Privacy

Data brokers are watching your every move online. They track the sites you visit, articles you read, purchases you make, and even the names of your children. To cut through the red tape of monitoring and removing stored information, online privacy company Abine is offering a mobile version of its...

Instagram's recent changes to its terms of service have led one user to file a proposed class action lawsuit against the company, alleging breach of contract and other violations. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco last week by California user Lucy Funes, claims that Instagram's...

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday announced that it has demanded nine data brokerage companies explain how they collect and use consumer data. The nine are Acxiom, Corelogic, Datalogix, eBureau, ID Analytics, Intelius, Peekyou, Rapleaf and Recorded Future. These sites offer information on just...

A U.S. district judge has given preliminary approval to Facebook's attempt to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the company violated members' privacy rights by using their images in Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad format. The settlement would give $10 each to those who objected to their images ...

Do you really believe your Web-based email is private? Let's start with Terms of Service or Privacy Policies, which few people actually read. In 1986, the Stored Communications Act was initially designed to protect telephone records, not Internet activity. There was not much Web activity then, since...

Compete has agreed to settle FTC charges that it used its Web-tracking software to collect personal data without disclosing the extent of its information-gathering activities, and failed to honor promises it made to protect the personal data it collected. Under the settlement, Compete must obtain co...

It appears Google is catching flak from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. European privacy authorities have asked Google to modify its global privacy policy in order to give users a better understanding of what personal data is being collected. The move comes on the heels of rumors that the ...

It isn't too hard to see what Facebook users Like, but on Thursday reports surfaced online about something few if any users would find likeable. It appears that sending links via private messages through the social network results in extra Likes for the link targets -- never mind that the link you'...

Facebook came under fire again on Monday as a privacy advocate called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the social network's relationship with data marketer Datalogix. This wasn't just another instance of what have become typical privacy concerns with Facebook. The latest call came fro...

Cellphone and smartphone users have a love-hate relationship with mobile apps. While they love the functionality and enhanced user experience they bring to the table, clearly many hate the perceived privacy intrusions, suggests a newly released report from the Pew Internet & American Life Projec...

The U.S. Department of Justice executed seizure orders against three website domains allegedly engaged in the illegal distribution of copies of copyrighted Android cellphone apps. It is the first time that website domains involving cellphone app marketplaces have been seized, the DoJ said. The seizu...

Facebook announced Tuesday that it is testing a new ad program for mobile apps in a limited beta. The system is aimed at iOS and Android developers who want to grow the audience for their apps, according to Facebook engineer Vijaye Raji. Anyone who clicks on an ad for an app will be sent to the App ...

Privacy in the cloud may be an illusion, given the known cybersecurity risks, not to mention the laws in the U.S. and around the world that permit government agencies relatively easy access to remote data including data stored in the cloud. Of course, businesses have relied on storing data in the cl...

eBay may expand its customer base by opening the site to online shoppers under the age of 18. The etailer is considering plans that would allow users between the ages of 13 and 17 to buy and sell eBay's offerings online. Children under the age of 13 are protected under the Children's Online Privacy ...

Google is about to be smacked with the highest fine ever levied by the Federal Trade Commission -- $22.5 million -- according to reports. The search engine is expected to agree to the stiff penalty to put to rest the agency's concerns over its apparent privacy violations in connection with Apple's S...