People have parroted that old cyber-security phrase - 'depends on the threat model' - so often, so quickly, and so vacuously, that I find my toes curling at the sound of it. But after a run-in with the mods on Reddit's /r/privacy, some noteworthy gaffs came up which made the old phrase feel new.

It started with …

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I wonder if people might struggle less with computer security if we employed metaphors for previous technology.

People have attempted to get videos off the internet, showing a clear misunderstanding how how computers work. If they thought in terms of many people photocopying a picture, I'm sure they would understand …

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The basic idea seems to be that if the user wants to install random, unaudited software, they can safely do so without worry that the application will steal their contacts, record their voice, or otherwise engage in bad behaviour. What keeps the user safe is the ability to allow or deny an app access to these various …
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