More Carrier IQ: Nokia, Google, Verizon Say No Dice, Sprint, AT&T Say Yes
Several days into the Carrier IQ story — which raised privacy concerns around software that claims to be an innocent diagnostics tool — an… Read more at paidContent »
Sprint admits receiving Carrier IQ data but says it’s not spying
Carrier IQ is feeding Sprint generalized data about how its customers’ smartphones perform on its network, Sprint has confirmed, but it said it does not snoop into the private contents of those phones. Sprint claims its using that information primarily to optimize its network. Read more »
Verizon: No Carrier IQ, No way
Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest mobile operator and Android device seller, does not install Carrier IQ’s keystroke-sniffing software in any of its phones and doesn’t use the now-controversial company’s data in way, company officials said. Now we wait for the other operators to sound off. Read more »
FTC Announces 20 Year Privacy Deal With Facebook, Asks To Be 'Liked'
The Federal Trade Commission today released a much-anticipated settlement with Facebook over a series of privacy breaches. The deal has some… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook creates Chief Privacy Officer roles in wake of FTC complaint
Facebook has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that it has been deceptive about the amount of privacy users have on the social networking site. The company has also given two executives the title of “Chief Privacy Officer” to oversee its privacy commitments. Read more »
Twitter Buys Mobile Security Firm Whisper Systems: Enterprise Push Coming?
Another step in Twitter’s mobile acquisition trail: the microblogging and messaging service has acquired Whisper Systems, a enterprise mobil… Read more at paidContent »
Can We Trust The Online Ad Industry To Regulate Itself?
Internet advertisers this month took a fresh stab at persuading federal privacy regulators to leave them alone. The advertisers are touting… Read more at paidContent »
Europe scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again?
Reports this weekend suggest that Facebook is about to face a new crackdown from European authorities over the way it collects data on users — but closer inspection suggests that it is just the latest episode in an ongoing struggle between EU officials and technology companies. Read more »
Do Courts Back Google and Facebook's View of Anonymity?
Internet users who want to remain anonymous online have been pushing back against media companies’ efforts to strip them of their pseudonyms… Read more at paidContent »
Wales' Ex First Minister Morgan Claims To Be NOTW Phone Hacking Victim
The former First Minister of Wales says he and his politician wife have been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police because her phone was ha… Read more at paidContent »
Metacafe Offers Consumers Up To $250 To Settle 'Super Cookie' Lawsuit
Popular video site Metacafe has joined Quantcast, Interclick and a host of other firms in settling a lawsuit over its use of Flash “super-co… Read more at paidContent »
Why Facebook is (mostly) right about sharing
photo: Flickr user Luc Legay
As is usually the case when Facebook adds new features, the rollout of its “frictionless sharing” has caused controversy because of privacy and oversharing issues. But more than anything, what Facebook’s changes illustrate is that we still need better filters for our growing signal-to-noise problem. Read more »
Judge Throws Out Privacy Lawsuit Against LinkedIn
A California man claimed that LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) “humiliated” him by sharing his Internet browsing history with marketers. In a big win f… Read more at paidContent »
Court makes it official: You have no privacy online
A recent U.S. court decision involving the Twitter accounts of several WikiLeaks supporters shows that when push comes to shove, users of social networks and most online services have no expectation of privacy — at least, not if the one requesting the information is the U.S. government. Read more »
Regulator Tormenting Facebook Wants To Be Liked — On Facebook
Irony alert: The Federal Trade Commission may have just saddled Facebook with 20 years of privacy audits, but that’s not stopping it from ta… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook Settlement Shows FTC Getting New Traction With Privacy Enforcement
Facebook is widely reported to be on the verge of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that will force it to tighten up its privac… Read more at paidContent »
'I Am Not Incompetent' – James Murdoch Defends Himself
James Murdoch’s very ability as an executive was effectively put on trial Thursday, as UK MPs investigating the phone “hacking” scandal queu… Read more at paidContent »
James Murdoch Insists Ex Editor And Lawyer Kept Full Horror From Him
James Murdoch said a trio of former News International executives had not briefed him fully enough, during his second questioning by MPs on… Read more at paidContent »
Subscriber Content
Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The Supreme Court, big data and 1984
The Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in a case that could decide how connected the concept of big data is to constitutional expectations of privacy. How much data is too much before allowable surveillance crosses the line into an invasion of privacy? Read more »
Supreme Court Hears Privacy Case On GPS Tracking
GPS is great if you’re hiking or looking for a restaurant on your iPhone. But how you do feel about letting the police place the tracking te… Read more at paidContent »
Is Klout crossing the line when it comes to privacy?
Critics claim Klout is invading the privacy of those who haven’t even joined the service, including children, by compiling “shadow profiles” of them based on their activity online. Is that an infringement of their digital rights, or just the new reality of living our lives online? Read more »
Weather: Cloudy With A Chance Of Stalking
It’s like being followed by the weatherman. A new class action suit against HTC makes some unsettling allegations about how the phone maker… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook tightens security further with new safety features
Facebook on Thursday morning unveiled new features aimed at making people feel more secure on the ever-growing social networking site, including “Trusted Friends” and “App Passwords.” These are just the latest in a series of major privacy changes Facebook has announced in recent months. Read more »
Google shows the limits of a free web
Any lingering fantasies of the web as a no-man’s land where content is free from the restraints of geographical boundaries probably should be put to rest. Google released a treasure trove of data relating to content-takedown requests, showing that requests are up and Google often complies. Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 10-20-11
» MSN U.S. Head Scott Moore to Depart Portal (AllThingsD)
» Why Rupert Murdoch Should Announce A New Direction For Ne… Read more at paidContent »
Is A Popular App Sniffing Users’ Text Messages?
Millions of people are embracing free mobile messaging services like WhatsApp and Kik as a way to avoid outrageous carrier charges for texti… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Silk’s cloud-based privacy conundrum
The ado around the privacy settings of the Amazon Silk web browser is probably deserved, but it didn’t have to be this way. Had Amazon understood the difference between running a web site and selling devices, it could have saved itself a lot of trouble. Read more »
Actress Sues Amazon For Publishing Her Age
It’s no secret that Hollywood can be cruel to aging talent. Now, a 40-year-old Texas actress who lost acting gigs is taking Amazon (NSDQ: AM… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: Kindle Fire Privacy Concerns–Is ‘Big Browser’ Watching You?
Fearing that Kindle Fire users who buy an e-book version of 1984 may not realize that they, too, are being watched, congressman Edward J. Ma… Read more at paidContent »
The law and the web just don’t mix
Software development is always evolving and advancing, and business models and cultural norms evolve along with it. New capabilities spring up regularly, and business models can change overnight, meaning laws written to address specific concerns can fast become obsolete or, perhaps worse, hindrances to innovation. Read more »
Sony Hacked Again, But This Time, Comes Clean Quickly
*Sony* was lambasted last spring after it took seven days to disclose that an attack on its video game network had led to what some called t… Read more at paidContent »
Subscriber Content
NewNet Q3: Facebook remakes headlines in social media
Last quarter’s big headline in social media and real-time technologies came from Google, which launched Google+, its first social tech product that seems legit. In the third quarter, things were back to normal. Google+ is still growing, but Facebook’s platform update dominated the news. And as Google+ passed 25 million users and won some raves from the digerati, its competition with Facebook intensified. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Zynga, Salesforce, BranchOut and Foursquare. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Politician’s Twitter slip shows it’s time for a fix
A leading British politician is in hot water after mistakenly publishing a message to Twitter that was intended to stay private. But while his error provides some fun for the peanut gallery, the slip underscores a larger usability problem that Twitter has failed to deal with. Read more »
Married Woman Whose Photo Was Used By Dating, Sex-Health Sites Sues Match.com
Anne Read Lattimore says she is not gay and has never been a member of the dating site Match.com. Yet, she has become a sort of public face… Read more at paidContent »
Did B&N Pull A Fast One With Borders’ Customer List?
In order to clinch its purchase of 40 million customer names from bankrupt Borders, Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) made a series of promises to… Read more at paidContent »
WSJ rolls back privacy and nobody cares. They should.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal updated its online privacy policy to actually give it more rights to our information. The resulting lack of outrage highlights that we have a long way to go to get online privacy where it needs to be. Read more »
Facebook-Spotify Love-In Over-Estimated Users’ Social Lives
Inside Spotify, staff say their big U.S. delay left them “constipated”. Now that its American passage has been unblocked, Spotify is free to… Read more at paidContent »
Pandora Smacked With Class Action For Revealing User Profiles
Pandora (NYSE: P) is the latest company to stumble into the minefield of privacy lawsuits that are blowing up all over the tech industry. A… Read more at paidContent »
It’s official: Google+ will be connected to everything
It’s been obvious for awhile now that Google has a lot riding on the success of its new social network, Google+. But some comments from senior exec Brad Horowitz make it clear that Google’s new platform will become part of everything the web giant touches. Read more »
