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Privacy is Dead

By Myles Tanzer 9/28/12 11:20am

Privacy is Dead

(Photo: bioethics.net)

Fed Plans New Law to Guard Internet Privacy for Children

The Federal Trade Commission is looking to change regulatory lawsthat that protect children’s privacy on the Internet. Although it’s legal right now, a slew of apps and popular websites collect data and pictures from young users. In the most cringe-worthy example, pictures of children that were uploaded to a “get in the picture with Ronald McDonald” game in were kept by McDonald’s in directories that were publicly available to anyone who wanted access to them. McDonald’s tells the Times that they’ve now “blocked public access to several directories on the site.”

The new laws say children’s websites would be required to obtain parents’ permission before tracking kids around the Web for advertising purposes.

But while government restrictions may help protect innocent children, it’s hard not to feel that the responsibility (and the biggest hope for keeping kids safe) lies with their parents. After all, children don’t only stick to apps directed to their demographic. Read More

By Steve Huff 9/07/12 4:53pm

Privacy is Dead

Do you always feel like somebody's watching you? (Image via AnonNCarolina2, Twitter)

The FBI’s Billion-Dollar Facial Recognition Project Announced Just in Time For Worldwide Privacy Protests

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun implementing a $1 billion face recognition program that will probably scare everyone outside of law enforcement.  NewScientist reports that the Next Generation Identification (NGI) program will lump iris scans, biometrics, DNA and even voice prints into one formidable profiling tool and some states are already using the program in a limited fashion. The whole thing will be in effect across the country in about 2 years. NewScientist addresses the privacy problem: Read More

By Steve Huff 9/07/12 11:57am

Privacy is Dead

cryptoparty

Have Yourself a Merry Little CryptoParty

“CryptoParty” sounds like an event involving strangers in balaclavas and Guy Fawkes masks sipping cocktails and staring unblinkingly at each other.  That might be fun, but a CryptoParty is really, according to this wiki, a gathering of “Interested parties with computers and the desire to learn to use the most basic crypto programs.” CryptoParties are practical efforts to assist private citizens in learning how to combat what many activists contend is a creeping Orwellian surveillance state in developed countries worldwide.

In a post published a few days ago, the  Australian edition of SC Magazine elaborated: Read More

By Adrianne Jeffries 6/26/12 9:26am

Privacy is Dead

Mr. Haywood. (Photo: Twitter)

Clever New Site Republishes Facebook Updates About Drugs, Phone Numbers and Bosses

The 18-year-old U.K.-based developer Callum Haywood just pulled the latest prank on Facebook users with leaky privacy settings.

Weknowwhatyouredoing.com pulls public Facebook updates in four categories: people complaining about their jobs,  people talking about being hung over, people talking about drugs, and those who recently changed their phone numbers and didn’t realize they were announcing the new number to the world.

“Just an FYI I forgot to put out there, I’ve got a new Phone Number. For all those interested it’s 0776x010x06. Text me and lemme know who you are so I can add you,” writes one user in a typical update. Read More

By Steve Huff 4/29/12 7:26pm

Privacy is Dead

This one's good for a lot of things.

Social Networking Online Protection Act Seeks to Ban Asking Job Applicants for Facebook Passwords

So maybe the House passed CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) and all our private online data is imperiled, mewling before the greedy claws of the the government, but hey–some in congress apparently think giving your password to your boss is a step too far. To that end, New York representative Eliot Engel and Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky have introduced a bill in the House that would ban employers from seeking your Facebook password! They’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

The inelegantly named Social Networking Protection Act is a response to multiple reports indicating prospective and current employers are demanding full access to employees’ Facebook accounts. Ars Technica has more: Read More

By Steve Huff 4/15/12 7:34pm

Privacy is Dead

google_domination_1

Stop Being Evil: Google CAPTCHA Program Accused of Privacy Invasion

Of course it’s not new, Google gets this a lot. This time the breach is Google’s program using CAPTCHAs to interpret blurred house numbers. If Google has ever asked you to enter a set of blurred numbers when answering a security query for a Google account, you’ve entered one of these numbers–therefore Google has made you part of the problem, citizen. Let the Guardian, in posh tones, explain:

The same image is presented to other Google users around the world at the same time. If enough people submit the same number, Google accepts they have accurately read the photo and are therefore not bots.

Traditionally these security checks – of which there are estimated 200 million a day – have involved typing blurred letters or words into a box.

According to the U.K. Big Brother Watch‘s delightfully named Nick Pickles, this constitutes “a serious privacy issue with identifying the individual number of people’s homes.” Read More

By Adrianne Jeffries 4/05/12 10:13am

Privacy is Dead

Hey Startups, You Can’t Use Fundraising Regulations as an Excuse to Keep Secrets Anymore

Of key importance to private fund managers engaging in fundraising, the JOBS Act directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to eliminate the prohibition on general solicitation and advertising applicable to private offerings of securities to “accredited investors” under Rule 506 of Regulation D under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). -JDSupra

For whatever reasons, sometimes startups and investors don’t want to talk about money. Publicly, that is. Amongst themselves, it’s quite standard.

There are myriad reasons why a source won’t disclose funding information to a journalist. A deal may not have closed, a company may be trying to fly low, or the financiers involved may be minor players who don’t want the spotlight. The secrecy may be because the investors and startups want to coordinate publicity in a way that has maximum impact (read: send press release exclusively to the TechCrunch rewrite robot). Sometimes, every party is worried about stepping on the other parties’ toes. But the reason given is always the same—blame it on the SEC.

After the president signs the JOBS Act today, that excuse will no longer be valid. Read More