all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es solución de privacidad más completa"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin publicidad. La privacidad por bandera."],"People before profits":["Nos importan las personas, no los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas del ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } de Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico con apoyo de la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Crea varias direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Alias de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Date de baja rápidamente de boletines"],"Use your own domain name":["Usa tu propio nombre de dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Hablan de nosotros"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Apuesta por un servicio de correo electrónico cifrado que protege tu privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Rebajas de Black Friday de Proton: hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Contrata Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento en las rebajas de Black Friday. Encontrarás nuestros planes de correo electrónico cifrado de extremo a extremo al mejor precio."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Correo electrónico seguro con hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["* A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorras ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["−${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Adoro ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias, Proton, por brindarnos protección en este mundo salvaje de Internet."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Dan justo lo que prometen. Si las grandes tecnológicas te ofrecen algo gratis, se aprovechan de ti, por eso dejé de usar Gmail y me pasé a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["días"],"Hours":["horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personaliza tu bandeja de entrada"],"Safe from trackers":["Evita los rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantenlo todo en orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["Lee testimonios de otras personas"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiere tus datos de Google con un clic"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega con privacidad. Incluye ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países. Conecta hasta 10 dispositivos, acceder a servicios de streaming de todo el mundo, dispón de la protección de bloqueadores de malware y anuncios, etc."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparte tu calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulta calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 alias de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, alias ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Gestiona hasta 25 calendarios protegidos con cifrado de extremo a extremo y con opción, por ejemplo, de importar los de Google con un solo clic."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Hay problemas con el servicio de Proton VPN en estos momentos"],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Ten presente que, en estos momentos, el servicio de ${ issues[0] } está dando problemas de funcionamiento."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["Uno o varios servicios están dando problemas de funcionamiento en estos momentos."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategoría","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No has encontrado lo que buscabas?"],"General contact":["Contacto para consultas generales"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto para cuestiones legales"],"Media contact":["Contacto para prensa y medios de comunicación"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboraciones"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Consulta la página de asistencia para productos de Proton"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["No hay ningún artículo aún en esta categoría."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Selecciona ---"],"App version":["Versión de la aplicación"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Comprueba a ver si te sirve"],"Choose a category for your question":["Elige la categoría de tu consulta"],"Choose a product":["Elegir producto"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["¿Te ha resultado útil para resolver el problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Haz unos cuantos clics para obtener ayuda más rápidamente. Haz tu selección."],"No, contact support":["No, contactar con el equipo de asistencia"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por tus comentarios"],"Troubleshooting":["Solución de problemas"],"What can we help with ?":["¿Cómo podemos ayudarte?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta de búsqueda"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, informa del problema desde la aplicación Bridge: Ayuda > Notificar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la cuenta"],"Contacts":["Contactos"],"Custom email domain":["Dominio de correo electrónico personalizado"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Envío de correos electrónico y spam"],"Encryption":["Cifrado"],"Login and password":["Inicio de sesión y contraseña"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Fusionar seudónimos y cuentas"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migrar a Proton"],"Notifications":["Notificaciones"],"Other":["Otro"],"Plans and billing":["Planes y facturación"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Regístrate"],"Storage":["Almacenamiento"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Usuarios, direcciones e identidades"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Selecciona un tema"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Con sede en Suiza"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Premios"],"Customers":["Clientes"],"Featured":["Destacado"],"Go to testimonial source":["Ir a la fuente del testimonio"],"Reviews":["Opiniones"],"Videos":["Vídeos"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Encuentra el plan más adecuado para tus necesidades"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Si necesitas ayuda, consulta nuestra ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Es posible que la página que buscas haya sido eliminada o que sea un\nenlace antiguo."]},"Title":{"On this page":["En esta página"],"Related articles":["Artículos relacionados"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["Compartir ${ thisPage }"],"Thank you!":["¡Gracias!"],"this page":["esta página"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Más información"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Crea hasta 20 calendarios personalizados y cifrados que puedes compartir con otras personas, y añade además hasta 5 calendarios de amigos, familiares, compañeros y organizaciones."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega en privado. Tendrás a tu disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega en privado. Tendrás a tu disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, 10 conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Historial de versiones"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Almacena hasta ${ versionHistoryNumber } versiones de cada archivo durante ${ years } años como máximo"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["Ver planes de VPN"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega con privacidad"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
On October 28, 2021, Facebook announced the rebranding of its parent company from Facebook to Meta. Since then, the term “metaverse” has been a hot topic of discussion.
From facial expressions to biometric data, the metaverse has the potential to collect new and vast amounts of personal information, allowing Meta to target participants with even more personalized ads. With the metaverse, Meta’s ad-based business model poses an even greater threat to online privacy.
What is the metaverse?
While Meta may have repopularized the term, the concept of a metaverse has long existed in the pages of sci-fi novels. Author Neal Stephenson first coined the term in 1992 in his book Snow Crash, where he sketched out a virtual world his characters could escape to as means of avoiding their dystopian reality.
According to Stephenson, the metaverse refers to a “convergence of physical, augmented, and virtual reality in a shared online space”, allowing people to interact with others through 3D avatars.
Will there be only one metaverse?
Since Snow Crash’s publication, various developments have been made toward a real metaverse. Games like Fortnite and Roblox already provide an immersive environment where you can socialize with other people beyond a simple computer screen.
However, by using technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), Meta wants to go a step further and make the metaverse a reality. VR refers to technologies that replace a real-life environment with a virtual one, whereas AR augments your surroundings by adding digital elements to a live view.
Meta’s vision of the metaverse consists of social hubs where you can connect, work, play, and shop using a digital avatar, but it isn’t the only one trying to build a 3D virtual reality space.
In fact, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Epic Games are all developing their own versions of the metaverse. At the end of 2021, Microsoft announced Mesh(new window), a collaborative platform that uses mixed reality technologies to make online meetings more personal and engaging. Nvidia markets its Omniverse(new window) as a “development platform for 3D simulation and design collaboration”.
As VR and AR technologies advance, more and more tech giants will focus on building metaverse platforms.
The privacy risks of the metaverse
Compared to traditional social media platforms, the metaverse could create even more avenues for data collection. The technologies underpinning the metaverse — VR headsets and augmented reality glasses — can track eye movement and determine what the participant is focusing on.
It can pick up physiological responses and biometric information such as heart rate, pupil dilation, and vocal inflections, revealing subconscious interests and preferences. Heart monitors can also pick up neural or heart problems even before the participant feels symptoms. The US Patent and Trademark Office has already approved some eye- and face-tracking technology patents(new window) for use in the metaverse.
This depth of information would allow Meta to build eerily intimate profiles of participants, alerting them to inclinations or health problems that people themselves aren’t aware of. This could present new avenues for Meta to manipulate the participants in the metaverse without their consent.
According to Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen(new window), as the metaverse expands, participants will have to install cameras and microphones throughout their homes to generate fully interactive experiences. These cameras would capture everything from the appearance and layout of a participant’s home to the minute details of their daily routines.
With such a setup, Meta would have real-time insight into people’s everyday lives, giving them unprecedented amounts of data they can collect and use for nefarious purposes. As Meta’s losses in the metaverse continue to grow(new window), the company has a greater incentive to extend their existing privacy-invasive business model to the metaverse to make a profit for its shareholders.
Can Meta be trusted to build the metaverse?
Given that the metaverse enables unprecedented levels of data collection, a critical question remains: Who should be trusted to build it?
Meta is no stranger to controversy when it comes to data privacy. The company has been involved in several major data breaches in the past:
Meta has had a long history of failing to protect people and their privacy on its platform. But it has proven to be an even worse moderator of its own social media platform. While Facebook claims to remove more than 90% of hate speech published on its site, the actual figure is only 3 to 5%(new window).
Given its record of data breaches and privacy violations, we should not trust Meta to build the metaverse.
What would a metaverse that respected privacy look like?
The real promise of the metaverse lies in its new data-rich experiences and services that can enhance our lives. However, for it to be successful, the metaverse should embody some core principles to ensure your safety and privacy.
Interoperability
For one, the metaverse should be open and interoperable to prevent the creation of walled gardens. This interoperability is crucial in connecting people and providing them with a unified and seamless experience. An open metaverse would also mean people are not locked in on a single platform and can easily transfer their digital assets from one service to another.
Decentralization
What makes the metaverse potentially harmful is that a handful of powerful corporations will have the ability to mediate every aspect of our lives, selling access to our personal data to the highest bidder. However, decentralizing the metaverse would mean that no single entity “owns” or has the power to sell our information. A decentralized metaverse would enable us to enjoy a new world of possibilities where we are fully in control of our virtual experiences.
Switching from an ad-based model to a subscription model
The metaverse should offer an unparalleled user experience by breaking away from Big Tech’s traditional ad-based business model. Rather than operating as a service designed to extract data and monetize people’s lives, the metaverse should utilize a subscription model to avoid ads and maintain user privacy.
Consent to data collection and marketing
If an ad-supported metaverse must exist, then all data collection should require the consent of participants. With the impending deprecation of cookies(new window) and cookie-based marketing, companies and brands can start from a clean slate and support more privacy-first tracking alternatives in the metaverse.
We need to be ready
The metaverse is likely the next stage of the internet’s evolution as 3D experiences continue to blur the line between fiction and reality. However, similar to the rise of social media, lawmakers can take a long time to react to new technologies like the metaverse.
Despite its potential pitfalls, the metaverse promises to offers us new and interactive experiences where we can work, play, and socialize with each other. Its advent offers us another chance to redefine data protection and put privacy and consent at the forefront of our new virtual societies.
Google is one of the biggest obstacles to privacy. The Big Tech giant may offer
quick access to information online, but it also controls vast amounts of your
personal or business data.
Recently, more people are becoming aware of the actual price you
If you’re a United States citizen or permanent resident, you have a Social
Security number (SSN). This number is the linchpin of much of your existence,
linked to everything from your tax records to your credit cards. Theft is a
massive problem, whic
Compromised passwords are a common issue and probably one of the biggest
cybersecurity threats for regular people. How do passwords get compromised, and
is there anything you can do to prevent it?
* What does compromised password mean?
* How do pa
WeTransfer is a popular service used by millions worldwide to send large files.
You may have wondered if it’s safe or whether you should use it to share
sensitive files. We answer these questions below and present a WeTransfer
alternative that may su
Dictionary attacks are a common method hackers use to try to crack passwords and
break into online accounts.
While these attacks may be effective against people with poor account security,
it’s extremely easy to protect yourself against them by usi
Data breaches are increasingly common. Whenever you sign up for an online
service, you provide it with personal information that’s valuable to hackers,
such as email addresses, passwords, phone numbers, and more. Unfortunately, many
online services f