Monthly Archives: July 2013
Avoiding the All-Seeing Eye
Not too long ago I posted Privacy and Data Security for the Normal Person and provided general steps the average computer user can take to protect privacy and security online. In the wake of the disclosures about NSA monitoring, many … Continue reading
Posted in cloud, cybersecurity, privacy
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The More That Things Change …. Bitcoin Bumps Up Against the Golden Rule*
[UPDATED 7/22 – Added information about Secret Service Operation Open Market and its relationship to the shut down of Liberty Reserve.] *Them that has the gold, makes the rules. For the last decade or so, governments and mainstream businesses have … Continue reading
Posted in BitCoin, virtual currency
Tagged BitCoin, BitFloor, IAFCU, Internet Archive, money laundering, tax, virtual currency
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Unintended Consequences of Online Tools
As I’ve noted before, you can share too much online. But a few recent stories about unintended uses of new online tools caught my eye to serve as a warning about the Law of Unintended Consequences. First, there’s this story … Continue reading
Posted in mobile apps, privacy, social media, Uncategorized
Tagged BodyMedia, cheating spouse, harassment, LinkedIn, M-Pesa, mobile apps, privacy, stalking
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The Hazards of Self-Service IT
Until the advent of peer-to-peer and cloud-based services, corporate systems were developed/acquired, deployed and managed by IT managers and sysadmins. Access to server-level resources (including large storage volumes) was tightly controlled, laptops and desktops were locked down, and even in … Continue reading
Posted in cloud, cybersecurity, privacy
Tagged cloud, e-discovery, privacy, security
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FTC Reports That Many Mobile Apps May Not Be COPPA Compliant
Originally posted February 17, 2012 On Feb. 16, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission released a staff report titled, “Mobile Apps for Kids: Current Privacy Disclosures Are Disappointing,” in which the FTC criticized companies for failing to properly disclose to parents … Continue reading
Data on the Effect of the EU Cookie Rule
Originally posted June 27, 2011 The EU “Cookie Rule,” which requires companies with European customers to get informed consent from visitors to their websites in order to use most cookies (other than those “strictly necessary” for the service requested by … Continue reading
You Can’t Take It With You – Death and the Virtual World
Originally posted April 13, 2011 A UK charity recently did a survey to look at how people deal with idea of death and digital music, photography and online bank accounts. Their research found that although 80% of those surveyed have … Continue reading
Posted in privacy, social media, TOS, virtual worlds
Tagged death, Digital audio, digital property, Online banking, Social media
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You Can Disclose (and Know) Too Much – The Dark Side of Social Media
Originally posted April 1, 2011 There are a number of people out there who are warning us that there needs to be more awareness of how much information we’re disclosing via social networks. Some of them, like the now-shuttered PleaseRobMe.com, … Continue reading
Posted in privacy, social media
Tagged Facebook, personal life, privacy, Social media, Social network
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Don’t Jack Jill’s Pages
Originally posted March 30, 2011 The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has held that a company’s alleged use of an employee’s Facebook and Twitter pages without her permission to post marketing messages that looked like they … Continue reading
Posted in social media, TOS
Tagged Lanham Act, Online Communities, Social Networking
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What Happens When Social Media Environments Die?
Originally posted January 14, 2011 Despite supposedly having millions of users (to Facebook’s 3/4 of a billion), social networking pioneer MySpace appears to be headed out to pasture. Last week, the company laid off 47 percent of its workforce, lopping … Continue reading
Posted in social media, TOS, virtual worlds
Tagged death, Online Communities, Social media, Social network, TOS
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Nicholson on Technology 