../../../..//2009/02/27/consumerist-was-on-the-today/
Consumerist was on The Today Show this morning, they interviewed Facebook’s CEO and used the clip from NBC Nightly News in the segment. [Today Show]
privacy
Facebook Will Let Users Help Draft New Terms Of Service
By 2.26.09
We are open to putting the documents up to a vote. The rules people must do when on the site and what we must do, a two way thing. There will be Comment periods, a council that will help on future revisions.
By 2.24.09
../../../..//2009/02/24/an-employee-of-starbucks-has/
An employee of Starbucks has filed a class action lawsuit against the company for failing to properly secure employee data. The employee was one of one of 97,000 notified late last year after a Starbucks laptop containing employee names, addresses and Social Security numbers was stolen. [NetworkWorld via Starbucks Gossip]
Korbel Sues To Force Comcast To Reveal Identities Of Anonymous Critics
By 2.24.09
The Santa Rosa, California Press Democrat says that Korbel Champagne Cellars will ask a Sonoma County judge to force Comcast to reveal the names of anonymous Craigslist posters who criticized the company.
What Facebook's Users Want In The Next Terms Of Service
By 2.23.09
Now that Facebook has said they’re drafting a new Terms of Service based on community input, that community has eagerly put forth their proposals in the Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Facebook group. Forum admin Julius Harper went through the 27 pages of feedback and pulled out the three major areas the community seemed most concerned about. Here’s what the people are demanding:
Update: Facebook Agrees To Take Down Dead Relative's Page
By 2.21.09
Stephanie Bemister says that after our post went up Facebook contacted her and agreed to take down the facebook page of her dead brother, an award-winning investigative journalist and Nazi hunter. “Thank you again, Ben,” she wrote. “My family has no words that truly express how we feel.” Previously Facebook told her they wouldn’t remove the page because…
Facebook Won't Let You Remove Dead Relative's Page, Per "Policy"
By 2.20.09
UPDATE: Facebook Agrees To Take Down Dead Relative’s Page. Facebook thinks it knows better than the sister of the deceased journalist Bill Bemister about what to do with his Facebook page. Stephanie Bemister sent them a copy of his death certificate and asked it get taken down for privacy and respect purposes. Unlike every other single social networking site she dealt with, Facebook said no. They have a better idea. Stephanie’s letter inside…
Facebook Reverts Back To Old Terms Of Service
By 2.18.09
It appears in the wake of global attention and outcry, Facebook has, as of at least 12:27 am, reverted back to the previous Terms of Service. Phew, now we can all go back to sending each other digital cupcakes without Big Brother watching us. This is a temporary move until Facebook can draft a new Terms of Service that addresses the users’ concerns. CEO Zuckerberg wrote a new blog post, and Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt released this statement:
Facebook Privacy Fallout Goes Nuclear
By 2.18.09
Online, in print and on TV, Consumerist’s Facebook terms of service change story, and the ensuing global uproar, has spread like Ebola in a monkey house…
10 Facebook Privacy Settings To Know
By 2.18.09
Concerned about how discreet your bits are over at Facebook? The All Facebook blog has 10 privacy settings ever user should know about, from removing yourself from Facebook and Google searches, to who can see your tagged photos, and other basic ways of controlling your content.
Direct Express Auto Transport Responds To Bad Reviews By Posting Reviewers' Personal Information Online
By 2.18.09
We write often about companies’ sleazy approaches to online reviews. Some companies bribe users for positive feedback. Others sue over negative reviews. Direct Express Auto Transport, however, is the first company we’ve seen that responds to bad reviews by sharing users’ personal information.
How Does Facebook's TOS Compare To Other Social Networking Sites?
By 2.17.09
If you’ve been following the Facebook story over the past couple of days, you know by now that Facebook has said that they are not claiming ownership of uploaded user content: “We certainly did not—and did not intend—to create any new right or interest for Facebook in users’ data by issuing the new Terms.” But blogger Amanda French decided to actually compare the fine print for several social networking sites—MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Picasa—and she concludes that “Facebook’s claims to your content are extraordinarily grabby and arrogant.” Read her side-by-side comparison here.
Facebook Clarifies Terms Of Service: "We Do Not Own Your Stuff Forever"
By 2.16.09
Well, yesterday’s Facebook post certainly blew up today, and it looks like Facebook is currently preparing an official response. In the meantime, a Facebook rep has written to the Industry Standard to emphasize that all rights are subject to your privacy settings, so even if they don’t expire when you close your account, they’ll still be subject to whatever restrictions you had when the account was active. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has also posted a more philosophical response on the Facebook blog saying that while the new Terms of Service are “overly formal,” they’re only meant to give Facebook the legal ability to enable content sharing among users.
Facebook's New Terms Of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."
By 2.15.09
This post has generated a lot of responses, including from Facebook. Check them out here.
DVD Planet Uses 'Ebay' For Password, Sends It To You Via Email If You Ask
By 2.13.09
Dear DVD Planet, you might want to sit down with the person who designed your customer account system and have a long talk. You know, about things like data security. After we posted this story yesterday about an Amazon shopper who was surprised to find you’d automatically created a barely secure account in his name with his data, another reader—this time a former eBay customer from nearly two years ago—decided to check whether you’d done the same thing to her. Yep! And the password was “Ebay.”
DVD Planet's Automatic Account Creation Raises Security, Privacy Issues
By 2.13.09
Joel says when he ordered a disc from DVD Planet via Amazon, the company automatically created an account for him on their website. The problem is that the default password they used was so easy to guess that he figured it out on the second try, and he suspects it’s the same password they use on every account. Once you guess it, you can see the customer’s past orders and credit card billing address. When Joel contacted them to have the account removed, he was told that wasn’t possible.
Cellphone Recycler Says 99% Of Phones Still Contain Personal Data
By 2.5.09
Regenersis studied a random sample of 2000 handsets processed during the first week in December and found that 99% of handsets received contained some sort of personal data, including: contacts, SMS messages, pictures, music, videos, calendar entries, emails, notes, mailing lists and to do lists. In some cases, extremely sensitive information was contained, including bank details, addresses, and confidential emails.
Robo Calls Die Fiery Death With Your Opt-Out
By 1.28.09
Asta la vista, robo callers! As of December, all pre-recorded sales calls need to have a way for consumers to opt-out of their mailing lists, either by pressing a button or saying something.No doubt this will happen at the end of the call. So the good news is that you have a way to get off their list. The bad news is…
