Privacy

Imagine you found out that your former spouse had opened a fake LifeLock credit monitoring account in your name, and then used it to follow your every financial move for two years? Then imagine that no one at LifeLock will take your query seriously, even after the police get involved.

That’s the story of an Arizona woman who learned in March that her ex-husband had been keeping track — literally, their son found a five-page Excel spreadsheet on his computer — of her bank accounts, credit cards and other financial activities.

Facebook has released the latest version of its Global Government Request report, which reveals that content restrictions and data requests submitted by governments around the world are on the rise.

The social networking site recently summarized the main findings of its report:

AN APPLICATION called TextSecure, which was available on iOS and apparently had some sort of appeal for Edward Snowden, has made its way onto Android at a time when Google is about to be told that such stuff is a no-no under a reignited Snoopers' Charter.

This is more than a name change, however. The firm behind it, Open Whisper Systems, said in a blog post that it has combined the existing TextSecure and RedPhone systems into one thing called Signal. TextSecure users should enjoy an easy transition through a software update.

Last week, hackers claiming to be affiliated with the hacktivist group Anonymous (as well as alone vigilante) threatened to publish personal information and “dox” members of the racist group the Ku Klux Klan.

Over the weekend, the hackers delivered on their promises. An Anonymous-affiliated group called YourAntiSec, in reference to a famous hacking operation launched by the Anonymous offshoot LulzSec in the summer of 2011, published a list of phone numbers and email addresses that they claim belong to members and admins of KKK websites.

The European Court of Justice today struck down the 15-year-old data transfer agreement between the European Union and the US. Here's how to begin to prepare for the fallout.

The next time you’re thinking of throwing away a used boarding pass with a barcode on it, consider tossing the boarding pass into a document shredder instead. Two-dimensional barcodes and QR codes can hold a great deal of information, and the codes printed on airline boarding passes may allow someone to discover more about you, your future travel plans, and your frequent flyer account.

Around 30% of retailers use facial recognition technology to track customers in-store, according to research by software firm CSC.

The study found 74% of shops are using technology to track customers when they are in the store, with a quarter of consumers believing it contributes to a positive shopping experience.

Of those who thought technology aided their in-store experience, 28% were aged between 16 and 24, with around half saying they were quite comfortable with retailers using in-store technology.

A long-running debate concerning recent advances in consumer data encryption came to a head this summer when Apple rebuffed a Justice Department court order demanding access to iMessage transcripts, causing some in the law enforcement community to call for legal action against the company.

The U.S. government has not yet notified any of the 21.5 million federal employees and contractors whose security clearance data was hacked more than three months ago, officials acknowledged on Tuesday.

The agency whose data was hacked, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), said the Defense Department will begin "later this month" to notify employees and contractors across the government that their personal information was accessed by hackers.

Windows' network activity continues to be scrutinized amid privacy concerns. Windows 10 was first put under the microscope with both new and old features causing concern. With its Cortana digital personal assistant, Windows 10 represents a new breed of operating system that incorporates extensive online services as an integral part of the platform. But its older predecessors haven't escaped attention, and questions are now being asked of Windows 7 and 8's online connectivity.