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This story was originally published on May 9, 2012, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. Many people believe they can say what they want on the Internet as long as they use a pseudonym. After all, it is easy to set up an account using an anonymous alter ego. In addition to believing they can post whatever they want...
This story was originally published on March 14, 2012, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. Even before Google launched its new privacy policy earlier this month, consolidating separate privacy policies for more than 60 applications, legal issues had surfaced. ...
Many people believe they can say what they want on the Internet as long as they use a pseudonym. After all, it is easy to set up an account using an anonymous alter ego. In addition to believing they can post whatever they want, they may also think they are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They may think freedom of speech has no limits, and when that speech -- even vicious lies -- is anonymously posted, that anonymity will shield them from liability. ...
In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, state and federal governments moved to become more open, and the Internet has made the achievement of transparency even easier. Information is now available to the general public on government websites or from federal agencies in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information A...
Even before Google launched its new privacy policy earlier this month, consolidating separate privacy policies for more than 60 applications, legal issues had surfaced. Now, attorneys general from more than 31 States have accused Google of violating privacy laws because of complaints from users that they were finding ads are popping up on YouTub...
Privacy continues to be in the headlines. Companies and governments are garnering and analyzing information that they obtain through means some find questionable in unprecedented ways Recently, I wrote a column about Carrier IQ's business of allegedly tracking cell data. Many readers use Google maps and rely on the Google Traffic tool to indicate w...
On Jan. 1, I found that these Twitter names had hordes of followers: @ladygaga had 17,554,645, @Starbucks had 1,927,255, and @noahkravitz had 24,273. If you have a Twitter account, you can easily see all of who the followers are Having Twitter followers doesn't mean you get to keep them, though. Followers can unfollow on their own. Or, an employer ...
It seems that every day a new crisis hits the news about our privacy, but not many news stories are as astonishing as the recent revelation by a 25-year-old researcher about the Carrier IQ software that is installed on most modern Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones. Carrier IQ software collects massive data from these devices, then "correlates and aggregates the data for near real-time system monitoring and business intelligence" for phone operators and manufacturers, ostensibly to improve their services. ...
This story was originally published on June 8, 2011, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. Since few people bother to read Privacy Policies, Terms of Service or Click Wrap Agreements, is it any wonder that social media sites, search engines, and providers of cell services ask for and receive carte blanche rights to ou...
As an observer of the information technology and Internet industries for several decades, I watch with great amusement as new buzzwords surface for old IT concepts. I was rewarded not too long ago, when the term "cloud computing" appeared on the scene. The technology concept behind cloud computing has been around for more than 50 years, and the le...
Last month, I discussed, from the website owner's point of view, the critical importance of using Terms of Service (ToS) and Click Agreements suited to their business. Now I will address the need for appropriate consideration of your website's Privacy Policy....
In a previous column, I addressed the importance of website users understanding what they are agreeing to when they use a site. Now I'll take a look at the other side: What risks do site owners run by having poorly written Terms of Service (ToS) or Click Agreements -- or none at all? If your company offers goods or services through its website (o...
Apple's brand name is currently the most valuable name in the world. Google held that title for the last four years, and now Apple has finally surpassed Google as the most valuable brand. The top 10 are all very familiar names:1. Apple 2. Google 3. IBM 4. McDonald's 5. Microsoft 6. Coca-Cola 7. AT&T 8. Marlboro 9. China Mobile 10. GE So what's in a brand name, and what does it mean to Apple? "Apple" has now become a household word, not just in the U.S., but throughout the world as well. With that kind of success, Apple can do more business with more products globally. It also means that Apple is vulnerable to unscrupulous people and companies that may take advantage of Apple's valuable brand. ...
In 2010, Google admitted that when collecting Street View photos around the world it also collected data from unsecured wireless networks. That led to a bunch of lawsuits. Recently, U.S. Federal Judge James Ware refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit based on allegations that Google violated the U.S. Federal Wiretap Act by collecting unsecure...
Since few people bother to read Privacy Policies, Terms of Service or Click Wrap Agreements, is it any wonder that social media sites, search engines, and providers of cell services ask for and receive carte blanche rights to our whereabouts, along with other personal information? We all know that if we don't agree to these terms, policies or agree...
No doubt you've heard the term "Net neutrality." Proponents and opponents have much to say on this topic. However, many Internet users don't even know what it means, or how it will affect them. What is Net neutrality?...
Courts and regulators have recently made life more complicated for Google, impacting millions of Google users worldwide Notwithstanding Google's US$29 billion revenue performance in 2010, new challenges continue to plague the company....
Social media is transforming communications, but what many people do not see is how social media impacts litigation. Today at least 95 percent of all information is electronic, and the continued proliferation of social media surely will make that percentage grow As I pointed out in my recent column about judges and social media, U.S. Supreme Court...
In 1998, Congress enacted the Internet Tax Freedom Act, effectively banning sales taxes on sales on the Internet (the Ban), with some exceptions. Its purpose was to encourage and foster the growth of Internet business. Internet sales totaled an estimated US$155 billion in 2010 and will reach about $250 billion in 2011, according to Forrester. Gi...
A husband, using his wife's password, read her email on a shared laptop and learned she was having an affair. A prosecutor in Michigan then charged him with a felony for reading his now ex-wife's Gmail, sending shock waves through the Internet. One might wonder where marital boundaries of sharing intimate communications end and crimes begin. In...
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