Money Talks, Social Media & Games Walk, Say Docs re: Healthy Behavior Incentives

Monday, March 25th, 2013

"An offer of money is often the most persuasive argument in getting someone to do what you want. The saying can be traced back to G. Torriano's 'Italian Proverbs' (1666). First attested in the United States in the 'Saturday Evening Post' (September 3, 1903) Anoter (sic) common modern variant ...

You Don’t Sacrifice Your Privacy Rights When You Use Twitter

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

Social media is a pivotal platform for free speech protected by the First and Fourth Amendments. As Americans, we should be free to express ourselves online without fearing that our personal information and communications will end up in government hands – unless law enforcement obtains a probable cause warrant. ...

Update: U.S. House Members Reintroduce Social Networking Online Protection Act (SNOPA)

Friday, February 8th, 2013

To recap: In the last year, there has been increasing focus on the practice by some employers of requiring job applicants to hand over their passwords or allow access to their private accounts on social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Google+ in order to gather personal data when the social-networking profiles are closed ...

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, ...

8 Tips to Keep Your Credit Card Information Safe When Shopping Online

Friday, December 14th, 2012

How to Keep Your Credit Card Safe Online Using your credit card to buy something online has become an almost daily habit for most people, and it’s especially popular around the holidays. Even so, there are many people who are still uncomfortable with submitting their credit card information online. ...

New York Times: Facebook Can ID Faces, but Using Them Grows Tricky

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

The New York Times reports on Facebook’s use of facial-recognition technology and the privacy questions that arise from the social-networking site’s use of the biometric data: SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook on Friday confronted a new obstacle over what to do with one of its most vital assets — pictures. The company promised ...

Ontario Privacy Commissioner: The New World of Social Media: Privacy and Your Facebook Profile

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

The Ontario Privacy Commissioner has released a report, “Reference Check: Is Your Boss Watching? The New World of Social Media: Privacy and Your Facebook Profile” (OPC pdf; archive pdf). The report warns employees to be careful of their online presence, especially with social media profiles. Here’s an excerpt: Facebook and other ...

What New College Students Need to Know About Money

Monday, August 27th, 2012

Most new college students enter into higher education with their eyes wide open. It’s a milestone in life and for most, it’s the first time to really set out on their own. Unfortunately, there isn’t much financial education to go along with this transition into adulthood and that can ...

Salt Lake Tribune: U. professor takes on hospital in Utah Medicaid breach

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

The Salt Lake Tribune reports on a case concerning the privacy and security of personal data in Utah: When University of Utah health law professor Leslie Francis learned her name and Social Security number had been exposed in the state’s Medicaid breach, she decided to do what any scholar might ...

Computerworld: Hackers claim to steal 110,000 SSNs from Tenn. school system

Friday, June 15th, 2012

Computerworld reports on a security breach concerning the personal data of students and employees in a Tennessee school system: A hitherto unknown hacking group claimed responsibility for a hacking attack on a county school system in Tennessee that may have exposed the names, Social Security numbers and other personal data ...

MediaPost: Facebook Resolves One Sponsored-Stories Lawsuit

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

MediaPost reports on a settlement concerning social-networking site Facebook and its users’ privacy: Facebook has tentatively settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that its sponsored stories program misappropriates users’ names and images, the company said in court papers filed this week. But the social networking service is still facing a separate ...

Update: Senators Introduce Legislation on Disclosure of Employees’ Passwords

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

In the last couple of months, there has been increasing focus on the practice by some employers of requiring job applicants to hand over their passwords or allow access to their private accounts on social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Google+ in order to gather personal data when the social-networking profiles are closed ...