The Loopt app A loopy privacy dilema: related news

The Loopt app: A loopy privacy dilema

Loopt has an appealing application that allows you to track your friends and allows them to track you on a graphic map. It's kind of like a GPS-sonar radar that I've just discovered on the iPhone 3G. But, is this application really more like an electronic leash? Will your significant other track you? Will moms and dads track their children this year? Yes, Loopt has an extensive privacy policy that discourages/prohibits kids under 14 years old from using the service, but even one of my most 'public' friends (both online and in off-line) was actually hesitant about installing Loopt on his iPhone 3G. Disclosing your location to a third-party seemed to bother him greatly. The thought is that if you're near a store that is having a special you may get an SMS-text bulletin or coupon.

Don't You Feel Safer Now That Google Added A Link To Its Privacy Policy?

One of the more idiotic accusations thrown at Google of late was this idea that it was somehow a problem that it didn't link directly to its privacy policy from its home page. It had a privacy policy. That privacy policy was easy to find. Almost no one actually reads its privacy policy -- but a bunch of privacy groups who surely had more important things to spend their time on got all upset that Google refused to link from its front page. It appears that Google has now given in and agreed to link to the privacy policy, oddly removing the word "Google" from its copyright notice and replacing it with a link to the privacy policy.

Voice Dial iPhone App Gets App Store'd

The previously good Voice Dial jailbreak app for iPhone has made its way onto the App Store, complete with $25 price tag. Voice Dial isn't to be confused with iSpeak, another voice dialing app that will probably hit the App Store sometime.

Privacy Policies Only as Good as the People Enforcing Them

Techdirt is reporting that while we all know privacy policies may not matter much in the grand scheme of things, a recent study shows that it may be even worse than originally surmised. It seems that the real issue is with who has access to personal data and what they are able to do with it. "of course, it's not just the people reading the policies that don't seem to understand them -- it's those in charge of living up to and enforcing the policies. A new study surveyed a bunch of executives, including both marketing execs and those in charge of enforcing the privacy policy, and quickly discovered that marketers have a very different concept of 'privacy' than privacy officers. Not surprisingly, they don't see anything wrong with sharing all sorts of data that seems to horrify privacy officers.

Linux App Finder

Icon"Linux App Finder's mission is to catalog useful GNU/Linux programs and provide a great resource to discover new apps". The programs are organized in categories to browse the collection. It has an alternatives page to find an equivalent Linux app to replace your Windows or OS X app when you make that switch. The app's page has user submitted screenshots and a research section where links to reviews for that app is provided.

Google Adds Privacy Policy Link

After a month of pressure from privacy groups, search engine Google has finally agreed to add a link on its homepage to the company's privacy policy. Google had resisted the addition of a privacy link, saying it did not want to clutter its homepage. "We're making a homepage change by adding a link to our privacy overview and policies," Marissa Mayer, vice president of Search Products & User Experience, said in a July 3 Google Blog post. "Google values our users' privacy first and foremost. Trust is the basis of everything we do, so we want you to be familiar and comfortable with the integrity and care we give your personal data."

Responding to Critics, Google Adds Privacy Link to Home Page

On June 3rd a group of privacy advocates, including California-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the World Privacy Forum, Consumer Action, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Consumer Federation of California, and ACLU of Northern California - among others - sent a detailed letter to Google CEO CEO Eric Schmidt, charging that the lack of a privacy link on Google's home page was not just "alarming," but violated the California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003.

Google's Latest Silly Privacy Problem

Well now that Google's dealt with one ridiculous privacy complaint, it appears it has another to deal with. As Google is preparing to launch its "Street View" offerings in Europe (which let people see photos of the streets they search for on Google Maps), some privacy groups are complaining how its a violation of people's privacy. Apparently the fact that they were photographed out in public hasn't occurred to the privacy group. Even more to the point, as Google has pointed out in response, despite the fact that anyone caught in these photographs was in public, it's recently rolled out a system to automatically blur faces of people who end up in the Street View photos. Overall, the whole complaint seems to be much ado about nothing from privacy advocates who have much more important things to focus on.

Fedora considering a new privacy policy

For a while now, we've been butting up against the Red Hat Privacy Policy (which we've been using to cover Fedora). To try to address some of these concerns, I sat down and made a new privacy policy for Fedora to use that is independent of Red Hat's Privacy Policy. I made a draft, then sent it over to Red Hat Legal for review. They made some minor changes and sent it back to me. Here it is for you folks to look over: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/TomCallaway/PrivacyPolicyD... Keep in mind that while this is more open than the Red Hat Privacy Policy, I think it is more in keeping with the spirit of Fedora. (Also, it is directly derived from Red Hat's privacy policy, so its not as if I completely rewrote it from scratch). Barring any major failures, I plan to present this for approval at next week's board meeting.

DesignerDigitals.com Certified for TRUSTe Web Privacy

BEL AIR, Md. - (Business Wire) Leading Internet digital scrapbooking supplies e-tailer DesignerDigitals.com today announced that it is certified to display the TRUSTe Web Privacy Seal. The Web Privacy Seal demonstrates DesignerDigitals commitment to protecting the privacy and data of its on-line community. TRUSTe is the leader in privacy certification. They award their privacy seal only to companies that complete the thorough certification process and agree to comply with ongoing oversight.

NebuAd Introduces Next-Generation Online Consumer Privacy Protections, Raising the Bar on Internet Privacy Protection Standards

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Business Wire) -- NebuAd, an online media company that provides state-of-the-art online privacy protection for consumers, today announced it is introducing new industry-leading online privacy protections, offering alternatives for robust, direct consumer notification and unprecedented innovations in opt-out technology. This move further empowers Internet service provider (ISP) subscribers to control their web experience. In addition, it reinforces NebuAd's commitment to delivering world-class innovation in Internet advertising by setting unparalleled standards in online consumer privacy protection.

NebuAd Introduces Next-Generation Online Consumer Privacy Protections, Raising the Bar on Internet Privacy Protection Standards

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2008--NebuAd, an online media company that provides state-of-the-art online privacy protection for consumers, today announced it is introducing new industry-leading online privacy protections, offering alternatives for robust, direct consumer notification and unprecedented innovations in opt-out technology. This move further empowers Internet service provider (ISP) subscribers to control their web experience. In addition, it reinforces NebuAd’s commitment to delivering world-class innovation in Internet advertising by setting unparalleled standards in online consumer privacy protection.

iPhone App Store Sells $30 Million Worth Of Apps In First Month

Before the App Store for Apple's iPhone went live it had been predicted by some analysts to have the potential to become a $1 billion business by 2009. It is now being reported that Apple shifted an impressive $30 million worth of software in the first month, which would make those predictions seem entirely possible. Steve Jobs has pointed out that Apple only receive 30% of the money made from the app store (though 30% still seems a nice chunk to me), with 70% going to the app developers. An example of a hugely successful application is Sega's Super Monkeyball, which they say sold over 300,000 copies (at $9.99) in its first 20 days. Also of interest is that Jobs has confirmed that Apple has built in a feature that can allow them to remotely kill and remove any app sold through the store on a users iPhone.

Apple Debuts App Store in Advance of iPhone 3G

Apple's App Store has arrived. Apple launched its App Store Thursday which features third-party applications for the iPhone 3G one day in advance of the much anticipated iPhone 3G which goes on sale Friday. The App Store became available this morning when Apple released its 7.7 version of the iTunes software. The App Store will also be available directly from the iPhone 3G's software.

Google removes Company?€™s name to add Privacy Link on Homepage

p>Google’s homepage now has a new adjunct – a privacy link, which leads to the company’s privacy policy. The addition comes following pressure from privacy organizations who insisted that the search giant’s Privacy Center, be made to fit somewhere on its first page.

Free CRM Certified for TRUSTe Privacy Seal of Approval

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 07/01/08 -- FreeCRM.com, the leading online SaaS provider of on-demand CRM business software, today announced that it has been certified to display the TRUSTe Privacy Seal, which demonstrates its commitment to data privacy and trust online. TRUSTe, the leading privacy certification and seal program, awards its privacy seal only to companies that complete the rigorous TRUSTe certification process and agree to comply with ongoing oversight.

Internet Expert Scott Cleland Recommends Comprehensive Approach to Privacy Law to Protect Consumers

Washington, DC (PRWeb) July 17, 2008 -- Precursor (http://www.precursor.com/) President Scott Cleland (http://www.precursor.com/bio_long.htm) testified today before the House Energy and Commerce Internet Subcommittee on broadband regulations and privacy, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to Internet privacy, and spotlighting the serious privacy threat posed by Internet applications like Google (http://www.precursorblog.com/content/googles-privacy-lip-service).

Microsoft Says Google Is Years Behind on Privacy - Draws attention as IE8 enters new beta

Microsoft executive Peter Cullen says that Google might have some great products but that they are about ten years behind Microsoft in terms of protecting people’s privacy online. One cited example is the problem that Google has had with Street Views capturing photos of people that they don’t want online, a problem Google has dismissed by saying that anyone could take those same pictures and put them on the Internet. Cullen says that Microsoft has built privacy into its core design and that Google is going to need to do the same thing as it grows. In fact, Microsoft is trying to use its privacy tools against Google; the latest beta version of Internet Explorer 8 has a privacy mode that has the potential to keep even Google from collecting information to use in ad targeting.

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. (Darwin), (DR) today announces a new solution for health care organizations, financial institutions, and other businesses that utilize data as part of their daily business practices. Darwin's Privacy//403(SM) product offers data privacy and network security liability protection for organizations. This coverage will help the health care and financial services industries in particular -- as they are increasingly using, transmitting, and storing personal and confidential information.

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. (Darwin), (NYSE: DR) today announces a new solution for health care organizations, financial institutions, and other businesses that utilize data as part of their daily business practices. Darwin's Privacy//403(SM) product offers data privacy and network security liability protection for organizations. This coverage will help the health care and financial services industries in particular -- as they are increasingly using, transmitting, and storing personal and confidential information.

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

FARMINGTON, Conn., July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. (Darwin), (NYSE: DR) today announces a new solution for health care organizations, financial institutions, and other businesses that utilize data as part of their daily business practices. Darwin's Privacy//403(SM) product offers data privacy and network security liability protection for organizations. This coverage will help the health care and financial services industries in particular -- as they are increasingly using, transmitting, and storing personal and confidential information.

Darwin Announces Privacy//403(SM): A New Solution for Data Privacy, Network Security, and First-Party Business Interruption Risks

FARMINGTON, Conn., July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. (Darwin), (NYSE: DR) today announces a new solution for health care organizations, financial institutions, and other businesses that utilize data as part of their daily business practices. Darwin's Privacy//403(SM) product offers data privacy and network security liability protection for organizations. This coverage will help the health care and financial services industries in particular -- as they are increasingly using, transmitting, and storing personal and confidential information.

NebuAd Introduces Next-Generation Online Consumer Privacy Protections, Raising the Bar on Internet Privacy Protection Standards

NebuAd Introduces Next-Generation Online Consumer Privacy Protections, Raising the Bar on Internet Privacy Protection Standards

NebuAd Introduces Next-Generation Online Consumer Privacy Protections, Raising the Bar on Internet Privacy Protection Standards

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - NebuAd, an online media company that provides state-of-the-art online privacy protection for consumers, today announced it is introducing new industry-leading online privacy protections, offering alternatives for robust, direct cons

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