, including politicians and members of law enforcement, is facing criminal charges of cyberstalking and making threats, federal prosecutors said on Friday. The man, Ronald Lidderdale, sent 65 letters and emails, including some in which he said that he would send the recipients bullets with their names on them or said that he was prepared to kill them. Mr. Lidderdale, 39, who was described by officials as being from central Ohio, was arrested on Friday and appeared in federal court to face charges of making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking. He admitted to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents this week that he sent the letters and emails intending to incite fear 'with the goal of changing behavior,' prosecutors said. Some of the letters he sent contained a white powder that he claimed in writing was the lethal poison ricin, prosecutors said. The authorities did not say what the powder was. At least one of his letters was sent with a bullet with the last name of a public official etched onto it using a screwdriver. The targets of the messages were not publicly identified. The letters featured return addresses with various names of people around Columbus, Ohio. Last week, Mr. Lidderdale sent letters with a hit list of eight targets whom he said he would kill in May, according to court documents. It was unclear from court records whether Mr. Lidderdale had a lawyer. In the messages, according to prosecutors, Mr. Lidderdale used threatening language, warning recipients that they would 'receive the gift of their names etched onto a single bullet' and that 'their skull is the target the bullet is the gift.' In other messages, Mr. Lidderdale told the recipients, 'I will kill you for your ignorant loyalty to your pedophilic party,' adding that he would kill them 'for the good of The People.' 'Your death will come when you least expect it,' he wrote in one message. It was unclear if Mr. Lidderdale targeted a certain political party. He also sent threats to news outlets around Columbus. At times, Mr. Lidderdale sent multiple letters in a single day, including 10 he mailed on Jan. 17, court documents said. Federal investigators traced online communications back to Mr. Lidderdale, according to court documents. They then found surveillance footage of Mr. Lidderdale at post offices in Columbus, where some of the threatening letters were postmarked on the days they were mailed. On May 1, an online user messaged the F.B.I.'s National Threat Operations Center using the bureau's online portal and said that they wished to kill Ohio politicians and that the messenger's patience was running out. The message originated from an iPhone that was associated with Mr. Lidderdale, according to court documents. Agents responded to that message and offered to meet the sender, who agreed to call them on May 8. The sender called and then agreed to drive to the F.B.I. field office in Columbus. Mr. Lidderdale showed up driving the Hyundai Elantra that had been observed in connection to the threats sent from the post offices. He admitted to sending the threatening letters, according to court documents.
