Privacy

Your source for the latest privacy news and analysis.

Which? responds to Mandelson Internet plan
Nov. 02, 2009
Consumer champion Which? has responded to Lord Mandelson's threats to cut persistent file-sharers Internet connections off as early as summer 2011 under new 'three strikes' rules.

EU-US accord on SWIFT data hits political snag
Nov. 13, 2009
Some of Europe's largest countries are backing away from a controversial draft agreement being negotiated with the U.S. that would allow that country's antiterrorism agencies access to the personal financial data of ...

iPhone security problems bring new risks
Nov. 11, 2009
In just four days, not one but two worms targeting the iPhone have emerged. Both of the worms target the same vulnerability, a default password in the SSH server that is installed on jail-broken iPhones. While one worm ...

Eighth person charged with passport snooping
Nov. 09, 2009
An eighth person who has worked for the U.S. Department of State has pleaded guilty to illegally accessing numerous electronic passport files that are supposed to be confidential, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Dashboard shows what Google knows about you
Nov. 05, 2009
Google's new Dashboard products provides its users with some transparency, but critics say more needs to be done to protect consumer privacy.

Federal data protection law inches forward
Nov. 05, 2009
A sweeping new bill that would implement a national standard for data protection and breach notification got a boost of support today from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Scary new tech fears to haunt your Halloween
Oct. 30, 2009
We all love our PCs and gadgets, don't we? Technology publications like this one (and columnists like me) love to wax eloquent about the wonders of the iPhone, the joys of Twitter and the un-Vista like qualities of ...

CalOptima recovers discs with personal data on 68,000 members
Oct. 29, 2009
Several missing CDs with unencrypted personal data on 68,000 members of the CalOptima managed care plan have been traced to a secure postal facility in Atlanta.

HITECH Act: What you need to know about new data-breach guidelines
Oct. 29, 2009
Healthcare providers and others handling sensitive patient data are now finding the stakes raised if they suffer a data breach because of a new law known as the "Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical ...

Judge says TD Ameritrade's proposed security fixes not enough
Oct. 27, 2009
A federal judge's rejection of a proposed settlement by TD Ameritrade Inc. in a data breach lawsuit marks the second time in recent months where a court has weighed in on what it consider to be basic security standards ...

From Facebook to eternity
Oct. 27, 2009
Facebook says it will memorialize users who pass away by keeping their Facebook profiles alive.

Privacy: Why Google Social Search Gives Me The Creeps
Oct. 27, 2009
Has Google started following us around? It's new Google Social Search feature, going live today, sure feels like it. And hints at what Google can do both for and to you with all the information it has collected.

India's new IT law increases surveillance powers
Oct. 27, 2009
A new IT law has come into force in India that frees Internet portals from liability for third-party content and activity, but also gives the government powers to monitor communications on the Internet, and block web ...

CalOptima says data on 68,000 members may be compromised
Oct. 26, 2009
Personal data on about 68,000 members of CalOptima, a Medicaid managed care plan serving Orange County, Calif., may have been compromised earlier this month.

500,000 job hunters details exposed in Guardian hack
Oct. 26, 2009
Sensitive personal data belonging to 500,000 job hunters have been exposed after hackers attacked The Guardian's Jobs website.

Security vendor McAfee spills 1,400 customer names
Jul. 29, 2009
In a story just dripping with irony, e-mail security vendor McAfee has accidentally sent the contact details of some1400 conference attendees in a spreadsheet attached to a thank you message.

Analysis: Real ID program on life support
Oct. 23, 2009
A decision by lawmakers in Congress to slash funding for the unpopular Real ID national driver's license program has put an already struggling program on life support.

Former federal worker sentenced for passport snooping
Oct. 23, 2009
A former employee at the U.S. Department of State was sentenced to 12 months of probation Friday for illegally accessing more than 75 confidential passport application files, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Privacy advocate has ally in Social Security numbers fight
Oct. 22, 2009
A fight to stop a Virginia privacy advocate from republishing on her Web site Social Security numbers obtained legally from public records on government sites is attracting the attention of some privacy heavyweights.

Medical records sale scandal a 'data, not outsourcing issue'
Oct. 21, 2009
The National Outsourcing Association has defended the industry following revelations on ITV's Tonight programme about the sale of UK medical records in India.

Facial-recognition system can guess your age
Oct. 21, 2009
ORLANDO -- Those advertising in public places would really like to know the age and gender of those viewing their ads to see if they're hitting the right demographic. An experimental facial-recognition system developed ...

Iconix settles charges of violating children's privacy law
Oct. 20, 2009
Iconix Brand Group, which sells clothing for children and teens under several brands, will pay a US $250,000 civil penalty to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated a law prohibiting companies ...

ChoicePoint to pay fine for second data breach
Oct. 19, 2009
Data broker ChoicePoint, the victim of a 2004 data breach affecting more than 160,000 U.S. residents, has agreed to strengthen its data security efforts and pay a fine for a second breach in 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade ...

Online libel case stirs up free speech debate
Oct. 16, 2009
An Illinois politician's attempt to unmask the identity of an e-mail poster who allegedly made disparaging remarks about her teenage son in an online forum is stirring a debate about free speech rights on the Internet.

Schwarzenegger vetoes update to California privacy law
Oct. 13, 2009
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed an update to California's landmark data-breach notification law, saying that the new bill would be too hard on businesses without adequately benefiting consumers.