Archive for the ‘Privacy’ Category

Don’t want personal ads? Google lets you opt-out

no-more-cookies

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few months about cookies. Yes, the cookies on the computer. Those that register what you do online. And those that provide you with content which is much more personal then it was in the past.

But not everybody likes that. In fact, it has been the debate in the European Union for the past year whether or not we should all be opting in for the cookies, meaning we would be accepting (or not) cookies by clicking on an acceptance button every time we visit a webpage. This debate ran not only in Europe, but also in the US where the FTC looked into a mechanism that could help to easily opt out of the cookies.

One of the biggest ‘targets’ in the discussion has been Google. The search giant has been aimed at by privacy commissioners all over the world. And now that company announces a new extension on Google Chrome which does exactly what the FTC wants: opt out of ad tracking cookies. They launch the “Keep My Opt-Outs” extension. (more…)

Update: Facebook postpones sharing of phone numbers and addresses

privacy-status

Yesterday I wrote about a new ‘feature’ in Facebook which meant that third party developers would now be able to easily pick up phone numbers and addresses from Facebook. To be honest, I wasn’t the only one writing about it.

Just shortly after their announcement on the subject last Friday Facebook now pulls back. The feature will be changed and until then the feature is “on hold”. It looks like Facebook listened to the criticism. (more…)

Facebook is now giving away your phone and address number

facebook-security

UPDATE JANUARY 18: FACEBOOK HAS POSTPONED THIS NOW, SEE MORE IN THIS ARTICLE

At first sight it seems a ‘simple slight change’ into the functionalities of what developers can do with Facebook. A step also which would make the lives of both developers and users easier and a step closer to Facebook becoming an authentication tool.

It might even be all those things, but it might also be yet another privacy threat coming from Facebook. The fact is that just before the weekend, on a very strategic moment a new blogpost went live on the Facebook Developer blog which stated that “now making a user’s address and mobile phone number accessible as part of the User Graph object“.

The move might have big implications for privacy matters. Although the information is not a bank a [SlideDeck id='5301' width='100%' height='370px'] ccount number, the phone number and address of people is considered to be one of the most private elements, especially on a social networking site. Those who want to do wrong now can do wrong a bit more easy. (more…)

Facebook New Feature: The start of a Beautiful Friendship (Page)?

Facebook have released a new, slightly creepy feature, apparently around a week ago. I’m not sure if this is a phased roll-out, or if I’m just not watching closely enough, as I discovered this feature yesterday. Hang tight and I’ll take you on a little pedestrian journey through my social sphere and then we won’t be strangers any more.

Lunchtime – I see that my friend and fellow SEO Chicks and State of Search blogger Lisa Myers, has posted a new picture of baby Isla. I click on the picture and write my comment, then go to Lisa’s profile, to update myself on what she’s been up to in the past few days of maternity leave. That’s when I spotted this… (more…)

Google forced to give away data on court order: what’s next?

The web is still relatively young. Which means we still have to get used to how to work with the web combined with the rules we made offline. The web makes it a lot easier for example to pretend you are somebody else. Or to harass others. The Negative SEO panel at A4U Expo last week showed us some interesting angles on that.

But the web might be something online, it doesn’t mean that the things you do on the web are above the law. Far from actually. The rules which we have offline also count online. The problem however in many cases is: where lies what responsibility?

A ruling of the court in New York now has made a possible jurisprudence which might mean some big steps when it comes to what data for example search engines will have to share when the law is broken. (more…)

Whats your reputation management like?

Eric Schmidt last year said something in the lines of “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” Maybe he had been looking at the tv show “two and a half men” from 2006. In the show the ‘power’ of the web and the power of being indexed by Google is shown. Some reputation management is in order here.

This clip is funny, but it really shows where the problem with privacy is at the moment: peoples ignorance and the fact that others can do what they want, even though its your name they are talking about. But hey… If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know…

By the way: the website discussed in the clip “charlieharpersucks.com” actually existed! But it is now redirected to the Warner Bros website.

Defending Google or stepping up against Google?

google-is-watching

google is watching 300x242 Defending Google or stepping up against Google?Google is under siege. At least so it might seem if you look at several blogposts and news items in the past months. The siege mainly is aimed at privacy matters concerning the Silicon Valley giant. Google has made a few mistakes and is now paying the price.

Google Streetview is a nice tool Google developed (actually, they bought it and then made it into what it is now), but somehow its causing them a lot of issues, especially in Europe. People apparently love to wander through streets using Streetview and love to look at what is going on in the street across town but as soon as Streetview enters their street they feel their privacy is invaded. In some cases they respond a bit overreacted, in other cases, like when Google collected wifi data through their Streetview cars they were right. Google shouldn’t have done that. But are the reactions justified? Or are we making a lot out of nothing? (more…)

The insane world of “No linking Policy” – what happened to the interNET?

PaperBagOverHead 300x199 The insane world of “No linking Policy” – what happened to the interNET?I have been working on a big social media project for one of my clients for the last few weeks, we were going live yesterday but were stopped at the last minute from the clients lawyers “I’m sorry you cannot go live before you have checked that you are allowed to link out to all of these sites”, What the F@~!£??? Seriously, I thought, who in their right mind would prevent someone linking to their site. This is the internet, free speech = free linking, surely!? Or is it?

So, I quite confidenentaly wrote an email to the lawyers saying in essence (although I put it slightly more eloquently of course) “you got to be kidding and don’t be silly there is no UK company that would have a no linking policy”, BOY was I wrong. After a quick question round on twitter, asking my followers whether they had heard of such “no linking policy” for any UK websites, I was shocked to find out there are LOADS of website doing this.

(A big thanks to @rishil @chappers @wiep @nicholastott @mattuk @harrybailey @theEdword and  @tomsmith1984 for your quick replies to my tweet). And most of all thanks to @malcolmcoles who has spent significant time looking into all of these instances of UK “no linking policies”.

Malcolm’s most recent blogpost is a must read, giving you a list of examples of UK websites that has such “no linking polices”. These are all BIG UK businesses that have decided for one reason or another to prevent people from linking to their site.  Malcolm has written several blogpost on this subject, the first one being a list of UK newspapers which has this no linking policy, then the second blogpost gives another list of major UK companies including the AOP (Association of Online Publishers) permitting websites to link to them without permission. Now I find this particularly funny as AOP is of course all about “online publishing”, pah!! (EDIT: After publishing this blogpost it was brought to my attention that the AOP no longer have a “no linking policy” in their T&Cs.

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Watch out Facebook, here comes the “Kroesade”

neelie kroes 300x287 Watch out Facebook, here comes the KroesadeShe has a reputation of being the iron lady and many Dutch believe she would be the best choice to become the next Dutch prime minister. But Neelie Kroes believes she has a job to do at the European Commission. And Social Networksites might regret that Kroes didn’t want to become prime minister. She has started her crusade or should we say “Kroesade”.

Where in her last job as euro kartel commissioner Kroes went after companies like Microsoft in her new job she’s after the social networksites like Facebook, Google Buzz and Hyves. Recent developments with Facebook and Buzz must have attracted attention in Brussels. (more…)

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