For consumer groups that concern themselves with Internet privacy, the efforts to press policymakers to enact regulations or pass laws setting boundaries for collecting data online recall the plight of the long-suffering Brooklyn Dodgers fan: "Wait 'til next year" serves as a fitting mantra for both.
Hackers have mailed 21,000 customers of iPhoneUnlockUK to remind them the company uses unlicensed software, and that their details have been compromised.
E-mails were sent out to customers of the iPhone unlocking service, with claims that iPhoneUnlockUK is guilty of stealing software and selling it illegally. The mail goes on to recommend that customers demand their money back from the company.
High-tech security scanners that might have prevented the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jetliner have been installed in only a small number of airports around the world, in large part because of privacy concerns over the way the machines see through clothing.
Online life is quickly eroding our usual feelings of personal anonymity. Services like Facebook mean that people are able to delve into our lives like never before.
Stalking, whistle blowing, even watching TV programmes broadcast in other countries; these and other online activities all rely on some form of online anonymity – or lack of it.
Earlier this week I wrote a post about how I didn't like that I couldn't alter the Facebook Connect privacy settings for updates from Foursquare, an iPhone app that shares my location through a GPS-enabled city directory. It didn't make sense to me that Facebook Connect information was automatically visible to anyone who had access to posts on my "wall," whereas privacy settings on a third-party app embedded directly on my profile were much more fine-tuned, allowing me to restrict them to specific subsets of friends.
Someone hacked into the N.C. Community College System server and accessed Social Security and driver’s license numbers of college user libraries, including more than a thousand users of Pamlico Community College's library.
The hacker did not access any personal information, according to a news release, but about 51,000 library users of 25 community colleges across the state will be notified that their information may have been affected by the security breach.
It hasn’t been the best 10 days for Facebook. After instituting changes meant to improve user privacy, Facebook has been hit with a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint alleging the social networking site did the exact opposite. According to a host of consumer and privacy groups, Facebook’s changes actually did more harm than good.
But just how much privacy do users really want? To hear Facebook tell it, only a small number of its 350 million-plus users were actually taking advantage of the privacy settings that existed before the changes were implemented.
The Dutch Minister of Justice promised on 26 November 2009 at the request of the Dutch Parliament to provide more transparency regarding wiretapping. The Dutch government is placing relatively many taps on a per-capita basis, compared to other countries. During a debate in the Parliament, members of Parliament voiced their concerns on the lack of transparency and insisted on more accountability.
Children's rights groups have spoken out against the Federal Government's plans to introduce mandatory ISP-level filtering, saying it will not effectively protect children.
The punchline to an old cartoon is "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog," but these days, that's no longer true.
It's easier than ever for the government, Web sites and private businesses to track exactly what you do online, know where you've visited, and build up comprehensive profiles about your likes, dislikes and private habits.
