Privacy

Facebook's regard for its users' privacy has once again come into question after a communications professor from the University of Southern Florida suggested that the media giant's mobile app could be using the iPhone's microphone to listen to conversations to glean information for advertising purposes. This would explain recent claims that ads pertaining to subjects that are spoken about while the app was open are showing up in people's feeds.

Opera Software ASA, makers of the Opera web browser have released a completely free and unlimited iPhone VPN solution. Opera VPN makes it possible to change your virtual location, which can unblock content and prevent trackers from following your web browsing. Typically, using unlimited data over a VPN service requires a subscription cost. Opera VPN seeks to change this model.

Convenience can be a good reason for a long search history. Instagram is no stranger to this concept, saving a list of recent searches on the iPhone for quick access. Saved information can include tags, Instagram users or any search term that's entered into the search field. While it may not often be necessary, it's good to know that the search history can easily be deleted.

The debate over privacy and security continues to swirl around Apple's legal battle with the FBI over iPhone encryption. In the meantime, observers are looking forward to two new iPhone designs this year. Details surrounding the upcoming iPhone SE and iPhone 7 continue to surface. Continue reading for more details on the top Apple news of the week.

Hardly a week goes by in which we don't hear about a major breach in cyber security, be it stolen credit card data from a major retailer like Target or Home Depot, to leaked personal data, like the celebrity photo leak on iCloud or the Sony Pictures hack. We've all heard about stolen identities and the nightmare the victims go through to get them back, constant attempts of corporate espionage, and cases of private citizens being surveilled under dubious circumstances and cyber stalking and bullying dramas seem to be a staple of both the Lifetime channel and the local news.