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Could Google be gaining anything from its own light-handed regulation of its app store?

The Google Play store is a veritable frontier for apps of varying degrees of quality, while Apple tends to rule its App Store with an iron fist, only allowing thoroughly vetted apps to make an appearance. Only apps that are visibly malicious are barred entry to the Google Play store, leaving room for apps that aren’t completely honest with their intentions. Perhaps it’s time that Google follow Apple’s lead and tighten up on the reins a bit, especially considering that a security team found thousands of free Android apps that are sharing user data by connecting with advertising and tracking sites–all unbeknownst to users.
Read more: http://www.slashgear.com/free-android-apps-found-tracking-personal-data-04381876/
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

We are being the architects of our own grave-digging by happily giving away our personal content on social networks such as Facebook and its illegitimate stepchild Instagram!

We’re still waiting for something to be done about an international bill of digital rights to protect civil rights in the modern age, raised in an open letter signed in 2013, says Monty Munford
The late Günter Grass was one of more than 500 writers from 81 nations who called for a global digital rights bill after the June 2013 revelations from Edward Snowden showed the extent to which we are spied on.
This concern from those who protect us with their pens because of their skills and craft in communicating the excesses of our so-called rulers was, weirdly, backed up by the Liberal Democrats this week.
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-topics/11577390/Digital-Rights-survey-highlights-social-media-and-privacy-paradox.html

“Today, data security is not just about protecting our identities and our bank accounts, it is about protecting our privacy.” Sen. Leahy

A proposed law would beef up your rights when your data is leaked or stolen.
8 Ways You Didn’t Know Hackers Could Steal Your Identity
The Surprising Kind of Identity Theft You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Here Are the Places Where You’re Most Likely to Get Your Identity Stolen
Legislation that would establish new nationwide privacy protections for American consumers was introduced by a group of high-profile Democratic senators on Thursday, including Pat Leahy (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts). The Consumer Privacy Protection Act would establish federal standards for notification of consumers when their data is lost or stolen, greatly expand the definition of private information beyond financial data, and allow existing state privacy laws to remain in force. Geolocation data and images would be covered by its data leak disclosure rules, for example.
Read more: http://time.com/money/3843230/consumer-privacy-protection-act-bill-identity-credit/
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

Without proper safeguards, all of the data that different devices and sites have collected about you can be combined, then exploited by marketers or stolen by hackers!

Last spring, as 41,000 runners made their way through the streets of Dublin in the city’s Women’s Mini Marathon, an unassuming redheaded man by the name of Candid Wueest stood on the sidelines with a scanner. He had built it in a couple of hours with $75 worth of parts, and he was using it to surreptitiously pick up data from activity trackers worn on the runners’ wrists. During the race, Wueest managed to collect personal info from 563 racers, including their names, addresses, and passwords, as well as the unique IDs of the devices they were carrying.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/04/30/in-privacy-your-own-home/
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

RadioShack is seeking to sell 8.5 million customer email addresses and 65 million complete customer name and address files, along with what it calls “transaction data.”

A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Tuesday that he’s willing to approve bid procedures for the sale of RadioShack’s intellectual property, including data on millions of customers. But he warned there’s no guarantee he will approve the sale itself.
RadioShack, which won court approval last month to sell more than 1,740 of its stores to hedge fund Standard General LP, is now seeking to auction off its intellectual property assets.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/radioshack-agrees-mediation-sale-customer-data-30645163
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

Nomi tracked about nine million mobile devices within the first nine months of 2013, according to the government’s complaint.

If you make a promise in your privacy policy, you need to honor it.
That simple principle was the basis for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) complaint against Nomi Technologies — the first enforcement action by the FTC against a retail tracking company.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/retail-tracking-company-violated-privacy-policy-ftc-complaint-alleges-n349006
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

Google and Facebook have started to openly resist the call to create back doors for state surveillance!

The Department of Homeland Security is setting up shop in Silicon Valley, with the agency’s head Jeh Johnson pushing for easier access to our private data. Naturally, both Google and Facebook have started to openly resist this call to create backdoors for state surveillance. At the RSA security conference, Google’s Keith Enright told MIT Technology Review that any attempt to breach his company’s encryption would harm civil liberties.
Read more: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/24/google-facebook-no-backdoors-thank-you-jeh-johnson/
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

What do you think – does it make you uncomfortable to know that shops are analyzing your behaviour? Or do you think it will make for a better shopping experience?

Threatened by competition from online retailers, shops are introducing new technologies to find out more about you, the customer. Do you find shops analysing your behaviour creepy, or are you happy to accept it?
Eye spying on you
You may not realise it, but when you’re sifting through shirts to find the right size, or deliberating over which brand of shampoo to buy, what you’re doing is both fascinating and valuable to retailers.
Read more: http://conversation.which.co.uk/energy-home/shops-supermarkets-spying-smartphone-tracking/
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

Users of social media are generally unaware of how much of their fragmented personal data is collated from across social media sites—and even taken from the content of their free, web-hosted emails (e.g. Gmail)—and how this can be used to build detailed personal profiles.

How many of us read the terms and conditions when signing up to a social media account or downloading a new app? And does agreeing to these rules offer us any real protection from big business looking to mine our data for profit?
Researchers are now aiming to address the ethical challenges around social media by designing new tools and services to help citizens protect their privacy and take more control over their own data.
Read more: http://phys.org/news/2015-04-rights-privacy-digital-dignity.html
Posted by Dont Mine on Me

The new security feature aims to allow “non-technical” people to use encryption with the click of a button after an initial setup of a few minutes.

Yahoo said Sunday it plans to introduce “end to end encryption” for email this year to boost privacy protection for users concerned about snooping from governments or hackers.
The Internet giant demonstrated new security and safety features for its email service at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, ramping up efforts to boost privacy since the 2013 revelations about government surveillance.
Read more: http://phys.org/news/2015-03-yahoo-email-encryption-year-end.html
Posted by Dont Mine on Me