TechNewsDaily: What the Internet shares about you via ‘secondary use’

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

TechNewsDaily, via NBC News, reports on “doxing” (a.k.a. “document tracing”) and how it can affect the privacy of individuals: [The Internet is] also a place for people or companies to pick up even more information about you. That includes your address, gender, date of birth and, with a little sleuthing, ...

Op-Ed at PC World: The 5 biggest online privacy threats of 2013

Friday, April 12th, 2013

In an opinion column for PC World, Melissa Riofrio lists the threats she sees to Internet users’ privacy rights: Your online life may not seem worth tracking as you browse websites, store content in the cloud, and post updates to social networking sites. But the data you generate is a ...

Despite Amendments, CISPA Remains Fatally Flawed

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

Cybersecurity Legislation Still Allows Companies to Share People's Personal Information with National Security Agency April 11, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (212) 549-2666;

Bloomberg News: Google Fights U.S. National Security Probe Data Demand

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Bloomberg News reports on Internet services giant Google’s fight against the use of national security letters by federal law enforcement officials. (Read Google’s policy on NSLs.) Bloomberg reports: Google Inc (GOOG)., operator of the world’s largest search engine, is challenging a demand by the U.S. government for private user information ...

Update: Five European Nations Join CNIL in Investigating Google’s Privacy Policies

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

To recap: In January 2012, Google announced changes in its privacy policies that would affect users of its services, such as search, Gmail, Google+ and YouTube. Advocates and legislators questioned the changes, saying that there were privacy issues, and criticized (pdf) the Internet services giant for not including an opt-out provision. The critics included 36 U.S. state attorneys ...

Opinion by Bruce Schneier at CNN: The Internet is a surveillance state

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

Security technologist Bruce Schneier has an opinion column at CNN that discusses the issues of privacy and surveillance on the Internet. He’s pessimistic and believes: “Fixing this requires strong government will, but they’re just as punch-drunk on data as the corporations. Slap-on-the-wrist fines notwithstanding, no one is agitating for better ...

Washington Post: Web-connected cars bring privacy concerns

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

The Washington Post considers the privacy implications for drivers who would use new cars that are connected to the Internet. Automobiles are the latest entrant into  the “Internet of Things,” which is a computerized network of physical objects. In IoT, sensors and data storage devices embedded in objects interact with Web services. (For more ...

Opinion at PC World: Why IT security pros can be scarier than the ‘bad guys’

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

At PC World, Melissa Riofrio has an opinion column about privacy and IT security: I thought I harbored a healthy amount of paranoia before I went to this week’s RSA Conference for IT security professionals in San Francisco. But now I’m just plain scared—and not about hackers and phishers, the ...

NPR: Keeping Up With Kids’ Online Privacy

Monday, February 4th, 2013

NPR takes a look at children and online privacy issues: “Youth are much savvier about their online privacy than most adults give them credit for,” says Rey Junco, a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. In the final installment of Tell Me More’s series Social Me, ...

Washington Post: Maryland attorney general launches Internet Privacy Unit

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

The Washington Post reports on a new state office for privacy protection in Maryland: The Maryland attorney general’s office on Monday launched a new Internet Privacy Unit designed to address the problem of privacy in the Internet age and to update “gaps” in companies’ online privacy policies. The unit will ...

NPR: Google Explains How It Handles Police Requests For Users’ Data

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

NPR reports on Internet services giant Google explaining how it handles requests from law enforcement officials for users’ personal data and how this affects individual privacy: Google wants you to know you’re being watched. Or rather, the company wants you to know how and when the police get to watch ...

FTC’s Antitrust Investigation of Google Ends With Little Cost to Internet Services Giant

Monday, January 7th, 2013

The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Google on antitrust and anti-competition issues for about two years, and the agency’s investigation has ended in what can only be called a victory for the Internet services giant. The FTC says that it has a reached a settlement with Google where the ...