Topic: Information Privacy

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6 men alleged to be LulzSec hackers

Tuesday saw the news that the FBI had identified and charged six men allegedly behind the hacktivist group LulzSec. Who are the men that the FBI says are behind LulzSec's mayhem?
Eight reasons to ‘mute’ super PAC ads

First Iowa, now Florida, have seen the first wave of political TV ads from super PACs – mostly negative – that will smother the 2012 presidential elections. Voters have an easy way to avoid such ads: the mute button. Here are eight reasons to use it:
Holiday shopping online: How to avoid the '12 cyber scams of Christmas'

With more Americans turning to the Internet for more of their holiday shopping needs, good cybersecurity is vital to avoid a raft of scams – from promises of "free iPads" to "holidays screensavers" that install malware on your computer. Here are the "12 cyber scams of Christmas."
Gmail breach: Eight tips to protect your e-mail account

What can you do to protect against an invasion of personal information? Read our list of tips from Google and other privacy experts to make a data breach less likely.
Strauss-Kahn case: 4 ways French and American law differ

International Monetary Fund chief and Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest underscores how differently France and the United States view privacy and sexual assault. Here's a look at where the countries’ legal systems clash as they pertain to Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s case.

All Content

Facebook IPO as a measure of social trust

Facebook's 900 million users are a trusting lot, in each other and Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook IPO on May 18 will be a rare measure of trust in this one-seventh of humanity.
Cybersecurity bill (CISPA): After House passage, what will Senate do?

Sen. John McCain is pushing a voluntary cybersecurity approach, while another CISPA-type bill would require companies like electric utilities to meet federal cybersecurity standards.
House cybersecurity vote sets up Senate showdown, Obama threatens veto

Ignoring a White House veto threat, the House on Thursday approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which would encourage companies and the federal government to share information collected on the Internet to help prevent electronic attacks.
House passes cyber security bill over Obama's objections

The president has threatened to veto the bill, which is designed to empower the private sector to fight electronic attacks. The White House prefers a Senate alternative that vests that power in the Department of Homeland Security.
House passes cybersecurity bill despite veto threat over privacy protections

The cybersecurity bill seeks to protect the nation from cyberattack, but concerns over how personal information is shared with the government and corporations has sparked opposition and a veto threat from the Obama administration.
Cloud computing: Legal standards up in the air

Cloud computing in the US is a 'Wild West' of legal standards. Do federal or local laws apply to cloud computing data? Can law enforcement access your data without your knowledge?
Horizons
Google gets $25K fine for 'impeding' FCC probe into Street View

The FCC has fined Google $25K for stonewalling government investigators. 
Iran nuclear talks: Why the trust gap is so great

Part of the reason for Iran's distrust lies in the CIA's infiltration of a UN weapons inspection team in Iraq in the 1990s.
1940 Census data: A treasure trove for con artists?

Data from the 1940 census, released Monday, has excited Americans looking for more information about their heritage. But the information could also help identity thieves.
Global Payments credit-card data breach: How big is the theft?

The Global Payments breach is the largest known credit-card theft from a business or financial institution in the past two years. Last year, data from some 3.4 million credit cards were grabbed.
1940 census records have over 20 million still alive today

1940 census: Information released Monday shows that more than 21 million US citizens who participated in the census over 70 years ago are still alive this year.
Secret Service probes major credit card breach

Credit card breach at an Atlanta card-processor affects Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. The number of accounts affected by the security breach is not yet known.
Horizons
Hacktivism accounted for majority of data theft in 2011: report

Hacktivism is rising, according to a new study from Verizon. 
6 men alleged to be LulzSec hackers

Tuesday saw the news that the FBI had identified and charged six men allegedly behind the hacktivist group LulzSec. Who are the men that the FBI says are behind LulzSec's mayhem?
Google privacy changes allow company to dig deeper into users' lives: Q&A

Google says the changes will make its privacy policy easier to understand. Critics argue that Google is trampling on people's privacy rights in its relentless drive to sell more ads.
Horizons
Google privacy changes go live tomorrow

Amid criticism from a top French watchdog group, Google is set to launch its new privacy policy. 
Android, iPhone users get new privacy protection

Android and iPhone apps will offer more disclosure about their use of personal data. Undera new deal between California and six tech giants, users of Android, iPhone, and other mobile devices will get disclosures before they download mobile apps.
White House releases 'privacy bill of rights': what it promises online consumers

While falling short of law, the consumer 'privacy bill of rights' would give consumers 'new legal and technical tools to safeguard their privacy,' according to the White House.
iPhone tracking: Is Google breaking its privacy pledge?

iPhone privacy feature was circumvented to allow Google to track what iPhone users were doing, privacy researcher says. Google settled another privacy case in October.
Privacy for children who use mobile apps

App stores and developers are lapse in helping parents protect the privacy of a child using smart phones and tablets. From Google to Apple, finds an FTC report, clear information is needed.
Horizons
With Gmail Man spoof, Microsoft assails Google privacy policy (+video)

Gmail Man is here, and he's looking at your private messages. Microsoft's new ad takes some humorous jabs at Google's free mail service. 
Facebook on collision course with new EU privacy laws

Proposed EU laws on Internet privacy will target a critical money-maker for Internet companies such as Facebook: their wealth of personal data on users.
Facebook IPO: Are users really worth $125 each?

The Facebook IPO suggests that the social network's 800 million users are worth $100 billion. What role will Facebook's audience play as the mega giant files what could become one of the largest IPOs of all time.
With Facebook IPO, time to friend privacy

Facebook's IPO, or initial public offering, will lead to shareholder pressure on the firm to squeeze profits out of users' personal data. Google, too, faces more scrutiny as it mines user data even more. Privacy watchdogs need to be on the alert.
Eight reasons to ‘mute’ super PAC ads

First Iowa, now Florida, have seen the first wave of political TV ads from super PACs – mostly negative – that will smother the 2012 presidential elections. Voters have an easy way to avoid such ads: the mute button. Here are eight reasons to use it: