How Protecting Children Online Created a Privacy Nightmare for Everyone
The UK's Online Safety Act forces millions to hand over passport photos and selfies to private companies just to access games and social media. These companies have poor security records and often transfer your identity documents overseas without proper safeguards. Recent breaches prove this creates "honeypots" for hackers rather than protecting children, while tech-savvy kids bypass checks with VPNs. The government could solve this with a token system like DVLA share-codes, but refuses to admit their approach is fundamentally flawed.
NHS Cybersecurity and Data Handling
The NHS faces critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities that I've witnessed firsthand during extensive treatment across multiple trusts. From staff using personal devices with uncontrolled cloud sync to sharing credentials due to sluggish systems, the problems go far beyond policy failures. This article examines real-world security gaps, from "IWillHackYou" Wi-Fi networks to CDs-by-taxi data transfers, and offers practical solutions that work with healthcare realities rather than against them.
Data Breach Today, Your Problem Tomorrow: Why Victims Deserve More Than Apologies
When your data is stolen in a breach, the company gets fined, but you’re left picking up the pieces. This blog explores the need for a Digital FSCS: a restitution fund for breach victims, inspired by real-world failures and systemic neglect. Includes a free template letter you can send to your MP to call for change.
Who Owns Your Voice?
Your writing style is your fingerprint, and in the age of AI, it can be copied, flattened, or weaponised. This article explores stylometry, voice mimicry, and the risks of outsourcing your voice to AI. Are you protecting your identity... or losing it? Read on to discover why your voice might be more valuable than you think.
Drag, Drop, Disclose: When Convenience Clouds Consent
Cloud-based PDF converters offer instant convenience—but at what cost? This post explores how services like Adobe’s drag-and-drop PDF tool may store, analyse, or profile your data without clear warning or consent. Learn what this means under UK GDPR, what your rights are, and how to stay in control of your files.
Why Are Scam Emails Getting So Weird?
Tired of clumsy, obviously fake emails pretending to be from the DVLA, NHS, or HMRC? You’re not alone. A new wave of scam emails, mass-produced by cheap AI kits and spam tools, is hitting inboxes everywhere. Here’s how to spot these “sloppy phish,” why they’re a risk to everyone (especially vulnerable users), and what to do when you see one.
When Your AI Becomes Your ID
As AI moves from assisting us to authenticating us, our digital identity becomes both more convenient and more vulnerable. This article explores the promise and peril of AI-powered identity providers, and asks: what happens when your digital assistant becomes the only key to your online life?
From Ciphertext to Seaside: Cracking RSA with Pen and Python
A hands-on RSA cryptography walkthrough ... from toy examples to real-world puzzle solving using Fermat’s factorisation. Learn how a weak key and some clever maths reveal a hidden English town.
We Deserve Better Than Postcards in Cyberspace
Despite years of data protection law and awareness campaigns, organisations still ask people to send highly sensitive documents via insecure email. This post challenges that norm, shares personal experiences, and empowers consumers with a practical checklist and their rights under UK GDPR.
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