online privacy

How a Single Student Is Transforming Facebook's Privacy Policy in Europe

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:59:51 -0500

Full article: Gizmodo
Jamie Condliffe
To most people that know him, Max Schrems is a typical law student from Austria. To Facebook, he is a massive pain in the ass. Outsmarting their attorneys, bombarding them with legal complaints and forming activist groups, he plans to transform Facebook's privacy policy in Europe.

Crypto Crack Makes Satellite Phones Vulnerable to Eavesdropping

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:10:17 -0500

Full article: Ars Technica
Dan Goodin
Cryptographers have cracked the encryption schemes used in a variety of satellite phones, a feat that makes it possible for attackers to surreptitiously monitor data received by vulnerable devices.

Google Responds to Privacy Policy Concerns

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:53:36 -0500

Full article: Politico
Tony Romm
Google is pushing back against complaints about its new privacy policy, saying users can still prevent the company from linking all the data it collects about them by turning off their search history, by skipping some of Google’s offerings or by using different Google accounts at different times.

U.S. Lawmakers Seek Google Answers on Privacy

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:45:07 -0500

Full article: Total Telecom
Two U.S. lawmakers have asked Google chief Larry Page to brief congress on changes to the Internet search giant's privacy policies, citing concerns about collection and sharing of personal data.

Your Privacy On Google: Don't Panic, Do Think

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:56:13 -0500

Full article: Discovery
Rob Pegoraro
Alarming news arrived this week about your privacy online. Your Gmail messages, your YouTube viewing habits, the Google Maps directions your Android phone provides and numerous other online activities will get fed into a giant algorithm that shapes the search results you see on Google -- as if one company were seizing control of all those products! Except that one company already owns all those products.

71 Percent See Government Censorship of Internet As Bigger Threat Than Illegal Downloading

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:37:20 -0500

Full article: Rasmussen Reports
Congress' Stop Online Piracy Act is in limbo in the face of strong opposition from Internet giants like Google and Wikipedia fearful of government censorship. Most voters agree that online piracy of films is theft, but they, too, are more concerned about Internet censorship.

Europe Proposes a 'Right to Be Forgotten'

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:29:02 -0500

Full article: Ars Technica
Peter Bright
European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has proposed a sweeping reform of the EU's data protection rules, claiming that the proposed rules will both cost less for governments and corporations to administer and simultaneously strengthen online privacy rights.

Google's New Privacy Policy: Should You Be Concerned?

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:14:34 -0500

Full article: GigaOM
Mathew Ingram
Google seems determined to push the boundaries of what people expect from the company, for better or worse. Just days after launching a new personalized search that has drawn criticism from both competitors and users, the company's announcement that it's revising its privacy policies has touched off another wave of discontent about the implications for users. So is Google's new omnibus policy another sign it has broken its promise and is becoming more evil by the day?

Google Move Alarms Privacy Hawks

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:03:14 -0500

Full article: Politico
Brooks Boliek
Google's decision to aggregate its users' full portfolio of personal data -- from their search queries and Gmail messages to the YouTube videos they watch -- is quickly becoming a flash point for lawmakers and privacy experts.

Google Announces Privacy Changes Across Products; Users Can't Opt Out

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:31:22 -0500

Full article: Washington Post
Cecilia Kang
Google will soon know far more about who you are and what you do on the Web. The Web giant announced that it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all of its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its leading search engine. Google has already been collecting some of this information. But for the first time, it is combining data across its websites to stitch together a fuller portrait of users.