Category: Privacy
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What’s Loading in the Background When You Visit a Website?
Website tracking continues to spin out of control, collecting your data and repackaging it for sale. Sometimes what loads in the background can be helpful. Other times, providing data to site owners. And sometimes, it’s nearly impossible to tell what’s actually loading behind the scenes. Here’s a breakdown of what’s…
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GDPR Violators Pay Fines Exceeding $1 Million Daily in 2024
European countries have continued fervently pursuing the implementation of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), with violating companies paying more than $1.2 million each day in penalties on average through the first 120 days of 2024, according to the data compiled and analyzed by Finbold. The cumulative penalty sum – totaling just…
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Is This Finally the Beginning of Some National Online Privacy Legislation?
The American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 would set clear data privacy rights and establish robust enforcement mechanisms. The bipartisan effort was introduced by House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “It reins in…
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Utah Social Media Act Restricts Use for Minors, Requires Parental Consent and Access
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed two bills into laws that restrict the use of social media platforms by children and places additional burdens on social media companies. The Utah Social Media Regulation Act requires platforms to verify the ages of all Utah residents. It also imposes a curfew between…
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92% of Companies Still Not Compliant with CCPA that Ramps Up January 1st
According to a study of nearly 10,000 companies, data privacy security company CYTRIO reports the marjority of companies have still not taken proactive measures to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). CCPA and the enhanced CPRA becomes fully enforceable on January 1, 2023 and includes employees’ rights to…
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Unsealed Court Documents Reveal Data Anarchy at Meta, according to Open Market Institute
Letter to European Commission highlights new material about Meta’s internal data systems, and how Meta infringes the DMA & GDPR. A letter sent by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) reveals a regime of data anarchy at Meta with data misuse so profound that it would be impossible for…
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Website and Cross-Site Tracking Is Out of Control
I know I’m not the first to point this out, but tracking by websites is out of control. After an hour of being online today, all at mainstream websites, I somehow managed to accumulate more than 8,000 trackers. After clearing it, a journey to a news website, a Google search,…
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Maybe the Largest Data Leak of Passwords Ever – Is Yours One of Them?
It may be the largest data leak of passwords of all time. According to Cyber News, the leak may have exposed more than 8.4 billion passwords. The person posting the leaked passwords on a hacker forum claimed originally to have access to 82 billion passwords. “The compilation itself has been…
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First Results: Users Overwhelmingly Opt-Out of Online Tracking
For years, many in the advertising community have maintained that consumers want targeted marketing with relevant advertising. It appears, however, that as consumers get an increased say in how they are targeted, that idea isn’t holding up. When Apple updated its iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads, it came…
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Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Launches with iOS 14.5
iOS 14.5 is out and it’s a big deal when it comes to privacy. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Apple’s app tracking transparency has been the target of public outcry from the folks at Facebook, saying this makes it harder for small businesses to track customers and will drive up digital…
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How Much Personal Data Grocery Stores Have on You – Revealed
New research revealed the amount of information grocery stores really have on you. The study has shown that grocery stores know all about your physical attributes, what you enjoy and what your purchases say about your domestic situation. 53% of Americans participate in a loyalty program because of ease of use, allowing stores…
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US Is the Data Theft Capital of the World
A new report by Uswitch has revealed which countries have been the worst hit by data breaches and the US ranks first with nearly 19 million data records stolen. That’s more than 4X the next closest country (South Korea). Canada, the UK, and Australia rounded out the top five. China and…
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Which Companies Have the Most Personal Data about You?
The folks at Clario have put together a fascinating chart that breaks down which online platforms and brands collect the most data and what they know about us. I thought it was worth sharing. Facebook and Instagram top the list (no surprise). We all do it – click ‘accept’ on…
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Big Changes Coming to Digital Ad Tracking: A Cookie-less Future?
We’re in for some big changes when it comes to tracking and advertising. While government regulators are making noise about taking action against major tech companies, the industry has not-so-quietly been making a couple of key changes that could lead to a cookie-less future. Cookies are those things websites use…
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California’s Consumer Privacy Act: Regulations are Final, Enforcement to Begin
It’s amazing how slowly government works some times. The California Consumer Privacy Act was passed in 2018. With more than a year warning for companies to comply, it went into effect in January 2020. Enforcement was held off were the regulations were being finalized. There have been many changes, including…
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California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): First Warning Letters Are Being Sent
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect on January 1st, but enforcement efforts were put on hold until July 1, 2020. Now that the deadline has passed, CA AG Xavier Becerra has issued warning letters to companies over alleged violations as reported by MediaPost. It’s the toughest law…
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Bipartisan Legislation to Hold Internet Companies Accountable for Moderation Practices
SOURCE: News Release U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), ranking member of the subcommittee, in introducing the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, new bipartisan legislation to update Section 230 of the Communications Decency…
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NY State Data Tax: Legislation Would Tax Companies that Make Money from Consumer Data
A new bill working its way through the NY state legislatures wants to tax companies that sell or make money from the use of consumer data. Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato wants to create a mutual fund from taxes that would pay a yearly dividend. New York State Assembly Bill A9112:…
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Data Privacy: What Defines “Personal Information”
Weeks before new privacy rules go into effect, California AG is asking for significant changes to CCPA California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra has proposed revisions to the regulations implementing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The law itself went into effect on January 1, 2020 with an enforcement deadline of July…
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A New Era in Online Privacy Rights Begins: Have You Made the Required Changes to Comply?
January 2020 brings a new year and a new decade. It also brings new privacy laws for business. Have you made the changes you need to avoid being out of compliance? CCPA California’s CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) is one of the strictest laws in the U.S. and goes into…
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A Game-Changer for Internet Privacy
You’ve probably never heard of it, but a new protocol called DOH could be a game-changer for online privacy. DOH stands for DNS-over-HTTPS. It would encrypt DNS traffic within your browser and hide requests and responses. When you enter a website’s URL into a web browser, it’s sent to the…
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Growing Concerns about Facial Recognition Technology
Nearly 90 organizations and experts from 30 countries are calling for a moratorium on further deployment of facial recognition technology. In making a public declaration, the group says that the tech has evolved from a collection of niche systems to a “powerful integrated network capable of mass surveillance and political…
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Online Gamers Face Consistent Harrassment
You’re right in the middle of an online battle when suddenly someone starts threatening you. It goes way outside the bounds of any acceptable behavior. The harasser might target your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. They might spew hate speech or start rambling about extreme views. If you’ve done…
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GDPR vs CCPA: How Privacy Regulations Affect Businesses
New privacy laws on the world stage are impacting businesses that have any online presence and capture personally-identifiable data. GDPR The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has already had a significant effect on companies doing business in the EU or doing business with EU residents. It’s affected most U.S.…
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The Justice Department Investigation into Google: What We Know
Facebook’s gotten a lot of attention lately by legislators and regulators, but now the attention is shifting towards Google. The Justice Department is focusing on advertising and search, but the exact focus is unclear according to the Washington Post. CNBC reports that investigation is about whether the tech company violated…
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When It Comes to Digital, Consumers Say One Thing and Often Do Another
Consumers overwhelming say privacy concerns are starting to have them rethinking rethink how they interact online. At the same time, however, their actions are telling a slightly less convincing story. People say one thing to researchers, but their actions demonstrate something else. A third of those surveyed think digital is…
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Amid Privacy Issues, Facebook Promises Privacy Will Be the Foundation for the Future
“I understand that many people don’t think Facebook can or would even want to build this kind of privacy-focused platform — because frankly we don’t currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services and we’ve historically focused on tools for more open sharing,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.…
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Is It Time to Break Up Facebook?
The Electronic Privacy Information Center and a host of advocacy groups have written to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it’s time to seriously consider breaking up Facebook. “The companies should be reestablished as independent entities and Facebook should be required to disgorge the personal data unlawfully acquired from those…
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Can public officials block citizens on social media? Nope.
The law is playing catch-up with many facets of digital technology and social media. The latest battle has been over whether government officials can block people on Facebook. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling that said it was unconstitutional for publicly elected officials…
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Google wins, Facebook loses in lawsuits over use of Facial Recognition
Two different ruling in privacy cases over use of biometric data called “faceprints.” A federal judge threw out the lawsuit against Google. The judge ruled that the Illinois consumers that sued were unable to prove any damages. Lindabeth Rivera and Jospeh Weiss were the named plaintiffs in a class action…
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Is Facebook facing record fines for violating its FTC privacy agreement?
The Federal Trade Commission is looking at what could be record-setting fines against Facebook, according to the Washington Post. It has to do with the binding agreement the social media company signed in 2011 to protect personal data. The fine would be for violating that agreement. The biggest fine to…
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New data leak exposes 773 Million email accounts; How to check if you are at risk
Here we go again. 773 million email address and passwords have been leaked. Security expert Troy Hunt dropped this bombshell this week on his blog. What he calls “Collection #1” is a set of email addresses and passwords that’s being shared on the dark web. Spanning different providers, nearly three-quarters…
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Facebook API Bug Exposes Private Photos
Facebook posted this headline on its developer pages: Notifying our Developer Ecosystem about a Photo API Bug While it doesn’t sound like that big a deal, it is. Let me translate for you: Nearly 7 million of your private photos were exposed… meaning they were no longer private… and they…
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Hackers are now hacking Connected TV Sets
Yup, it happened. Hackers have been able to hack TV sets. The guy behind the hack called himself, The Hacker Giraffe, and managed to exploit a Google Chromecast vulnerability in devices and posted a privacy warning (and promoted PewDiePie, a YouTube celeb). According to Media Post, the hack takes advantage…
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Data Breaches Expose Private Data of More Than a Billion People in the Last 30 Days
Another day, another breach. It’s almost frightening how these announcements about massive security breaches which expose our private data have been commonplace. They barely even register a blip in the news cycle. The latest is Marriott International. A breach of their security has exposed up to half a billion guests’…
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Privacy Concerns with Facebook’s Video Calling Device “Portal”
When Facebook introduced an in-home video calling device with camera and microphone this month, the company wanted to avoid any confusion about the type of data it could sweep up. The last thing Facebook needed was to raise more privacy alarms about its business, so the marketing around Portal, a…
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Digital Ad Fraud Continues to Grow; FTC Asked to Investigate Google
Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the prevalence of digital ad fraud. In particular he wants the FTC to look at Google in light of a BuzzFeed investigation uncovering more than 125 Android apps and websites that potentially siphoned off millions of dollars…
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Does Facebook Facial Recognition Violate the Law? Class Action Suit Moves Forward
The case against Facebook for use of biometric data is moving forward. An Illinois judge dismissed Facebook’s plea to toss it. The class action suit –ispotentially worth billions if successful. Illinois law can tag each violation with fines up to $5,000. Illinois has a law called the Biometric Information Privacy…
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Google Is Under Investigation for Privacy Breach That Led Them to Shut down Google+
The best social network you probably never used is shutting down. After security problems that Google apparently didn’t report publicly, Google+ is closing down inAugust, 2019. The private data of half a million of Google+ users was exposed in early 2018, but the company never reported it at the time. …
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Own a Vizio TV? You might be entitled to a 62 cent settlement
Vizio has agreed to pay some $17 million in an effort to settle a class action suit over privacy laws, according to the terms filed in court. The case revolved around consumer complaints that Vizio was tracking TV viewers by default, without getting consumer permission, and sharing data with third-parties. …
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IAB Letter to Congress Supports Internet Privacy Regulation
Industries never really like it when the government gets into their business and regulates what they can and cannot do. So when the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) changes course to recommend lawmakers create legislation to regulate internet privacy, it’s a big step. The IAB has argued on behalf of the…
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California passes new privacy law with greater consumer controls
It’s not perfect, but the new privacy laws passed by California that go into effect 1/1/20 will help give some consumers more control over their online data and what happens to it. The big deal is you can opt out of having your info sold. The law applies to businesses…
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Did Google violate the 2011 consent order by tracking users without permission?
Following an Associated Press report revealing that Google tracks user location even when users opt-out, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in D.C. contends the Google if violating the 2011 consent order on privacy issues. In the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google is not allowed to track users after…
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The next battle over privacy: Apple vs. India
What’s happening in the EU with recent legislation (e.g. GDPR) restricting use of data and enforcing serious privacy rules is getting attention around the world. Now, India is taking steps that to reduce spam calls and texts. As part of its new policy, the India Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) is…
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California just passed one of the toughest data privacy laws in the country
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 is set to dramatically change how businesses handle data in the most populous state. Companies that store personal information — from major players like Google and Facebook, down to small businesses — will be required to disclose the types of data they collect,…
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More employers using social media to disqualify job seekers
Drug testing, background or credit checks used to be factors that could disqualify an otherwise great candidate. Now companies are adding formal social media evaluations to the list, according to new data from the 2018 MRINetwork Reputation Management Study. Gone are the days of employers casually reviewing social media to assess prospective…
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Do you trust social media to protect your privacy?
A new survey conducted by Washington-based digital agency Rad Campaign and analytics firm Lincoln Park Strategies has found 3 out of 5 Americans distrust social media when it comes to protecting their privacy online. Despite increased use of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat and use of smart speakers like Amazon Echo…
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Facebook is spending $1 million a day on TV ads
Facebook’s taken hit after hit to its reputation. Accusations of political bias, alleged misuse of personal data, data leaks, third parties accessing your data through your friends without permission… the list of complaints goes on and on. The list of lawsuits by shareholders and users against the social media company…
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A Checklist for GDPR Compliance
When the European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into law, it gave EU residents more control over the personal information that is gathered and how it is used. Now that it is in effect, how organizations deal with data has changed for everyone. The penalties for failing…
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How to Delete Your Google Search History
Like Facebook and Apple before it, Google has introduced a new user privacy policy to comply with a new European data privacy law — General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — that went into effect on May 25. Google’s updated privacy policy makes it easier to understand what information it collects about you. More importantly, Google has improved its privacy controls…
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Facebook, Google hit with multi-billion dollars lawsuits on first day of GDPR privacy and consent rules
On day one of the new GDPR privacy and consent rules in the European Union, Google (and its Android operating system) and Facebook (including WhatsApp and Instagram) were served with lawsuits that allege the companies “coerce users” into sharing personal data in violation of the law. The lawsuits are asking…
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What would you sell your social media data for?
Facebook makes its money by gathering our personal data, packaging it, and selling it to advertisers. They say it’s the price we pay to use the service for free. If Facebook had to pay us for the information, however, what price tag would you put on it? We now have…
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Lots of U.S. companies are not ready for new data protection policies
Something big happens this week. The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) goes into effect in Europe. It provides strict regulations on privacy and how online companies can use consumer data. It can also enforce significant fines – up to 4% of gross revenues or $20 million. Even though it’s not…
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Tracking the Equifax Hack Through the Dark Web
It’s been a year since hackers broke through security into the Equifax database – one of the world’s largest credit agencies – exposing the personal data of more than 143 million people. This put credit card accounts, credit histories, social security numbers, and other personally-identifiable financial information into the hands…
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Is Facebook evil? Aren’t we all?
Last week was all about Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearing. There’s no point in denying that Facebook gathers lots and lots of data about individual users. That being said, all kinds of companies and governmental organizations are more than willing to use that data to have successful Facebook campaigns. So,…
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Facebook Admits It Can Track Users Online Even If They Aren’t Logged In
Yup, Facebook can track where you do on-line even if you aren’t logged in to the Facebook app. “When you visit a site or app that uses our services, we receive information even if you’re logged out or don’t have a Facebook.” – David Baser, Product Management Director, Facebook, via…
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Class Action Suit Alleges Facebook’s Facial Recognition Violates Privacy Act
Facebook is catching it from all sides these days. In the crosshairs now is FB’s practice of using facial recognition software. It used to throw me a bit when I would post a picture and, somehow, Facebook would know who was in the picture and prompt me to tag them. …
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Senate Bill Would Help Protect Your Online Privacy
We don’t hear the words “bi-partisan” as often as we used to, but Senators from both parties have come together to introduce the Social Media Privacy and Consumer Rights Act of 2018. While it doesn’t solve the problems of data collecting and tracking, it certainly is a positive step towards…
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Facebook Admits to Scanning Private Messages, Releases Privacy Policy Updates
Facebook is scanning private messages its users are sending to each other over Facebook Messenger, the company admitted in response to a Bloomberg story. Separately, the company also announced updates to its privacy policies with simpler explanations on the types of data it gathers. Questions about the company’s monitoring of Messenger messages had arisen…
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Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S.
The average suburban block has roughly 20 homes. Just among your closest neighbors, there are likely 4 families that have been victims of identity theft. The numbers are shocking: Bankrate.com says 41 million Americans have been the victim of identity theft. Think tank Privacy and American Business says the number is more…
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When public officials use social media to do business, do they have the right to block constituents?
Here’s an interesting debate: If you’re a public official, should you have the right to block people from your social media page? A number of public officials are being sued, including Governor’s in Maryland, Kentucky, and Maine, by state ACLU chapters. Now, the ACLU is taking on a case against Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar.…
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How Dark Web Hackers Are Now Using Messaging Apps to Target You
If it seems like hackers are always one step ahead, you may be right. With the authorities shutting major marketplaces on the dark web, the crooks have turned their attention to apps to steal your information. Messaging apps are a favorite target. Hackers send links and attachments, such as a…
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Nearly a Quarter of Websites Have as Many as 10 Ad Trackers
It’s no secret that websites are tracking your behavior and dropping third-party pixels on your browser so they can follow you where you go online and serve up ads. In fact, a study by CliqZ and Ghostery of more than 144 million page loads, showed that 77.4% of all page…
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Popular websites record every keystroke you make and put personal information at risk
It’s got a stuffy kind of title: “No boundaries: Exfiltration of personal data by session-replay scripts.” That’s the title of a paper written by researchers at Princeton University. What underlies that title is a potential invasion of privacy and gathering of data without permission on some 480 popular websites. The…
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Quartz: Android phones send location data even when location services are turned off
“When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell towers.” – Google Privacy Policy Google says it collects…
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Major changes to online privacy – except in the U.S.
Some big changes are coming to online privacy, especially when it comes to companies like Google and Facebook. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) establishes a new set of rules designed to give people more control over their data. Think about how much of “you” is online. Things…
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Ad industry revolts against Apple’s browser blocking ad tracking
Apparently the entire digital advertising community is up in arms because Apple is baking anti-tracking into its Safari browser. Marketers will only be able to track your online behavior for 24 hours before it restarts in the upcoming release. So no more “visit a shoe website once and gets ads…
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Facebook: Tracking your in-store visits and serving ads?
When ads target you on-line from where you’ve gone in the real world If clicking on a website once and having its ads stalk you wherever you go on-line wasn’t enough, now there’s real world targeting. Go to a physical store and they’ll re-target you online. Now Facebook appears to…
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If you share it on networking websites, does it become public or can access be limited?
It’s a battle over privacy rights that has constitutional law implications. At the heart of it if a simple question with an incredibly complex answer: If you share it on social networking websites, does it become public or can access by limited? Right now, the case features two companies going…
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Can public officials block citizens on social media or is it a violation of their constitutional rights?
Here’s an interesting debate: If you’re a public official, should you have the right to block people from your social media page? A number of public officials are being sued, including Governor’s in Maryland, Kentucky, and Maine, by state ACLU chapters. Kentucky Governor Sued In Kentucky, the ACLU there filed suit…
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Find out if your data was compromised in the Equifax breach – 143 million people are affected
Equifax, one of the world’s largest credit reporting agencies had a major data breach – affecting 143 million people (nearly half the US population). Released was personal data, and some 200,000 SS# and some credit card numbers. You can go online here to check and see if you are affected. …
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Facebook refuses to release political advertising data
Television stations must disclose to the public which politicians bought advertising on which station, how much they spent, and where the ads run. It’s available for anyone that wants to go the station’s section on the FCC website for all to see. Not so for the internet. Facebook, not known…
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FTC cracks down on Zombie Cookies that track your online behavior even after you opt-out
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement with Turn over its use of Supercookies (also called Zombie Cookies). The FTC has accused Turn of deception by tracking consumers for ads even after people tried to opt out. While not admitting any wrongdoing, the settlement will prohibit Turn from misrepresenting…
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Facebook’s 10-year road map includes typing with your brain, listening with your skin, and no more smart phones
Mark Zuckerberg laid out his 10-year road map at the F8 Facebook developers conference and hinted at some of the projects in the works at the social media company. It’s either genius or madness.
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Robert Martin complained about his internet-connected garage door opener. Company responded by remotely turning off his service.
Robert Martin bought an internet-connected garage door opener from Garadget. When he had problems with his product, he posted an angry rant on the company’s community board: “Just installed and attempting to register a door when the app started doing this. Have uninstalled and reinstalled iphone app, powered phone off/on — wondering…
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Facebook adds a rocket to its lineup
You may have noticed a little rocket icon pop up on your mobile version of Facebook. Tap it and it will take you to alternative news feed. No, not “alternative facts,” but an algorithmic design feed of content similar to what you interact with on your regular feed, but…
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A huge number of Millennial Men aren’t watching any TV on any device
How big a deal is this cord-cutting thing for TV? It may depend on who you ask. The number of people cutting out cable has slowed, but it’s still a growing number. But when you slice and dice those dropping (cord-cutters) or never subscribing (cord-nevers), this new report shows…
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Facebook testing targeted ads in Messenger app
A test in Australia and Thailand this week may lead to more ads from the folks at Facebook. This time, they’re testing adding advertisements to its Messenger app. “This means that a business is able to place an ad in an area of Messenger below your recent conversations, similar to…
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Four times people were threatened or sued for leaving bad reviews on Yelp… and won
Put a bad review on line and you risk not just making the business mad, but maybe lawsuits and fines. You may not even know you’re doing something that could get you in trouble, but buried in the TOS (term of service agreements) you never read, or buried in some…
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Journalists get some help in battle over public records
It’s nice to see both parties working together on something, but it does happen. Both the House and Senate passed the FOIA Improvement Act and President Obama signed it into law. Now we’ll see if it makes any difference. The bill is designed to “boost government responsiveness” to Freedom of…
Paul Dughi.com 