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Traditionally Progressive Iceland Mulls Internet Porn Ban February 19, 2013 
Iceland's credentials as a progressive country are beyond reproach. The prime minister is
openly gay, for starters, plus the recently rewritten constitution
included input from citizens who joined the discussion via social media. Even so, Iceland is considering a ban of online pornography.
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Iran Double-Exposed for Stealth Jet Photoshopping February 13, 2013 
Iran's defense minister is going to be ticked off at the Photoshop minister. A photo of Iran's Qahar 313 stealth fighter is bunk -- just like the last one. After being called out for its fake stealth fighter pic last week, Iran went all in and released a new, updated photo of the jet soaring over Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran.
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Raytheon May Know Where You've Been - and Where You're Going February 11, 2013 
Raytheon reportedly has developed software capable of quickly mining social networks for information that can reveal where particular individuals have been and where they may be going. The Rapid Information Overly Technology reportedly can track check-in posts and geotagged photos in social media. Further, it can chart social connections and highlight those an individual communicates with most often.
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How to Fine-Tune Your Privacy Settings for Facebook Graph Search February 07, 2013 
Facebook Graph Search is coming, and now -- before it hits -- is a good time to tweak your Facebook privacy settings. What is it? Graph Search is a new search function within Facebook. It's not yet been officially launched, but it is available in Beta. Graph Search differs substantially from existing Facebook search functions.
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Twitter Hack Ratchets Up Security Jitters February 05, 2013 
Twitter has joined a rapidly growing list of U.S. companies to report a major cybersecurity incident. The social network admitted late last week that it was able to shut down a live attack, but not before hackers may have been able to access personal information on 250,000 users.
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Pentagon to Beef Up Cybersecurity Arsenal January 28, 2013 
The Pentagon's cybersecurity force reportedly will increase more than fivefold over the next several years, following the approval of a move requested by the head of the Defense Department's Cyber Command. The expansion is meant to bolster the U.S.' ability to defend critical computer systems, as well as carry out offensive campaigns against adversaries.
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French Court Orders Twitter to Name Names of Racist Tweeters January 26, 2013 
A French court has ordered Twitter to hand over data that could help identify users who posted racist messages on the service's website, acting on a complaint filed in October by the Union of French Jewish Students. The 17th Chamber of the Paris Criminal Courts also wants Twitter to make it easy for users to flag tweets deemed illegal under French law.
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Google's Transparency Report Serves as Subtle Call to Action January 25, 2013 
Governments around the world peppered Google with 21,389 information requests on about 33,634 users from July through December 2012. That represents a 2 percent year-over-year increase, according to Google's latest Transparency Report, released this week. The U.S. led the barrage, with 8,476 requests for information -- a 6 percent year-over-year increase.
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Dotcom Fights the Law With New Mega Site January 21, 2013 
Kim Dotcom on Sunday opened the doors to the new file-sharing website Mega. The site is making a splash in the file-sharing world with its promise of exceptional privacy and security. That is not the only reason Mega's debut is notable, though: Dotcom is the founder of Megaupload, which was shut down by U.S. authorities following indictments for piracy against Dotcom and others.
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Facebook's Graph Search Turns Up Privacy Issues January 19, 2013 
Facebook's introduction of Graph Search has been greeted with -- wait for it -- complaints about privacy. Graph Search is a feature Facebook introduced to allow users to enter parameter-based searches to find friends -- and friends of friends -- who share certain interests. A search for "friends who ski" or even more specifically "friends who ski in Arizona" will narrow the results within that field.
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OkCupid Snafu Raises Online Dating Privacy Alarm January 18, 2013 
OkCupid this week debuted a new mobile app that sets up blind dates by supplying likely matches for users who plug in a time and venue. As it turned out, though, the app was doing more than just sending hopeful singles to a meet-up. Shortly after its launch, The Wall Street Journal identified a security flaw that made users' email addresses and birth dates accessible.
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Those Spicy Snapchat Vids Don't Self-Destruct December 28, 2012 
So you thought those photos and videos you sent using Snapchat or Poke -- you know, the embarrassing ones -- were supposed to self-destruct after being viewed by the intended recipient? Not so fast. It turns out that there's a way to save them that doesn't require a lot of skill or expense.
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A Flummoxed Randi Zuckerberg Gets Special Privacy Treatment December 27, 2012 
An unavoidable part of the holidays is finding oneself in a less than flattering photo, but in the era of social media those seemingly "private" photos can become "public" all too easily. Often this can prompt a person unwittingly displayed to start beating the privacy drum.
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Mad-as-Hell Instagram User Takes Fight to Court December 27, 2012 
An Instagram user has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the company, alleging breach of contract and other violations. The suit claims that Instagram's "unilateral" changes to its terms of use transfer "valuable property rights to Instagram while simultaneously relieving Instagram from any liability for commercially exploiting customers' photographs and artistic content."
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China Doubles Down on Real-Name Web Registration December 26, 2012 
The Great Firewall of China might start requiring ID for admittance. On Monday, China's National People's Congress began discussing a draft decision that would force Internet users to use their real names in order to register for services. The draft decision is, depending on your perspective, a way to protect personal information online, or yet another move by China to restrict freedom of information.
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Google Feeds More Personal Data Into Search Trials December 21, 2012 
Google is a company that's always in Beta, goes the joke, but there's some truth to it. The company began its latest search field trial a few months ago, and it just added a few new capabilities to make it more interesting: the ability to search for personal information stored in Gmail and Google Drive, such as reservations, recent purchases and package tracking.
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Feds Tighten Up Child Privacy Protection Rules December 19, 2012 
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday announced final amendments to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule, which governs the online collection of personal information under the age of 13. This is the culmination of a review that began in 2010 to ensure that the COPPA Rule keeps pace with changes in technology and the way kids use and access the Internet.
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User Revolt Prompts Instagram to Retouch Photo Policies December 19, 2012 
Instagram appears to be backtracking on plans to update its privacy policy and terms of service following an uproar from users. The proposed updates were scheduled to come into effect Jan. 16. Provisions that stirred users' wrath apparently let the company use posted images in advertisements without asking for permission or paying the users, and let Instagram share user information with affiliated businesses.
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Next Star of Instagram Ad Could Be You, Like It or Not December 18, 2012 
Instagram is rolling out an update of its terms of service that gives it more control over users' photos. The changes have unleashed a storm of criticism on various social networks. The new policies are privacy measures that will help Instagram integrate more easily with its parent company, Facebook. The terms will also allow the site to more effectively crack down on site violations such as spam.
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Stallman and Ubuntu: Sticks and Stones and a Blogosphere Brawl December 17, 2012 
It was only a few weeks ago that the Linux blogosphere's Punchy Penguin Saloon suffered its latest round of damage thanks to the recent skirmish over the GPL, but now the popular establishment of questionable repute is actually shut down for a week for repairs. The cause this time? Yet another blogosphere brawl, needless to say, focusing this time on Ubuntu and its newly installed "surveillance code."
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