-
BusinessWeek
|
Nov 29, 07 7:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook execs are pondering changes to the unpopular Beacon advertising platform after massively negative feedback, reports Business Week, and an announcement on "evolving" it could come as soon as today. Users are threatening mutiny over the tool, less than a month old, that tells their friends all about their purchases from other sites—a service many view as an invasion of privacy.
More »
-
-
MarketWatch
|
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Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking information on thousands of Amazon customers' book-buying habits, MarketWatch reports.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, calling it "Orwellian."
More »
-
InformationWeek
|
Nov 27, 07 10:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
Aggressive new advertising tactics make Facebook look more evil by the day, but don’t worry, InformationWeek columnist Cory Doctorow writes, because it’s doomed anyway. Sure social networks are “pure crack” for some, but sooner or later everyone gets friended by someone they’d rather avoid, and eventually that awkwardness is too much to bear.
More »
-
Wall Street Journal
|
Nov 25, 07 10:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
Viewing data flashed from cable boxes is being used to monitor family viewing habits and then target advertising more selectively to cable customers. The Wall Street Journal reports the new process comes from Navic Networks, an interactive TV company in Massachusetts, comparable to technology used by Internet advertisers, and is undergoing tests with several different cable operators.
More »
-
-
Independent (UK)
|
Nov 23, 07 6:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Millions of young users of social networking sites are risking identity theft because of information shared online, warns a UK study reported in the Independent today. Britain's privacy watchdog concludes that 4.5 million web users from 14 to 21 years old could be vulnerable to identity fraud, and young users posting personal information on sites also risk damaging educational and business prospects.
More »
-
Washington Post
|
Nov 23, 07 6:04 AM CST
(Newser) -
Federal investigators pursuing drug traffickers, fugitives and other criminal suspects often get court orders to obtain tracking data from cell phones, and they're frequently granted the orders without showing probable cause. That worries privacy advocates, especially in light of the fact that new cell phone services are providing an unprecedented amount of data, including the precise location of the user, reports the Washington Post .
More »
-
CNET
|
Nov 21, 07 11:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook jumped to the defense of its new social advertising program yesterday, under attack by a MoveOn campaign. MoveOn calls the program a “massive privacy breach,” but Facebook says that misrepresents Beacon, which does not make information "public." "Information is shared with a small selection of a user's trusted network of friends, not publicly on the Web or with all Facebook users," the company said.
More »
-
CNET
|
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 the ads a “glaring violation of users’ privacy.”
More »
-
Los Angeles Times
|
Nov 15, 07 6:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
Following a frenzy of controversy, the Los Angeles police department is scrapping its much-criticized plan to "map" Muslim communities. The department had hoped to pinpoint isolated Muslim communities in an attempt to identify problem hot spots. Critics said the plan was a form of religious profiling, and that it would be virtually impossible because the census does not collect religious information.
More »
-
Guardian (UK)
|
Nov 15, 07 5:01 AM CST
(Newser) -
In what's believed to be the first arrest ever for theft of virtual property, a Dutch teenager has been busted for stealing "furniture" from an online game. He allegedly stole login information from gamers playing "Habbo Hotel," a Sims-like operation in which players create guests and furnish hotel rooms using credits that cost real money. The thief, 17, then used the information to remove other players' furniture, said police.
More »
-
Associated Press
|
Nov 11, 07 3:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Americans need to redefine their idea of privacy, Deputy Director of National Intelligence Donald Kerr said today, as Congress reviewed an August FISA revision that allows warrantless eavesdropping. “Protecting anonymity isn't a fight that can be won,” Kerr says, arguing that, after giving information away on MySpace, or to “some green-card holder at an ISP,” people shouldn’t worry about government surveillance.
More »
-
New York Times
|
Nov 9, 07 3:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook's new cutting-edge ads which cherry-pick the names and faces of members who use featured products may violate privacy laws. The ads attach photos and identities of members to products they've purchased or endorsed, but without explicitly obtaining members' consent, reports the New York Times . That could open Facebook to invasion of privacy lawsuits.
More »
-
CNET
|
Nov 6, 07 6:49 PM CST
(Newser) -
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a new ad-selling strategy today that will allow companies to create their own pages on the social networking site and zero in on customers based on their profiles. Users can sign up with advertisers they like and share information about them in their network. Advertisers also will get detailed information about the people who see their ads to hone their marketing.
More »