privacy

Legal
May 18, 2012
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Facebook hit with $15 billion privacy suit on IPO day

By on May 18, 2012 at 2:45 PM.

Facebook hit with $15 billion privacy suit on IPO day

Facebook Privacy Lawsuit

Facebook is officially a public company as of Friday morning shortly after 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and what better way to celebrate the milestone than with a fresh privacy lawsuit? Led by Stewarts Law and Bartimus, Frickleton, Robertson & Gorny, a class action lawsuit has been filed in San Jose, California alleging that Facebook unlawfully continued to track users’ Web browsing after they logged out of the service. The suit seeks more than $15 billion in damages. “This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,” said Stewarts Law partner David Straite. The firm’s press release follows below. More →

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Cars
May 17, 2012
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Mandatory ‘big brother’ black boxes leave drivers with privacy concerns

By on May 17, 2012 at 8:05 PM.

Mandatory ‘big brother’ black boxes leave drivers with privacy concerns

Black Boxes For Cars

The United States Senate has already passed a bill that would require data-recording “black boxes” to be equipped on every vehicle for the 2015 model year, and the House is also expected to approve the bill. The primary function of the black boxes, which are known as Electronic Data Recorders (EDRs), would be to “capture and store data related to motor vehicle safety,” and access to the EDR’s information is only through an “interoperable data access port.” Interestingly enough, EDRs are already found in almost 80% of all vehicles, including models from GM, Ford, Kia, Hyundai, and many others. More →

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Internet
May 4, 2012
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Google to be fined millions by U.S. over Safari breach

By on May 4, 2012 at 3:45 PM.

Google to be fined millions by U.S. over Safari breach

Google to be fined by US over Safari breach

The United States Federal Trade Commission will fine Google for its breach of Apple’s Safari web browser security, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The Internet giant is currently negotiating with the Commission over an acceptable fine, which could amount to tens of millions of dollars. The fine would be the first time the FTC has ever punished a company for violating Internet privacy safeguards. Google in February was found to be bypassing the privacy settings of millions of unknowing Safari users by using a special code to install cookies on a user’s computer, even when such actions were supposed to be blocked by the browser. More →

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Internet
April 13, 2012
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Non-profit ISP focused on privacy raises over $43,000 in one day

By on April 13, 2012 at 4:25 PM.

Non-profit ISP focused on privacy raises over $43,000 in one day

Nicholas Merrill’s crowd-funded Internet Service Provider raised more than $43,000 in donations in less than 24 hours, CNET reported on Thursday. “I had no idea that the crowd funding would take off as much as it has in such a short time,” Merrill told the news source. “I hope that people will continue to spread the word and help Calyx reach its funding goal so this plan can come to fruition sooner rather than later.” Merrill’s new company, The Calyx Institute, aims to be a “non-profit telecommunications provider dedicated to privacy, using ubiquitous encryption,” and intends to sell Internet access for as little as $20 per month. The company is seeking $1 million in donation-based funding for a “bare-bones launch,” or $2 million in funding for a faster launch. “I am grateful for the outpouring of support which I think clearly demonstrates that there is a vast public demand for privacy-conscious telecommunications companies,” Merrill concluded. More →

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Internet
April 12, 2012
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Non-profit ISP wages war on FBI and DOJ by putting privacy first [video]

By on April 12, 2012 at 5:10 PM.

Non-profit ISP wages war on FBI and DOJ by putting privacy first [video]

Nicholas Merrill, formerly the head of a New York-based Internet Service Provider that fought the FBI and DOJ in court over the constitutionality of the Patriot Act and won, plans to launch a new non-profit, crowd-funded ISP that will make its users’ privacy a central focus. “I have a bit of a track record of fighting for the right to privacy on the Internet, and I have a plan to radically transform the way the Telecommunications industry works,” Merrill said. His new company, The Calyx Institute, aims to be a “non-profit telecommunications provider dedicated to privacy, using ubiquitous encryption,” and it intends to sell Internet access for as little as $20 per month as well as mobile phone service. More →

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Security
March 30, 2012
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MasterCard and Visa warn of possible massive security breach

By on March 30, 2012 at 2:30 PM.

MasterCard and Visa warn of possible massive security breach

The world’s two largest credit card processors have notified U.S. banks of a potential security breach that may affect more than 10 million cardholders, Reuters reported on Friday. MasterCard and Visa have said that the issue was the result of a third-party vendor and not their own internal systems. MasterCard said it has taken the proper steps by alerting law enforcement officials and hiring an independent data-security organization to review the possible breach. “MasterCard is concerned whenever there is any possibility that cardholders could be inconvenienced and we continue to both monitor this event and take steps to safeguard account information,” the company said in a statement. “If cardholders have any concerns about their individual accounts, they should contact their issuing financial institution.” Visa made sure to emphasize that its customers are not responsible for any potential fraudulent charges. More →

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Business
March 23, 2012
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Ex-Google employees embark on mission to stop Google from tracking users

By on March 23, 2012 at 10:25 AM.

Ex-Google employees embark on mission to stop Google from tracking users

“Don’t be evil” is an unofficial motto first uttered by a Google executive during a meeting years ago, and while it started as a playful slogan Google used to jab at its rivals, the three little words have come back to haunt the company on countless occasions. The press and users alike often resurrect the credo when discussing the company’s mission to collect as much information about its users as possible, thus allowing it to target advertising more effectively for its clients. Not all Googlers are on board with this mission, however. In an effort to help users protect their privacy, two former Google employees have created a company with the aim of stopping Google and other sites from tracking users. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
March 20, 2012
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Android apps with ads found to pose privacy and security risks

By on March 20, 2012 at 10:05 PM.

Android apps with ads found to pose privacy and security risks

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that mobile applications that integrate advertisements pose privacy and a security risks. The team conducted a study that examined 100,000 apps from the Google Play market and noticed that more than half contained “ad libraries,” while 297 of the apps included “aggressive ad libraries” that could download and run code from remote servers. Researchers also found that more than 48,000 of the apps that were examined could track location via GPS, while others could access call logs, phone numbers and a list of all the apps a user has stored on his or her phone.  Read on for more. More →

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mobile
March 20, 2012
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Verizon adding remote diagnostics tool to devices; no Carrier IQ-like spying features included

By on March 20, 2012 at 6:00 PM.

Verizon adding remote diagnostics tool to devices; no Carrier IQ-like spying features included

It has been just over three months since the Carrier IQ “spygate” epidemic engulfed the mobile world. As smartphones and tablets become more powerful, consumers are becoming even more concerned with their mobile privacy as numerous smartphones have been found to track users’ locations, phone calls, text messages and even which websites they visit. While the companies that used Carrier IQ’s tracking software claimed it was for diagnostic purposes, the service was promptly removed from “infected” handsets. Verizon, which never used Carrier IQ, in the past two days has updated two Android handsets to include a new “Remote Diagnostics” tool, which some fear may be the next big privacy concern. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
March 15, 2012
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Path CEO grilled by Tim Cook and Apple over privacy

By on March 15, 2012 at 5:00 PM.

Path CEO grilled by Tim Cook and Apple over privacy

Last month it was discovered that the popular social network Path was uploading entire address books — including email addresses, names and phone numbers — to its external servers. Path’s actions were a direct violation of Apple’s terms of agreement, and the Cupertino-based company was apparently not happy. Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek reported on Thursday that Path co-founder Dave Morin was hauled into Apple’s headquarters and grilled by CEO Tim Cook and other executives on the matter. Apple remained silent as other developers were called out for stealing users’ contact data, but the company finally issued a statement claiming that “any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.” More →

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mobile
March 6, 2012
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U.S. Senator asks FTC to investigate Apple and Android

By on March 6, 2012 at 8:50 PM.

U.S. Senator asks FTC to investigate Apple and Android

Charles Schumer, a Democratic Senator from New York, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google over reports that applications on both mobile platforms can steal private photos and contacts, and export them to external servers, Reuters reported on Sunday. “These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app’s functionality,” Schumer said in a letter to the FTC. The senator understands that these actions violate the terms of service on both platforms, although “it is not clear whether or how those terms of service are being enforced and monitored.” As a result, Schumer believes “smartphone makers should be required to put in place safety measures to ensure third party applications are not able to violate a user’s personal privacy by stealing photographs or data that the user did not consciously decide to make public.” Schumer said it is the companies’ job to protect their customers. “When someone takes a private photo, on a private cell phone, it should remain just that: private,” he said. More →

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Business
March 6, 2012
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Gmail users claim Google is sending unauthorized spam emails from their accounts [updated]

By on March 6, 2012 at 4:40 PM.

Gmail users claim Google is sending unauthorized spam emails from their accounts [updated]

In what can only be described as yet another set back for Google’s privacy battle, Gmail users are accusing the search giant of accessing their contact lists and sending spam emails to contacts with non-Gmail email addresses. “STOP IT!,” an irate user wrote on Google’s support forums. “At no point did I say it was ok for Google to send email messages to my non-GMail contacts recommending they sign up for GMail.” The user, posting to Google’s forum under the name MrCheck, claims a contact of his responded back to the unauthorized email and informed him that he doesn’t use Gmail or Google Talk. Further investigating supposedly found that Google sent his contacts with non-Gmail email addresses a spam email that highlighted the benefits of Gmail and Google Talk, inviting them to join the services. There was no evidence of the sent email in MrCheck’s sent box according to his post. Numerous others have shared similar stories as well, claiming that Google has spammed their contacts. The accusations come at a time where the Mountain View-based company is in the midst of dealing with a number of privacy hiccups that have damaged its public image. Read on for Google’s response More →

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