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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Internet privacy

Internet privacy stories: 25 news summaries

1 - 20 of 25 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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Your Boss Can't Read Your Email, Courts Say

Judges start to sympathize with employees in privacy disputes

Nov 19, 09 11:42 AM CST
(Newser) - No matter what your employers tell you, they probably can’t spy on your emails without telling you, recent court rulings suggest. While in the past courts have often sided with corporations on issues of email privacy, lately they’ve been more sympathetic to employees, the Wall Street Journal... More »

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privacy • courts • Internet privacy

Privacy Advocates Hijack
300 Facebook Groups

Protesters say it's too easy to gain access to personal information

Nov 10, 09 3:29 PM CST
(Newser) - A group advocating for social-networking privacy has hijacked nearly 300 Facebook groups over the past few days to point out weaknesses in the site’s control of personal information. The protesters renamed all the Facebook groups “Control Your Info,” pointing out that after administrators of groups step down,... More »

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Facebook • online privacy • invasion of privacy • Internet privacy

Facebook Beefs Up Privacy Protection

Canadian concerns prompt changes in
how apps get info

Aug 27, 09 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - In response to criticism by the Canadian government, Facebook is enacting far-reaching changes in how third-party applications gain access to personal data, TechCrunch reports. Currently, Facebook applications ask users once, upon installation, for approval to access personal information. Under the new rules, the apps will have to ask repeatedly as... More »

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social networking • Canada • privacy • Facebook • online privacy • personal privacy • Internet privacy • social media

(AP) - A Swiss government official is demanding that Google immediately remove any image of Switzerland from its "Street View Maps," and the company said today it would discuss the matter with the privacy rights regulator. Switzerland's federal data protection commissioner says Google's pictures violate the country's strict privacy laws... More »

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Google • privacy • Switzerland • Internet privacy • Google Street View

(Newser) - A group of Facebook users has sued the social networking company for violating consumer privacy laws by harvesting personal information for commercial purposes and failing to compensate clients, reports CNET. "Plaintiffs and the general public desire and expect a level of privacy, which Facebook has failed to satisfy,"... More »

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Internet • California • privacy • Facebook • court • lawsuit • Internet privacy

(Newser) - Privacy groups are up in arms over a White House proposal to allow tracking technology to be used on government websites, the Washington Post reports. Supporters argue that social networking sites have used cookies and other tracking tools to spectacular effect, but the ACLU says the proposal is a... More »

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Google • online privacy • government spying • invasion of privacy • web cookies • Internet privacy • Obama administration • Jay-ZTV

ANALYSIS

Facebook Crosses Line
on Privacy ... Again

Recognize that face in an ad? It could be your friend—or you.

Jul 28, 09 12:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Imagine Peter Smith’s surprise when an ad for “hot singles” on Facebook featured a picture of … his wife. The site blames that flap on a third-party company violating policy, but the incident underscores Facebook’s notoriously unclear privacy settings, writes Bob Sullivan for MSNBC: “A hard-to-spot... More »

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privacy • Facebook • online privacy • privacy settings • advertisements • advertisers • invasion of privacy • Internet privacy

(Newser) - Facebook suffers from "serious privacy gaps" and must become more transparent about how personal information is handled to comply with the law, says a government watchdog in Canada. The report by the country's privacy commissioner marks the first time a government has found Facebook to be acting illegally, reports... More »

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social networking • Canada • privacy • Facebook • online data storage • Internet privacy • privacy policy

(Newser) - Sweden’s Pirate Party scored a major victory last night, capturing one of the country’s 18 seats in the European parliament, AFP reports. The party—which advocates for the legalization of peer-to-peer file sharing, stronger digital privacy protections, and reforms in copyright law—was formed in 2006 and saw... More »

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copyright law • file sharing • The Pirate Bay • election • peer-to-peer • European Parliament • Internet privacy • Pirate Party

Facebook Photo Busts Student Charged in DUI

Pics of tequila-swilling 20-year-old incite judge's wrath

Jun 5, 09 1:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A 20-year-old college student awaiting trial on reckless homicide and DUI charges learned the perils of too-candid Facebook photos yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reports. Erika Scoliere is now sporting an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after violating a court order not to drink while out on bail. “It appears the defendant... More »

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privacy • Facebook • drunk driving • Internet privacy • photos • Erika Scoliere • Thomas Mueller

glossies

 How to Retrieve 
 a Stolen Laptop 


May 2, 09 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - When a burglar stole Joshua Alston’s laptop, there wasn’t much the police could do. But the Newsweek writer realized there was something he could do. Alston had installed a program on the laptop that allowed him to access it remotely. He had never used it all that... More »

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theft • laptop • Internet privacy • detective

(Newser) - Last week’s guilty verdict against the Swedes behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site not only hasn’t shuttered the operation—it’s boosted support for the cause of free information, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The affiliated Pirate Party, which advocates for copyright reform, has doubled its membership just... More »

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Internet • political party • piracy • copyright • Sweden • BitTorrent • The Pirate Bay • ruling • Internet privacy

I Say, Old Chap, Big Brother Is Watching Twitter

UK government weighs monitoring social sites for security threats

Mar 25, 09 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - The British government wants to keep an eye on what people are doing on Facebook. On the lookout for terrorist plots, the Home Office has provoked an outcry from civil libertarians by floating a plan to track users of social networking sites, which were previously free of government monitoring, reports... More »

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social networking • MySpace • Facebook • surveillance • Britain • Bebo • Twitter • Home Office • Internet privacy

Street View Catches Britons in Compromising Positions

Google removes several pictures at resident's request

Mar 20, 09 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Google has scrubbed several embarrassing photos from its Street View map feature following the rollout of the service in the UK yesterday, the Telegraph reports. Google received numerous complaints about certain snapshots, including one of a man leaving a sex shop. Google noted that Street View has tools for the... More »

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Google • London • privacy • Street View • Google Maps • Internet privacy

 Facebook Changes 
 Irk Users—Again 

Twitter-esque feed makes site jumbled, members complain

Mar 18, 09 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - The latest changes to Facebook are barely a week old and are already prompting the ire of users, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Updates from friends now appear on the homepage in a real-time, Twitter-esque feed, which users complain crowds out more important messages, like friend requests. A user group,... More »

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social networking • Internet • Facebook • online privacy • blog • Twitter • Internet privacy

 Facebook:
Uh, Never Mind That Last Update

Privacy protests result in a swift U-turn on terms of service

Feb 18, 09 6:04 AM CST
(Newser) - Facebook has done an about-face and withdrawn its new terms of service following a public outcry, CNET reports. The fine-print update appeared to give the site perpetual rights to users' content, prompting threats of a federal complaint from a major privacy watchdog and mass desertion from tens of thousands of... More »

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Internet • Facebook • Mark Zuckerberg • online privacy • terms of service • Internet privacy

New Facebook Fine Print Irks Users in Privacy Tug-of-War

Clause giving site permanent license to content slammed

Feb 17, 09 4:46 AM CST
(Newser) - An outcry over a terms of service change has forced Facebook's founder to reassure users that they still own and control their own information, the New York Times reports. The update—which remains unchanged—removed a provision that said users could delete their content at any time, and added a... More »

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social networking • Internet • Facebook • Mark Zuckerberg • online privacy • terms of service • Internet privacy

ANALYSIS

Yahoo Will Keep Searchers' Info Only 3 Months

Search firm now holds information for less time than Google, Microsoft

Dec 17, 08 3:38 PM CST
(Newser) - Yahoo will shorten the amount of time it will keep users’ personal data, Stacey Higginbotham reports for GigaOm. The firm will scrub page views, ad views, and search data after 90 days, though it will keep data flagged as suspicious for twice as long. Google and Microsoft recently proposed changes... More »

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Yahoo • Google • Microsoft • privacy • online privacy • search • Internet privacy

ANALYSIS

Watchdog Wants More Privacy From Google

Incognito mode should be default setting on Chrome browser

Nov 4, 08 2:31 PM CST
(Newser) - Nonprofit Consumer Watchdog is urging Google to make the “incognito” setting—which can limit the search giant’s ability to pin down users’ locations and keep tabs on their search and other data—the default mode on its new Chrome browser, Chris Thompson writes in the Big Money. It... More »

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Google • online privacy • privacy settings • Internet privacy • Google Chrome • privacy policy

UK: Web Phone Service Gives Criminals Edge

Authorities want
to expand their online snooping powers

Oct 16, 08 3:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Criminals and terrorists are using VoIP services like Skype to evade law enforcement, sources tell the Times of London, and officials are lobbying for increased access. Police often rely on phone records as evidence, but online calls often leave no trace. “Communications data forms an important element of prosecution... More »

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Internet • VoIP • online privacy • Jacqui Smith • Britain • Internet phone • Internet privacy

1 - 20 of 25 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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