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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: online privacy

online privacy stories: 62 news summaries

41 - 60 of 62 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>

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This Way Out? Not Really

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

Feb 11, 08 11:35 AM CST
(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... More »

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social networking • Facebook • online privacy • Beacon

Voyeurs Sneak Past MySpace Privacy Blocks

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

Jan 18, 08 11:06 AM CST
(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... More »

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privacy • online privacy • pedophile • bug • sexual predator • glitch

Google Reader Sparks Users' Anger Over Privacy

'Shared' items become visible to all contacts

Dec 27, 07 9:57 AM CST
(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... More »

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Google • online privacy • blog • Google Reader

Facebook Sneaks Up on BlackBerry Users

Privacy advocates wary of site's new icons

Dec 26, 07 5:03 PM CST
(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... More »

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Facebook • online privacy • BlackBerry • icons

Ask.com Addresses Privacy Worries

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

Dec 11, 07 11:34 AM CST
(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... More »

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Yahoo • Google • Microsoft • online privacy • search engine • Ask.com • AskEraser

Beacon Does Track Users Who Log Off: Facebook

Admission contradicts earlier denials

Dec 3, 07 8:21 PM CST
(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... More »

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Facebook • online privacy • MoveOn.org • Beacon

Feds Withdraw Amazon Subpoena

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

Nov 28, 07 7:39 AM CST
(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,... More »

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online privacy • Amazon.com

Facebook is Grinch Stealing X-mas: MoveOn

Group vows battle, saying ads violate
user privacy

Nov 20, 07 8:30 PM CST
(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... More »

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Facebook • online privacy • MoveOn • online activism • Beacon

Don't Let Facebook De-Face You

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

Oct 29, 07 1:35 PM CDT
(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
... More »

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social networking • MySpace • Facebook • online privacy • list • privacy settings

Patriots Get Names of Web Ticket Sellers

StubHub says move to curb scalpers violates customer privacy

Oct 19, 07 2:01 PM CDT
(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... More »

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eBay • New England Patriots • online privacy • ticket • StubHub

Facebook Getting Safer

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

Oct 17, 07 2:33 PM CDT
(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... More »

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social networking • Facebook • online privacy • Andrew Cuomo

Google's Street View to Respect Privacy Laws

Company promises method to remove I.D. related images

Sep 25, 07 3:29 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Google • privacy • online privacy • Google Maps

Microsoft Defends Silent Windows Updates

Calls download practice efficient, not shifty

Sep 14, 07 4:59 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Internet • Microsoft • security • Bill Gates • online privacy • Microsoft Windows

Net Anonymizer Unlocked, Emails Revealed

Security expert turns privacy service into eavesdropping tool

Sep 10, 07 8:05 PM CDT
(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... More »

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email • privacy • online privacy • Internet security • Tor • Dan Egerstad

Firms Sell Web Privacy,
but Few Are Buying

Most unwilling to spend money to protect information, study finds

Sep 4, 07 5:57 AM CDT
(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... More »

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social networking • Internet • MySpace • privacy • online privacy

PR Firms Target Customers' Google Reputations

Imagemakers offer services to improve web persona and dodge bloggers

Jul 2, 07 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - If your first hit on Google feels like a mafia hit, don't despair. Firms like ReputationDefender and Reputation Management offer clients an enhanced image on the top search engine by creating links, sites, YouTube videos, and MySpace profiles that promote positive Google results, and lower the pageranks of defamatory comments. More »

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Google • Internet • YouTube • MySpace • online privacy • forums • message boards • search engine

German Privacy Laws Threaten Gmail Service

Facing new data rules, firm would rather switch than fight

Jun 25, 07 11:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google will halt Gmail service in Germany next year if the country enacts aggressive surveillance legislation pending in the Bundestag. The law, which reflects EU regs on data retention, would compel telecom companies to keep records of Internet and phone activity for 6 months, Der Spiegel reports. A company consultant... More »

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Google • Germany • privacy • online privacy • Gmail

Internet Users Slam Chinese Censorship

As top sites are banned, web surfers
rail against 'Great Firewall'

Jun 20, 07 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Frustration with government curbs on the Internet is growing among China's 140M web users. Wikipedia has been banned, and the censors recently shuttered photo-sharing web site Flickr, after a user uploaded a picture of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Tens of thousands of human monitors and an elaborate filter system... More »

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China • Internet • Wikipedia • communism • human rights • censorship • privacy • online privacy • Tiananmen Square • online monitoring • Communist Party • Flickr • website

Google Amps Up Privacy Protections

Search engine vows to 'radically redesign' security features

Jun 13, 07 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google promised to step up its privacy protection yesterday, after European officials rebuked the search giant for storing data that could reveal political opinions, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences. Google will limit the amount of time it retains user data to 18 months and will "radically design" its cookie... More »

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Google • Internet • European Union • privacy • online privacy • Privacy International • Article 29 • search engine • Internet security

Google Flunks Privacy Probe

"Don't be evil" motto questioned after  search giant rated worst on web for user protection

Jun 11, 07 10:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google ranks dead last among Internet sites for protecting user privacy, a new study by watchdog group Privacy International concludes. In its 6-month analysis of top e-commerce, social networking, e-mail, and search sites, PI singled out Google for what it called a "entrenched hostility to privacy," citing fuzzy... More »

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Google • Internet • web surfing • email • online advertising • privacy • online privacy • Privacy International • search engine • e-commerce

41 - 60 of 62 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>


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