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October 6, 2008 7:27:16 PM CDT


Stories related to: online privacy

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 44

  • February 2008
    • Outcry Over Leak Site Closure Order

      Outcry Over Leak Site Closure Order

      (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 putting a padlock on the front door of the New York Times," over a single article. More »

      Tags

      online privacy   First Amendment   Wikileaks   Julius Baer Group

    • Facebook Fixes Problems With Its 'Delete' Button

      Facebook Fixes Problems With Its 'Delete' Button

      (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 solved the problem, and profiles can be completely erased. More »

      Tags

      Internet   Facebook   social networking   online privacy   Beacon

    • This Way Out? Not Really

      This Way Out? Not Really

      (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 the Hotel California,” one unwilling member told the New York Times . “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” More »

      Tags

      Facebook   social networking   online privacy   Beacon

  • January 2008
    • Voyeurs Sneak Past MySpace Privacy Blocks

      Voyeurs Sneak Past MySpace Privacy Blocks

      (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 deal with the attorney generals of 49 states to beef up its online security. More »

      Tags

      privacy   online privacy   pedophile   bug   sexual predator

  • December 2007
    • Google Reader Sparks Users' Anger Over Privacy

      Google Reader Sparks Users' Anger Over Privacy

      (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 a word to over Google Talk. More »

      Tags

      Google   blog   online privacy

    • Facebook Sneaks Up on BlackBerry Users

      Facebook Sneaks Up on BlackBerry Users

      (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 unwanted icons spell intrusion, reports the San Jose Mercury News. More »

      Tags

      Facebook   online privacy   BlackBerry   icons

    • Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries

      Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries

      (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 definitely want to stand out from the other guys," says a senior VP. More »

      Tags

      Google   Microsoft   Yahoo   online privacy   search engine   Ask.com

    • Beacon Does Track Users Who Log Off: Facebook

      Beacon Does Track Users Who Log Off: Facebook

      (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 the system by privacy advocates. More »

      Tags

      Facebook   online privacy   Beacon   MoveOn.org

  • November 2007
    • Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena

      Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena

      (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, calling it "Orwellian." More »

      Tags

      Amazon.com   online privacy

    • Facebook is Grinch Stealing X-mas: MoveOn

      Facebook is Grinch Stealing X-mas: MoveOn

      (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 the ads a “glaring violation of users’ privacy.” More »

      Tags

      Facebook   online privacy   Beacon   MoveOn   online activism

  • October 2007
    • Don't Let Facebook De-Face You

      Don't Let Facebook De-Face You

      (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 : Look for tools that allow you to restrict access to your profile, like the "private" setting on MySpace or the "limited profile" function on Facebook. More »

      Tags

      list   Facebook   social networking   MySpace   online privacy   privacy settings

    • Patriots Get Names of Web Ticket Sellers

      Patriots Get Names of Web Ticket Sellers

      (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 a technology advocacy group says the order violates the privacy of those who used the site. More »

      Tags

      New England Patriots   eBay   online privacy   ticket   StubHub

    • Facebook Getting Safer

      Facebook Getting Safer

      (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 pay) an independent examiner to keep tabs on the site's progress. More »

      Tags

      Facebook   social networking   online privacy   Andrew Cuomo

  • September 2007
    • Google's Street View to Respect Privacy Laws

      Google's Street View to Respect Privacy Laws

      (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 they do in their homes,” a Google lawyer wrote on a company blog. Other countries, however, differ. More »

      Tags

      Google   privacy   online privacy   Google Maps

    • Microsoft Defends Silent Windows Updates

      Microsoft Defends Silent Windows Updates

      (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 past came with alerts. More »

      Tags

      Internet   Microsoft   Bill Gates   online privacy   security