Dutch regulator: ‘Google spins an invisible web of our personal data’
A Dutch regulator on Thursday said that Google’s privacy policy update in March 2012 that covers all the online services offered by the search giant …
privacy
LG vows to fix Smart TVs that spy on users
After an LG Smart TV owner discovered that his unit was sending personal data including channel history and even name files from external storage devices …
Privacy settings not enough to stop LG Smart TV from spying on users
An LG Smart TV owner in the United Kingdom has shockingly discovered that his device is sending unencrypted data over Wi-Fi containing TV watching habits, …
Former Microsoft privacy advisor: ‘I don’t trust Microsoft now’
It’s doubtful that Microsoft will recruit its former privacy advisor Caspar Bowden to help it come up with witty one-liners for its next round of “Scroogled” …
John McAfee transitions from blocking viruses to blocking the NSA
John McAfee is one of the strangest characters in the tech world, and for a while everyone thought he might be a murderer, so it …
How to hide your online activity
With the NSA spying on everyone on the planet (not really), Apple tracking your every move (not really) and hackers constantly running amok (really), online privacy is …
Texas becomes first state to require warrants before cops can spy on email
Don’t mess with Texans’ email. Ars Technica reports that Texas has become the first state in the United States that requires law enforcement officials to …
Facebook to introduce better privacy controls, force everyone to be included in searches
Facebook (FB) is planning another round of privacy changes with a focus on making it easier to control what’s shared and what’s not, according to The …
Congressional report says drones could spell the death of privacy
It’s not just paranoid people who should be freaked out about having unmanned spy drones hovering over their neighborhoods at all times, as a new report …
FBI plugs $1 billion into facial recognition tech to turn America into its own game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’
Hiding in plain sight is about to get a whole lot harder. New Scientist reports that the FBI is spending $1 billion to add facial …
Google assembling ‘red team’ to prevent future FTC fines over user privacy
Getting busted for allegedly violating your users’ privacy is never fun for any company, but for Google (GOOG) it recently became costly to the tune …
California cops barred from warrantless GPS, cellphone tracking
California’s state legislature has just passed a law requiring police to obtain a proper warrant before using tracking technologies such as GPS to gather information on …
Police chiefs group says arming domestic spy drones with weapons would be bad
Unmanned aerial drones are set to become a shiny new toy used by law enforcement officials to gather information, but that doesn’t mean there won’t …
Google to pay $22.5 million to settle FTC privacy charges
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday announced that Google (GOOG) has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $22.5 million to settle charges that it misrepresented …
Court makes spying on Americans legal with new warrantless wiretap ruling
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled in favor of President George W. Bush’s controversial Terrorist Surveillance Program, which allows the government to spy on …
Court slams TSA, demands hearings to discuss nude body scanners
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wants to know why the Transport and Security Administration has broken its promise to …
Skype’s own privacy policy says it can spy on users’ IMs
There have been a lot of questions going around over the past few days about whether Microsoft (MSFT) and Skype are able to eavesdrop on …
‘We Know What You’re Doing’ website outs drug users, boss-haters and more on Facebook
Facebook’s repeated privacy snafus always make the news and cause a stir among users, but a surprising number of Facebook members throw caution to the …
Apple looks to stop Big Brother ‘dataveillance’ with new tech
Apple was recently granted a patent by the United State Patent and Trademark Office for a method of helping users keep their personal information hidden, …
Google Street View can keep up its Swiss watch, court rules
Anyone familiar with the Swiss knows that they’re a private sort of folk who don’t care much for the meddling of outsiders. This is a …
Facebook hit with $15 billion privacy suit on IPO day
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 …
Mandatory ‘big brother’ black boxes leave drivers with privacy concerns
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 …
Google to be fined millions by U.S. 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 …
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 …
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 …
Teacher’s aide fired for refusing to hand over Facebook password
A teacher’s aide at an elementary school was fired last year for refusing to give her Facebook login credentials to her supervisors, ZDNet reported on …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
