online privacy

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Wikileaks.org Closing Doesn't Secure Bank's Client Info

Privacy groups file to intervene in case

(Newser) - Legal action resulting in the closing of whistleblower site Wikileaks.org has backfired for the Swiss bank that sought to protect confidential information about their clients, the AP reports. Popular outrage over the closing of the site over its posting of documents from Bank Julius Baer has cause the widespread...

Web Tracking Opt-Out Plan Gets Panned

Online ad group's proposal clashes with FTC guidelines, privacy group desires

(Newser) - An online advertisers trade group has proposed guidelines for targeted advertising that don’t satisfy recent FTC recommendations. The Interactive Advertising Bureau proposal would make it harder for consumers to know if a website was storing their information; FTC guidelines suggest a “clear, consumer-friendly, and prominent statement” and easy...

Private Photos Find Way to Online Viewers

Case of circumvented Flickr privacy settings has parents worried

(Newser) - The privacy settings on online photo-sharing sites aren’t always foolproof, as one Washington mother discovered. After posting pictures of her kids skinny-dipping on Flickr and marking them “private,” she found recently that they had been viewed thousands of times, the Washington Post reports. "Are creepy people...

Outcry Over Leak Site Closure Order
Outcry Over Leak Site Closure Order
Feb 20, 2008 1:04 PM CST

Outcry Over Leak Site Closure Order

Privacy, 1st Amendment advocates fume over judge's decision

(Newser) - Privacy and First Amendment advocates are fuming after a judge ordered an entire website shut down in response to a lawsuit. Wikileaks.org had allowed whistleblowers to anonymously post confidential documents, reports ComputerWorld. A critic calls closing down the whole website in response to a Swiss bank's complaint "like...

Facebook Fixes Problems With Its 'Delete' Button

After complaints, networking site figures out how to eliminate ex-users' information

(Newser) - Making a profile on Facebook is easy, but before this weekend, deleting one wasn't: Not even Facebook could do it, the New York Times reports. Frustrated users filled out a form intended to delete their profiles but found bits of info still accessible on the site. Facebook says it has...

This Way Out? Not Really
This Way Out? Not Really
Feb 11, 2008 11:35 AM CST

This Way Out? Not Really

Website won't delete personal info, would-be ex-members grouse

(Newser) - Just when you think you're out, Facebook pulls you back in, say wannabe ex-users who have tried in vain to delete their profiles. The site keeps archives of all profiles, unless they're manually deleted piece by piece, fanning privacy concerns already stoked by the Beacon fiasco. “It’s like...

Voyeurs Sneak Past MySpace Privacy Blocks

Months-old bug permits viewing of teen photo albums set to 'private'

(Newser) - Voyeurs have been exploiting a MySpace bug for months to see supposedly private teen photos, reports Wired. The bug first cropped up in the fall and has gained traction on ad-based websites that make it easier to take advantage of it. The revelation comes just days after MySpace struck a...

Google Reader Sparks Users' Anger Over Privacy

'Shared' items become visible to all contacts

(Newser) - A new Google Reader feature that centralizes a user’s favorite blog and web updates is causing an uproar, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Quietly introduced Dec. 14, the feature makes articles marked "shared" visible to all of a user’s contacts—including anyone they’ve ever spoken...

Facebook Sneaks Up on BlackBerry Users

Privacy advocates wary of site's new icons

(Newser) - BlackBerry owners may have noticed a new icon appearing on their devices in the past week: a link to Facebook. Some T-Mobile smartphones are getting the icons whether or not customers want them. Facebook spokespeople say users can still decide whether to download the software, but to privacy groups the...

Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries
Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries
Dec 11, 2007 11:34 AM CST

Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries

No. 5 search engine says it will erase info within hours

(Newser) - Aiming to establish itself as an innovator, Ask.com is allowing users to have their search requests deleted within hours, the AP reports. The fifth-most-popular search engine with just 3% market share, Ask.com is taking a huge leap toward being the web’s least intrusive search option. "We...

Beacon Does Track Users Who Log Off: Facebook

Admission contradicts earlier denials

(Newser) - Facebook has admitted that its Beacon ad system is tracking users even when they've logged off the site, PC World reports. Even those who opt out of the system that broadcasts activities to friends are being monitored. The company's email announcement reverses earlier denials and will likely stoke criticisms of...

Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena
Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena
Nov 28, 2007 7:39 AM CST

Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena

Judge bashes request for book-buyers records as 'Orwellian'

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking information on thousands of Amazon customers' book-buying habits, MarketWatch reports. The US Attorney's office had sought information on the purchasers of 24,000 used books in connection with a grand-jury probe of a third-party seller on Amazon. But the judge rejected the request,...

Facebook is Grinch Stealing X-mas: MoveOn

Group vows battle, saying ads violate user privacy

(Newser) - MoveOn.org plans to campaign against Facebook's "Beacon" ads, and do it on the social networking site's own turf, News.com reports. MoveOn promises an ad drive, a protest group, and an online petition over the advertisements—which post information about users' purchases on friends' news feeds. MoveOn calls...

Don't Let Facebook De-Face You
Don't Let Facebook De-Face You
Oct 29, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

Don't Let Facebook De-Face You

Protect your offline reputation on social networking sites with these six steps

(Newser) - Social-networking sites make it easier to connect with friends and make new ones, but they also let casual acquaintances  like co-workers—or your boss—look you up on a whim.  Protect your privacy with these six steps from MarketWatch:
  1. Look for tools that allow you to restrict access to
...

Patriots Get Names of Web Ticket Sellers

StubHub says move to curb scalpers violates customer privacy

(Newser) - A Mass state court has given the New England Patriots the names of people who bought and sold the team's tickets on the StubHub website. The team is suing the site, owned by eBay, because reselling tickets for profit is technically illegal (though the law is rarely enforced). StubHub and...

Facebook Getting Safer
Facebook Getting Safer
Oct 17, 2007 2:33 PM CDT

Facebook Getting Safer

Networking site will work closely with New York attorney general's office

(Newser) - Facebook will roll out new protections against online predators, CNN reports, after an investigation by New York's attorney general last month blasted the site for "significant defects." The improvements include a new disclosure for parents and an easier process for reporting unwanted advances. Facebook will also appoint (and...

Google's Street View to Respect Privacy Laws

Company promises method to remove I.D. related images

(Newser) - Google allayed some fears yesterday, announcing that its Street View application, which provides street-level images of certain cities, would respect each country’s privacy laws. “In the U.S., there's a long and noble tradition of 'public spaces,' where people don't have the same expectations of privacy as...

Microsoft Defends Silent Windows Updates

Calls download practice efficient, not shifty

(Newser) - Microsoft is reconsidering its updating practices after coming under fire for "silently"downloading a Windows patch—even for users who had opted for notifications. Microsoft defended itself, pointing out that the silent fixes affected the update software itself, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Skeptical opponents maintain similar situations in the...

Net Anonymizer Unlocked, Emails Revealed

Security expert turns privacy service into eavesdropping tool

(Newser) - A security expert turned net privacy service Tor into a listening post, and intercepted thousands of private emails, Wired reports. Human rights groups and foreign embassies alike depend on Tor to send what were thought to be untraceable messages. Dan Egerstad hosted his own Tor node, letting him read all...

Firms Sell Web Privacy, but Few Are Buying

Most unwilling to spend money to protect information, study finds

(Newser) - The privacy market is hot, Wired observes, as new startups and big-name net companies are rolling out services to help consumers control information about themselves. But few may care enough pay for them. A new study shows most people are unwilling to spend even 25 cents to protect their privacy....

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