Watchdog group urges FTC to scrutinize latest Oracle deal
CDD cites privacy concerns
The Center for Digital Democracy wants the Federal Trade Commission to really look over Oracle’s proposed acquisition of Datalogix, announced Monday morning. The…
Data privacy
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So Apple doesn’t collect as much data as Google. Maybe it should
Apple CEO Tim Cook made some big claims about his company’s privacy policies and took some veiled shots at Google’s, but all isn’t necessarily what it seems. Apple isn’t entirely good, and Google isn’t entirely evil.
Microsoft strikes out in court, vows to appeal
A federal court in New York dealt Microsoft a setback in its bid to keep U.S. law enforcement from forcing disclosure of customer data residing abroad.
Can a market where consumers sell their data actually work?
Two news stories from Wednesday — one about a startup trying to play data broker between user and website and another about a study…
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Cloud companies have to act on privacy, even if the government won’t
Data security is a uniquely complex problem and lawmakers have struggled to enact new legislation. Cloud companies have to take their own steps to ensure their customers’ data is safe.
Apple, Cisco, AT&T join Microsoft in fight against global search warrant
Apple, Cisco and AT&T have joined Verizon and the Electronic Frontier Foundation in supporting Microsoft’s attempt to quash a U.S. search warrant seeking email data about an Irish customer stored on Irish servers.
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New Microsoft privacy framework lets lawyers, developers and their code speak the same language
A new framework by Microsoft Research lets lawyers and privacy managers encode their policies using a language called Legalease, and check code for compliance across systems that store, process and analyze data. The goal is to speed development and put parties on the same page.
US tech companies will start warning customers about government data requests
Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google are revising their policies around customer notification of subpoenas, and will warn customers about non-FISA requests, according to the Washington Post.
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White House big data report: 68 fine pages, but no mention of spying
A White House committee released a report on Thursday highlighting the promises and perils of big data, and recommending several courses of action. It’s a good background report on big data, but it sidesteps certain tough problems, including domestic spying.
Pondering privacy, Part 2: Let’s get over ourselves already
In Part 2 of my look at the issue of web privacy, I address the likely reality that no one inside Google, Facebook or the NSA cares about any of us on an individual level.
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Pondering privacy, Part 1: We’re being exploited and spied on, and that sucks
This is the first of two posts in which I try to come to terms with the privacy concerns inherently tied to the digital era. Should I feel powerless, indifferent or take a laissez faire attitude and just go along for the ride?
Good news, bad news: LinkedIn data in iOS Mail arrives but it can read your mail
Want to see more information about an email sender in iOS Mail before you even read the message? That’s what LinkedIn Intro provides. However, to make the magic happen, you need to have all of your email routed through a LinkedIn server.
We should criminalize data misuse, says Microsoft exec
Yes, we are all being watched and our data harvested and that won’t stop. But if someone, or someone’s app, misuses our data, they should be punished under the law, said Craig Mundie.
If big data is an atomic bomb, disarmament begins in Silicon Valley
A scientist writing for Politico has equated government data mining with atomic bombs and is calling for disarmament. But if citizens are going to have a voice in this debate, we probably need to solve web privacy first.
CloudFlare CEO: ‘Insane’ NSA gag order is costing U.S. tech firms customers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/09/12/cloudflare-ceo-says-insane-nsa-gag-order-is-costing-u-s-tech-firms-customers/ Yup. Makes me wonder if the tech companies that have been lobbying for Patriot Act reform over the past few years…
How ‘cell tower dumps’ caught the High Country Bandits — and why it matters
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/08/how-cell-tower-dumps-caught-the-high-country-bandits-and-why-it-matters/ I’d argue this is a prime example of when metadata is used correctly. If the other nearly 150,000 phone numbers were…
The hot, confusing mess that is digital privacy
The last day’s NSA headlines have been about how it broke the law and even violated the Constitution. But that’s just a small part of an opinion that raises more questions than answers, and that underscores the complex nature of data privacy.
In a cloud computing economy, the NSA is bad for business
A lot of Americans might say they support NSA surveillance of their online activities, but many other people — including folks overseas — aren’t so thrilled. Can these laws withstand pressure from a tech lobby concerned about lost profits from fleeing users?
In response to questions about privacy at Home, Facebook says users shouldn’t worry
How exactly will Facebook be using your data if you download the new Home launcher on Android or buy the HTC First phone? Facebook says it won’t be collecting your data any differently than it does with the traditional app.
Five ways startups can pivot on privacy
Privacy was often an afterthought for small companies, but that’s changing in the era of big data. As TRUSTe’s CEO, Chris Babel has seen the impact privacy can have on a startup — for better or worse. Here, he offers tips on how to avoid the pitfalls.
Davos does data
Big data has gotten very, very big if the elite talking heads at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, are talking about it. And they are talking about it. Sessions include “Decoding the data deluge” and “Personal data: the ‘new oil’ of the 21st century.”
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Carrier IQ and the continued erosion of operator trust
The Carrier IQ scandal is still unfolding, and all parties involved are trying to spin their side of the story pretty heavily. Meanwhile, the software, which monitors users’ keystrokes and text messages and can see passwords and other vulnerable information, is said to be on more than 141 million devices. So it’s worth looking at the various players to understand who is hurt and who is helped by the kerfuffle around surreptitious smartphone data collection. This brief research note tackles the question of what the Carrier IQ case means for consumers, device makers and, perhaps most important, the operators. Companies mentioned include AT&T, Research in Motion and Sprint. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial.
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.
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.
Is Your Online Presence Property or a Person?
Online data privacy has been in the spotlight for a variety of reasons over the past year, but before Congress, regulators or courts can give any legal clarity to the issue, they need to answer some fundamental questions about area of law even applies.
Dec. 14: What We’re Reading About the Cloud
There was lots of cloud news today, but the biggest has to be the Sixth Circuit’s holding protecting email under the Fourth Amendment. Data privacy is one the biggest issues facing cloud computing, and this is a good first step — although it’s just that.
