“Fix It Already” is an initiative launched by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights group based in California. This was to highlight the 9 major security issues that need to be fixed by big tech companies, social media platforms, operating systems, and others.
According to EFF, these issues are either security flaw putting users’ data at risk or due to the wrong implementation of business decisions.
Following are the 9 issues that were raised by EFF:
1. The phone number that Facebook users put up to receive alerts (mostly for security purposes) is shared with advertisers. EFF suggested that this should remain private, which will not only secure users’ data but also help the company improve its image.
2. iCloud is an important feature for Apple users. The company should let users encrypt their iCloud backups, as Apple can access data anytime.
3. Android users should be given an option to enable or disable the permission to apps, to have full control of whether they want to share access with app creator or not.
4. Slack users who have a free account should be given complete access to its messages, which are retained by Slack, even after the account holder decides to leave Slack. Messages are still withheld for an indefinite time.
5. Twitter has not enabled encryption to DMs on the platform and can read messages anytime. Users should be given security assurance by the social media platform.
7. AppFlash is a pre-installed app on Verizon mobiles which is spyware and also share details of installed apps on mobile with Verizon partners. Users should be given an option to delete or disable it.
8. Whenever you are added in a WhatsApp group, no permission is required. You either have to block the group or leave. The messaging app should introduce a feature of first taking permission before adding to a group.
9. People who use Windows 10 and does not sign to Microsoft should be allowed to keep disk encryption to themselves without having to share it with the Microsoft. This is termed as a huge business encryption mechanism failure from the companies’ side.
Users are also welcomed by the EFF to share the issue they face so these can be added to the list of “Fix It Already” page.
Read Next: Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber: How Tech Companies Find Leaks
According to EFF, these issues are either security flaw putting users’ data at risk or due to the wrong implementation of business decisions.
Following are the 9 issues that were raised by EFF:
1. The phone number that Facebook users put up to receive alerts (mostly for security purposes) is shared with advertisers. EFF suggested that this should remain private, which will not only secure users’ data but also help the company improve its image.
2. iCloud is an important feature for Apple users. The company should let users encrypt their iCloud backups, as Apple can access data anytime.
3. Android users should be given an option to enable or disable the permission to apps, to have full control of whether they want to share access with app creator or not.
4. Slack users who have a free account should be given complete access to its messages, which are retained by Slack, even after the account holder decides to leave Slack. Messages are still withheld for an indefinite time.
5. Twitter has not enabled encryption to DMs on the platform and can read messages anytime. Users should be given security assurance by the social media platform.
Also Read: Several 18-24 year olds have chosen hacking as their profession... and it is not a bad thing!6. Users of Venmo, a mobile payment service owned by PayPal should be given a choice to hide their friend list, which could be a great security risk.
7. AppFlash is a pre-installed app on Verizon mobiles which is spyware and also share details of installed apps on mobile with Verizon partners. Users should be given an option to delete or disable it.
8. Whenever you are added in a WhatsApp group, no permission is required. You either have to block the group or leave. The messaging app should introduce a feature of first taking permission before adding to a group.
9. People who use Windows 10 and does not sign to Microsoft should be allowed to keep disk encryption to themselves without having to share it with the Microsoft. This is termed as a huge business encryption mechanism failure from the companies’ side.
Users are also welcomed by the EFF to share the issue they face so these can be added to the list of “Fix It Already” page.
Read Next: Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber: How Tech Companies Find Leaks
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