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NEWS ABOUT: Internet privacy

We Need an Alternative to Facebook

In this one, privacy would actually matter

(Newser) - It's time for a revolt against Facebook, writes Ryan Singel. Mark Zuckerberg may think privacy is an outdated concept, but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to play along. As Singel puts it in Wired : "Facebook has gone rogue, drunk on founder Mark Zuckerberg’s dreams of... More »

Senators to Facebook: Privacy Changes Suck

Oh, and fancy an FTC investigation?

(Newser) - It's not just tech geeks freaking out about the new Facebook changes; apparently they're causing hand-wringing in the very halls of Congress. Four Democratic senators—Chuck Schumer, Al Franken, Mark Begich and Michael Bennet—have sent an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg complaining that the changes give users less control... More »

Google Execs Convicted Over Abusive Video

Italian court wants content monitored

(Newser) - When a video of an autistic Italian teen being beaten turned up on a Google-owned video site, Italian authorities stepped in to prosecute and convict the bullies—and Google. In a verdict with far-ranging implications for Internet freedom, an Italian judge today found three Google executives guilty of privacy violations... More »

How to Restore Your Privacy on Facebook

The new settings are a pain to reverse, but a little work gets it done

(Newser) - Maybe the worst thing about Facebook's new privacy settings is how hard they are to reverse, writes Ryan Tate. Even Mark Zuckerberg himself seems to be having a little trouble with it. Fear not, Tate provides instructions at Gawker on how to hide your photos—those posted by you as... More »

Critics Rip Facebook Privacy Revamp

Say new settings deceive, manipulate users

(Newser) - The revamped privacy features that Facebook unveiled yesterday may make it easier for you to limit who sees your beach vacation photos and thoughts on breakfast cereal—but the move actually pushes users to share their personal information with all 350 million fellow users, say privacy advocates angry over the... More »

Your Boss Can't Read Your Email, Courts Say

Judges start to sympathize with employees in privacy disputes

(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 reports.... More »

Privacy Advocates Hijack 300 Facebook Groups

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

(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 »

Facebook Beefs Up Privacy Protection

Canadian concerns prompt changes in how apps get info

(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 »

Switzerland Shows Google Street View a Stop Sign

(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 »

Facebook Sued for Privacy Breach

(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 »

Obama Rethinks Ban on Tracking Web Visitors

(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 »

Facebook Crosses Line on Privacy ... Again

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

(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 »

Canada Says Facebook Breaks Privacy Laws

(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 »

Swedish Pirate Party Scores EU Seat

(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 »

Facebook Photo Busts Student Charged in DUI

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

(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 »

How to Retrieve a Stolen Laptop

(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 much... More »

Pirate Bay Ruling Invigorates Pirates

(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 »

I Say, Old Chap, Big Brother Is Watching Twitter

UK government weighs monitoring social sites for security threats

(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 »

Street View Catches Britons in Compromising Positions

Google removes several pictures at resident's request

(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 »

Facebook Changes Irk Users—Again

Twitter-esque feed makes site jumbled, members complain

(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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