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Ratcheting Up Your Web-Browsing Privacy July 19, 2012 
I've never taken that much notice of my privacy, or lack of, as I've been surfing the Web. However, after recent, obviously targeted advertising directed at me, where the ads blatantly reflected some product research I had just performed, I decided to investigate. Innocuous focused advertising, which can be informative, can simply feel like a violation. Other intrusions can be downright dangerous.
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DNSChanger: Just a Dress Rehearsal July 16, 2012 
Despite dire warnings, the Internet didn't break last week when the FBI pulled the plug on the server controlling the DNSChanger botnet. An estimated 300,000 computers are still infected by the malware that ties them to the botnet, which was designed for large-scale click fraud.
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Tehula Finds Friends Without Fuss but Flirts With Disaster July 16, 2012 
Tehula is brand new in the Apple App Store, and I've got to say, I haven't been so excited about an app in a long time. Faithful readers will likely recognize that I prefer simple apps that do one basic thing really well instead of bloated jack-of-all trade apps. And what does Tehula do? It locates your friends on a map.
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Yahoo Stuck Without SQL Injection Antidote July 14, 2012 
The term "SQL injection" sounds pretty scary -- kind of medical, painful, maybe even lethal. And it can be, for websites that fall victim to it. It involves tricking a site into forming a rogue SQL command that prompts a database to deliver its contents right into the hands of the attacker. If it's successful, a hacker can gain access to a ton of sensitive information.
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Yahoo Voice Crack Spills 400K+ Usernames, Passwords July 12, 2012 
The passwords and usernames of more than 400,000 contributors to the Yahoo Voices website have been stolen and posted on the Internet. The hack was carried out by an organization calling itself "D33Ds Company," which posted the data on the Web. The D33Ds Web page containing the data was down when checked at press time. However, the text file is reportedly available through torrents.
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The High Privacy Price of Auto Insurance Monitoring Discounts July 11, 2012 
Some of the largest automobile insurance companies are now using driving data obtained from GPS and other devices to create preferred pricing for those who submit real-time driving data. So, drivers with good habits may get discounts of as much as 30-50 percent. The economics may be very attractive. However the of loss of personal privacy may be an unintended effect of immense proportions.
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Law Enforcement Feasts on Cellphone Data July 10, 2012 
A congressional inquiry conducted at the behest of Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., found that law enforcement agencies made 1.3 million requests to cellphone carriers in 2011. They sought such information as individuals' text messages, their locations, and even lists of phone numbers they called when in the vicinity of a particular tower, whether they belonged to people under investigation or not.
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Samsung Declared Winningly Unhip July 09, 2012 
Today in international tech news: Samsung wins a ruling against Apple but is declared "not as cool" in the process. Also: Google launches a gay rights campaign; Germany backs off legislation that would allow local governments to sell sensitive information; and investigators rule that the infamous flaming Samsung phone had been microwaved.
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Twitter Channels Google, Issues Transparency Report July 03, 2012 
Today in international tech news: Twitter issues an extensive transparency report; Google sends a letter to Europe; Italy threatens Apple over the company's refusal to give free two-year warranties; and one day after announcing a deal with MasterCard, Deutsche Telekom reveals it is "in talks" with Google about mobile payments.
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Facebook Email Shenanigans Invade Users' Address Books July 03, 2012 
Facebook's email drama continues to unfold a week after it was revealed that the social network unilaterally switched its users' publicly posted email listings to their "@facebook.com" addresses. More recently, users have begun complaining that Facebook's mobile app seems to be swapping out information contained in their smartphones' address books.
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The Do-Not-Track Balancing Act June 27, 2012 
When Microsoft announced recently that Internet Explorer 10 will have its Do Not Track feature turned on by default, it seemed those concerned about online privacy would hail the move as a step in the right direction. Consumer advocates and other groups had been agitating for such a feature for some time.
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Facebook's Find Friends Feature Tiptoes In, Tiptoes Out June 26, 2012 
Facebook rolled out a new mobile social discovery tool recently, only to deactivate it hours later and pull it from its iOS and Android apps. The service, which Facebook called "Find Friends Nearby," was designed to help Facebook users find other users who were in the same vicinity.
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Microsoft Gives Hardware Partners Some Hard Knocks June 23, 2012 
Microsoft's slow crawl to the tablet market is nearly at an end. It's designed the interface of its next operating system, Windows 8, to be easy to use on tablets as well as desktops. It's created a special version, Windows 8 RT, especially for mobile ARM-based devices. It's even shoved out multiple free preview versions of the upcoming OS.
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Sen. Asks Google, Apple to Control Their Peeping Tom Planes June 21, 2012 
Google and Apple are bent on a mission to provide the world -- or at least users of their respective technologies -- with digital images of every place on this planet. Using their systems is the only way many people can see for themselves what everyday life is like in faraway places. However, these companies are capturing actual people as they go about their everyday activities -- and publishing those images.
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Once More Unto the Privacy Breach, Dear Facebook Friends? June 20, 2012 
Facebook is moving forward with its acquisition of Face.com, reportedly paying between $55 million and $60 million in a mix of cash and stock for the facial recognition technology startup. The Face.com technology could give Facebook users quicker and easier photo-tagging abilities, but it also raises privacy questions.
"There are a bunch of concerns here," said independent researcher Ashkan Soltani.
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Samsung Shows Its Softer Side June 19, 2012 
Today in international tech news: Samsung's new chief stresses software. Also: A Japanese man takes issue with Google's autocomplete function, filing a lawsuit claiming that the feature not only made him lose his old job, but also kept him from getting a new one; a deaf German blogger gains notoriety for using her lip-reading acumen to transcribe on-field banter; and more.
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Watchdogs Get a Whiff of Google's Government Privacy Policy June 18, 2012 
There's evidence that Google's consumer privacy policy is being extended to government contracts for its software services, according to SafeGov.org. Citing contracts in Texas, Illinois and California, the group contends that Google's privacy policy is the "minimum standard" for handling customer data under the contracts.
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UK to Google: About Those Street View Records ... June 13, 2012 
Today in international tech news: The UK is reopening its investigation into Street View's data collection activities -- even though British authorities told Google it could delete the relevant information back in 2010. Meanwhile, in France, the president's partner pens an unfortunate tweet about the prez's ex, and Sweden's democratic Twitter policy runs into trouble.
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TomTom Takes the High Road in Apple Deal June 12, 2012 
Today in international tech news: TomTom shares dart north after the navigation company announces it's partnering with Apple. Also: A proposed law in the UK could compel websites to disclose the identities of users accused of online harassment, and a Chinese e-commerce company will subsidize its vendors to drive down prices and lure shoppers.
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Samsung Throws Wet Blanket on Nokia Buyout Rumors June 11, 2012
Today in international tech news: Samsung quells rumors of its plans to acquire Nokia, hacker group Anonymous stages protests across India, three Chinese telecommunications execs land in an Algerian jail, Google try to appease -- not fight -- the European Commission, and Sweden plows ahead with its revolving door of national spokespersons on Twitter.
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