Facebook has added a new feature to its mobile app as of Wednesday that uses a phone's microphone to identify ambient TV shows, music, or movies and include them in status updates. The feature is off by default, though the app offers to turn it on in an intro screen that it pops up for users.
An axiom among network security pros is that you should treat public Wi-Fi hotspots like the cyber equivalent of public bathrooms: a convenience we all use, but only with the requisite hygiene. You wouldn’t share personal items like a toothbrush or razor with others at an office, gym or airport restroom, but too often people broadcast personal information that could be disastrous in the wrong hands over wireless networks where intercepting data is easier than many people realize.
Anonymously spilling personal gossip and corporate secrets online is all fun and games–until someone gets a subpoena.
Startups like Secret and Whisper have defined a buzzy new category of social media, attracting millions of users and tens of millions of dollars in venture capital investments with the promise of allowing anyone to communicate with anonymity. But when it comes to actually revealing corporate and government secrets–a “whistleblowing” function that the two services either implicitly or explicitly condone–users should read the fine print.
French telecommunications group Orange said Wednesday that a breach last month resulted in the theft of the personal information of 1.3 million of its customers, including phone numbers, dates of birth, and email addresses.
No payment information or credit card numbers were stolen in the breach, but the Paris-based company sent emails to affected customers warning that they may be targeted by phishing scams that attempt to extract more sensitive financial information, such as credit card numbers or passwords.
The U.S. and German governments remain far from an agreement on the appropriate level of surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency on German residents, leaders of both countries said Friday.
The two countries still have “differences of opinion to overcome” on the appropriate use of surveillance, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a joint press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama. The two leaders met in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss political unrest in Ukraine and other issues.
Noting that big data technologies are helping to save lives and make the economy run more efficiently, a White House panel recommended on Thursday that new legislation is necessary to prevent discrimination and protect civil rights.
What if there was a way for law enforcement to track suspects fleeing crime scenes in cars without the danger of a high speed pursuit that could put suspects, officers, and civilians at risk? One company claims to have just the solution. Is it legal?
Over the past few years, companies like Starchase have begun developing technologies like its “GPS bullet” pursuit management system, which the company describes as a “real-time tagging and tracking tool to reduce dangerous high-speed pursuits.”
Lacie has revealed a security breach affecting visitors to its website, who might have had their credit card details swiped.
A hacker repeatedly exploited a flaw in the Lacie website, using malware to gain access to customer details. The incident only came to light when the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contacted Lacie on 19 March.
Google added a paragraph to its terms of service as of Monday to tell customers that, yes, it does scan e-mail content for advertising and customized search results, among other reasons. The change comes as Google undergoes a lawsuit over its e-mail scanning, with the plaintiffs complaining that Google violated their privacy.
Despite pressure from the Federal Trade Commission, Facebook is unlikely to leave WhatsApp's stricter privacy policies intact, once government regulators approve the $19 billion acquisition, privacy experts say.
Late last week, Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, sent Facebook a letter, warning the social network that it must abide by the privacy promises WhatsApp made to users of its instant messaging service.
