This week’s episode of “Congress Tries To Cope With The 21st Century” is all about e-mail, and how much privacy yours gets. [More]
privacy
PSA: You Need To Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings Again To Opt Out Of New Targeted Ads
By 6.2.16
Facebook announced in recent weeks that they’re expanding their advertising empire. With that change, came a stealthy new privacy setting for users — one that all of us are opted-in to by default. [More]
Over 427M Hacked Myspace Passwords Set Loose Online
By 5.27.16
Okay, okay, we know what you’re thinking: “Myspace?” you scoff, “It’s 2016! I haven’t had a Myspace account since I was a kid! My gosh, what’s next, CompuServe?” [More]
Is Facebook Trying To Scuttle Facial-Recognition Lawsuit By Changing Illinois Law?
By 5.27.16
Earlier this month, a federal court gave the go-ahead to a lawsuit alleging that Facebook’s photo-scanning, facial-recognition feature violated Illinois state law. Having lost that legal battle, it looks like Facebook may be trying to get out of the lawsuit by simply changing that Illinois law. [More]
Bill Requiring Security Backdoors On Phones & Other Devices Appears To Be DOA
By 5.27.16
Last month, Senators Diane Feinstein of California and Richard Burr of North Carolina were set to bring forth legislation that would end the debate on whether companies like Apple should help law enforcement unlock users’ devices, by requiring them to do so. In spite of the bipartisan, high-level sponsorship and the spotlight of the disputes between Apple and the Justice Department, it looks like this controversial legislation may never even be formally introduced. [More]
Privacy Activists Set Up Giant Mobile Billboard Across From Netflix HQ To Protest VPN Blocking
By 5.26.16
From a business standpoint, it makes sense for Netflix to block VPNs — virtual private networks — to cut down on users accessing its content in foreign countries. But privacy activists who just want to use VPNs to keep their internet connections, well, private, aren’t too pleased with Netflix’s recent blocking campaign. [More]
All Those Smart Devices That Listen To Your House May Be Unlawfully Violating Kids’ Privacy
By 5.26.16
“The walls have ears” used to be a metaphorical expression. These days, as the era of the Internet of Things dawns and marches on apace, it’s becoming a little more literal every day. And while that’s all well and good for the adults who buy and install a device in their home, it might not be quite so legal for the house to listen to their kids. [More]
The Way You Drive, Not Just Where, Is Yet Another Piece Of Totally Identifiable Personal Data
By 5.25.16
“Individuality” does not exactly spring to mind when you’re in the middle of the workday commuter crush, trawling the same roads at the same time as every other 9-5 worker who has to get to work and pick the kids up from school. And yet it turns out that you — yes, you — have a unique way of approaching that commute. So unique, in fact, that it only takes a few minutes of driving data for you to be completely identifiable. [More]
I Know My ID Thief’s Name & Address, But Police Won’t Do Anything About It
By 5.24.16
When you think of an identity thief, you probably envision some squirrelly jerk in a third-world country selling your data on the black market. He’s untraceable and living someplace where the police don’t care. However, that ID thief could be only miles away from you, living an otherwise normal life… in a police where police also don’t really care. [More]
CVS Will End Yard-Long Receipts (For Rewards Program Members)
By 5.23.16
Five years ago, a CVS representative explained that the reason why the pharmacy chain keeps printing such long receipts for customers is that customers like it. Maybe the public’s preferences have changed since 2011, since the chain officially announced today that it’s getting rid of the lengthy coupon-filled receipt streamers, and pre-loading coupons to customers’ rewards program cards instead. [More]
Turns Out It’s Easy To Pinpoint A Grindr User’s Location, Even With Privacy Settings Enabled
By 5.23.16
Usually when you think of “privacy,” that comprises ideas like, say, other people not knowing who you are, or being able to locate you down to the nearest meter. And yet that last bit seems to have been grossly overlooked by the developers of certain dating and hookup apps, which, it turns out, leak your exact location even if you have location-based services turned off. [More]
Study: Your Computer May Be Tracking You Online Through An ‘Audio Fingerprint’
By 5.20.16
We all kind of know that our devices, and our activities on them, are being tracked. In response, there are entire categories of apps and services that let you browse incognito, block ads, or hide your tracks — and many of those are quite popular. But it turns out there’s another kind of tracking signal that those privacy protectors, for the most part, miss. [More]
Facebook Lawsuit Over Scanning Of Private Messages Moves Forward, But Plaintiffs Will Receive No Money
By 5.20.16
Way back in late 2013, a lawsuit accused Facebook of scanning links in users’ private messages and turning them into public “Likes,” from which the company earned revenue. This week, a federal court certified the class action, giving it the green light to move forward, but none of the plaintiffs should expect to see any money if they prevail at trial. [More]
DOJ: Concerns About Expanded Government Hacking Much Ado About Nothing
By 5.19.16 — Updated: 10.27.16
Earlier today, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation intended to combat new rules that some critics believe gives expanded hacking authority to federal law enforcement agencies. In response, the Justice Department claims that this bill isn’t necessary to protect consumers’ privacy. [More]
Court Upholds Judgment Against Napster Co-Founder In Jerk.Com Case
By 5.18.16
Two years ago, the Federal Trade Commission accused Napster co-founder, and creator of Jerk.com, John Fanning of pilfering data from Facebook accounts then charging people $30 each to manage their online reputations. A federal appeals court recently upheld most of the FTC’s ruling that Fanning deceived consumers about the source of the information contained on Jerk.com and the benefits of paying for membership. [More]
Is It Illegal To Use An App To Track Your Kid, Spouse, Or Employee?
By 5.9.16
There are a number of well-known apps that allow you remotely track your phone if it’s lost, or that track the movement of another device but do so with that user’s knowledge. What about those apps that let you track another phone — and maybe intercept calls and texts — without the other person having any idea? [More]
Government Asks Wireless Manufacturers & Carriers About Device Security Updates
By 5.9.16
At the same time as their counterparts at the Justice Department are trying to circumvent smartphone security, the folks at the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission are talking to manufacturers about how to make these devices more secure. [More]
Court: Facebook Must Face Facial-Recognition Privacy Lawsuit
By 5.6.16
Six years after Facebook launched a feature that scans uploaded photos to see if it can recognize faces and suggest people to tag, a lawsuit about the social media site’s facial-recognition tech has been given the go-ahead by a federal court. [More]
