In a recent and quite revelatory turn of events, Google has conceded a point that privacy advocates have long suspected: even when you’re browsing in ‘Incognito’ mode in Google Chrome, you’re not quite as incognito as you might think. This acknowledgment comes in the wake of a $5 billion settlement to dodge a lawsuit from 2020, shining a spotlight on the often-misunderstood realm of digital privacy.

The Internet Patrol is very happy to announce that we have been judged one of the top 50 safety, security and survival blogs in the world! The award, awarded by security outfit Security Search, out of New Zealand (go All Blacks!) went to fifty sites dealing with various aspects of security, including online security, family safety, senior safety, self defense, and survival.

Google is hard at work on a lot of things, including one of the most important and difficult things of all: improving Internet security. Five years ago, Google introduced Safe Browsing, an effort designed to protect Internet users – people who browse with Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, as well as anyone who searches the Web with Google – from malware and phishing. Through this effort, Google detects, among other things, 9,500 malicious sites every day. Allow us to repeat that: Google detects 9,500 malicious sites every day.

The Lieberman Collins “Cybersecurity and Internet Freedom Act” (CIFA) – so designated because the proposed law is being sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and co-sponsored by Senator Susan Collins of Maine and also Senator Tom Carper of Delaware (and perhaps, more strategically important, supported by the Obama administration), is intended to help tighten up cyber security and thwart cyber attacks. Ironically, however, say opponents, this ‘Internet freedom act’ means exactly the opposite for businesses, particularly businesses that are designated as “critical infrastructure” companies. That is because CIFA would mandate – require – businesses to meet a Federal standard of network security, and out of their own pocket. (The full text of the proposed legislation is below.)

We are very proud to announce that The Internet Patrol is listed as #8 in the Forensic Science Technician’s list of the 50 Best Safety and Security sites!