Thomas Kent
Thomas Kent is a multi-disciplined reporter with over a decade of experience covering online platforms, digital trends, and consumer-facing tech.
He has written extensively about internet culture and emerging technologies through his work with Valnet and the Woolwich Observer, where he reported on platform ecosystems, digital behavior, and the evolving relationship between users and technology.
Tom focuses on digital privacy, data tracking, and user behavior, with a particular interest in how cookies, online surveillance, and platform design shape the modern internet experience. His reporting takes a research-driven, news-focused approach, translating complex technical topics into clear, accessible insights.
He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Waterloo, along with a journalism diploma from Conestoga College.
- Moneywise
- The Woolwich Observer
- Hardcore Gamer
- Moneysense
- PolicyMe
- Online Privacy
- Data Security
- Cookies
- Journalism diploma from Conestoga College
- Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Waterloo
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Waterloo
- Mac or PC: PC
- Android or iPhone: Android
Thomas's Latest Articles
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Your Twitch Chat Trains Amazon's AI, Even If You Never Stream
Viewers don’t control what happens to their own chat messages.
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Why Is YouTube Asking Me To Verify My Age? Here's What Happens When YouTube's AI Is Wrong
YouTube now estimates your age from your activity, and challenging its decision can mean sharing an ID, selfie, card, digital ID, or email address. Here’s what the AI's guess can cost you.
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'Dystopian' London Underground Face Scanners To Expand Despite 530,000 Failed Scans
The force scanned more than half a million faces, identified no wanted people, and falsely flagged one innocent traveler.
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ICE Wants AI to Track Your Face Across Social Media; Palantir and LexisNexis Could Cash In
ICE is seeking technology that can reconstruct people’s identities from facial images, device data, behavioral signals, and billions of public and commercial records.
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The Password Problem Putting America’s Drinking Water at Risk
Hackers have targeted water facilities in at least 12 states, and federal investigators warn that similar third-party network setups may let them repeat successful attacks.
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A Court Fined Meta $942 Million for Failing Kids. Adults Will Pay in Privacy.
Meta's massive New Mexico child-safety judgment shows why tech companies are under growing pressure to prove who's a child, even if that means checking adults, too.
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Walmart Took a Voiceprint 'As Unique As Fingerprints' Without Asking, Suits Say
A lawsuit claims Walmart collected callers’ biometric voiceprints without consent — data that banks use to verify customers.
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EU Chat Control, Explained: Which Messages Can Be Scanned (And Which Can't)
EU Chat Control lets some apps voluntarily scan unencrypted private messages for child abuse material. Here's what's in scope, what's excluded, and how to keep your conversations private.
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The Privacy Trade-Off Hidden in the Newly-Advanced U.S. Kids Safety Bill
The Senate unanimously advanced the Kids Online Safety Act, but key privacy questions remain as lawmakers debate how best to protect children online.
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Tim Cook Warned Against Encryption "Backdoors" Years Ago — Now Apple Is Taking the UK to Court
Apple's latest legal battle could have implications that reach far beyond the UK.
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This Biotech Giant Just Admitted to Exposing Your Private Health Data in Yet Another Data Breach
Amgen says hackers stole protected health information from third-party cloud systems. Here's why healthcare keeps attracting cybercriminals, and how you can protect yourself.
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Anthropic's Claude AI 'Goes Rogue,' Hacks 3 Organizations — Elon Musk Warns 'This Will Happen Frequently'
As AI grows more powerful, are today's testing safeguards enough?
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Google Is Bringing Age Verification to Apps Without IDs or Selfies. Here's How It Works
Google's new Play Age Signals system shares age ranges instead of IDs or selfies. Advocates say questions about online age verification remain.
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Elon Musk's X Slams Australia's Under-16 Social Media Law as an International Overreach
Australia wants broader powers to enforce its under-16 social media ban, but X argues the proposal would overstep international law and expand the regulator's reach too far.
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Sen. Ron Wyden Says Older VPNs Have Become a Target for Hackers. Here's Why
Sen. Ron Wyden is urging federal agencies to replace aging, internet-facing VPN systems with zero-trust technology after years of damaging cyberattacks.
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Pokémon Wants Your Face Before You Can Buy Trading Cards
Customers at official Pokémon Card Stores in Japan will need to consent to facial recognition before receiving an entry ticket under a new anti-scalping policy.
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U.S. Border Agents Can Search Your Phone Without Suspicion, Federal Court Rules
A federal appeals court ruled that border agents can manually search travelers' phones without individualized suspicion, drawing criticism from digital privacy advocates.
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Your Gig App May Know More About You Than You Think — California Launches First-Ever Privacy Audit
California regulators are investigating whether gig economy platforms properly disclose the personal data they collect and use to make decisions about workers.
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Your Bank May Leak Your Data to Advertisers, Even If You Reject Cookies
New research suggests some financial institutions continued sharing sensitive information with advertising platforms even before users consented… and after they rejected tracking altogether.
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France Just Approved a Social Media Ban and Your Privacy Could Be Next
French lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a ban on social media accounts for children under 15. But enforcing it could require millions of users to prove their age online.
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You Never Signed Up. AI Recruiters May Have Built a Profile on You Anyway
Platforms like SeekOut say they can search more than 1 billion candidate profiles built from your profiles across the web, without your consent.