Tag Archive for ‘privacy protection’
Wise Up Your Smartphone
Not so long ago, losing your mobile phone meant the additional expense of replacing it and possibly, someone charging up additional minutes on your bill. Today the stakes are higher. With the ownership of smartphones on the rise, the ability to store more information on your phone can now lead to identity theft opportunities if [...]
The Debate Over Data Notification Laws Returns
In light of the recent data breaches at corporations including Sony, Citigroup, Groupon India, Infragard, Fox.com, PBS, et al, federal lawmakers have found renewed interest in debating the merits of federal data breach notification laws. Most states have passed data breach notification laws, but proponents of a national law argue that making the data breach [...]
FTC Calls for New Online Privacy Regulations
In a recent statement by the FTC, Commissioner Julie Brill called for more privacy controls in the age of what the FTC is calling unprecedented online tracking. In the past, the FTC has pushed strongly for consumer privacy protections by implementing the Do Not Call Registry, a national effort to impose restrictions on telemarketers. Now [...]
Civilian Monitoring Organization Becomes Sony Hackers’ Latest Target
Civilian Monitoring Organization Becomes Sony Hackers’ Latest Target LulzSec, the group of hackers responsible for the recent Sony data breach, have taken credit for this week’s successful hack of InfraGard, an FBI-affiliated private-sector organization that connects businesses, academic institutions, and law enforcement to the FBI through information sharing, analysis efforts, and a common goal to [...]
California Senate Passes Expansion to Reader Privacy Bill
In a vote this week, the California Senate expanded the Reader Privacy Bill, a bill protecting bookstore and library records from government snooping, to include online bookstores. The Reader Privacy Bill is important to protecting individual privacy, since our personal reading choices reflect the things we think, feel, and want to know more about. If [...]
The Value of Information
As every entrepreneur, investor, and business executive knows, information has value. Knowing something that your competition does not know is often the crux of a successful business. Many corporations devote an entire division to discovering new trade secrets. Advertisers and marketing professionals have discovered the value of information as well, and they are collecting it [...]
The Power of Passphrases
Computer security professionals have long faced a dilemma when it comes to password security. If passwords are too small or easy to remember, they can be quickly hacked by a determined attacker. On the other hand, passwords that are too complex are often written down on post-it notes, making them ineffective against people with physical [...]
Security Tools to Protect Finances from Fraud
Prior to the Internet, financial accounts were maintained at your local bank. Photo identification such as a driver’s license was required for large transactions, and your identity was protected in part by being recognized by the people with whom you regularly conducted business. Now, in the digital age, your financial accounts are accessible from anywhere [...]
Mobile Privacy: What Your Apps Know About You
Smartphone users collect apps, especially the free ones. But, unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Smartphone apps collect data about you as you use them, and many deliver this data not only to the app owner but to third parties as well. An investigative report by the Wall Street Journal found that [...]
Apple Inc., Sued for iPhone and iPad Location Tracking
On April 22 two plaintiffs, Vikram Ajjampur, an iPhone user in Florida, and William Devito, an iPad user in New York, sued Apple Inc. in federal court in Tampa to block alleged location tracking in iPhone and iPad products running Apple’s iOS operating system. The plaintiffs are seeking removal of tracking capabilities in the next [...]
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