Privacy Policy May Sink B&N’s Purchase Of Borders Name
The messy liquidation of Borders has taken a new twist. Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) indicated in a court filing late yesterday that it would… Read more at paidContent »
The Morning Lowdown 09-20-11
» What Does AOL’s Life After Access Look Like? (paidContent)
» Update: Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Buys Groupon Clone And Lau… Read more at paidContent »
Now’s the time for a Web 3.0 right to privacy
As social media sites become more prevalent and individuals share more and more details of their personal lives online, we need to rethink the bounds of our right to privacy. Not to regulate technology, industries or the authorities, but to protect us from each other. Read more »
@ pcAds: The Right Label, At The Right Time
The relationship of consumers to online advertising is often hung up on the issue of privacy. Targeting is the name of the game, whether its… Read more at paidContent »
How to manage your privacy with Lion’s “Resume” feature
With OS X Lion’s incredible success and high adoption rate, Apple customers and repair technicians such as myself are facing higher than usual rates of embarrassment thanks to Lion’s ability to restore your windows exactly as they were when an app was closed. Read more »
Facebook adds Smart Lists to categorize friends
Facebook made some pretty huge privacy changes last month. This month the social network is revealing more tools that help users automatically categorize friends, control who views content they post and allow users to decide whose status updates and photos they see the most and least. Read more »
Subscriber Content
How cloud computing plus Facebook might mean the end of personal privacy
Thanks to Facebook and other social networks, if we can accurately put a name to a face, there’s a lot of personal information available online to tell us about that person. And recent experiments unveiled at this year’s Black Hat conference showed that soon all it ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google-backed App Says It Will Make Geosocial More Effective, Less Creepy
Today marks the launch of EchoEcho, yet another app that lets smartphone users keep track of each other. The twist here is that the Google-b… Read more at paidContent »
Mobile Lowdown 9-7-11: Phone Tracking; RIM; iPhone 5; iPad Australia
A look at some of the big stories in mobile today:
» A victory for civil liberties companies, and a possible shadow for some mobi… Read more at paidContent »
Transparency, privacy becoming necessary in collaboration tools
This month, online collaboration platform Teambox added private elements, offering users various levels of privacy. More than just a response to Google+ Circles, the feature supports modern organizational practices, allowing employees to share limited information with vendors and clients. Read more »
Attention: The Online Ad Industry Is Now Officially Regulating Itself
Today is the day that online advertisers formally implement a code of conduct. The industry hopes it will persuade Congress to leave them al… Read more at paidContent »
Twitter Ramps Up Its DC Presence, Hires New Public Policy Head
A sign of Twitter’s growing power, and increasing need to interface with government to get its message across: the company has hired a new h… Read more at paidContent »
Fluid personal communication in the era of Facebook, Skype and Google+
Skype’s acquisition of GroupMe and Facebook’s Beluga-based Messenger are part of something much bigger than group text messaging: The landscape of personal online communication is changing. In the next generation of social media interaction, users will communicate in ways that mirror their real-life interactions. Read more »
Are Google and Facebook splintering the social web?
photo: Flickr user Ed Kohler
Facebook is making changes that are designed to give users more control over how they share information, and to compete with Google+. But will these changes make people less likely to share content on these networks — and how will that affect the social web? Read more »
Facebook pushes privacy with sweeping redesign
Facebook is poised to roll out a sweeping new redesign that places a significantly stronger emphasis on user privacy. The new features, which Facebook says have been in development long before the launch of Google+, will start to appear to web app users on Thursday. Read more »
Don’t like websites tracking you? The courts don’t seem to care
A number of lawsuits have claimed that tracking cookies installed on users’ computers are a breach of privacy, especially new forms of “zombie cookies” that can recreate themselves even if they are deleted. But so far the courts have not agreed that this actually causes harm. Read more »
One win could cost Apple lots of won in South Korean lawsuit
Apple could face a number of payouts in South Korea based on its methods of iPhone location information collection and storage. A lawyer who won himself one million South Korean won ($936 U.S.) based on the issue is now looking to help others cash in. Read more »
It’s official: Facebook is the 21st century Nielsen family
Thanks to a new product from Nielsen and Facebook, the Internet could be on the cusp of become a first-class citizen in the advertising world for good. But there’s just one problem: Do Facebook users want to be part of a Nielsen family? Read more »
Google+ bug can expose IM conversations
Google+ users can under some circumstances access IM conversations of other Google users. The bug seems to be related to the way Google Talk is integrated within Google+. Google has said that it is addressing the issue, which only affects users of shared machines. Read more »
Netflix, Facebook integration held up by Congress
Netflix had planned to launch a deep integration with Facebook, but the company said on Tuesday that it won’t be able to launch the feature in the U.S. anytime soon. The reason: A video rental privacy law is too ambiguous about opt-ins for information sharing. Read more »
For the lulz: Have we traded protest for performance?
The turmoil created by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has pulled back the curtain on the cosy relationship between politicians, police and the media. But those who are angriest seem reduced to stunts — hacking websites and throwing pies. Is this really the best we can do? Read more »
Does Google+ solve the privacy problem or make it worse?
Its fans say Google+ improves on Facebook in terms of privacy protections, because it allows you to filter people into groups or “Circles.” But is this really a big improvement? Not everyone is convinced it is — some argue that it actually makes things worse. Read more »
Get your hands off that contact info, says Facebook
Facebook has shut down a service from Open-Xchange that allowed users to export the email addresses of their contacts, which makes the Germany company the latest to run afoul of the social network’s ongoing attempts to maintain control over the information of its users. Read more »
Has Dropbox set the stage for a privacy revolution?
When the smoke clears, Dropbox’s newfound focus on transparency could turn out to be a great thing. Especially if it triggers an avalanche of other web-service providers following in its footsteps, making life easier for consumers and getting the federal government off their backs. Read more »
Who owns your social graph — you or Facebook?
Facebook’s blocking of a Chrome extension that allowed users to export their friends’ email addresses has reignited a debate over who should control that kind of data — should you have the right to export it, or is Facebook right to prevent you from doing so? Read more »
BeyondCore combines compliance and the cloud
With its new SplitSecure technology, Structure 2011 LaunchPad finalist BeyondCore is trying to prove that companies processing sensitive data don’t have to be afraid of cloud computing. The company has actually been around since 2003, but SplitSecure represents its first foray into the cloud. Read more »
Does privacy exist in a world of social networks and sharing?
We are the connected generation. As the opportunities to share information have become more ubiquitous, there has been an increasingly hyped-up debate and concern around the topic of privacy. But is privacy really the issue? Read more »
Cloud computing requires new thinking on privacy
The move to the cloud requires a lot of discussion on the boundaries and expectations for data privacy in a cloud environment. The government’s approach to data privacy, in particular, is of great concern, from the legislation it enacts to the way law enforcement uses it. Read more »
How to take the extra step to secure your iPad’s data
When you establish a secure passcode on your iPad, the expectation is that it locks out potential snoops. But if someone has access to both your Mac and your iPad, that isn’t the case. Here’s how to go an extra step further with iPad security. Read more »
Preparing for a social media world
Technology is rapidly changing and is quickly becoming a more social and integrated part of our lives. With ever-evolving devices, social networks, and online video capabilities, we’re increasingly moving toward an “always on” existence, which has implications for our privacy and our professional lives. Read more »
Franken offers bill to protect consumer mobile privacy
Sen. Al Franken and Sen. Richard Blumenthal are introducing a new bill to protect the rights of mobile users when it comes to location information. If passed, the bill will require that mobile platform operators, carriers and developers ask permission before sharing info with third parties. Read more »
Facebook facial recognition: What the web is saying
Another week, another Facebook privacy firestorm. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social networking giant has come under fire for potentially violating user privacy by turning on facial recognition technology worldwide. Here’s a look at some of the things people around the web are saying about the issue. Read more »
Startups Find Ways to Target Mobile Users Anonymously
With the FTC’s crackdown on privacy extending to mobile, the shifting climate is opening up opportunities for start-ups like PlaceIQ and BlueCava that enable advertisers to target mobile users without personally identifying them. Read more »
Five Things Eric Schmidt Said and What He Really Means
Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt took the stage at the All Things Digital conference and talked about a number of Google issues including privacy and failing to understand online identity soon enough — here’s a translation of what he said, and what he really meant. Read more »
Can Twitter Survive the British Privacy Onslaught?
A string of libel lawsuits in the U.K. have put Twitter’s approach to user privacy on the stand — the company is getting a bashing for its treatment of “Mr Monkey.” But should it be applauded for its approach to privacy, rather than pilloried by the media? Read more »
Sen. Franken Seeks App Privacy Policies From Apple, Google
Senator Al Franken released a letter Wednesday calling for the institution of mandatory privacy policies from all apps offered via the official software marketplaces of Apple and Google. He argues all apps should disclose what info they gather from a user, and how they use it. Read more »
Senate Hearing: Apple, Google and the Future of Mobile Privacy
Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) chaired the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting today called “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy.” Apple’s Bud Tribble and Google’s Alan Davidson provided testimony, along with a number of other industry and government witnesses. Read more »
Apple and Google Execs to Testify Before Senate Hearing on Privacy
The U.S. Senate has posted a notice for an upcoming Judiciary Committee meeting on mobile privacy, to be held May 10 at 10:00 AM EST in Washington, D.C. Apple VP of Software Technology Bud Tribble will provide testimony at the session. Read more »
Report: Imminent iOS 4.3.3 Update to Fix “Locationgate” Bug
According to Boy Genius Report, Apple is preparing to release iOS 4.3.3 “within the next two weeks, possibly sooner.” The purported update will specifically address the iPhone “tracking” issue that has mesmerized the mainstream media, and deliver fixes promised by Apple last week. Read more »
It’s Time to Realize Our Location Concerns Aren’t Dumb
Hot on the heels of the furor over Apple’s location databases, personal navigation device giant TomTom is in trouble for selling speed data to police. But both companies have shown how technology firms are too quick to dismiss the worries of their customers. Read more »
