data privacy
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Google is reportedly gathering health data on millions of Americans
Google is gathering detailed health record information from millions of Americans -- and it has not informed patients or doctors, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to WSJ, St. Louis-based Ascension, the second-largest health system in the US, is sharing lab results, diagnoses and hospitalization records, as well as health histories complete with patient names and dates of birth, with Google.
Christine Fisher11.11.2019
Senator Wyden pushes his ‘Mind Your Own Business’ privacy act forward
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is advancing his data privacy bill. Today, he shared his "Mind Your Own Business Act" an official version of the draft legislation we saw last year. Like the draft, the official version would give the Federal Trade Commission more power, like the ability to fine tech companies for user privacy violations.
Christine Fisher10.17.2019
Instagram’s Threads is compelling, but kind of creepy
Look, I'm not one to constantly post selfies. I'd rather just take pictures of random buildings or my sneakers. But, when I do take a selfie, it's mostly just so I can share a goofy face with my family or best friends. I've mentioned this before in previous stories about Facebook, Instagram has become one of my main messaging apps -- right up there with iMessage and WhatsApp. That's why the idea of Instagram's new Threads app, which is designed specifically for private messages between you and your closest friends, sounds so intriguing.
Edgar Alvarez10.04.2019
Instagram's Threads is a camera app for sharing with your closest friends
If you want to get a glimpse of Mark Zuckerberg's "privacy-focused" vision for Facebook, then look no further than Instagram's new social app: Threads. This new standalone, camera-first messaging app is an extension of Instagram's Close Friends feature on Stories, which lets you share pictures, videos and more only with groups of people you've carefully selected. As the Facebook CEO has said in recent months, his plan is to take Facebook into an era of "simple, intimate places," where individuals can have a dedicated space for private interactions on its family of apps. And with Threads from Instagram, which launches today on iOS and Android, the company is taking a step in that direction.
Edgar Alvarez10.03.2019
Facebook suspends tens of thousands of data-scraping apps
In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook promised to investigate other apps with access to large amounts of user data. The app developer investigation is ongoing, but today, Facebook said it has reviewed millions of apps and suspended tens of thousands associated with about 400 developers.
Christine Fisher09.20.2019
Libra Association opens Bug Bounty program to everyone
Facebook's Calibra digital wallet isn't expected to launch until 2020. But, as you might expect, the organization created to protect the Libra cryptocurrency that will be used with Calibra (and other Libra financial services) is already working to ensure it keeps people's data safe. We're talking about the Libra Association, the independent group in charge of governing Libra, which has announced it is now welcoming all researchers who want to help test the security of its blockchain technology -- in exchange for financial rewards, naturally. The Libra Bug Bounty program was announced at the time when the Libra Association became official in June, but now the nonprofit will be opening it to the public.
Edgar Alvarez08.27.2019
The EU may give citizens more control of their facial recognition data
The EU may impose strict limits on the use of facial recognition technology. According to Financial Times, the European Commission is working on laws that would give citizens explicit rights over their facial recognition data, like the right to know when it's used. The regulations would apply to both businesses and police or security forces.
Christine Fisher08.22.2019
Facebook expands its Data Abuse Bounty program to Instagram
Facebook will start rewarding security researchers who report data abuse happening on Instagram, the company has announced. This is an expansion of Facebook's Data Abuse Bounty program, which it introduced in April 2018. As part of these efforts, Facebook will now start accepting reports about third-party apps that improperly access and store user data, including applications and services that offer fake likes, comments and followers. Essentially, any app that asks for people's login information (like usernames and passwords) is violating Instagram's terms of use -- and Facebook wants the security community to notify it of anyone who may be taking advantage of this.
Edgar Alvarez08.19.2019
Twitter may have shared your data without permission
Yesterday, Twitter came clean about a data mishap. According to the company, it may have shared data it didn't have permission to with advertisers. It may have also made assumptions about what device you use, again without permission.
Christine Fisher08.07.2019
New York City bill could make selling phone location data illegal
New York City could become the first city in the country to ban the sale of geolocation data to third parties. A bill introduced today would make it illegal for cellphone and mobile app companies to sell location data collected in the city. It would impose hefty fines -- up to $10,000 per day, per user for multiple violations -- and it would give users the right to sue companies that share their data without explicit permission.
Christine Fisher07.23.2019
WSJ: Facebook reaches $5 billion FTC settlement
The inevitable has happened for Facebook. After weeks of reports that the company was working to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its privacy practices, the two parties have finally come to an agreement. The Wall Street Journal reports that commissioners voted to approve a $5 billion settlement -- something Facebook had already accounted for -- for the social network over its "privacy missteps," with three Republicans voting to approve the deal and two Democrats opposed.
Edgar Alvarez07.12.2019
Facebook tweaks terms of service to better explain user rights
Facebook's terms of service agreement is infamous for being lengthy and hard to decipher -- and it appears that the company has gone back to the drawing board. The social media giant has unveiled an update to its user agreement that it thinks will better explain how it makes money and what happens when it removes content. The changes aren't entirely self-directed: Back in April the European Commission forced the social media giant to spell out that it makes money by selling targeted ads based off of user data. As a result, the company agreed to revise its terms publicly by the end of June.
Amrita Khalid06.27.2019
UK university will study students' social media data to prevent suicide
A university in the UK is planning to use data analytics to help prevent student suicide. Northumbria University, and a handful of partner organizations, will collect data from students' social media accounts to create an "Early Alert Tool." If successful, it will identify students in crisis so the university can provide aid.
Christine Fisher06.06.2019
Experts weigh in on Apple's private sign-in feature
Apple's WWDC 2019 was full of announcements, but few of them garnered as big a cheer from the crowd as when Sign in with Apple was introduced. The feature, which lets people use their Apple IDs to sign up for sites and services on the web, is being touted as a privacy-oriented alternative to Login with Facebook and Sign in with Google. "We've all seen buttons like this, asking us to use a social account login to get a more personalized experience with an app, and these logins can be used to track you," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said on Monday during the keynote. "We wanted to solve this, and many developers do too, and so now we have the solution."
Edgar Alvarez06.04.2019
Facebook’s FTC fine could cost it between $3 and $5 billion
Although Facebook's growth has slowed down over the past year, all the controversies it has faced in recent months haven't had an effect on its bottom line. But that may be changing. Today, during its Q1 2019 earnings report, Facebook reported a total revenue of $15.1 billion, a 26 percent year-over-year increase. The most interesting part, however, is that Facebook says it estimates spending between $3 and $5 billion as part of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into its data-sharing practices.
Edgar Alvarez04.24.2019
UK wants Facebook to remove its Like button for younger users
The UK wants social media to turn off so-called "nudge" techniques, including Facebook's "Like" button and Snapchat streaks, for under-18s. The recommendations form part of a new 16-rule code of of practice for age-appropriate design drafted by the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Other suggestions include turning location-tracking off by default for younger users, "robust" age-verification systems, limiting how children's data is collected, used, and shared, and informing children if parents are monitoring their online activity.
Saqib Shah04.15.2019
Facebook only cares about privacy because it has to
When your reputation is as shattered as Facebook's, all you can do is try to change course. And amid an ongoing crisis caused by its continuous disregard for protecting users' data, co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a 3,000-word manifesto on his "privacy-focused vision" for the company. In it, the embattled Facebook chief detailed how he plans to take the social network into a new era by focusing on "simple, intimate places" where people can have private interactions and enjoy features such as end-to-end encryption. Additionally, Zuckerberg said Facebook will start reducing permanent content and offering better safety and secure data storage, though it's unclear when these changes are going to take place.
Edgar Alvarez03.07.2019
Los Angeles is fighting for e-scooter data
The City of Los Angeles is fighting for access to data from an unlikely source: scooters. City officials want to use location data from Uber-owned Jump's dockless scooters to inform public transit policies. But the company says that could lead to "an unprecedented level of surveillance," which the city could wield over companies and citizens, Politico reports.
Christine Fisher03.07.2019
NBC's 'Parks and Recreation' puts data privacy under the comic lens
Note: Minor spoilers ahead for the current season of Parks and Recreation. Imagine a massive tech company that's like a cross between Google and Amazon with the ability to find out exactly what you like based on your online habits. Now imagine that company automatically delivers a few of your favorite things to your front door via drone... without your permission. Sounds like a privacy nightmare, right? That's precisely what makes Gryzzl, a fictional startup on NBC's Parks and Recreation, so terrifying. The show, now in its final season, has put privacy and the disconnect between tech elites and regular folks front and center of its storyline. And, in the process, it's become one of the closest things we have to a US version of Black Mirror, a British TV series that's gained notoriety for its unflinching commentary on technology.
Devindra Hardawar02.07.2015