#The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 19 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 1:00 PM District attorney offices are bringing the encryption war directly to the states * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story This could be New Zealand's new flag * Next Story Nuance wants to build the power of Siri into every app * Policy & Law * US & World * First Click First Click: Europe wants to raise the age of internet consent to 16 December 15th, 2015 * By Thomas Ricker * on December 15, 2015 07:30 am * @Trixxy * 10 [first-click-16.0.0.png] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Duncan Robinson, Murah Ahmed, Hannah Kuchler reporting for the Financial Times on a last-minute amendment to EU data protection rules: "The amendment states that processing data of ‘a child below the age of 16 years shall only be lawful if and to the extent that such consent is given or authorized by the holder of parental responsibility over the child’. In previous drafts, this limit applied only to those 13 and under." Negotiations around the law began today, and could be approved as early as tonight before ratification by the European Parliament in the new year. Countries would then have two years in which to implement the new rules. Teens, of course, aren’t happy with the news. My 13 and 14-year-old sons are active Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, and WhatsApp users, ignoring Twitter and Facebook because those are for "the olds." Both reacted with the kind of righteous indignation you’d expect from their hormonally-charged brains. "That’s stupid," my boys said in unison, as if rehearsed. "We’re old enough already," added my oldest unequivocally. "Did you know that companies and governments build profiles of your online behavior?" I implored, knowing that most teens are unaware. "Tracking every place you visit on the web, who your friends are, where you live, and what you like? Did you know that all those things that you say and do, things you might later regret, are preserved forever, accessible to any casual acquaintance or future employer?" They stared at me blankly, as if to retrench. "Well, it wouldn’t really work because people will just lie," said my youngest in retort, a boy who’s had Instagram and Snapchat accounts since he was 12 despite US and European laws restricting use to people aged 13 and older. "I just always enter 1988 for my birthday anyway… because it’s a cool number." "It’s unclear how the age limit could be enforced" This, in a nutshell, is what Europe faces by raising the age of internet consent to 16. A move that will likely have little impact on the number of tech-savvy teens using restricted services. Moreover, it’s unclear how the age limit could be enforced rendering its implementation as pointless and annoying as having to accept a cookie usage policy on every new website visited. Still, I understand the sentiment behind the amendment as a means for protecting teens from unscrupulous onlookers, and for keeping parents informed of the apps and services their kids are using. The vast majority of adults old enough to have parented a teen aren’t using Snapchat or Instagram, according to Pew Research, and therefore have little insight into how these social networks are used. My kids use Instagram very differently than I do, for example. "Just another internet checkbox" It’s not enough anymore for parents to teach kids how to cope with the physical world they inhabit without giving equal emphasis to virtual worlds. Not with teens spending an average of 9 hours per day online according to Common Sense, a non-profit organization focused on helping families, lawmakers, and educators make sense of media and technology. Most would agree that parents should be aware of how their children use the internet. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Apple considered making a car in 2008, says Nest's Tony Fadell * Next Story Mossberg: It's time for Google to make its own hardware * Policy & Law * Tech * US & World UK surveillance laws will keep citizens' internet history on file for 12 months * By James Vincent * on November 4, 2015 08:49 am * @jjvincent * 5 [GettyImages-484937749.0.jpg] (Oli Scarff/Getty Images) Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share British politicians will dramatically expand the UK's powers of mass surveillance under a draft bill demanding that ISPs store records of every website visited by internet users for up to a year. This level of online monitoring has been banned in the US, Canada, and every other European nation, and has even previously been rejected in the UK. Supporters of the legislation (known as the Investigatory Powers Bill) are presenting it and other security measures as a compromise, but privacy campaigners say it is in fact more intrusive. Records of citizens' internet activity would only include the basic URL of websites they visit (e.g. www.google.com or www.theverge.com) and not any specific pages (e.g. http://www.theverge.com/tag/surveillance). Searches made on sites would not be recorded, but the time of visits, as well as the IP addresses of other computers which the individual contacted, would. "A record of websites citizens visit will be kept, but not of specific pages" Police would need authorization from a panel of judges before accessing an individual's web history, which would also include browsing data from smartphones and other mobile devices. This is the first time such "bulk collection" has been made explicit in UK law since the whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the scale of digital surveillance by Britain's GCHQ and the NSA. The home secretary, Theresa May, described the bill as a "significant departure" from previous plans known as the Snooper's Charter, and said that it provided "world-leading oversight to govern an investigatory powers regime which is more open and transparent than anywhere else in the world." Privacy groups, however, said this was simply spin, with Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group commenting: "This bill is an attempt to grab even more intrusive surveillance powers and does not do enough to restrain the bulk collection of our personal data by the secret services." "Surveillance powers of this sort are illegal in the US and the rest of Europe" Similar legislation has already been rejected in Europe and in Britain itself. An EU bill asking ISPs to keep internet users' browsing data was blocked by the European Court of Justice (CJEU), which ruled that this sort of blanket retention of data interfered with fundamental human rights. When the UK government rushed through similar powers in the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) that same year, a High Court said the legislation was again unlawful, although this time became because of insufficient safeguards As well as bulk data collection, the draft bill also formalizes when and how British spies can hack and bug computers and phones. The interception of an individual's communications (i.e. the audio from a phone call or content of an email or text message) will have to be approved by the home secretary and by a judge, although in situations where someone's life is in danger or there is a perceived critical need to gather intelligence, the warrant can be approved without judicial oversight. * ViaBBC The Guardian * SourceGov.uk * Related Items uk surveillance mass surveillance snoopers charter investigatory powers bill internet records uk mass surveillance More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Doctor Strange director wonders if the movie might be too weird for Marvel * Next Story Putin has turned Russia's space agency into a state-run spaceflight corporation * Tech * Cybersecurity More than 190 million US voters might have had their personal data exposed * By Ashley Carman * on December 28, 2015 01:24 pm * * @ashleyrcarman * [458407944.0.jpg] (Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images) Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Yet again this year, US voter data is at risk of being compromised. Cybersecurity researcher Chris Vickery uncovered a publicly available database of 191 million voter records online earlier this month, CSO reports. The database is not protected by any security measures and reportedly remains live. Listed in the database is each voter’s full name, home address, mailing address, unique voter ID, state voter ID, gender, date of birth, phone number, date of registration, political affiliation, and voter history since 2000. Vickery didn’t specify where he found the vulnerable database and isn’t sure what company compiled it. CSO, Vickery, and an admin at DataBreaches.net reached out to multiple political data firms to see if any could claim ownership of the database. None did. The FBI and Internet Crime Complaint Center were also contacted, although the agencies didn’t follow up to confirm an investigation. It isn’t clear how many states are impacted. "State laws don’t treat the information as sensitive" If Vickery's numbers are accurate, the database would contain the majority of voter IDs in the United States — even more than the total number of currently active registered voters. The US Census recorded 142.2 million registered voters in 2014, significantly less than the 191 million voter IDs Vickery claims to have uncovered, although deaths, state-to-state moves and duplicates may account for much of the discrepancy. This isn’t the first time voter data has been exposed. Earlier this year, millions of Georgia voters had their information accidentally sent to political parties, news organizations, and a gun owner magazine. In that case, a third-party contractor was also to blame for the exposure. More recently, Senator Bernie Sanders and the Democratic National Committee publicly fought over voter data after one of Sanders’ staffers accessed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s collected voter information. A software glitch allowed the staffer to gain access. The DNC initially said it would no longer allow Sanders to view its essential voter data, but later reversed its decision after Sanders filed a lawsuit. Voter data, while immensely valuable to political candidates, often lacks proper security measures to keep it protected. State laws don’t treat the information as sensitive, allowing almost anyone to request access to it. Addresses and phone numbers might seem benign, but when cross-referenced with other compromised databases, the information can assist in phishing attacks or identity fraud. * ViaForbes * SourceCSO * Related Items usa cybersecurity voter More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story T-Mobile G2x finally updated to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread * Next Story Medical marijuana vending machine uses fingerprint recognition for added... * Policy & Law * Web ACTA 'highly intrusive' to individuals, says European Data Protection Supervisor * By Aaron Souppouris * on April 24, 2012 09:11 am * * @AaronIsSocial * 6 [shutterstock_58340590.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has given an opinion in his official capacity on ACTA, an anti-counterfeiting trade agreement which has been criticized for its potential to invade an individual's privacy. ACTA is an international treaty that has been signed by, among others, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and 22 of the 27 EU member states. It's concerned with stemming the flow of illegal goods, both tangible and digital, between nations. The EDPS, an independent supervisory authority tasked with protecting the data and privacy of EU citizens, first raised his doubts over the legality of the agreement back in February 2010, long before the full proposal was made public. Assistant EDPS Giovanni Buttarelli has now written a 20-page recommendation which will be taken into consideration by the European Court of Justice when it rules on whether or not ACTA can be adopted by EU countries. "ACTA's "measures are highly intrusive to the private sphere of individuals."" While the EDPS acknowledges the need for a bill like ACTA, he concludes that there's a balance that must be struck between the protection of intellectual property and the right to privacy, which the treaty fails to attain in its current state. He says that ACTA would involve "the monitoring of user's behavior and of their electronic communications on the internet." In his opinion, the measures would be "highly intrusive to the private sphere of individuals and, if not implemented properly, may therefore interfere with their rights and freedoms." While the words are encouraging to those that appose the treaty, the EDPS isn't recommending that it be scrapped entirely, but rather reworded, clarified, and refocused on preventing piracy on a commercial scale. In a press release accompanying the opinion the Assistant EDPS states: "While more international cooperation is needed for the enforcement of IP rights, the means envisaged must not come at the expense of the fundamental rights of individuals. A right balance between the fight against IP infringements and the rights to privacy and data protection must be respected. It appears that ACTA has not been fully successful in this respect." * SourceEDPS Opinion (PDF) * Image CreditEuropean Union Brussel Headquarters on Shutterstock * Related Items europe piracy privacy european union eu anti-piracy acta data protection edps european data protection supervisor More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand Part of This * Storystream 8 updates to The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: ACTA struggles to pass in Europe * Jul 4 EU Parliament rejects ACTA * Jun 21 ACTA fails to gain ITC approval, MEPs vote to reject controversial piracy treaty * Jun 1 Three out of four EU committees vote against ACTA * May 29 Dutch legislature takes stand against Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement * May 7 ACTA unlikely to happen, says European Commissioner * Apr 24 ACTA 'highly intrusive' to individuals, says European Data Protection Supervisor 2 more updates The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story The best of Black Friday 2013 * Next Story Battle over Google Glass etiquette erupts in another Seattle diner * Policy & Law Dutch data protection agency says Google is violating privacy laws * By Adi Robertson * on November 28, 2013 09:18 pm * * @thedextriarchy * 200 [google-glass-hands-on-stock4_2040.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share The privacy policy that Google implemented in March of 2012 violates Dutch privacy laws, the country's data protection agency has found. In a report issued today, the DPA said that Google has "no legal ground" to use things like tracking cookies to collect and unify information about website visitors. "The combining of data by Google from and about multiple services and third-party websites for the purpose of displaying personalized ads, personalization of services, product development and analytics constitutes a major intrusion into the privacy of the users involved," reads an informal English translation. "Some of these data are of a sensitive nature, such as payment information, location data and information on surfing behavior across multiple websites." __________________________________________________________________ ""Google spins an invisible web of our personal data, without our consent."" Because of Google's sheer size, the agency says it's virtually impossible for a Dutch user to avoid being tracked in some way, whether through search or cookies from a site using Google's ad platform. "Google spins an invisible web of our personal data, without our consent. And that is forbidden by law," says agency head Jacob Kohnstamm. While Google has argued that it has legitimate reasons to collect this data, the DPA says that it has insufficient safeguards for using the minimum amount of information necessary and that it doesn't get meaningful consent from users. A variety of individual opt-outs and FAQs exist, but the report says these are too onerous and don't add up to a complete opt-out option, despite changes since the policy went into effect. The report also refers to statements by notoriously cavalier Google executive Eric Schmidt, including a quote from a 2010 interview: "We don't need you to type at all. We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less know what you're thinking about." It's not clear yet what will happen as a result of the report. The Dutch DPA has asked Google to attend a hearing, at which it will decide whether to enforce the rules. The country is one of several in Europe to have taken issue with Google's unified privacy policy, which is built for the relatively lax American privacy framework. In September, French data protection agency CNIL announced that it would be moving forward with sanctions after Google failed to address its privacy concerns; it hopes to impose an individual fine (with a maximum of €150,000) for each French Google user. The UK and Germany are also attempting to force a change in policy or levy fines, but while the company's size has made it easier for the Netherlands to claim it poses a meaningful privacy threat, it also insulates it from many legal threats. * ViaReuters * SourceDutch DPA * Related Items netherlands privacy hearing privacy policy data protection dutch privacy laws Google More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand Part of This * Storystream 24 updates to Google's 2012 privacy policy changes: the backlash and response * Feb 8 Google France forced to notify visitors of €150,000 privacy policy fine * Nov 28 Dutch data protection agency says Google is violating privacy laws * Sep 27 French regulator moves forward with sanctions after Google refuses to alter privacy policy * Jul 30 How Google+ killed Google's company-wide privacy effort * Jul 6 UK and Germany join France in demanding Google rewrite its privacy policy * Jun 20 France orders Google to change its privacy policy as UK and others consider similar action 18 more updates The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story iOS gaming grows up: 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown' approaches console parity * Next Story Yahoo responds to recycled account concerns, 'going to extraordinary lengths'... * Policy & Law * Web * Politics France orders Google to change its privacy policy as UK and others consider similar action Data protection watchdog threatens search giant with fines as year-long saga continues * By Amar Toor * on June 20, 2013 05:44 am * * @amartoo * 179 [google-logo-stock-11_2040.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share France's data protection agency has ordered Google to change its privacy policy, following a year-long investigation into the company's practices. In a press release published Thursday, the Paris-based Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) said Google's data collection policies are in violation of the French Data Protection Act, and gave the company three months to make adjustments. Should Google fail to make changes within three months, it would face an initial fine of up to €150,000 (about $198,300), and a second fine of up to €300,000 ($396,500) if the search company continues to neglect the CNIL's orders. The CNIL also said that data watchdogs in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK are considering similar actions against Google, which could result in more sanctions and fines. __________________________________________________________________ "Five other countries are considering similar sanctions" "By the end of July, all the authorities within the [EU data protection] task force will have taken coercive action against Google," CNIL President Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin told Reuters. Shortly after the CNIL's announcement, Italy's privacy watchdog announced that it has requested more information from Google as it considers implementing similar sanctions. The CNIL, an independent watchdog, led an investigation into Google's data collection practices last year at the request of the European Union. Upon publishing its results in October 2012, the organization ordered the company to change its policy within four months, arguing that it violates French laws by collecting personal data without telling users how it will be used. In April, after Google failed to comply, the CNIL advised other EU governments to pursue action against the company. Specifically, the CNIL is calling upon Google to clearly define the ways in which personal data is used, and to clarify how long it is retained. Google, as it has in the past, remains insistent that its policies are within the boundaries of EU law, and said it will continue to cooperate with European governments. "Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services," a Google spokesperson said in an e-mail statement to The Verge. "We have engaged fully with the authorities involved throughout this process, and we’ll continue to do so going forward." * ViaReuters * SourceCNIL * Related Items uk europe google politics data law spain france privacy policy eu data protection cnil More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand Part of This * Storystream 24 updates to Google's 2012 privacy policy changes: the backlash and response * Feb 8 Google France forced to notify visitors of €150,000 privacy policy fine * Nov 28 Dutch data protection agency says Google is violating privacy laws * Sep 27 French regulator moves forward with sanctions after Google refuses to alter privacy policy * Jul 30 How Google+ killed Google's company-wide privacy effort * Jul 6 UK and Germany join France in demanding Google rewrite its privacy policy * Jun 20 France orders Google to change its privacy policy as UK and others consider similar action 18 more updates The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story This is Twitter's first television ad campaign * Next Story Comcast confirms it will test a wireless service on Verizon’s network * Policy & Law * Tech * US & World * Cybersecurity Senate passes controversial CISA cybersecurity bill * By Colin Lecher * on October 27, 2015 06:01 pm * @colinlecher * [capitoldome-closeup-2013.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share In a 74 to 21 vote, the Senate has voted to pass the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA, a bill that privacy advocates have long argued will quietly give the government invasive spying powers. The House has already passed similar legislation, and the two versions will now enter a conference committee, to be reconciled before being sent to President Obama. A series of amendments for the bill were introduced Tuesday that would have altered some of the most controversial parts, but those were ultimately voted down. "This vote will go down in history as the moment that lawmakers decided not only what sort of Internet our children and our children's children will have, but what sort of world they will live in," Fight for the Future, a digital rights advocacy group, said in a statement. Under the bill, companies would be encouraged to silently share "security" information with the Department of Homeland Security and, ultimately, other government agencies. But civil rights groups and tech companies have argued that the terms of such agreements are vague, and give broad leeway for companies to share information with the feds without accountability. We'll name the names of people who voted in favor afterwards. A vote for #CISA is a vote against the internet. https://t.co/IctF0UYSO6 — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 27, 2015 In a statement, the Telecommunications Industry Association, which represents telecom interests, said it was pleased with the bill. "We applaud the Senate for moving this important bill and urge Congressional leaders to act quickly to send this bill to the President’s desk," the group said in the statement. When a final version of the bill is worked out, it will be sent to the White House for a signature or veto from the president. The former appears more likely: Obama has already tentatively given his support for the legislation. * SourceSenate.gov * Related Items cisa senate politics security More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story YouTube is prepping its subscription launch: two services, one price * Next Story Aaron Sorkin blasts Tim Cook for calling Steve Jobs movie 'opportunistic' * Policy & Law * Tech * US & World * Cybersecurity US reaches economic cybersecurity agreement with China * By Colin Lecher * on September 25, 2015 05:27 pm * @colinlecher * [GettyImages-490004764.0.jpg] (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Today, President Obama, appearing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced that the United States and China had reached an agreement to curb "cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property" between the two countries. Obama, at the announcement, said he had "indicated it has to stop," and that the two had come to a "common understanding." __________________________________________________________________ "Agree to stop theft of "intellectual property."" According to a statement from the White House, the two countries now "agree that neither country's government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors." But the announcement, following talks between Obama and Xi at the White House, comes at a contentious moment for the future of cybersecurity between the two countries. The Obama administration, according to The New York Times, recently weighed possible responses against China for the Office of Personnel Management hack, which it reportedly believes the country is responsible for. That hack seems to get worse with each passing week. On Wednesday, it was announced that the fingerprints of 5.6 million federal workers had been stolen during the breach. The two countries also announced other, broader agreements about cybersecurity. According to the White House statement, "the US and China agreed to cooperate, in a manner consistent with their respective national laws and relevant international obligations, with requests to investigate cybercrimes, collect electronic evidence, and mitigate malicious cyber activity emanating from their territory." * SourceThe White House The New York Times * Related Items obama china national security xi jinping More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Live: Watch President Obama's State of the Union speech online * Next Story President Obama calls for an R&D push 'not seen since the height of the Space... * Policy & Law * Breaking President Obama signs cybersecurity order * By Carl Franzen * on February 12, 2013 09:24 pm * * @carlfranzen * 81 [4050328699_95f78b4e49_b.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share President Obama on Tuesday signed a new cybersecurity executive order, allowing the government to share more information it has on so-called national "cyber threats" with private companies, namely infrastructure providers. Obama introduced the order during the State of the Union address, saying "America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks," also calling upon Congress to pass legislation to "give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks." As the President said: We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy. The executive order signed Tuesday expands upon a voluntary cyber threat information-sharing program already in place — the "Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program" (PDF) launched in May 2012 under the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security as part of a larger initiative for information sharing between the government and defense contractors, known as the "Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Activities (PDF)." Participation in that program has gone up and down, though, with 17 companies joining initially only for five to pull out as of October 2012, according to Foreign Policy. In press materials, the White House also noted that it had included "strong privacy and civil liberties protections." Now the President's executive order should allow the government's realtime cyber threat information to be shared with other firms outside the defense sector. It also puts the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a Commerce Department agency designed to foster the country's development and research of new technologies, in charge of setting up best practices and a "framework" for private industry's cybersecurity preparedness. This is how the order describes it: The Cybersecurity Framework shall include a set of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks. The President's cybersecurity order, long expected, is designed to accomplish through executive muscle what wasn't achieved through Congress. In April 2012, the Republican-led House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which drew controversy from online Web freedom and privacy advocates who argued it didn't contain enough restrictions on how companies and the government could access and share Web user information. CISPA didn't become law. It didn't get further than the House, in fact. The Senate never picked it up and an alternative cybersecurity bill proposed by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) was voted down late last year. After that, reports steadily emerged that the President was considering the executive order option, the latest coming last week, just as CISPA's cosponsors vowed to reintroduce their bill. You can read the full text of the order right here. * SourceScribd * Related Items obama president security white house congress house of representatives cybersecurity cyber cispa More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? 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Broadband, cybersecurity, and consumer protection are all on the table * By Adi Robertson and Russell Brandom * on January 20, 2015 09:30 am * * @thedextriarchy * 60 [461636604.0.jpg] (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share At 9PM ET tonight, President Obama is going to give his State of the Union address before Congress and the country at large, laying out his agenda for the next year. That agenda so far is an ambitious one: we’ve already heard plans for comprehensive tax reform and free community college tuition. But alongside the flagship proposals, the president will be putting forward a number of programs that could change the web in profound ways. There are initiatives to expand access and protect net neutrality, alongside dangerous new tools against digital attackers. It’s a bold take on the executive’s role in safeguarding the web, and one that’s already raised controversy on both sides of the aisle. Here’s what you can expect to hear about tonight. AT&T Flickr AT&T Flickr (Mike Mozart / Flickr) A community broadband war is coming Broadband companies have seen a lot of scrutiny over the past two years. Among other things, Google’s super-fast Fiber pilot program drove home just how bad major ISPs really were, spurring competitors like AT&T into building more high-speed networks. Even before Fiber, though, cities were funding their own broadband services —Chattanooga, Tennessee; Cedar Falls, Iowa; and a handful of others have successfully launched municipal networks at gigabit speeds. But they’ve run into rules that either set hurdles for cities or block their efforts altogether, and Obama is stepping in. "The FCC is poised to vote on community broadband petitions" Obama’s new broadband plan, which he announced last week, includes federal programs that would provide training, technical support, loans, and more to underserved areas. What’s gotten the most attention, though, is his call to end or modify 19 state laws that make building municipal networks harder. The most recent list of restrictions, a January report by consultant Craig Settles, actually cites 21 state rules, and some other lists count one more in Texas. These include a half-dozen direct bans, as well as stipulations that put community networks at a disadvantage to commercial cable companies. In mid-2014, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said that given the opportunity, the agency would act to "preempt" these laws. This hasn’t happened yet — though it may be on the horizon. Next month, it will respond to petitions from municipal broadband groups in Chattanooga and Wilson, North Carolina. ISPs, meanwhile, have lobbied for these rules by saying that local government-funded networks are risky and inefficient. US Telecom, a broadband trade group whose board of directors includes executives from AT&T, Verizon, and several regional telecoms, has said that states are "well within their rights" to restrict local broadband in the name of protecting taxpayers. In a response to Obama’s announcement, US Telecom president Walter McCormick warned that his plans "call for the federal government to regulate the internet, and for municipal governments to own the internet." If the FCC takes Obama’s advice, expect lawsuits to follow quickly. Net Neutrality Flickr Net Neutrality Flickr (Stephen Melkisethian / Flickr) Will Obama mention net neutrality? Obama hasn’t talked about net neutrality since last year, when he unexpectedly announced his support for a dramatic policy change. In December, Obama urged the FCC to reclassify broadband from an "information service" to a more heavily regulated "telecommunications service" under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Since then, FCC chair Tom Wheeler has said he’ll be circulating a new Open Internet Order next month, and Congressional Republicans have introduced a bill that would implement some net neutrality rules but avoid Title II. There’s not much more Obama can do at this point, but it’s possible he’ll make a last-ditch appeal for reclassification in his speech. Obama Cyber Flickr Obama Cyber Flickr (Department of Homeland Security / Flickr) The cybersecurity arms race heats up There’s a lot of momentum behind new cybersecurity measures in 2015, after the very public catastrophe at Sony Pictures and equally damaging retail breaches at Target, Staples, and others. The big question is what the government can do to stop similar hacks from happening again. So far, the administration’s answer is "information sharing," building new systems and requirements that will encourage companies to share threats on their network as they become apparent. If agencies like the FBI and NSA can spot threats early, the thinking goes, they can stop them before the damage fully sets in. "Cybersecurity rules make sense politically, but they're not all that useful" It makes a lot of sense politically — it sounds innocuous, and will make for a good line in tonight’s speech — but it’s less useful from a security perspective. The tools used in the Sony and Target hacks weren’t particularly novel, and it’s unclear whether better threat sharing would have made a difference in either case. The hacks were the result of internal corporate security failures, and it’s hard to imagine a federal program that would be able to meaningfully address them. At the same time, many web freedom advocates are already worried that information sharing will become an excuse for further surveillance measures. Sharing information on a threat could mean informing on a user, often without any semblance of due process or court approval. President Obama’s threat-sharing proposal improves on CISPA (the much-reviled cybersecurity bill from 2012, which has also been reintroduced) by proposing new privacy guidelines, but that measure hasn’t been enough to satisfy critics. "We're skeptical the guidelines will provide any semblance of privacy," the EFF writes. "Even if they’re well crafted, there’s no way to know whether the guidelines are being followed or enforced." Target Flickr Target Flickr (Susan Larson / Flickr) More data privacy rules After a year of card breaches, the president is also interested in more protections for sensitive consumer data. Obama is asking Congress to give companies firmer rules about when they have to notify customers about these hacks (Obama wants a 30-day deadline) and to criminalize "illicit overseas trade in identities," the goal of groups like the Target hackers. He’s also reviewing a revised draft of a "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" for Congressional consideration, and asking for a bill that will limit how education companies can use data from students — specifically, banning them from selling it for non-educational purposes or using school data for targeted ads. The Federal Trade Commission has spent the past few years cracking down on sites or apps that collect information from children online, and the fight probably isn’t ending any time soon. Router Flickr Router Flickr (SparkFun Electronics / Flickr) Anti-hacking laws might get even worse Obama has already announced new revisions to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, one of the most hated laws in the tech world. The law was meant to provide an easy way for prosecutors to press charges against digital attackers, but in the years since its adoption, many legal experts have critiqued it as vague and overly broad. Unfortunately, the early consensus is that the revisions make the law even worse, raising penalties and broadening language until even the mildest security research can be construed as a felony. After the draft leaked last week, researchers pointed to certain passages as effectively outlawing academic security research entirely. As researcher Robert Graham put it, "Internet innovation happens by trying things first then asking for permission later. Obama’s law will change that." If the net effect is less independent research, then we’ll all be left with more easily hacked software, making everyone less safe. "Criminalizing research makes us all less safe" The most troubling aspects of the law have to do with the way "unauthorized access" can be interpreted. Seen in the right light, it could mean as little as sharing a Netflix password or clicking on a link to leaked data. The courts are still parsing the meaning of "unauthorized" in the initial law, and many of the updates are direct responses to subsequent court rulings, but there’s still a troubling vagueness to much of the language. The law will likely be revised in Congress (if it makes it through at all), and the courts will fight for years over the exact meaning, but the new language, combined with raised sentences in many areas, is already sending up red flags. The biggest problem may be the idea of "unauthorized access" itself. In both its original and revised form, the CFAA is built on the assumption that any activity that’s not explicitly authorized is potentially illegal. It’s a strange assumption, cutting directly against the hacker ethos in computer science, and it’s resulted in prosecutions that often rely on intimidation rather than solid legal practice. For Aaron Swartz, that meant a tragic suicide before the case went to trial. For weev, it meant a case that fell apart as soon as it faced scrutiny on appeal. While President Obama will frame the new draft as an effort to reform the law, there’s no indication that either case would have played out differently under the new rules. Obama Flickr Obama Flickr (White House / Flickr) The wild card That’s everything that’s been released so far, but there’s always the chance the president will throw in something unexpected tonight, whether it’s NSA reform or more net neutrality rabble-rousing. If he does, we’ll add more thoughts here as soon as we know more. And it's worthwhile to see what hasn't been mentioned in the lead-up to his State of the Union, like any sign of the surveillance and privacy changes he was promising last year. More importantly, this is only the start for this year's internet agenda. We'll be watching closely as Congress debates the new Republican net neutrality bill and the resurrected CISPA cybersecurity proposal, as well as the FCC's votes on community internet, net neutrality, the merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, and more. And the fight against NSA surveillance, while noticeably absent from White House rhetoric, will continue in court, where we're still waiting on judgments in multiple cases. More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? 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debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Wi-Fi hotspots are a threat to my sanity * Next Story Russell Brand bails on SXSW: documentary about his life too 'painful and sad' * Policy & Law * US & World Controversial cybersecurity bill clears Senate committee vote * By Russell Brandom * on March 13, 2015 03:26 pm * * @russellbrandom * 4 [IMG_7231.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share A new cybersecurity bill cleared a crucial Senate committee yesterday, paving the way for a full Senate vote. Dubbed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, the bill has already drawn criticism from privacy advocates as enabling corporate surveillance, although proponents call it a necessary measure for managing the growing number of digital threats facing businesses online. Similar cybersecurity legislation has failed in Congress before under similar circumstances, most notably CISPA in 2011. It's unclear whether the White House will endorse the legislation, although it has proposed similar cybersecurity measures in the past. __________________________________________________________________ Crucially, all of the information shared under the new bill will be volunteered by companies: the bill establishes ground rules for sharing threat information, but doesn't require companies to use it. There are also provisions against retaliatory hacking, introduced out of concern that well-meaning targets might inflict further damage in reaction to an attack. Still, many are still worried about the implications of the bill, particularly Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the sole member of the intelligence committee to vote against the bill. "If information-sharing legislation does not include adequate privacy protections then that’s not a cybersecurity bill – it’s a surveillance bill by another name," Wyden wrote in a response to the bill. "I am concerned that the bill the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reported today lacks adequate protections for the privacy rights of American consumers." * SourceWired * Related Items congress legislation cybersecurity More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story We'll be live blogging SpaceX's rocket launch and attempted landing at 7:30PM ET * Next Story Oracle settles with the FTC over deceitful security updates * Apple * Tech Apple announces formal opposition to UK surveillance bill * By Russell Brandom * on December 21, 2015 06:13 pm * * @russellbrandom * 36 [2012-09-12timcook-iphone5-26.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Apple is speaking out against the UK's Investigatory Powers Bill, the new web surveillance proposal that privacy groups have dubbed the "Snooper's Charter." Today was the deadline for written statements to be submitted to the committee considering the bill, and Apple CEO Tim Cook took the opportunity to submit a detailed objection to various aspects of the new law. Cook had first signalled his opposition to the bill in November, saying, "If you halt or weaken encryption, the people that you hurt are not the folks that want to do bad things. It’s the good people. The other people know where to go." This new statement provides a more formal and detailed objection to the bill, specifically addressing the bill's stance on encryption. "Apple is deeply committed to protecting public safety and shares the government’s determination to combat terrorism and other violent crimes," the document reads. "Strong encryption is vital to protecting innocent people from malicious actors." __________________________________________________________________ ""Strong encryption is vital to protecting innocent people from malicious actors."" Apple also raises issues with international jurisdiction and law enforcement hacking, referred to in the document as "equipment interference." "We believe the UK is the first national government to attempt to provide a legislative basis for equipment interference," the document reads. "The bill as it stands seems to threaten to extend responsibility for hacking from government to the private sector." The committee on the Investigatory Powers Bill is expected to report back on the bill in February having considered the full range of responses, including Apple's. * SourceBBC The Guardian * Related Items united kingdom apple privacy encryption surveillance More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Watch 900-horsepower race trucks do insane things in the snow * Next Story Star Wars: The Force Awakens was originally called Shadow of the Empire * Tech * Cybersecurity UK Home Secretary defends controversial surveillance bill, says it will stop cyberbullies * By Ashley Carman * on December 26, 2015 02:00 pm * * @ashleyrcarman * 18 [GettyImages-491521780.0.jpg] (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Privacy advocates and tech companies are speaking out vociferously against the UK’s new surveillance bill, but the country’s Home Secretary, Theresa May, says there’s no reason to worry. In a letter obtained by The Times, May says the Investigatory Powers Bill, as it’s called, won’t be put to use for just spying on citizens. Rather, it’ll help track down online bullies and trolls. She described cyberbullying as a "pernicious" issue and reportedly wrote: "Internet connection records would update the capability of law enforcement in a criminal investigation to determine the sender and recipient of a communication, for example, a malicious message such as those exchanged in cyberbullying." "cyberbullying is a 'pernicious' issue" According to The Times, May was responding to a question posed by a Parliament Member named James Cartlidge, who said the bill is about more than "terrorism or hacking into bank accounts." He added that trolling and online bullying are "nasty, psychological attacks that particularly affect young people." Although the bill, often referred to as the "Snooper’s Charter," would likely help track down cyberbullies, it would also sweep up more than enough information for complete UK citizen surveillance. If passed, the bill would require all ISPs to store records of every website visited by internet users for up to a year. This record would include the basic URL of websites they visit, as well as the time of visits and the IP addresses of other computers they contact. Opponents of the bill will likely see May’s comments merely as an attempt to masquerade the bill as a noble cause to protect the country’s youth. Whether or not the surveillance powers are used to combat cyberbulling, May’s letter does not adequately address the serious privacy issues the bill invokes. Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook penned a letter speaking out against the legislation. He specifically called out the bill’s weakening of encryption as a problem, as well as its allowing for law enforcement to hack into users’ devices under a warrant. The committee on the Investigatory Powers Bill is reviewing Cook’s and others’ comments on the legislation and is expected to follow up with thoughts in February. * ViaDaily Mail * SourceThe Times * Related Items uk theresa may snoopers charter investigatory powers bill More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 19 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 1:00 PM District attorney offices are bringing the encryption war directly to the states * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Hacker group won’t stop attacking Greek banks until they meet ransom demands * Next Story Batman innovator Paul Dini is writing a graphic novel about his personal trauma * Google * Tech EFF complaint says Google broke privacy pledge by tracking students * By Adi Robertson * on December 1, 2015 06:41 pm * * @thedextriarchy * 21 [chromelogo1_2040.0.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share The EFF is asking for a federal investigation into whether Google broke a pledge to honor student privacy with its educational tools. Today, the group filed a complaint with the FTC, alleging that Google for Education collects a broad range of data on students' browsing habits and gives administrators too much power to enable that collection. "We are calling on the FTC to investigate Google's conduct, stop the company from using student personal information for its own purposes, and order the company to destroy all information it has collected that's not for educational purposes," said EFF staff attorney Sophia Cope in a statement. Google's educational initiative encompasses versions of its various web services, as well as Chromebook laptops and approved teaching material. In early 2015, the company signed the Student Privacy Pledge, a voluntary agreement that bars companies from selling student information, using data for anything but "authorized education purposes," and changing privacy policies without notice. President Barack Obama has promoted the pledge alongside more formal student privacy reforms, and around 200 companies currently abide by it. __________________________________________________________________ "Complaint says Google's data collection goes beyond legitimate educational purposes" But the EFF claims that Google goes beyond these limits. The complaint says that Google collects data to improve its own services, instead of for purely educational purposes. While Google stopped scanning student accounts for advertising purposes even before signing the pledge, the EFF argues that it still serves ads on non-educational services, which can be used while students are logged into school accounts. The complaint also claims that Google automatically enables the Chrome Sync service on its Chromebook laptops, storing detailed browsing information by default. While users can turn Chrome Sync off, school administrators can override their settings using Google's system management tools. And the EFF alleges that administrators also have the option to let third-party websites track location data, which it says is "unquestionably sharing personal information beyond what is needed for educational purposes." ""Our services enable students everywhere to learn and keep their information private and secure."" The EFF, which revealed its complaint alongside a larger campaign for student privacy, says that Google will soon restrict sync settings on educational Chromebooks. But it calls this a "small step in the right direction." Google, meanwhile, disputed the accusations. "Our services enable students everywhere to learn and keep their information private and secure," said a spokesperson. "While we appreciate EFF's focus on student privacy, we are confident that these tools comply with both the law and our promises, including the Student Privacy Pledge." The Future of Privacy Forum, which co-created the pledge, issued a statement disagreeing with the EFF. "Many schools rely on Sync so that multiple students have ready access to their accounts and settings on the same device. We understand that any data collected is not used for behavioral advertising and all other data uses are aggregated and anonymous," executive director Jules Polonetsky wrote. "We don't believe the complaint raises any issues about data use that are restricted by the Student Privacy Pledge." Update December 2nd, 8:30AM ET: Added statement from the Future of Privacy Forum. * ViaThe Hill * SourceEFF * Related Items google ftc eff student privacy pledge More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * District attorney offices are bringing the encryption war directly to the states * Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Here is Twitter's crazy 136-page handbook for politicians who want to tweet * Next Story LG announces the first Android Wear smartwatch with LTE * Apps * Tech Tumblr now lets you hide your blog from the internet A privacy measure, or the start of a walled garden? * By Casey Newton * on September 30, 2015 09:17 pm * * @CaseyNewton * [theverge_black1_2040.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share Tumblr today introduced a feature that lets you hide your blog from the web so its content can only be viewed on Tumblr.com and in its native apps for mobile devices. The move, which Tumblr positioned as a privacy measure, will "let you better control who gets to see your stuff and who doesn't," the company said in a blog post. Once you set your blog to not be shown on the web, anyone who visits its URL will see a 404 error. But anyone who follows your blog will be able to see it on their dashboard when they log into Tumblr, either on the web or in its apps. __________________________________________________________________ toggle toggle Tumblr says the toggle "pairs nicely with the block feature." The idea behind both features, the company says, is to make it easier to hide posts from the public, particularly trolls and abusers. But Tumblr's privacy features remain generally confusing. You still can't make your primary blog private, but you can set up a secondary blog protected by a password. Password-protected blogs feel like something out of another era — Instagram and Twitter are among the social networks that have long let you make your account private and then whitelist your followers, making it easier to keep trolls out. The secondary effect of Tumblr's move today is to make it less of a web company and more of a walled garden. I don't imagine Tumblr users will hide their blogs from the web en masse — though creators of Tumblr's many famous porn blogs might! But driving users to Tumblr.com and apps makes it easier to deliver targeted advertising to them, and I wonder if that isn't part of Tumblr's calculation in making such a move. I also question the decision to present visitors to private blogs with a 404 page, which implies the blog has been deleted. In a year that has been very bad to the web, Tumblr just made it a little more broken. * SourceTumblr Staff Blog * Related Items tumblr web app apps privacy stalking security walled gardens abuse More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Judge scolds Uber for confusing its drivers with new contract * Next Story Son of Saul is a brilliantly original vision of the Holocaust * Policy & Law * Tech * US & World * Cybersecurity Congress passes controversial cybersecurity bill attached to omnibus budget * By Russell Brandom * on December 18, 2015 12:08 pm * * @russellbrandom * 8 [US_Capitol_8.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share This morning, Congress passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, attached as the 14th rider to an omnibus budget bill. The bill is expected to be signed into law by the president later today. Intended to ease sharing of information between corporations and the government, the bill had drawn controversy since its introduction last year. The Center for Democracy and Technology said it risked creating "a backdoor wiretap," while Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) called it "a surveillance bill by another name." Earlier this week, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) called the bill "an important first step to address a significant drain on our economy and threat to our national security." __________________________________________________________________ The bill passed by Congress also strips away many of the previous anonymization provisions included in previous versions of CISA, which has drawn significant criticism from the security community. In effect, the new language clears the way for an open channel between tech companies and the government, unaffected by existing privacy laws. "Organizations can now directly share raw data with several agencies with no protection or anonymity," says Joseph Pizzo, an engineer at Norse Security. "There may have been a small cost associated with anonymizing the data, but now that this requirement has been removed and organizations may feel that they’re helping, I don’t foresee any work moving forward to protect consumer data." * Related Items congress surveillance cybersecurity cisa More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make Chrome run much faster * 9:44 AM Largest known prime number in the world discovered by GIMPS in Missouri * 9:26 AM These videos of rubber humans are good? * 9:20 AM Fake hoverboards are stealing LG and Samsung’s logos and the feds are seizing them * 9:00 AM Mossberg: Smartwatches need to get smarter * 8:42 AM How secure are New York City's new Wi-Fi hubs? * 8:34 AM CloudMagic is the Mac email app I've been waiting for * 7:58 AM HBO gives a series to New York porn drama The Deuce, starring James Franco * 7:30 AM Hello drones, goodbye Chinese copycats * 7:14 AM Watch the beautiful nightmare of ads invading your dreams * 6:57 AM Sina Weibo drops its 140-character limit as Twitter ponders similar move * 6:14 AM Toyota made weird anime girls to personify components in the new Prius * 6:04 AM Microsoft to recall Surface Pro power cables due to overheating concerns * 6:00 AM Spotify snaps up a pair of apps for voice messaging and music discovery * 5:41 AM Facebook's Android app now lets you flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie Reviews * TV * Music * Gaming Cars * All Transportation Design * All Design * Architecture * Typography * Concepts Business * All Business * Policy & Law US & World * All US & World * Politics * National Security Forums * All Forums * Apple Core * Apps & Software * Betamaxed * Book Club * Events * Gaming * Googleplex * Hacks / DIY * Linux / Open Source * Meta * Microsoft Tribe * Mobile * Off-topic / chit-chat * PCs * Science * Tablet Talk * The Firm * The Fringe * The Lens * Transportation * Web & Social * Previous Story Updated ESPN app won’t make you install WatchESPN to stream live sports * Next Story Steve Ballmer thinks Windows phones should run Android apps * Business * Policy & Law * Tech * US & World * Facebook After privacy ruling, Facebook now requires Belgium users to log in to view pages Blame the cookies * By Nick Statt * on December 2, 2015 08:01 pm * * @nickstatt * [facebook-stock-1104.0.0.jpg] Tweet Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Share In response to a privacy ruling, Belgian Facebook users must now sign in to see any content. The change means that if you don’t have a Facebook account, you can’t view Belgian Facebook pages — including public profiles like those of local businesses. The decision comes after a November court order saying Facebook has run afoul of European privacy law, which is much more stringent than in the US. Facebook limited access to its website rather than remove a tracking cookie, which can live in the user’s browser for up to two years. In the US, Facebook can place cookies like these without asking for permission, but in Europe, companies must get user permission to plant tracking software. Facebook members have consented to being tracked, and the company says the cookie is for security purposes — preventing the creation of fake accounts, account hijacking, and online theft. "Facebook says its cookie was designed to protect user security" "We had hoped to address the BPC's concerns in a way that allowed us to continue using a security cookie that protected Belgian people from more than 33,000 takeover attempts in the past month," Facebook said in a statement given to the BBC. "We're disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement and now people will be required to log in or register for an account to see publicly available content on Facebook." The company plans on contesting the order, which it should receive later this week, but for now Facebook will no longer install the cookie file for users who are not signed in or do not have accounts. Facebook and the EU don’t see eye-to-eye on privacy, and this isn’t the only case. In October, an EU ruling invalidated a 15-year-old agreement between European countries and American companies about the transfer of personal information to US data centers. But the big European ruling started as a complaint from an Austrian privacy activist lodged with Ireland's data-protection authority in 2013. Since the Belgian ruling relies on European law — not just Belgian law — other European countries could similarly contest Facebook’s use of cookies on non-users. * SourceBBC More from The Verge * Apple's stock is down 18 percent since it launched that ugly iPhone battery case * Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand The Latest * Headlines * An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries The best of Verge Video A new planet in our solar system? Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology * A new planet in our solar system? * Hunter-gatherers weren’t as peaceful as we thought * T-Pain mixes a beat with the new GarageBand * Apple Music Memos makes mobile recording easy * T-Pain says he 'would have been just another singer' without technology Discuss at Verge Video See more videos Back to top ^ ____________________ The Sections * Longform * Video * Reviews * Tech * Science * Culture * Cars * Design * Business * US & World The Basics * Site Status * About * Contact * Tip Us * Forums * Jobs The Elsewhere * Facebook * Twitter * Tumblr * YouTube * Instagram * Subscribe Ethics Statement - Community Guidelines Terms of Use - Privacy Policy All Systems Operational Check out our status page for more details. Vox © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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(*) Yes, share my data ( ) Please don't share my data Submit #The Verge - All Posts IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5XTZVB Trending now Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * * * * 24 New articles Previous January 22, 2016 * 3:42 PM An ‘iPhone 5SE’ might come as soon as March * 3:38 PM The Academy announces goal to 'double number of diverse members' after Oscar backlash * 3:27 PM Tweet hashtags at the Game of Thrones account to see some teasers for season six * 3:02 PM Atari is bringing 100 classic games to PC * 2:46 PM Sundance Film Festival 2016: The best new films, shows and VR * 2:38 PM Other People review: A cancer dramedy in which other people are the punchlines * 2:15 PM Gillian Anderson had to fight for equal pay for the new X-Files miniseries * 1:00 PM Who’s behind the weird bills that would make selling encrypted smartphones illegal in New York and California? * 12:03 PM Learn how technology shaped T-Pain’s career in our extended interview * 11:54 AM The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review * 11:11 AM 11 new trailers you should watch this week * 10:35 AM Japan Display developing OLED screens, sparking new iPhone rumors * 9:31 AM Microsoft is now selling more powerful Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models * 9:25 AM Eleanor Friedberger's New View is a small album for small pleasures * 9:00 AM Nomineering, Week 3: How the Academy fixed being out of touch 45 years ago * 8:57 AM Studying gamers teaches us a lot about games too * 8:42 AM Google just published a free, three-month course on deep learning * 7:51 AM I blame that ugly battery case for Apple's stock price tumble * 7:30 AM This Safari bug is the best ad for Chrome yet * 6:50 AM Tinder now helps users find STD testing sites * 6:41 AM Ending the holy war? Pope meets with Tim Cook after visit with Eric Schmidt * 5:30 AM Netflix fires first shot in battle with VPNs * 4:43 AM Skype helps users avoid harassment by hiding IP addresses * 4:16 AM Watch Iggy Pop and Josh Homme perform the first track from their surprise new album * 3:08 AM Apple hires 3D interface expert to bolster its VR research * 2:57 AM Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to remain the default iOS search option January 21, 2016 * 9:46 PM Some Xbox 360 games run better on Xbox One, but some are 'nearly unplayable' * 7:43 PM EPA orders Michigan to take 'immediate action' on Flint water crisis * 5:54 PM Astronaut celebrates his 300th straight day in space with some water ping pong * 5:48 PM Oracle just revealed how much money Google makes from Android * 5:45 PM The Donald Trump programming language is not for dummies or losers * 5:42 PM Robert Redford: Sundance doesn't 'take a position of advocacy' on diversity * 5:38 PM Fox News partners with Google and YouTube for final GOP debate before Iowa caucus * 5:31 PM Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One get 2017 release dates * 5:25 PM Startup’s self-driving test car crashes after driver takes control * 5:15 PM Uber will only cap surge pricing during the blizzard if New York makes it * 5:14 PM Review: The X-Files is back, but the fight for the future is over * 5:13 PM Six senators accidentally just admitted they are clueless about internet speeds * 4:56 PM The 5th Wave: horror without fear, science fiction without ideas * 4:28 PM Savages yield to temptation on new album Adore Life * 4:22 PM More than hot air: the lasting impact of inflatable architecture * 4:09 PM Facebook is adding more 3D Touch tricks to its app, but it'll take 'months' * 3:18 PM Google just upgraded its weather reports on Android * 3:16 PM Prairie voles console their stressed out friends, scientists find * 3:15 PM You can buy James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 — if you have Bond villain money * 1:42 PM Microsoft just made Office apps far more powerful for the iPad Pro * 1:41 PM Here's the first trailer for Key & Peele's kidnapped kitty caper Keanu * 1:29 PM Jeb! super PAC sent out video players to get people to watch The Jeb Story * 1:23 PM AT&T's CEO says Tim Cook shouldn't have any say in encryption debate * 1:20 PM Honda’s new fuel cell car will arrive this year for $500 a month * 1:06 PM Amazon will refund customers who bought hoverboards, government officials say * 1:06 PM Massive Attack's new music is hidden inside a spooky iPhone app * 12:44 PM Vergecast 189: Pain is Available at 6 * 12:35 PM Escape into this magical Instagram full of cats, balloons, flowers, and 'woes' * 12:24 PM Ctrl-Walt-Delete: Walt and Nilay lose track of time * 12:24 PM Dropbox’s new Windows 10 app lets you secure your files with your face * 12:22 PM NASA satellites show the immense scope of the blizzard about to hit the East Coast * 12:00 PM Kickstarter is launching an app for Android * 11:28 AM Vimeo launches new initiative to support female filmmakers * 11:19 AM Sundance 2016: a film festival pushes into the future * 10:51 AM Airbus just delivered the first A320neo, its next-gen 737 competitor * 10:46 AM Microsoft announces Surface Pro power cord recall * 10:27 AM Making a Murderer creators answer critics in Twitter Q&A * 10:07 AM Microsoft’s insane Android alarm app wants you to make faces at 6AM * 10:05 AM Fender’s earphones are so pretty they inspired me to make art * 9:51 AM The Witcher 2 is free on Xbox One right now * 9:40 AM Verizon's wireless and broadband growth drives strong earnings * 9:36 AM The Oatmeal’s Exploding Kittens card game is now available on iPhone * 9:30 AM ZCast lets you start a live podcast from your phone for everyone to hear * 8:41 AM Ty Segall's new album Emotional Mugger is a tangled mass of Ty Segall * 8:36 AM France wants a new keyboard to protect its language * 8:16 AM Tree-dwelling frog that eats its mother's eggs rediscovered after 140 years * 8:08 AM Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg believes likes and positivity can beat terrorists online * 8:00 AM A maker of actual hoverboards is now selling Hyperloop engines * 7:30 AM Nespresso is the iPhone of coffee makers, and that's okay * 5:54 AM Android apps win the downloads, iOS apps win the money * 5:24 AM Norwegian Megacopter sets new record for drone lifting power * 4:39 AM Fender now makes in-ear headphones as well as guitars * 4:03 AM The one where a computer writes new Friends episodes * 2:55 AM Apple to create first European iOS Development Center * 12:56 AM Facebook launches Sports Stadium hub for you to chat about the big game * 12:01 AM GM launches Maven, a car-sharing service to compete with Zipcar January 20, 2016 * 7:52 PM If you ride hoverboards and don't follow these government recommendations, you could die * 6:11 PM There might be an Ebola vaccine within two years * 6:05 PM This new ad-blocker has a plan to pay publishers * 6:03 PM The Juxt is another smart analog watch with a dumb name * 5:53 PM Hey kids, tweeting won’t get you a snow day * 5:52 PM Terminator Genisys probably isn't getting any sequels * 5:43 PM Uber is about to go to war with Seamless in 10 major US cities * 5:07 PM 2015 was officially the warmest year in recorded history * 4:57 PM The ACLU and lawmakers just made a huge push for digital privacy * 4:55 PM Crave is a terrible new app that brings your romance novel boyfriend to life * 4:51 PM After scolding from FAA, Dallas Cowboys get permission to fly drones at practice * 4:44 PM Watch another new trailer for Girls' fifth season * 4:42 PM Our solar system may have a ninth planet after all — but not all evidence is in * 4:03 PM Read the searing story of the Kickstarter drone that went down in flames * 3:00 PM Skeletons from a 10,000-year-old massacre have archaeologists in a fight of their own * 2:58 PM Watch your favorite Star Wars characters die adorable 8-bit deaths * 2:51 PM Star Wars: Episode VIII delayed until December 2017 * 2:51 PM Chairlift's new album Moth is cool, confident, and curious * 2:50 PM Uber will be the exclusive rideshare app of Super Bowl 50 * 2:09 PM Hyperloop Transportation is about to break ground on its first test track * 1:57 PM Tesla suing supplier that failed to meet Falcon Wing door expectations * 1:28 PM Netflix is fleshing out its film program with five new indie movies * 1:03 PM Netflix is making a cyberpunk detective series * 12:55 PM Zach Galifianakis' Baskets finds comedy in dashed dreams * 11:48 AM The Air Force's Reaper drone keeps crashing * 11:36 AM Exclusive: T-Pain talks about how technology and apps have changed music * 11:29 AM The Hermès Apple Watch collection will be available online this Friday * 11:00 AM Exclusive: T-Pain shows us how to use the new GarageBand * 11:00 AM Music Memos is Apple's new, simple recording app * 10:50 AM Leica’s newest camera can go underwater * 10:24 AM Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd will perform at the Grammys this year * 9:49 AM Google's new algorithm will make 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flip a switch to browse over Tor * 2:51 AM Sony’s Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector will turn any surface into a TV * 2:40 AM Nancy Drew is back, grown up, and not white * 12:49 AM Jar Jar Binks meets a violent end in excellent Star Wars Episode 7.5 fan comic * 12:29 AM Nielsen wants to watch you talk to your Facebook friends about what you watch on TV Next Menu * Default avatar.v9899025 Log in | Sign up * Home * Longform * Reviews * Video * Tech * Science * Entertainment * Cars * Design * US & World * Forums * Search ____________________ * More Sections * * * * * * Back * Home Longform * All Longform * All Verge Features Reviews * All Reviews * See All Products Video * All Video * 90 Seconds * Detours * On The Verge * Reviews * Small Empires * The Big Future * The Verge Mobile Show * Top Shelf * Verge Update * WWDC 2014 Tech * All Tech * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Mobile * Photography * Home * Apps Science * All Science * Space Entertainment * All Entertainment * Film * Movie 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Let me explain. Now that Microsoft's latest operating system is on the market many are concerned of their privacy, and what Microsoft may be doing with the data that is collected. You'll hear FUD about Microsoft collecting your browser history, logging activity, going through files, and much more, but what are they actually doing? Surprisingly, answers lie in one of the most unread documents on the internet: The Privacy Policy That's right; One of two documents (the other being the Terms of Service, or EULA in software's case) consumers blindly click, tap. or otherwise choose "Yes I agree" to has the answers to most all everyone's privacy concerns around Windows 10. One need only need to comprehend this policy to have a better understanding of what's going on. But this is hard; Not everyone is good at grasping some of the terminologies used within these legal documents. That's why I've taken the liberty of grabbing some of the most important concerns and "translating" them below. 1. Microsoft is tracking my location and collecting all my personal information! Cortana is your personal assistant. Cortana works best when it can learn about you and your activities by using data from your device, your Microsoft account, third-party services and other Microsoft services. To enable Cortana to provide personalized experiences and relevant suggestions, Microsoft collects and uses various types of data, such as your device location, data from your calendar, the apps you use, data from your emails and text messages, who you call, your contacts and how often you interact with them on your device Microsoft's Cortana assistant, in a manner very much like Google Now, allows you to get personalized results and find relevant information with the click of a button, or the utterance of the phrase "Hey, Cortana?". However many of the software's features cannot function without access to relevant data. For example, when you tell Cortana "Next time I call Aunt Kathy, remind me to pick up flowers", she can't know who "Aunt Kathy" is without access to your contact data. In another example, when you say "Remind me to get orchids when I'm at a florist", Cortana doesn't know when you're at a florist without knowing your location. The more one actually explores what Cortana can do, the more they'll realize how relevant having access to that data can be. And in the event you don't have any need for Microsoft's personalized assistant, there is actually a master switch that turns it off, with no need to peruse through various options: in Cortana's settings, you can turn off "Cortana can give you suggestions, reminders, alerts, and more.", which will disable Cortana and clear everything about your device collected via Cortana. This doesn't affect interests or other devices; Interests are device-agnostic and manually chosen, and naturally you disable Cortana on a device by device basis. But these have 0 impact on your privacy on the current device. 2. Microsoft is collecting my browser history and everything I do online! Some Microsoft browser information saved on your device will be synced across other devices when you sign in with your Microsoft account. This information can include your browsing history, favorites, saved website passwords, and reading list. For example, in Microsoft Edge, if you sync your reading list across devices, copies of the content you choose to save to your reading list will be sent to each synced device for later viewing. You can control which information is synced (see Sync Settings). You can also disable syncing of Microsoft Edge browser information by turning off the sync option in Microsoft Edge Settings. Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer use your search queries and browsing history to provide you with faster browsing and more relevant search results. These features include: * AutoSearch and Search Suggestions in Internet Explorer automatically sends the information you type into the browser address bar to your default search provider (such as Bing) and offer search recommendations as you type each character. In Microsoft Edge, this feature automatically sends this information to Bing even if you have selected another default search provider. * Page Prediction sends your browsing history to Microsoft and uses aggregated browsing history data to predict which pages you are likely to browse to next and proactively loads those pages in the background for a faster browsing experience. * Suggested Sites recommends web contents that you might be interested in based on your search and browsing history. Browsing data collected in connection with these features is used in the aggregate and you can turn off any of these features at any time. These features will not collect browsing history while you have InPrivate Browsing enabled. In order to provide search results, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer send your search queries, standard device information, and location (if you have location enabled) to your default search provider. Both Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge have the ability to provide enhanced features such as search suggestions in the address bar (standard on most web browsers), as well as enhance load times by predicting and loading pages in the background to save time loading in the foreground later on. These features require access to your search history and browsing history, however. Your search history allows the web browser to pull up previous web searches along with improving the search suggestion's predictive features. How do you think a search engine, whether it be Google or Bing, is able to predict and list various suggestions for search terms when you begin typing in the address bar? Additionally, Edge sends search history to Bing alongside your search engine of choice, likely both for the improvement of their own search suggestions as well as to ease the syncing process of that information across different machines. It also means that if you switch to Bing your search history is already present, allowing for more relevant results. As far as your web history, this allows the web browser to better predict the next page you visit, improving the page prediction accuracy and enhancing load times. It also means it can show you past websites and autofill them in the address bar when you start typing. If you don't wish for either of these functions, you can turn them off respectively in your browser's advanced settings. 3. OMG Microsoft is giving everyone the password to my Wi-Fi! Wi-Fi Sense allows you to automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks around you to help you save cellular data and give you more connection options. If you turn it on, you will automatically connect to open Wi-Fi networks. You will also be able to exchange access to password-protected Wi-Fi networks with your contacts Okay, so this one isn't clearly explained in the Privacy Policy. I did say "most all", did I not? Wi-Fi sense is a nifty feature that allows you to connect to hotspots automatically, but it also allows you to share access to your password protected networks. But before you worry that Microsoft is giving people the password to your in-home Wi-Fi, one must know two things: 1. The sharing capabilities of Wi-Fi sense are opt-in on a case by case basis; You actually have to tell Windows you want to share access for each Wi-Fi network. 2. Your password is never visibly shared. Windows will send an encrypted form of the password to your friends with Wi-Fi sense compatible devices which will then automatically set up the connection; The password is never viewable by anyone. In fact, here is an excerpt from the Wi-Fi sense FAQ: No networks are shared automatically. When you first connect to a network that you decide to share, you'll need to enter the password, and then select the Share network with my contacts check box to share that network ... When you share access to a password-protected Wi‑Fi network by using Wi‑Fi Sense, your contacts don't see the network password. For networks you choose to share access to, the password is sent over an encrypted connection and is stored in an encrypted file on a Microsoft server, and is then sent over an HTTPS connection to your contacts' PC or phone if they use Wi‑Fi Sense. 4. Why does Microsoft still send data even when I disable access? Microsoft regularly collects basic information about your Windows device including usage data, app compatibility data, and network and connectivity information. This data is transmitted to Microsoft and stored with one or more unique identifiers that can help us recognize an individual user on an individual device and understand the device's service issues and use patterns. The data we collect includes: * Configuration data, including the manufacturer of your device, model, number of processors, display size and resolution, date, region and language settings, and other data about the capabilities of the device. * The software (including drivers and firmware supplied by device manufacturers), installed on the device. * Performance and reliability data, such as how quickly programs respond to input, how many problems you experience with an app or device, or how quickly information is sent or received over a network connection. * App use data for apps that run on Windows (including Microsoft and third party apps), such as how frequently and for how long you use apps, which app features you use most often, how often you use Windows Help and Support, which services you use to sign into apps, and how many folders you typically create on your desktop. * Network and connection data, such as the device's IP address, number of network connections in use, and data about the networks you connect to, such as mobile networks, Bluetooth, and identifiers (BSSID and SSID), connection requirements and speed of Wi-Fi networks you connect to. * Other hardware devices connected to the device. Some diagnostic data is vital to the operation of Windows and cannot be turned off if you use Windows. Other data collection is optional, and you will be able to turn this data collection on or off in Settings. It's something called the "Customer Experience Improvement Program", or rather, it's successor, as CEIP appears to be permanently opted out in control panel. Windows will automatically collect data on your machine and how you use it for the purpose of improving the operating system as well as solving issues that arise: Microsoft employees, contractors, vendors, and partners might be provided access to relevant portions of the information collected, but they’re only permitted to use the information to repair or improve Microsoft products and services, or third party software and hardware designed for use with Microsoft products and services. You can't fully opt out of sending diagnostic information, but you do have 3 different options on how much data you send. Taken from the Windows 10 Feedback & Diagnostics FAQ: * Basic information is data that is vital to the operation of Windows. This data helps keep Windows and apps running properly by letting Microsoft know the capabilities of your device, what is installed, and whether Windows is operating correctly. This option also turns on basic error reporting back to Microsoft. If you select this option, we’ll be able to provide updates to Windows (through Windows Update, including malicious software protection by the Malicious Software Removal Tool), but some apps and features may not work correctly or at all. * Enhanced data includes all Basic data plus data about how you use Windows, such as how frequently or how long you use certain features or apps and which apps you use most often. This option also lets us collect enhanced diagnostic information, such as the memory state of your device when a system or app crash occurs, as well as measure reliability of devices, the operating system, and apps. If you select this option, we’ll be able to provide you with an enhanced and personalized Windows experience. * Full data includes all Basic and Enhanced data, and also turns on advanced diagnostic features that collect additional data from your device, such as system files or memory snapshots, which may unintentionally include parts of a document you were working on when a problem occurred. This information helps us further troubleshoot and fix problems. If an error report contains personal data, we won’t use that information to identify, contact, or target advertising to you. This is the recommended option for the best Windows experience and the most effective troubleshooting For those who wish to refrain from sending anything but the most basic information they can do so under the Feedback & Diagnostics page of Privacy in Settings. 5. Microsoft is sharing my information to target ads! Microsoft uses cookies (small text files placed on your device) and similar technologies to provide our services and help collect data. Cookies allow us, among other things, to store your preferences and settings; enable you to sign-in; provide interest-based advertising; combat fraud; and analyze how our services are performing. Microsoft apps use other identifiers, such as the advertising ID in Windows, for similar purposes. ... Windows generates a unique advertising ID for each user on a device. Your advertising ID can be used by app developers and advertising networks to provide more relevant advertising. You can turn off access to this identifier at any time in the device Settings. If you choose to turn it on again, a new identifier will be generated. The advertising ID is essentially cookies for apps; It is personalizing, or "targeting" ads, in a similar manner to cookies. But it's easy to turn off in settings, and it's not really harming anything by having it on. Ads are a fact of software; Wouldn't you at least want to see ads that are tolerable, or in a rather rare occurrence, even likeable? 6. Who is Microsoft sharing this data with, and when? We share your personal data with your consent or as necessary to complete any transaction or provide any service you have requested or authorized. We also share data with Microsoft-controlled affiliates and subsidiaries; with vendors working on our behalf; when required by law or to respond to legal process; to protect our customers; to protect lives; to maintain the security of our services; and to protect the rights or property of Microsoft. Microsoft only shares data with affiliates, subsidiaries, and vendors working on their behalf, when required by law, as well as to... It's pretty clearly laid out this time. Reiterating it would only serve to be redundant. 7. Why did Microsoft change all this with Windows 10? They didn't! Search suggestions and page prediction are features that have existed long before Windows 10, and actually showed up first in browsers like Google Chrome (in the case of search suggestions) before making their way to most browsers you see today. Windows 8.1 also brought the integration of Bing to the system along with location-relevant results, and provided the easy ability to opt out in settings. Other things such as the Customer Experience Improvement Program have existed since at least Windows 7, and the advertising ID has been seen in similar forms on other OSes. In all, only a handful of these new features, and the privacy concerns they bring, are actually in fact new. Most people have just been either unaware or just did not care of their existence in past operating systems and software. Microsoft is doing nothing out of the ordinary, and despite the daunting appearance of the Privacy settings, it's rather easy to control your privacy. Much of the privacy settings are either intended for third-party apps in the store, and the intent is to give you, the consumer, finer control of what your apps can do then you've ever been given in the past. If anything, Windows 10 puts you more in control then ever before. 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Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. express_logo ____________________ (BUTTON) * Find us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Check us on Google+ * Subscribe to our rss feed Daily Horoscope Our Apps Top 10 Our Paper Paper Archive Weather 7° London * HOME * News * Showbiz & TV * Sport * Comment * Finance * Travel * Entertainment * Life & Style * Personal Finance * City & Business * Retirement * The Crusader * Home * Finance * City & Business * Fears of killer robots increase as machine revolution now firmly underway Fears of killer robots increase as machine revolution now firmly underway MORE than a third of all British jobs are on track to be carried out by robots in twenty years time as the artificial intelligence revolution is now firmly underway, according to an unnerving report. By Lana Clements PUBLISHED: 20:51, Thu, Nov 5, 2015 | UPDATED: 10:03, Fri, Nov 6, 2015 A robot GETTYRobots are set to do a third of British jobs in 20 years In some sectors, such as manufacturing, smart machines will already perform almost half of jobs globally within a decade, forecasts financial firm Bank of America Merril Lynch (BAML). However, the firm warns the march of the machines will lead to larger inequality in society and greater issues around cybersecurity and privacy. The biggest short-term challenge will be the displacement of human workers, as robots take jobs. And in the longer-term, there could also be safety issues and threats posed by artificial intelligence or killer robots, said the bank. There is a 50 per cent chance of high-level learning machines to be in place by 2050 and 90 per cent chance by 2075 - super-intelligence is expected to follow in the 30 years after. Related articles * Britain's steel crisis: 3,000 jobs to be lost from Tata Steel and... * Aldi to pay staff minimum wage of £8.40 an hour - but which... robot worker GETTY Robot workers were recently exhibited at the China International Industry Fair robot hands GETTY Robots can do more and more of human jobs car being made by robots GETTY A Ford factory in the US shows how firms already use robots for many jobs Artificial intelligence is already infiltrating more areas of our everyday lives and is set to slice almost £6trillion off of employment costs across the world as machines become more sophisticated. Adopting robots to carry out work could boost productivity by a third in many industries, while cutting staff costs by around the same amount, estimates the bank. It's not just manufacturing at risk, but jobs that require little or no creativity, according to the report. And it will be the lowest paid most likely to suffer. In Britain it's estimated that jobs that pay less than £30,000 a year are five times more likely to be replaced than jobs pay £100,000 a year or more. In the coming years, there is predicted to be fast growth of 'care-bots', which will replace care workers, as well more medical robots and computer-assisted surgery to carry out healthcare jobs. Self-driving cars and drones will gradually take over driving and military jobs, while 'agribots' will carry out farming roles. Related articles * Rogue trader who lost billions banned from finance jobs as he... * British employment jumps to highest level since 1970s google's self-driving car GETTY Google has already developed a self-driving car humanoid robot GETTY A humanoid robot at a shopping mall in Japan can help the public in English, Chinese and Japanese table tennis playing robot GETTY Now you can even play table tennis with a robot dyson robot cleaner GETTY Dyson started selling its first robotic cleaner this year There will also be more 'cobots' which, in comparison to solitary machines, will be able to interact with human workers in offices, for example. Use of industrial robots for manufacturing needs will continue to soar. At home and in our daily lives, artificial intelligence will be at the core of the Internet of Things (IoT) - appliances and objects linked to the internet - to transform our habits. For example, fridges that automatically order food online when it sees that an item is running low or cars that automaticity avoid traffic jams. More than 50billion devices are expected to be connected to internet in five years time, with Apple, Facebook and Google among the companies leading developments in the area. Robot sales have smashed records for the past three years, up by a third in 2014, and the market is now on track to be worth an enormous £99billion by 2020. The BAML report said: "We are facing a paradigm shift which will change the way we live and work. "Penetration of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) has hit every industry sector, and has become an integral part of our daily lives. "Technology has also expanded beyond routine work, and moved into complex problem-solving, and replicating human perception, tasks that only people were capable of." graph of high risk jobs from robots Frey and Osborne, Deloitte 2014 / Bank of America Merril Lynch Low-paying, manual jobs which are generally considered “high risk” for replacement Related articles * Black Friday 2015 and Christmas set for delivery mayhem amid UK... * Amazon and Argos Black Friday 2015 deals start - as sales set to... FTSE 100 leaps up after disastrous week fears remain FTSE 100 leaps up after disastrous week fears remain Stock markets rally after disastrous week but fears remain Britain 1-5 trillion of debt as George Osborne blows targets Britain 1-5 trillion of debt as George Osborne blows targets Britain is now £1,542,000,000,000 in debt as George Osborne blows his OWN targets City News Pearson publisher N Brown retailer Royal Mail Halfords City News Pearson publisher N Brown retailer Royal Mail Halfords City News: Pearson publisher, N Brown retailer, Royal Mail and Halfords Barclays shuts offices Asia focuses UK Barclays shuts offices Asia focuses UK Barclays shuts offices in Asia and focuses on the UK Fears US obsession with fracking could be tipping point for next global financial crisis Fears US obsession with fracking could be tipping point for next global financial crisis Is US fracking obsession behind global financial MELTDOWN? Warning issued over oil glut Billions set to be injected into European economy to save it amid growing global crisis Billions set to be injected into European economy to save it amid growing global crisis Desperate Mario Draghi to FLOOD EU economy with extra cash in bid to avert euro crisis Leonardo DiCaprio greedy oil companies davos enough Leonardo DiCaprio greedy oil companies davos enough Leonardo DiCaprio blasts greedy oil companies: 'Enough is enough' China stock markets hit again as fears grow for GLOBAL CRASH China stock markets hit again as fears grow for GLOBAL CRASH FINANCIAL PANIC: China’s stock markets hit again as fears grow for GLOBAL CRASH Shell BG takeover van Beurden Shell BG takeover van Beurden Shell’s BG takeover bid is a slick move China economy crisis much worse than authorities say China economy crisis much worse than authorities say Dr Doom warns China is LYING and economic crisis is MUCH worse than we think Wage rises slow AGAIN amid worries Britain economy could fall Wage rises slow AGAIN amid worries Britain economy could fall Wage rises slow AGAIN amid worries Britain's economy could fall Market MELTDOWN Britain FTSE 100 loses more than 40BN in AN HOUR Market MELTDOWN Britain FTSE 100 loses more than 40BN in AN HOUR Markets SPIRAL: Panic as FTSE 100 enters bear market and loses more than £40BN in AN HOUR China failing economy global recession WORSE 2008 China failing economy global recession WORSE 2008 WORSE than 2008: Warning for global economy as China and oil threaten to destabilise WORLD Aldi wine delivery oil prices Network Rail MySale Aldi wine delivery oil prices Network Rail MySale City news: Aldi wine delivery, oil prices, Network Rail improvements and MySale turnaround Unilever defies global fragility pace new products Unilever defies global fragility pace new products Unilever defies global fragility by stepping up the pace of new products Davos 2016 What is the World Economic Forum meeting Davos 2016 What is the World Economic Forum meeting What is Davos? 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Magazine * new! Magazine * Star Magazine * Health Lottery Northern and Shell Copyright ©2016 Northern and Shell Media Publications. "Daily Express" is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. #publisher Daily Express UK RSS Feed Daily Express Search Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. express_logo ____________________ (BUTTON) * Find us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Check us on Google+ * Subscribe to our rss feed Daily Horoscope Our Apps Top 10 Our Paper Paper Archive Weather 7° London * HOME * News * Showbiz & TV * Sport * Comment * Finance * Travel * Entertainment * Life & Style * UK * World * Politics * Royal * History * Science * Weird * Nature * Obituaries * Sunday * Scotland * Weather * Home * News * UK * Web of evil: One in five of us fell victim to cybercrime in past year Web of evil: One in five of us fell victim to cybercrime in past year MORE than 12 million Britons fell victim to cybercrime in the past year, a wide-ranging new study has revealed. By Anil Dawar PUBLISHED: PUBLISHED: 05:01, Mon, Nov 23, 2015 double GETTYMore than 12 million Britons fell victim to cybercrime in the past year One in five people were hit by ID theft, computer hacking or other online crimes in 2014 suffering a total loss of £1.6bn, according to the survey. Dealing with the aftermath of the crime took victims about one working day - nine hours, the internet security giants Norton found. The research comes amid growing public awareness of the issue but the study’s authors say their findings show that people are still not doing enough to protect themselves. Related articles * Now photo app used by MILLIONS falls victim to latest hack – are... * Anti-capitalist cyber hacker jailed to deter attacks on websites The first official figures for the crime category, published by the Office for National Statistics earlier this year, showed that there were 7.6million cases of fraud and computer misuse last year. People using dating websites were cheated out of more than £33million last year by lonely-hearts con artists. And in one of the most high-profile computer hacking cases this year, 160,000 customers of phone company Talk Talk had their details stolen by cyber criminals in an online attack last month. Findings from the Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report, published today, revealed that concern about online crime is so widespread, nearly 90 percent worry about falling victim to cyber criminals and only one in ten feel they have control of their internet security. Nearly half of Britons, 44 percent have been hit by cybercrime in their lifetime and one in five or 22 percent in the last year. binary GETTY One in five people were hit by ID theft, computer hacking or other online crimes in 2014 message GETTY People using dating websites were cheated out of more than £33million last year We no longer need convincing of the risks, breaches and cybercrime have unfortunately become a fact of life Nick Shaw of Norton The average loss for each person was £134, giving an estimated total loss across the nation of £1.6bn. One in six people have been hit by the rising crime of online extortion, where hackers use so-called ‘ransomware’ to take over computers and deletes files unless a ransom is paid. And even after paying the extortionists, half of those still lost their documents and photos. The report found that one in ten had their identity stolen and one in seven saw their financial details compromised after internet shopping. The survey of more than 1,000 people in the UK found that 45 percent pointed the finger of blame for the cyber attacks at foreign governments such as Russia and China. While one in ten think the primary culprits are teenage hackers doing it for fun. Despite falling victim to cyber criminals, two in five do not bother changing their passwords. Nick Shaw of Norton, part of Symantec, said: “We no longer need convincing of the risks, breaches and cybercrime have unfortunately become a fact of life.” “Our findings demonstrate that recent headlines have rattled people’s trust in online activity, but the threat of cybercrime still hasn’t led to widespread adoption of simple protection measures that people should take to safeguard their information online,” he added. 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Up to 42 branches across Britain face the chop Is YOUR local Post Office about to close? Up to 42 branches across Britain face the chop * 5 WATCH: Jimmy Savile molesting woman on Top of the Pops before audience of millions WATCH: Jimmy Savile molesting woman on Top of the Pops before audience of millions Brussels EU bosses force UK into migrant quotas no nation wants why Brussels EU bosses force UK into migrant quotas no nation wants why Why are Brussels bullies forcing us into unworkable migrant quotas NO EU nation wants? Alexander Litvinenko brother Britain motivation Russia Alexander Litvinenko brother Britain motivation Russia Alexander Litvinenko's brother: Britain had more reason to kill ex-KGB spy than Russia NHS hospital parking scandal free parking hospital bosses nurses pay NHS hospital parking scandal free parking hospital bosses nurses pay NHS car park scandal: Anger as hospital bosses get free parking motorists without hard shoulder motorists without hard shoulder Broken-down motorists could be left without a hard shoulder to cry on http://games.express.co.uk/quizzes-games?game=arkadiuminc13/can-you-gue ss-these-18-logos Grieving mum hanged facing bedroom tax eviction leaves note Cameron Grieving mum hanged facing bedroom tax eviction leaves note Cameron Grieving mum found hanged after facing bedroom tax eviction leaves angry note to Cameron arsenal teenage murder suspects bedroom arsenal teenage murder suspects bedroom Huge arsenal found in teenager murder suspect’s bedroom Edwina Currie daughter Deborah fined road rage rant page 3 girl Debbie Corrigan Edwina Currie daughter Deborah fined road rage rant page 3 girl Debbie Corrigan Tory MP Edwina Currie's daughter fined for road-rage rant at ex-page 3 girl Afghan teen escaped Taliban decomposing bodies Midlands crate Afghan teen escaped Taliban decomposing bodies Midlands crate Afghan teen who escaped Taliban identified among decomposing bodies in Midlands crate New code conduct tackle MPs sleaze scandals New code conduct tackle MPs sleaze scandals New code of conduct will tackle MPs in sleaze scandals REVEALED The true scale of Scotland Yard child abuse probe into cult-like Kids Company REVEALED The true scale of Scotland Yard child abuse probe into cult-like Kids Company REVEALED: The true scale of Scotland Yard child abuse probe into "cult-like" Kids Company Primary school teacher dies exposed asbestos three decades Primary school teacher dies exposed asbestos three decades Primary school teacher dies after being exposed to asbestos for almost three decades man weigh same piano Mark McCann lost stone after awful holiday snap man weigh same piano Mark McCann lost stone after awful holiday snap Man weighing same as PIANO shamed into losing weight after 'awful' holiday snap Syrian refugee arrives in UK after landmark case Syrian refugee arrives in UK after landmark case Syrian refugee who won right to move to UK in landmark ruling arrives in Britain Jeremy Cobyn attracts hight-status city dwellers report Jeremy Cobyn attracts hight-status city dwellers report Jeremy Cobyn attracts 'high-status city dwellers', report shows Spoof Adele hit single Hello tells struggle finding job unemployment graduate Spoof Adele hit single Hello tells struggle finding job unemployment graduate WATCH: Spoof of Adele’s hit Hello tells the struggles of finding a job - and it's spot on Hugh Laurie Serbian border guard TOOK passport made photocopy for WIFE Hugh Laurie Serbian border guard TOOK passport made photocopy for WIFE Hugh Laurie says Serbian border guard TOOK his passport - and made photocopy for his WIFE Cologne sex attacks Top Gear Sabine Schmitz assaults protests Cologne sex attacks Top Gear Sabine Schmitz assaults protests Cologne sex attacks: New Top Gear presenter joins protest against mass assaults Islamic State ginger extremist support Oxford Street facing jail Islamic State ginger extremist support Oxford Street facing jail Ginger extremist found guilty of trying to sign up Oxford Street shoppers to join ISIS Daily Express thieves steal dehumidifiers flood victims thieves steal dehumidifiers flood victims Name and shame these thieves - people steal dehumidifiers from flood victims Trident nuclear submarines letter last resort control room safe order war Trident nuclear submarines letter last resort control room safe order war 'Letter of last resort' The safe on UK Trident subs containing PM's order for nuclear war Brazen arms dealer poses for raunchy snap with AK-47 before police bust her smuggling gang Brazen arms dealer poses for raunchy snap with AK-47 before police bust her smuggling gang Brazen arms dealer poses for raunchy snap with AK-47 before police bust her smuggling gang bug squashing Buddhist slashed tyres 200 cars Julian Glew East Yorkshire bug squashing Buddhist slashed tyres 200 cars Julian Glew East Yorkshire Bug-squashing Buddhist so distraught he slashed tyres on 200 cars man york must give police 24 hour notice before having sex man york must give police 24 hour notice before having sex Man banned from having sex unless he gives police 24-hour notice Boy 17 admits killing James Attfield Nahid Almanea Colchester Boy 17 admits killing James Attfield Nahid Almanea Colchester Boy, 17, admits double killing where one victim was stabbed 100 times Young UK girl saved arranged marriage 18-year-old Afghan cousin criminal Young UK girl saved arranged marriage 18-year-old Afghan cousin criminal Nine-year-old UK girl saved from marriage to 18-year-old Afghan cousin bomb hoaxer UK airports jailed two half years bomb hoaxer UK airports jailed two half years Bomb hoaxer who triggered two security alerts at airports jailed for two and a half years WATCH: Jimmy Savile molesting woman on Top of the Pops before audience of millions WATCH: Jimmy Savile molesting woman on Top of the Pops before audience of millions VID: Jimmy Savile molests woman on Top of the Pops in front of millions (and no-one knew?) killer stabbed paedophile death sentence doubled killer stabbed paedophile death sentence doubled Paedophile killer Sarah Sands sentence doubled by Court of Appeal Meredith Kercher killer wrote wall blood British student Meredith Kercher killer wrote wall blood British student Meredith Kercher’s killer reveals how he wrote on the walls in the British student’s blood Migrants English Home Office spelling mistake Migrants English Home Office spelling mistake Migrants handed English test by Home Office - and find the Government CAN'T SPELL Haunting images reveal how luxury Costa Concordia cruise liner became a ghost ship Haunting images reveal how luxury Costa Concordia cruise liner became a ghost ship Haunting images reveal how luxury Costa Concordia cruise liner became a ghost ship Britain's biggest burglary hotspots revealed Britain's biggest burglary hotspots revealed Britain's 20 biggest burglary HOTSPOTS revealed: Is YOUR town a target? witch hunt lawyers denounce spurious claims iraq war heroes witch hunt lawyers denounce spurious claims iraq war heroes 'Witch hunt' lawyers warned over 'spurious claims' against Iraq War heroes Glowing tributes WWII gunner hero dies aged 93 Glowing tributes WWII gunner hero dies aged 93 ‘He had a remarkable life’ Glowing tributes for WWII gunner hero who dies aged 93 Trident weapons Michael Fallon UK nuclear submarines dangerous world Trident weapons Michael Fallon UK nuclear submarines dangerous world Defence secretary says world more ‘dangerous & unpredictable’ now than during the Cold War Grandmother apologises for vile racist tram rant at Muslims claiming her drink was spiked Grandmother apologises for vile racist tram rant at Muslims claiming her drink was spiked Grandmother apologises for vile racist tram rant at Muslims claiming her drink was spiked Sudanese man granted asylum walking through Channel Tunnel trial Sudanese man granted asylum walking through Channel Tunnel trial Sudanese man granted asylum after walking through Channel Tunnel now faces trial Philip Davies Parliament politics English lessons Islam Muslim Philip Davies Parliament politics English lessons Islam Muslim Muslim women should pay for their OWN English lessons and not rely on taxpayers, MP says Furious wife attacks woman husband brought home Furious wife attacks woman husband brought home Furious wife attacked woman with SHOES when 'husband brought her home after night out' Daniel Young Murder Second Man arrested in connection Homicide and Major Crime Command Daniel Young Murder Second Man arrested in connection Homicide and Major Crime Command Second man arrested in connection with murder of university lecturer Daniel Young Vladimir Putin Litvinenko murder ex-spy accused him PAEDOPHILE Vladimir Putin Litvinenko murder ex-spy accused him PAEDOPHILE Vladimir Putin 'ordered' Litvinenko murder after ex-spy accused him of being a PAEDOPHILE Sainsburys withdraw chicken Iceland recall frozen Sainsburys withdraw chicken Iceland recall frozen Sainsbury's recalls 'potentially deadly' chicken meals just days after Iceland recall NHS doctor holy water possessed patient Dr Julius Awakame NHS doctor holy water possessed patient Dr Julius Awakame NHS doctor recommended holy water for 'possessed' patient The poisoned pot Deadly afternoon tea in Mayfair The poisoned pot Deadly afternoon tea in Mayfair The poisoned pot: Deadly afternoon tea in Mayfair that killed spy Litvinenko Rape sex attacks record high Britain knife gun crime Rape sex attacks record high Britain knife gun crime Rape and sex attacks reach record high in Britain Migrant homes flood victims Council common sense council cumbria refugees Migrant homes flood victims Council common sense council cumbria refugees Migrant homes WILL go to flood victims: Common sense victory for crisis-hit council Woman facing jail dog attacked walker as Muslims Woman facing jail dog attacked walker as Muslims Woman facing jail for saying dog attacked walker as 'it doesn't like Muslims' Hooters barmaid boob job Katie Piper Bodyshockers Hooters barmaid boob job Katie Piper Bodyshockers Boob job boob: Backpain barmaid moans ‘my FF melons weigh more than actual melons’ Britain NUCLEAR TRIGGER Britain NUCLEAR TRIGGER Minutes from ARMAGEDDON: The dad-of-three with his finger over Britain's NUCLEAR TRIGGER http://games.express.co.uk/gamedetails/crusader-crossword/ [1] SEARCH ____________________ (BUTTON) CONNECT WITH US * Find us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Check us on Google+ * Subscribe to our rss feed * Check our YouTube channel TODAY'S PAPER todays-paper Friday, 22nd January 2016 See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. 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Magazine * new! Magazine * Star Magazine * Health Lottery Northern and Shell Copyright ©2016 Northern and Shell Media Publications. "Daily Express" is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. #RSS Feed for Honest John articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Motoring» 3. Car Advice» 4. Honest John Data protection abuse Honest John would like to see abuses of the Data Protection Act challenged in court. By Honest John 7:00AM BST 07 Jul 2009 I use a railway-station car park managed by an enforcement agency. One of its attendants recently put a penalty fare notice on my screen, even though I had purchased a valid ticket. I sent the PFN back, along with a covering letter and a copy of my ticket receipt, to point out the error. This was ignored and the matter was placed in the hands of the enforcement agency's solicitors, who obtained my details from the DVLA (they told me so in writing). I was advised to pay, so I wrote back asking for evidence of my alleged misdeed and provided a copy of my earlier correspondence. I have since been told that a clerical error was made and the matter is being dropped. Any thoughts? Related Articles * Bentley auction a better bet 07 Jul 2009 * Garage not big enough for new models 07 Jul 2009 * Nissan Note a good option 07 Jul 2009 * Scrappage scheme has its uses 07 Jul 2009 * Removing musty smells from you car 07 Jul 2009 * Suitable cars just above £4000 07 Jul 2009 PO, via email The DVLA is opening its records to numerous agencies, which can hit people with outrageous penalties for overstaying parking by a matter of a few minutes. What they are doing is a wholesale abuse of the Data Protection Act and I'd like to see it challenged in court. Email your queries to letters@honestjohn.co.uk (please include your full name, postal address and phone number). More Honest John articles. Honest John * Motoring » * Car Advice » Related Partners * Sell your car with Auto Trader from less than £1 per day * Search the market for car insurance * Search the market for the best car loans External Links * Honest John In Honest John Flat tyre How to fit a spare wheel Telegraph Cars on Facebook Join Telegraph Cars on Facebook Rebecca Jackson Porsche Macan Visit the Telegraph Cars YouTube channel Welcome to Telegraph Cars Car Reviews from Telegraph Cars Telegraph Car Warranties Telegraph Car Warranty More from Honest John What's the best way to pay for a new car? car showroom Honest John covers the options for paying a dealer a large sum of money Why am I liable for parking fines? 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Inside Rolls Royce exhibition Honest John suggests the best for reliability when considering a £25,000 Rolls-Royce or Bentley Can classic cars carry more people than new ones? Seatbelt Honest John explains why you can have more passengers than seatbelts in older cars What car for cat rescue? Fiat Qubo Honest John helps a reader who is trying to find a good car for a cat rescue worker Advertisement Auto Trader Car Search Advertisement More from the web Loading Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Most viewed * TODAY * PAST WEEK * PAST MONTH 1. Audi Q7 vs Volvo XC90: which is the best SUV? 2. Driven: James Bond's SPECTRE Aston Martin DB10 3. Aston Martin unveils James Bond's Aston Martin 4. Volkswagen scandal: Britons face extra £50 bill after recall 5. Is PCP finance a good deal in the long-term? 1. Volkswagen scandal: Britons face extra £50 bill after recall 2. Audi Q7 vs Volvo XC90: which is the best SUV? 3. Driven: James Bond's SPECTRE Aston Martin DB10 4. Geoffrey Lean: The statistics about diesel are crystal clear. It’s deadly 5. Jeremy Clarkson's new Top Gear-style show could be called Gear Knobs 1. New Range Rover is a 'fortress' on wheels 2. Volkswagen scandal: Britons face extra £50 bill after recall 3. Jeremy Clarkson's new Top Gear-style show could be called Gear Knobs 4. Volkswagen crisis: Car giant warned against emissions rigging eight years ago 5. Top Gear host Chris Evans sells Ferrari for over £1m at Goodwood Revival CarFinance247>> Exclusive low rates on car finance>> Calculate your loan immediately. No deposit required, no obligation quote and your own personal advisor SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Motoring * Motoring News * Food and Drink * Recipes * Restaurants * Women * Women's Life * Sex * Family and Parenting * Gardening * Gardening Advice * Gardening Pictures * * History * Expat * * Crossword * Blogs * Dating * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Technology News articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology» 3. Technology News Google Glass 'could breach Data Protection Act' The UK's data privacy watchdog says there is an 'important debate' to be had around the privacy implications of wearable technology Google glass Glass isn't really up to much Photo: Getty Images By Sophie Curtis 4:36PM BST 26 Jun 2014 Follow The UK's data privacy watchdog has warned that Google Glass and other wearable technology could breach the Data Protection Act in some circumstances. Google Glass went on sale in the UK for the first time this week, priced at £1,000. Anyone over the age of 18 can now purchase the headset, although Google said that it remains a prototype product. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) published a blog today, stating that wearable technology must operate in compliance with the law and consumers’ personal information must be looked after. "If you are using a wearable technology for your own use then you are unlikely to be breaching the Act. This is because the Act includes an exemption for the collection of personal information for domestic purposes," said Andrew Paterson, senior technology officer for the ICO. "But if you were to one day decide that you’d like to start using this information for other purposes outside of your personal use, for example to support a local campaign or to start a business, then this exemption would no longer apply." Related Articles * Teacher illegally spied on while shopping after going on sick leave with stress 13 Jan 2015 * How YouTube sensations can land big sponsorship deals 28 Aug 2014 * Google Glass banned in UK cinemas 01 Jul 2014 * Google glass review: what the public think 23 May 2014 * Google Glass: what do you actually see? 23 Jun 2014 * Google's Android Wear: which smartwatch? 26 Jun 2014 Paterson added that organisations' use of wearable technology to process personal information will almost always be bound by the Act, meaning they must process the information collected by these devices in compliance with the legislation. "This includes making sure that people are being informed about how their details are being collected and used, only collecting information that is relevant, adequate and not excessive and ensuring that any information that needs to be collected is kept securely and deleted once it is no longer required," he said. If the wearable technology is able to capture video or pictures (like Google Glass) then organisations must also address the issues raised in the ICO's CCTV Code of Practice. Responding to the ICO's warning, a Google spokesperson said: "We designed Glass with privacy in mind. The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it’s activated clearly signals it’s in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device.” The news comes after some bar owners in San Francisco banned Google Glass from their premises due to customers’ concerns over being filmed without their knowledge. The headset is also banned in many cinemas, strip clubs, casinos, restaurants, hospitals, sports grounds and banks. In response to the backlash, Google has issued an etiquette guide, urging users to be respectful and polite while wearing the headset and not to be 'Glassholes'. However, a survey by the Centre for Creative and Social Technology (CAST) at Goldsmiths, University of London and website hosting company Rackspace last year found that one in five people in the UK wanted to ban Google Glass. Half of respondents to the survey cited privacy concerns as the main barrier to purchasing wearable devices such as Google Glass, with 61 per cent agreeing that such devices should be subject to regulation. Meanwhile, the popularity of smart fitness bands that can track heart rate, running speed and location continues to grow. Google announced the launch of its new Android operating system for wearables yesterday, and Apple is rumoured to be working on its own iWatch. Consulting firm Deloitte predicts that around 10 million wearable devices, including smart glasses, fitness bands and watches, will be sold in 2014. Technology News * Technology » * Google » * Sophie Curtis » The Christmas leap in tablet computer sales means that half of Britons are now using them, following a flood of cheap devices on to the market. The best tablets In Technology News Mobile photography awards Royal Mail Inventive Britain stamp set Celebrating British Inventions Instagramming the world Instagramming the UK Kelly Osbourne, a host of E!’s Fashion Police, gets to grips with wearable tech on the red carpet of the 2013 Do Something Awards in Hollywood. Is Google Glass doomed? Facebook isn't dying. It's just changing Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. How hackers took over my computer Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. 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How hackers took over my computer More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Technology News * Technology Reviews * Technology Advice * Technology Video * Internet Security * Broadband * Mobile Phones * Samsung * Nokia * HTC * Mobile Reviews * App Reviews * Telegraph for iPad * Companies * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Video Games * News * Trailers * Previews * Xbox * PlayStation * Nintendo * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Festival of Business articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Companies * Comment * Personal Finance * ISAs * Economy * Markets * Property * Enterprise * Financial Services * Telegraph Investor Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Finance» 3. Festival of Business How data protection has emerged from shadows Data protection industry is booming following Edward Snowden leaks NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden Edward Snowden: leaks were a "Pearl Harbor" moment that "rammed home to the public and companies that personal data was an issue", according to data protection entrepreneur Alan Mitchell Photo: Reuters Rebecca Burn Callander By Rebecca Burn-Callander, Enterprise Editor 6:00AM BST 30 May 2014 Follow Comments Comments Edward Snowden’s revelations that the US government had been secretly conducting phone and internet surveillance on millions of American citizens rocked the world. The issue of data privacy was thrown into sharp relief as consumers and policymakers alike tried to work out the implications of a society where personal data was no longer safe from prying eyes. It’s been just over a year since the start of the Snowden affair and, in that time, firms have sprung up that offer to protect privacy or sell services that allow users to take control of their digital profiles. There is one new service starting every week, according to personal data consultancy Ctrl-Shift. And, according to strategy director Alan Mitchell, the UK has become the epicentre for this kind of activity. “There’s something unique about the UK,” he explains. “The Europeans are reluctant to innovate because they are largely rule-driven. The Americans have a culture of, 'Go, get ’em!’, which tends to undermine trust. But the UK is in the Goldilocks position: not too hot, not too cold. We have a strong history of data protection but also the willingness to innovate.” Related Articles * Edward Snowden: I was a spy 'at all levels' 28 May 2014 * Edward Snowden: 'I can sleep at night' 29 May 2014 * Edward Snowden asks Brazil for asylum 17 Dec 2013 * Google urged to act on piracy by PM's adviser 29 May 2014 Ctrl-Shift works with blue-chip companies to ensure they aren’t doing dodgy things with customer data. The consultancy also suggests new ways these data can be used to create a better service for the consumer. It also worked closely with the Government on the mydata campaign, which gives consumers the right to request full disclosure of the data held about them by brands. The business was founded in 2009, but the first three years were “difficult”, says Mitchell. “We’d have meetings with people about personal data and they would say, 'What the hell are you talking about?’” The Snowden effect has been significant for the business. “It was the 'Pearl Harbor’ moment that brought the Americans into the war,” he says. “It really rammed home to the public and companies that personal data was an issue that has to be dealt with.” The company has doubled revenues year on year as a result of the increased demand for its services. Initatives such as mydata have made the UK one of the most forward-thinking data jurisdictions in the world. Companies - fearful of the implications of America’s Patriot Act, which allows the government to search business records, and disillusioned with European laws on data protection - are increasingly looking to London-based firms and cloud solutions to house their information. Bookitbee provides ticketing platforms for events such as the Wychwood music festival in Cheltenham. It stores customer data securely in the UK, rather than using servers in other countries. This has become increasingly key to winning new business. “When we started, no one asked any questions about where the data were held,” says co-founder Kenton Ward. “After the Snowden affair, one-in-four people we speak to now asks whether their data is being held in the UK.” Last year, turnover hit £500,000 and revenues are set to double this year. “It’s given our business an edge that it didn’t have before,” adds fellow founder Frank di Mauro. Research company Forrester estimates the data broking market is worth £2bn in the US alone. And there is now a burgeoning movement to allow consumers to profit from their data, too. On June 9, serial entrepreneur StJohn Deakins will launch a new platform, CitizenMe, which will not only allow consumers to see all the data held about them by online companies, in a way that is easy to digest, but also let them control and shape that data profile – and even start making cash from it. This information can range from credit ratings to buying habits. Consumers will be able to check out exactly what advertisers see when they buy their data from digital agencies. CitizenMe goes beyond simply crunching vast data sets. Working in tandem with Cambridge University, the start-up also draws psychometric conclusions from that data. Users can find out how “angry” their tweets appear, what religious or political beliefs are suggested by their LinkedIn profile, or what IQ is suggested by their Facebook interactions. The Snowden revelations have created the perfect conditions for a company such as CitizenMe to launch, he says. “Snowden made people think about what happens to their data. We’re in the middle of a transition from an industrial society to an information society, and people now understand the implications.” CitizenMe will charge subscribers “a few pounds” a month for visibility and control of their personal data. However, if they choose to earn cash from data transactions, the service is free but takes a 10pc fee on all transactions. The service aims to generate “millions of pounds” for digital citizens within two years. According to Deakins, once consumers understand what data are available about them, commercialising it is the next logical step. “The advertising industry needs that data to serve relevant ads,” he explains. “And it is those ads that keep the internet free. If we want to maintain the current ubiquity of access to internet content and services, we have to accept that advertising needs to exist.” Deakins warns that if companies don’t work together to rebuild consumer trust, the online sharing ecosystem will suffer. “People will become more cynical, and share less. There are already 100m ad-blocking servers in use worldwide. That’s damaging the online economy.” To maintain a free and fair web, the market has to drive change, he adds. “80pc of the world’s population will be 'digitised’ over the next five to 10 years. Let’s make sure that this digital citizenry is empowered.” Festival of Business * Finance » * Business Technology » * Technology » * Rebecca Burn-Callander » In Finance» The young ones: the new age of the entrepreneur The Young Ones: Bryony plans to provide much-needed financing to the 83.7 per cent of undergraduates who live in squalor - My fund will teach poor students what a J Cloth is for Time marches on. While it seems only yesterday that all the bright young things were products of the 1980s, I am now one of the only people in my office who can remember that decade. Comments Sizzling rivalry on the international tech scene New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg London is the main competitor to New York in the global battle to be the champion city for the tech industry and entrepreneurship. Comments In Festival of Business Follow Festival of Business on Twitter Festival of Business Network Twitter Get the Festival of Business email Festival of Business Network E-mail Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Festival of Business Advertisement IFRAME: http://www.dianomi.com/partner/telegraph/11882.epl Latest finance videos » Senior Personal Finance Reporter Katie Morley offers her tips and tricks to help you save money when it comes to your car How to save money on your car Senior Personal Finance Reporter Katie Morley offers tips on how to get the best value out of your holiday How to get best value out of your holiday US federal reserve What does US interest rates rise mean? Former football star Louis Saha Louis Saha: 'A British bank lost me a six-figure sum. I’m suing’ 'I’m buying miners – it’s a calculated risk’ Sponsored by Old Mutual Wealth Your pension fund in retirement Advertisement Advertisement More from the web IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Finance * Financial Crisis * Debt Crisis Live * Markets * Banks and Finance * City Diary * Economics * Transport * Media and Telecoms * Energy * Retail News * * Personal Finance * Your Business * Investing * Savings * Student Finance * Jobs * Job Search * Companies * China business * Money Deals * Money Transfers * Comment * Alex * Find an IFA * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Internet Security articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology» 3. Internet Security Europe backs stronger data protection rules Strong data protection rules must be Europe's trade mark, says EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding Data security - SME Business Essentials Fiendishly-complex online encryption is providing the safe space for terrorists to plan bloodshed on an industrial scale By Sophie Curtis 1:21PM GMT 12 Mar 2014 Follow The European Parliament has voted through the EU’s first major overhaul of data protection legislation since 1995, with the aim of giving people more effective control of their personal data online, and making it easier for businesses to operate and innovate in the EU's Single Market. The reforms include a 'right to be forgotten', allowing citizens to delete their data from companies' computer systems, and a 'right to data portability', making it easier for citizens to transfer their personal data between service providers. They also require businesses and organisations to gain explicit consent from citizens before processing their data, and build data protection safeguards into their products and services from the earliest stage of development. Citizens must be informed about any data breaches that could adversely affect them without undue delay, and companies that abuse customers' data will be fined of up to 5 per cent of their global turnover. The European Commission said that better data protection rules will strengthen citizens' rights and help to restore their confidence in how their personal data is treated – particularly online. Related Articles * EU set to approve new data protection rules in wake of NSA revelations 17 Oct 2013 * US spying row to dominate EU summit 24 Oct 2013 "Data Protection is made in Europe. Strong data protection rules must be Europe's trade mark," said EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "Following the US data spying scandals, data protection is more than ever a competitive advantage. Today's vote is the strongest signal that it is time to deliver this reform for our citizens and our businesses." The new EU data protection law is intended to replace the current patchwork of national laws. Companies will only have to deal with one single supervisory authority, rather than 28, making it simpler and cheaper for companies to do business in the EU. The benefits are estimated at €2.3 billion per year. Although the EU claims that progress on data protection reform is now 'irreversible', the proposal still has to pass through the European Council before it is becomes law. If approved, it will be applicable in all 28 EU Member States. “This EU regulation on Personal Data can be the beginning of a tilt in balance of control back towards users. That is urgent and overdue," said Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC). “Most people are entirely unaware that their rights are being violated when online due to what are now everyday business practices. Those who are aware have negligible ability to control how this data on their daily lives, buying behaviour, social media use, political views, hobbies, financial data and health records is collected and processed. That awareness and control need to be handed back." Goyens added that personal data protection is a longstanding fundamental right in Europe, and this should not be affected by the commercial acquisition, processing, retention and selling of personal data, regardless where it occurs. “MEPs have dealt with the matter seriously and have voted for legal protections which are robust and appropriate. The challenge now is to ensure the substantial amount of work is not unravelled by national government representatives in the Council or in the face of transatlantic pressure,” she said. Internet Security * Europe » * Technology » * Technology News » * Sophie Curtis » In Internet Security Amelia aims to answer the question, can machines think? Meet Amelia: the computer that's after your job Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. How hackers took over my computer King of infinite space: Sir Tim Berners-Lee put the http: // into the www 'Computers are getting smarter. We're not' Apple has released provisional images of what iOS 8 could look like iPhone 6 and iOS 8: 16 hidden features Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. Advertisement Advertisement Top Technology Videos» Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels Rise of a tech giant: the history of Google Uber app with taxi The history of Uber Starship robots deliver parcels and groceries to customers for less than £1 Skype invent robot that delivers groceries Altwork station Forget standing desks: This office workstation lets you work lying down Instagram's new Boomerang app stitches together pictures to create videos Instagram launches gif-like app Boomerang Now your iPhone will even weigh fruit More from the web Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Technology choice iPhone 6s/7 release date and rumour roundup iPhone 6s and 6s Plus rumours: all you need to know A customer holds the latest generation of Apple iPhones in an Apple store in Oberhausen, Germany Seven tips to secure your iPhone from hackers Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. 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Home» 2. Finance» 3. Personal Finance John Ralfe John Ralfe 500,000 women deserve a better state pension deal Ros Altmann Our pension reforms will give everyone a better retirement Richard Evans Richard Evans Why the FTSE won't fall by 30pc Richard Dyson Could we become like the topsy-turvy Swiss, where tax authorities ask NOT to be paid? Britain's banks 'breaching' data protection rules Britain’s banks could be breaching data protection rules with ‘alarming regularity’, according to new research. Myra Butterworth By Myra Butterworth, Personal Finance Correspondent 7:00AM BST 25 May 2011 Follow Comments Comments Consumer champions Which? warned that 515 complaints lodged with the Information Commissioner’s Office about possible data breaches by eight of Britain’s biggest banks and building societies during the year to August 2010 could be ‘just the tip of the iceberg’. It said numbers were likely to be higher because just one in 10 people had heard of the ICO. Barclays was the bank with the most suspected breaches with 116 complaints, followed by Lloyds TSB with 114 and Santander with 103. More than half of all complaints arose from firms failing to provide customers with copies of the data held about them properly. Richard Lloyd, executive director at Which?, said: “Banks and building societies hold incredibly sensitive information and the impact on customers can be serious if they mishandle it, from affecting credit ratings to leaving people open to fraud. “Consumers who suffer financial loss or stress as a result of data mismanagement by firms should be entitled to compensation. “Regulators need to impose much tougher sanctions on firms who are lax with people’s data as the message clearly isn’t getting through.” A spokesman for the ICO said: “While the number of upheld complaints is small compared to the millions of bank accounts in the UK, mishandling of financial information can have a serious effect on individuals’ lives. It needs to be looked after properly and customer’s data protection rights respected. The British Bankers’ Association suggested that many of the cases referred to by Which were not security breaches at all, but cases where customers have disputed the information contained on their records. A spokesman for the BBA said: “All of the UK's banks take data privacy extremely seriously. All complaints are fully and immediately investigated and remedial action taken where necessary to ensure no harm comes to any customer.” Personal Finance * News » * UK News » * Money saving tips » * Bank accounts » * Myra Butterworth » Related Partners * The best way to transfer money overseas In Personal Finance A dealer stands under a monitor displaying the US dollar rate against the yen at a brokerage in Tokyo Time to 'sell'? No, this is when 'hold' works Investing your first £10,000: our precision guide A view shows the Bank of England behind blossoming flowers in London UK rate rise is now 'nearly two years away' - latest market prediction Read more Personal Finance News» 'The oil price is plunging, which energy tariff should I switch to?' Electricity meter Ask an expert This reader wants to know if falling wholesale prices will directly impact on his bills - and what deal he should take for maximum benefit Comments 500,000 women deserve a better state pension deal Comment The injustice over women’s state pensions can be avoided – and it needn’t cost vast sums Comments 'I've had 50 nuisance calls: how do I stop them?' Ask Jessica Our consumer champion advises a reader who has received more than 50 unsolicited telephone calls Comments 'Cooperative Energy has double billed me for electricity' Ask Jessica A 'system's issue' leads to one customer receiving a bill with duplicated meter readings Comments 'Can I set up a £1 direct debit to qualify for a high interest current account?' Ask an expert: This reader has noticed the catches that come with high interest accounts. Can he get away with setting up a minimal direct debit? Comments Car insurance up £100 in a year New taxes and fraudulent whiplash claims are driving up costs, insurers say Comments £150 cash perk 'not enough' to make people switch banks Cash Banks' generous cash incentives and high interest rates are failing to tempt people to move Comments Broadband adverts 'mislead' 75pc of consumers about costs Advertising Standards Authority to crack down on 'misleading' adverts that leave customers unable to work out how much they'll be paying Comments Thousands of Virgin West Coast customers short-changed in compensation shambles Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group has run the West Coast Main Line successfully for the past 15 years - Heads should roll after this rail bid debacle Exclusive: the train operator is awarding customers £45 for recent disruptions, regardless of the price of their ticket Comments Which banks offer the best bribes to join? We’re a powerful lot, us consumers, if we were only less busy or less lazy or less procrastinatory about flexing our economic muscles First Direct offers £125 for new customers. But HSBC, Halifax and M&S Bank also also have good deals. Comments Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Get our free weekly Money newsletter Latest video Senior Personal Finance Reporter Katie Morley offers her tips and tricks to help you save money when it comes to your car How to save money on your car Senior Personal Finance Reporter Katie Morley offers tips on how to get the best value out of your holiday How to get best value out of your holiday US federal reserve What does US interest rates rise mean? Former football star Louis Saha Louis Saha: 'A British bank lost me a six-figure sum. 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Home>> 2. Education>> 3. Education News Lessons in cybersecurity launched for schoolchildren Secondary pupils across the UK will take part in cybersecurity lessons as Cabinet funded resources are launched in response to the rising industry skills gap Volunteers could help fight cyber crime In cyber security, there will be many more jobs than candidates in the next 20 years Photo: Alamy By Josie Gurney-Read, Online Education Editor 9:34AM BST 23 Oct 2014 Follow Comments Comments Lessons in cybersecurity will be delivered to schoolchildren across the UK in response to growing concerns about a rising skills gap in the industry. Resources funded by the Cabinet Office and backed by the National Crime Agency will include case studies of international cybercrime attacks and lessons on cryptography and malware. The plans, which have been designed to give secondary school students an insight into the industry, have been developed to allow teachers to embed cybersecurity lessons into traditional curricular subjects as well as computing. Teenagers involved in the lessons will be taught about the importance of firewalls, will learn about key malware threats currently facing the UK, and will also gain an understanding of the career opportunities within the industry. While it is hoped that these resources could play a part in filling the skills gap which is set to increase over the next twenty years, leading industry experts have called for cybersecurity to be made a part of the curriculum. Related Articles * Children using a computer * Five-year-olds to be taught computer programming and foreign languages 01 Sep 2014 * School children to get cyber security lessons 13 Mar 2014 * Computing curriculum: Digital skills versus computer science 21 Jan 2014 * Two thirds of parents 'don't know what an algorithm is' 02 Sep 2014 Stephanie Daman, CEO of the Cyber Security Challenge UK, said that knowing how to operate in the digital environment and understanding the pitfalls of the Internet were "fundamental to the way we live". "I do feel pretty passionately that we need to have the right things in the curriculum," she said. "One of the reasons we don't get people into cybersecurity is because they stop doing STEM subjects. "The kids that are coming through the programme now are not going to fill our immediate need, but it's like everything else, it's where we have fallen down in the past; we hadn't planned at a sufficiently early stage, we hadn't primed the pipeline. That's why we have a skills gap now." Further to the lesson plans for secondary school pupils, the organisation also recently launched a massive open online course (MOOC), open to people of all ages and developed by the Open University in partnership with BIS, GCHQ and the Cabinet Office. However, the lessons, launched yesterday at Sedgehill School in London, have been developed specifically for pupils aged 11 to 16. Ken Mackenzie, head of at Sedgehill School, said that presenting students with the opportunities to expand their digital skills was one of the key reasons why the school signed up. "Students at our school may live in London but they don't necessarily experience London in the same way that students from more affluent backgrounds would. We feel computing is a particular strength at the school and we work hard to make sure we are presenting students with a full range of opportunities." However, Mr Mackenzie also stressed that, aside from enhancing digital skills, the focus on careers was one that appealed to the school. "Because of the community we serve, we start careers guidance very early on. These are conversations that take place both formally and informally," he said. "In order to put people in charge of their futures, we need to give them all the information we can, so that they can make informed decisions. This guidance is, sadly, not something a lot of our students get at home." Rob Partridge, head of BT's Security Academy, contributed to the lesson plans. Speaking to the Telegraph, he emphasised the need to find a work force to fill the jobs anticipated over the next two decades. "Looking at recent statistics, in cybersecurity there will be more jobs than candidates in the next twenty years," he said. "To make sure we have those people, we need to develop our own workforce, we need to go back to grassroots level, to key stage one and key stage two teaching, to make sure the computing curriculum is taught properly in schools." While he voiced support for the inclusion of cybersecurity within the computing curriculum, Partridge said that embedding lessons within the traditional curriculum was a step forward. "The new computing curriculum is a brilliant step forward, but what we've tried to do is augment the traditional curriculum subjects. "What we have tried to do, through these lesson plans, is provide teachers with learning resources that not only help them teach what's on the maths curriculum, for example, but which also helps them teach cybersecurity." [IAB_Student_Life_4_3186316a.gif] Education News * News >> * UK News >> * Secondary education >> * Jobs >> * Technology >> In Education News Richard Harman, headmaster of Uppingham, is spearheading the scheme to attract top graduates Dozens of private schools branded failures in new league tables GCSE performance tables: Number of failing schools doubles in a year GCSE summary image GCSE school league tables 2014: compare your school's performance A-level summary image A-level school league tables 2014: compare your school's performance Primary school league tables 2014: compare your school's performance Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. 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Home» 2. Technology» 3. CES Six predictions for CES 2016: drones, cybersecurity, wearables and more As the world’s largest consumer electronics show, CES 2016, draws closer, rumours, announcements and predictions run rife. CES 2015 By Telegraph reporter 9:26AM GMT 21 Dec 2015 CES in Las Vegas, which runs from Wednesday January 6 to Saturday January 9 2016, is traditionally the platform for electronics giants to unveil the latest consumer technology innovations for the coming year. It's the place where you can get a glimpse into our digital future - at least for the next 12 months. Traditionally, consumer tech companies including Samsung, Sony, LG, Huawei and Panasonic announce new generations of TVs, home appliances and smartphones here every year. But increasingly, CES is also becoming a platform for smaller startups and companies to show entirely new types of products - smart home security systems, fuel-efficient delivery drones and self-driving cars. Major car manufacturers as well as internet companies like Netflix and Amazon are increasingly attending the show as well. Here’s what we know so far about the 6 major themes running through the event in 2016. 1. Connected Cars At least nine major automakers and over 100 auto tech firms will appear at CES 2016, according to the Consumer Technology Association, the trade body that runs CES. Major car companies including Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and Aston Martin will all unveil new car concepts. VW's passenger cars chairman Herbert Diess will give the keynote speech at CES, where he'll be introducing a new electric concept car. The electric Microbus concept will reportedly offer a driving range of up to 310 miles and is likely to have autonomous driving technology, according to motoring blog Autocar. Rumours claim that Hyundai and Mercedes may both be actually driving their autonomous cars on the road, and have applied to the Nevada government for self-driving certification. Meanwhile Audi will preview its next-generation car, the A8, which is due in 2017, according to Autocar. Audi itself has said its CES offering will be “an outlook on the automotive future, which will be influenced more than ever by the electronics field.” Finally, secretive Californian startup Faraday Futures (which some have speculated is a front for Apple’s car development efforts) will display its fully electric, futuristic car at CES 2016. The 400-person company, which intends to compete head-on with Tesla, has announced that it will open a $1bn factory in Nevada, and has hired leadership from Tesla, BMW, Audi, and Ferrari. Not much is known about the cars that Faraday will make, except that they will be electric, and likely autonomous. According to Accenture’s John Curran, who runs the technology practice, security of connected cars will be a major theme. There have been safety issues with self-driving cars because they go too slow for normal traffic and commit violations as a result. “These challenges will be key storylines at CES,” he said. 2. Cybersecurity Volunteers could help fight cyber crime Volunteers could help fight cyber crime Photo: Alamy CES 2016 will hold the first ever cybersecurity forum at the event, focusing on security challenges and threats pervading several newly adopted technologies, and how security should be designed into new devices. "From data thefts and hacked medical devices to hijacked cars, cyber threats are headline news and breaches are causing billions of dollars in losses for businesses here in the U.S. and around the world," said Amjed Saffarini, CEO of CyberVista, Inc., host of the CES 2016 CyberSecurity Forum. Jeep Cherokee In July, hackers remotely crashed a Jeep from 10 miles away "As the tech industry continues to revolutionize business and daily life, it's critical that we consider the looming cybersecurity challenges that new technologies, including the Internet of Things, may introduce." Accenture’s John Curran agreed, warning that the Internet of Things industry would start to stagnate if security issues were not addressed. “If a device doesn’t have security, it doesn’t have a market,” he said. “There will be stories about how consumers are becoming increasingly interested in using alternatives to passwords. Watch for CES news about alternative biometric technologies such as encryption, two-step authentication, and how these alternative methods will ultimately replace them passwords.” 3. Drones Drones come with a wide range of capabilities New CES drone products will be much more autonomous and versatile, able to do much more in the areas of photography, video recording, measurement and navigation, according to Accenture’s John Curran. Consulting firm Radiant Insights predicts that drone sales will top nearly $5 billion by 2020. At CES 2016, there will an Unmanned Systems marketplace, which 26 different exhibitors. Last year, there were 15 exhibitors and the year before, just 4. For instance, Lily Robotics' 2.8 pound camera drone ($799, shipping begins in February 2016), which follows the user via a tracking device, will be one of them. This year, there will also be a drone policy and conference, discussing the realities of drone flight - including rules for airspace safety and how to account for privacy. Amazon drone Amazon is trialling drones that deliver packages Photo: AFP/Getty Images In 2017, major technology companies like Amazon and Google are planning to use drones in their distribution and delivery networks. “Many other companies see a future for the unmanned aerial vehicle in security surveillance and artificial intelligence markets,” Accenture’s Curran said. Powering drones is another growing area. UK-based Intelligent Energy announced that it has developed a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for drones, which allows longer flight times. They will showcase the prototype of their system at CES 2016. "Drones and unmanned systems continue to reach new heights," said CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. "They are changing the way we view our world." 4. Wearables 2.0 Fitbit Force, Jawbone Up, Fitbug Orb, Nike FuelBand SE...Four fitness trackers are shown in this photograph, in New York, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013 Wearable technology: Fitbit Force, Jawbone Up, Fitbug Orb and Nike FuelBand SE Photo: AP According to CCI Insights, the wearable tech industry is projected to grow 64 per cent over the next three years, reaching $25 billion in 2019 when more than 245 million devices are expected to ship. The wearables marketplace on the CES 2016 showfloor has apparently more than trebled since last year. Products include a new Mimo baby sleep monitor and the Qardio ECG monitor for your heart. And it’s not just about fitness anymore - wristbands, smartwatches, jewellery and embedded clothing are transforming babycare, parenting, health and fashion. “The innovation that stems from the wearables market is one of the main themes of CES 2016," said Robin Raskin, founder and president, Living in Digital Times, which is a partner of CES 2016. The CTA's CEO Gary Shapiro told Fox News, “There’s a tremendous focus that we’re seeing from healthcare providers on how health can be affected and improved by people using devices.” The Mimo baby monitor tracks infants' sleep Accenture predicts that security will be an important sticking point when it comes to wearables - there will have to be better accountability about where the data goes. “There will be many more wearable providers promoting biometric features, such as fingerprints and iris scanning, as a more consumer-friendly and secure solution than using passwords for wearables,” said John Curran. 5. Virtual & augmented reality Facebook pays $2bn for virtual reality headgear maker Oculus. A gamer wears an Oculus high-definition virtual reality headset as he plays Gaijin Entertainment's "War Thunder" video game during the Eurogamer Expo 2013 in London in September 2013. Could Samsung create a virtual reality headset to rival Oculus Rift (pictured)? Photo: Bloomberg 2016 has already been branded the year of VR. Technology giants from Samsung to Facebook and Sony will launch their headsets; Samsung’s Gear VR launched for mobile last month, while the simple £10 Google Cardboard can also give you basic VR experiences on your phone. Facebook’s Oculus Rift will launch early next year, followed by the HTC Vive and Sony’s PlayStation VR in April. According to the CTA, virtual reality headsets are expected to take off in in 2016 with projected sales up by 500 percent to 1.2 million units. HTC's CEO Cher Wang said this week that the VIve would unveil a "very big breakthrough" in the new year. Jaunt's cinematic VR experiences can immerse you in places you wouldn't or couldn't normally go - such as the center of a bike park, onstage with your favorite musician, or halfway across the world. Jaunt's VR experiences can immerse you in places you couldn't normally go - such as the centre of a bike park The CTA announced that virtual reality exhibits on the showfloor will grow by 77 percent and the first marketplace for Augmented Reality has been created for 2016. More than 40 exhibitors, including Oculus Rift, will showcase the next wave of immersive multimedia for virtual reality systems and environments, along with gaming hardware. “Developments in virtual and augmented reality have made significant strides to allow us to engage in a 360-degree gaming experience, explore the inside of foreign landmarks, treat phobias, better train medical professionals, virtually attend an event and much more,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of corporate business strategy and CES, at the CTA. “The Gaming & Virtual Reality Marketplace at CES 2016 will showcase all of these immersive innovations that are advancing this futuristic industry.” 6. Internet of Things The Nest Learning Thermostat, Smarter Coffee machine and Netatmo Wecome system feature in our list of best smart home gadgets of 2015 The Nest Learning Thermostat, Smarter Coffee machine and Netatmo Wecome system feature in our list of best smart home gadgets of 2015 Photo: Nest / Smarter / Netatmo 2016 will be the year of ubiquitous sensors - the internet of everything. Gartner predicts over 50 billion connected devices globally by 2020. This isn’t a new trend for this year - the IoT is currently at the inflated peak of expectations on Gartner’s Hype chart and was a huge trend at CES 2015. But the range of objects being connected to the internet is expanding - everything from the locks on our doors to our office lighting, fleets of delivery trucks and our city streets. Companies showing new products include Netatmo, known for the world’s first facial recognition-enabled camera, to Noke, which won the CES 2016 Innovation Award for the world’s first bluetooth smart lock. According to Accenture’s predictions, it will be less about hardware and more about consumer security, safety and health. “For example, this year CES will cover home security services that can check your home is locked while you’re away, and medical health devices and services that will tell you what your heart rate is and the fastest route to a hospital in an emergency,” says John Curran. Anticarjacking technologies will also feature, as part of this shift to security and software, he predicted. “I think we’re living the Internet of Things in many ways,” said the CTA’s executive director Karen Lightman. “As we move to an interconnected world and address issues from climate change to healthcare, you can’t get there without...sensors.” telegraphsciencetech Follow @telegraphtech Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. Advertisement Advertisement Top Technology Videos» Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels Rise of a tech giant: the history of Google Uber app with taxi The history of Uber Starship robots deliver parcels and groceries to customers for less than £1 Skype invent robot that delivers groceries Altwork station Forget standing desks: This office workstation lets you work lying down Instagram's new Boomerang app stitches together pictures to create videos Instagram launches gif-like app Boomerang Now your iPhone will even weigh fruit More from the web Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Technology choice iPhone 6s/7 release date and rumour roundup iPhone 6s and 6s Plus rumours: all you need to know A customer holds the latest generation of Apple iPhones in an Apple store in Oberhausen, Germany Seven tips to secure your iPhone from hackers Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. How hackers took over my computer More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Technology News * Technology Reviews * Technology Advice * Technology Video * Internet Security * Broadband * Mobile Phones * Samsung * Nokia * HTC * Mobile Reviews * App Reviews * Telegraph for iPad * Companies * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Video Games * News * Trailers * Previews * Xbox * PlayStation * Nintendo * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #alternate RSS Feed for Technology articles - Telegraph.co.uk RSS Feed for Technology Companies articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology President Obama hires US's first cybersecurity tsar President Obama has finally hired America’s first cybersecurity coordinator, seven months after pledging to personally appoint someone to the post. Barack Obama appoints US's first cybersecurity tsar In May 2009, President Obama promised to personally appoint someone to the role and it is understood Mr Schmidt took on the job after several others turned it down. Emma Barnett By Emma Barnett, Technology and Digital Media Correspondent 12:58PM GMT 23 Dec 2009 Follow Comments Comments Howard Schmidt, a former Microsoft and eBay executive, has taken the position and aptly made a video broadcast via the White House’s website to announce his intentions while in the job. Mr Schmidt, who previously served under President George W Bush for three years - assessing network security options, is focussing on: “developing a new comprehensive strategy to secure American networks, ensuring an organised, unified response to future cyber incidents, strengthening public/private partnerships, promoting research and development for the next generation of technologies and leading a national campaign for cybersecurity, awareness and education", according to his webcast, as per President Obama’s directions. In May 2009, President Obama promised to personally appoint someone to the role and it is understood Mr Schmidt took on the job after several others turned it down. His appointment has been praised by the security community – despite the frustration caused by the lengthy recruitment process. Ken Silva, the chief technology officer of VeriSign and someone who has known Mr Schmidt for around eight years, told BBC News: "While I am disappointed that it has taken this long, I am happy the government spent the time to get the right person for the job. What he brings to this job is the right level of senior government experience and industry experience. That is something that is hard to find. "Before getting down to the technology challenges, he has to establish himself within government and industry in this new role.” Mr Schmidt will be a key member of the National Security Staff and have regular access to the President, according to John Brennan, assistant to the President for homeland security and counterterrorism. Technology * News » * World News » * Emma Barnett » * Technology News » Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Top Technology Videos» Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels Rise of a tech giant: the history of Google Uber app with taxi The history of Uber Starship robots deliver parcels and groceries to customers for less than £1 Skype invent robot that delivers groceries Altwork station Forget standing desks: This office workstation lets you work lying down Instagram's new Boomerang app stitches together pictures to create videos Instagram launches gif-like app Boomerang Now your iPhone will even weigh fruit Picture Galleries» iPhones through the ages, from the 2007 original to 2014's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Apple's iPhone: a history in pictures Google have released a new promo video for their soon-to-be-available augmented reality 18 of Google's biggest failures: in pictures CES 2015 The best (and weirdest) gadgets of 2015 First look at UK's driverless cars iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 Most important inventions of the 21st Century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures More from the web Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Technology choice iPhone 6s/7 release date and rumour roundup iPhone 6s and 6s Plus rumours: all you need to know A customer holds the latest generation of Apple iPhones in an Apple store in Oberhausen, Germany Seven tips to secure your iPhone from hackers Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. How hackers took over my computer More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Technology News * Technology Reviews * Technology Advice * Technology Video * Internet Security * Broadband * Mobile Phones * Samsung * Nokia * HTC * Mobile Reviews * App Reviews * Telegraph for iPad * Companies * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Video Games * News * Trailers * Previews * Xbox * PlayStation * Nintendo * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Terrorism in the UK articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland Advertisement 1. Home>> 2. News>> 3. UK News>> 4. Terrorism in the UK Surveillance laws: Q&A Revamped surveillance laws will be unveiled on Wednesday but what does it all mean and why? MPs have called for an overhaul of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act The Investigatory Powers Bill is published on Wednesday Photo: Getty Images Tom Whitehead By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor 12:01AM GMT 04 Nov 2015 What is the Investigatory Powers Bill? The bill is the biggest overhaul of laws surrounding surveillance powers for 15 years. It is designed to pull together all the various regulations governing how the spy agencies, police and other authorities can monitor suspects. Currently the system is made up of a patchwork of laws that are confusing and complex. Why is it needed? MI5, GCHQ and the police say their capability to track terrorists and criminals is deteriorating because so much communication is now done online and across new platforms that existing powers do not cover. Privacy and civil liberty campaigners argue the bill is equally needed to open a debate on what snooping powers and levels of intrusion in to private lives are appropriate. What measures will it include? Internet companies will be required to retain customer web histories for up to a year. It will reinforce the power of spy agencies to bulk collect communications data. o Surveillance laws revamp has faced a rocky road Tech firms will be stopped from offering encryption services that even they cannot break. Ministers are expected to retain the power to sign off surveillance warrants but with extra oversight from judges. GCHQ in Cheltenham The 'Doughnut' in Cheltenham, home to GCHQ Photo: ALAMY Who will it affect? Ministers intend for the measures to affect the communications of any UK customer regardless of where the provider is based. However, it remains to be seen how effective the laws can be in forcing the hands of overseas, and in particular US-based, tech giants. Why is it controversial? The balance between surveillance and privacy has also been a contentious one and the first attempts to introduce the so-called "snooper's charter" in the previous Coalition government failed when the Liberal Democrats rejected it. The revelations from the Edward Snowden leaks in 2013 in to the techniques of GCHQ and the US National Security Agency and bulk collection of data reignited that debate and accusations of mass surveillance. How does the UK compare to the US? In the wake of the furore surrounding the Snowden leaks, the US curtailed some of its surveillance powers. The Freedom Act, passed in June this year, placed new restrictions and oversight on its spy agencies. It banned the indiscriminate storage of phone records, although it retained other bulk collection powers. thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews [11783_460x100_fron_3288884a.jpg] Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. 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Home>> 2. News>> 3. UK News>> 4. Terrorism in the UK Surveillance laws revamp has faced a rocky road The Investigatory Powers Bill, to be published on Wednesday, has been seven years in the making Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. Surveillance laws overhaul has been years in the making and may still face tough opposition Photo: PHOTOLIBRARY.COM Tom Whitehead By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor 12:01AM GMT 04 Nov 2015 The revamp of Britain's spy laws and capabilities has endured a long and rocky road spanning three Governments. Concerns from the spy agencies and police that their coverage of suspects online was deteriorating first came to the fore under the last Labour Government in 2008. It was argued that modern communications were across many platforms which outdated regulations did not cover and data was not being retained. Initial moves to address the gaps first emerged in Whitehall as the Interception Modernisation Programme. It sparked immediate outrage as it was to involve the storage of every phone call, email and website visit on a huge national database. It was quickly nicknamed the "snooper's charter" and by 2009, the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith indicated there would be no database but instead a compulsion on service providers to store their customer data. The proposals face fierce opposition and did not make it in to draft legislation under the Gordon Brown Government. The issue was revived under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government which took power in 2010 again with the intention that the internet companies themselves would retain the data. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, had hoped to introduce the measures in a Draft Communications Bill during the 2012/13 parliamentary session, with the powers being enacted by 2014. IFRAME: http://renderer.qmerce.com/interaction/563663d260dcf0427c44b371 However, Lib Dem leader and then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg withdrew his support of the measures and his party blocked all attempts to bring the proposals forward during the 2010/15 parliament. The revelations of spying techniques by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 and claims of mass surveillance intensified that opposition. Following the Conservative victory in the 2015 General Election, Mrs May vowed to bring the measures forward again but only after a major review of surveillance capabilities and safeguards by the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, David Anderson QC. His comprehensive 370-page report heavily influenced Government thinking and the Investigatory Powers Bill to be unveiled on Wednesday is not much broader than just the snooper's charter but an overhaul of all laws and regulations surrounding surveillance. Whether the measures fare any better in the face of already growing opposition remains to be seen. IFRAME: http://cf.eip.telegraph.co.uk/breakoutCards/f2133c5d-c7aa-4681-9939-0ee bb01921a0.html thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews [11783_460x100_fron_3288884a.jpg] Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. 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Jodie Kidd and the BMW i3 Sponsored by BMW An electrifying drive in the BMW i3 Frontpage email sign up Sign up to our Frontpage news email More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW's greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication (c) Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Crime articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland Advertisement 1. Home>> 2. News>> 3. UK News>> 4. Crime The politics of surveillance are about politics, not keeping us safe Is Britain really going to become the first major democracy to log every website its citizens visit? Photo: ALAMY By Mike Harris 5:20PM GMT 04 Nov 2015 Comments Comments Every piece of surveillance legislation proposed by government in the last generation has inevitably been "crucial" to stop terrorists, peadophiles and criminal masterminds who haunt the public consciousness. The new fear is that the internet is giving those with malicious intent a new tool to disrupt - or end - the lives of the law-abiding. So nearly every year we see another piece of draconian legislation aimed at taking control of the internet. In 2012, we had the draft Communications Data Bill (or Snooper's Charter), the most draconian piece of surveillance legislation ever proposed in a democracy. In the summer of 2014, the DRIPA Act was shoved through parliament in 48 hours. It was so illiberal our courts have ruled it breaches the law. "We cannot rely on technology to solve complex human problems, we need human intelligence to fight crime" Now, Theresa May strikes a different tone. May now believes in new safeguards to protect our privacy, including judicial authorisation of surveillance requests, a key demand of the "civil liberties lobby" who have gone from being maligned to praised in the House of Commons. Oversight of our intelligence agencies - woefully lacking in the past - will be improved with a strengthened commissioner. Yet, as ever, the devil will be in the detail of this legislation. The government still hasn't weaned itself off collecting our most private data, it's this battle that will determine how we remember this Bill. The Government wants to enhance the bulk collection and interception of data to keep us safe. The truth is that terrorists have known for some time that the internet is a bad way to communicate. Bin Laden's compound had no internet connection, he wrote his emails in advance and his associates used internet cafes to send them. The killer of Lee Rigby, Michael Adebowale, was highly security-conscious - as a parliamentary report put it "MI5 noted that Adebolajo was a "difficult [suspect] to investigate due to his security-consciousness". He would use pay phones rather than smart phones and barely use electronic communications. The fact is, criminals are already on the Dark Net using highly encrypted communications tools far beyond the reach of our government and police, as brilliantly described by Jamie Bartlett. These tools are also used by dissidents in authoritarian states to hide from the state and protect their free speech and their lives. The Investigatory Powers Bill can't stop this. The technology is too complex, evolving too quickly, and is distributed among a network of internet activists who will do anything to protect human rights activists working in dangerous places. Politicians don't understand this. They just don't get that legions of coders are building technologies to make private communications easier and cheaper. So the parliamentary debate felt like shadow boxing. MPs all agreed new powers were needed, but none understood that the powers they will be signing into law will not be particularly effective in tracking terrorists, but will be good at capturing the data of law-abiding citizens. So every Briton's internet history will be logged to prevent crime, but crime bosses and terrorists using the Dark Net can't be traced. The real concern is that this data, alongside the bulk retention of data, will not be used to prosecute serious crimes, but petty misdemeanors. Protesters in breach of the peace, whistleblowers breaking the Official Secrets Act or school catchment area cheats. The police will have the data to drag up minor crimes 12 months ago to prosecute people they wish to lock away. Go ahead, you may say, but as we saw with the outrageous use of the previous RIPA Act by local councils to prosecute people for low level nuisance, the potential for abuse is huge. IFRAME: http://renderer.qmerce.com/interaction/5639d01360dcf0427c48abf2 Campaign groups like Don't Spy On Us called for comprehensive legislation to reform the law, wanted judicial authorisation for surveillance requests, improved oversight, and no return for the "Snooper's Charter". Having won all these concessions, it would be churlish to say the least, to not thank the Home Secretary for listening. There's some good in this Bill - in particular the double-lock to ensure democratically elected politicians and our independent judiciary sign off on all surveillance warrants. Yet, big questions remain. Is the bulk collection of data lawful, will it be effective and does it offer value for money at a time of police cuts? Is Britain really going to become the first major democracy to log every website its citizens visit? Is this legislation going to enable the mass intercept of all our communications and allow the hacking of our personal devices? Parliament said little on this today, and the response from the Labour frontbench was woeful. We cannot rely on technology to solve complex human problems, we need human intelligence to fight crime. In the choice between police and intelligence officers and the bloated surveillance technology pushed by US corporates, the choice should be clear. The best safeguard of our liberty is eternal vigilance, the same is true for our security. Mike Harris is CEO of 89up and advises the Don't Spy On Us campaign IFRAME: http://cf.eip.telegraph.co.uk/breakoutCards/9d5c3344-6bd5-4cb0-b4a3-6d5 c7c396319.html thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews [11783_460x100_fron_3288884a.jpg] Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. Comments Inside the eye Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) In pics: National Geographic magazine's February issue that features an up-close look at the eyes of various species Comments Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron In pics: Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron Frozen lighthouses Lighthouses consumed by ice at Grand Haven Pier in St Joseph, Michigan In pics: Structures lashed by winter storms turn into giant icicles Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus IFRAME: //www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook. com%2FTelegraph.co.uk&width&height=62&colorscheme=light&show_faces=fals e&header=true&stream=false&show_border=true Telegraph on Facebook Advertisement Latest Video>> WW2 colour video: US Marines at Iwo Jima Syrian refugees enjoy snow for first time Man survives after being flung into air in crash Nespresso sues rival for using Clooney lookalike A still from the Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle Google Doodle: who was Wilbur Scoville? Jodie Kidd and the BMW i3 Sponsored by BMW An electrifying drive in the BMW i3 Frontpage email sign up Sign up to our Frontpage news email More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW's greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication (c) Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #alternate RSS Feed for Politics articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland * Conservatives * Liberal Democrats * Labour * Political Parties * Scottish Politics * Local Elections * General election 2015 Advertisement 1. Home» 2. News» 3. Politics Blanket surveillance is a stain on our democracy The Government is stopping Parliamentarians from being able to do their job Photo: GETTY By Jenny Jones, London AM, Green Party 11:38AM BST 23 Jul 2015 Comments Comments In a rare public hearing of the shadowy Investigatory Powers Tribunal, Green MP Caroline Lucas and I will challenge what we see as the breaching of the privacy of those who turn to us for help. The case centres on the "Wilson Doctrine" – a little known but highly important government policy that should guarantee that communications between parliamentarians and the public are free from blanket surveillance and interception. The heroics of Edward Snowden in 2013 unveiled the likelihood that the security services have breached the Wilson Doctrine and put the privacy and protection of people contacting parliamentarians at risk. Snowden’s revelations, which uncovered a monstrous blanket surveillance regime taking place in both Britain and the USA, seem to directly contradict our assumed privacy. How can people’s communications with me or my parliamentary colleagues be private if the security services are storing every email communication we send and receive? [snowden_2768588b.jpg] The truth is that despite what the Police presume - the same police who kept me on their Domestic Extremist database for over a decade when I was not only elected, but on the Metropolitan Police Authority to scrutinise them - it's not the emails I send that I worry about. I’m far more concerned that some of the many people who contact me or Caroline – from campaigners whose lives have been ruined by undercover police spies, to asylum seekers in fear of deportation – will now think twice about getting in touch because of the fact that our emails are being watched. The Government will defend their case in court today. I have no doubt that Ministers will rejoice in the curtailing of parliamentarians’ ability to hold the executive to account. If the public are less able to contact us without fear of being spied upon then ministers get an easier ride - it’s as simple as that. [hacking_2915651b.jpg] It is worth noting that parliamentarians shouldn’t be above the law. Instead of blanket surveillance there needs to be a system of judicial oversight which allows the investigation of parliamentarians who are suspected of a crime. From my point of view – as a relative newcomer and persistent (if unintentional) rule breaker in the House of Lords – this blanket surveillance further undermines my own ability to do my job in Parliament, that of holding to account the Government, all their ministers and the state agencies. The second chamber – which I hope will soon be elected rather than appointed – must be persistent thorn in the side of the Government – leaving no stone left unturned in working in the public interest. This blanket surveillance and the undermining of people’s right to contact parliamentarians in private is a stain on our democracy and one which I hope our case in court will help put right. telepolitics Follow @telepolitics Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. Comments Inside the eye Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) In pics: National Geographic magazine’s February issue that features an up-close look at the eyes of various species Comments Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron In pics: Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron Frozen lighthouses Lighthouses consumed by ice at Grand Haven Pier in St Joseph, Michigan In pics: Structures lashed by winter storms turn into giant icicles Winter Storm Jonas, in pictures A woman strolls along Campbell Avenue at First Street with her dog as snow falls Blizzard expected to dump 2ft of snow on Washington and east coast of US 100 funny jokes by 100 comedians Ricky Gervais as David Brent, star of The Office, and now film Life on the Road Comedy Martin Chilton picks 100 great jokes by 100 great comedians, from Tony Hancock to Peter Kay Comments Arsenal vs Chelsea - the worst combined XI London's two most successful clubs in the Premier League era have not always been blessed by star names... Comments Bolivia's second largest lake dries up Fisherman Rene Valero, from the Urus ethnic group, is seen on his boat on the bed of a dried Lake Poopo in Oruro, south of La Paz, Bolivia In pics: Bolivia's second largest lake is in the process of complete desertification Pictures of the day A hot air balloon flies over early morning mist with May Hill in the background in Gloucestershire A hot air balloon at dawn, a very hairy dog and Boris with a blowtorch Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus IFRAME: //www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook. com%2FTelegraph.co.uk&width&height=62&colorscheme=light&show_faces=fals e&header=true&stream=false&show_border=true Telegraph on Facebook Advertisement Sign up to our Politics email Sign up for our Politics email Latest News Videos» WW2 colour video: US Marines at Iwo Jima Syrian refugees enjoy snow for first time Man survives after being flung into air in crash Nespresso sues rival for using Clooney lookalike A still from the Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle Google Doodle: who was Wilbur Scoville? Jodie Kidd and the BMW i3 Sponsored by BMW An electrifying drive in the BMW i3 Best Buy Current Accounts Bank Account Name Offer More details First Direct 1st Current Account Exclusive £150 cashback offer Apply TSB Classic Plus 5% AER interest on offer Apply M&S Bank Current Account £220 gift voucher Apply More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #alternate RSS Feed for News articles - Telegraph.co.uk RSS Feed for Education articles - Telegraph.co.uk RSS Feed for Health articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland Advertisement 1. Home» 2. News Theresa May must balance privacy and security Telegraph View: The Home Secretary has listened, but her "concessions" must not be taken at face value Revealed: Britain's spy agencies do eavesdrop on innocent people Most Britons are happy with spies getting more powers Photo: Alamy By Telegraph View 6:35AM GMT 05 Nov 2015 Comments Comments There is much in the draft Investigatory Powers Bill that seeks to achieve an equilibrium between the needs of security and the requirements of privacy. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has taken on board many of the concerns voiced about the expansion of the surveillance state. If she has not quite reined it in, and it is far too late for that, she has at least proposed a system of checks and balances that will make it less intrusive than it might otherwise be. As Mrs May told MPs, the communications technology that most of us use has evolved significantly since the state’s powers to retain and examine personal data were first brought together 15 years ago in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa). In that time, the threats and security challenges the government has to deal with have grown. The law must be brought up to date and those we entrust to keep us safe must have the powers that enable them to do so. iv class='videoPlayer'> Mrs May has prepared the ground well for this particular measure, with an unprecedented PR campaign in advance of the publication, involving MI5, MI6, GCHQ and the police. The Home Secretary has gone out of her way to concede that she has retreated from tougher powers proposed three years ago and vetoed by the Lib Dems in the Coalition, the so-called Snooper’s Charter. But while her ambitions to protect the country cannot be faulted, we must also be careful not to take everything at face value. Civil liberties groups still regard the powers in this Bill as excessively intrusive. It is a complex measure that ranges far wider than the pursuit of terrorists or child abusers. Dozens of public authorities, including local councils, are empowered to access communications data in pursuit of lawbreakers. So, this is not just about national security. However, the Home Secretary maintains that the Bill will underpin one of the most comprehensive systems of transparency, accountability and oversight in the world governing a state’s right to intrude. Moreover, by introducing it in draft form and inviting further consultation she has given Parliament time to scrutinise and improve the measure before it goes through its formal legislative process. It is the Government’s duty to keep us safe. But we want to retain as much of our privacy as is commensurate with that aim. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that the former can be achieved without sacrificing the latter. IFRAME: http://cf.eip.telegraph.co.uk/breakoutCards/9d5c3344-6bd5-4cb0-b4a3-6d5 c7c396319.html thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. Comments Inside the eye Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) In pics: National Geographic magazine’s February issue that features an up-close look at the eyes of various species Comments Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron In pics: Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron Frozen lighthouses Lighthouses consumed by ice at Grand Haven Pier in St Joseph, Michigan In pics: Structures lashed by winter storms turn into giant icicles Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Latest video» WW2 colour video: US Marines at Iwo Jima Syrian refugees enjoy snow for first time Man survives after being flung into air in crash Nespresso sues rival for using Clooney lookalike A still from the Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle Google Doodle: who was Wilbur Scoville? Jodie Kidd and the BMW i3 Sponsored by BMW An electrifying drive in the BMW i3 Frontpage email sign up Sign up to our Frontpage news email Best Buy Current Accounts Bank Account Name Offer More details First Direct 1st Current Account Exclusive £150 cashback offer Apply TSB Classic Plus 5% AER interest on offer Apply M&S Bank Current Account £220 gift voucher Apply IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=http://www.facebook.co m/telegraph.co.uk&width=300&colorscheme=light&show_faces=true&stream=fa lse&header=false&height=480 More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Features articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland Advertisement 1. Home>> 2. News>> 3. Features Does privacy still exist in an internet age? Having my name misspelt by the electoral register and then receiving spam email addressed to 'Juditu' was unnerving, says Judith Woods Nearly 2 million dead people listed on US electoral rolls It's not just companies that screw up data, the electoral roll spelt 'Judith' as 'Juditu'. Photo: Getty Images Judith Woods By Judith Woods 6:30PM GMT 29 Oct 2015 Comments Comments There is something rather worrying about corporations releasing customers' personal details online, either due to cock-up or conspiracy. But it is only rather worrying until what's being bandied about in cyberspace are your bank details or your Ashley Madison account activity - at which point it becomes appalling and dangerous and unacceptable. Marks and Spencer is the latest high street giant to be hit by a technical hitch, which let strangers nosey round each other's virtual shopping baskets. M&S M&S had to temporarily suspend their website when customers could see other shoppers' baskets online. Photo: ALAMY No harm done, eh? Well, maybe not in this instance but, as expert industry commentators keep telling us, loss of privacy is the risk you take when you shop, browse or subscribe to anything online - ie, live in the Western World in the 21st century. I'm slightly inured to it, because when I moved to London 18 years ago and registered to vote, my first name was erroneously entered on the electoral register as Juditu. Yes, I know - it looks mighty strange to me, too. But given the multicultural nature of my borough, it could well be an actual name, so nobody thought to double check. The details of millions of people have been dumped on the dark web Then emails started arriving addressing me as Juditu - instant loan companies, obscure credit card offers, PPI misselling notifications. I eventually got round to changing the spelling, but years on, I'm still getting email shots from an organic vegetable box scheme, shopping voucher sites and equity release promotions. Were my details sold on, or is it routine for data companies to scan the electoral register? I have no idea - but what I can say is that this little spelling error is an unnerving daily reminder that privacy is an elastic concept in this day and age. thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. Comments Inside the eye Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) In pics: National Geographic magazine's February issue that features an up-close look at the eyes of various species Comments Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron In pics: Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron Frozen lighthouses Lighthouses consumed by ice at Grand Haven Pier in St Joseph, Michigan In pics: Structures lashed by winter storms turn into giant icicles Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Latest Video>> WW2 colour video: US Marines at Iwo Jima Syrian refugees enjoy snow for first time Man survives after being flung into air in crash Nespresso sues rival for using Clooney lookalike A still from the Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle Google Doodle: who was Wilbur Scoville? Jodie Kidd and the BMW i3 Sponsored by BMW An electrifying drive in the BMW i3 More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW's greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication (c) Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Technology News articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology» 3. Technology News People are upset that Facebook and Google sponsored a privacy event Google and Facebook have come under fire before for their targeted advertising, which is based on information some people think should be private People thought it was hypocritical of the tech giant to sponsor a privacy event People thought it was hypocritical of the tech giant to sponsor a privacy event Photo: Reuters Helena Horton By Helena Horton 1:09PM GMT 27 Oct 2015 Follow If you use Facebook or Google, you are essentially consenting to them knowing your likes, dislikes and even, sometimes, sexuality. We've all been mildly creeped out when we get an advert on the side of our screen that seems to know a piece of private information about us. Because the companies haven't always been that clear and transparent about exactly what they know about us and which parts of our data they're using for targeted advertising, people were surprised to see that they were "diamond sponsors" for an event on privacy hosted by the University of Amsterdam. A better pic of the sponsors of the Amsterdam #privacyweek. This is so Orwellian I don't even. #APC2015 pic.twitter.com/bWfvq0oJ74 — Ancilla Tilia (@ncilla) October 25, 2015 Some people have gone even further and said that the way in which the sites build up profiles of us using our information is a form of corporate surveillance. Technology writer Sidney Vollmer said: "It is an oft cited example of the asymmetrical nature of the problem of civil rights in the digital age: Mark Zuckerberg asks us for as much data as he can, yet, for thirty million dollars, buys all the houses around his own in Palo Alto to get more privacy. "By having Facebook as your diamond sponsor you offer Facebook a diamond chance at rehabilitation and respectability. "It is either a sign of my lack of creativity or a sign of your organization’s faulty practice in this matter that I can not think of a worse sponsor for your much, much needed event on privacy." Sorry, but this is a joke, right? Right!? #payforitownit. #APC2015 pic.twitter.com/ZBRU7NiUmB — Sidney Vollmer (@SidneyVollmer) October 24, 2015 Privacy advocate Aral Balkan told Motherboard: "We would not be having this discussion if Marlboro was sponsoring a conference on lung cancer, "They just wouldn't be allowed to. Because it is clearly a ridiculous conflict of interest. "The only reason we are even having this conversation is because we still don’t understand that Facebook and Google are to privacy what smoking is to lung cancer," "Corporations like Facebook and Google are in the business of people farming, "The value they create is directly linked to the amount of information they have about you... So the one thing they cannot do is to compete on privacy. They can only compete on the illusion of privacy. And that’s the narrative that they are spending heavily to create." Facebook came under fire earlier this year, when 25,000 people argued that the company illegally collected users' data. The €500 (£354) being sought by each claimant means Facebook would be saddled with a €12.5m bill and a major reputational blow should the case, led by the Austrian law student Max Schrems, be successful. Mr Schrems alleges that Facebook illegally tracked users’ browsing habits via software installed on other web pages, and participated in “Prism”, the American spy programme, among other violations. The entire country of Belgium also tried to take Facebook to court for breaking EU rules on data collection and privacy. IFRAME: http://renderer.qmerce.com/interaction/562f763bbece044e14637cfe telegraphsciencetech Follow @telegraphtech Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. Advertisement Advertisement Top Technology Videos» Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Brussels Rise of a tech giant: the history of Google Uber app with taxi The history of Uber Starship robots deliver parcels and groceries to customers for less than £1 Skype invent robot that delivers groceries Altwork station Forget standing desks: This office workstation lets you work lying down Instagram's new Boomerang app stitches together pictures to create videos Instagram launches gif-like app Boomerang Now your iPhone will even weigh fruit More from the web Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Technology choice iPhone 6s/7 release date and rumour roundup iPhone 6s and 6s Plus rumours: all you need to know A customer holds the latest generation of Apple iPhones in an Apple store in Oberhausen, Germany Seven tips to secure your iPhone from hackers Online threat: hacking has become more commonplace. How hackers took over my computer More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Technology News * Technology Reviews * Technology Advice * Technology Video * Internet Security * Broadband * Mobile Phones * Samsung * Nokia * HTC * Mobile Reviews * App Reviews * Telegraph for iPad * Companies * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Video Games * News * Trailers * Previews * Xbox * PlayStation * Nintendo * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #alternate RSS Feed for Obituaries articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Politics * Investigations * Obits * Education * Science * Earth * Weather * Health * Royal * Celebrity * Defence * Scotland * Culture * Politics * Military * Finance * Sport * Religion * Royalty * Science * Medicine * Celebrity * Law * Technology Advertisement 1. Home>> 2. News>> 3. Obituaries Caspar Bowden, privacy campaigner - obituary Campaigner who warned about state snooping on online data Caspar Bowden Caspar Bowden Photo: RAMA/Wikipedia Commons 6:08PM BST 13 Jul 2015 Comments Comments Caspar Bowden, who has died from melanoma aged 53, was a British data privacy campaigner who turned from poacher to gamekeeper when he took a job as head of privacy for Microsoft's non-US operations in 2002. But he was dismissed from the organisation in 2011, two years before Edward Snowden was to leak documents showing that Microsoft and other internet giants had turned over user data to a US surveillance program called Prism. Bowden warned that personal information stored by non-US internet users on "cloud" computing services such as Google Drive could be spied on routinely without their knowledge by the US National Security Agency, under Section 702 of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The act authorises mass-surveillance of the data of non-Americans and gives the NSA the power to issue orders to companies under US jurisdiction, such as Microsoft, requiring them to disclose "foreign intelligence information" from sources such as emails and other stored data. The act, Bowden alleged, discriminated against non-US internet users, making them "guilty of being foreigners". Following the Snowden revelations, several companies identified in the leaked documents claimed they had no knowledge of the Prism program and denied making information available to the US security authorities on the scale alleged. Microsoft explained that it had only provided data in response to legally binding orders relating to specific accounts, and that it was not involved in any broader voluntary national security programme to gather customer data. Bowden, however, remained unconvinced and in 2013 revealed that he had stopped using Microsoft products in favour of open source software and had not owned a mobile phone for two years. The NSA's surveillance efforts, he suggested, were a threat to democracy: "We're living through a transformation in surveillance power that's never been seen before on earth. And we don't know what type of government or leader will come to power next and exploit it. It could be the next president. It could be this one." Caspar Pemberton Scott Bowden was born on August 19 1961 and was fascinated by technology from childhood, building his own computer at 14. After studying Mathematics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and a few years as a self-employed "inventor", he worked as an analyst with Goldman Sachs. In the run-up to the 1997 general election, as chairman of Scientists for Labour, he urged the party to make personal data protection a high priority. But he later became a vehement critic of the New Labour government's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, arguing that it was an internet snoopers' charter. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) became law in 2000, but not before Bowden had campaigned successfully to remove "Big Browser" surveillance powers under which security agencies would have been granted authority to access individuals' "clickstream" browsing habits, and to ensure the burden of proof was not put on to individuals who might have forgotten passwords later demanded by police. After leaving Microsoft in 2011, Bowden turned his energies to the EU, warning that US security authorities were exploiting European reliance on cloud computing services to monitor its data. He proposed that the EU should develop an industrial policy for its own Cloud industry, based on open-source software, and that internet users should be warned when they log on to services based in the US that they may be under surveillance. After the Snowden revelations, Bowden became an adviser to the European Parliament on data privacy issues. Caspar Bowden is survived by his wife Sandi. Caspar Bowden, born August 19 1961, died July 9 2015 thetelegraphnews Follow @telegraphnews Top news galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Actor Fisher Stevens with former Police singer Sting at the Sky Ladder: The Art Of Cai Guo-Qiang Sundance Film Festival 2016 in pictures Highlights and red carpet arrivals from America's largest independent film festival, in Park City, Utah Comments Winter around the world A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall which started the previous night in Odessa, Ukraine. The Telegraph's pick of the best winter photographs from around the northern hemisphere The week in pictures A round-up of our favourite photographs of the week Animal photos of the week A ray joins Sea life London Aquarium Aquarist Rebecca Carter for a quick 'selfie' during the annual January deep clean All creatures great and small in our ever popular animal gallery iOS 9: The best hidden features iOS 9 is now available to download for iPhone and iPad The latest update to iPhone and iPad software, iOS 9.3, has been announced. Here are some of the features you may have missed from the original iOS 9 Michael Caine: His career in pictures Michael Caine in Get Carter Film Alice Vincent looks back at some of Michael Caine's greatest film appearances. Comments Inside the eye Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) In pics: National Geographic magazine's February issue that features an up-close look at the eyes of various species Comments Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron In pics: Matt Damon, Lewis Hamilton and Zac Efron Frozen lighthouses Lighthouses consumed by ice at Grand Haven Pier in St Joseph, Michigan In pics: Structures lashed by winter storms turn into giant icicles Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus IFRAME: //www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook. com%2FTelegraph.co.uk&width&height=62&colorscheme=light&show_faces=fals e&header=true&stream=false&show_border=true Telegraph on Facebook Advertisement More from The Telegraph IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x55 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading Most-read Obituaries Alan Rickman, actor Alan Rickman Actor who brought a languid charm to his depictions of contemptuous villains and complex heroes Glenn Frey Glenn Frey at home in Los Angeles in 1975 Singer, guitarist and founder member of the Eagles who co-wrote many of their easy-on-the-ear hits Dale Griffin Dale Griffin Drummer with early 1970s glam rock band Mott the Hoople David Bowie David Bowie Giant of popular music who endlessly reinvented himself over more than four decades John 'Brummie' Stokes, mountaineer John 'Brummie' Stokes on the slopes Mountaineer whose near fatal ascent of Everest in 1976 did not diminish his love of climbing More from The Telegraph Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW's greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * UK News * Politics * Long Reads * Wikileaks * Jobs * World News * Europe * USA * China * Royal Family News * Celebrity news * Dating * Finance * Education * Defence * Weird News * Editor's Choice * Financial Services * Pictures * Video * Matt * Alex * Comment * Blogs * Crossword * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication (c) Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Facebook articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology» 3. Facebook The Facebook privacy hoaxes you need to look out for Surprisingly, copying and pasting a Facebook status won't do anything for your account privacy Don't be taken in by this hoax Don't be taken in by this hoax Photo: Alamy Helena Horton By Helena Horton 9:19AM BST 29 Sep 2015 Follow If you use Facebook, you've probably seen a few of your friends imploring you to copy and paste their status so you don't have to pay a subscription service to keep your posts and messages private. There have been two statuses making the rounds again on our feeds - and they've actually been around for a couple of years. One purports to be a legally binding statement protecting your photos from copyright infringement, that has resurfaced from when it first appeared around 2012. IFRAME: http://renderer.qmerce.com/interaction/560a4837c70ac51c03a95625 It says: "As of September 28th , 2015 at 10:50p.m, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. "The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. "If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates." Another says that by posting a status, you are allowed to keep using Facebook for free, and don't have to pay to use the service. "Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been." Facebook It says: "Now it's official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: £5.99 ($9.10) to keep the subscription of your status to be set to "private." "If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (I said paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste." If this is making you panic about the safety of your photos and messages, fear not. Facebook fact checked these claims a while ago and has reassured users that photos and statuses set to private will stay that way, for free. The fact check says: "There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users' information or the content they post to the site. This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been." IFRAME: http://s3.eip.telegraph.co.uk/breakoutCards/b51df510-60f9-4934-809b-d8b 30cd4121b.html However, Facebook does own everything you post on the social media network, until you delete your account. It says in its terms and conditions: "For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License)." No status you post can stop that from being the case. telegraphsciencetech Follow @telegraphtech Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. 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How hackers took over my computer More from the web Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * Technology News * Technology Reviews * Technology Advice * Technology Video * Internet Security * Broadband * Mobile Phones * Samsung * Nokia * HTC * Mobile Reviews * App Reviews * Telegraph for iPad * Companies * Apple * Google * Microsoft * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Video Games * News * Trailers * Previews * Xbox * PlayStation * Nintendo * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Telegraph View articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Blog * Columnists * Personal View * Telegraph View * Letters * Cartoon Archive * My Telegraph * Politics Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Comment» 3. Telegraph View Privacy on parade Government plans to snoop on our internet and phone traffic raise practical as well as ethical considerations. The authorities will be able to find out to whom we are sending texts and emails; whom we phone, and when; which websites we visit and even which video games we play The authorities will be able to find out to whom we are sending texts and emails; whom we phone, and when; which websites we visit and even which video games we play Photo: PA By Telegraph View 8:35PM BST 14 Jun 2012 Comments Comments At a cost of £1.8 billion over the next decade, the Government plans to have the details of all internet traffic and mobile-phone use stored for access by the police and intelligence services. Under the provisions of the Communications Data Bill, published in draft form yesterday, the authorities will be able to find out to whom we are sending texts and emails; whom we phone, and when; which websites we visit and even which video games we play. It is unarguable that legislation in this area has not kept pace with the revolution in communications technology. The police and security services are warning that, as a consequence, their ability to tackle serious crime and terrorism is being undermined. That is a troubling development. However, it is in the nature of law enforcement agencies to seek to maximise their powers of surveillance whenever they can. It is the duty of Parliament to subject such attempts to the most rigorous scrutiny. In this case, such scrutiny is particularly important, for many will regard these powers as alarmingly intrusive. They risk tilting the balance between the security of the state and the liberty of the individual too far in the wrong direction. There are practical as well as ethical considerations. The state’s record on data security leaves much to be desired, while many will fear that the data could be put to uses not intended, particularly by the police. On this score, the Government has sensibly decided to limit local councils’ access to the data. The way some local authorities have been abusing the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act by using surveillance powers to tackle problems such as dog-fouling suggests a cavalier approach to personal privacy. Parliament must ensure that the new legislation has sufficient safeguards to prevent such abuse by all agencies. Related Articles * One in five children is bullied online 14 Jun 2012 * Facebook members desert Zynga's Farmville and Cityville 13 Jun 2012 * These tweets will tear us apart 10 Jun 2012 * Think Tank: LinkedIn gets hacked and nobody cares 10 Jun 2012 * Parents call for ban on Facebook advertising to children 06 Jun 2012 * Facebook users duped by ‘privacy notice’ hoax 07 Jun 2012 Telegraph View * Politics » * UK News » * Comment » * Social Media » * Law and Order » In Telegraph View Letters to the Daily Telegraph Latest Letters Politics blogs Politics Blogs Telegraph Twitter The Telegraph on Twitter Top News Galleries Strictly: hottest romances Strictly Come Dancing As Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice announce that they are moving in together, we look at the couples who found time to tango off-screen Comments Sundance Film Festival 2016: the best of the festival in pictures Winter around the world The week in pictures Animal photos of the week iOS 9: The best hidden features Michael Caine: His career in pictures Inside the eye Celebrity Sightings: 22 January Frozen lighthouses Advertisement How we moderate telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Follow The Telegraph on social media Advertisement IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.face book.com%2FTelegraphComment&width=300&height=258&colorscheme=light&show _faces=true&header=false&stream=false&show_border=true Sign up to our Politics email Sign up for our Politics email Read our latest comment and analysis More from the web IFRAME: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/international/Barnebys/2014/Barnebys_UK_300x40 0.html Advertisement Advertisement More from the web Loading MORE Moderation FAQs * How we moderate reader comments More from The Telegraph Loading SPONSORED FEATURES Business Solutions A group of work colleagues has an intense business conversation on the office Briefing 2016: the business year ahead View BMW Watch Jodie Kidd test drive BMW’s greenest sports car View Bibby man and woman invoicing The challenge of actually being paid for your work View Telegraph Travel Save up to 38% on our recommended, tried and tested hotels View Back to top * HOME * News * World News * Obituaries * Travel * Health * Jobs * Sport * Football * Cricket * Fantasy Football * Culture * Motoring * Dating * Finance * Personal Finance * Economics * Markets * Fashion * Property * Puzzles * Comment * My Telegraph * Letters * Columnists * Technology * Gardening * Telegraph Shop * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Guidelines * Advertising * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #RSS Feed for Google articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Search - enhanced by OpenText Friday 22 January 2016 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Cars * Film * TV * Apple * iPhone * Technology News * Technology Companies * Technology Reviews * Video Games * Technology Video * Mobile Apps Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Technology» 3. Google Google reveals spike in Brits' privacy concerns Google reveals users in Britain are increasingly concerned about their online safety, in the wake of major hacks of Mumsnet and Ashley Madison A Google Inc member of staff walks through the company headquarters in London, UK Google is stepping up its privacy measures amid widespread public concern Photo: Bloomberg By Sophie Curtis 4:18PM BST 20 Aug 2015 Follow People in the UK are deeply concerned about their privacy and being hacked, with searches for some security questions increasing dramatically over the past few years, according to Google search data shared exclusively with The Telegraph. The search engine revealed that the security-related phrases with the largest increases in search traffic over the past five years are: * “Email been hacked” – up by over 5,000 per cent * “Phished account” – up by over 5,000 per cent * "Website scam check” – up by over 700 per cent * “Change my password” – up by over 300 per cent * “Identity theft protection” – up by over 250 per cent People in the UK are also using Google to research a wide range of security issues. The top searches around online security in the UK are: * How secure is my password? * How do I change my gmail password? * How to find my phone * What is e safety? * How do I stay safe online * What is 2-step verification? * How does find my phone work? * What is the best internet security? * How do I enable 2-step verification? * How do I stay safe from online fraud? "We know that privacy is a concern for many people who use the Internet. Cyber crime is on the rise and people are concerned about their privacy and being hacked," said Laurian Clemence from Google UK. "We do want people to know that we take their concerns very seriously. We also want them to feel safe in the knowledge that they have the power to update, change and share as much information as they want to. And we want to make this easy for everyone to understand." Google came to the rescue Google came to the rescue Google claims to have undergone a "quiet revolution" over the past six months, implementing a range of security and privacy measures designed to protect users of its services against hackers and give them more control over their personal data. At its I/O developer conference in May, Google announced that the next version of Android, called "Marshmallow", will make it easier for users to decide what information the apps on their phone can use, by giving them the opportunity to confirm or deny access in context. For example, if you download WhatsApp on an Android device today, you will be asked to grant permission for WhatsApp to access your contacts, calendar, location, photos, camera, microphone and more. This can seem very invasive. With Android Marshmallow, users will not be requested to give any permissions at the point of download. It is only when they try to send a voice memo, for example, that they will be asked to grant access to their microphone. Then in June, Google launched a new privacy and security hub called "My Account", enabling users to control all of their Google privacy and security settings from one place. Users can adjust their security settings for everyday Google activities, such as blocking specific advertisers from their search results, controlling the kind of personal information that is linked to their Google account and their stored location data. They can also check the answers to frequently-asked questions, including whether Google sells your personal information and what it does with the collected data, as well as copy content from your account to be used in other services. The hub also offers new Privacy Checkup and Security Checkup tools, which are designed to guide users through their most important privacy and security settings, and allow them to update and change their settings in Search, Maps, YouTube and other products. For example, they can turn on and off settings such as "Web and App Activity", which provides more relevant search results, or "Location History", which enables Google Maps and Now to offer tips for a faster commute back home. My Account brings all privacy and security settings to one hub My Account brings all privacy and security settings to one hub They can also keep track of and remove the apps and sites they have approved to connect to their account, or download all of their Google data to use it for another service, or to keep as an archive. The new privacy and security measures have been introduced in the wake of several major hacks over the past year, targeting eBay, Sony and, most recently, Mumsnet and adultery website Ashley Madison. Google has also had its fair share of privacy controversies over the years. According to a OnePoll survey commissioned by Google, over a quarter of UK respondents have either been been hacked or targeted for hacking in the last two years, and around a fifth have had their personal information used elsewhere without their express permission. In an attempt to raise awareness of security issues and help people protect themselves online, Google's privacy and security engineers will be visiting five cities across the UK over the next three to months – including Leeds, Birmingham, Boston, London and Manchester. The engineers will tour the country to explain how Google's privacy tools work, and share best practices in how to keep safer online, including two-step verification, easy ways to create stronger passwords, and password recovery options. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask Google any of the pressing questions they have always wanted to ask. “This is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, knowing so many people from cities across the UK are searching for 'Am I being hacked?', for example, shows there is a clear demand for more information on how to stay safe online," said Ms Clemence. "Our workshop will cover best practices directly from Google’s privacy and security experts on how they can safeguard their passwords, update their account settings, find a stolen device, and check where they are sharing their data in just two minutes, from one place.” Anyone can sign up to attend a workshop here. Google will also start visiting schools from September onwards, and said it hopes to take the workshops to Europe if they prove to be successful in the UK. What information does Google hold on me? telegraphsciencetech Follow @telegraphtech Read more from Telegraph Technology The Big Short hits UK cinemas: these are the best films about business The Big Short, the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the causes of the financial crisis, opens in UK cinemas this weekend. How will the story stack up against the greatest films about business? Top 10 films based on video games Hitman is one of our top 10 movies adapted from a video game While films based on video games are notoriously rubbish, read on for the 10 best actually worth watching, even if just for pure cringe factor Most important inventions of the 21st Century iPhone became available on the O2 network in November 2007 From the Apple iPod to Google driverless cars, we run down the technologies that have transformed our world since the start of the 21st century Obsolete technologies that will baffle modern children: in pictures Many children have never seen or used a video tape, camcorder or floppy disc. Take a look at the gadgets which will puzzle younger people From Colgate ready meals to Bic's disposable undies: the world's weirdest off-brand products Would you buy wine from jeans maker Diesel, disposable underwear from Bic or perfumes made by Zippo? Companies don't always get it right when launching entirely new product ranges. These are some of the odder attempts. Street View: Funny images Google Street View funny moments: man walks into a sex shop Google Street View users have picked up some amusing images. These are the most valuable start-ups in the world In pics: Some fledgling firms have reached valuations in the tens of billions. These are the 20 priciest of them all Comments Karen Danczuk's selfies Selfie queen and Labour MP's wife Karen Danczuk has been spotted shopping for some raunchy Valentine's attire. The buxom councillor - whose husband is Labour politician Simon Danczuk - was pictured in her native Rochdale shopping for some saucy lingerie with a friend. In pics: Ex-councillor posts revealing photos for her 68.4k Twitter followers The best tech for your Christmas party 'When you want your guests to leave, stop serving booze – or ring a bell’ Christmas party season is upon us! Rhiannon Williams rounds up the best gadgets and apps to make yours go with a bang Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins Pinterest 2015: the UK's top 10 pins of the year Pinterest has released the 10 most popular pins in the UK throughout 2015: has your favourite made the cut? Comments on the Telegraph Telegraphg Media Group We will soon be migrating the Technology section to a new online platform. As such, commenting will be unavailable until further notice. You can, however, continue to comment on and share any articles through our Telegraph Facebook pages, or via Twitter, in the usual way. 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By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Facebook has changed its privacy settings TODAY – here’s what you need to know Rob Waugh Rob Waugh for Metro.co.ukFriday 30 Jan 2015 3:23 pm Facebook has changed its privacy settings TODAY - here's what you need to know Facebook has changed its privacy settings today (Picture Facebook) Facebook’s new, updated privacy policy goes into effect today in Britain – and guess what, it’s not good news for anyone who values their privacy. There’s only one cast-iron way to ‘opt out’ of the new Terms – don’t use Facebook. As soon as you sign in to Facebook, you’ve accepted the new terms, which mean Facebook will scan how you surf the internet (outside Facebook) and which mobile apps you use, in order to ‘target’ advertising in your feed. Scarier still, if you tell Facebook where you are (by using the Nearby Friends feature in the app, for instance), the site will target recommendations of local bars and restaurants to you. Facebook announced the measures months ago, but they have only come into force in Europe today. If you are logged in to Facebook on your phone, or in your internet browser, the network will automatically track sites you visit, what you do there, and what you do within apps on your phone. Facebook offers a link to opt out of all targeted ad-tracking schemes, via an official site – but this relies on individual sites honouring the agreement not to track you and thus isn’t bulletproof. Facebook now also offers a ‘Privacy Basics‘ page to help you keep track of the site’s privacy policies, and what adverts you see. You can block some of this tracking using add-ons such as Adblock Plus – but the safest thing is to stay logged out of Facebook if you want to avoid being tracked. MORE: ‘I have 16 arrest warrants lol': Man jailed after stupid Facebook post MORE: Facebook is now cited as a factor in a third of divorce cases If you don’t, you will see adverts based on what you have done – which could cause embarassment later if you’re logged in and people happen to see a jarring advert. Facebook does offer an Ad Preferences tool, which users can use to complain about targeted adverts – but only after they’ve seen them. You can limit this sort of ad-tracking by cleaning out your browser’s cookies regularly, and by ensuring your privacy settings on Facebook are set to maximum, but if you’re worried, the safest thing is to not use Facebook. Measures such as using a browser’s ‘Do Not Track’ button have no effect – Facebook ignores this. The new terms were supposed to launch on January 1, but were delayed after user complaints, according to a report from Adblock Plus. The new terms have been highly controversial in Germany – so the social network has included some exemptions for German users. Sadly for the rest of us, these only apply in Germany. More * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » This law student took on Facebook in privacy battle – and won Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us This law student took on Facebook in privacy battle – and won Rob Waugh Rob Waugh for Metro.co.ukTuesday 6 Oct 2015 4:28 pm This law student took on Facebook in privacy battle - and won Austria’s Max Schrems listens to a ruling at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg (Picture Geert Vanden Wijngaert) A law student and privacy activist has won a major legal battle against Facebook – in what he describes as a ‘milestone in online privacy’. The European court ruled that the ‘Safe Harbor’ agreement – which gives US firms access including Facebook access to the online information of millions of EU citizens – was invalid. Facebook responded by saying it had done ‘nothing wrong’ – and the court did not suggest that the firm had broken the law in any way. Max Schrems, who took the case to the European court, has become a thorn in Facebook’s side, with repeated campaigns over the social site’s use of people’s private data. Schrems said, ‘I very much welcome the judgement of the Court, which will hopefully be a milestone when it comes to online privacy. This judgement draws a clear line. It clarifies that mass surveillance violates our fundamental rights. ‘The decision also highlights that governments and businesses cannot simply ignore our fundamental right to privacy, but must abide by the law and enforce it. MORE: Facebook to launch satellite to give free internet to Africa MORE: Facebook glitch logs man into stranger’s account – six years later, he married her A spokesman said: ‘This case is not about Facebook. The advocate general (who advised the European Court of Justice) himself said that Facebook has done nothing wrong. ‘Facebook, like many thousands of European companies, relies on a number of the methods prescribed by EU law to legally transfer data to the US from Europe, aside from Safe Harbour. ‘It is imperative that EU and US governments ensure that they continue to provide reliable methods for lawful data transfers and resolve any issues relating to national security.’ More * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? [mary-stringer-copy.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&# 038;crop=1] Mary Stringer for Metro.co.ukMonday 30 Jun 2014 5:30 pm Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? Google Glass is coming to the UK. Will you join the welcoming party? (Picture: AP Photo) Google Glass is coming to the UK, and we’re having a mixed reaction to it. On the one hand, we’re keen to have a play with this new toy (although we’ll probably wait until the price tag has gone down a bit). On the other hand, mainly due to its ability to film other people, Google Glass is pushing the big red privacy warrior button for many of us – on both sides of the Atlantic. In San Franscisco and other areas of the US where Google Glass has been trialled, several places have already banned the product to assuage customers’ fears of being filmed without their consent. Some Glass wearers have reported being thrown out of establishments and sometimes even attacked. Deep suspicion seems to be a strong if not prevailing attitude towards Google Glass-wearers, an attitude which Google has attempted to calm by releasing its guide to not being a ‘glass hole’, which essentially advises: ‘don’t film people without their consent, and don’t be creepy’. Sound advice for all of us. Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? Some places in the US have banned Google Glass (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) An unnecessary Orwellian nightmare, or just the inevitable latest degree of privacy infringement? So is Google Glass the Orwellian nightmare we’re all convinced it is? Or is it simply the new smartphone, the new pinhole camera, the latest in any number of covert surveillance devices you can find cheaply on the market? We already said goodbye to privacy forever with the invention of the handheld camera, perhaps Google Glass is just the latest version of it. Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? We’re already under surveillance in so many ways; is Google Glass really a game changer? (Picture: Jiradelta) It’s important to acknowledge that the Glass camera itself is not intended to be ‘covert’ – it has a recording light that switches on when it’s recording. However, unlike a handheld camera which is quite obvious when it’s being pointed at you, the Google Glass could easily be overlooked as a recording device. And it hasn’t taken long for someone to develop an app which prevents the light turning on once recording starts – not that you’d need fancy software to hide the light, a marker pen would do. A further concern is that Google has already created special Google Glass contact lenses – surely much harder to detect, and much easier to film people without their knowledge. Charlie Brooker’s horrifying Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You suddenly seems frighteningly close to reality. Although on the plus side, the lenses could form the basis of ‘bionic eyes’ for blind people. What are the social implications for Glass wearers? If you’re having a private conversation with someone, it’s part of the unspoken social contract that the other person isn’t recording you and is giving you their full attention. For Glass wearers this could become problematic; while there’s currently a lack of knowledge about the product and how it operates, people might feel concerned about speaking with you whilst wearing it. Additionally some Glass wearers have been accused of ‘zoning out’ – getting lost in the screen rather than experiencing real life. So far, so smartphone. Privacy in 2014: a nostalgic myth Does Google Glass spell the end of privacy? Our privacy is already compromised in many ways, often willingly (Picture: ferlistockphoto) There’s no guarantee of privacy in 2014. We rely on the law and unspoken social contracts to protect our privacy, yet any one of us could be being monitored right this second. Our digital footprints are as revealing as our physical activities, and yet we’re all constantly feeding Google and Facebook our data in exchange for information and socialising. With the advent of social media and myriad new technologies entering the market, we’re already being urged to abandon our private spaces and occupy a new 24/7 ‘always-on’ visual, social realm. We’ve been forced to accept surveillance as an unavoidable possibility for some time now, and raging against the Glass seems almost King Canute-ian; if Google don’t invent it, someone else will. So has the concept of privacy itself irrevocably altered? No – while products like Google Glass will hasten our slide into personal publification, we’re not obliged to embrace such devices as a way of life, and we’re still entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy. The real question is, with so much more opportunity to capture and share all information, will this entitlement be upheld? Metro Blogs is a place for opinions. These opinions belong to the author and are not necessarily shared by Metro. More FacebookGoogle * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [rapist.jpg?crop=248px%2C0px%2C1025px%2C768px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Baby rapist found dead in his cell * [whiting2.jpg?crop=171px%2C0px%2C1024px%2C768px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Child-killing paedophile Roy Whiting scalded and beaten in prison * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * MORE: Sad status update? Facebook reveals it’s been manipulating our emotions * MORE: You’re a moaning little c***: Car salesman abuses customer after complaint cost him commission * MORE: Facebook down: Five ways we used the crash to our advantage Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech › Facebook * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Facebook facing privacy lawsuit over what it does with your data Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Facebook facing privacy lawsuit over what it does with your data Rob Waugh Rob Waugh for Metro.co.ukTuesday 24 Mar 2015 1:55 pm Facebook facing privacy lawsuit over what it does with your data A privacy case at the European Court of Justice starting today could have a huge impact on how Facebook uses people’s private information. As it stands, your photos and messages travel to America after they leave your phone – and what happens there alarms privacy campaigners. The case, brought by activist law student Max Schrems, centres around how private data from European users is sent to the U.S. – where it could potentially be accessed by U.S. spy agencies. The case centres on what happens to people’s private information – such as photos and messages – once in U.S. servers. Revelations from former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden suggested that America’s National Security Agency had access to Schrems has brought a series of actions against Facebook relating to privacy, and has formed an advocacy group, Europe versus Facebook. Earlier this year, a report for a European privacy watchdog found that ‘too much burden’ was placed on Facebook users who wanted to make their posts private – and concluded that the network was breaking European laws. The University of Leuven researchers said, ‘ Most of Facebook’s “new” policies and terms are simply old practices made more explicit. Our analysis indicates, however, that Facebook is acting in violation of European law. ‘Facebook places too much burden on its users. Users are expected to navigate Facebook’s complex web of settings (which include “Privacy”, “Apps”, “Adds”, “Followers”, etc.) in search of possible opt-outs.’ The social network also did not give users enough information on how their personal data would be gathered and then used by advertisers. The report was drawn up for Belgium’s privacy watchdog after Facebook quietly updated its privacy policy in late January. MORE: Facebook’s new privacy policy is ‘against the law’, watchdog claims MORE: New Facebook privacy settings ‘still complicated’ More * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Microsoft can’t be trusted on privacy, says ex adviser Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Microsoft can’t be trusted on privacy, says ex adviser [nicole-le-marie.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40& ;crop=1] Nicole Le Marie for MetroMonday 30 Sep 2013 9:46 pm Microsoft can’t be trusted on privacy, says ex adviser Former Microsoft privacy adviser Caspar Bowden says he no longer trusts his former employer (Picture: Reuters) A former Microsoft privacy adviser says he doesn’t trust the company after revelations about online government surveillance. Caspar Bowden, who left the software giant in 2011, said: ‘I don’t trust Microsoft. I approached many of the European authorities with my concerns and they shrugged. ‘Then we had Edward Snowden and ever since then I’ve been busy,’ he said, while speaking at an event in Switzerland examining mass surveillance. Microsoft and other internet giants have been fighting a public backlash after former National Security Agency contractor Mr Snowden said they turned over user data to a US surveillance program called Prism. Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Google and Yahoo! have all denied allegations that the NSA can directly access their servers. Mr Bowden told delegates at the Lausanne event he has stopped using Microsoft products in favour of free, open source software and has not owned a mobile phone for two years. ‘I didn’t know about Prism when I was at Microsoft and I don’t trust Microsoft now. I’m completely free software now,’ he said. He has proposed an ‘EU cloud’ and said users should be warned when they log on to services based in the US that they may be under surveillance. The technology giant declined to comment last night. More Microsoft * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [rapist.jpg?crop=248px%2C0px%2C1025px%2C768px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Baby rapist found dead in his cell * [whiting2.jpg?crop=171px%2C0px%2C1024px%2C768px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Child-killing paedophile Roy Whiting scalded and beaten in prison * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * MORE: Outgoing Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has the time of his life in farewell speech * MORE: Ctrl+Alt+Del was an error, admits Bill Gates * MORE: Microsoft ditches Apple parody video which ridicules iPhone 5S features Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech › Microsoft * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Messaging service WhatsApp ‘broke privacy laws’ by storing numbers Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Messaging service WhatsApp ‘broke privacy laws’ by storing numbers daniella graham Daniella Graham for Metro.co.uk and Hayden SmithTuesday 29 Jan 2013 10:24 pm WhatsApp ‘broke privacy laws’ by storing numbers Messaging service WhatsApp breached privacy laws by asking subscribers for access to their contacts – and storing every phone number, an inquiry has revealed. Rather than deleting data belonging to non-users, everything was uploaded and kept on the company’s servers in California. The practice emerged following a year-long joint investigation by Canadian and Dutch watchdogs, which said it violated ‘internationally accepted privacy principles’. WhatsApp said it ‘hashed’ numbers to make them anonymous but investigators said they could still be recovered ‘with a modest amount of computing effort’ if the database was breached. Jacob Kohnstamm, of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, said he was ‘not completely satisfied yet’ with the inquiry. ‘Both users and non-users should have control over their personal data and users must be able to freely decide what contact details they wish to share with WhatsApp,’ he added. Only iPhone owners running iOS6 software can add contacts manually but WhatsApp has now agreed to extend the option to other operating systems. It has also beefed up security by encrypting messages and improving its authentication process after investigators said bogus messages could be sent by a third party. The UK Information Commissioners’s Office had last night yet to establish if there were implications under British data protection law. WhatsApp, one of the world’s top five best-selling apps with 300million users, had not commented. More WhatsApp * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [rapist.jpg?crop=248px%2C0px%2C1025px%2C768px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Baby rapist found dead in his cell * [whiting2.jpg?crop=171px%2C0px%2C1024px%2C768px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Child-killing paedophile Roy Whiting scalded and beaten in prison * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech › WhatsApp * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Boris Johnson: Internet privacy doesn’t exist, posting letters the way to go in this age of cyber-snooping Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Boris Johnson: Internet privacy doesn’t exist, posting letters the way to go in this age of cyber-snooping [9g2a8002.jpg?crop=24px%2C31px%2C379px%2C379px&resize=150%2C150� 38;quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40] Kate Russell for MetroMonday 10 Jun 2013 11:26 am Boris Johnson: Internet privacy doesn’t exist Boris Johnson: Internet privacy doesn’t exist (Picture: PA) Boris Johnson says it’s come as no surprise to him to discover the internet is a ‘gigantic snooperama’. ‘What on earth did you expect?’ the mayor of London wrote in the Telegraph as a US security services mole revealed Britain’s potential links to a massive cyber-snooping system. Mr Johnson decried the ‘global conspiracy’ to invade our privacy but he said people must be naive to think that the contents of an email remain between the sender and the recipient. It is ‘out there, in the ether, just waiting to be hacked or lost or stolen or accidentally blurted to your enemies’, he said. ‘That is why I have always rather assumed that any email I send should be drafted as if for public consumption,’ added Mr Johnson who recommends we return to the good old fashioned postal system if we value our privacy. ‘All those who want to beat the internet snoops – just get out the old Basildon Bond, suck the end of your biro, assemble your thoughts carefully and do as our grandparents did.’ He said everyone is ‘understandably getting worked up’ about the existence of Prism – a scheme allegedly set up to tap directly into the servers of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and AOL to read the messages of foreigners suspected of terrorism or espionage. But he said he also had sympathy with our security services ‘and their very powerful need to use the internet to catch the bad guys’. He said what we ideally need is a British Google ‘that cracks the freedom vs security conundrum’ and called on computer wizards to create an internet provider ‘that somehow roots out the terrorists and the child molesters, and yet allows the blameless punter to send an email in complete security’. No regrets: 29-year-old Edward Snowden (Picture: Guardian) No regrets: 29-year-old Edward Snowden (Picture: Guardian) The source of the intelligence leaks has come forward to identify himself as a 29-year-old ex-CIA employee. Edward Snowden, 29, told the Guardian, which published the so-called National Security Agency files, from a hotel room in Hong Kong that he had ‘no regrets’ over his decision, although he admits he ‘does not expect to see home again’. Google has denied that is has allowed either the US or Britain to access to its servers through Prism. More Boris Johnson * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * [savile-comp.jpg?crop=40px%2C314px%2C382px%2C286px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Video shows Jimmy Savile groping young woman live on air * [ad_193885176-e1453460677873.jpg?crop=0px%2C381px%2C2223px%2C1666px &resize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100� 38;h=75] Student makes £14,000 in five months just by entering competitions * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193884167.jpg?crop=142px%2C0px%2C2221px%2C1665px&resize=48 0%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] These two doppelgangers took a DNA test to find out if they're actually related * MORE: Boris Johnson and Jonathan Ross to join Andy Murray and Tim Henman on court at Queen’s Club * MORE: Boris Johnson is ‘desperate for David Cameron to fail’ * MORE: Boris Johnson consults Will Smith on rap career Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK › Boris Johnson * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » A student is suing Facebook over privacy and hopes its one billion users will join him Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us A student is suing Facebook over privacy and hopes its one billion users will join him [jimmy-nsubuga.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&c rop=1] Jimmy Nsubuga for Metro.co.ukSaturday 2 Aug 2014 6:53 pm A student is suing Facebook over privacy and hopes you will join him Max Schrems is hoping you will join him in suing Facebook (Picture: PA) A law student has decided to sue Facebook over privacy rights and has invited its one billion users to join him. Austrian Max Schrems was claiming 500 euro (£397) damages for everyone who signed up to his campaign through fbclaim.com. The lawsuit could be the biggest ever taken in Europe depending on how many people register. Max Schrems You can join the lawsuit through fbclaim.com (Picture: PA) The 26-year-old was unhappy the internet giant allegedly violated data protection by tracking internet use on external sites, including the use of ‘like’ buttons. Mr Schrems also claimed Facebook supported the US Prism surveillance programme, which was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. ‘We are only claiming a small amount, as our primary objective is to ensure correct data protection,’ he said. ‘However, if many thousands of people participate we would reach an amount that will have a serious impact on Facebook.’ The lawsuit was being taken in the Commercial Court in Vienna against the Irish subsidiary of the New York-listed web giant. Facebook has so far declined to comment. More Facebook * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [haka.jpg?crop=0px%2C14px%2C637px%2C477px&resize=480%2C360 8;quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the best haka you'll ever see and it was at a wedding * [comp-ker.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2C36 0&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Meredith Kercher killer Rudy Guede smeared walls with blood 'to understand her' * [sl-greece-migrants.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] At least 42 killed as two migrant boats capsize in Greece * [wilbur-scovilles-151st-birthday-6275288709201920-3-hp2x.png?crop=1 00px%2C0px%2C600px%2C450px&resize=480%2C360&quality=80� 38;strip=all&w=100&h=75] Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle pits you against really hot chillies * MORE: Facebook goes down again, Twitter explodes, yet somehow the world keeps turning * MORE: Online daters respond to photos not words, OKCupid experiment reveals * MORE: Want unlimited chocolate? You have got to try this Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: World › Facebook * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Take Google to task over internet privacy breaches, Britons urge Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Take Google to task over internet privacy breaches, Britons urge [aidan-radnedge.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40& crop=1] Aidan Radnedge for Metro.co.ukMonday 24 Jun 2013 1:41 am Take Google to task over internet privacy breaches Google in the firing line over privacy breaches (Picture: EPA) Google should face tougher penalties if it keeps infringing internet privacy and on rules on personal data use, a poll of users has revealed. While 79 per cent of all those logging on are worried about their online privacy, more than two fifths believe they are being ‘harmed’ by multinationals such as Google collecting masses of personal data for their own ‘internal’ use. Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, which commissioned the survey, said: ‘The widespread support for EU regulators to do more to ensure Google complies with existing privacy regulations highlights how people want to see real, concrete action taken to protect their privacy. ‘Online privacy is a global issue of real importance to people and the overwhelming message is that citizens do not feel their authorities are doing enough to stop the desire of large companies to collect vast amounts of data on them.’ Mr Pickles highlighted Germany as a fine example to follow after the government there took ‘strong legal action’ against companies who do not respect people’s privacy. He added: ‘The fact many of the highest-profile privacy lawsuits have been tackled first there and data protection law is vigorously enforced clearly contributes to citizens feeling their rights are being defended. ‘Sadly, around the rest of the world, it is clear people do not have this confidence and want more done to rein in companies like Google.’ Although about 68 per cent of Britons said they feared for their privacy, 94 per cent of Indian web users saw it as a great concern, the research by ComRes revealed. More Google * [wilbur-scovilles-151st-birthday-6275288709201920-3-hp2x.png?crop=1 00px%2C0px%2C600px%2C450px&resize=480%2C360&quality=80� 38;strip=all&w=100&h=75] Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle pits you against really hot chillies * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [rapist.jpg?crop=248px%2C0px%2C1025px%2C768px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Baby rapist found dead in his cell * [whiting2.jpg?crop=171px%2C0px%2C1024px%2C768px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Child-killing paedophile Roy Whiting scalded and beaten in prison * MORE: Google could face court action after more personal data from Street View cars found * MORE: Online child pornography: Web firms agree to beef up watchdog’s powers * MORE: Google ‘should be investigated by the taxman’ say MPs Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech › Google * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Anonymous hackers attack data protection watchdog’s site Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Anonymous hackers attack data protection watchdog’s site [tariq-tahir.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&cro p=1] Tariq Tahir for MetroTuesday 15 May 2012 6:56 pm Hackers have blocked access to the website of the data protection watchdog, it has been revealed. Anonymous hackers attack data protection watchdog’s site Anonymous hackers are being blamed for the attack Members of the Anonymous group are being blamed for the attack on the Information Commissioner’s Office site, which has restricted its online service for several days. An ICO spokesman said: ‘Access to the ICO website has been disrupted over the past few days. ‘We believe this is due to a distributed denial of service attack. ‘The website itself has not been damaged, but people have been unable to access it. We provide a public-facing website which contains no sensitive information.’ The website of the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics also suffered access problems but a spokesman said they did not appear to have been caused by hacking but by a problem with the internal server. Anonymous first emerged as supporters of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks after it released embarrassing US diplomatic cables. It has carried on its activities against organisations it sees as censoring the internet. Earlier this month, Virgin Media was put offline by hackers claiming to be from Anonymous in response to its blocking of file-sharing website The Pirate Bay. More * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [1233.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] World's 'most wanted man' found working at Subway metres from police station * [czvetq2wqaekozz.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75 &crop=1] We can all respect this woman's devotion to proper grammar * [ad_193883569.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the red trigger that launches Britain's nuclear weapons Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Two charged over BNP data protection leak Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Two charged over BNP data protection leak Default author image metrowebukmetroFriday 21 Aug 2009 1:49 pm Two people have been charged under the Data Protection Act after a British National Party membership list was leaked onto the internet, police said today. Dyfed-Powys Police said the two people were arrested as part of a joint investigation with the Information Commissioner’s Office. They are due to appear in Nottingham Magistrates Court on September 1. The far-right BNP called for a police investigation last November after the names, addresses and contact details of some 10,000 of its members were published online. More * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Google celebrates as ‘right to be forgotten’ dismissed by European Court of Justice Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Google celebrates as ‘right to be forgotten’ dismissed by European Court of Justice [fred-attewill.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&c rop=1] Fred AttewillTuesday 25 Jun 2013 10:05 pm Google celebrates as ‘right to be forgotten’ dismissed Google has hailed the landmark court as a victory for free speech (Picture: PA) Google cannot be forced to remove sensitive personal data from its search results, a senior adviser to the European Court of Justice has said. Internet users have no general ‘right to be forgotten’ and search engines are not responsible for personal data appearing on the web, the advocate general stated. Instead, it is websites themselves which bear responsibility for the information they publish, according to a ‘legal opinion’ in a case that tests whether people should be able to erase potentially harmful content from its search results. In a statement on Niilo Jääskinen’s verdict, the court said that while internet companies must always abide by national data protection laws, they were not obliged to remove personal content which has been produced by third parties. ‘Search engine service providers are not responsible, on the basis of the data protection directive, for personal data appearing on web pages they process,’ it said. The case comes after a Spanish man complained to Google in 2010 that a search for his name produced a 12-year-old national newspaper announcement about the auction of his home after it was repossessed. After the Spanish data protection agency ordered Google to ensure the information did not come up in results, the internet giant launched a legal challenge. Google has hailed Mr Jääskinen’s opinion. The company’s head of free expression in Europe, Bill Echikson, said: ‘We’re glad to see it supports our long-held view that requiring search engines to suppress legitimate and legal information would amount to censorship.’ A final judgment on the case is expected by the end of the year, although the ECJ is not bound by Mr Jääskinen’s decision. More * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [1233.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] World's 'most wanted man' found working at Subway metres from police station * [czvetq2wqaekozz.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75 &crop=1] We can all respect this woman's devotion to proper grammar * [ad_193883569.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the red trigger that launches Britain's nuclear weapons Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Facebook and Google could face court action over private data Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Facebook and Google could face court action over private data Default author image metrowebukmetroThursday 17 Mar 2011 10:09 am Social networking sites and search engines such as Facebook and Google have been told they face court action if they do not allow users to remove all data about themselves. Facebook and Google could face court action over private data Sites like Facebook and Google could face court action if they don’t allow users to permanently remove all their personal data (Picture: Getty) Internet users should have the ‘right to be forgotten’, to stop prospective employers finding a naked picture of them, for example, Europe’s top legal officer said. Justice commissioner Viviane Reding said there must be an overhaul of the EU’s 16-year-old laws on data protection to enforce safeguards on how personal information is used. With many of the companies based in the US or holding data on servers there, she said agencies watching over privacy issues in EU countries should be given more powers to enforce compliance outside Europe. ‘I want to explicitly clarify that people shall have the right – and not only the possibility – to withdraw their consent to data processing,’ Ms Reding said. ‘Any company operating in the EU market or any online product targeted at EU consumers must comply with EU rules. ‘To enforce EU law, national privacy watchdogs shall be endowed with powers to investigate and engage in legal action against non-EU data controllers.’ Sam Hamilton of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch said: ‘While we believe in self-regulation as the best option, it must be an absolute right of individuals to be forgotten.’ Privacy concerns led to tensions with Washington last year after the MEPs vetoed a deal struck with the European Commission on sharing bank transfer data with counter-terrorism investigators from the US. The deal was renegotiated. More * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [1233.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] World's 'most wanted man' found working at Subway metres from police station * [czvetq2wqaekozz.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75 &crop=1] We can all respect this woman's devotion to proper grammar * [ad_193883569.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the red trigger that launches Britain's nuclear weapons Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Facebook battles 600,000 hacker attacks a day Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Facebook battles 600,000 hacker attacks a day [icon-news-2.png?w=40&h=40&crop=1] Metro Web Reporter for Metro.co.ukSaturday 29 Oct 2011 8:11 pm Facebook accounts are subject to 600,000 attempted hacks every single day. That is the staggering figure released by the social media giant, which says there are regular and sustained efforts by cyber criminals to gain access to user accounts. Facebook battles 600,000 hacker attacks a day Facebook fights off 600,000 attacks a day (PA) Facebook fights off 600,000 attacks a day (PA) While the figure is a drop in the ocean when it comes to Facebook usage – estimated to account for 700 billion minutes per month worldwide – the news is a rare acknowledgement of the potential vulnerability of the system when it comes to hackers. Facebook revealed the details in an official blog post, adding that it was continuing to plough resources into ensuring the hackers remained at bay. ‘Security and safety are at the core of Facebook,’ the blog post read. ‘We have entire teams dedicated to building tools that give people even more control over their account and specifically the way they access their information.’ Facebook said it was making a concerted effort to do more to educate people about ways they can ensure their online security is not comprised, to coincide with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and would continue to be vigilant in its efforts. Less than four per cent of content shared on Facebook is spam, although the scale and inter-connected nature of the social media site has made it an attractive target for hackers and other pushing malware. More * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [1233.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] World's 'most wanted man' found working at Subway metres from police station * [czvetq2wqaekozz.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75 &crop=1] We can all respect this woman's devotion to proper grammar * [ad_193883569.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the red trigger that launches Britain's nuclear weapons Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Cambridge student Jonathan Millican crowned UK Cyber Security Champion Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Cambridge student Jonathan Millican crowned UK Cyber Security Champion [icon-news-2.png?w=40&h=40&crop=1] Metro Web Reporter for Metro.co.ukMonday 12 Mar 2012 5:35 pm Cambridge student Jonathan Millican has been named the UK’s Cyber Security Champion after completing a number of gruelling challenges. The 19-year-old beat off tough competition from other budding computer security experts in the Cyber Security UK Challenge in a series of role-playing scenarios to be crowned winner. Cambridge student Jonathan Millican crowned UK Cyber Security Champion Jonathan Millican beat other cyber security experts to be crowned champion Jonathan Millican beat other cyber security experts to be crowned champion As cyber security becomes a bigger concern for both businesses and households, a number of leading computing organisations sponsored the event together in an effort to ensure they are at the cutting edge of defence technology. In the final on Saturday, competitors went head-to-head in a number of role-playing challenges where they had to advise businesses of the best ways to protect themselves from cyber threats. Jonathan Hoyle, director general for cyber security at UK Government Communications Headquarters, commented: ‘It is through initiatives such as this that organisations … can continue to develop and maintain our leading edge in cyberspace by being able to recruit the right people with the right skills.’ The need to invest in such cyber security initiatives is becoming ever-clearer, with five hackers last week being arrested by the FBI. Sabu, who turned informant following his own arrest, and his group, orchestrated several major hacking incidents, including the Stratfor incident which led to the details of 221 British military officials and 242 Nato staff being exposed. More Cambridge * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [rapist.jpg?crop=248px%2C0px%2C1025px%2C768px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Baby rapist found dead in his cell * [whiting2.jpg?crop=171px%2C0px%2C1024px%2C768px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Child-killing paedophile Roy Whiting scalded and beaten in prison * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Tech › Cambridge * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Employees ‘clueless on cyber security’ Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Employees ‘clueless on cyber security’ Default author image Sam Smith for Metro.co.ukFriday 10 May 2013 12:01 am Employees ‘clueless on cyber security’ On the rise? Cyber crime is in the spotlight (Picture: Reuters) Not sure if you should download that image that has been emailed to you from the bloke in accounts? You’re not alone, most staff have no idea if they are taking a risk with office security. Half of employees never consider security when they upload or download data to their office PC or company smartphone, according to a survey. And 40 per cent of employees said they did not know about their company’s security policy when using their phone. Many never consider the threat of cyber crime and are unfamiliar with company policies to protect their data, the poll of 1,200 officer workers found. Roy Dungworth, of IT staffing provider Modis, which carried out the survey, said: ‘The rise of flexible working and cloud computing has created a multitude of points at which cyber criminals can access a company’s data. ‘With cyber security such a high profile issue, employers are now aware of the risks, but few realise that their own employees are their greatest vulnerability.’ Graeme Batsman, security director cyber security company EncSec, said better training was the answer. More * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193282382.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] The night tube dispute hasn't stopped TfL from spending £600,000 on ads * [ad_194000791.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75� 38;crop=1] Asda and Tesco cut diesel price to six-year low * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Warning over surveillance society Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Warning over surveillance society Default author image metrowebukmetroThursday 2 Nov 2006 3:15 am Warning over surveillance society Two CCTV cameras. The UK is becoming a “surveillance society” where technology is used to track people’s lives, a report has warned. CCTV, analysis of buying habits and recording travel movements are among the techniques already used, and the Report on the Surveillance Society predicts surveillance will further increase over the next decade. Information Commissioner Richard Thomas – who commissioned the report – warned that excessive surveillance could create a “climate of suspicion”. Current techniques include surveillance of international travel, consumer spending, internet use and mobile phones. Some of this benefits the typical UK family, but in other cases it is “personally threatening” and has wider consequences, the report warns. It says surveillance can lead to the loss of individuals’ anonymity and privacy in different spheres of their lives. In the future, shoppers may be scanned as they enter stores, schools could bring in cards allowing parents to monitor what their children eat and jobs may be refused to applicants who are seen as a health risk. Mr Thomas has called for a public debate on the future of surveillance, warning: “Today I fear that we are in fact waking up to a surveillance society that is already all around us.” Mr Thomas said surveillance could help fight terrorism and crime and improve access to public services. But he added: “As ever more information is collected, shared and used it intrudes into our private space and leads to decisions which directly influence people’s lives.” More Richard Thomas * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [savile-comp.jpg?crop=40px%2C314px%2C382px%2C286px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Video shows Jimmy Savile groping young woman live on air * [ad_193885176-e1453460677873.jpg?crop=0px%2C381px%2C2223px%2C1666px &resize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100� 38;h=75] Student makes £14,000 in five months just by entering competitions * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News › Richard Thomas * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » How much can the government now spy on your internet activity? Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us How much can the government now spy on your internet activity? [harry-readhead.jpg?crop=0px%2C11px%2C150px%2C150px&resize=150%2C1 50&quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40] Harry Readhead for Metro.co.uk and Alex Hudson for Metro.co.ukWednesday 4 Nov 2015 10:10 am How much can the government now spy on your internet activity? (Picture: Getty) Home Secretary Theresa May has has revealed the details of the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill. She has said some websites have become ‘safe havens’ for criminals and has long called for new laws which give police and security services the power to access online communication information. ‘The threat is clear,’ she told Parliament. ‘In the last year alone, six terrorist plots have been stopped in the UK.’ The proposed changes are found in the Investigatory Powers Bill, and this is what you need to know. What is the Investigatory Powers Bill? For use in UK, Ireland or Benelux countries only Undated BBC handout photo of Home Secretary Theresa May appearing on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Sunday November 1, 2015. See PA story POLITICS Spying. Photo credit should read: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: Not for use more than 21 days after issue. You may use this picture without charge only for the purpose of publicising or reporting on current BBC programming, personnel or other BBC output or activity within 21 days of issue. Any use after that time MUST be cleared through BBC Picture Publicity. Please credit the image to the BBC and any named photographer or independent programme maker, as described in the caption. (Picture: PA Wire) The Bill seeks to collate all the new rules concerning government surveillance powers under a single law. At present, we have a selection of different laws filled with holes. Edward Snowden revealed, for instance, that GCHQ, the British intelligence and security body, was collecting and storing far more data than the public knew. It’s long. It’s 299 pages in total (you can scroll through it if you’d like). It is firmly focuses on mobile and digital communications as the law on the specific boundaries for phone surveillance has been much more clearly defined: ‘It cannot be right that today the police could find an abducted child if the suspects were using mobile phones to co-ordinate their crime, but if they were using social media or communications apps then they would be out of reach,’ Mrs May told Parliament. ‘Such an approach defies all logic and ignores the realities of today’s digital age.’ It includes specifics about how much of your data can be requested by security services, how long it can be stored for and what rights security services have to know what you’re up to. It also includes more public proposals about how the state can hack digital devices and sweep up large amounts of data (‘bulk data’, they call it) as it travels across the internet after whisteblower Edward Snowden made a lot of these activities, not previously in public law, a lot more public. How will it affect me? Silhouette of male hand typing on laptop keyboard at night Internet firms will hold customer data for 12 months under the new law (Picture: Getty Images) There have been lots of rumours doing the rounds: Encryption would be banned, entire web histories would be recorded and everyone from councils to police would get access. ‘Some have characterised this power as law enforcement having access to people’s full browsing history,’ Mrs May told the House of Commons. ‘Let me be clear, this is simply wrong. An internet connection record is a record of the communication service that a person has used, not a record of every web page they have accessed. ‘So if someone has visited a social media website, an internet connection record will only show that they accessed that site, not the particular page they looked at, who they communicated with or what they said. It is the modern equivalent of an itemised phone bill. What can they ask for? Is my internet history public? Security services can see some sites you visit but not what pages you view within them. It can only be accessed by police or security services. It is unclear just how much of your internet history will be recorded, only that it would be tricky for security services to access it Can I encrypt my data? Yes but it is unclear whether companies will have to hand that data to authorities on request My text messages/Whatsapp/Messenger/emails: There will be records of who you talked to but not any further details of your communication (Theresa May compares it to an itemised phone bill) How long will all this be kept for? A year How much will all this extra surveillance cost? An extra £25m a year, the draft Bill estimates What about this ‘bulk data’ thing? That’s tricky to explain as the government has recorded this for a while but is only making what those powers are more public today. It is a very long document. Broadly, it means that with suspicion, they can request further powers to delve deeper into communications ‘Authorities will not be able to make a request for determining whether someone has visited a mental health site, a medical website or even a news site. [It is only] a communication website, an illegal website or to resolve an IP address where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.’ The Government has said that it will take no steps to prevent companies encrypting messages, though the extent to that is carried throughout the bill has yet to be confirmed. The Bill will also make public existing powers that were previously secret, mainly surrounding the powers available for the security agencies to access and store secure data in bulk. How much is it like the 2014 draft Communications Bill? (Picture: Getty Images) (Picture: Getty Images) Called the Snoopers’ Charter (the first time around), one of the sections of the 2014 act deemed illegal was the requirement that communications companies must collect all customer data and store it for 12 months. Judges said the act failed to give ‘clear and precise rules to ensure data is only accessed for the purpose of preventing and detecting serious offence’ and the access was not authorised by ‘a court or independent body’. Nevertheless, the Government’s draft Investigatory Powers Bill includes the requirement that internet firms store details of people’s online activity for 12 months. Home Secretary Theresa May has said the more ‘contentious’ elements of the draft bill have been dropped, however. Security service won’t be able to look through your browsing history, for instance, but they will be able to access the domains you visited and when you visited them. MORE: People are petitioning to stop Phil Collins returning to music They’ll also likely have the power to see who you have texted and emailed though not the contents of your correspondence. The bill will also say companies must turn over encrypted data if asked by security agencies. When was the last time we introduced new surveillance laws? The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was passed in 2000 and given the rate of digital growth since that point, the legislation is now very much behind the times. In 2013, the Liberal Democrats defeated the Conservative-drafted Digital Communications Bill, or ‘Snoopers’ Charter’. A year later, the emergency Data Regulation and Investigatory Powers Act was passed, but its first two sections were ruled to be inconsistent with EU law by the High Court less than a year later. The High Court gave the Government until March 2016 to devise replacement legislation. MORE: Starbucks barista ‘comes on to customer with creepy message on cup’ When will it be law? The Home Office has published the Investigatory Powers Bill in the House of Commons and it will be examined in detail by both Houses of Parliament before a final vote next year. What does the opposition think? Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham broadly welcomed the bill. Lib Dem MP and former leader Nick Clegg said he welcomed some of the draft Bill but worries that ‘under the hood’, more things could be found that cause concern. Why are judges relevant? Authorisation of these privacy violations has become a key point of discussion. Will the power remain with government ministers or will judges assess each case? Civil liberties groups say giving judges the power reduces the chance of corruption and adds a third safeguard to the process. MORE: Police arrest fourth suspect, 16, following TalkTalk hack More British GovernmentTheresa May * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * [savile-comp.jpg?crop=40px%2C314px%2C382px%2C286px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Video shows Jimmy Savile groping young woman live on air * [ad_193885176-e1453460677873.jpg?crop=0px%2C381px%2C2223px%2C1666px &resize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100� 38;h=75] Student makes £14,000 in five months just by entering competitions * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193884167.jpg?crop=142px%2C0px%2C2221px%2C1665px&resize=48 0%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] These two doppelgangers took a DNA test to find out if they're actually related Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK › British Government * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Big Brother is watching: Department for Transport and 27 councils spend £3.9million to snoop on you Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Big Brother is watching: Department for Transport and 27 councils spend £3.9million to snoop on you Default author image John CorneySunday 17 Mar 2013 11:52 am Public bodies pay £3.9m to snoop on you On the warpath: Communities sectary Eric Pickles says council flouting surveillance laws should face justice (Picture: PA) The Department for Transport (DfT) and 27 councils in England and Wales have paid private investigators to spy on their behalf, new research claims. More than £3.9million was spent by public bodies in two years, according to civil liberties and privacy campaigners Big Brother Watch (BBW). In total 29 organisations – 27 councils, a government department, the DfT, and one public authority – paid private security firms to undertake work using powers under the Regulatory of Investigative Powers Act (Ripa) In recent years, there has been a crakdown on surveillance work by public bodies, who need to obtain a magistrate’s warrant to carry out such investigations. But BBW fears some organisations may be side-stepping those restrictions by sub-contracting surveillance work to private security firms. Using a Freedom of Information request to track public organisation’s use of private security firms between 2010 and 2012, BBW revealed 14 organisations paid for surveillance not covered by Ripa – meaning they potentially commissioned illegal activities. CCTV camera Public bodies are spending millions on ‘spying’ (Picture: PA) The report also revealed four councils – Caerphilly, Dudley, Leicestershire and York – used a private detective to snoop on staff, while most of the £3.9million was used on one contract for Fishery Patrol flights. BBW director Nick Pickles said: ‘This research has uncovered cases where it looks like the law has not been followed. It’s essential these cases are urgently investigated. ‘Unlike the US, British law isn’t strong enough to stop evidence obtained by illegal surveillance being used in court and the punishments for people deliberately flouting the law are trivial. ‘The law is at breaking point and public bodies shouldn’t be able to dodge the legal checks on them by using private investigators,’ he added. The BBW wants Ripa to be reformed to protect against unauthorised surveillance by third parties and make it ‘fit for purpose’. It also wants the licensing system for private investigators to be strengthened and has recommended that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act should be revised to stop unauthorised surveillance being used as evidence in court cases. The government’s communities secretary, Eric Pickles, said councils who have flouted the law should face justice. He added: ‘Such powers can only be used for serious crimes, and require a magistrates’ warrant. It is totally unacceptable if councils are trying to sidestep these important new checks.’ The DfT said it was sometimes necessary to use private investigators to investigate fraud. A DfT spokeswoman added: ‘The department and its executive agencies take potential fraud very seriously… for example,the Highways Agency and the Driving Standards Agency have commissioned private investigators in cases of driving test fraud and potentially fraudulent personal injury claims.’ More Eric Pickles * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * [savile-comp.jpg?crop=40px%2C314px%2C382px%2C286px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Video shows Jimmy Savile groping young woman live on air * [ad_193885176-e1453460677873.jpg?crop=0px%2C381px%2C2223px%2C1666px &resize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100� 38;h=75] Student makes £14,000 in five months just by entering competitions * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193884167.jpg?crop=142px%2C0px%2C2221px%2C1665px&resize=48 0%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] These two doppelgangers took a DNA test to find out if they're actually related * MORE: Public sector pensions deal stalled over Eric Pickles letter * MORE: Eric Pickles unveils £250m fund to help restore weekly bin collections * MORE: David Cameron warned welfare cuts could leave 40,000 families homeless Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK › Eric Pickles * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » There’s a cyber arms security race and we should all be afraid Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us There’s a cyber arms security race and we should all be afraid Richard Hartley-Parkinson Richard Hartley-Parkinson for Metro.co.ukMonday 26 Oct 2015 7:00 am There's a cyber arms security race and we should all be afraid map.norsecorp.com The chief executive of TalkTalk has warned of a ‘cyber security arms race’ threatening all UK companies as she revealed she called in defence experts over the hack of its website. Dido Harding said she contacted BAE Systems, which supplies cyber security to government agencies, following the attack which saw swathes of customers’ data stolen. She also warned any company in the UK could be vulnerable and said she still was unsure how many customers had been affected. Police are investigating Wednesday’s attack, which TalkTalk said had affected its website rather than its ‘core systems’. MORE: TalkTalk set to face ‘£75 million losses’ after devastating cyber attack MORE: TalkTalk boss receives email from ‘cyberattackers’ demanding ransom Dido Harding CEO of Talk Talk.nnCITY - PETER CAMPBELL INTERVIEW - Dido Harding says TalkTalk has contacted BAE systems after a major cyber attack on the company Baroness Harding told the Times: ‘This is a sort of cyber security arms race. Criminals are learning how to do things. One of the first calls I made on Wednesday was to BAE.’ The company has claimed data stolen in the attack would not allow criminals to plunder customers’ bank accounts, as complete credit card details were not stored in its system and account passwords were not accessed. The peer also told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Do I wish I had done more? Of course I do. But would that have made a difference? If I’m honest I don’t know. ‘This is happening to a huge number of organisations all the time. The awful truth is that every company, every organisation in the UK needs to spend more money and put more focus on cyber security – it’s the crime of our era.’ People walk past a company logo outside a TalkTalk building in London, Britain October 23, 2015. Britain's TalkTalk said a "significant and sustained" cyber attack on its website could involve the theft of private data from all of the broadband supplier's more than 4 million customers. "Investigation is ongoing but unfortunately there is a chance that some of the following data has been compromised: names, addresses, date of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, TalkTalk account information, credit card details and/or bank details," the company said in a statement late on Thursday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (Picture: Reuters) Scotland Yard is investigating alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA) but no arrests have been made. Officers are investigating a ransom demand sent to the telecoms giant following the attack by someone claiming to be responsible and seeking payment. The firm said it was not sure if the message was genuine. The latest breach is the third in a spate of cyber attacks affecting TalkTalk in the last eight months, with breaches in August and February also resulting in customers’ data being stolen. More * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: News * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » In the new age of surveillance, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is more relevant than ever Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us In the new age of surveillance, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is more relevant than ever Default author image Samuel ConnMonday 14 Jul 2014 6:00 am In the new age of surveillance, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is more relevant than ever Big Brother is watching… A telescreen in the film version of Nineteen Eighty-Four (Picture: File) Big Brother, the Thought Police, Room 101, newspeak. Even if you haven’t read the book, chances are you’ve heard at least one of these phrases, because elements of the nightmarish vision evoked in George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, are entrenched in the fabric of our language and culture. It is unusual for a week to go past without some situation being described as ‘Orwellian’, while Big Brother and Room 101 are titles of long-running TV shows. And only last week the issue of surveillance famously explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four surfaced again as emergency powers to allow police and security services to continue monitoring phone and internet records were rushed through parliament. When the novel was published in the late 1940s, the year Orwell chose for the dystopian society inhabited by protagonist Winston Smith was still 35 years off. But three decades on from the fictional future the writer constructed, how much of the world imagined in the book do we see reflected today? Privacy campaigners argue there are strong echoes of aspects of the novel in modern society. Emma Carr, acting director of Big Brother Watch, said: ‘Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was supposed to be a warning, not a guidebook on how to create a surveillance state. Yet, it is remarkable how many tools that were used to suppress in Nineteen Eighty–Four are now part of the everyday surveillance regime in 2014.’ The novel is commonly cited in debates about modern surveillance techniques. In the book, telescreens allow Big Brother to keep subjects under constant watch and the concept of citizens being spied on by officialdom is a hugely controversial issue today. Britain’s CCTV network is one of the largest in the world, while leaked National Security Agency (NSA) files shone a light on the extent of surveillance of online activity. Sales of the novel spiked in the light of the Edward Snowden revelations last year. Professor Richard Keeble, chairman of the Orwell Society, said the writer’s vision of surveillance was ‘hugely prescient’. He added: ‘The disclosures by Edward Snowden suggest that surveillance is going on to an extraordinary degree today.’ American journalist and lecturer Lewis Beale, who last year wrote an article titled ‘We’re Living Nineteen Eighty-Four Today’, described the NSA’s ability to monitor the public’s phone calls and internet use as ‘positively terrifying in its scope’. Jim Edwards, of the Business Insider website, said today’s technology is even more efficient for surveillance purposes than telescreens. ‘Mobile phones and computers do a much better job of tracking our real interests and unspoken desires than a fixed telescreen in a living room, which can only listen to you when you’re in the same room,’ he said. Other features of the novel likened to life today include: – Endless wars – The action of Nineteen Eighty-Four against a backdrop of of perpetual war between the three super-states Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Prof Keeble said there were parallels between the West’s long-running ‘war on terror’. He said: ‘A constant war is what we are living in today.’ – Newspeak – In the novel the official language of Oceania is a pared down version of English used as a mechanism of control. The aim may not be as damaging but the use by organisations of inscrutable jargon is a feature of life today. The Centre for Policy Studies has produced a lexicon of ‘contemporary newspeak’ such as ‘blue-sky thinking’ and ‘key performance indicators’. The Centre’s Lewis Brown said: ‘Newspeak is not just limited to Orwell’s Oceania but frequently serves to obfuscate details of more complex ideas in the real world. ‘Political parties are often guilty; with slogans like “too far, too fast”, “cost of living crisis”, and “the global race”, they aim to convey broad party beliefs to voters while avoiding a nuanced debate. ‘That might be what works in this era of soundbites and hashtags, but we risk losing an understanding of important topics in favour of generic “Ministry of Truth” rhetoric.’ – Censorship – In Orwell’s novel the Ministry of Truth controls the dissemination of information to the public by doctoring photographs and rewriting public archives. Revisionism has made headlines recently in the furore over ‘right to be forgotten’ legislation that allows people to apply to have information removed from Google. It has been likened to the ‘memory holes’ used in the book to destroy documents. Mr Edwards said: ‘The right to be forgotten, in a way, turns everyone into Big Brother. Under this EU ruling, anyone with a desire can suddenly make ancient history all but invisible. It’s not quite the same of course – it only applies to Google and the underlying published sites don’t disappear. ‘ – Torture – Winston Smith is subjected to torture in Room 101. Prof Keeble said: ‘Torture has become very much part of western politics. I think to that extent it [the novel] is prescient.’ – Thought Police – Some drew comparisons between the idea of thought crime explored in the novel and the prosecution in 2007 of Samina Malik, known as the ‘lyrical terrorist’ after she wrote extremist poetry. She was later cleared on appeal. **** 1407-george-orwell There is one major element of life in 2014 that Orwell, who died in 1950, could never have foreseen, Prof Keeble said. ‘He couldn’t possibly have anticipated the extent to which the internet has embraced all of our lives. It was predicted by no one.’ Dr Adam Stock, an Orwell scholar at Newcastle University, said the trend of looking for evidence today of the novel’s ‘predictions’ was not the most significant part of its enduring appeal. He said: ‘We do look to find similarities between, say, CCTV and telescreens, or Snowden’s revelations and the mass data collection of Oceania, but these can never be exact matches. ‘The important question to ask ourselves is therefore why do we still look for these comparisons in a 65 year-old book, set in a future that’s now 30 years in our past? ‘The answer is partly that Nineteen Eighty-Four is a vividly written, memorable novel telling a now familiar story. But I think it’s also partly because of a widely felt sense that there are important things which are wrong with our world, and many of the things that feel wrong are important themes in the novel.’ More In Focus * [comp_homeoffice.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1280px%2C960px&resize=4 80%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong * [savile-comp.jpg?crop=40px%2C314px%2C382px%2C286px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Video shows Jimmy Savile groping young woman live on air * [ad_193885176-e1453460677873.jpg?crop=0px%2C381px%2C2223px%2C1666px &resize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100� 38;h=75] Student makes £14,000 in five months just by entering competitions * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193884167.jpg?crop=142px%2C0px%2C2221px%2C1665px&resize=48 0%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] These two doppelgangers took a DNA test to find out if they're actually related * MORE: Ink twice: Do celebrities and footballers own their tattoos? Does anyone? * MORE: Meet the robots writing your news articles: The rise of automated journalism * MORE: New mothers defend right to eat their placentas after European ruling Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK › In Focus * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » The government could soon be able to access everyone’s browsing history Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us The government could soon be able to access everyone’s browsing history [ashitha-nagesh-e1442239358900.jpg?crop=20px%2C0px%2C509px%2C509px& ;resize=150%2C150&quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40] Ashitha Nagesh for Metro.co.ukFriday 30 Oct 2015 11:42 am The government could soon be able to see everyone's browsing history (Picture: Getty Images/Metro) Continuing its Big Brother impersonation, the government is proposing a bill to allow them to access the internet history of everyone in the country. Communications companies would be legally required to retain all of their customers’ browsing histories for 12 months, in case the police or security agencies want to access them. Senior police officers have been lobbying the government to force companies to retain the data, so they can seize all the details of a website visited, or any searches made, by anyone in the UK. The new bill will be announced by Theresa May next Wednesday in the House of Commons. The government and security forces want to revive measures that were set out in the shelved Communications Data Bill – aka the snooper’s charter. It was blocked by the Lib Dems during the coalition government because it was seen as an intrusion into privacy. CHESHUNT, ENGLAND - JULY 17: PC Kris Seward shows the Prime Minister David Cameron the mobile device as he visits community police in Hertfordshire on July 17, 2013 in Cheshunt, England. The Prime Minister observed the new community police crime prevention initiatives including targeted CCTV and a new PC based mobile device. (Photo by Paul Rogers - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Picture: Getty Images) Tory MP David Davis told The Times: ‘It’s extraordinary they’re asking for this again, they are overreaching and there is no proven need to retain such data for a year.’ And Edward Snowden took to Twitter to criticise the UK government’s introduction of ‘backdoors’ – a ‘mechanism to provide secret access to otherwise confidential communications’. ‘Traditional, effective surveillance means targeting suspects,’ he added. ‘Not a population. Not a technology. Not a service. The suspect.’ A company cannot provide special access to a one government without losing access to the markets of all others. Work for one, work for all. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 28, 2015 But the police claim they are not looking for anything more than what they can already access through phone records. ‘We want to police by consent, and we want to ensure that privacy safeguards are in place,’ Richard Berry, the National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said. ‘But we need to balance this with the needs of the vulnerable and the victims. MORE: Facebook now gives you a warning if the government is spying on you MORE: A spy agency is offering $1m to anyone who can hack the new iOS ‘We essentially need the ‘who, where, when and what’ of any communication – who initiated it, where were they and when did it happen. ‘And a little bit of the ‘what’ – were they on Facebook, or a banking site, or an illegal child-abuse image-sharing website?’ Officers would need to apply for judicial approval to access the content of the websites. More * [comp-death1.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron * [image-119.jpg?crop=156px%2C0px%2C480px%2C360px&resize=480%2C3 60&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics * [ad_193282382.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] The night tube dispute hasn't stopped TfL from spending £600,000 on ads * [ad_194000791.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75� 38;crop=1] Asda and Tesco cut diesel price to six-year low * [ad_193986559.jpg?crop=60px%2C0px%2C1947px%2C1459px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the ideal number of people to sleep with * [ad_193988687.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C510px%2C383px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Yes, that is a man clinging to a bus so he doesn't have to buy a ticket Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: UK * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » New spying apps let you put your other half under surveillance (as long as they’re okay with it) Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us New spying apps let you put your other half under surveillance (as long as they’re okay with it) [alison1.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&crop=1] Alison Lynch for Metro.co.ukMonday 1 Dec 2014 11:26 am Want to know if your other half's cheating? Of course there's an app for that Why trust your loved ones when you can stalk them using a smartphone app? (Picture: stryjekk) Got serious trust issues? Well, don’t worry, there’s a new breed of app that lets you track your other half and find out exactly what they’re up to. Take smartphone app Flexispy. It comes with the reassuring strapline: ‘Many spouses cheat. They all use cell (mobile) phones. Their cell phone will tell you what they won’t.’ Just. Wow. The app lets you read their text messages, keep tabs on their location at all times (no more ‘shady’ solo trips to Burger King), and lets you listen to phone conversations as they happen. In fact, you can even record their surroundings to make absolutely sure they’re up to no good. The sales pitch does allow for a little ‘innocent before proven guilty’ though. Apparently, ‘your spouse may be not be cheating, but it’s the “not knowing” that is the problem — it’s the “not knowing” that creates nagging suspicions and uncertainty that ruin your mind and your relationship.’ Flexispy For insecure partners everywhere (Picture: Flexispy) While Flexispy’s creators stress that it’s completely illegal to use the app without the subject’s consent, critics call this type of technology a ‘stalker’s app’, arguing it could be used as another form of control in domestic abuse situations. However, human rights solicitor Simon McKay told The Times the app was only as malevolent as its user: ‘It’s perfectly permissible to use this kind of software for ensuring your children are safe, or for any other benign purpose, where the motivation is lawful and in good faith,’ he points out. The app can indeed be used to see where your children are at all times and, if you’re worried, keep track of what they’re up to on social media sites like Snapchat. However, in the wrong hands, many still believe this type of spy software raises serious ethical and legal questions. And, y’know, if you feel the need to spend between $149 (£95) and $349 (£223) a year to snoop on your partner, *perhaps* your relationship’s already doomed? MORE: Why do men cheat? How to tell if you should end it or not More * [mg_lush_purple_comp.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100& h=75&crop=1] Lush products have turned more people pink (and Lush is 'red faced' about it) * [penis-tuxedo-by-lelo.jpg?crop=129px%2C0px%2C798px%2C598px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Big plans this Valentine's Day? Jazz up your peen with a mini tuxedo * [metro1.jpg?crop=0px%2C23px%2C800px%2C600px&resize=480%2C360&# 038;quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Deep fried peanut butter is a truly magical thing that exists * [the-swallows-pancakes-and-fruit1-e1453377100150.jpg?quality=80 8;strip=all&w=100&h=75&crop=1] The best vegan breakfasts you can get in a British B&B * [493803729.jpg?crop=117px%2C0px%2C1943px%2C1456px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is why you can't focus * [untitled-11.jpg?crop=80px%2C0px%2C1019px%2C764px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] 22 ridiculous things people believed as kids The Fix More sex. More food. More feelgood. Every weekday. Breathe life(style) into your inbox… ____________________ (BUTTON) Sign up So what's this Fix thing? Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. Girl turns bright pink for three days after misusing Lush products Girl turns bright pink for three days after misusing Lush products 2. Lush products have turned more people pink (and Lush is 'red faced' about it) Lush products have turned more people pink (and Lush is 'red faced' about it) 3. 16 realistic and useful ways to prepare for having a baby 16 realistic and useful ways to prepare for having a baby 4. Deep fried peanut butter is a truly magical thing that exists Deep fried peanut butter is a truly magical thing that exists 5. Pensioner claims migraines have finally been cured after getting a piercing Pensioner claims migraines have finally been cured after getting a piercing More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: Lifestyle * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Google, Facebook and Yahoo deny co-operating with surveillance programme Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Google, Facebook and Yahoo deny co-operating with surveillance programme [jimmy-nsubuga.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=40&h=40&c rop=1] Jimmy Nsubuga for Metro.co.ukSunday 9 Jun 2013 11:22 am Internet giants hit back at snooping claims Google has denied it knowingly cooperated on a surveillance programme on its users (Picture: EPA) Internet giants Google, Facebook and Yahoo have hit back at claims they knowingly co-operated with US authorities over a secret surveillance programme on citizens. Nine internet service providers were identified in a leaked document published by the Guardian and The Washington Post as working with America’s National Security Agency (NSA) on Prism. The programme reportedly followed information from ISP servers in order to help identify any cases of terrorism. But foreign secretary William Hague dismissed as ‘fanciful’ and ‘nonsense’ allegations UK intelligence agency GCHQ colluded on Prism in order to spy on UK citizens. He said: ‘If you are a law-abiding citizen of this country going about your business and personal life you have nothing to fear about the British state or intelligence agencies listening to the content of your phone calls or anything like that.’ America's National Security Agency (NSA) Prism was reported as being carried out by America’s National Security Agency (NSA) (Picture: EPA) Google chief Larry Page denied the reports and insisted his company only complied with the current rules and nothing else. ‘We provide user data to governments only in accordance with the law,’ he wrote in a blog. Foreign Secretary William Hague Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted there was ‘nothing to fear’ from UK intelligence (Picture: Reuters) Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg added on a post on his website: ‘Facebook is not and has never been part of any programme to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers.’ Yahoo also dismissed the claims, with its general counsel Ron Bell saying the idea the company would be involved with Prism was ‘categorically false’. Prism came to light following a story in the Guardian that revealed a similar programme that looked at the phone records of Americans. Hague is due to give a statement to the Commons tomorrow about the allegations. More FacebookGoogleNational Security AgencyPrism * [459643778.jpg?crop=193px%2C0px%2C3023px%2C2266px&resize=480%2 C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders * [sl-trumtations-comp1.jpg?crop=28px%2C0px%2C1127px%2C846px&res ize=480%2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] So someone wrote an erotic novel all about Donald Trump * [haka.jpg?crop=0px%2C14px%2C637px%2C477px&resize=480%2C360 8;quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the best haka you'll ever see and it was at a wedding * [comp-ker.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480%2C36 0&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Meredith Kercher killer Rudy Guede smeared walls with blood 'to understand her' * [sl-greece-migrants.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] At least 42 killed as two migrant boats capsize in Greece * [wilbur-scovilles-151st-birthday-6275288709201920-3-hp2x.png?crop=1 00px%2C0px%2C600px%2C450px&resize=480%2C360&quality=80� 38;strip=all&w=100&h=75] Wilbur Scoville Google Doodle pits you against really hot chillies * MORE: Cadbury named young people’s favourite brand ahead of Amazon, Facebook and YouTube * MORE: Brain cancer survivor gets Facebook ban * MORE: ‘Rate Your Shag’ university Facebook pages deleted after sparking outrage Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron Bedroom Tax claims another victim as mum found hanged with note to David Cameron More trending stories » YOU ARE HERE: World › Facebook * Home * News * Sport * Lifestyle * Entertainment * More + Blogs + Jobs * Search Metro Trending Nutshell MetroUK @MetroUK © 2016 Associated Newspapers Limited Powered by WordPress.com VIP Your ad choices Terms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySite map Back to top Get us in your feed Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter [p?c1=2&c2=6034964&cv=2.0&cj=1] #publisher Metro » Smartphone and email users ‘under mass surveillance’, claims Julian Assange Comments Feed alternate alternate Metro WordPress.com [tr?id=1522229268091476&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NX8Q6N This site uses cookies. By continuing, your consent is assumed. Learn more News... but not as you know it 68.3m shares Trending Nutshell * Home * News + UK + World + Weird + Tech * Sport + Football + Oddballs + Club Metro + Transfer news + Viral videos * Entertainment + Showbiz + TV + Film + Music + Gaming + Celebrity Big Brother + Soaps * Lifestyle + Sex + Fashion + Food + Travel * More + Lifestyle + Blogs + Competitions + Jobs + Property * Search Metro * Follow us Smartphone and email users ‘under mass surveillance’, claims Julian Assange [icon-news-2.png?w=40&h=40&crop=1] Metro Tech Reporter for Metro.co.ukFriday 2 Dec 2011 1:09 pm WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said smartphone and email users are ‘screwed’ because of a ‘mass surveillance industry’. Smartphone and email users ‘under mass surveillance’, claims Julian Assange WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a news conference in central London that his website is releasing new documents as an ‘attack on this mass surveillance industry’ (Picture: AP) WikiLeaks has listed 150 organisations it claims can use phones as tracking devices, as well as intercept messages and listen to calls. The telecommunications information gathered is then sold, Assange said. The procedures are lawful but is leading to a ‘totalitarian surveillance state’, he added. ‘Who here has an iPhone? Who here has a BlackBerry? Who here uses Gmail? You’re all screwed’, he told a press conference at City University. ‘The reality is, intelligence contractors are selling right now to countries across the world mass surveillance systems for all those products.’ He claimed the UK, US, Australia, South Africa and Canada are involved in developing ‘spying systems’, and equipment is being sold to ‘dictators and democracies alike in order to intercept entire populations’. Assange said WikiLeaks was releasing 287 documents about these companies in conjunction with website spyfiles.org as an ‘attack on this mass surveillance industry’. He added that his website is ‘shining a light on this secret industry that has boomed since September 11, 2001 and is worth billions of dollars per year’. More * [sl-car-texts.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C899px%2C675px&resize=480%2C 360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Threatening car tells its driver, ' I will s**t fury all over you and you will drown in it' * [comp_snapchat.jpg?crop=68px%2C0px%2C1066px%2C799px&resize=480 %2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] Student sets up freshers' Snapchat, is quickly flooded with nudes * [iphone1.jpg?crop=30px%2C0px%2C1067px%2C799px&resize=480%2C360 &quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] iPhone 7 leaks: Is this what the new handset will look like? * [1233.png?w=100&h=75&crop=1] World's 'most wanted man' found working at Subway metres from police station * [czvetq2wqaekozz.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75 &crop=1] We can all respect this woman's devotion to proper grammar * [ad_193883569.jpg?crop=0px%2C5px%2C2500px%2C1875px&resize=480% 2C360&quality=80&strip=all&w=100&h=75] This is the red trigger that launches Britain's nuclear weapons * MORE: Julian Assange to face rape charge in Sweden after extradition appeal fails * MORE: Julian Assange rallies protesters at Occupy London Stock Exchange gathering * MORE: Julian Assange: I might be a chauvinist pig, but I’m not a rapist Comments Must read (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) (BUTTON) What's trending now More trending stories » 1. There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders There's a vacancy for your dream job: Lego is hiring model builders 2. Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics Here’s why people are changing their Facebook profile to childhood pics 3. Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong Home Office announces new language test for migrants, spells 'language' wrong 4. This is the ideal number of people to sleep with This is the ideal number of people to sleep with 5. 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LEARN MORE » (BUTTON) Sections (BUTTON) Home (BUTTON) Search Skip to content Skip to navigation View mobile version The New York Times The Opinion Pages|No Right to Anonymity Advertisement (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Subscribe Now (BUTTON) Log In (BUTTON) 0 (BUTTON) Settings (BUTTON) Close search search sponsored by Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com ____________________ (BUTTON) Clear this text input (BUTTON) Go 1. Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Advertisement Supported by The Opinion Pages | Letter No Right to Anonymity SEPT. 22, 2011 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Inside Advertisement Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story To the Editor: Re “Protect Our Right to Anonymity,” by Jeffrey Rosen (Op-Ed, Sept. 13): Mr. Rosen is right to worry about the fact that enhanced technology is a danger to anonymity. But it is unclear why he thinks that anonymity is something to which we have a constitutional right. The Fourth Amendment protects the right to privacy, but privacy is not the same as anonymity. I have the right that the state not use intrusive means (breaking the lock on my diary, placing a listening device on my phone, cracking e-mail encryption, training a thermal imager on my home) without judicial permission to acquire information about me. But I have no judicially protected right that the state not acquire such information by nonintrusive means. If it were otherwise, then a police officer’s recognizing me while walking down the street would, all by itself, infringe my Fourth Amendment rights. SAMUEL C. RICKLESS San Diego, Sept. 14, 2011 The writer is a professor of philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. What's Next Loading... 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LEARN MORE » (BUTTON) Sections (BUTTON) Home (BUTTON) Search Skip to content Skip to navigation View mobile version The New York Times Politics|Obama Won’t Seek Access to Encrypted User Data Advertisement (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Subscribe Now (BUTTON) Log In (BUTTON) 0 (BUTTON) Settings (BUTTON) Close search search sponsored by Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com ____________________ (BUTTON) Clear this text input (BUTTON) Go http://nyti.ms/1Osg1bv 1. Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Advertisement Supported by Politics Obama Won’t Seek Access to Encrypted User Data By NICOLE PERLROTH and DAVID E. SANGEROCT. 10, 2015 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Inside Photo President Obama hosted a state dinner at the White House for President Xi Jinping of China in September. Timothy D. Cook, the chief executive of Apple, sat at the head table with Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi. Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times Advertisement Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story CUPERTINO, Calif. — The Obama administration has backed down in its bitter dispute with Silicon Valley over the encryption of data on iPhones and other digital devices, concluding that it is not possible to give American law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to that information without also creating an opening that China, Russia, cybercriminals and terrorists could exploit. * * * * With its decision, which angered the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, the administration essentially agreed with Apple, Google, Microsoft and a group of the nation’s top cryptographers and computer scientists that millions of Americans would be vulnerable to hacking if technology firms and smartphone manufacturers were required to provide the government with “back doors,” or access to their source code and encryption keys. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage * Apple and Other Tech Companies Tangle With U.S. Over Data AccessSEPT. 7, 2015 * Security Experts Oppose Government Access to Encrypted CommunicationJULY 7, 2015 * Tech Giants Urge Obama to Reject Policies That Weaken EncryptionMAY 19, 2015 That would enable the government to see messages, photographs and other data now routinely encrypted on smartphones. Current technology puts the keys for access to the information in the hands of the individual user, not the companies. Photo Timothy D. Cook of Apple opposes a “back door” to data. Credit Richard Drew/Associated Press The first indication of the retreat came on Thursday, when the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the administration would not seek legislation to compel the companies to create such a portal. But the decision, made at the White House a week ago, goes considerably beyond that. While the administration said it would continue to try to persuade companies like Apple and Google to assist in criminal and national security investigations, it determined that the government should not force them to breach the security of their products. In essence, investigators will have to hope they find other ways to get what they need, from data stored in the cloud in unencrypted form or transmitted over phone lines, which are covered by a law that affects telecommunications providers but not the technology giants. Mr. Comey had expressed alarm a year ago after Apple introduced an operating system that encrypted virtually everything contained in an iPhone. What frustrated him was that Apple had designed the system to ensure that the company never held on to the keys, putting them entirely in the hands of users through the codes or fingerprints they use to get into their phones. As a result, if Apple is handed a court order for data — until recently, it received hundreds every year — it could not open the coded information. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Comey compared that system to the creation of a door no law officers could enter, or a car trunk they could not unlock. His concern about what the F.B.I. calls the “going dark” problem received support from the director of the National Security Agency and other intelligence officials. But after a year of study and extensive White House debate, President Obama and his advisers have reached a broad conclusion that an effort to compel the companies to give the government access would fail, both politically and technologically. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “This looks promising, but there’s still going to be tremendous pressure from law enforcement,” said Peter G. Neumann, one of the nation’s leading computer scientists and a co-author of a paper that examined the government’s proposal for special access. “The N.S.A. is capable of dealing with the cryptography for now, but law enforcement is going to have real difficulty with this. This is never a done deal.” In the paper, released in July, Mr. Neumann and other top cryptographers and computer scientists argued that there was no way for the government to have a back door into encrypted communications without creating an opening that would be exploited by Chinese and Russian intelligence agents, cybercriminals and terrorist groups. Inside the White House, the Office of Science and Technology Policy came largely to the same conclusion. Those determinations surprised the F.B.I. and local law enforcement officials, who had believed just months ago that the White House would ultimately embrace their efforts. The intelligence agencies were less vocal, which may reflect their greater capability to search for and gather information. The National Security Agency spends vast sums to get around digital encryption, and it has tools and resources that local law enforcement officials still do not have and most likely never will. Disclosures by the former N.S.A. contractor Edward J. Snowden showed the extent of the agency’s focus on cracking and circumventing the encryption of digital communications, including those of Apple, Facebook, Google and Yahoo users. There were other motivations for the administration’s decision. Mr. Obama and his aides had come to fear that the United States could set a precedent that China and other nations would emulate, requiring Apple, Google and the rest of America’s technology giants to provide them with the same access, officials said. Timothy D. Cook, the chief executive of Apple, sat at the head table with Mr. Obama and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, at a state dinner at the White House last month. According to government officials and industry executives, Mr. Cook told Mr. Obama that the Chinese were waiting for an opportunity to seize on administration action to insist that Apple devices, which are also encrypted in China, be open to Beijing’s agents. In January, three months after Mr. Comey began pressing companies for special government access, Chinese officials had threatened to do just that: They considered submitting foreign companies to invasive audits and requiring them to build back doors into their hardware and software. Those rules have not been put into effect. The Obama administration’s position was also undercut by officials’ inability to keep their own data safe from Chinese hackers, as shown by the extensive cyberattack at the Office of Personnel Management discovered this year. That breach, and its aftermath, called into question whether the government could keep the keys to the world’s communications safe from its adversaries in cyberspace. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story White House officials said they would continue trying to persuade technology companies to help them in investigations, but they did not specify how. “As the president has said, the United States will work to ensure that malicious actors can be held to account, without weakening our commitment to strong encryption,” said Mark Stroh, a spokesman for the National Security Council. “As part of those efforts, we are actively engaged with private companies to ensure they understand the public safety and national security risks that result from malicious actors’ use of their encrypted products and services. However, the administration is not seeking legislation at this time.” But here in Silicon Valley, executives did not think the government’s announcement went far enough. According to administration officials and technology executives, Mr. Cook of Apple has pressed the White House for a clear statement that it will never seek a back door in any form, legislative or technical — a statement he hoped to take to Beijing, Moscow and even London. Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain has threatened to ban encrypted devices and services, like the iPhone and Facebook’s popular WhatsApp messaging service, but has done nothing so far to make good on that threat. Technology executives are determined to reassure customers abroad that American intelligence agencies are not reading their digital communications. It is an effort driven by economics: 64 percent of Apple’s revenue originates overseas. Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft argue that people put not only their conversations but their entire digital lives — medical records, tax returns, bank accounts — into a device that slips into their pocket. While Mr. Obama has repeatedly said he is sympathetic to the concerns of law enforcement officials, he made clear during a visit to Silicon Valley in February that he was also aware of privacy concerns and that he sought to balance both interests. Technologists responded that, with regard to encryption, no such balance existed. “The real problem is, I don’t see any middle ground for dumbing down everything to make special access possible and having the secure systems we need for commerce, government and everything else,” Mr. Neumann said. A version of this article appears in print on October 11, 2015, on page A24 of the New York edition with the headline: Obama Won’t Seek Door to Encrypted User Data. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe What's Next Loading... 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See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Advertisement Supported by Technology | Business Briefing Microsoft Challenges Warrant for Emails Stored in Ireland By REUTERSSEPT. 9, 2015 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Inside Advertisement Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Microsoft asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to block the United States government from forcing the company to hand over a customer’s emails stored on a server in Ireland, warning that the precedent would create a “global free-for-all” that eviscerates personal privacy. The case is the first in which an American company has challenged a warrant seeking data held abroad. The appeal centers on a search warrant seeking the emails of an unidentified person in Dublin as part of a drug investigation. Nearly 100 organizations and individuals filed briefs in support of Microsoft’s position, including tech giants like Apple and media companies like McClatchy. A version of this brief appears in print on September 10, 2015, on page B2 of the New York edition with the headline: Microsoft Challenges Warrant for Emails Stored in Ireland. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe What's Next Loading... Go to Home Page » Site Index The New York Times Site Index Navigation News * World * U.S. * Politics * N.Y. * Business * Tech * Science * Health * Sports * Education * Obituaries * Today's Paper * Corrections Opinion * Today's Opinion * Op-Ed Columnists * Editorials * Contributing Writers * Op-Ed Contributors * Opinionator * Letters * Sunday Review * Taking Note * Room for Debate * Public Editor * Video: Opinion Arts * Today's Arts * Art & Design * ArtsBeat * Books * Dance * Movies * Music * N.Y.C. 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See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Advertisement Supported by Personal Tech Hacking Victims Deserve Empathy, Not Ridicule Farhad Manjoo Farhad Manjoo STATE OF THE ART SEPT. 2, 2015 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Inside Advertisement Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Every day for nearly two weeks, Troy Hunt, an Australian Internet security expert, has opened up his computer to find a plea for help from someone on the edge. * * * * “I have contemplated suicide daily for the past week,” one person recently told Mr. Hunt. “My two beautiful children and my wife are keeping me alive. I am very worried that her family and others will find out, making it extremely difficult for her to stay with me.” Another wrote, “I imagine my grown kids finding out, my neighbors, friends, co-workers, and sometimes I just want to end it all before facing something like that.” Mr. Hunt runs Have I Been Pwned?, a site that lets people determine if their data has been compromised in one of the online security breaches that have made headlines over the last few years. For the victims, most of those breaches resulted in little more than minor frustrations — changing a password, say, or getting a new credit card. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage * Ashley Madison Users Face Threats of Blackmail and Identity Theft * Ashley Madison Chief Steps Down After Data Breach * Bits Blog: Security Blogger May Have New Lead in Ashley Madison Hacking But the theft and disclosure of more than 30 million accounts from Ashley Madison, a site that advertises itself as a place for married people to discreetly set up extramarital affairs, is different. After the hacking, many victims have been plunged into the depths of despair. In addition to those contemplating suicide, dozens have told Mr. Hunt that they feared losing their jobs and families, and they expected to be humiliated among friends and co-workers. Photo Credit Stuart Goldenberg There has been a tendency in the tech commentariat to minimize the Ashley Madison breach. The site has always seemed like a joke and possibly a scheme, and those who fell for it a testament to the Internet’s endless capacity to separate fools from their money. But the victims of the Ashley Madison hacking deserve our sympathy and aid because, with slightly different luck, you or I could just as easily find ourselves in a similarly sorry situation. This breach stands as a monument to the blind trust many of us have placed in our computers — and how powerless we all are to evade the disasters that may befall us when the trust turns out to be misplaced. Advertisement Continue reading the main story State of the Art A column from Farhad Manjoo that examines how technology is changing business and society. * Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future * Why Media Titans Would Be Wise Not to Overlook Netflix * On Display at CES, Tech Ideas in Their Awkward Adolescence * For the New Year, Let’s Resolve to Improve Our Tech Literacy * In a Self-Serve World, Start-Ups Find Value in Human Helpers See More » “I feel reticent to blame people for ignorance or the consequences of their actions when they’re simply sitting there at home doing something perfectly reasonable in an environment where there was an expectation set for privacy,” Mr. Hunt told me. “I think what this does is demonstrate that everything you put online may become public.” There are several steps to take to minimize future damage from hackings like this one. But first, we could all become a bit more tolerant of online lapses; maybe the way to solve the problem of rampant disclosure of private stuff is to strive to look away from the stuff when it leaks — and to give those who’ve been harmed the benefit of the doubt. Second, we should all learn a little “opsec” — hackers’ jargon for “operational security,” or a guide for conducting yourself online to minimize the possibility of your secrets getting spilled. It wouldn’t hurt the tech industry to help us in that endeavor, building warnings and guidelines into the same machines that are leaking our secrets. Perhaps we should even start teaching opsec in schools. Advertisement Continue reading the main story So, Step 1: Even though it may be difficult, try to give people caught up in this breach the benefit of the doubt. Sure, some Ashley Madison users may have been unsavory, but some were not — and who among us doesn’t have something to hide? “It’s easy to be snarky about Ashley Madison, but just because it’s unpopular or even immoral, it doesn’t mean this sort of activity shouldn’t be protected,” said Scott L. Vernick, a lawyer who specializes in digital privacy issues at the firm Fox Rothschild. “This gets at fundamental issues like freedom of speech and freedom of association — today it’s Ashley Madison, tomorrow it could be some other group that deserves protection.” Photo Credit Minh Uong/The New York Times Everyone has some data — probably a lot of it — buried in their vast digital record that they would rather not disclose publicly. That problem will grow; in the last couple of decades, computers have come to function less as office tools than as friends and therapists. The digital world has become a place to offload your deepest fears and desires, to seek discreet counsel and surreptitious amusement under the veil of privacy offered by an LCD screen. But much of that privacy is an illusion. If hackers can get at our fetishes on Ashley Madison, they can get at anything else — your nude selfies (don’t deny them), your embarrassing taste in music (Nickelback’s early stuff was great), your health records or whatever else you would prefer remained secret. Given that inevitability, it might be best to approach disclosures like this one by consulting the Golden Rule. When you hear of some new breach, don’t sniff around the pilfered documents for other people’s secrets if you wouldn’t want others to dig into yours. Mr. Hunt’s website, Have I Been Pwned?, abides by this policy; he requires that people verify they own a particular email address before searching his Ashley Madison database. Many other search sites are not as scrupulous, which Mr. Hunt said has inspired an army of busybodies to search for everyone they know. But he pointed out that the snoops might not have considered mitigating factors in this hacking. Ashley Madison did not ask users to verify email addresses, which means anyone could have signed up with someone else’s email address. Others may have logged on just once, because they were curious, joking, intoxicated or being ironic. In other words, a positive hit in the Ashley Madison database doesn’t tell the full story. And, anyway, the full story may be none of your business. “Some people need to get a life,” Mr. Hunt said. Of course, some people won’t get a life; they’ll want to search for you. That brings us to Step 2 in the plan for better privacy: When you’re online, act as if everything you do is public. If you’re engaging in anything that may one day come back to haunt you, take precautions: Create a fake name, fake email address, perhaps use a different device, and try to separate your underground identity from your true identity. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story This is easier than it sounds. A person who goes by the handle thegrugq, the author of a blog called Hacker OPSEC (and whose real identity is, of course, a secret), has published several practical guides that explain how to protect your information online. If we, collectively, were to begin to take online security more seriously, such guides could be taught in schools — imagine a kind of home ec for computer security. It would be even better if our computers somehow warned us when we were violating these practices — say, a pop-up warning if your machine detected you were typing a work address on an adult site. Still, thegrugq counseled in an email, these precautions are not foolproof. “Security is a trade-off against efficiency, and that can be very painful,” thegrugq said. “Few people will reduce the ease with which they can do something just because it might have a future benefit (just ask economists)!” But maybe the dangers will prompt us all to remain vigilant. “True online security is not just defending against compromise, it’s operating under the assumption that compromise will happen,” SwiftOnSecurity, a security expert who assumes the online persona of a security-minded version of the pop star Taylor Swift as a kind of Twitter-based performance art, told me in a private chat. She added: “Your online life will extend across 60+ years. Imagine the changes. Imagine the disasters. Imagine what the world shouldn’t know about you that someday it will.” Email: farhad.manjoo@nytimes.com; Twitter: @fmanjoo A version of this article appears in print on September 3, 2015, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Empathy, Not Ridicule, After Breach . Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe What's Next Loading... Go to Home Page » Site Index The New York Times Site Index Navigation News * World * U.S. * Politics * N.Y. * Business * Tech * Science * Health * Sports * Education * Obituaries * Today's Paper * Corrections Opinion * Today's Opinion * Op-Ed Columnists * Editorials * Contributing Writers * Op-Ed Contributors * Opinionator * Letters * Sunday Review * Taking Note * Room for Debate * Public Editor * Video: Opinion Arts * Today's Arts * Art & Design * ArtsBeat * Books * Dance * Movies * Music * N.Y.C. 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We would love to hear from you. * Contact Us * Work With Us * Advertise * Your Ad Choices * Privacy * Terms of Service * Terms of Sale Site Information Navigation * Site Map * Help * Site Feedback * Subscriptions #alternate alternate NYTimes.com no longer supports Internet Explorer 9 or earlier. Please upgrade your browser. LEARN MORE » (BUTTON) Sections (BUTTON) Home (BUTTON) Search Skip to content Skip to navigation View mobile version The New York Times Technology|Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details Advertisement (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Subscribe Now (BUTTON) Log In (BUTTON) 0 (BUTTON) Settings (BUTTON) Close search search sponsored by Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com ____________________ (BUTTON) Clear this text input (BUTTON) Go http://nyti.ms/1JvgFSl 1. Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Advertisement Supported by Technology Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details By NATASHA SINGERAUG. 30, 2015 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Inside Photo Ken Mitchell, who retired last year as superintendent of the South Orangetown school district in New York, had raised concerns about use of data. Credit Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times Advertisement Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story If the efforts by state legislators to restrict the use of student data are any guide, the email addresses and search queries of the nation’s schoolchildren are a hot commodity. * * * * In May, Georgia adopted a law barring online services designed for elementary through high school from selling or sharing students’ names, email addresses, test results, grades or socioeconomic or disability information. It also bars them from using the data to target students with ads. In August, Delaware enacted a law that forbids online school services from selling students’ personal details — including their political or religious affiliations, food purchases, text messages, photos, videos and web searches — or using the information to market to them. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage * Economic View: When Guarding Student Data Endangers Valuable ResearchJUNE 13, 2015 * Silicon Valley Turns Its Eye to EducationJAN. 11, 2015 * Some Schools Embrace Demands for Education DataMAY 11, 2015 * App Smart: Video Feature: Back-to-School Apps for the Organized StudentAUG. 26, 2015 Those are just two of the 182 bills introduced in 46 states this year intended to bolster protections for student information, according to a report this month from Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit group that advocates the effective use of student data in education. Fifteen of those states have passed 28 laws, said the group, which is financed in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Photo Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center: “More forward-thinking legislation will have to confront the issue of the overcollection of student data.” Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times The activity stands in stark contrast to legislative interest just two years ago, when Oklahoma was the only state to pass such legislation. It also provides a clear indication of the rapid adoption of learning apps in classrooms — and of concerns that these novel technologies generate a trove of new data about students that could be used in unforeseen ways. Many of the new tools are designed to tailor learning to each child. To achieve that sort of customization, the software may collect and analyze a vast array of details about the habits and activities of individual students. These apps and sites represent a small but growing segment of the overall market for prekindergarten through 12th-grade education software, estimated at about $8.4 billion last year. But already, the data collection has raised concerns among lawmakers and parents about whether school districts are equipped to monitor and manage how schools and online education services safeguard students’ personal details. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Some legislators have pointed out the potential for identity theft and predatory marketing. Continue reading the main story Related in Opinion * Opinion: D.I.Y. Education Before YouTubeJULY 11, 2015 “We want to make sure that companies are not selling the data, using it for targeted marketing to students or using it in any other way that is not their business to use,” said John Albers, a Republican member of the Georgia State Senate. Mr. Albers sponsored the legislation that was adopted in his state this year restricting the use of student information by school vendors. As schools themselves increasingly analyze socioeconomic, behavioral and emotional data about students, some parents are more troubled by the possibility that the data could be used in making decisions that are damaging to their children, potentially affecting their college or job prospects. “If we are going to look at new ways of holding schools accountable — Are they helping kids learn? Are they preparing them for what’s next? — we need more than just reading and math scores,” said Paige Kowalski, the vice president for policy and advocacy at Data Quality Campaign. “Folks are looking at social-emotional indicators, and that has raised concerns.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story School districts have long kept records of students’ academic performance and extracurricular activities, their health conditions, gender, race and eligibility for reduced-price school lunches. Educational apps, homework portals, digital cafeteria payment systems and other programs may log even more granular information in real time — about how students study, where they go, what they eat and whom they interact with and when. Many schools give students Gmail or Microsoft email addresses and use those companies’ programs for student calendars, documents, web searches and file-sharing. Some also employ data-driven math and language apps; these are tools that may record and analyze thousands of pieces of data about each student with the aim of customizing lessons on the spot to that student’s abilities and tastes. In an effort to quell some parents’ concerns about the use of that information — and simultaneously ease the way for technology adoption in schools — states last year introduced more than 100 student data bills. California, a national trendsetter in privacy legislation, enacted a landmark law that specifically prohibits online school services from using students’ personal data to show them personalized ads; more generally, the law bars the services from employing student data for nonschool purposes. This year, about two dozen states introduced similar bills. And five bills have been introduced in Congress aimed at protecting student information. About 170 companies — including Apple, Google and Microsoft — have agreed to a voluntary industry pledge that obligates companies not to use the student data collected by their classroom products for personalized advertising. Industry advocates, however, say the hodgepodge of state efforts could backfire — by limiting the learning apps available to schools. Many fledgling digital education companies may not have the capacity to tailor their products to the widely varying student data-handling rules of different states, said Mark Schneiderman, the senior director of education policy at the Software and Information Industry Association, a trade group. “Will certain markets be left behind?” he asked. But as schools collect and analyze a wealth of details about students, some parents are raising questions about the fair and appropriate use of their children’s data that go much deeper than marketing issues. One day last year, for instance, Kerisha Harris’s daughter came home from first grade with a letter from school saying she was overweight. Ms. Harris, a web producer for a local television station in Weston, Fla., said the school had neither asked her permission to calculate her daughter’s body mass index nor notified the family about its obesity-intervention program. She said her daughter was too young at the time to fully comprehend what had occurred. Still, Ms. Harris said she personally found the data collection invasive and the report inaccurate. “If I want to disclose information about my child, my family, my socioeconomic status, I should be the one to decide, not the school,” Ms. Harris said. “My kids are there to learn, not to be part of a data set.” Some evidence-based education researchers would like to see school administrators require rigorous pilot studies to establish whether data-driven programs result in better outcomes for students before introducing the efforts districtwide or statewide. That includes information about students collected and maintained by the schools. A recent study on school tracking of body mass index, for example, reported that students whose families received school notices that their children were overweight showed no significant differences in B.M.I. scores after two years compared with students who were not screened. Despite the reported lack of benefit — and the potential for harm to student self-esteem — obesity tracking and notification programs continue in many schools. “The elephant in the room is the efficacy of wholesale student data collection,” said Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a research group in Washington. “More forward-thinking legislation will have to confront the issue of the overcollection of student data.” A version of this article appears in print on August 31, 2015, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Data . Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe What's Next Loading... 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We would love to hear from you. * Contact Us * Work With Us * Advertise * Your Ad Choices * Privacy * Terms of Service * Terms of Sale Site Information Navigation * Site Map * Help * Site Feedback * Subscriptions #Bits » France Rejects Google’s Efforts to Limit Application of Privacy Ruling Comments Feed From EyeEm, Technology to See and Tag Photos Daily Report: Kickstarter Becomes a ‘Public Benefit Corporation’ RSS 2.0 alternate (BUTTON) Sections (BUTTON) Home (BUTTON) Search Skip to content The New York Times Bits | France Rejects Google’s Efforts to Limit Application of Privacy Ruling Advertisement (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Subscribe Now (BUTTON) Log In (BUTTON) (BUTTON) 0 (BUTTON) Settings (BUTTON) Close search search sponsored by Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com ____________________ (BUTTON) Clear this text input (BUTTON) Go 1. Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Supported by Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society ____________________ (BUTTON) Search Privacy France Rejects Google’s Efforts to Limit Application of Privacy Ruling By Mark Scott September 21, 2015 5:29 am September 21, 2015 5:29 am (BUTTON) France’s privacy watchdog just will not take no for an answer. On Monday, the country’s data protection authority rejected Google’s efforts to limit how a landmark European privacy ruling may be applied worldwide. That privacy decision was handed down last year by Europe’s top court, and allowed anyone with connections to Europe to request that global search engines remove links to items about themselves from queries. Several European privacy regulators, particularly in France, have urged that this so-called right to be forgotten be applied to all of Google’s search domains. In contrast, Google has argued that the privacy ruling should apply only to European websites like Google.de in Germany or Google.fr in France. The standoff took another turn on Monday after the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, or C.N.I.L., the French privacy watchdog, said that it had rejected Google’s appeal for the ruling to be limited to Europe. The country’s data protection agency said that limiting the privacy decision to just domains in Europe could be easily bypassed by individuals based in the 28-member European Union, which would nullify the court’s privacy ruling. The watchdog also said that once Google had agreed to remove the links, the company was required to apply the decision across all of its domains, not just those in Europe. The regulator rejected an assertion by Google that it was trying to extend French control over how people around the world retrieve online information. Google has said that France’s efforts may lead other countries, particularly those governed by authoritarian governments, to try to gain similar control over global Internet access. “Contrary to what Google has stated, this decision does not show any willingness on the part of the C.N.I.L. to apply French law extraterritorially,” the agency said in a statement on Monday. “It simply requests full observance of European legislation by non-European players offering their services in Europe.” The watchdog said that Google must now apply the privacy decision to its global domains or face fines that could total as much as $340,000. Google was fined $170,000 last year for failing to adhere to France’s rules in a separate privacy case. The company may appeal any potential fine in the French courts. Google said on Monday that it disagreed with the French regulator’s aim to expand the right-to-be-forgotten ruling beyond Europe’s borders. “We’ve worked hard to implement the right to be forgotten ruling thoughtfully and comprehensively in Europe, and we’ll continue to do so,” the company said in a statement. The French regulator has emphasized that it does not want to control how people around the world surf the web, yet Google and free-speech campaigners have balked at Europe’s attempts to spread the right-to-be-forgotten ruling to other jurisdictions. In a blog post published in July, Peter Fleischer, Google’s global privacy counsel, said that no country should control the type of online content available in other nations. He added that such practices could lead to multiple countries’ trying to outdo one another with strict rules, which could eventually reduce all types of materials that are available online. France’s efforts to regulate online privacy come as people in the country remain the most active in Europe when it comes to seeking the removal of online links about themselves. So far, more than 66,000 such requests based on almost 220,000 online links have been submitted by people living in France, the largest figure of any European country, according to Google’s latest transparency report. A version of this article appears in print on 09/22/2015, on page B2 of the NewYork edition with the headline: France Rejects Google Again Over Privacy . (BUTTON) Privacy, Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), Fleischer, Peter, France, Privacy What's Next Loading... * Previous Post From EyeEm, Technology to See and Tag Photos * Next Post Daily Report: Kickstarter Becomes a ‘Public Benefit Corporation’ Visit the Technology section for complete coverage of the industry. » Most Viewed 1. 1. When a Unicorn Start-Up Stumbles, Its Employees Get Hurt 2. 2. 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Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Supported by Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society ____________________ (BUTTON) Search Privacy With ‘Brandeis’ Project, Darpa Seeks to Advance Privacy Technology By Steve Lohr September 14, 2015 9:00 am September 14, 2015 9:00 am (BUTTON) The Pentagon’s advanced research arm is pursing privacy technology. And this time, it is technology intended to protect individual privacy rather than compromise it. The new emphasis is a very different path from the one taken after the Sept. 11 attacks, when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, embarked on the Total Information Awareness program. It was to be an all-seeing digital surveillance system to hunt for terrorists. The outcry from privacy advocates prompted Congress to shut it down. But the technologies developed by Darpa made their way into the intelligence agencies and the electronic-spying program that so disturbed Edward J. Snowden, who leaked tens of thousands of documents. The new Darpa program is called Brandeis, a nod to the guiding principle of the research initiative. Louis Brandeis, a progressive lawyer who became a Supreme Court justice, was the co-author with Samuel D. Warren of an influential essay, “The Right to Privacy.” Published in Harvard Law Review in 1890, it forcefully made the case that safeguarding privacy was essential to individual freedom. The Brandeis manifesto was published two years after the introduction of the Kodak film camera, a privacy-threatening technology of its day. It could quickly capture images, recording people in normal poses and spontaneous moments. The previous wet-plate, lithographic cameras required their subjects to present themselves in frozen stillness. But with a hand-held Kodak camera, photo snappers were suddenly taking pictures of people in public places — downtowns, ballrooms and beaches. The “camera fiends” were seen as a menace, and banned from beaches and from the Washington Monument for a while. But while the times and the technology have changed, the fundamentals have not, according to John Launchbury, the Darpa program director for Brandeis. Privacy, he said, is a value at the heart of a free society, and an engine of progress. Photo John Launchbury, the director of Darpa’s Brandeis program. John Launchbury, the director of Darpa’s Brandeis program.Credit Sun Vega “Privacy is a key enabler to things we care desperately about, like democracy and innovation,” Dr. Launchbury, a computer scientist and cryptographer, said in an interview on Friday. Brandeis was one of several emerging-technology programs highlighted at a three-day conference last week in St. Louis, where Darpa invited 1,200 scientists and technologists from academia, large companies and start-ups. The event was part of the agency’s drive in recent years to woo leading researchers and entrepreneurs to collaborate with Darpa. That effort has been a hallmark of the tenure of Arati Prabhakar, a trained physicist and former Silicon Valley venture capitalist, who became the head of Darpa in 2012. Brandeis is just getting underway. The companies and universities joining the program have been selected. But most are still negotiating contract terms, with only a few announced, including SRI International and Stealth Software. The kickoff meeting for the participants will be in October. The program will run for four and a half years, and its budget will be “tens of millions of dollars,” Dr. Launchbury said. Many companies and university researchers are working on privacy-protecting technologies. Yet Darpa will support early stage research in areas like advanced cryptography, a field known as multiparty differential privacy, and machine-learning software that can learn and predict a person’s privacy preferences — a clever digital assistant for privacy protection. The latter would be a big change from the complex privacy settings on search engines and websites now, which is a major reason much of the online population just accepts the default settings. The free flow of data, Dr. Launchbury noted, should be enormously valuable across every industry and scientific discipline. But that will only happen in an environment of trust, where, he said, the prevailing attitude is that “you feel so in control of your data that you enable greater sharing at your discretion.” Today, the data world is pretty much wide open, and entire industries rely on mining and marketing people’s data. If people have the ability to limit which of their digital footprints can be seen or tracked, doesn’t that undermine the business model of many ad-based Internet companies, including Google and Facebook? Not necessarily, Dr. Launchbury replied. “It would be a matter of, You can use this data for these purposes in exchange for a set of free services,” he said. “At least then it’s a negotiation.” Naming the program Brandeis suggests a recognition that technology will be only a part of the answer to privacy challenges. So will an evolving legal framework and public attitudes. “Privacy is such a huge space,” Dr. Launchbury said. “What we’re working on here is not a solution. But we’re hoping to develop a new technical capability and society can decide whether it wants to use it.” A version of this article appears in print on 09/21/2015, on page B4 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Darpa Project Seeks to Advance Privacy Tech. (BUTTON) Privacy, Brandeis, Louis D, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Privacy, Snowden, Edward J What's Next Loading... * Previous Post Daily Report: New Week, New Tech Conference * Next Post Apple Says iPhone Pre-Orders Are Beating Last Year’s Pace Visit the Technology section for complete coverage of the industry. » Most Viewed 1. 1. When a Unicorn Start-Up Stumbles, Its Employees Get Hurt 2. 2. Uber’s No-Holds-Barred Expansion Strategy Fizzles in Germany 3. 3. Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future 4. 4. Fans Demand Details After Death of a 13-Year-Old YouTube Star 5. 5. 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Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Supported by Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society ____________________ (BUTTON) Search The Rules of In-Store Surveillance By Quentin Hardy July 18, 2013 8:58 pm July 18, 2013 8:58 pm (BUTTON) You can tell when a powerful new technology, like tracking people as they shop, is coming of age. It starts trying to persuade people it is a force for good, and it broadens its reach and capabilities. Take the the observation and data collection techniques used by online retailers that are now moving into the physical world. Cellphone signals, special apps and our movements tracked by software-enhanced cameras in stores are the equivalent of the tracking cookies in Internet browsers. Most people don’t seem to mind being tracked online, if the low percentage of people who disable cookies is any indication. (Studies suggest the number is below 10 percent.) Offline tracking, though, still seems to be a concern. Nordstrom discontinued using one mobile phone tracking system, produced by Euclid Analytics, after shoppers complained. That may be because the systems are new, and some people see more harm than benefit from the surveillance. Photo Euclid Analytics' tools show how rich the data from tracking people's behaviors can be. Euclid Analytics' tools show how rich the data from tracking people's behaviors can be.Credit On Tuesday, several companies involved in offline tracking announced that they would be working with a Washington-based research group, the Future of Privacy Forum, to develop a series of “best practices” for privacy controls for what it called “retail location analytics,” or tracking. Euclid was among the sponsors, along with WirelessWerx, Mexia Interactive and ShopperTrak. The Future of Privacy Forum is primarily supported by corporations, with extensive financing from the technology sector. According to Jules Polonetsky, its director and co-chairman, the organization also has an advisory board that includes “chief privacy officers, privacy academics and privacy advocates.” On Thursday, Euclid also announced it was producing a series of analytics tools for specialty retailers, which it said would help stores make better decisions about things like operating hours and inventory. The product, which is primarily a comparison tool, also shows how rich the data from tracking people online can be. “We’re offering benchmarking, so we can say ‘Your customer capture rate is 8 percent, and this week the average for your sector is 10 percent,’” said Will Smith, the chief executive of Euclid. “The question is not whether something is good or bad, but what something means.” Mr. Smith would not provide specifics, but said his company’s product was now in hundreds of malls across the United States, and had captured information on thousands of shoppers at dozens of retailers. “We can tell if someone has visited multiple outlets of a store on the same day, which indicates they couldn’t find the product they wanted at the first one,” he said. “You can assume a lot of others went to a competitor.” Mr. Smith emphasized that the data Euclid supplied to retailers was made anonymous and delivered in aggregated forms, which he said made it unsuited to personally identifying customers. But the data gathered by the company, which Mr. Smith founded with the former head of Google Analytics, can be used to determine things like whether a Starbucks’ customer with a loyalty card stays longer at the coffee shop, or how often a store is acquiring repeat shoppers. Over time, it is likely that at least some customers will accept tracking, particularly if offered incentives like free mall parking in exchange for visiting a specific store. “People became used to Web analytics,” Mr. Smith said, “Amazon’s customer experience is 10 times better because of the data it gathers on people. Shorter lines and good in-store service can also come from data.” (BUTTON) Big Data, Policy, Computers and the Internet, Customer Loyalty Programs, Data-Mining and Database Marketing, Euclid, Future of Privacy Forum, Polonetsky, Jules, Privacy, Shopping and Retail, Smith, Will What's Next Loading... * Previous Post Amazon Rejected as Domain Name After South American Objections * Next Post Daily Report: Dell Delays Vote on Sale to Founder Visit the Technology section for complete coverage of the industry. » Most Viewed 1. 1. When a Unicorn Start-Up Stumbles, Its Employees Get Hurt 2. 2. Uber’s No-Holds-Barred Expansion Strategy Fizzles in Germany 3. 3. Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future 4. 4. Fans Demand Details After Death of a 13-Year-Old YouTube Star 5. 5. 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Events Guide * Blogs * Multimedia * Photography * Video * NYT Store * Times Journeys * Subscribe * Manage My Account Subscribe * Subscribe * Times Insider * Home Delivery * Digital Subscriptions * NYT Opinion * Crossword * Email Newsletters * Alerts * Gift Subscriptions * Corporate Subscriptions * Education Rate * Mobile Applications * Replica Edition * International New York Times * © 2016 The New York Times Company * Contact Us * Work With Us * Advertise * Your Ad Choices * Privacy * Terms of Service * Terms of Sale * Site Map * Help * Site Feedback * Subscriptions #Bits » Facebook to Update Privacy Policy, but Adjusting Settings Is No Easier Comments Feed Today’s Scuttlebot: Prisoners Imagine the Internet Daily Report: Start-Ups That Could Be the Next Big Thing RSS 2.0 alternate (BUTTON) Sections (BUTTON) Home (BUTTON) Search Skip to content The New York Times Bits | Facebook to Update Privacy Policy, but Adjusting Settings Is No Easier Advertisement (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Subscribe Now (BUTTON) Log In (BUTTON) (BUTTON) 0 (BUTTON) Settings (BUTTON) Close search search sponsored by Site Search Navigation Search NYTimes.com ____________________ (BUTTON) Clear this text input (BUTTON) Go 1. Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Supported by Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society ____________________ (BUTTON) Search Facebook to Update Privacy Policy, but Adjusting Settings Is No Easier By Vindu Goel August 29, 2013 7:53 pm August 29, 2013 7:53 pm (BUTTON) Photo Facebook is making it more clear that it uses a variety of personal data about its 1.2 billion users to deliver advertising. Facebook is making it more clear that it uses a variety of personal data about its 1.2 billion users to deliver advertising.Credit Dado Ruvic/Reuters Facebook announced Thursday that it planned to enact changes to its privacy policies on Sept. 5. But the social network’s famously difficult privacy controls will not become any easier to navigate. Mostly, the new data use policy and statement of rights and responsibilities lay out more clearly the things that Facebook already does with your personal information, Ed Palmieri, the company’s associate general counsel for privacy, said in an interview. “The updates that we are showing in the red lines are our way to better explain the products that exist today,” he said. In some ways, the company is making it more clear that it uses a wide variety of personal data about its 1.2 billion users to deliver advertising, including things they share and do, what they like, how they interact with ads and applications, and even demographic data inferred from everything else. Facebook also said that it might use its customers’ profile photos to help their friends tag them in photos. Those photos are already public, but Facebook does not currently use them to help recognize faces when photos are uploaded to the service. “This will make the product better for people,” Mr. Palmieri said. “You can still opt out of it.” But the company is also deliberately deleting information about specific privacy controls. Instead, Mr. Palmieri said, Facebook decided it was better to send users to various other pages, such as one on advertising, to learn more about privacy issues and how to adjust the controls. For example, the data use policy will no longer offer a direct path to the control for opting out of your name and activities on the site being used as endorsements on ads sent to your friends. Facebook is also doing nothing to simplify its maze of privacy settings.The company doesn’t offer clear links or explanations of the settings from its own “Facebook and Privacy” page, and its Graph Search feature isn’t especially helpful for the task, either. Privacy controls are still buried in at least six different menus. To plunge down the rabbit hole, click on the little lock icon next to your name in the top-left column of your news feed page. You will find privacy settings in the tabs for Privacy, Timeline and Tagging, Blocking, Followers, Apps and Ads. Mr. Palmieri said the company added one section to its policies in response to its $20 million settlement on Monday of a 2011 lawsuit asserting that the company used its customers’ personal information in advertising without compensation or allowing them to opt out. The old policy explicitly stated, “You can use your privacy settings to limit how your name and profile picture may be associated with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us.” Facebook’s new language starts with the opposite position. “You give us permission to use your name, and profile picture, content, and information in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us,” the company said. “If you have selected a specific audience for your content or information, we will respect your choice when we use it.” Mr. Palmieri said the two versions amount to the same thing. It brings to mind Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass.” As he told young Alice, “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” A version of this article appears in print on 09/02/2013, on page B5 of the NewYork edition with the headline: New Privacy On Facebook Still Cryptic. (BUTTON) Social, Facebook Inc, Online Advertising, Privacy, Social Media What's Next Loading... * Previous Post Today’s Scuttlebot: Prisoners Imagine the Internet * Next Post Daily Report: Start-Ups That Could Be the Next Big Thing Visit the Technology section for complete coverage of the industry. » Most Viewed 1. 1. When a Unicorn Start-Up Stumbles, Its Employees Get Hurt 2. 2. Uber’s No-Holds-Barred Expansion Strategy Fizzles in Germany 3. 3. Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future 4. 4. Fans Demand Details After Death of a 13-Year-Old YouTube Star 5. 5. 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Loading... See next articles See previous articles Site Navigation Site Mobile Navigation Supported by Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society ____________________ (BUTTON) Search White House Plans to Add Technology Adviser By Nicole Perlroth May 7, 2013 6:16 pm May 7, 2013 6:16 pm (BUTTON) The White House is looking to Silicon Valley to expand its team of technology advisers. CNET and AllThingsD reported on Tuesday that President Obama has picked Nicole Wong, a legal director at Twitter, to be the White House’s first chief privacy officer. People familiar with the situation said that the White House does not intend to create a chief privacy officer post, but is looking to add a senior adviser to its chief technology officer, Todd Park. These people described the hiring discussions as developing and said that Ms. Wong was among the leading contenders, who also include other Silicon Valley executives. Social media companies and e-mail providers increasingly find themselves on the front lines of high-level policy discussions concerning privacy. Twitter, Facebook and Google must regularly contend with government demands that they hand over users’ personal information. According to a recent Electronic Frontier Foundation survey, the companies are cooperating to varying degrees. The survey — titled “Who Has Your Back?” — examined the privacy policies of 18 major Internet companies. Twitter got top marks with six out of six stars, compared with a single star each for Apple, Yahoo and AT&T. (Verizon was awarded none.) Before joining Twitter last year, Ms. Wong spent eight years at Google where she oversaw policy, privacy and copyright-related issues. She was the subject of a lengthy 2008 New York Times Magazine article, which said she and her team “have arguably more influence over the contours of online expression than anyone else on the planet.” (BUTTON) Policy, Security What's Next Loading... * Previous Post SAP Takes It All to the Cloud * Next Post Test Run: Dots, a Simple but Addictive Game From Betaworks Visit the Technology section for complete coverage of the industry. » Most Viewed 1. 1. When a Unicorn Start-Up Stumbles, Its Employees Get Hurt 2. 2. Uber’s No-Holds-Barred Expansion Strategy Fizzles in Germany 3. 3. Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ Will Dominate Digital Life for Foreseeable Future 4. 4. Fans Demand Details After Death of a 13-Year-Old YouTube Star 5. 5. 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Why journaling can boost your career for 2016 - Photo Why journaling can boost your career for 2016 * Find&Save * Chronicle o Latest columns o Michael Bauer o Jon Carroll o Leah Garchik o Bruce Jenkins o Chip Johnson o Ann Killion o Thomas Lee o Matier & Ross o C.W Nevius o Kathleen Pender o Scott Ostler o Debra J Saunders Top 100 Restaurants 2015 - Photo Top 100 Restaurants 2015 #surrealSF: How our city has been transformed - Photo #surrealSF: How our city has been transformed Our San Francisco: Exploring The Archives - Photo Our San Francisco: Exploring The Archives 'Star Wars' and S.F.: A force forever united - Photo 'Star Wars' and S.F.: A force forever united MenuSections [print-header-logo.png] http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Companies-put-cybersecurity-expe rts-on-boards-6472274.php Companies put cybersecurity experts on boards Los Angeles Times Published 4:39 pm, Friday, August 28, 2015 * * * * * * * * * Parsons Corp. CEO Charles Harrington says adding cybersecurity expert Suzanne Vautrinot to the company’s board was a no-brainer. Photo: Al Seib, McClatchy-Tribune News Service * Parsons Corp. CEO Charles Harrington says adding cybersecurity expert Suzanne Vautrinot to the company’s board was a no-brainer. * * * * * * * * Photo: Al Seib, McClatchy-Tribune News Service Image 1of/1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Parsons Corp. CEO Charles Harrington says adding cybersecurity expert Suzanne Vautrinot to the company’s board was a no-brainer. Parsons Corp. CEO Charles Harrington says adding cybersecurity expert Suzanne Vautrinot to the company’s board was a no-brainer. Photo: Al Seib, McClatchy-Tribune News Service Companies put cybersecurity experts on boards 1 / 1 Back to Gallery The board of directors at construction and engineering company Parsons Corp. needed to fill a seat two years ago. Naturally, they wanted someone with communication and leadership skills. They also needed someone new: an expert to help them battle computer hackers, cyberthieves, electronic spies, digital vandals and anybody else out to wreak havoc in a connected world. The privately held firm’s latest board member is Suzanne Vautrinot, a retired Air Force major general who helped create the Department of Defense’s U.S. Cyber Command and led the Air Force’s IT and online battle group. Parsons, in Pasadena, is at the forefront of a fast-expanding trend in corporate governance: the elevation of cybersecurity experts to the boardroom, traditionally occupied by former CEOs and specialists in marketing and finance. In the past few months, AIG, BlackBerry, CMS Energy, General Motors and Wells Fargo have added a board member with computer-security knowledge. Delta Air Lines and Ecolab did the same in recent years. The reasons are clear. Cyberattacks on large companies skyrocketed 44 percent last year from 2013. Cybercrime costs businesses more than $400 billion a year, according to Lloyd’s of London. Boards are responsible for advising CEOs on setting goals and making plans to achieve them, and to question the challenges standing in the way. Not adequately addressing a cybersecurity risk could prove costly — in money, reputation, legal bills, lost time and lost customers. Target’s woes Just ask Target. Since hackers breached its payment systems two years ago, Target has spent $256 million cleaning up the mess, with insurance expected to cover about a third. Though costing a small slice of revenue, the damage was enough force the company to sack the CEO, and many customers were scared away for several months. Government investigations and several lawsuits have been filed by customers and business partners. Cyberthieves also steal sensitive corporate data, which could cause a company’s competitive advantage to slip and its reputation to wane. Data show that corporate boards have a long way to go. Just 11 percent of those queried this year at public companies reported a high-level understanding of cybersecurity, the National Association of Corporate Directors said. A review by the New York Stock Exchange and security firm Veracode found that two-thirds of board members questioned think their companies are ill-prepared for a cyberattack. Yet consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that 30 percent of boards surveyed never talk about cybersecurity at all. That fact raises eyebrows. “There’s some liability in not taking every measure you can to protect your clients, to protect your revenue stream,” said Gary Matus, managing director at executive recruiting agency RSR Partners. “To give people confidence, you have to be getting the best advice you can.” To Parsons CEO Charles Harrington, having a cyber pro on the board was a no-brainer. The nature of Parsons’ business demands it. Along with classified government work, Parsons builds bridges, utility plants and military bases. Harrington realized that those projects’ IT networks needed protection. Computer viruses were spreading that could destroy the infrastructure Parsons assembled. So he has been preparing his company for what he calls the age of “electronic battlefields.” He bought two cybersecurity companies. Pairing them with Parsons’ engineers and scientists, they worked to “bake” in security rather than “bolting” it on after. Harrington knew the direction was right, but needed someone with a new perspective to help him with strategy, and communicating that to the board. He tapped Vautrinot, whom he calls a “rare individual with the deep technical set and the communication skills needed to gravitate to a board.” And she’s “not afraid to dig in and get her hands dirty.” She’s no rubber stamp. Vautrinot visits the company’s cybersecurity teams. She helps think through what will persuade a customer to pay for cybersecurity services, likening it to the challenge years ago of getting people to wear bicycle helmets. In the boardroom, she cuts through jargon, explaining opportunities to protect the technological backbone of railroads, toll roads and the like. Key advice She advises the 15,000-employee company on how to best protect its worldwide network, under constant threat because of the sensitive projects Parsons undertakes. “You can bring the passion, you can champion, you can ask good questions,” she said. “You can help other board members see ‘Is it viable? Can we do this and grow as a company?’” In February, Vautrinot joined Wells Fargo, which is investing other cost-savings into information security. She’s also on the boards of Ecolab and Symantec. Demand for board members like Vautrinot is increasing, board recruiters said. David Burg, U.S. cybersecurity leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said he’s still receiving an “amazing” number of requests from boards for basic education. For example, he said, his company helps boards compare their company’s security approach with those of competitors. There’s a big problem with the whole trend, though: a shortage of cyberqualified board candidates. John Pironti, a risk and security adviser for an IT professionals group, is urging his members to ask for more responsibilities during this “big hump of sensitivity,” so they’ll be primed for larger advisory roles in the future — including on boards of directors. Harrington is open to that idea. Three years ago, the Parsons board decided to allow employees to join boards of other companies, though it hasn’t yet fielded any requests. “Depending on how critical their IT network is to them, absolutely, having someone on the board can shift the dialogue,” Harrington said of other companies. “Cyber finds a way onto our agendas one way or another.” Most Popular * 1 Bay Area storm not living up to hype, but follow-up front could * 2 Best places to stop for food on the drive to Tahoe * 3 Sugar Bowl snowboarder who rode avalanche may face prosecution * 4 Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Simpson both wear bikinis in... * 5 S.F. Ballet opening night gala * 6 Here's how much money you need to make to buy a home in San... * 7 Bernal Heights Contemporary reflects neighborhood’s renaissance * 8 Denise Richards serves ex-husband Charlie Sheen with $1... * 9 The most popular bar in California is a divey brew pub in San... * 10 College Football Playoff’s greedy move to cable is backfiring View Comments © 2016 Hearst Communications, Inc. [print-footer-logo.png] Logo Return to Top About * Our Company * Careers * Advertising * Ad Choices * Terms & Conditions * Privacy Policy * Your California Privacy Rights Contact * Customer Service * Newsroom Contacts Connect * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Google * Instagram Subscribe * SFChronicle.com * App * e-edition * The Chronicle Archives * Subscription Offers * Member Services Hearst Newspapers © Copyright Hearst Communications, Inc. #The Technology Chronicles » Feed The Technology Chronicles » Comments Feed Are you a candidate for cord cutting? Take this test. A man’s fake Facebook suicide post gets him detained The Technology Chronicles Privacy advocates’ new enemy: Barbie By Marcus Gilmer on March 13, 2015 at 11:00 AM * * * * * * * — * Print * * Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 in New York. Mattel, in partnership with San Francisco startup ToyTalk, will release the Internet-connected version of the doll that has real conversations with kids in late 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) * Mattel introduced many Barbies with dark complexions in the 60s and 70s but they weren't genuinely African-American because their heads were made with the molds of the Caucasian dolls. * The 1990 launch of Oreo Fun Barbie was met with outrage since Oreo is a derogatory term in the African-American community. * Many parents thought Midge, Barbie's pregnant best friend, sent the wrong message because she didn't come with a spouse. * Spin the dial on Growing Up Skipper's back and her figure matures. The point was to teach kids about puberty but parents didn't like this doll who grew breasts. * Sleepytime Gal Barbie came with a dieting book. One of the pages supposedly read, "Don't eat." * Teen Talk Barbie said 270 phrases, including "Math class is tough." * Share a Smile Becky, who came in a pink wheelchair, was a thoughtful idea, but her chair didn't fit into the elevator of the Barbie Dream House. * In 2003 Saudi Arabia banned the sale of Barbie and introduced Fulla, designed to be more acceptable to the Middle Eastern market. * In 2009 Mattel released Totally Tattoo Barbie, which came with tattoos to stick on the plastic body, including a tramp stamp to put on the doll's lower back. * Black Canary Barbie was panned for looking downright trashy. * The FBI issued a warning in 2010 that the video camera in Barbie Video Girl's chest could be used to produce child pornography, although there was "no reported evidence that the doll had been used in any way other than intended." * Tokidoki's edgy look caused a stir—especially among straight-laced parents trying to raise kids who never step inside a tattoo parlor. * Barbie donned a bikini and struck an unapologetic pose for the 2014 50th anniversary edition of the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.' * Girl Scouts Barbie hit store shelves in 2014 and many were outraged by the partnership. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wrote in a statement: "Partnering with Mattel undermines[the Girl Scouts] vital mission to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character... While Mattel and the Barbie brand benefit enormously from GSUSA’s endorsement, the partnership harms girls. In addition to encouraging sexualization, the Barbie brand idealizes a dangerously impossible body type.” * As part of its Dolls of the World line, Mattel toy company introduced a new Mexico Barbie in 2013. The doll with long, dark, wavy hair dons a frilly fiesta dress trimmed with lace and colorful ribbons. She comes with a pet chihuahua tucked under her arm and her own passport. some argued the passport was offensive in light of the political immigration debate. 'Including a passport isolates the Mexican, Indian and other cultural Barbies instead of promoting an inclusive America,' Evette Dionne wrote on ClutchMagOnline.com. 'A native-country flag would’ve been a reasonable alternative, but Mattel seems to be selling controversy this month.' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1967-francie * oreo-barbie * pregnant_barbie * skipper * sleepytime-gal-barbie-diet-controversy-17_8cshr_22975 * teentalk-barbie * share-a-smile-becky * fulla-1 * barbie-tats2 * black-canary-barbie-doll-thumb * barbie_video_girl_2 * tokidoki-barbie * Barbie-Sports Illustrated * pmat1-18892548enh-z6 * mexico-barbie * * Controversial Barbie dolls Image 1 of 16 Image 1 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Mark Lennihan / Associated Press Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 in New York. Mattel, in partnership with San Francisco startup ToyTalk, will release the Internet-connected version of the doll that has real conversations with kids in late 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Image 1 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 in New York. Mattel, in partnership with San Francisco startup ToyTalk, will release the Internet-connected version of the doll that has real conversations with kids in late 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American...International Toy Fair, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 in New York. Mattel,...in partnership with San Francisco startup ToyTalk, will release the ...Internet-connected version of the doll that has real conversations...with kids in late 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Image 2 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Mattel introduced many Barbies with dark complexions in the 60s and 70s but they weren't genuinely African-American because their heads were made with the molds of the Caucasian dolls. Image 2 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Mattel introduced many Barbies with dark complexions in the 60s and 70s but they weren't genuinely African-American because their heads were made with the molds of the Caucasian dolls. Mattel introduced many Barbies with dark complexions in the 60s and...70s but they weren't genuinely African-American because their heads...were made with the molds of the Caucasian dolls. Image 3 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls The 1990 launch of Oreo Fun Barbie was met with outrage since Oreo is a derogatory term in the African-American community. Image 3 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls The 1990 launch of Oreo Fun Barbie was met with outrage since Oreo is a derogatory term in the African-American community. The 1990 launch of Oreo Fun Barbie was met with outrage since Oreo is...a derogatory term in the African-American community. Image 4 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Many parents thought Midge, Barbie's pregnant best friend, sent the wrong message because she didn't come with a spouse. Image 4 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Many parents thought Midge, Barbie's pregnant best friend, sent the wrong message because she didn't come with a spouse. Many parents thought Midge, Barbie's pregnant best friend, sent the...wrong message because she didn't come with a spouse. Image 5 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Spin the dial on Growing Up Skipper's back and her figure matures. The point was to teach kids about puberty but parents didn't like this doll who grew breasts. Image 5 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Spin the dial on Growing Up Skipper's back and her figure matures. The point was to teach kids about puberty but parents didn't like this doll who grew breasts. Spin the dial on Growing Up Skipper's back and her figure matures. The...point was to teach kids about puberty but parents didn't like this...doll who grew breasts. Image 6 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Sleepytime Gal Barbie came with a dieting book. One of the pages supposedly read, "Don't eat." Image 6 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Sleepytime Gal Barbie came with a dieting book. One of the pages supposedly read, "Don't eat." Sleepytime Gal Barbie came with a dieting book. One of the pages...supposedly read, "Don't eat." Image 7 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Teen Talk Barbie said 270 phrases, including "Math class is tough." Image 7 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Teen Talk Barbie said 270 phrases, including "Math class is tough." Teen Talk Barbie said 270 phrases, including "Math class is tough." Image 8 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Share a Smile Becky, who came in a pink wheelchair, was a thoughtful idea, but her chair didn't fit into the elevator of the Barbie Dream House. Image 8 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Share a Smile Becky, who came in a pink wheelchair, was a thoughtful idea, but her chair didn't fit into the elevator of the Barbie Dream House. Share a Smile Becky, who came in a pink wheelchair, was a thoughtful...idea, but her chair didn't fit into the elevator of the Barbie Dream...House. Image 9 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls In 2003 Saudi Arabia banned the sale of Barbie and introduced Fulla, designed to be more acceptable to the Middle Eastern market. Image 9 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls In 2003 Saudi Arabia banned the sale of Barbie and introduced Fulla, designed to be more acceptable to the Middle Eastern market. In 2003 Saudi Arabia banned the sale of Barbie and introduced Fulla,...designed to be more acceptable to the Middle Eastern market. Image 10 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls In 2009 Mattel released Totally Tattoo Barbie, which came with tattoos to stick on the plastic body, including a tramp stamp to put on the doll's lower back. Image 10 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls In 2009 Mattel released Totally Tattoo Barbie, which came with tattoos to stick on the plastic body, including a tramp stamp to put on the doll's lower back. In 2009 Mattel released Totally Tattoo Barbie, which came with tattoos...to stick on the plastic body, including a tramp stamp to put on the...doll's lower back. Image 11 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Black Canary Barbie was panned for looking downright trashy. Image 11 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Black Canary Barbie was panned for looking downright trashy. Black Canary Barbie was panned for looking downright trashy. Image 12 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls The FBI issued a warning in 2010 that the video camera in Barbie Video Girl's chest could be used to produce child pornography, although there was "no reported evidence that the doll had been used in any way other than intended." Image 12 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls The FBI issued a warning in 2010 that the video camera in Barbie Video Girl's chest could be used to produce child pornography, although there was "no reported evidence that the doll had been used in any way other than intended." The FBI issued a warning in 2010 that the video camera in Barbie Video...Girl's chest could be used to produce child pornography, although...there was "no reported evidence that the doll had been used in any way...other than intended." Image 13 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Tokidoki's edgy look caused a stir—especially among straight-laced parents trying to raise kids who never step inside a tattoo parlor. Image 13 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Tokidoki's edgy look caused a stir—especially among straight-laced parents trying to raise kids who never step inside a tattoo parlor. Tokidoki's edgy look caused a stir—especially among straight-laced...parents trying to raise kids who never step inside a tattoo parlor. Image 14 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Uncredited / AP / Sports Illustrated Barbie donned a bikini and struck an unapologetic pose for the 2014 50th anniversary edition of the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.' Image 14 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Barbie donned a bikini and struck an unapologetic pose for the 2014 50th anniversary edition of the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.' Barbie donned a bikini and struck an unapologetic pose for the 2014...50th anniversary edition of the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.' Image 15 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls Mattel Girl Scouts Barbie hit store shelves in 2014 and many were outraged by the partnership. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wrote in a statement: "Partnering with Mattel undermines[the Girl Scouts] vital mission to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character... While Mattel and the Barbie brand benefit enormously from GSUSA’s endorsement, the partnership harms girls. In addition to encouraging sexualization, the Barbie brand idealizes a dangerously impossible body type.” Image 15 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls Girl Scouts Barbie hit store shelves in 2014 and many were outraged by the partnership. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wrote in a statement: "Partnering with Mattel undermines[the Girl Scouts] vital mission to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character... While Mattel and the Barbie brand benefit enormously from GSUSA’s endorsement, the partnership harms girls. In addition to encouraging sexualization, the Barbie brand idealizes a dangerously impossible body type.” Girl Scouts Barbie hit store shelves in 2014 and many were outraged by...the partnership. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wrote in...a statement: "Partnering with Mattel undermines[the Girl Scouts] vital...mission to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character... While Mattel and the Barbie brand benefit enormously from GSUSA’s...endorsement, the partnership harms girls. In addition to encouraging...sexualization, the Barbie brand idealizes a dangerously impossible...body type.” Image 16 of 16 | Controversial Barbie dolls As part of its Dolls of the World line, Mattel toy company introduced a new Mexico Barbie in 2013. The doll with long, dark, wavy hair dons a frilly fiesta dress trimmed with lace and colorful ribbons. She comes with a pet chihuahua tucked under her arm and her own passport. some argued the passport was offensive in light of the political immigration debate. 'Including a passport isolates the Mexican, Indian and other cultural Barbies instead of promoting an inclusive America,' Evette Dionne wrote on ClutchMagOnline.com. 'A native-country flag would’ve been a reasonable alternative, but Mattel seems to be selling controversy this month.' Image 16 of 16 - Controversial Barbie dolls As part of its Dolls of the World line, Mattel toy company introduced a new Mexico Barbie in 2013. The doll with long, dark, wavy hair dons a frilly fiesta dress trimmed with lace and colorful ribbons. She comes with a pet chihuahua tucked under her arm and her own passport. some argued the passport was offensive in light of the political immigration debate. 'Including a passport isolates the Mexican, Indian and other cultural Barbies instead of promoting an inclusive America,' Evette Dionne wrote on ClutchMagOnline.com. 'A native-country flag would’ve been a reasonable alternative, but Mattel seems to be selling controversy this month.' As part of its Dolls of the World line, Mattel toy company introduced...a new Mexico Barbie in 2013. The doll with long, dark, wavy hair dons...a frilly fiesta dress trimmed with lace and colorful ribbons. She...comes with a pet chihuahua tucked under her arm and her own passport....some argued the passport was offensive in light of the political...immigration debate. 'Including a passport isolates the Mexican, Indian...and other cultural Barbies instead of promoting an inclusive America,'...Evette Dionne wrote on ClutchMagOnline.com. 'A native-country flag...would’ve been a reasonable alternative, but Mattel seems to be...selling controversy this month.' In a post-Edward Snowden world, it’s understandable that some parents are more alert to technological objects and advances that could infringe upon the privacy of their lives and the lives of their children. Which is why one group is upset with toymaker Mattel and SF-based company ToyTalk over their new “Hello, Barbie” doll. Using technology developed by ToyTalk, this Barbie is being hailed as the first fully interactive, WiFi-enabled Barbie that can carry on a full conversation with children. If that doesn’t creep you out, here’s how it will work, according to the Washington Post: Hello Barbie works by recording a child’s voice with an embedded microphone that is triggered by pressing a button on the doll. As the doll “listens,” audio recordings travel over the Web to a server where the snippets of speech are recognized and processed. That information is used to help form Hello Barbie’s responses. While that may not seem too ominous, this part from the Post’s story does: “Mattel says Hello Barbie will offer children a highly engaging play experience, in part because the doll will learn about its users over time.” And to give you an idea of what kind of engaging conversation the doll will be capable of, a demonstration of the toy led Barbie to offer this suggestion: “Well, you told me you like being onstage. So maybe a dancer? Or a politician? Or how about a dancing politician?” Cutting insight for all children of the world. ToyTalk is responsible for the technology that enables Barbie to essentially talk back to your children and chief exec Oren Jacob is on the defensive, saying, “The data is never used for anything to do with marketing or publicity or any of that stuff. Not at all.” “Stuff” presumably being code for “recording all the innermost thoughts that your child dares to speak out loud in the presence of the doll.” Mattel is also promising parents that there’s nothing nefarious going on; a spokeswoman told Huffington Post: “Mattel is committed to safety and security, and Hello Barbie conforms to applicable government standards, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Additionally, Hello Barbie’s technology features a number of safeguards to ensure that stored data is secure and can’t be accessed by unauthorized users.” The Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood has posted a petition to prevent the toy (with a suggested retail price of $74.99) from hitting shelves as planned this fall. They note ToyTalk’s current privacy policy, which notes that the company “may use, store, process and transcribe Recordings in order to provide and maintain the Service, to perform, test or improve speech recognition technology and artificial intelligence algorithms, or for other research and development and data analysis purposes.” ToyTalk’s privacy policy states the company won’t use any recordings to reach out to those children and outlines that only people over the age of 13 will be able to set up accounts on the doll. Jacob insists that parents will be able to receive emailed updates about all of the sound files their child shares with the doll. Still, the CCFC remains skeptical, saying, “that won’t necessarily protect children from exploitation.” IFRAME: //www.youtube.com/embed/RJMvmVCwoNM Categories: Privacy, toys, Uncategorized Tags: section business Marcus Gilmer * * View Comments Follow Marcus [default-avatar.png] Marcus Gilmer Blog Search Keyword search across all the entries in this blog. Keyword_____________ Go Recent Posts * [aspect32.png] FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 file photo, a man leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. Drivers for Uber and other companies most often are considered independent contractors who are self-employed. Rather than receive a W-2, they’ll get a 1099 form reporting their income. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) Your next Uber driver might have a criminal record * [aspect32.png] Steve Jobs hologram stars in new Broadway musical * [aspect32.png] A screenshot of Facebook Stadium. 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Why journaling can boost your career for 2016 - Photo Why journaling can boost your career for 2016 * Find&Save * Chronicle o Latest columns o Michael Bauer o Jon Carroll o Leah Garchik o Bruce Jenkins o Chip Johnson o Ann Killion o Thomas Lee o Matier & Ross o C.W Nevius o Kathleen Pender o Scott Ostler o Debra J Saunders Top 100 Restaurants 2015 - Photo Top 100 Restaurants 2015 #surrealSF: How our city has been transformed - Photo #surrealSF: How our city has been transformed Our San Francisco: Exploring The Archives - Photo Our San Francisco: Exploring The Archives 'Star Wars' and S.F.: A force forever united - Photo 'Star Wars' and S.F.: A force forever united MenuSections [print-header-logo.png] http://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Panel-of-privacy-watchdogs-to- oversee-Google-s-5529401.php Panel of privacy watchdogs to oversee Google's data removal Aoife White Updated 5:38 pm, Wednesday, June 4, 2014 * * * * * * * * * * Google's European offices, including this one in Paris, will work on data- removal requests. Photo: Jacques Brignon, New York Times * * Google's European offices, including this one in Paris, will work on data- removal requests. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Image 1of/2 Caption Close Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 Google's European offices, including this one in Paris, will work on data- removal requests. Google's European offices, including this one in Paris, will work on data- removal requests. Photo: Jacques Brignon, New York Times Panel of privacy watchdogs to oversee Google's data removal 1 / 2 Back to Gallery Google Inc.'s attempts to handle requests from people that want to use their new-found "right to be forgotten" will be examined by a task force of European privacy watchdogs. The panel will look at how regulators should react to complaints about Google's management of requests to delete online details, according to a member of the group of privacy watchdogs, which approved the step Wednesday at a meeting in Brussels. The European Union's top court ruled last month that search engines must delete some personal information on request where Europeans' fundamental rights are harmed and there's no public interest in publishing it. Google said it got 41,000 requests to remove data in the first four days after it created an online form for people to ask for data to be removed. The right-to-be-forgotten ruling was a surprise for Google and other companies already facing greater scrutiny over privacy practices in the 28-nation EU. The bloc is seeking to increase the powers of data-protection watchdogs to impose fines for violations. Revelations of widespread U.S. spying on EU citizens, including top politicians such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have added to the clamor for privacy safeguards. The backlash against U.S. surveillance "has raised the temperature around discussions of protecting the privacy of individuals," said Alex Mason, a lawyer at Baker Botts LLP in London. Among EU regulators "there will be hawks and doves in different countries trying to have their view prevail. Some will be pushing for greater privacy, others will be looking for more freedom of information to facilitate global business." Watchdogs from the EU's 28 nations and national courts have the responsibility for ruling on any disputes people have over Google's decisions to remove data. Al Verney, a spokesman for Google in Brussels, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. The world's biggest search provider is required by the court to make "difficult judgments about an individual's right to be forgotten and the public's right to know," Google said last month. Google previously resisted orders by data-protection regulators to remove content, including about 200 cases where Spain's data-protection authority told it to pull content. Its challenge to a Spanish order for it to remove information on a man whose house was auctioned off led to the EU court ruling last month. Google is separately seeking to settle a European Union antitrust probe over allegations that it discriminates against rivals in search results. Companies that have filed complaints against the search provider met with regulators to discuss the proposed settlement over the past two weeks. Aoife White is a Bloomberg writer. E-mail: awhite62@bloomberg.net Most Popular * 1 Bay Area storm not living up to hype, but follow-up front could * 2 Best places to stop for food on the drive to Tahoe * 3 Sugar Bowl snowboarder who rode avalanche may face prosecution * 4 Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Simpson both wear bikinis in... * 5 S.F. Ballet opening night gala * 6 Here's how much money you need to make to buy a home in San... * 7 Bernal Heights Contemporary reflects neighborhood’s renaissance * 8 Denise Richards serves ex-husband Charlie Sheen with $1... * 9 The most popular bar in California is a divey brew pub in San... * 10 College Football Playoff’s greedy move to cable is backfiring Latest News Videos SFGate WHAT IS VISIONSF? * The San Francisco Chronicle’s VisionSF: Inspiring Leadership with Purpose Discover visionaries who drive social and economic change in our region Exclusively on SFChronicle.com Exclusively on SFChronicle.com * Huifen Chan wears a gown by Dennis Basso to attend the San Francisco Ballet 2016 Opening Night Gala at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, January 21, 2016. The gala celebrated the opening of the company's 83rd season. S.F. Ballet gala fashions hit glamorous, sparkling,... * Old and new the Merchandise Mart Building, (left) is home to Twitter along Market St. at 10th in San Francisco, Calif. on Thurs. September 24, 2015. 7 reasons the tech sector should be scared * Sidestepping the snarl amid Super Bowl frenzy * Little floods pose big challenge for SFPUC Heavenly Resort was open and welcoming skiers as a storm pounded the Sierra on Jan. 13, 2016. Sierra Nevada snowfall 2015-2016 View Comments © 2016 Hearst Communications, Inc. [print-footer-logo.png] Logo Return to Top About * Our Company * Careers * Advertising * Ad Choices * Terms & Conditions * Privacy Policy * Your California Privacy Rights Contact * Customer Service * Newsroom Contacts Connect * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Google * Instagram Subscribe * SFChronicle.com * App * e-edition * The Chronicle Archives * Subscription Offers * Member Services Hearst Newspapers © Copyright Hearst Communications, Inc. #BetaBoston » Feed BetaBoston » Comments Feed BetaBoston » iCal Feed BetaBoston » Data privacy, one of these days Comments Feed alternate alternate The Boston Globe Search ____________________ Go Sections * News * Metro * Arts * Business * Sports * Opinion * Politics * Lifestyle * Magazine * Insiders * Today's Paper Betaboston Betaboston Today's top tech event Click to view 22 Design Museum Mornings with José Colucci Details More events Data privacy, one of these days Bruce Schneier video chats with Edward Snowden during a symposium on "Privacy in a Networked World" held in Cambridge in January. Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe Bruce Schneier video chats with Edward Snowden during a symposium on "Privacy in a Networked World" held in Cambridge in January. Share hiawatha Hiawatha Bray Follow @GlobeTechLab 10/07/2015 Share For some odd reason, data privacy maven Bruce Schneier is an optimist. It’s odd because, according to Schneier, there’s practically no such thing as data privacy. Just about everything we do these days is under some form of electronic surveillance, with governments and corporations eager to record and analyze our every action. But when Schneier holds forth on Friday at Harvard University, as part of the ongoing HUBweek festivities, he’ll reassure his listeners that the cause is not lost, that our online privacy will someday be ensured. Just give it a decade or two. “It is possible to write laws to prohibit behavior we find immoral,” Schneier said. “We do it all the time.” So it’s just a matter of persuading businesses, governments, and voters that the current level of comprehensive digital surveillance crosses an ethical line. Technology isn’t the issue. “It will take an act of moral will,” he said. Schneier, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, has been trying to prick the public conscience for years. He’s a cryptographer by trade, and author of one of the field’s most respected textbooks. But since 2000, he’s written a series of books for the rest of us, intended to wise us up about the importance of securing our data, and the perils of hyper-surveillance. This year’s entry is the New York Times bestseller “Data and Goliath,” an entertaining and worrisome survey of the many ways we’re being watched. The temptation to spy on us is irresistible, in part because we’ve made it so easy. The electronics in our phones, computers, and cars generate a torrent of information every time we switch them on –“data exhaust” is the cool nickname for it. The problem arose by accident. There was no evil conspiracy, no master plan. The people who built the Internet or the phone system or even those automatic toll booths just wanted them to work efficiently. Nobody thought much about privacy. Your computer needs an Internet address so it can receive messages. But that same address gives away your location. GPS was added to your phone so emergency workers could find you when you dial 911. But it also lets the phone company, Google, Apple, and perhaps the US government track every move you make. Schneier says networks and devices could filter out data exhaust with a sort of catalytic converter. The tollway EZ-Pass would collect its fee, but forget the identity of the driver who paid it. All Internet traffic could be routed through proxy servers that would obscure its point of origin. The cellular network could be designed to forget our location data every 24 hours. It’s all technically feasible, but costly, and there’s no sign that anybody’s willing to foot the bill. Schneier compares it with the perennial popularity of human bondage. “Why wasn’t slavery abolished from the beginning of time?” he said. “Because it was so easy, and we liked having slaves.” In the same way, today’s privacy-shredding gadgets are so pleasant and so cheap that even their victims – pretty much all of us – can’t imagine life without them. There’s only one hope for building privacy-friendly networks, said Schneier. “It would require a law saying you have to do this.” That’s bound to happen, he believes. He’s just not sure how much pressure it will take. “Do you need social upheaval to solve this problem, like we did with slavery,” Schneier wondered, “or can you do it incrementally, like we did with child labor?” Schneier is no privacy purist. Like many of us, he lives a life of compromise. He uses a smartphone, but won’t get a Facebook account. He tries to use the pro-privacy search service Duck Duck Go, but admits falling back on Google, because it generates more accurate search results. Schneier has a personal e-mail account and wants no part of Google’s Gmail. But he notes that many of his friends and colleagues are on Gmail. So when Schneier writes to them, Gmail analyses his inbound messages, whether he likes it or not. “Everybody makes their own tradeoffs,” Schneier said. “I think I’m the reasonable guy. I’m not the paranoid guy.” But there’s no compromise about his ultimate goal – a world in which you don’t have to be paranoid to ensure your personal data stays personal. “I think it’s going to take 10, 20 years,” said Schneier. Depending on how much we want it. HUBweek is founded by The Boston Globe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab. BetaBoston in your email ____________________ [X] Daily [X] Weekly highlights Subscribe Get updates from BetaBoston Like Follow Follow us on Twitter: Follow @betaboston Show Comments (0) IFRAME: http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/10/07/data-privacy-one-of-these-day s/?comments-frame More from BetaBoston The UMass Amherst campus Feds bankroll $4.2M UMass program for cybersecurity training Fidelity Sign Fidelity invests in California cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes Next story: 'Libraries are forever': The future of libraries in the digital age Get updates from BetaBoston: FacebookTwitterContact us AboutSupport #BetaBoston » Feed BetaBoston » Comments Feed BetaBoston » iCal Feed BetaBoston » Privacy tool protects felons — and freedom Comments Feed alternate alternate The Boston Globe Search ____________________ Go Sections * News * Metro * Arts * Business * Sports * Opinion * Politics * Lifestyle * Magazine * Insiders * Today's Paper Betaboston Betaboston Today's top tech event Click to view 22 Design Museum Mornings with José Colucci Details More events TechLab Privacy tool protects felons — and freedom shutterstock_162110726 Shutterstock Share hiawatha Hiawatha Bray Follow @GlobeTechLab 09/16/2015 Share Topics TechLab Privacy Lebanon Libraries Tor Arlington N.H. The Kilton Public Library in Lebanon, N.H., just became an outpost in the global struggle for Internet freedom — and perhaps part of an international criminal conspiracy. All because one of the library’s computers is linked to a controversial service called Tor. Invented by the US Naval Research Laboratory, Tor uses a network of digital back roads and blind alleys to throw off pursuers tracking your movements on the World Wide Web. It’s a powerful tool to protect the online privacy of political dissidents in repressive countries, but it’s just as useful for terrorists, drug dealers and child pornographers. “Tor obviously was created with good intentions, but it’s a huge problem for law enforcement,” said assistant US Attorney General Leslie Caldwell at a conference in January. So when the library fired up a Tor server as part of an intellectual freedom campaign, agitated local police and politicians met with library director Sean Fleming and persuaded him to pull the plug. “The potential was that we could be providing cover for criminals,” Fleming said. But on Tuesday night, about 50 citizens showed up at a library board meeting to call for restoration of the Tor service. “There was no opposition at all,” said Fleming. The board unanimously agreed to switch the server back on. Americans fear terrorism and kiddie porn. But people also fear an Internet devoid of privacy, where all of our actions can be tracked by swindlers, corporations, or cops. Tor is far from a perfect defense. But it’s one of the best yet devised. The computers that the library provides to the public are not using Tor; at least not yet. The library installed the server so that others can use this privacy-enhancing technology. Tor relies on a network of server computers like the one at the Lebanon library, each of them run by volunteers worldwide. These servers encrypt and re-route Tor Internet messages to ensure they can’t be traced back to the sender. Say you’re in China and you want to visit a website that’s blocked by that country’s “Great Firewall” censorship system. You just install a free Tor-compatible Web browser, which encrypts your request and sends it to a Tor server not blocked by the Chinese firewall. This server relays the request through still more Tor servers, which conceal your location and bypass the censors. Now you can read about forbidden subjects like the Tiananmen Square incident without getting a visit from the Internet police. Since Tor routes all data through a worldwide network of about 6,000 servers, Web pages often take much longer to download. But adding more servers would make it faster, and more secure. That’s why former Watertown librarian Alison Macrina launched the Library Freedom Project, a campaign funded by the Knight Foundation that aims to put Tor relays in libraries throughout the US. The Lebanon library was the first to sign up, but thanks to the resulting controversy, “many other libraries have gotten in touch with us,” Macrina said. “This is a public referendum about privacy and our right to practice free speech online.” But what about the bad guys? Tor protects them too. But all the Tor servers in the world didn’t prevent the federal government from shutting down Silk Road, a notorious online purveyor of vice. Silk Road’s website could be accessed only through Tor. But its customers, who bought everything from heroin to kiddie porn, were flesh-and-blood humans living in the material world. By tracking the people, the products, and the payoffs, federal cops brought Silk Road down, Tor or no Tor. Silk Road is now dead, and its founder is doing a life sentence for drug dealing, computer hacking, and money laundering. “Tor doesn’t make it difficult to catch bad guys. That’s just rhetoric you hear from the FBI,” said computer security expert Bruce Schneier, author of a recent book on privacy called “Data and Goliath.” Still, federal officials say that as tech-savvy crooks log onto Tor, their job is becoming a lot harder. “We have made some advances in our ability to penetrate the Tor network,” said assistant attorney general Caldwell, “but it’s still a real challenge.” That’s just fine with supporters of the Lebanon Tor server. “Some people were expressing pride that Lebanon was the first public library to participate in the project,” said Fleming. “In the last 10 or 15 years, there’s been a perceived government overreach, especially federal government overreach. I think the vast majority of people are really very concerned about that.” Will criminals use the library’s Tor server? Very likely. So will political dissidents, undercover cops, and ordinary citizens with a fondness for privacy. Between us, I’m pretty sure we’ve got the bad guys outnumbered. Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab. BetaBoston in your email ____________________ [X] Daily [X] Weekly highlights Subscribe Get updates from BetaBoston Like Follow Follow us on Twitter: Follow @betaboston Show Comments (0) IFRAME: http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/09/16/privacy-tool-protects-felons- and-freedom/?comments-frame More from BetaBoston hoverboard Back to the future with a Segway sequel Google says it has ‘forgotten’ 500,000 web pages in Europe Next story: And now from iRobot, a vacuum cleaner that can see Get updates from BetaBoston: FacebookTwitterContact us AboutSupport #World » E.U. 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Pushes for Stricter Data Protection After Snowden’s NSA Revelations By Simon Shuster / Berlin @shustryOct. 21, 20130 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + Jan Philipp Albrecht Mathias Schindler Jan Philipp Albrecht * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @TIMEWorld In the fight for online privacy, Jan Philipp Albrecht, a German member of the European Parliament, sees himself as Edward Snowden’s comrade in arms. They are the same age, 30, and take the same crusading tone when the subject turns to U.S. government surveillance. They even look alike, with the tousled and bespectacled features of men who spend too much time in front of a computer. And although their tactics are very different, Albrecht is “completely convinced,” he says, that they are fighting the same war. On Monday evening, Albrecht put forward a new set of rules to protect the data of E.U. citizens from the kinds of wholesale snooping that Snowden revealed this summer, when the former National Security Agency contractor turned asylum seeker in Russia leaked details of U.S. surveillance programs around the world. With those revelations still fresh in the lawmakers’ minds, Albrecht’s proposals passed after less than two hours of debate with a majority rarely seen in a chamber as fussy and divided as the European Parliament. “This was a surprise for everybody,” he tells TIME by phone from the French city of Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament, just after the vote. “But it’s also a clear sign of the overall consensus in all political parties here.” That consensus has been fueled by the anger in Europe over what Snowden revealed. Starting in June, the former worker of U.S. intelligence agencies leaked documents showing how the U.S. spies on millions of communications across the Web. The disclosures have strained U.S. relations with allies around the world, most recently on Monday, when the French daily Le Monde, citing Snowden’s cache of secret files, reported that the U.S. had spied on some 70 million French telephone records and additional millions of text messages. U.S. President Barack Obama admitted in a telephone call with his French counterpart that the reports raised “legitimate questions for our friends and allies” about the scope of U.S. surveillance. (MORE: U.S. Ambassador to France Summoned Over New Snowden Leaks) Previous reports based on Snowden’s disclosures have revealed that major Internet companies like Google and Yahoo pass user data to the U.S. National Security Agency, also known as the NSA. A key provision in Albrecht’s proposal — which passed the chamber’s Committee on Civil Rights, Justice and Home Affairs on Monday with a vote of 49 to 3 — would make these firms pay a very high price for that in the future. Internet companies would face fines of up to 5% of their yearly revenue — a price that could reach into the billions of dollars for giants like Google — if they continue handing over their users’ data without consent. Another provision, known as the “right to be forgotten,” would allow European citizens to have all of their private data wiped from the Internet. At the risk of major fines, Internet companies would have to comply with such requests, deleting all copies of the private information from their servers. Before Snowden’s leaks began, Albrecht’s proposals came up against ferocious lobbying from the tech industry and faced resistance from politicians who claimed that regulating online privacy should be left to individual states. Chief among them, Albrecht says, were lawmakers from the U.K., Denmark and Hungary, who all raised objections related to sovereignty. But this summer’s disclosure of the extent of U.S. spying made it politically risky for any lawmaker to oppose sweeping new safeguards for online data in Europe. More than a year of divisions over this issue quickly turned into a broad consensus, and Albrecht was even able to tighten the proposed rules against data transfer. “After Snowden we agreed that data protection in Europe is part of our self-determination and dignity,” Albrecht says. (MORE: Greenwald on Snowden Leaks: The Worst Is Yet to Come) Following Monday’s vote, the new rules will still face major hurdles before they can become E.U. law. The European Parliament still needs to hold a plenary vote, after which all 28 members states would have to agree on the new regulations. Those steps could take at least until next spring, Albrecht says, and may result in some amendments to the rules. But if they are adopted, they would mark a milestone in the global campaign for online privacy, replacing the outdated mosaic of regulations that now offer paltry protections for the E.U.’s 500 million citizens. “This is the moment to safeguard what we have,” Albrecht says, switching into the righteous tone that Snowden has used in defending his leaks: “Hundreds of years ago, citizens gave their lives for fundamental values and principles, which we would like to safeguard in a digital and globalized environment.” Although Albrecht, who was elected to the European Parliament in 2009 from Germany’s Green Party, has never met Snowden or spoken to him, he applauds his leaks as “extremely courageous,” providing a wake-up call to the world on the vulnerability of online interactions. Next week, Albrecht and other European lawmakers will take part in an official visit to Washington, where he will argue for the U.S. to adopt similar regulations. “The reluctance is a bit broader in the U.S.,” he admits. “They still need to warm up to the concept of data protection.” But if Snowden can no longer do much to help from his temporary asylum in Russia, he can at least feel assured that his admirers in Europe are trying to carry the fight. MORE: David Cameron to Guardian: Snowden Leaks Put Britain in Danger 1 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest daridekas daridekas 5pts we have to read the 1984 written by George Orwell almost 100 yers ago again and again.he was the first to see so deep in what kind of future we are going to live. invetrics.com SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From World 1. The Swiss Difference: A Gun Culture That Works 2. How Rabbits Can Save the World (It Ain’t Pretty) 3. ‘Virtual’ Child Lures Online Sex Predators 4. Tapping the Promised Land: Can Israel Be an Energy Giant? 5. Nelson Mandela’s Extraordinary Life: An Interactive Timeline From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. Gangs of ‘Powerfully Built’ Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong 3. Putin Phones Obama To Discuss Ukraine, White House Says 4. Colbert Tweet Draws Accusations of Racism and #CancelColbert 5. There’s A Scientific Reason for Why You Look Weird In Selfies Connect With TIME * * * * * * Home * U.S. * Politics * World * Business * Tech * Health * Science * Entertainment * Newsfeed * Living * Ideas * Parents * Sports * History * The TIME Vault * Magazine * Subscribe * Give a Gift * TIME Shop * Newsletters * Customer Service * Site Map * Privacy Policy * Your California Privacy Rights * Terms of Use * Advertising * Ad Choices Ad Choices © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. #Ideas » Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? Comments Feed alternate alternate Ideas WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Case Study Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? Obama's new plan lacks teeth by leaving out a "do not track" requirement By Adam Cohen @adamscohenMarch 05, 20120 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + + Obama Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images President Barack Obama speaks during the AIPAC Policy Conference on March 4, 2012 in Washington, DC. Related * Pew Report Finds People Are Getting More Privacy Savvy The Washington Post * 8 Privacy Threats Worse Than Google Information Week * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @TIMEIdeas This has been a tough few weeks for privacy rights on the Internet. Google changed its privacy policy so it can combine the information it collects from different sources – including gmail, searches, and web browsing – to make a more complete dossier on who we are and what we do online. And the Wall Street Journal reported that Google and other online advertising companies have been bypassing the privacy settings of people who use Safari, the popular Apple web browser. (MORE: New Google Privacy Policy May Violate European Law) In the middle of these privacy blow-ups, the Obama administration announced a new set of online privacy policies – a 62-page document called “Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy.” The White House has the right intentions, but it is not clear that these policies will have the teeth necessary to effectively protect people’s online privacy. It’s no great secret what the fighting over online privacy is about. Many Internet users want to be able to browse the Internet, use search engines, and view websites without anyone keeping a record of it. People do a lot of things online that they may want to keep secret – for example, looking up symptoms of diseases (which health insurance companies may consider in writing coverage) and visiting non-mainstream political sites (which the government might want to know about). When technology companies keep track of online activity, privacy problems radiate out in all directions. These companies could sell the data to people who will do harmful things with it – including employers, who could use it to vet potential hires. This kind of data can easily end up in the hands of the government, which can subpoena it from the tech companies – and suddenly, we are living in a Big Brother state. (MORE: Can You Be Fired For Your Genes?) If many Internet users strongly oppose data collection of this sort, Internet companies feel just the opposite. Personalized consumer data is marketing gold – it can be used to direct “behavioral advertising” at Internet users, targeted very specifically to their tastes. Behavioral advertising is fast crowding out old-fashioned advertising models – and the financial pressure to collect and store more of this sort of data is overwhelming. The Obama administration’s privacy guidelines are a step in the right direction. They create a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights,” which contains good privacy principles, starting with “individual control,” meaning that consumers have the right to exercise control over what personal data is collected about them and how it is used. And the administration is calling on Google, Facebook, and other Internet companies to sit down with privacy advocates to develop codes of conduct for protecting Internet users’ data. That’s the good news. But there are also some real problems. The guidelines are broadly phrased and allow a great deal of wiggle room. For example, they say that consumers have a right to “reasonable” limits on the personal data that companies collect and retain – and “reasonable” is just the sort of word that can be stretched beyond all recognition. To take effect, the guidelines will need to be turned into an actual law by Congress – and before the lobbyists are done, worthy principles may be turned into toothless rules. (MORE: The Human Cost of Apple’s Success) Another problem with the guidelines is that they rely a great deal on voluntary agreements from Internet companies. The Obama administration did not include a “do not track” requirement – as many privacy advocates wanted. This would operate like the very popular federal “do not call” registry, which allows people to sign up not to get marketing telephone calls – only in this case, people would be able to opt out of having their online movements tracked. Big Internet companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! have reportedly agreed voluntarily to include “do not track” buttons on their browsers. But there is a problem with this: tech companies change their privacy policies constantly (think: Facebook), and they may change how they track users when the pro-privacy heat dies down and few people are looking. It was great to hear the President speaking out about Internet privacy – and to see some worthy policy guidelines coming out of the federal government. Rather than celebrate the announcement, however, people who care about privacy should monitor how these guidelines get translated into law – and how tech companies actually behave. (MORE: Ten Ideas That Are Changing Your Life) adam_cohen Adam Cohen @adamscohen Cohen, the author of Nothing to Fear, teaches at Yale Law School. The views expressed are solely his own. [nothing-to-fear.jpg] Cohen is the author of Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Ideas 1. Who’s Biggest? The 100 Most Significant Figures in History 2. The Tyranny of the ‘Sexy’ Mom 3. Was Sex With Children Ever O.K.? 4. Girls on Film: How Innocent Pictures Feed the Internet Porn Machine 5. Is Texting Killing the English Language? From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. Gangs of ‘Powerfully Built’ Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong 3. Putin Phones Obama To Discuss Ukraine, White House Says 4. Colbert Tweet Draws Accusations of Racism and #CancelColbert 5. There’s A Scientific Reason for Why You Look Weird In Selfies Connect With TIME * * * * * Letters to the EditorView More Providing an Incentive to Reduce Carbon Emissions October 22, 2013 It won’t be easy to pay for reducing greenhouse gas emissions when we won’t be the primary beneficiaries The NSA Has Changed the American Way of Life August 18, 2013 It’s clear that a reasonable person will not expect very much privacy regarding personal information in the future Childless By Choice: It’s Not Always Family v. Career August 15, 2013 Quite a number of women know better than to take parental responsibilities they’re not up to. (BUTTON) Send us your letters Send a letter to the editor here. These letters may be edited and posted on TIME Ideas. 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All rights reserved. #TIME >> The New Technology Advertisers Use to Track Everything You Do Comments Feed Innovation Isn't Dead Puerto Rico's Debt Is Worse Than Detroit's Debt Was alternate alternate TIME WordPress.com MONEY Money.com Subscribe Home Everyday Money Retirement Family Finance Careers Real Estate Investing Travel Money 101 Best Places To Live Best Colleges Best Banks Best Credit Cards Videos Adviser & Client Love & Money Money Heroes TIME LIFE The Daily Cut MONEY 50: The Best Mutual Funds Road to Wealth Ultimate Retirement Guide Turning Points Love and Money Ask the Expert Content from Impact Partnership Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service (c) 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE MORE (BUTTON) U.S. Edition * U.S. Edition * Europe, Middle East and Africa Edition * Asia Edition * South Pacific Edition Why You'll Want to Avoid Eating Dole Salads 7 Ways Being Debt Free Can Hurt You This Annoying New Fee Marks the End of an Era in Las Vegas Nearly 300,000 People Have Dutifully Registered Their Drones Snowpocalypse Is Already Here for Air Travelers When Trading Stocks Is a Work of Art Parents' Debt Affects Kids, But Not Always in a Bad Way 5 Tips for Negotiating Your Rent Check Out This Surprisingly Powerful Computer That Costs Less Than $10 How to Negotiate a Promotion MONEY Everyday Money privacy The New Technology Advertisers Use to Track Everything You Do * Dinah Wisenberg Brin / CreditCards.com June 29, 2015 SHARE 155098353 vm--Getty Images The FTC is currently accepting public comments on the tracking programs. More The Best Second-Screen Apps for Watching TV Will the New Consumer Privacy Bill Protect You? How AT&T Wants You to Pay For Your Privacy Several years ago, you may have reached the Internet through only a desktop or laptop computer, where advertisers could gather information on your activities and interests through cookies that tracked the places you visited online. Today, you may be using a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone and a desktop to roam the Web. Add a wireless fitness gadget or other connected device and it gets very challenging for companies to seamlessly track where you've been and to judge the effectiveness of their online advertisements. To better keep tabs on your online movements in the multiple-device age, advertisers are turning to cross-device tracking programs, which help them determine if, say, you opened your laptop to buy the product that was advertised on your smartphone. While the technology may hold benefits for marketers and consumers, it's also raising privacy concerns. Cybersecurity and privacy attorney Michael Morgan, of counsel at Jones Day, says mobile advertising agencies are looking to cross-device tracking to better show clients the value of mobile advertising "and to be able to point to desktop purchases or purchases on iPads that may have been the result of advertisements that were first presented to consumers on a smartphone or other device." "As more of our lives migrate to the online world, companies are able to have a more clear picture and better understanding of their customers and potential customers," says Morgan. That could benefit consumers in certain ways. Say you start shopping at your favorite e-tailer on your home computer, then abandon your cart and later try to finish your purchase on your phone. The website may be able to tailor your experience so you don't have to re-add items to your shopping cart or re-enter credit card information. But to get that level of convenience, you will have to give up some privacy. "The privacy advocates have raised some concerns about the level of information, or the amount of information [that] currently can be known about a consumer from all of their various online activities," says Morgan. Sign of a post-cookie world The Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop Nov. 16 to explore privacy issues, security risks and potential benefits arising from cross-device tracking of consumers for advertising and marketing purposes. "With the advent of new tracking methods ... it's important to ensure that consumers' privacy remains protected as businesses seek to target them across multiple devices," said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a news release in March. The agency noted the decreasing effectiveness of cookies in tracking consumers' online activities. "A cookie may paint an incomplete picture of the consumer who switches between different Web browsers at home and at work. Further, a cookie stored on a consumer's browser cannot provide insight into the consumer's activities or preferences within the `sandboxed' apps on the consumer's phone," the FTC said. Attorney and data privacy expert Michael Whitener, a partner in the VLP Law Group in Washington, D.C., sees significance in the FTC's decision to hold the workshop. "It reflects the fact that we're entering a post-cookie world, and so the FTC is trying to get a handle on the privacy implications of the new cross-device tracking technologies," he says. The self-regulatory industry group Network Advertising Initiative, meanwhile, has said it will issue guidance on cross-device, interest-based advertising and has asked its members to provide comments on the relevant standards, according to Whitener. The NAI recently issued member guidance on use of non-cookie technologies but explicitly said it doesn't cover cross-device identification or data collection yet, says Whitener. Logins and `digital fingerprints' The industry uses different approaches to try to follow consumers. It can be as simple as requiring you to log in to a site or service from whatever device you're using. But there are also complex analytics programs that assemble user characteristics to try to identify you from one device to another. This "probabilistic" tracking method involves the collection of such information as device type, operating system, fonts and Internet Protocol address "to create a digital fingerprint to link a user to different devices," the FTC says. This kind of tracking "is generally invisible to consumers and, unlike tracking through cookies, the consumer has no ability to control it. Accordingly, this practice raises a number of privacy concerns and questions." Digital Advertising Association Executive Director Lou Mastria considers cross-device privacy an emerging area for the industry, which has been focused most recently on mobile-environment privacy issues. The group will conduct a review of what cross-device means and what privacy protections can be provided, he told CreditCards.com. The Better Business Bureau, the DAA's partner in applying industry self-regulatory policies, issued a compliance warning in 2014 noting that the DAA's privacy principles are enforceable "irrespective of the technology employed to collect and use consumer web surfing activity to serve interest-based ads." Attorney Whitener says he agrees with the position that privacy principles should apply regardless of the tracking technologies being used. He thinks the industry's self-policing may ward off any new regulations. "The FTC may well take the position it took after its workshop on the Internet of Things, which is that specific legislation would be premature and could stifle innovation in this area." Opting out While there are a number of up-and-coming tracking companies, BlueCava, Tapad, and Drawbridge are the big names, Whitener says. The firms gather various pieces of information about Internet users to try to connect them to specific devices. They also offer opt-out mechanisms. Tapad, for instance, says on its website that its proprietary technology "assimilates billions of data points to find the human relationship between smartphones, desktops, laptops, tablets, connected TVs and game consoles." The firm says its algorithms provide "the highest possible probability that devices are related." Among the data it may collect is an "obfuscated user identifier, such as email address, but only to evaluate the probability and nature of connections between devices, never to identify the individual." The firm says it's involved in developing industrywide standards for consumer privacy, including clear notice and opt-out choices complying with the Digital Advertising Alliance program for advertising linked to consumer online behavior. "Notice plus opt-out opportunity is the gold standard in the current environment," says Whitener. Consumers should keep in mind, however, that the clients of these technology firms -- the websites you interact with -- will have their own privacy policies, which could allow for data collection beyond what the vendor's policy provides, according to Whitener. Ideally, the website will spell out both how it and its service providers collect data, he says. Writing on the International Association of Privacy Professionals blog early this year, Whitener suggested that digital marketers be fully transparent regarding their data collection and consumer tracking practices; that they provide clear opt-out abilities; and that they be cautious about making no-personal-information-collected claims. "Privacy policies commonly assert that cookies used by a website operator collect no personal information or that data collected is `anonymous,'" Whitener wrote. "That assertion may not be true of some cross-device ID methods, which enable identification of specific individuals." Consumers speak out The FTC is accepting public comments on cross-device tracking, and several citizens have written to oppose tracking and call for the ability to easily opt out. "I am opposed to any tracking by any entity," wrote Blanche Wallace of Florida. "If I desire a product or service, I am quite capable of locating a provider. There should be a quick, easy, and obvious way to opt out of tracking." Jonathan Bernstein of Illinois wrote: "The most obvious thing to do would be to require any company that tracks any consumer to notify the consumer exactly who is tracking, what is being tracked, and where that data can be shared, each time the consumer logs onto a site that is party to tracking, either with a pop-up window or an email, in real-time at the point of tracking." The question, Whitener says, is how companies achieve meaningful notice and choice. "If the consumer has to dig through a long and jargon-filled privacy policy to learn how personal information is collected, how it's used, and how to opt out of that collection and use, it's not very meaningful," Whitener says. "I like the `surprise minimization' principle that California has endorsed: If consumer data is being collected and used in unexpected ways, the ad industry has an obligation to take extra steps to alert the consumer." More From CreditCards.com: * Mobile shopping apps raise privacy and security issues * Retailer beacons track your phone as you shop, raising privacy issues * Privacy disclosure statements let you opt out of info sharing Tap to read full story 0 0 Read Next Your browser is out of date. 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Data Security MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE MORE (BUTTON) U.S. Edition * U.S. Edition * Europe, Middle East and Africa Edition * Asia Edition * South Pacific Edition Data Security How Tax Prep Companies Are Fighting Identity Theft This Year Data Security Your Router May Be Vulnerable to Hackers Data Security Make Your Facebook Profile More Private in 6 Easy Steps Data Security Everything to Know About a Massive Hack Targeting Children's Toys Data Security Think Twice Before Using This Wildly Popular Facebook App Data Security Apple Refused to Give iMessages to the Government Data Security What to Know About the Ashley Madison Hack Data Security Facebook `Spam King' Faces 3 Years in Prison Data Security How Carmakers Are Banding Together to Fight Hackers Data Security Toronto Police Investigating Possible Ashley Madison Suicides Data Security TIME Tech Security Here's How Obama Wants to Protect the U.S. Against Hackers * Sam Frizell @Sam_Frizell Jan. 13, 2015 SHARE President Obama Delivers Remarks On Cyber Security Getty Images U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) on January 13, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia. Information sharing and better prosecution of hackers More How Tax Prep Companies Are Fighting Identity Theft This YearYour Router May Be Vulnerable to HackersBill Richardson: North Korea Was Sending Us a Message We Can't Afford to Miss President Obama unveiled a new proposal Tuesday aimed at protecting businesses and the government from hackers. The President's plan would encourage public and private sector information sharing as well as expand law enforcement's authority to prosecute digital criminals. The proposal, announced at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center in Arlington, Virginia, comes in the wake of high-profile hacks against Sony, Home Depot, J.P. Morgan and other companies over the past year. A wide array of businesses and police groups have been calling on Congress to pass new cybersecurity legislation as a response to those incidents. On the corporate side, Obama's plan would require businesses to notify consumers if their personal information has been exposed to hackers, as in the case of the Target and J.P. Morgan hacks, for instance. Additionally, companies would be protected from liability for sharing digital threats with the Department of Homeland Security, which would then share those threats in databases accessed by the private sector. For prosecutors, the White House's package would let them better target the sale of identity theft software and computer networks used by hackers. It would also criminalize the overseas sale of U.S. financial information. Both government representatives and private companies have long demanded many of the steps highlighted in Obama's proposal. Just last week, Admiral Michael S. Rogers, director of the NSA and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said Congress should pass legislation that improves coordination between U.S. intelligence and the private sector. "We have got to create partnerships that bridge the divide between the private sector and the government," Rogers said at a conference in New York City. "I don't think it's realistic for the private sector to deal with [cyber threats] all by themselves." A coalition of businesses, meanwhile, has already voiced support for the new plan. "Collaboration between industry and government to share threat information is crucial in the fight against sophisticated and persistent cyber criminals," said Nicholas Ahrens, vice president for cybersecurity and data privacy at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. A number of RILA members, including Walgreen, Target, Nike and JCPenney, began sharing data on cyber threats last May. It's unclear, however, if an Obama-backed cybersecurity bill will make it through the Republican-controlled Congress, which has in recent years failed to pass similar measures. Tap to read full story 0 0 Read Next Your browser is out of date. 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Powered by WordPress.com VIP [p?c1=2&c2=6035728&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=2.0&cj=1] #TIME » Europe’s Top Court Just Gave U.S. Tech Firms a Huge Headache Comments Feed Here Are the 5 Most Popular Instagram Photos of All Time Morning Must Reads: October 6 alternate alternate TIME WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Business MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE MORE (BUTTON) U.S. Edition * U.S. Edition * Europe, Middle East and Africa Edition * Asia Edition * South Pacific Edition Listeria Outbreak Linked to Dole’s Packaged Salads Inside the Oregon Standoff What Impressed Me the Most About Microsoft’s HoloLens How You Can Help the Residents of Flint Watch Live as Washington, D.C. Is Slowly Covered in Snow The Decade-Long Image Licensing War Is Suddenly Over Thousands of People In South Dakota Are Buying Coffee for Each Other Nearly 300,000 Drone Owners Have Registered in First Month Exclusive: Martin O’Malley Says Bernie Sanders’ Strength is Socialism Saudi Chess President: Religious Opposition Is No Checkmate TIME Business legal Europe’s Top Court Just Gave U.S. Tech Firms a Huge Headache * Vivienne Walt / Fortune @vivwalt Oct. 6, 2015 SHARE It could get harder for companies like Facebook to send data around the world + READ ARTICLE The Atlantic Ocean just got a lot wider. On Tuesday the E.U.’s highest court threw out a key U.S.-European agreement called Safe Harbor, that for years has allowed companies to transfer their customers’ data back and forth across the Atlantic—the route taken by half the Internet traffic on the planet—without having to ask their permission in advance. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that the agreement violated privacy rights of regular citizens, since they have no control over how their data is ultimately used. That decision—declaring the agreement null and void—was recently described to Fortune by a business group as the “Doomsday scenario,” which would throw companies’ global operations into chaos. Safe Harbor, which the U.S. and E.U. officials in 2000 when online commerce was taking off, was a way of allowing companies to conduct business on the borderless Internet. “It is fair to say this is a bombshell,” Wim Nauwelaerts, a Brussels partner for the U.S. law firm Hunton & Williams, who represents American companies in the EU, said by phone on Tuesday. “There are thousands of companies who genuinely rely on the Safe Harbor network to transfer data, in order for them to do business.” But despite those complications, the EU judgement is clear: The Safe Harbor agreement is none too safe. Under EU laws, companies are allowed to transfer their customers’ data only if “the third country in question ensures an adequate level of protection,” the ruling says. And for that level of protection, the E.U. judges concluded, don’t look to the U.S. Tuesday’s ruling is a measure of how deep the impact is in Europe of Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, more than two years after they exploded. The court decision says the U.S. has failed to show that they collect people’s data in a way that is “strictly necessary and proportionate to the protection of national security.” It also said that both Americans or Europeans have “no administrative or judicial means of redress” if their data is used for reasons they did not intend. In fact, it was the NSA’s PRISM program that doomed Safe Harbor, and which will now frame future negotiations between the U.S. and Europe about how companies transfer data. In 2013 Snowden revealed that the agency was scooping up mammoth quantities of people’s details, by tapping into the data bases of giant U.S. tech and telcoms companies. Since all those megacompanies were signatories to the Safe Harbor agreement, the Safe Harbor rules proved a legal framework for PRISM, according to Tuesday’s EU court ruling. “Companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo had hundreds of millions of clients in Europe and transferred personal data to the United States for processing,” it says. The ruling jolted U.S. officials, yet they should hardly have been taken by surprise. In late September the E.U.’s Advocate General Yves Bot published an opinion slamming the lack of data-privacy protections under Safe Harbor, and saying that the U.S. intelligence agencies carried out “mass, indiscriminate surveillance.” In response the U.S. Mission to the E.U. in Brussels said in a statement that “the United States does not and has not engaged in indiscriminate surveillance of anyone, including ordinary European citizens.” The E.U. court did not buy it. Now comes the messy process of reworking rules for business. U.S. and E.U. officials have been negotiating new Safe Harbor rules since 2013, and in recent weeks both sides have said they were close to agreement. The new rules would likely include assurances—never before made— that governments will not access data of regular citizens. “It’s vital for companies to be able to function in a multijurisdictional environment and a global trading world,” says Paul Meller, spokesman for Digital Europe, a lobbying group in Brussels representing multinational tech companies. “Most would agree Safe Harbor is not perfect but it’s a pragmatic way of getting over this jurisdictional issue.” In 2000, it was urgent to figure out how to transfer basic information like credit cards, names, addresses, and other data that now underpins billions of dollars worth of Internet business. Yet few could have foreseen that such data could just as easily be used for governments to conduct mass surveillance. “Hindsight in a beautiful thing,” Henriette Tielemans, a data-privacy lawyer at the Covington law firm in Brussels, said in a statement emailed to Fortune on Tuesday. “We must all remember that in 2015 things are different than they were in 2000.” Nonetheless, it was the hindsight of one young Austrian student, Max Schrems, that set in motion the downfall of Safe Harbor. At just 24, Schrems, then a law student in Vienna, spent six months studying at Santa Clara University in California in 2011, when he sat in on a class by a Facebook lawyer. Schrems told me he was shocked to hear the lawyer brush off concerns about data privacy. “I was the only European in the room,” he said. “The basic theme was ‘you can do whatever you want.'” Schrems researched Facebook’s privacy rules for his thesis, concluding that they violated E.U. laws. He lodged a complaint against the Data Privacy Commission of Ireland, where Facebook has its E.U. headquarters. He crowdsourced the funding for his case online and petitioned Facebook to get his data—receiving 1,200 pages of documents, including 300 pages of data he had deleted from his Facebook page. All that became the basis for the case in the E.U. court, about controlling data-transfer rules with the U.S.—an issue that has grown massively in support among Europeans since the Snowden revelations. Schrems, who turned 28 last week, says he could not have imagined back in California that his youthful student outrage might lead to an entire rewriting of trans-Atlantic rules. Seconds after the E.U. court announced its ruling on Tuesday, he tweeted his satisfied response: “*YAY*.” 0 0 Read Next Your browser is out of date. 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Powered by WordPress.com VIP [p?c1=2&c2=6035728&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=2.0&cj=1] #Tech » Twitter, Wikileaks and the Broken Market for Consumer Privacy Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Counterspy Twitter, Wikileaks and the Broken Market for Consumer Privacy By Barton Gellman Jan. 14, 20110 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Updated 2:30 pm near bottom of post, to clarify recipient of a letter from Yahoo’s lawyers. The tech world is abuzz with a remarkable display of backbone by Twitter in the Wikileaks case. It deserves wider notice. Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents. In December the feds obtained a secret order instructing Twitter to hand over private account contents for Assange and four Wikileaks associates, including network addresses, connection logs, credit card information and identities of everyone they talked to. The order forbade Twitter to notify those affected, among them Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a member of Iceland’s parliament. Twitter stalled, fighting and winning a motion to lift the gag order, which is how we know about the case. (If the judge had believed government claims that lifting the gag would blow the investigation, she could equally have rejected Twitter’s motion.) Having obtained permission, Twitter notified its users and promised to hand over nothing if they filed a motion to quash within ten days. That is simply the gold standard of customer protection, enabling courts to balance the legitimate needs of prosecutors with the civil liberties of their targets. It almost never happens. The Obama administration, like those before it, promotes a disturbingly narrow interpretation of the Fourth Amendment, misapplying the facts of old analog cases to a radically different digital world. I do not deny that there is a line of judicial precedents allowing government agents to search our emails, copy our hard drives and plant GPS trackers on our cars without anything close to probable cause. But there are also contrary cases, and the steady march toward a surveillance state would be unrecognizable to the Founders. Computer files and the contents of smartphones are indisputably the present-day equivalents of constitutionally protected “houses, papers, and effects.” Surveillance-happy authorities define the problem away. The search-and-seizure provisions of the Fourth Amendment, they say, are irrelevant because you and I have no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in digital records that tell vastly more about us than our parents’ file drawers. This is not primarily a legal argument. It’s an assertion of fact about what we think, and about the nature of our society. It says that, because we have entrusted our private data to Google or Sprint or Skype — without which transactions we cannot function in today’s economy or society — we are affirming that we do not actually regard our secrets as private. Another version, equally circular, is that we know that high-tech surveillance tools exist, and therefore don’t expect privacy for anything those tools can reach. (In case you haven’t heard, thermal imagery can take pretty good pictures through your bedroom wall from the street.) Raise your hands, all you government lawyers, if you purport to believe your emails and personal files are not private. I’ll be happy to link to them in my next column. Companies that receive government information demands have to obey the law, but they often have room for maneuver. They scarcely ever use it. Digital security guru Christopher Soghoian, in a first-rate piece of reporting and analysis awaiting publication in the Minnesota Journal of Law, Science and Technology, describes the available legal and technical tools in rich detail. In general, the companies could keep fewer records that could be subpoenaed, insist that data requests be narrowly tailored to the asserted purpose and ask courts to lift restrictions on customer notice. It is beyond reasonable doubt that authorities asked other companies to supply the same kinds of information sought from Twitter, but none of them admit it. Soghoian notes that standard procedure in this kind of forensic work is to assemble data from many sources to “draw the graph” of Wikileaks and its leadership — who communicates with whom, and when, and who initiates the contact — even if the contents of the conversations are encrypted. Twitter lived up handsomely to a policy of providing no private information without a binding order, and of notifying users unless legally barred from doing so. The other companies, with a few partial exceptions, will not say what their policies are. I sent carefully framed questions to Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook, MySpace and Skype. None replied to most of them. Partial answers, when I got them, were mostly homilies about how seriously they take privacy and how carefully they review each request. Details are below, but here’s the bottom line. As Paul Ohm, a former computer crime prosecutor, put it to me, there is a “classic tacit collusion problem” by companies that do not want to compete on privacy and agree among themselves that “the less you know the better.” Yahoo actually said as much when Soghoian filed a freedom of information request for [DEL: helped disclose some of :DEL] its surveillance practices. Yahoo’s lawyers asked the U.S. government to deny the request, saying disclosure would “shock [our] customers” and damage [DEL: wrote him a threatening letter, saying he had damaged :DEL] the company’s “reputation for protection of user privacy and security, which is a competitive disadvantage for technology companies.” If only. We know what’s in our Cheerios and in our retirement accounts because the law requires disclosure. The market for privacy is broken. Suppliers don’t let us comparison-shop and Congress is not disposed to oblige them. Attention state legislators: does anyone care? — Here’s the fine print: I asked the companies how many times in 2010 they were served with government demands for non-public information about their customers, and whether they (1) try to narrow those demands; (2) insist on compulsory legal orders before complying; (3) ask courts to allow them to notify their customers; (4) tell customers who inquire, if legally permitted, whether their private data has been obtained by authorities; (5) follow stronger or weaker interpretations of their customers’ rights in areas of disputed law, such as the pro-privacy holdings in the Sixth Circuit and Ninth Circuit that do not bind other jurisdictions. I further asked them, if they declined to answer these questions, why they believed their customers did not deserve to know. —– Here is what I got back (any italics are mine): * Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Google and MySpace simply ignored the questions. No response at all. * Microsoft said “we take our responsibility to protect our customers’ privacy very seriously, so have specific processes that we use when responding to law enforcement requests.” No hint on what those processes might be. As for the rest: “We appreciate your questions and, unfortunately, this statement is the extent of what Microsoft can provide at this time.” * Skype “does not comment on law enforcement matters” but “cooperates with law enforcement agencies where legally required… Though we’d like to help you with your story, I’m afraid we’re going to have to decline offering any further details.” Skype’s privacy policy is said to be “very transparent,” although it answers exactly none of my questions. The closest it comes is to say Skype “may” disclose your personal information “to respond to legal requirements, to protect Skype’s interests, to enforce our policies or to protect anyone’s rights, property, or safety.” That is the kind of language that lawyers write to justify almost any conceivable disclosure. * T-Mobile “complies with all relevant federal and state laws, including privacy laws. We take our customers’ privacy very seriously, and carefully control the circumstances under which we disclose customer information to any governmental or non-governmental entity.” How so? T-Mobile leaves itself even more wiggle room than Skype does. It hands over your private information “when compelled or permitted” by law,” and this includes, but is not limited to, circumstances under which there is a declaration from law enforcement of an exigent circumstance, as well as other valid legal process, such as subpoenas, search warrants, and court orders.” * Yahoo “responds to valid law enforcement demands.” Its lawyers “carefully review all incoming legal demands,” and “take very seriously our dual responsibilities to abide by US law and to protect our users’ privacy.” The company “is committed to protecting user data.” The privacy policy says disclosures come in response to “subpoenas, court orders,” or unspecified “legal process,” or “to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims,” or when “we believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of Yahoo!’s terms of use, or as otherwise required by law.” * Sprint manages to be the most responsive and the least reassuring. It gets “thousands of record requests a year” from authorities — other published hints have suggested tens of thousands — and requires a “valid legal request,” which is not the same thing as a compulsory request. “We act as good stewards of our customers’ personal information while also meeting our obligations to law enforcement agencies.” Sprint “usually” requires a subpoena or court order but in other cases “Sprint can provide information without requiring this supporting documentation.” Sprint notifies its customers only when “ordered buy a judge to do so,” which in practice is almost never, rather than as legally permitted, which would be often, because “we do not seek to interfere with the progress of law enforcement investigations.” Then comes the boilerplate that “we are ardent about addressing privacy in our products and services and then clearly communicating those policies and practices to our customers.” On the whole, this answer is not terribly specific, but the company’s priorities are pretty clear. It values cooperation with authorities more than the privacy of its customers, and notifies them only when compelled to do so. * Comcast makes “every reasonable effort to protect subscriber privacy,” and the rest of the answers amount to “maybe.” Disclosures of personal information “may be made with or without the subscriber’s consent, and with or without notice, in compliance with the terms of valid legal process such as a subpoena, court order, or search warrant.” It gives the greatest protection to customer’s television viewing habits because the Cable Act requires notice and an opportunity for customers to contest release of their personal information. For internet customers, “we are usually prohibited from notifying the subscriber of any disclosure of personally identifiable information to a government entity by the terms of the subpoena, court order, or search warrant.” There is no mention of contesting gag orders, or of notifying customers when permitted to do so. * Facebook: “We have no comment at this time” on Wikileaks. On the policy questions, “Will get back to you.” I’m still waiting. 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » How Much Do Americans Really Care About Online Privacy? Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Security & Privacy How Much Do Americans Really Care About Online Privacy? Given all the talk about protecting our personal privacy, is anyone seriously doing something about it? Well, sort of. By Techlicious / Fox Van Allen @techliciousJan. 24, 20140 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Matters of online privacy seem to be dominating headlines now more than ever before. But given all the talk about protecting our personal privacy, is anyone seriously doing something about it? Well, sort of: According to a new poll by GlobalWebIndex published byThe Guardian, 56% of Americans believe the Internet is eroding their personal privacy, but only a quarter of us are actually using tools like Tor to disguise our identity. The survey, which is actually just compiled market research data, shows that the United States is actually lagging behind the rest of the world in using privacy features and tools. Only 17% of Americans use VPNs – Virutal Private Networks – so we can browse the web anonymously. That compares to 38% of those in Brazil, 36% in Thailand, and 34% in China, India and Mexico. The results of this new poll don’t quite line up with past results we’ve seen. A Pew Internet & Digital Life poll last year reported that a full 86% of us “have taken steps online to remove or mask our digital footprints.” Of course, the Pew poll counted simple efforts like clearing browser histories in its tally, which offers only very limited privacy protection. Still, regardless of what everyone else thinks about their online privacy, you should take a more active role in protecting yours. Check out these 11 simple ways to protect your privacy to get started – there are good tips there for computer novices and experts alike. And remember to take privacy especially seriously any time you’re on public WiFi – it’s easy for bad guys to peek into your computer and send viruses at coffee shops and other public locations. This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Techlicious. More from Techlicious: * How to Find Your Wallet, Keys and Smartphone * T-Mobile Now Offering Its Own Smartphone Banking Services * How to Make Your Smartphone Smarter * 99% of All Mobile Malware Targets Android Devices * AT&T Letting Users Break Contracts 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. Yes, the PlayStation 4 Supports External Storage, but There’s a Catch 4. The 5 Best Sites for Downloading Gorgeous Retina Wallpaper 5. 92 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents From Time.com 1. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Ridiculous Drama: Microsoft Internet Explorer vs. Google Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Microsoft Ridiculous Drama: Microsoft Internet Explorer vs. Google By Keith Wagstaff @kwagstaffFeb. 21, 20120 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + New Microsoft Innovations Andy Rogers / Getty Images * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Microsoft — long relegated to the uncool corner of the tech world by popular kids Google and Facebook — is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. First, it released an ad campaign in the wake of Google’s controversial new privacy policy that amounted to “Hey, guess who isn’t Google? Us!” Now it’s swinging at Google while the company’s down by attacking the search giant for bypassing user privacy settings in Internet Explorer. This, of course, comes after all of the drama with Apple’s Safari, when Stanford researcher Jonathan Mayer discovered that Google bypassed that browser’s privacy settings to track users across the web using cookies. (MORE: Windows 8’s Logo Is a Snoozer? Good!) Techland’s own Jared Newman thought it was much ado about nothing, writing “considering that most desktop browsers allow third-party tracking cookies by default, lots of people who don’t use Safari were already subjected to tracking by Google and other companies.” Still, it rubbed people the wrong way. Apparently, brouhaha surrounding the Safari snafu made Microsoft feel all introspective: When the IE team heard that Google had bypassed user privacy settings on Safari, we asked ourselves a simple question: is Google circumventing the privacy preferences of Internet Explorer users too? Oh the intrigue! (The answer, by the way, is “yes”). Microsoft pointed out that Google bypasses Internet Explorer’s P3P Privacy Protection by presenting its third-party cookies as first-party cookies. Microsoft then presented users with some helpful hints on how to “protect their privacy from Google.” Google didn’t take this lying down. Rachel Whetstone, the company’s senior vice president of communications and policy, released a statement saying that Internet Explorer’s policy was “widely non-operational” and impractical, noting that the protection broke plenty of common features including Facebook’s “Likes.” Whetstone then referenced a Facebook post that succinctly pointed out the flaws of P3P: The organization that established P3P, the World Wide Web Consortium, suspended its work on this standard several years ago because most modern web browsers do not fully support P3P. As a result, the P3P standard is now out of date and does not reflect technologies that are currently in use on the web, so most websites currently do not have P3P policies. While I’m not sure “We worked around Internet Explorer’s privacy protections because they’re stupid” will hold up in the court of public opinion, both Google and Facebook have valid points. In the end, Microsoft comes out of this looking petty, as it did with its initial “We’re the anti-Google” ad campaign. There are major privacy concerns at play when it comes to Google; this, by comparison, is small potatoes. In the end, blowing things out of proportion only makes Microsoft look bad. MORE: Mountain Lion vs. Windows 8: Oh, So Very Different 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. Yes, the PlayStation 4 Supports External Storage, but There’s a Catch 4. The 5 Best Sites for Downloading Gorgeous Retina Wallpaper 5. 92 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. Gangs of ‘Powerfully Built’ Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong 3. Putin Phones Obama To Discuss Ukraine, White House Says 4. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Google Opens Up About Glass Privacy, Zombification Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Google Google Opens Up About Glass Privacy, Zombification During a "fireside chat" about Glass at Google's I/O conference, Google employees opened up. By Jared Newman @OneJaredNewmanMay 17, 20130 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + google-glass Google Related * The Real Privacy Implications of Google Glass * Three Questions I Hope Google Answers Before Google Glass Is Released * 5 New Things to Know About Google Glass * Should We Really Ban Google Glass While Driving? * A Killer App for Google’s Glasses * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Until now, Google has stayed eerily quiet on the privacy implications of Google Glass, seemingly content to let the tech world debate the issue among themselves. But during a “fireside chat” about Glass at Google’s I/O conference, Google employees opened up. Their responses represent the company’s most thorough take yet on the privacy issues surrounding Google Glass. Google Glass, if you’re unaware, is a pair of mock spectacles with a mounted display, camera, microphone and touch panel. So far, Google has only sent out Glass to a couple thousand developers, along with a few members of the press. And over the last few weeks, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether society would be better or worse off with head-mounted displays and cameras. Steve Lee, the product director for Google Glass, offered a few responses to the criticisms so far: 1. Google purposely mounted the display for Glass just above the eye, forcing users to look up at the screen. “Once you’re around someone with Glass, you’ll know they’re paying attention to you because they’re looking at you,” Lee said. Later in the session, Lee said the screen’s high placement makes it hard to look at for long periods of time, encouraging quick sessions instead. That was also by design. “We don’t want to create zombies staring up at their display for long periods of time,” Lee said. 2. Regarding the potential for surreptitious recording, Lee said Glass purposely requires “social queues”–that is, tapping the side of the device, or speaking–to snap a photo or start taking video. Engineering director Charles Mendis added that “you kind of notice” when someone’s staring at you. “If you walk into the restroom, even without Glass, and someone’s just looking at you, I don’t know about you but I’d get out of there,” Mendis said. 3. Lee pointed out that when you use Glass, the display lights up, so other people will always know when Glass is active. Google won’t allow Glass apps that don’t light up the screen while the device is in use. Granted, a lot of those points have already come up without Google’s intervention. It’s good, at least, to hear that Google considered privacy implications while designing the Glass hardware. Meanwhile, Google dodged the privacy angle during another question about facial recognition. Lee said Google experimented with the feature, but hasn’t implemented it–at least not yet. “Me being a product person, the way I view it, I’m not scared of it, but I want to make sure there’s clear user benefit,” Lee said. (UPDATE: Google asked us to post this statement from Lee: “We’ve consistently said that we won’t add new face recognition features to our services unless we have strong privacy protections in place.” The statement doesn’t cite specifics, but Google’s comments date back to at least 2011, when rumors suggested that Google may add face recognition to its Goggles app for smarthphones. At the time, Google said it “won’t add face recognition to Goggles unless we can figure out a strong privacy model for it. We haven’t figured it out.” Google reiterated those claims after acquiring a facial recognition firm later that year. It’s certainly a topic worthy of more discussion with the arrival of Glass.) The idea that Glass could someday let users persistently identify people around them shouldn’t be brushed under the rug. If facial recognition is the inevitable future of Glass, we should be discussing the privacy implications now. I’ve previously said it’s a stretch to think Google would use facial recognition to build some secret database of mugshots; I’d still like to hear what Google thinks about the feature’s potential, and the privacy boundaries it would require. Also, none of the responses from Google employees add up to a more holistic take on Glass privacy. In my view, the mere threat of being constantly recorded by friends, family, acquaintances or strangers has the potential to change our behavior, and make us more guarded in situations once thought to be transient. That’s not a topic Google has touched. The privacy concerns around Glass will be moot if the product isn’t a hit, but Google does see mainstream potential for the device. Glass has been panned by some as the next Bluetooth headset–a once-trendy but eventually uncool item–but Lee said Google can solve that dilemma by making Glass useful, even to those who aren’t using it. For instance, someone with Glass will be able to record candid moments, or answer trivia questions quickly. “I’ve yet to meet a person who says they like being around someone who has a Bluetooth headset on,” Lee said. “It’s not a positive image and so we want to do the opposite with Glass.” Whether Google can make Glass beloved by people who aren’t using it, without simultaneously creeping them out, is arguably the biggest challenge ahead. 2 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest PomershJohn PomershJohn 5pts Glass are fine invention. Regards, http://goo.gl/bTlRIY actiontvonline actiontvonline 5pts Google glass as some great and wonderful features but the cost is too high 1500 dollars no no http://jamtechnews.blogspot.com/2013/03/google-glass-features-specs-and -reviews.html SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. Yes, the PlayStation 4 Supports External Storage, but There’s a Catch 4. The 5 Best Sites for Downloading Gorgeous Retina Wallpaper 5. 92 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Digital Privacy: If You’ve Done Nothing Wrong, Do You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’? Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Security Digital Privacy: If You’ve Done Nothing Wrong, Do You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’? By Barton Gellman Aug. 03, 20100 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland A few years back, I did a long newspaper story about the FBI snooping on the private records of ordinary citizens. As my old editor Michael Kinsley likes to say, the scandal is what’s legal. The Patriot Act unleashed the FBI to search your email, travel and credit records without even a suspicion of wrongdoing. The FBI was doing it, in secret, tens of thousands of times a year. As I dug into the story, government officials kept telling me that law-abiding Americans have nothing to fear. Why object to surveillance if you have nothing to hide? Joseph Billy Jr., a top FBI supervisor for whom I had great respect, told me, “I’ve had people say, you know, ‘Hey, I don’t care, I’ve done nothing to be concerned about. You can have me in your files and that’s that.’ Some people take that approach.” I’m not one of those people. CounterSpy is a new blog about privacy and security in our digital lives. I come to it by temperament and professional necessity. My principal work is investigative reporting, and efforts have spiked in recent years to find and punish my confidential sources. (Update Aug 3, 10:40pm: My son Michael points out that this link is broken and asks if that’s a joke about confidential sources. Um, no. Here’s the correct link.) I learned the technology and tradecraft of electronic security in self defense, with a lot of expert help. If that sounds exotic, and you think you have nothing to hide, I invite you to reconsider. As Trotsky didn’t exactly say, you may not be interested in electronic snoops, but snoops are interested in you, whether or not you keep Coke’s secret recipe on your iPhone. Pay attention to security or you’ll let others make free with your medical records, those emails about your friend’s crumbling marriage, your gambling debts, the layoffs you’re planning, the job you’re thinking of jumping to, the cool idea you want to pitch, your candid thoughts about your boss, your forthcoming quarterly earnings or that embarrassing online purchase you made last month. You know which one I’m talking about. Maybe you figure it’s hopeless. The other day I talked about CounterSpy’s launch with Karen Greenberg, who runs the Center on Law and Security. “What’s the point?” she asked. “There is no digital privacy and security.” That’s easy to say with equanimity in the abstract. Not so much when you start to think concretely. We kicked around a few examples, and soon she was insisting that something has to be done. This is an ambivalence that a lot of us feel on the subject. Plenty of people will tell you that you don’t really care, or shouldn’t care, or needn’t bother caring, because the protected space of our personal lives disappeared in the olden days of the 1990s. These people do not have your interests at heart. They depend on the hope that you’ll forget about privacy the same way you forget about that camera in the elevator. Oracle’s Larry Ellison ( “the privacy you’re concerned about is largely an illusion“) is the guy who wants to supply software for a national ID system. Facebook’s Marc Zuckerberg (there’s no more “social norm” of privacy) owns a multibillion dollar business based on extracting your intimate details. (Here’s an illuminating graphic that shows how Facebook does it.) Google’s Eric Schmidt, whose company depends on promiscuous data collection, endorsed the FBI equation of secrecy with wrongdoing: “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” Everyone has something to hide. Privacy is relational. It depends on the audience. You don’t want your employer to know you’re job hunting. You don’t spill all about your love life to your mom, or your kids. You don’t tell trade secrets to your rivals. We don’t expose ourselves indiscriminately, and we care enough about exposure to lie as a matter of course. Among upstanding citizens, researchers have consistently found that lying is “an everyday social interaction” (twice a day among college students, once a day in the Real World). Remember the disasters that befell Jim Carrey in that movie plot that left him magically unable to fib for even one day? Comprehensive transparency is a nightmare. My favorite security blogger, Bruce Schneier, put it this way: Privacy is about control. When your health records are sold to a pharmaceutical company without your permission; when a social-networking site changes your privacy settings to make what used to be visible only to your friends visible to everyone; when the NSA eavesdrops on everyone’s e-mail conversations — your loss of control over that information is the issue. We may not mind sharing our personal lives and thoughts, but we want to control how, where and with whom. A privacy failure is a control failure. CounterSpy is about taking back a modicum of control. Self-protection is a powerful instinct — we try to safeguard our families, reputations and careers — but instinct alone won’t protect you in cyberspace. Digital security is full of trade-offs, a shifting balance of risk and cost and convenience. It takes effort to use encryption, or to choose a different, complex pass phrase for every online account. If you don’t want transponders to record every place and time you cross a toll, you have to give up EZPass and take the slower drive into the cash lane. It costs money to decide against joining shopper loyalty programs that track and sell lists of everything you buy. Your choices will depend on the stakes and threat as you see them. I expend a lot more resources protecting my reporter’s notes than my family vacation photos. But that’s just me. Your photos may be altogether different. 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Google Says Those Who Email Gmail Users Have ‘No Legitimate Expectation of Privacy’ Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Opinion Google Says Those Who Email Gmail Users Have ‘No Legitimate Expectation of Privacy’ Legitimate, as Google's using the word, simply means lawful. By Matt Peckham @mattpeckhamAug. 14, 20130 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + Related * Google’s Larry Page Denies Cooperation with PRISM * PRISM Poll: Do You Care About the Government Mining Internet Data? * PRISM by the Numbers: A Guide to the Government’s Secret Internet Data-Mining Program * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Correction appended at 7:53pm EDT on 8/14/2013: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that Gmail users have “no legitimate expectation of privacy” when it should have stated that non-Gmail users who email Gmail users have “no legitimate expectation of privacy.” The article’s title has been changed to reflect the update. A quote from Google has also been added, as has a quote from the introduction of Google’s motion concerning wiretap statuses and automatic email scanning. Lavabit is no more. Silent Circle has shuttered its secure email service. All the major email providers appear to be complicit in one form or another with PRISM, the NSA’s clandestine email surveillance program revealed by The Guardian in early June. And now Google’s legal team seems to be spraying gasoline on the controversy after filing a motion in mid-June that, among other things, argues users who access Google services like Gmail shouldn’t expect their transactions to remain secret. The salient quote was surfaced by Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit California-based consumer rights group founded in 1985. It’s from a 39-page motion filed by Google on June 13, 2013 in hopes of dismissing several disparate complaints that allege the company violates wiretap laws by poking around in email to engage in targeted advertising. Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient’s assistant opens the letter, people who use web-based email today cannot be surprised if their communications are processed by the recipient’s ECS [electronic communication service] provider in the course of delivery. Indeed, “a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties.” That last sentence, which refers explicitly to non-Gmail users who send email to Gmail users, does sound damning. Is Google’s legal counsel right? Do people who interact with Gmail have no rightful expectation to privacy when voluntarily turning information over to third parties like Google? Consider what comes next in the motion before dusting off the pitchforks and torches. Referring to the 1979 court case from which the above quote was extracted, Google writes: In particular, the Court noted that persons communicating through a service provided by an intermediary (in the Smith case, a telephone call routed through a telephone company) must necessarily expect that the communication will be subject to the intermediary’s systems. For example, the Court explained that in using the telephone, a person “voluntarily convey[s] numerical information to the telephone company and ‘expose[s]’ that information to its equipment in the ordinary course of business.” Google does seem to be semantically overreaching when it claims non-Gmail users have no rightful expectation of privacy: who doesn’t expect (naively or no) that their communications will remain private when sending or receiving email? But the point the company’s making involves pragmatics: email systems have to parse emails in order to process and route them properly. That’s a by-design thing. Fretting about it’s a little like expecting a snail mail carrier not to read the outgoing and return addresses on an envelope. But that’s only a fraction of what Google’s up to in this motion, most of which talks about Gmail users themselves, including this section (from the introduction): Second, the wiretap statutes also preclude liability where either a single party to the communication (for the federal statute) or both parties (for the state statutes) have expressly or impliedly consented to the practices at issue. Here, all Plaintiffs who are Gmail users consented to the automated scanning of their emails (including for purposes of delivering targeted advertising) in exchange for using the Gmail service, thus precluding any claim under federal law. In short, the company claims both federal and state wiretap statutes exempt it from liability related to conduct — both for Gmail and non-Gmail users — that occurs in the ordinary course of business. Google, of course, is appealing to as wide a definition of “conduct” as you’d imagine a company like it would, dismissing complaints about email scanning because it says you’ve consented to be scanned, whether you’re a native Gmail user or exchanging emails with a native Gmail user. As Google puts it in its privacy policy explainer: We use the information we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads. Assuming Google’s right legally speaking — and don’t confuse what’s legal with what’s ethical — the company has a point. Throughout the motion, Google’s essentially saying that it does what it does, that it has a legal right to do what it does, that it’s been very clear about what it does, and that anyone accessing a service like Gmail, whether natively or indirectly, is beholden to its terms of use, including automated rifling through email content and using that information to craft targeted ads. That, I suspect, is why you have Consumer Watchdog director John Simpson saying: “Google has finally admitted they don’t respect privacy. People should take them at their word; if you care about your email correspondents’ privacy don’t use Gmail.” The message isn’t sue Google, it’s quit Google. Indeed, unless we believe Google hasn’t been clear about what it does or doesn’t do, the legal onus isn’t on Google to stop scanning every Gmail message it’s parsing; it’s on users opposed to either lobby the company to change its behavior, or abandon the service, whether that’s shifting to another email provider (problematic, especially if your concerns extend to government snooping), opting for self-hosted and/or encrypted email (the do-it-yourself route, i.e. build your own email server), or investigating peer-to-peer email services (server-less, secure, anonymous…supposedly). After 9/11, an old Ben Franklin quote started circulating: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Replace “a little safety” with “lifestyle conveniences” and you have an applicable analogue for what’s happening as we hand our digital correspondence off to massive memory banks controlled by a handful of groups increasingly willing to challenge traditional expectations about privacy in hopes that product momentum — bolstered by the whole free-with-ads angle — will outpace consumer paranoia. Update: Google emailed this over earlier this evening: We take our users’ privacy and security very seriously; recent reports claiming otherwise are simply untrue. We have built industry-leading security and privacy features into Gmail — and no matter who sends an email to a Gmail user, those protections apply. Matt Peckham @mattpeckham Matt Peckham is TIME's video games, science tech and music tech correspondent based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His work has appeared in Variety, The Washington Post, The New York Times and others. 28 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest AlejandroMosqueraOchoa AlejandroMosqueraOchoa 5pts Does anyone know how much does google earn by wiretapping their users' emails for targeted advertising? how much are worth the email marketing insights ? Angel_Meadows Angel_Meadows 5pts So...if you are wanting to continue accepting submissions from journalists or fiction writers, editors will now have to deny works from all those writers unless it is via snail mail? Is this supposed to mean that not only is insuring privacy regarding their emailed material not only impossible, but is the fault of both the submitting writer and the editor for chosing to use email to begin with? Are we all going to have to earn computer science and law degrees along with our English or journalism degrees just to send secure email...or do we all just have to create our own personnal email servers? Does encryption really mean only the sender and receiver can read that which is encrypted? Or does it mean: the sender, the receiver, the email service & its advertisers, and the NSA, and the FBI, and GCHQ, and the IRS, and the DEA, and the...and the...and the...? Does anyone ever have the time to read the page after page after page of statements to must agree to before you can merely comment on a story or blog or post or...? Oh never mind... Mr_Vansan Mr_Vansan 5pts Please update your sources. Denesius Denesius 5pts I see a huge fundamental problem with google's comparisons: my mail carrier knows me, he better not be keeping track of my addressees. At the post office, they have to see the address, but they don't know the sender. There's a natural division that guarantees my privacy. Google is keeping track of the sender, the recipient, and I suspect, the content of the message. Think about the data that would be collected (the dirt on everyone from politicians to local business owners), and the power & immunity it would give this multi-billion dollar company. If any gmail user out there thinks that the power & potential has not been identified and used, you're naive beyond words. mrbomb13 mrbomb13 5pts This revelation of The End of Email Privacy should come as a surprise to no one. In some form or another, this has been going on for the last decade. Colleges/universities warn all of their undergraduates/graduates that most companies employ email tracking devices, and can certainly read through your 'electronic paper trail.' As someone who works for a leading Fortune 500 company, I can attest to the sophistication of such tracking systems, and to the fact that comapnies will also periodically check all social media accounts as well. That ensures that employees are not putting out a 'bad rep' on behalf of the company. Arunsoma444 Arunsoma444 5pts @DeweySayenoff You sound more like a Robot than a Human Being..No point in arguing with you... emanvieux emanvieux 5pts If Google took privacy seriously, they would implement end-to-end S/MIME encryption support for email. There's nothing in the legislation enabling Prism et etc, which *prevents* them from doing so. There are a few patents on key technology which need to be negotiated, but under the circumstances, I doubt the patent holders could withstand the public outcry if they (the patent holders) refused to place the necessary in the public domain, "for the public good.". Come on people, let's lean on Google to do the right thing. If we let bad guys' use of a technology deny us of the right to use that technology, they have achieved what is known as a successful "denial of service" attack. EukaryoteGrex EukaryoteGrex 5pts @emanvieux It's not physically possible for google to implement end-to-end encryption in gmail, because gmail is NOT AN ENDPOINT - it is an intervening router. Any attempt to implement strong encryption where the encryption/decryption code resides on a remote webserver (Hushmail, Lavabit, Gmail) is inherently incapable of actually assuring end-to-end security. If you want end-to-end encryption with gmail, your best bet is probably to send OpenPGP messages as attachments and then decrypt them on the endpoints. sensi sensi 5pts Reading the "tech news" today half the articles running this gmail non-story are bogus and blatantly misleading/lying, with so-called "journalists" turned brain-dead parrots on a slandering agenda. That's pathetic and shameful, yet almost trivial nowadays... stagesirenandi stagesirenandi 5pts I worked for several years as a phone relay operator for the deaf and hard of hearing. We have to adhere to strict FCC guidelines in regards to privacy. The FCC regulations state that even deaf and hard of hearing phone users have a right to the same privacy afforded the hearing population. How does this not apply in regards to the privacy that we DO expect - even as users of intermediary vehicles? DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts @stagesirenandi When you did your job, you were a "man in the middle". A real, breathing human being. Therefore, you were required by law to keep things private. Now, let's look at what Google does: Machines scan individual e-mails and matches the text to a database of ads, selecting the most relevant ads to display on the RECIPIENT'S account page based on the e-mail. No record of what is scanned is kept. A record of what ads are delivered MAY be kept. No human eyes see the text. No one else is allowed to view it (at least with the same force of law as you as a human were required to follow). Unless you're afraid of sentient machines snickering over someone's spelling errors or some such thing, no information is leaked to humans in any way. The "privacy" implication is that the email is sent and received without ever being scanned. But antivirus programs scan emails, and even the act of sending one, contents are scanned by each end to determine that it was sent accurately. That intrudes on the notion of "privacy" since it is, in effect, making sure the letter in the envelope was transmitted correctly by reading the contents as it's being sent. And that "reading" is done just by sending an e-mail from ANYWHERE. It's part of the transmission protocol for all data going over the Internet whether it's e-mail or not. The bottom line here is that unlike your job, humans aren't in the loop in any way other than maybe to adjust the ad algorithms to make ads more relevant based on whatever is being scanned at the time. But they never see the text that's being scanned. They merely adjust the algorithms to assign ads based on keywords they program in. Since it's done at the machine level, only machines can do it. The alternative is to write letters and mail them. Then you have to hope it gets there. I hope that addresses your question. lukepm lukepm 5pts yborcafe yborcafe 5pts i WANT TO READ ALL OF GOOGEL'S EMAILS TO WASHINGTON . HOW CAN I DO THAT?I WANT TO READ THE EXECUTIVES E MAILS TO THEIR MISTRESSES DO YOU NOTICE THE WORD EXECUTIVES COMES FROM EXECUTE. DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts @yborcafeAn IQ above 100, and reading the story, is required before posting. Please note that no human actually reads your gmail as it passes through their servers. Computers scan the text then pull up ads relevant to the text. People don't read your mail. Maybe you're embarrassed about having too much cyber sex or ordering sex toys and getting ads about that, but I promise you the computers don't care. So your post is utterly unreasonable, and your thinly veiled terrorist threat is neither thin enough or correct. From Online Etymology: Executive: mid-15c., "performed, carried out;" 1640s, "of the branch of government that carries out the laws," from Middle French executif, from Latin executivus, from past participle stem of exequi (see execution). The noun in this sense is from 1776, as a branch of government. Meaning "businessman" is 1902 in American English. Executive privilege is attested by 1805, American English." Execution, as it happens, means "carrying out" - not killing someone. If you're going to post, please adhere to the posting rules. It's patently obvious that you didn't. jason.c jason.c 5pts @DeweySayenoff @yborcafe And execute comes from "cute"! marinskym marinskym 5pts @DeweySayenoff @yborcafe - ALL CAPS is used by the semi-literate and the insane. lukepm lukepm 5pts yborcafe yborcafe 5pts GOOGLE SHOULD CHANGE THEIR NAME TO THE GEHEIME STAATSPOLIZEI OR THE JOSEPH GOBBELS NETWORK jason.c jason.c 5pts The Google comment is "Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient’s assistant opens the letter, people who use web-based email today cannot be surprised if their communications are processed by the recipient’s ECS [electronic communication service] provider in the course of delivery." I believe this article places incorrect spin on this by connecting the fact that Google said it to a perceived Google-specific privacy risk. The fact is, no matter what email service you use, you cannot be surprised if your communications are processed by the recipient's ECS - which very well may not be Google. Unless you know whose hands your email passes through at every single step in the process, it doesn't matter. You could use your own mail server running on your own machine locked safely away in a vault in your basement and that still does not prevent the recipient's mail handling system from doing whatever it wants with your email, regardless of whether they use GMail or not. If your emails are truly sensitive, consider encrypting emails with, say, GPG. Otherwise there's not much you can do. I do not think it is fair to pin this to Google, and I do not think this article is in the right for doing so. I believe that the approach this article should have taken is to point out that the same concerns exist for all email in general, and use Google as a credible and straightforwardly honest source. J jason.c jason.c 5pts See also http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/08/14/no-google-did-not-say-that-we-c ant-expect-privacy-in-gmail/?fromcat=all (thanks @ouija) DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts puppeteer puppeteer 5pts lukepm lukepm 5pts HeavyD HeavyD 5pts There is a very important distinction missed in the article. The author compares what Google is admittedly doing to a letter carrier "not to read the outgoing and return addresses on an envelope." What Google does, however, is open the envelope, read its contents, decide what else should be stuffed into the envelope, reseal it and send it on. There shouldn't be an expectation of privacy when the destination email address reads "IwanttokilleveryoneJIHAD@blowupeverything.com", but if the email address is a normal email address, they SHOULD NOT have the right to see its contents and target marketing to either party based on it. THAT is a definitive breach of privacy, and just because they offer the service DOES NOT give them the right to do what they are admittedly doing. DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts @HeavyD The analogy breaks down on the "read" part. No human reads anything except the sender and the receiver (the NSA notwithstanding). Computers scan the contents and choose ads to deliver with it. That's how Google makes money providing you with a "free service". Another thing people don't get: Your right to privacy is guaranteed from your GOVERNMENT. NOT FROM A BUSINESS. Businesses have no LEGAL obligation to respect your privacy if, in the course of doing business with them, you agree to having your privacy abridged. And you did. That agreement you click "I agree" to has all of this written out in perfectly legal terms that you agree to this kind of business activity in exchange for the services and convenience gmail offers. And the fact that no human from Google actually reads, or even monitors, individual e-mails in the course of transmission means your privacy is only being abridged by machines that don't give a damn. Finally, you seem to object to this. I can't understand why. You don't pay for the service. Not one thin dime. Welfare recipients must accept some rather steep terms in order to receive their benefits (Look THAT up sometime). Your terms were specified as a quid pro quo in the service agreement to which you agreed. If you object to it, then do not use that service and don't communicate with anyone who does. You have other options to which you can avail yourself. But if you want the gmail service, it's on you to accept the terms of that service. It's a "take it or leave it" proposition. It isn't rocket science, and it isn't either illegal or unconstitutional. sensi sensi 5pts SwiftrightRight SwiftrightRight 5pts Why would anyone have expected that they have a right to privacy when communicating through a 3rd party? Google exists for one purpose; To make a small group of people rich. jason.c jason.c 5pts yborcafe yborcafe 5pts @SwiftrightRight THESE GOOGEL PEOPLE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT HAD j kENNEDY KILLED AND MADE THEIR MONEY OFF THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX . THE SONS OF REPUBLICAN JACKALS. DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts @yborcafe @SwiftrightRight Seriously, you need help. I'd recommend a mandatory 72 hour hold for a mental health evaluation at the LEAST. You're getting way too worked up about something that is both legal and constitutional. That you can't recognize that indicates a severe delusional state. I'm not trolling here. You need help. Get some. 42maxam24 42maxam24 5pts 42maxam24 42maxam24 5pts @DeweySayenoff I found your replies (the 4 I found) more informative, interesting and with much fewer words than the actual article.. Thanks for that! bk2056 bk2056 5pts lukepm lukepm 5pts yborcafe yborcafe 5pts @DeweySayenoff @yborcafe @SwiftrightRight dewey where are huey and louie on a train to Auschwitz .Thats what 7 million jews 2 million polish peoples where saying at the time they got the free ride and shower. its ok to stop and frisk its ok to spy on your private life its ok to have drones watching you . hitler would have climaxed if he had facebook wake up we are headed down memory lane. skeeboe skeeboe 5pts Google's system (specifically Google Now) reminds me when my flight is coming up. It gets that info from my email. It lets me know, automatically, when traffic is going to be a problem. It gets my destination from my calendar. It provides information to track packages that are mentioned in an email by parsing the message. They're not reading my email with human eyes. It's a computer grabbing keywords. If that scares you, quit using the Internet, including blogs, comments on news sites, shopping sites... really just get off the Web. (or grow up). MrBenGhazi MrBenGhazi 5pts nathansch nathansch 5pts DeweySayenoff DeweySayenoff 5pts ouija ouija 5pts http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/08/14/no-google-did-not-say-that-we-c ant-expect-privacy-in-gmail/?fromcat=all jason.c jason.c 5pts jason.c jason.c 5pts @ouija Exactly. Thank you for a rare display of sanity and analytical thought on the internet. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Privacy, Copyright Top Challenges of the Internet Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe News Privacy, Copyright Top Challenges of the Internet By Michelle Castillo Jan. 12, 20110 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland The protection of user’s rights is not only a concern for Internet users but Internet professionals as well. Among all the growing issues about the Web protecting user privacy online and updating copyright laws seem to be the primary concerns of online industry leaders, according to a new survey completed by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). The association is made up of 750 members who have shaped and dictate trends on the Internet, including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Wired Magazine co-founder John Battelle, Internet co-founder Vinton Cerf and Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington. On top of completing surveys such as this one, the body is also in charge of picking The Webby Award winners, the Oscars of Internet-based media. “A lot of [concerns over privacy] was certainly driven by all the tracking that is going on, and consumer concerns over how users are being profiled and the marketplace for buying and selling those profiles,” IADAS executive director David-Michel Davies said to Techland about online privacy. Big social media sites like Facebook have also brought the issue into the headlines Davies adds, mentioning that there are a lot of “threads” that lead back to the privacy debate. “One of the biggest concerns was how unknowledgeable publishers were about the tracking that was happening on their sites and how unknowledgeable consumers were…. We need to have a robust discussion.” Another topic that concerned IADAS members was how outdated media copyright laws were and the increasing necessity to see them changed. It used to be perfectly okay to give a mix tape to a couple friends, but putting a playlist online – which is a similar action in a way – could render negative consequences. Same goes for lending books, which has a modern day equivalent of copying and distributing digital books online. Davies believes that many users aren’t trying to circumvent laws: They’re simply confused on what is right and wrong because legalities are not adapted to current technology. “I think at the core, one of the big issues is that the majority of the laws and understandings about copyright were created in a world where it was difficult to copy. Actually copying something has never been more easy than it is today. You can literally right click on a file and depending on the size it can be downloaded in seconds,” he explained. “Technology has changed that in a significant way, but laws haven’t been written to reflect the relationship between technology and creativity,” Davies added. “A lot of stuff isn’t that clear…. We think it would be really great for people to come together and make these decisions on what’s right and wrong.” According to the press release, the top five concerns were: Protecting Privacy The Internet’s great trade-off is that while you get access to the rest of the world, the rest of the world gets access to you. The data collected can add value to the online experience through customized content and advertising – but such an extensive record of personal information can pose risks to consumers. The industry must take steps to demystify the privacy debate by establishing global standards, providing transparent policies, and educating consumers on its practices. Modernizing Copyright Laws Is it ok to copy an album and give it to a friend? How many paragraphs should one quote from an online news article? Will we ever be able to pass along an e-book to a colleague? As the Web enters its third decade, the answers to these questions remain unclear. The Internet’s power as a medium through which creators can distribute their work continues to grow, yet the current copyright laws are hopelessly out of date. For the Internet to fulfill its potential, new and modernized copyright laws must reflect the current relationship between technology and creativity. Ensuring Net Neutrality Ensuring that all Internet traffic is treated equally – meaning that data from Amazon.com and data from a teenager’s blog move along the pipeline at the same speed – is a worthy and complicated goal. Industry leaders and policymakers need to come together and identify solutions that will guarantee fair treatment of all Internet traffic. However, these solutions must also provide ISPs with enough flexibility to efficiently manage their networks and services. Maintaining the Open Web From commenting on articles and sharing videos to crowd-sourcing and user-generated content, the Internet’s interactivity and communal power is what makes it such a vibrant and useful medium. While social networks and mobile apps offer rich, interactive and customized experiences, many of their features are often sheltered from the rest of the Web. If the Internet as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts, we must do a better job of maintaining interconnectivity. Strengthening Internet Security Until recently, there has been little examination of the consequences of storing large amounts of proprietary information online. The recent spate of high-level incidents – from WikiLeaks to China’s hacking of the Internet – has made the perils of weak online security a tangible issue. Everyone, from governments and businesses to universities and individuals, must re-evaluate how they share, store, and publish sensitive information on the Internet – take steps to ensure it is protected. More on TIME.com: Internet Connection Sharing Coming To iPhones Soon One Laptop Per Child Project To Give Away More Cost-Effective Tablets Study: Internet Grows As America’s News Source While TV Decreases 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » Will Google Drive Snoop Inside Your Data? Google Needs to Be Clearer Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Opinion Will Google Drive Snoop Inside Your Data? Google Needs to Be Clearer By Matt Peckham @mattpeckhamApril 26, 20120 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + cyber-security Caroline Purser / Getty Images * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland Upload your private diary, novel manuscript, amateur movie or digitally crafted song to Google’s new Google Drive and it’s totally impervious to company tinkering, right? Not necessarily. In fact the way things are currently laid out within Google’s service terms, the company could theoretically pore over your G-Drive data at leisure, mining it for information about you, say, to use in its relentless pursuit of more personalized ads. When Google simplified its “terms of service” last month, it did so in part by pulling all of its separate privacy policies under one umbrella, consolidating text and admirably rewriting things in a way that sounds at least a little less like mind-numbing, cover-every-base legalese. (MORE: 5 Reasons to Give Google Drive a Shot) But that catchall approach means services you interact with in very different ways wind up covered under a blanket policy, and the obvious problem with that, is that many of Google’s services are unique, with Google Drive’s singularity in terms of exposing your most sensitive personal information taking the cake. Imagine storing everything you’ve ever written as well as your work files containing sensitive business or corporate information, your tax receipts, annual credit reports, personal credentials (birth certificate, scans of your passport, etc.) and so forth on your G-Drive. Think that data’s untouchable by Google? Think again. In its “terms of service,” Google states that “Some of our Services allow you to submit content,” Google Drive (nee Google Docs) being the most obvious one. Google rightly acknowledges that “You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.” Rest easy, in other words, Google’s not looking to co-opt your intellectual property. It’s the next part that’s unsettling, where Google basically gives itself blanket permission to content-peep at leisure: When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. If it lives on Google’s property, in other words, Google grants itself and anyone else it approves a global go-ahead to do pretty much anything with your content except pass it off as its own. Eyebrows raised? They should be. It means Google’s saying it can, even as Google Drive goes live, silently collect information about what we’ve placed on its servers, and I don’t mean innocuous demographics, like how many people store stuff in Microsoft Word versus Google Document, iWork Pages or plain old Rich Text format — the company’s basically granted itself a license to look at whatever’s in your content, too. “The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones,” states Google, but since “advertising” — Google’s bread and butter — works as a catchall under any of those, it means the company could, in theory, poke around in any of your content or pass information about that content along to third parties under the auspices of self-perpetuation. (MORE: Google’s Privacy and Dashboard Options: Still a Tangled Web) The company does note that “in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services.” I’ve scanned around Google’s G-Drive pages looking for something that exempts users from its blanket license, but all I get when I click on privacy links is redirected to the “terms of service” page. If any Google service warrants privacy firewalling, it’s Google Drive. This isn’t YouTube or Calendar or even Gmail — the potential for someone’s most sensitive data to be snooped, whether to glean info for marketing or otherwise, is too high. Mark Zuckerberg may not be entirely wrong when he suggests the age of privacy is over or that privacy is no longer a “social norm,” but we have to draw a line somewhere. Google ought to create a privacy exception that “narrows the scope” of its service terms for Google Drive, one that minimally states the company will never circulate the information generated from searching within your G-Drive data in any way. Barring that, you may want to forego using Google Drive to store sensitive data, maintaining and backing it up offline. Google’s not alone in needing clearer, more restrained terms of use for cloud-drive content. Contrast its terms with Dropbox’s, where the latter states: You retain full ownership to your stuff. We don’t claim any ownership to any of it. These Terms do not grant us any rights to your stuff or intellectual property except for the limited rights that are needed to run the Services, as explained below. What do those “limited rights” amount to? In addition to day-to-day operations-grade stuff, Dropbox states that We may need your permission to do things you ask us to do with your stuff, for example, hosting your files, or sharing them at your direction. This includes product features visible to you, for example, image thumbnails or document previews … You give us the permissions we need to do those things solely to provide the Services. This permission also extends to trusted third parties we work with to provide the Services, for example Amazon, which provides our storage space (again, only to provide the Services). Dropbox’s language is more restrictive than Google’s — there’s no blanket license granted to “use, host, store, reproduce, modify…” etc. your data, for instance, but the door’s not entirely closed, either. Would you pay companies like Google or Dropbox to keep the door shut, say a monthly or annual fee for a “premium tier” version? I might, if it meant knowing my data was as secure as possible — not just from the machinations of hackers, but the prying eyes of corporate data miners, too. MORE: Google’s New Privacy Policy: 5 Ways to Minimize Your Online Exposure Matt Peckham @mattpeckham Matt Peckham is TIME's video games, science tech and music tech correspondent based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His work has appeared in Variety, The Washington Post, The New York Times and others. 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » First Privacy, Now Censorship: Will Twitter Continue to Stand Up for Its Users’ Rights? Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Policy & Law First Privacy, Now Censorship: Will Twitter Continue to Stand Up for Its Users’ Rights? By Jerry Brito @jerrybritoJan. 02, 20120 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland You may not like its latest redesign, but Twitter deserves praise for how it stands up for its users’ rights. In the face of legal pressure last year, Twitter fought for user privacy. This year, its new challenge will be censorship—and a repeat performance would be welcome. Last January, as part of a grand jury probe into the Cablegate affair, the Department of Justice obtained a court order that directed Twitter to turn over information about the accounts of activists with ties to WikiLeaks, including private messages. The original order required Twitter to keep secret the fact that it was handing over private information, but the company fought back and won a motion to lift the gag order. While it’s likely that other social networks received the same request, Twitter was the only company to challenge the secret order. (MORE: Twitter, WikiLeaks and the Broken Market for Consumer Privacy) Last week saw a replay of these events when a Boston prosecutor sent a request for information about users allegedly involved in Anonymous operations. The letter asked that Twitter “not disclose the existence of this request to the subscriber as disclosure could impede the ongoing criminal investigation.” The company, however, ignored that plea and promptly informed the targeted user, who in turn posted the request online. Letting a user know that law enforcement is seeking information about him will no doubt also tip him off that he is being investigated. But doing so also lets the user go to court and challenge the order—a fundamental right. In this case, once the request was made public, the ACLU intervened. Now Twitter faces a different challenge: censorship. During the London riots last year, the Metropolitan Police considered ordering the social network shut down. That didn’t come to pass, but some are now pushing for more targeted gagging of unsavory tweets. (MORE: Don’t Blame Social Media for Social Unrest) Last week it was revealed that Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, is leading an effort to have Twitter block pro-Taliban accounts and messages. And also last week, the Israeli law center Shurat HaDin told Twitter that unless Twitter began blocking the accounts of Hezbollah and other groups considered terrorist organizations by the United States, it would sue the company. It’s understandable why Lieberman and others would want to shut down such poisonous and vile talk. The problem, however, is that once there’s an easy system in place for governments to blacklist specific speakers, it will inevitably be misused. If nothing else, it’s unlikely we’ll all agree on who deserves to be muzzled. Should WikiLeaks be on a Twitter blacklist? Senator Lieberman would certainly think so. Other Internet intermediaries have been accommodating to such requests from politicians and governments. PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, and Amazon famously heeded Lieberman’s call to block service to WikiLeaks last year. And YouTube has also taken down videos related to terrorism at Lieberman’s request. Let’s hope that this year Twitter stands up for user speech as well as they have for user privacy. 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Sort: Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. Yes, the PlayStation 4 Supports External Storage, but There’s a Catch 4. The 5 Best Sites for Downloading Gorgeous Retina Wallpaper 5. 92 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. Gangs of ‘Powerfully Built’ Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong 3. 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All rights reserved. #Tech » 5 Reasons the CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Should Be Tossed Comments Feed alternate alternate Tech WordPress.com TIME Time.com MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN SIGN OUT SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Home U.S. Politics World Business Tech Health Science Entertainment Newsfeed Living Sports History The TIME Vault Magazine Ideas Parents TIME Labs Money LIFE The Daily Cut Photography Videos TIME Shop The 100 Most Influential People The 25 Best Inventions of 2015 Future of Giving Global Trade Know Right Now Next Generation Leaders Person of the Year 2015 Top 10 Everything of 2015 Top of the World A Year In Space Subscribe Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use Ad Choices Ad Choices RSS TIME Apps TIME for Kids Advertising Reprints and Permissions Site Map Help Customer Service © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe Sign InSubscribe Opinion 5 Reasons the CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Should Be Tossed By Matt Peckham @mattpeckhamApril 19, 20120 * Share + + + + + + [pin_it_button.png] * Read Later + [white-15.png] Send to Kindle + + cyber-security Caroline Purser / Getty Images * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Delicious + Google+ * Comment Follow @techland So long SOPA and PIPA, hello Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a bill proposed last November to give the government new powers to secure networks and thwart copyright violators. It’s finally up for a vote later this month, sparking protests all this week in what’s looking like another informational ramp-up to leverage the court of public opinion against the bill’s passage. Debate on SOPA, a bill that sought to give the government broad powers in combatting online piracy, was postponed indefinitely after users and companies including Google, Wikipedia and Reddit gathered signatures for anti-SOPA petitions or staged actual service blackouts in mid-January. Next up: CISPA, a bill that would essentially nullify current privacy laws and set companies up to share data about users with the government without the need for court orders. CISPA would amend the National Security Act of 1947 — responsible for merging the Department of Navy and War, splitting the Air Force from the Army and creating both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council (NSC) — by adding provisions that would apply to cybercrime. It aims “[to] provide for the sharing of certain cyber threat intelligence and cyber threat information between the intelligence community and cybersecurity entities,” as well as “other purposes.” (MORE: Did It Work? ‘Day After’ Results of the SOPA, PIPA Blackout) What qualifies as a “cyber threat” according to the latest draft of the bill? …information in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from (A) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or (B) efforts to gain unauthorized access to a system or network, including efforts to gain such unauthorized access to steal or misappropriate private or government information. What’s more, the bill would require the Director of National Intelligence to both design procedures to facilitate information sharing between private and government sectors, as well as “encourage the sharing of such intelligence.” Before I get into CISPA’s overt problems, it’s worth stating that I think we’re all — proponents and opponents of CISPA — in favor of intelligent, reasonable and appropriate measures when it comes to grappling with cybersecurity. No one wants to live in a world where companies or government agencies are routinely sabotaged and the Internet critically disrupted. But getting this stuff right off the block is crucial. As Ben Franklin once said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” CISPA does away with important information-sharing barriers between the government, military and private sector. According to the Center for Democracy & Technology, CISPA threatens privacy because it “has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies and it supersedes all other privacy laws,” “is likely to lead to expansion of the government’s role in the monitoring of private communications” and “is likely to shift control of government cybersecurity efforts from civilian agencies to the military.” The restrictions on what can be snooped or how that information can be used are vague. CISPA’s vaguely defined usage restrictions mean your information could be used for purposes other than or only indirectly related to cybersecurity. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says “a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop ‘cybersecurity’ threats.” (MORE: SOPA Officially ‘Postponed’ Until Further Notice – PIPA, Too) If a company violates your privacy, you have to go to the moon to hold them liable. In the latest draft of the bill, to find a company guilty of “willful misconduct,” you have to show that it engaged in an “act or omission” that was made: (I) Intentionally to achieve a wrongful purpose; (II) knowingly without legal or factual justification; (III) in disregard of a known or obvious risk that is so great as to make it highly probable that the harm of the act or omission will outweigh the benefit. In addition to proving that a company “intentionally” and “knowingly” did wrong, then, you have to somehow show that the company knew the risks outweighed the benefits. How a company’s supposed to determine this, to say nothing of how you’re supposed to prove it, is anyone’s guess. The bill’s definition of “cybersecurity purpose” is too broad and vague. The EFF argues the bill’s current rationale for cybersecurity information gathering “is so broad the it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network’.” An extreme example: Company X decides its network performance issues are security-related, grabs beaucoup information about its users, then uses that data to surveil and/or study users’ habits (think of the side benefits), or alternatively to censor a website (an obvious example here would be Wikileaks). There may be a better, wiser, narrower bill in the offing. Of all the bills on the table, the only one groups like the CDT support is the PRECISE Act, which would “establish a non-profit, quasi-governmental National Information Sharing Organization [NISO] to serve as a national clearinghouse for the voluntary exchange of “cybersecurity threat information,” taking in reports, and sharing them back out, among the federal government, state and local governments, and industry.” According to the CDT, NISO …is likely to be more effective at quickly responding to cybersecurity threats – and would pose fewer civil liberties risks – than would a government-run information sharing hub. While the NISO board of directors would have governmental representatives and representatives of privacy interests, it would be dominated by industry. MORE: Why We Won’t See Many Protests like the SOPA Blackout Matt Peckham @mattpeckham Matt Peckham is TIME's video games, science tech and music tech correspondent based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His work has appeared in Variety, The Washington Post, The New York Times and others. 0 comments Livefyre * Get Livefyre * FAQ Sign in + Follow Post comment Link Newest | Oldest SubscribePopular Among Subscribers [a_postcard_tokyo_0617.jpg] Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn [wkids_0303.jpg] Young Kids, Old Bodies [int_cover_1028.jpg] Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Secrets, Leaks, and Sherlock [cover_0310.jpg] Obama's Trauma Team Get all access to digital and printSubscribe * Most Popular * From Tech 1. How to Sign Your Name Inside a Word Document 2. An iMessage App Is Now Available for Android, but There’s a Catch 3. Yes, the PlayStation 4 Supports External Storage, but There’s a Catch 4. The 5 Best Sites for Downloading Gorgeous Retina Wallpaper 5. 92 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents From Time.com 1. Russian Forces Double Along Ukraine Border 2. Gangs of ‘Powerfully Built’ Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong 3. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Edward Snowden Trevor Timm column The Snowden effect: new privacy wins await after data transfer ruling Trevor Timm Trevor Timm The recent European Court of Justice ruling, and the coming court cases over the next year or two, promise a second wave of post-Snowden privacy wins snowden American whistleblower Edward Snowden delivers remarks via video link from Moscow to a privacy talk Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters Contact author @trevortimm Thursday 8 October 2015 12.15 BST Last modified on Thursday 8 October 2015 14.12 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp Many politicians held their nose and voted for the USA Freedom Act in June, hoping that the Snowden revelations would recede into the distance with the modest NSA reform bill's passage. How wrong they were: the Snowden effect continues to ripple throughout the world on matters of privacy and law and it's possible this second wave is only beginning. On Tuesday, in a landmark decision, the European Court of Justice invalidated the "safe harbor" provision between the United States and Europe that allowed large tech companies like Google and Facebook to move large amounts of private Europeans' data into servers in the United States. The case was brought by privacy activist and lawyer Max Schrems after the initial stories about the NSA's Prism program. As the New York Times reported, the court "made it clear that American intelligence agencies had almost unfettered access to the data, infringing on Europeans' rights to privacy." Snowden quickly congratulated Max to his 1.4 million followers on his newly-minted Twitter account. While the ruling will largely be symbolic (more on that later), the symbolism could not be more striking: Tuesday's court ruling was only the first in a string of court cases that could mark the second wave of the post-Snowden era. It's clear privacy activists won't be satisfied with mild changes to just one aspect of the United States government's vast spying apparatus and the Snowden leaks have opened the floodgates to changes not previously thought possible. In the US, there are still a series of lawsuits alive and well that are challenging different aspects of the NSA's surveillance. Wikipedia was just in court, represented by the ACLU, arguing that the NSA's "upstream" surveillance program - where the spy agency has access to entire Internet streams coming into and out of the country - is illegal and unconstitutional. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (my former employer) has a case in the 9th Circuit challenging the constitutionality of the same program, focused on the expansive and secret partnership between AT&T and the NSA that has allowed the spy agency to siphon off huge amounts of data right off AT&T's fiber optic cables all over the country. In the UK, Privacy International has a slew of active cases in the British courts and the European Court of Human Rights which could potentially upend GCHQ's mass surveillance capabilities. Companies, stung by the revelations that they were collaborating closely with the NSA, have taken a much more adversarial stance against the government in court in recent years. In a case that has huge implications, Microsoft is aggressively challenging the Justice Department's contention that they can force tech companies to hand over personal information even if that information is being stored in servers in other countries. Then there are the privacy cases that don't directly deal with the NSA leaks, but will be coming to a head over the next year, as the public is on a privacy heightened-alert. All over the country, civil liberties organizations like the ACLU and EFF have challenged the government over getting cell phone location data without a warrant. If and when one of those cases reaches the Supreme Court, it will have an even more direct impact on millions of people's privacy. As for the European Court of Justice ruling, the victory may be largely symbolic: the companies think they have other ways to continue to move data, and there has been a long re-negotiated agreement that has been on the verge of passing for months. And make no mistake: it won't put an end to mass surveillance either. As Cory Doctorow wrote: [T]he NSA, GCHQ and other spy agencies will target data-centers wherever they are, and the spy agencies of European nations will surveil their own populations and foreign populations, covertly and overtly harvesting Europeans' data from the data-centers in their own borders, and, often, handing it straight to the NSA, who'll move it to its US data-centers like the titanic facility in Bluffdale, Utah. If the European Court of Justice wants to end mass surveillance of Europeans, it can only do so by banning mass surveillance - by ruling that laws that treat foreigners' data as fair game are unconstitutional. We should also be aware that foreign countries can cynically use the idea of cabining data in their own domestic soil to thwart privacy and force companies like Google and Facebook to play by their own rules. Whereas European countries might think they have more privacy, Russia is attempting to force tech companies to do the same, which could have drastic and negative effects on its citizens. This so-called "Balkanization" of the Internet could allow nefarious governments to take advantage of their citizens' fears over the NSA and actually end up weakening their privacy protections in the process. Related: 'Safe harbour' ruling illustrates growing chasm between US and EU Despite all of the disturbing tactics we've learned about from the NSA and their partners at the GCHQ in the past two years, our digital rights is unquestionably more protected than it was when the leaks started. And with the coming court cases over the next year or two, the seismic shift will undoubtedly continue to occur. * Disclosure: Trevor Timm is executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation, where Edward Snowden sits on the board of directors. __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Edward Snowden * Privacy * Facebook * Google __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Privacy Opinion At last, the data giants have been humbled Carly Nyst Everyone who uses the internet should rejoice at the passing of this legal milestone, which will hurt the likes of Facebook and Google The European court of justice has suspended the `safe harbour' agreement made between the EU and US in 2000. The European court of justice has suspended the `safe harbour' agreement made between the EU and US in 2000. Photograph: Frank May/dpa/Corbis Wednesday 7 October 2015 07.00 BST Last modified on Wednesday 7 October 2015 07.03 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp A staid European Union court in quiet Luxembourg has made waves in international waters by declaring that a data transfer agreement between the EU and the US fails to comply with European human rights law. The decision, issued by the European court of justice on Tuesday in a case brought by pioneering privacy activist Max Schrems against Facebook not only promises to uproot the business practices of some of the technology sector's giants. It also contains the strongest condemnation by any court to date of the US National Security Agency's mass-surveillance practices. The court's decision to suspend the so-called safe harbour agreement is one of those rare beasts: a highly legalistic judgment of seemingly little public relevance whose ripples will touch - if not be felt - by everyone from the average British Facebook user to the American congressman. Just as the US supreme court did earlier this year when it ruled gay marriage to be constitutional, the European court of justice has not just walked but run in the direction of progress. Safe harbour, an agreement made between the EU and the US in 2000, was supposed to protect private data collected by internet companies: your age, your relationship status, even just the Facebook pages you have "liked". When US companies with subsidiaries in the EU collected personal data in Europe and sent it back to the US, or when EU companies outsourced their data to US providers, that personal data was supposedly still covered by the privacy protections enshrined in EU law. So when Facebook Europe, headquartered in Ireland, collected data on its European members and then sent that data to servers in the US, the information remained protected by EU data protection and human rights law. The European court of justice has taken a step that no court has had the courage to take Safe harbour was supposed to remind those companies deliberately transferring data to the US that they couldn't escape obligations to protect that data from abuse, error, theft or illegitimate appropriation, even if under the guise of national security. Edward Snowden's revelation made shockingly clear that this wasn't the case. Tuesday's ruling is rife at every turn with well-founded indignation at the sheer scope and audacity of US spying on non-American citizens - that the court had clearly been itching to pronounce. It could have issued a far more restrained decision in response to Schrems' claim, which essentially asked whether safe harbour prevented national data protection authorities - such as Britain's Information Commissioner's Office - from investigating the practices of US companies. Instead, the court leapt enthusiastically at the chance to question the validity of the safe harbour agreement itself, and with it the compliance of US law on privacy and surveillance with European human rights standards. It is entirely unlikely, as scaremongers suggest, that the ruling will cripple the burgeoning start-up scene, yet the dark cloud that has long hung over safe harbour has meant that companies have prepared for this eventuality. At any rate, The internet companies most likely to be affected are those that already have a lot of power and influence, such as Facebook with its European subsidiaries, or EU companies and governments outsourcing data to US cloud services. For the average internet user, the impact will be immediate but hard to discern. US companies with European subsidiaries - Facebook, Google and Amazon, for example - will have to either keep individuals' data in European servers or look for another legal basis for transferring that data to the US. Such other bases are available, and may represent more of a compliance hurdle than an actual obstacle to companies moving data abroad. Related: Facebook row: US data storage leaves users open to surveillance, court rules Similarly, government agencies that seek to outsource data to US-based cloud services - as HMRC sought to do with Google earlier this year - will have to think twice and review the legality of their proposals. On the whole, the decision is likely to slow but not noticeably stem the amount of data transferred to the US and thus the amount of data readily available for US intelligence agencies to inspect under their lax surveillance laws, which afford non-US persons next to no privacy rights whatsoever. What is significant is that the European court of justice has taken a step that no court has previously had the courage to take: it declared the mass, indiscriminate electronic interception and scrutiny of private internet communications to be an act that inherently violates human rights law. In the context of international law, this is a decision that may come to be remembered as being as critical to enshrining global norms on surveillance as the Nuremberg trials were for solidifying human right prohibitions against crimes against humanity and genocide. The edicts contained in the judgment create a "point of no return" for the evolution of legal thinking on surveillance. For this reason, the decision will certainly be influential in the European court of human rights, which next year will consider no less than three claims against mass surveillance in the United Kingdom: one brought by Liberty, Privacy International and Amnesty International, after Britain's Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled mass surveillance to be compliant with the Human Rights Act, as well as two others lodged by Big Brother Watch, English PEN and the Open Rights Group, and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism respectively. The cases will likely be heard just as the UK parliament debates the investigatory powers bill, a new piece of legislation that will probably aim to relegitimise - and entrench - GCHQ's bulk interception powers; with the CJEU's finding thrown into the mix, the result is likely to be a perfect storm of debates on the legitimacy of the British surveillance state. Other court cases on the legality of mass surveillance are being heard across Europe - in France, Germany and the Netherlands - and this decision is likely to aid the lawyers and campaigners running those cases too. With any luck the ruling will also influence American politics, as Congress could allow to lapse the very mass surveillance provisions that elicited the court's vitriol, as the relevant clauses of the US surveillance legislation face sunset in 2017. The real value of this judgment could be as a wake-up call to US legislators that, in a digital era in which the internet knows no nationality, affording Americans some protections and foreigners none is not only an unsustainable financial strategy, it is a violation of international law. __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Privacy * Court of justice of the European Union * European Union * Europe * Data protection * (BUTTON) More... * Data and computer security * Facebook * Social networking * Google * Alphabet * Amazon.com * Internet * E-commerce __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › business * economics * banking * retail * markets * eurozone * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business selected * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Business Privacy groups hail 'freedom from surveillance' in European court's Facebook ruling European court finds in favor of Max Schrems, student who asked EU’s data protection commissioner to bar Facebook from transmitting his data to the US Max Schrems Austria’s Max Schrems listens to a ruling at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on Tuesday. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Sam Thielman @samthielman Tuesday 6 October 2015 17.47 BST Last modified on Tuesday 6 October 2015 18.27 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp Private industry was in a rage while privacy groups were elated on Tuesday over a new ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) affirming European citizens’ right to privacy from American tech companies. On Tuesday, the European court ruled in favor of Max Schrems, an Austrian graduate student who asked that EU’s data protection commissioner bar Facebook from transmitting his personal data to the US on the grounds that many tech firms had cooperated with the National Security Agency. Transmission of personal data had previously been covered by a “safe harbor” agreement between Europe and the US that allowed tech firms to share the data with explicit consent from their customers. Businesses that operate in Europe must now make sure they are compliant with the EU’s own laws before they subject their customers’ personal information to laxer restrictions in the US, the court said. The advertising industry was not pleased. “Today’s decision by the European Court of Justice jeopardizes thousands of businesses across the Atlantic,” said Mike Zaneis, executive vice-president of public policy and general counsel for the Interactive Advertising Bureau, who called the overturned provision “an efficient means to comply with EU privacy law”. “The weakening of the Safe Harbor agreement limits European consumers’ access to valuable digital services and impedes trade and innovation,” said Zaneis. “We urge the US and EU to agree on new rules for the transatlantic transfer of data, taking into account the CJEU’s judgment.” Evan Greer, campaign director for internet activist group Fight for the Future, said: “The ECJ has confirmed what the vast majority of internet users already know: large US-based tech companies have been deeply complicit in mass government surveillance, and have traded their users’ most basic rights for a cozy relationship with the US government. While the discussion around NSA spying has far too often focused only on the rights of US citizens, the ECJ ruling is a reminder that freedom from indiscriminate surveillance is a basic human right that should be protected for everyone, regardless of where they live.” Tech giants such as Facebook, Apple and Google have long planned for a loss and are likely to fall back on their own user agreements to allow them to transmit data overseas or use their own legal status within Europe to circumnavigate the ruling. “Facebook, like many thousands of European companies, relies on a number of the methods prescribed by EU law to legally transfer data to the US from Europe, aside from Safe Harbor. “It is imperative that EU and US governments ensure that they continue to provide reliable methods for lawful data transfers and resolve any issues relating to national security,” said a Facebook spokesperson. The judgement is likely to be “good news for lawyers” for years to come, said one tech executive, and likely to disproportionately hit smaller tech companies. James Kinsella, a former Microsoft exec who runs European privacy law compliance company Zettabox, said flatly that the new regulation would not stifle trade. “It will require that companies doing business in Europe understand where they are putting their customers’ data. To say it will stifle is like saying, ‘requiring seatbelts in cars stifled car sales.’ No, it didn’t. It made cars safe; it made auto travel a more reliable form of transportation. It made the car an even more desirable and dependable form of transportation. So, too, with cloud services. At the moment, companies are putting their ‘passengers/customers’ data in the back seat without a seat belt.” Kinsella also saw at least one area of industry that would benefit immediately from the ruling: European cloud storage. “It will help boost the cloud services business here, in Europe, which will be a good thing for everyone, because it will generate more competition and require that all providers consider new rules (like the GDPR) that will make ALL data safer for everyone.” __________________________________________________________________ Topics * Privacy * Technology sector * NSA * Austria * Facebook * (BUTTON) More… * Social networking * Europe __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > world * > europe * US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Surveillance Facebook row: US data storage leaves users open to surveillance, court rules EU court ruling that privacy is being compromised could force many digital companies to relocate operations The ECJ issued its opinion after campaigner Maximilian Schrems challenged Facebook over the transfer of his data to US intelligence agencies. The ECJ issued its opinion after campaigner Maximilian Schrems challenged Facebook over the transfer of his data to US intelligence agencies. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Ian Traynor in Brussels and Owen Bowcott Tuesday 6 October 2015 12.39 BST Last modified on Wednesday 7 October 2015 00.01 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp The personal data of Europeans held in America by online tech corporations is not safe from US government snooping, the European court of justice has ruled, in a landmark verdict that hits Facebook, Google, Amazon and many others. The Luxembourg-based court declared the EU-US "safe harbour" rules regulating firms' retention of Europeans' data in the US to be invalid, throwing a spoke into trade relations that will also impact on current negotiations on a far-reaching transatlantic trade pact between Washington and Brussels. The ECJ, whose findings are binding on all EU member states, ruled on Tuesday that: "The United States ... scheme enables interference, by United States public authorities, with the fundamental rights of persons..." The verdict came as a direct result of Edward Snowden's revelations, published in the Guardian, of how the US National Security Agency was obtaining mass access to data held by the big internet servers and telecoms companies in the US. As a result, an Austrian lawyer, Maximilian Schrems, took Facebook to court in Ireland, arguing the social media site was violating his privacy by retaining his data in the US, including material he had himself deleted. The ruling will force the companies involved to rethink their operations and to relocate some of their operations, and also creates great legal uncertainty among the 4,400 European companies that use the safe harbour rules to transfer customers' data to the US. Snowden himself welcomed the judgment, sending out a stream of approving comments on his Twitter feed. "Europe's high court just struck down a major law routinely abused for surveillance. We are all safer as a result," he declared. "Congratulations, @MaxSchrems. You've changed the world for the better ... Bottom line: the #SafeHarbor ruling indicates the indiscriminate interception of communications is a violation of rights. "This judgment is a bombshell," said Monika Kuschewsky, a data privacy lawyer with the firm Covington. "The EU's highest court has pulled the rug under the feet of thousands of companies that have been relying on safe harbour. All these companies are now forced to find an alternative mechanism for their data transfers to the US. And, this, basically overnight." AmCham EU, the US chamber of commerce in Europe, said the ruling could cost the EU 1.3% of gross domestic product and 6.7% in services exports losses. "The judgment could have far-reaching repercussions for consumers, employers and employees," said Susan Danger, its managing director. The European commission, which is responsible for the safe harbour regime, put a brave face on the damning verdict. "The commission is at ease with the court ruling," said Frans Timmermans, its vice-president. He made clear there would be no prompt halt to the transfer of data to the US, noting there were several other "mechanisms" that could be invoked to keep the electronic traffic flowing. "Data flows can continue in the meantime under other arrangements." Safe harbour is an agreement between the European Union and the US that provides guidance for US firms on how to protect the personal data of EU citizens as required by the EU's directive on data protection. The commission has been attempting to renegotiate the rules with the Americans since late 2013 following the Edward Snowden revelations on the complicity between US hi-tech companies and government surveillance. Jan Philipp Albrecht, a German Green MEP specialising in data privacy, said: "Safe harbour enabled masses of Europeans' personal data to be transferred by companies like Facebook to the United States over the past 15 years. With today's verdict it is clear that these transfers were in breach of the fundamental right to data protection ... The United States has to deliver adequate, legally binding protection in the private sector as well as to introduce juridical redress for EU citizens with regards to their privacy rights in all sectors including national security." The court found that Facebook and other digital operators do not provide customers with protection from state surveillance. The ECJ ruling said: "The safe harbour decision denies the national supervisory authorities their powers where a person calls into question whether the decision is compatible with the protection of the privacy and of the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals." It suggested that the US "does not afford an adequate level of protection of personal data". "This is a historic victory against indiscriminate snooping by intelligence agencies, both at home and abroad. In a globalised world, only a strong and binding international framework will ensure our citizens' personal data is secure," said Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder. Mike Weston, CEO of the data science consultancy Profusion, said: "American companies are going to have to restructure how they manage, store and use data in Europe and this takes a lot of time and money. The biggest casualties will not be companies like Google and Facebook because they already have significant data centre infrastructure in countries like Ireland. It will be medium-sized, data-heavy tech companies that don't have the resources to react to this decision." Mark Thompson, privacy practice leader at KPMG, said: "Europe [is] taking a strong stance in ensuring that European citizens are provided the same level of protection no matter where the processing of their personal information takes place. "At the foundation of this is the need for global organisations to take privacy seriously, creating an environment which respects the rights of the individuals whose personal information they process regardless of the mechanism used to legitimise the transfer." __________________________________________________________________ Topics * Surveillance * NSA * Privacy * Court of justice of the European Union * Facebook * (BUTTON) More... * Social networking * European Union * Europe __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > world * > australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * europe * US * americas * asia * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Australian politics 'Governments do not like freedom of information': the war on Australia's privacy and information watchdog The office of the Australian information commissioner suffers limited funding, reduced staff and now, in an unprecedented event, an uncertain future Silhouette of male hand typing on laptop Australian's freedom of information and privacy watchdog, set up in 2010, was created to make guidelines, take on reviews and hear complaints about FOI matters. Photograph: Rafe Swan/Cultura RF/Getty Images Paul Farrell Paul Farrell @FarrellPF Thursday 1 October 2015 04.09 BST Last modified on Thursday 1 October 2015 06.29 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp When Australian's freedom of information and privacy watchdog was launched at federal parliament in November 2010 it was seen as the beginning of a new era of open government. The office of the Australian information commissioner (OAIC) was supposed to herald Australia's new era of transparency and accountability. The then home affairs minister, Brendan O'Connor, said at the launch that the office would reign over a new dawn of "pro-disclosure culture" in government. Related: Freedom of information laws upheld by two men working from home Almost five years after it began, the story is very different. The federal government has decided to kill off the OAIC, but the office has continued on with limited funding. Uncertainty over its future lingers. The first Australian information commissioner, John McMillan, left his office in July 2015. It is possible he will be the last. He spent the last several months in office working from home. The freedom of information commissioner, James Popple, also left in December 2014, leaving just the privacy commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, who has now been appointed acting information commissioner until the end of this month. This uncertainty has come at a time when the privacy functions of the OAIC have arguably never been more important, and it has now been tasked with an even greater responsibility to oversee parts of the mandatory data retention scheme. A team somewhat diminished in size, but no less committed, is now doing more than ever under Pilgrim's leadership to enforce Australians' privacy and freedom of information rights in what he says is a "great testament" to the commitment of his staff. The uncertainty around the OAIC is the culmination of many factors. But it comes back to one constant, which McMillan outlined in his first interview with Guardian Australia: governments do not like freedom of information. The mission: an independent champion of information policy The information commissioner's office was set up to draw distinct but complementary areas of government information policy into a single space. It's an exciting - and quite rare - opportunity to build an entirely new office in government. Freedom of information was a big part. The office would create guidelines, take on reviews and hear complaints about FOI matters. This would be at low cost, with no charge for review applications, in contrast to the $800 application fee to the administrative appeals tribunal. It was also less formal, with cases decided on written submissions. An emphasis was placed on informal dispute resolution. Related: Australia's right to know is under assault | Paul Farrell But the OAIC's reach was far greater. It makes guidelines for credit reporting with financial institutions. It forces companies and web services to write privacy policies. It helps medical organisations work out how best to store Australian's medical files. It receives a greater number of privacy related complaints each year. The office came into existence at a time when similar offices were being established by state governments. Deirdre O'Donnell, who was New South Wales's first information commissioner, says information commissioners are "important in a very profound way" for the way governments operate. "It was an exciting time to be there and it was a privilege to be there. There's no doubt that the legislation was courageous. It had a vision and it was pretty inspiring," she says. O'Donnell says one of the crucial factors is that the NSW government of the day wholly supported it. The then premier, Barry O'Farrell, even opened an open government event held by the office. "It's really important that citizens are confident that government is being exercised in an accountable way. One mechanism for doing that is freedom of information," she says. "It shouldn't be hard, it shouldn't be a last resort, it should be an easy way for people to know about what's going on." In the early days of the OAIC there was also strong support high up in the federal Labor government for open government. Former Labor special minister of state John Faulkner was an important voice in pushing for change, as was senator Joe Ludwig. It shouldn't be hard, it shouldn't be a last resort, it should be an easy way for people to know about what's going on Deirdre O'Donnell But McMillan - who now serves as the acting NSW ombudsman - says that it became clear sometimes that some parts of government were pushing back. "It's all led by the tone at the top. When we started we had wonderful support at senior levels of government, so you got a real culture change," he says. "But after about a year or so it became clear - and this is during Labor - that government doesn't like FOI and it's acceptable, it's culturally acceptable, to thwart FOI requests." The office found itself facing growing pushback from some more temperamental agencies. In the last few years, it has become increasingly common for government heads to publicly criticise FOI. The Australian government solicitors even have an email list called the "FOI Chatspace", where decisions of the OAIC are occasionally criticised by some of the government's most senior lawyers. Perhaps as a consequence of some of this pushback, the OAIC did not quite receive the funding that some believed it should have, despite estimates it would need 100 staff when it opened. It operated at its peak with about 80 staff. Efficiency dividends were levelled on it under Labor, that reduced staffing further. All the while, applications were building up. These delays faced growing criticism in 2012 and 2013 from frustrated applicants, including a number of journalists. The efficiency claims used to attack the office Ultimately, it was the perceived inefficiencies of the OAIC in these early days that were used to justify the plans to abolish the office. The federal government announced it would abolish it in May 2014. In October 2014 it introduced a bill into federal parliament, which explained it was necessary to reduce the complexity and unnecessary delays of the office. Under the arrangements, the privacy commissioner's office was to be moved back to the Australian Human Rights Commission - in a way that Gillian Triggs, the commission's president, described as "unworkable". Related: Hypocritical politicians 'hate' freedom of information, says former commissioner But are the criticisms the office faced justified? McMillan defends the office, but acknowledges there were problems in the early days. He says it was always expected it would take about three years to bed down the procedures, work out what needed to be fixed internally - and also to address structural problems in the FOI act. "I was very clear from the start that I would accept that government wanted to restructure, but I wasn't going to let them do so on the basis that we had failed in our task," he says. "And I'm still firm in my view, and I told them that informally and formally. I said I would not dispute their plan to restructure government, but don't use us as the fall guy." The figures from the OAIC have demonstrated a marked improvement in performance. In fact, since the abolition was announced, the smaller team of staff now there have made remarkable achievements in processing FOI applications. Only $1.7m in funding has been allocated to FOI functions. Despite this, Pilgrim says the OAIC's performance has markedly improved. "We've made some really good inroads into improving the timeliness of the way we're dealing with FOI," he says. "The turnaround times have improved, they're about on average three months ... the legacy backlog of FOI matters is only about 16 cases that are 12 months old." The smaller FOI team initiated and completed an own-motion investigation into the Department of Human Services in just two months. Pilgrim says he understood the concerns from the community and stakeholders early on. But he also says the changes to FOI and privacy law meant that agencies, stakeholders and the agency itself needed to develop processes. Those changes took time to resolve, which did in some areas lead to backlogs. Peter Timmins, an expert in Australian freedom of information policy, says there are some legitimate criticisms of the office. He points particularly at the relatively small number of own motion investigations they undertook into FOI practices in government. "There certainly was some validity in that. Whether it was the inefficiency within the office is another matter. But right from the start the office may have been underfunded," he says. "The initial estimate I've seen is that they would need 100 staff to do the three functions that were allocated to them. I don't think they got anywhere near that." Related: Gillian Triggs: some Coalition FOI and privacy reforms 'unworkable' These problems identified in the early days may also have stymied a stronger response to the abolition of the OAIC from news organisations. The ABC's freedom of information editor, Michael McKinnon, appeared before a Senate inquiry into the bill in his role representing the Right to Know coalition of news organisations. McKinnon is one of Australia's most seasoned FOI practitioners, and had found the appeals process with the OAIC frustrating. In his oral submission to the Senate he said the Right to Know coalition supported the position of an information commissioner. But he adds the "major discontent" with the organisation was the lengthy delays, and urged a more fulsome review of the office. Could the office have been more aggressive? This was a perennial aspect of the criticism around it. McMillan says he asks himself that question all the time. "It was difficult. You don't get cultural change by telling everybody their behaviour is appalling," he says. "Our strategy was to work with government to change things, and that was one reason. But another was that because we had this unusual mixture of functions in the IC review functions, I had to do independent tribunal type review, but then I also had to perform an advocacy role." Timmins supports the role of the office, but agrees there may be some tweaks needed. He says there needs to be a specialist independent office like the OAIC to champion information culture, but urged the need for a full review and modernisation of the FOI system more broadly. The questions over perceived inefficiencies will no doubt continue, but Pilgrim stresses the work of the OAIC is continuing and it was now tending to a vast range of privacy functions. He adds: "We also have to look at the breadth of responsibility that the office has. In the current financial year that's just finished we had some 373 applications for information commissioner review in the FOI side, but at the same time we had 2,841 privacy complaints coming in that we needed to look at, plus a raft of other functions." An unprecedented abolition The government's plan to abolish the OAIC appears to be a world first. Timmins says he was not aware of another country that had embarked on a similar course of action. The decision to abolish the office sets a worrying trend around the global for the principles of open government and transparency. Related: Freedom of information may cost $800 as Coalition seeks to abolish regulator Australia's standing on the global stage of governance is also facing growing criticism in another area. Under the previous government, Australia appeared to be willing to sign on to the Open Government Partnership to encourage transparency in government. Signing on to the agreement would see Australia join other nations like the US, Canada, Sweden, Finland and scores of others. But that hasn't happened. The Australian has reported the attorney general has quite seriously considered not joining up at all. McMillan says he thought the decision was "a no-brainer." "Australia had a stellar reputation from introducing a lot of these laws. We ticked all the boxes on the open government partnership," he says. "But there was no enthusiasm anywhere in government. And this is the same for Labor and Liberal, there was no enthusiasm at the ministerial level, there was no enthusiasm within agencies." "There was just this reluctance to ever have a discussion with the heading open government. And that was because of the tone from the top." Taking a really close look at the FOI system has been something that both Liberal and Labor governments have resisted. The previous government commissioned Dr Allan Hawke to undertake a review of FOI laws. Two years on the Labor and Liberal governments took no action to implement the recommendations. "The [Hawke] report was a real disappointment," Macmillan says. Its major recommendation is that we need another big review of FOI. That hasn't happened. There's this great disinclination to have a public discussion about FOI. Partly it's because it's become politicised, but that's why we're where we are 16 months later," he says. Related: Senators call on Brandis to reconsider plans to abolish FOI regulator Australia now finds itself with an FOI system in need of reform, without a fully staffed and funded information commissioner's office, and without the strong international leadership on open government that many believe the country should be putting forward. Breaking the stalemate The OAIC remains in limbo a year after the federal government put forward its bill to abolish the office. In that time, the attorney general George Brandis has failed to gain the support of the Senate to pass the legislation. Labor and the Greens both oppose the bill. On the crossbench, independent senator Nick Xenophon, Liberal Democrat senator John Leyonhjelm, independent senator John Madigan, Palmer United party senator Dio Wang and Family First senator Bob Day have all indicated they don't support the bill. Rarely does a government bill have such a degree of opposition to legislation. But what options are available? The federal government could simply continue with the current uncertainty. But the Labor party, the Greens and independent senators could also band together and force a vote on the bill. The procedure to achieve this is difficult, and would likely take an entire sitting day. But the government would lose this vote. It would send a resounding and very public message that the abolition of the office would not be tolerated. The longer the current crisis continues, the greater the loss of experience at the OAIC, and the more government agencies will continue to flout the principles of open government. There is almost unanimous support for the existence of an OAIC. It can't continue. It's very hard to maintain staff morale John McMillan For McMillan, the potential loss of the OAIC is a very personal issue. He says the office in its current form "is doing a wonderful job". But the impact on staff is hard. "It can't continue. It's very hard to maintain staff morale. It's very hard to recruit really talented people on an ongoing basis when they don't know whether the office is going to disappear from one month to the next." he says. He adds: "That's why they've got to come up with a plan." Pilgrim stresses he didn't want to talk on behalf of the staff, and he says it has unquestionably been a "challenging time". But he is proud of their effectiveness and resilience. "I am extraordinarily amazed at how committed the staff have been to getting the work done and getting it done in an effective way through what has been really challenging times for them," he says. There may yet be some hope for those who wish to salvage the office. The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has made pointed comments about the need for open government. He has brought "public data policy" into his own departmental portfolio. The prime minister's office did not respond to questions from Guardian Australia about whether they considered the OAIC to fall within this new policy area, but the interest has certainly drawn the attention of many of those who work in the field. Whatever happens, Australia's privacy and freedom of information watchdog lives on for now. It is doing more than it ever has, with less than it ever has. But it deserves far more than that. __________________________________________________________________ More features Topics * Australian politics * Malcolm Turnbull * George Brandis * John Madigan * Nick Xenophon * Privacy __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Encryption Trevor Timm column The 'Athens Affair' shows why we need encryption without backdoors Trevor Timm Trevor Timm Revelations about the hack that allowed Greek politicians to be spied on in 2004 come at a time when the White House is set to announce its encryption policy data The only way to make sure our date is safe is to keep it encrypted. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo Contact author @trevortimm Wednesday 30 September 2015 12.30 BST Last modified on Wednesday 30 September 2015 19.00 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp Just as it seems the White House is close to finally announcing its policy on encryption - the FBI has been pushing for tech companies like Apple and Google to insert backdoors into their phones so the US government can always access users' data - new Snowden revelations and an investigation by a legendary journalist show exactly why the FBI's plans are so dangerous. One of the biggest arguments against mandating backdoors in encryption is the fact that, even if you trust the United States government never to abuse that power (and who does?), other criminal hackers and foreign governments will be able to exploit the backdoor to use it themselves. A backdoor is an inherent vulnerability that other actors will attempt to find and try to use it for their own nefarious purposes as soon as they know it exists, putting all of our cybersecurity at risk. In a meticulous investigation, longtime NSA reporter James Bamford reported at the Intercept Tuesday that the NSA was behind the notorious "Athens Affair". In surveillance circles, the Athens Affair is stuff of legend: after the 2004 Olympics, the Greek government discovered that an unknown attacker had hacked into Vodafone's "lawful intercept" system, the phone company's mechanism of wiretapping phone calls. The attacker spied on phone calls of the president, other Greek politicians and journalists before it was discovered. According to Bamford's story, all this happened after the US spy agency cooperated with Greek law enforcement to keep an eye on potential terrorist attacks for the Olympics. Instead of packing up their surveillance gear, they covertly pointed it towards the Greek government and its people. But that's not all: according to Snowden documents that Bamford cited, this is a common tactic of the NSA. They often attack the "lawful intercept" systems in other countries to spy on government and citizens without their knowledge: Exploiting the weaknesses associated with lawful intercept programs was a common trick for NSA. According to a previously unreleased top-secret PowerPoint presentation from 2012, titled "Exploiting Foreign Lawful Intercept Roundtable", the agency's "countries of interest" for this work included, at that time, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt and others. The presentation also notes that NSA had about 60 "Fingerprints" -- ways to identify data -- from telecom companies and industry groups that develop lawful intercept systems, including Ericsson, as well as Motorola, Nokia and Siemens. It's the exact nightmare scenario security experts have warned about when it comes to backdoors: they are not only available to those that operate them "legally", but also to those who can hack into them to spy without anyone's knowledge. If the NSA can do it, so can China, Russia and a host of other malicious actors. The White House is reportedly close to coming to a decision on their official policy on encryption. Despite the FBI and NSA's best efforts to convince them that they should push for a law mandating backdoors - a catastrophe for human rights, cybersecurity and the US economy - the White House may be on the verge of openly condemning the FBI's approach, according to the Washington Post. This would be great news for everybody. However, they have yet to come to a final decision. To help them, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a host of other groups (including Freedom of the Press Foundation, where I work) have launched a White House petition calling on the Obama administration to do the right thing on encryption: strongly support everyone's right to use it. Coming out strongly against such a mandate would be huge on multiple fronts for the Obama administration: it would send a strong message for human rights around the world, it would make it much harder for other governments to demand backdoors from US tech companies and it would also strengthen the US economy. For the White House, it would cement President Obama's legacy as a president who ultimately decided to strengthen the internet under his watch, rather than weaken it. * Disclosure: Trevor Timm works for Freedom of the Press Foundation, which is one of the many civil liberties organizations to have called on the White House to support strong encryption. __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Encryption * Privacy * Telecoms * Vodafone * Apple * Google __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Jeb Bush Trevor Timm column Jeb Bush is the ultimate anti-internet candidate Trevor Timm Trevor Timm The Republican hopeful positioned himself as pro-data collection and anti-encryption in a race where privacy and net neutrality have never mattered more Jeb Bush She probably doesn't know what he wants to do to her internet access and privacy. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP Contact author @trevortimm Saturday 26 September 2015 11.45 BST Last modified on Saturday 26 September 2015 14.48 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp Do you want to live in a country where Internet Service Providers can slow down and censor your internet traffic at will, where the NSA has vastly more power than it does today and where end-to-end encryption may be illegal? Then Jeb Bush is the Republican presidential contender for you: he has positioned himself as the anti-internet candidate in an election where internet rights have never mattered more. A lot of the White House candidates have made worrying comments about the future of surveillance and the internet - from Chris Christie's bizarre vow to track 10 million people like FedEx packages, to Hillary Clinton's waffling on encryption backdoors - but Jeb Bush's deliberate campaign to roll back internet rights is the perfect storm of awful. Bush proudly stated on his campaign website this week that he would axe the FCC's important net neutrality rules, a hard-fought, grassroots victory from earlier this year by internet rights activists almost a decade in the making. As the New York Times described it at the time, the net neutrality rules "are intended to ensure that no content is blocked and that the internet is not divided into pay-to-play fast lanes for internet and media companies that can afford it and slow lanes for everyone else." The idea that ISPs shouldn't be able to censor internet or slow down traffic at the behest of paying corporations seems like something everyone can agree on, right? As Gizmodo's Kate Knibbs put it, however, "Instead of viewing the FCC's net neutrality rule as a safeguard for consumers, Bush is framing it a way to sandbag ISPs out of their rightful profit margins, with no upside for people using their services." Jeb Bush is apparently happy to side with Comcast and Time Warner, two of the most hated conglomerates in America, rather than the tens of millions of people who just want watch Netflix every night without their internet slowing down or having to pay more. But that's just his latest vow to dismantle the hard-fought rights internet users have won over the past few years. Bush is also a mass warrantless surveillance fanatic. He not only continually defends the NSA on the campaign trail, but has called for the mammoth spy agency to be handed even more powers. He's defended the massive phone metadata program that collected Americans' phone records that is both wildly unpopular with voters and has already been modified by Congress - and to a large extent shuttered - with the passage of the USA Freedom Act. Bush even claimed the expansion of the NSA over the past six or seven years has been the "best part" of the Obama administration. Perhaps worst of all, Jeb Bush has ignorantly criticized the welcome trend of tech companies like Apple implementing end-to-end encryption in their devices to protect its millions of users from criminals and government spying. Seemingly channeling his brother George W at an event in August, Jeb said, "If you create encryption, it makes it harder for the American government to do its job - while protecting civil liberties - to make sure that evildoers aren't in our midst." Bush apparently doesn't understand that encryption helps law enforcement more than it hurts, and is vital to billions of internet users all over the globe whether we're talking about the economy or human rights. Most importantly, though, strong encryption is a bulwark against cyber attacks, which Bush claims is a "vital" issue. In his lukewarm cybersecurity plan, which really just calls for more power for a variety of government agencies to spy on us all, he does not mention the word "encryption" once. Too often internet and privacy rights get relegated to the end of the table when election season rolls around. But the issues have never been more mainstream - NSA reform and net neutrality rules, unthinkable eight years ago, are all of a sudden inevitable. And the idea that Jeb Bush wants to take those rights away and saddle the internet with yet more corporate control and government surveillance is disturbing, to say the least. __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Jeb Bush * Encryption * NSA * Surveillance __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › world * › US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * europe * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Edward Snowden Edward Snowden to attend meeting via video on ‘treaty’ to improve privacy laws Meeting in New York will focus on the ‘Snowden Treaty’, conceived as a way for states to push back against mass surveillance by the NSA and its cohorts Edward Snowden Edward Snowden has seen and approved the draft document, though he is not its author. Photograph: Barton Gellman/Getty Images Ed Pilkington in New York @edpilkington Thursday 24 September 2015 13.33 BST Last modified on Thursday 24 September 2015 14.13 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will be beamed by video link into a New York meeting on Thursday, at which a draft international “treaty” bearing his name will be launched in an attempt to persuade governments around the world to strengthen privacy laws. The so-called “Snowden Treaty” is conceived as a way for states to begin pushing back against the mass surveillance undertaken by the US National Security Agency and its cohorts. Snowden, who leaked details of the agency’s digital data dragnet, has seen and approved the draft document, though he is not its author. The “International Treaty on the Right to Privacy, Protection Against Improper Surveillance and Protection of Whistleblowers”, as it is otherwise known, aims to elevate digital privacy into a 21st-century human right. Under its terms, mass surveillance of phone calls and online activity would be outlawed, oversight of state bodies involved in surveillance would be stepped up, and whistleblowers – like Snowden himself – would be afforded international protection. Snowden has lived in Russia since June 2013, having fled Hong Kong in expectation of his arrest and prosecution by the US government. The Snowden Treaty is the brainchild of David Miranda, the civil liberties campaigner and partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke stories based on the Snowden leaks with the Guardian (Greenwald now writes for The Intercept). Miranda said he was inspired to pursue the idea of a new international privacy campaign after he was interrogated for almost nine hours under the UK Terrorism Act in August 2013. “Instead of making me frightened and intimidated, the situation opened my eyes,” Miranda told the Guardian. “I could see the kind of power that was being wielded, and that we need proper institutions like the United Nations to provide oversight and help countries come together to push for change.” Miranda said that diplomats from several countries had already been approached about the draft treaty and were showing great interest in the project, though he declined to name any state. “It’s important they act at their own speed when they feel comfortable, rather than being pressurized by us,” he said. __________________________________________________________________ Topics * Edward Snowden * United Nations * Privacy * Russia * Surveillance * (BUTTON) More… * NSA * New York __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Edward Snowden Trevor Timm column Four ways Edward Snowden changed the world – and why the fight's not over Trevor Timm Trevor Timm Encrypted Gmail. Transparency from mobile providers. Maybe even a legal 'revolt' against 'Orwellian' surveillance. But until we get real reform, NSA and Co may survive in the shadows • Julian Sanchez: Snowden showed the panopticon for us all • News analysis: How surveillance architects kept NSA power • Plus: Guardian introduces SecureDrop for whistleblowers edward snowden illustration During the first weeks of the Snowden revelations, it wasn't clear legislators cared. Then public opinion changed, and now there's a bill. Will we ever get real reform? Illustration: Kyle Bean for the Guardian Contact author @trevortimm Thursday 5 June 2014 12.15 BST Last modified on Saturday 4 October 2014 11.55 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp Thursday marks one year since the Guardian published the first in a series of eye-opening stories about surveillance based on documents provided by Edward Snowden. The events in the 52 weeks since have proven him to be the most significant whistleblower in American history – and have reverberated throughout the world. But along with the changes Snowden sparked, vital questions remain about how and if the National Security Agency and its global spy apparatus will truly be reformed. Many wheels are finally in motion, but will the US Congress and the courts actually respond in a meaningful way? In truth, the second year of Snowden may be more important than the first. It's when we'll see if global privacy rights get protected for the better – or if mass surveillance becomes more entrenched in our laws than ever before. For now, it's important to take stock in looking ahead to the next chapter. The internet companies: more transparency, but little lobbying for reform Since the second day of the Snowden revelations, when both the Guardian and Washington Post revealed the now-infamous Prism program, the tech giants of Silicon Valley and beyond have been scrambling to rescue their reputations with users around the world. Many companies have made admirable changes to start honestly fighting for user privacy rights, rather than just uttering platitudes meant to satisfy PR obligations. Most of the major US-based internet stalwarts – from Google and Facebook to Apple and Microsoft – have now changed their legal policies to notify users whenever possible of surveillance requests. Some of them have even publicly challenged the government in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (Fisa) court to allow them to be more transparent – even if they arguably got a bad deal. And more still have finally been pushing back against pernicious national security letters in court. We still don't know how much these companies, which have so much control over our online lives, will push back on proposed surveillance legislation, but it's needed now more than ever. Google has been the strongest on the lobbying front – just last week it sent an email to millions of subscribers imploring them to tell Congress to pass "real surveillance reform urgently". But there's been barely a peep from the other companies, most notably Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg has complained in public, but the social network has shown little will to fight behind the scenes in DC, despite the hollow bill now moving forward to the US Senate at a rapid pace. The telecommunications companies, most notably AT&T and Verizon, have always been the true problem. After all, it was AT&T that originally got sued by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF, my former employer) in 2006 for criminally allowing the NSA to copy huge portions of its internet traffic in secret. But even the two phone giants could not fully avoid the Snowden Effect. After shareholders threatened lawsuits, they both decided to release transparency reports to customers after years of resisting, and Verizon made a half-hearted attempt to challenge the phone dragnet program. Will they ever viably push back on NSA surveillance? For the NSA's number-one corporate partners, that seems unlikely – but then again, a year ago it seemed impossible. Encryption and cybersecurity: private Gmail, chat and whistleblowing – but a comeback for an ugly bill? google encrypted email illustration 'The important thing is that both sides of an email exchange need to support encryption for it to work,' Google said in its Tuesday announcement of an end-to-end encryption plug-in. 'Gmail can't do it alone.' Illustration via Google Undoubtedly Snowden's biggest tangible impact has been on the security of ordinary internet users. After shocking stories of the NSA vacuuming up hundreds of thousands of buddy lists from Yahoo, breaking into the data links in between Google's servers, and having a disturbingly close relationship with Microsoft's product teams, service providers have raced to prove which can protect their users' data better. Yahoo, after years of being the joke of security researchers, hired a top security expert and shored up its systems in multiple ways. Google, after two of its employees "exploded in profanity" upon hearing about one of the NSA stories, has not only led the way in providing encryption in all aspects of its service, but just announced on Tuesday night that it will begin to provide a truly end-to-end email encryption plug-in – and that it will be naming and shaming other companies who don't encrypt messages sent between different email providers. As Microsoft chief lawyer wrote on Wednesday, "much more needs to be done". After Glenn Greenwald almost missed out on the story of a lifetime for not having set-up PGP email encryption, more journalists than ever now have set up more secure methods for sources to contact them. News organizations – including, as of Thursday, the Guardian – are adopting SecureDrop, the open-source whistleblower submission system from the Freedom of the Press Foundation (my current employer, where Snowden sits on our board of directors). And privacy has become a business model for many start-ups. Meanwhile, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa), an "information sharing" bill that purportedly would address cybersecurity, was indefinitely shelved thanks to the Snowden leaks. The intelligence community has decried the hold-up, but the reconsideration of this ill-thought out, privacy-destroying legislation was probably the most underrated, positive affect Snowden has had in Congress. The bill, which was universally condemned by civil liberties advocates when it passed the House in 2012 and 2013, would have given the NSA even more access to Americans' personal data – along with more immunity to the companies who would have free reign to hand over that data to the spy agency. Of course, this bill could rear its ugly head again in the next year. The intelligence committees seem to threaten the return a new version of Cispa every few weeks. And given that a fear-mongering climate around cyberattacks is just now ratcheting up to mainstream rhetoric and indictments, there's no way it will stay in the background forever. The courts: 'almost Orwellian', 'likely unconstitutional' ... and now 'the magistrate's revolt'? Think about how far we've come since last June in the letter of the law: a year ago, all but one NSA lawsuit filed during the Bush years had been thrown out of court for various procedural reasons. The government wouldn't even release the number of pages they had on their secret interpretation of the Patriot Act, let alone any content. Cut to a year later: multiple major lawsuits challenging key portions of the NSA's powers are now alive and well. The first judge to rule on the mass phone metadata surveillance program in an adversarial proceeding called it "almost Orwellian" and "likely unconstitutional". We learned the Justice Department undoubtedly lied to the US supreme court last year. Court orders in multiple Freedom of Information Act cases have pried loose hundreds of pages of previously secret Fisa court rulings, including one declaring a part of NSA's surveillance apparatus unconstitutional. What has been called "the magistrate’s revolt" is now beginning among judges in lower courts, where there is a renewed interest in pushing back on government claims and invoking the Fourth Amendment. (Internationally, the UN started an investigation into NSA and GCHQ practices, and on Wednesday, German prosecutors announced the opening of a criminal inquiry into bulk spying on Germany's citizens – and the tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.) But still: will judges from the states on up be brave enough to really reign in the NSA's surveillance programs? With Congress refusing to produce anything beyond watered-down reform bills, the third branch might still be the best hope to restore the very rights for which Snowden has been fighting. We can't expect the NSA to go down easy. In perhaps the most important privacy case on a federal court docket, EFF just accused the NSA of destroying years of evidence of illegal surveillance in direct violation of their obligations to the court. Public opinion: from 'what's the NSA?' to 'down with Prism' ... and then? Undoubtedly it's been the voice of the people that has pushed the companies, the courts and Congress to move. It's pretty easy to forget now, but during those first couple weeks of the Snowden revelations, when many Americans were just finding out what the NSA even was, it wasn't clear Congress cared about doing much of anything at all. Representatives didn't start making noise until the polls started coming out showing a sea change in the way Americans view privacy, how much bipartisan opposition there was to the phone surveillance program, and that a large portion of the country that saw Snowden as a whistleblower. And for the first time since 9/11, more Americans are concerned about civil liberties than terrorism. While the pollsters themselves have slowed on these questions in recent months, there's no sign that Americans are changing their minds. A recent Yougov poll showed 55% of employed adults agreed the Prism program should have been made public. This windfall from Americans has led, more directly than you think, to two-dozen reform bills getting introduced by their elected representatives, to two presidential commissions that recommended broad changes to the structure and power of the NSA, to pushback from judges we haven't seen in years. All three branches, after at least partially sanctioning the status quo in secret, have called for various levels of reform to surveillance on you. This is the power of whistleblowing. This is why you have Ed Snowden to thank. But with no legislative reform yet, the fight is far from over. As Snowden said around the six-month anniversary of his leaks, "I didn't want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself." In the coming year, the public will have to decide: are you willing to continue to fight for real and permanent change, or will the NSA sink back into the shadows, allowed to continue its mass surveillance, largely unabated, until the next Snowden comes along? __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Edward Snowden * The NSA files * NSA * Privacy * Data protection * (BUTTON) More… * US national security * Google * Facebook * Email * Internet * Social networking * Computing * US Congress * US constitution and civil liberties * US politics * Cispa __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We’re doing some maintenance right now. 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(BUTTON) View more comments more on this story * Edward Snowden applies to extend stay in Russia, lawyer says Anatoly Kucherena reveals former NSA whistleblower's one-year permit to stay in country will expire at the end of July Published: 9 Jul 2014 (BUTTON) Edward Snowden applies to extend stay in Russia, lawyer says * Snowden unlikely to 'man up' in face of Espionage Act, legal adviser says Responding to US secretary of state's comments, Snowden adviser Ben Wizner says 'negotiated settlement' would be necessary Published: 28 May 2014 (BUTTON) Snowden unlikely to 'man up' in face of Espionage Act, legal adviser says * Edward Snowden should have right to legal defence in US, says Hillary Clinton Former secretary of state tells Guardian that NSA whistleblower should return to US if he is serious in engaging in debate Published: 4 Jul 2014 (BUTTON) Edward Snowden should have right to legal defence in US, says Hillary Clinton * Sorry, your browser is unable to play this video. Please install Adobe Flash™ and try again. Alternatively upgrade to a modern browser. Ask Hillary: cultural figures put their questions to Hillary Clinton - video What is the one thing we should ask Hillary Clinton? Before a video interview with the former US secretary of state, we ask some well-known personalities to put forward their own burning questions Published: 3 Jul 2014 (BUTTON) Ask Hillary: cultural figures put their questions to Hillary Clinton - video * + Edward Snowden's NSA leaks 'an important service', says Al Gore Published: 10 Jun 2014 (BUTTON) Edward Snowden's NSA leaks 'an important service', says Al Gore + Edward Snowden calls for greater online privacy in Reset the Net campaign Published: 5 Jun 2014 (BUTTON) Edward Snowden calls for greater online privacy in Reset the Net campaign popular The Guardian back to top * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel all sections close * home * UK + education + media + society + law + scotland + wales + northern ireland * world + europe + US + americas + asia + australia + africa + middle east + cities + development * sport + football + cricket + rugby union + F1 + tennis + golf + cycling + boxing + racing + rugby league * football + live scores + tables + competitions + results + fixtures + clubs * opinion selected + columnists * culture + film + tv & radio + music + games + books + art & design + stage + classical * business + economics + banking + retail + markets + eurozone * lifestyle + food + health & fitness + love & sex + family + women + home & garden * fashion * environment + climate change + wildlife + energy + pollution * tech * travel + UK + europe + US + skiing * money + property + savings + pensions + borrowing + careers * science * professional networks * the observer * today's paper + editorials & letters + obituaries + g2 + weekend + the guide + saturday review * sunday's paper + comment + the new review + observer magazine * membership * crosswords + blog + editor + quick + cryptic + prize + quiptic + genius + speedy + everyman + azed * video * Opinion * › Edward Snowden IFRAME: /email/form/footer/37 * Facebook * Twitter * Facebook * Twitter * all topics * all contributors * solve technical issue * complaints & corrections * terms & conditions * privacy policy * cookie policy * securedrop © 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › world * › US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * europe * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Edward Snowden Edward Snowden calls for global push to expand digital privacy laws NSA whistleblower speaks via video link at launch of ‘Snowden Treaty’, which calls for global push for protections in wake of surveillance revelations Sorry, your browser is unable to play this video. Please install Adobe Flash™ and try again. Alternatively upgrade to a modern browser. Edward Snowden: mass surveillance does not help combat terrorism. Link to video Ed Pilkington in New York @edpilkington Thursday 24 September 2015 21.50 BST Last modified on Friday 25 September 2015 01.01 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 4 months old Edward Snowden has called for a global push to protect people’s rights to digital privacy, arguing that now the bare facts of mass data surveillance are known it is time to “assert our traditional and digital rights so that we can protect them”. Speaking by video link from Russia where he has been granted asylum, the former National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower said efforts to protect privacy “will continue for many years”, culminating, he hoped, in a world in which governments could be relied upon to defend their citizens’ rights rather than “working against them”. Snowden’s call for new international laws to protect data privacy was made at the launch in New York of the so-called “Snowden Treaty”, a fledgling campaign designed to apply pressure on governments around the world in the hope of generating new legal protections. The “treaty” idea, which is being disseminated with the help of the online campaigning network Avaaz, is intended to generate new safeguards both for personal data and for whistleblowers and journalists vulnerable to government prosecution. A draft version of the putative treaty was circulated at the launch. It says governments signing up to the agreement would have to commit to ending mass surveillance and “the right to privacy in all future programs and policies. This will make the preservation of privacy a fundamental responsibility of governments, ensuring the protection of these fundamental human rights for generations to come.” Snowden said in his video-link address that the debate sparked by his leaking of a vast hoard of NSA secret documents to journalist Glenn Greenwald and the Guardian had succeeded in changing public culture. “We can discuss things now that five years back would have gotten you labelled as a conspiracy theorist,” he said. It was now established, he went on, that in the arena of basic individual liberties – what happens when we travel through a city, or talk to our friends, or browse for books online – we are being tracked and recorded. He said that whole populations were being “indexed into a sort of surveillance time machine that allows institutions, whether public or private, to empower themselves at the expense of the people.” In the wake of his disclosures, Snowden said that there had been some legislative attempts to tighten up on privacy and rein in mass surveillance. But they were “just the first step – they don’t go anywhere near far enough”. Meanwhile, countries were aggressively pressing to increase their surveillance powers. Not just traditional adversaries of the west such as Iran, China, Russia and North Korea, but also allies of the US such as Australia, Canada, the UK and France. “What’s extraordinary is that in every case these policy proposals that work against the public are being billed as public safety programs. Yet mass surveillance has never made a concrete difference in any single terrorism investigation in the United States.” The “Snowden Treaty” is the brainchild of David Miranda, who was detained and interrogated under the UK Terrorism Act at Heathrow airport for nine hours in August 2013 at the height of the Snowden leaks. Miranda, who is Greenwald’s partner, said that the new campaign was partly inspired by the efforts taken by big tech companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google to offer encryption services to their users. “This is not a dream. If corporations are taking moves to protect themselves, then why can’t we?” he said. Miranda said that several governments had been approached around the world, but he declined to name any that were showing interest. __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Edward Snowden * Surveillance * NSA * Privacy __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We’re doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › world * › europe * US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close NSA Facebook case may force European firms to change data storage practices Changes may be required after European court advocate general accuses US intelligence services of ‘mass, indiscriminate surveillance’ The Safe Harbor agreement allows the NSA to use the Prism surveillance system exposed by Snowden to wade through billions of bits of personal data held by nine internet companies. The Safe Harbor agreement allows the NSA to use the Prism surveillance system exposed by Edward Snowden to wade through billions of bits of personal data held by nine internet companies. Photograph: Dado Ruvic/REUTERS Owen Bowcott Legal affairs correspondent @owenbowcott Wednesday 23 September 2015 14.48 BST Last modified on Thursday 24 September 2015 00.01 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 4 months old European companies may have to review their widespread practice of storing digital data with US internet companies after a court accused America’s intelligence services of conducting “mass, indiscriminate surveillance”. The influential opinion by the European court of justice’s advocate general, Yves Bot, yet to be confirmed by the Luxembourg court as final, is a significant development in the battle over online privacy. The court normally follows the advocate general’s opinion; ECJ judgments are binding on EU countries. The finding is a fresh victory for the Austrian campaigner Maximilian Schrems, who initially brought a claim against Facebook in Ireland in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the activities of the US National Security Agency (NSA). Related: Facebook data privacy case to be heard before European Union court The opinion by Bot contains far-reaching recommendations that threaten to upend many current commercial practices and assumptions in the digital industry. If any EU country considers that transferring data to servers abroad undermines the protection of citizens, the advocate general’s finding said, it has the power to suspend that transfer “irrespective of the general assessment made by the [EU] commission in its decision”. “The access of the United States intelligence services to the data transferred covers, in a comprehensive manner, all persons using electronic communications services, without any requirement that the persons concerned represent a threat to national security,” Bot’s opinion noted in one of its most damning sections. “Such mass, indiscriminate surveillance is inherently disproportionate and constitutes an unwarranted interference with the rights guaranteed by articles seven and eight of the charter [of fundamental rights of the EU].” The Luxembourg court found the Safe Harbor agreement between the US and Europe, which gives spies access to huge banks of data, does not stop watchdogs from investigating complaints or bar them from suspending the transfers. The arrangement allows the NSA to use the Prism surveillance system – revealed by the Guardian from documents leaked by Snowden – to wade through billions of elements of personal data, communication and information held by nine internet companies. The opinion states that the commission’s past decision on Safe Harbor within the US is invalid. It said internet users in Europe have no effective judicial protection while the large-scale data transfers are happening. Schrems said the ruling could have major implications for EU-US data flows and American internet companies operating in Europe. “After an initial review of the advocate general’s opinion of more than 40 pages it seems like years of work could pay off. Now we just have to hope that the judges of the court of justice will follow the advocate general’s opinion in principle,” he said. Schrems said that while his case was specific to Facebook it may also apply to other technology giants such as Apple, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. The final ruling by the ECJ’s 15 judges is expected later this year. Everyone on the social network in the EU signs a contract with Facebook Ireland, audited by the data protection commissioner in that country. Under the US-EU data transfer all their details can be accessed by the NSA. Related: NSA files decoded: Edward Snowden's surveillance revelations explained Schrems’s challenge to seek an investigation into which of his data was sent to the US will come back to the high court in Dublin after the ECJ issues its final ruling. Snowden, a former NSA contractor, triggered a wave of controversy when he leaked tens of thousands of documents about surveillance programmes run by the US intelligence services and foreign counterparts, including Britain’s GCHQ, in 2013. Responding to the decision, a Facebook spokesperson said: “Facebook operates in compliance with EU data protection law. Like the thousands of other companies who operate data transfers across the Atlantic we await the full judgment.” In reference to Prism, Facebook added:“We have repeatedly said that we do not provide ‘backdoor’ access to Facebook servers and data to intelligence agencies or governments. ... We had never heard of Prism before it was reported by the press and we have never participated in any such scheme.” More than 4,000 companies are estimated to rely on the Safe Harbor agreement for transferring data to the US. Commenting on the ruling, Jan Philipp Albrecht, home affairs spokesperson for the Green party in the EU, said: “The advocate general has today made clear that the transfer of EU citizens’ private data to the US by Facebook is at odds with EU law. This welcome finding must provoke an immediate response by the relevant authorities in Europe. The Irish data protection commissioner must immediately move to prevent any further data transfers to the US by Facebook, which operates under Irish jurisdiction. “The finding also confirms the position of the European parliament, which has already called for Safe Harbor to be suspended. It is unacceptable that the European commission has ignored this demand for a year and a half. It is now time for the commission to finally suspend Safe Harbor. “We need robust, common data protection rules for the EU, which can also be applied to internet operators and the online sector from the US. To this end, we need to swiftly agree the reform of the EU’s data protection laws to ensure strong and implementable individual rights.” Laywers in the UK suggested that, if confirmed, the ECJ decision would force every European company that stores data on American servers to review their contracts. Stewart Room, the head of PwC Legal’s data privacy and protection practice, said: “[This] signifies a real game-changing view on the power of the European commission to override the views of the data privacy regulators of the member states. The advocate general takes the view that the commission cannot bind the national regulators. In other words, the views of the member states’ regulators trump the central view of Brussels. “This presents a real threat to the Safe Harbor data transfer regime to the US. For businesses, a huge amount of uncertainty is now inserted into the legal framework. It has the potential to cause chaos in transatlantic data flows. If the court of justice sides with the advocate general, then multinationals will have to fully rethink their global strategies for data privacy compliance.” Agustin Reyna, senior legal officer at the European Consumer Organisation, said: “The advocate general’s opinion puts the nail in the coffin of Safe Harbor. This agreement fails to protect European’s personal data. We hope the European court of justice will follow this line and stop the mass circumvention of EU data protection rules. The European commission, which is currently renegotiating Safe Harbor, received today a clear message that the transfer of European citizens’ data cannot be based on self-assessment by US companies.” __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * NSA * Privacy * Internet * Facebook * Court of justice of the European Union * (BUTTON) More… * Edward Snowden * The NSA files * Social networking * Europe __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › opinion * columnists * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion selected * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Data protection Opinion Spies and internet giants are in the same business: surveillance. But we can stop them John Naughton The European court of justice ruling on ‘safe harbour’ at last enables us to start a conversation about proper control of personal data gathered by the likes of Facebook and Google Austrian Facebook user Maximilian Schrems Austrian Facebook user Maximilian Schrems, whose complaint about the internet giant’s data protection policy led to a watershed moment in digital privacy. Photograph: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images Sunday 11 October 2015 09.15 BST Last modified on Sunday 11 October 2015 09.18 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp On Tuesday, the European court of justice, Europe’s supreme court, lobbed a grenade into the cosy, quasi-monopolistic world of the giant American internet companies. It did so by declaring invalid a decision made by the European commission in 2000 that US companies complying with its “safe harbour privacy principles” would be allowed to transfer personal data from the EU to the US. This judgment may not strike you as a big deal. You may also think that it has nothing to do with you. Wrong on both counts, but to see why, some background might be useful. The key thing to understand is that European and American views about the protection of personal data are radically different. We Europeans are very hot on it, whereas our American friends are – how shall I put it? – more relaxed. Illustration by Matt Murphy of an Eagle with the stars of the EU flag in its eye. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Illustration by Matt Murphy. Given that personal data constitutes the fuel on which internet companies such as Google and Facebook run, this meant that their exponential growth in the US market was greatly facilitated by that country’s tolerant data-protection laws. Once these companies embarked on global expansion, however, things got stickier. It was clear that the exploitation of personal data that is the core business of these outfits would be more difficult in Europe, especially given that their cloud-computing architectures involved constantly shuttling their users’ data between server farms in different parts of the world. Since Europe is a big market and millions of its citizens wished to use Facebook et al, the European commission obligingly came up with the “safe harbour” idea, which allowed companies complying with its seven principles to process the personal data of European citizens. The circle having been thus neatly squared, Facebook and friends continued merrily on their progress towards world domination. But then in the summer of 2013, Edward Snowden broke cover and revealed what really goes on in the mysterious world of cloud computing. At which point, an Austrian Facebook user, one Maximilian Schrems, realising that some or all of the data he had entrusted to Facebook was being transferred from its Irish subsidiary to servers in the United States, lodged a complaint with the Irish data protection commissioner. Schrems argued that, in the light of the Snowden revelations, the law and practice of the United States did not offer sufficient protection against surveillance of the data transferred to that country by the government. The Irish data commissioner rejected the complaint on the grounds that the European commission’s safe harbour decision meant that the US ensured an adequate level of protection of Schrems’s personal data. Schrems disagreed, the case went to the Irish high court and thence to the European court of justice. On Tuesday, the court decided that the safe harbour agreement was invalid. At which point the balloon went up. “This is,” writes Professor Lorna Woods, an expert on these matters, “a judgment with very far-reaching implications, not just for governments but for companies the business model of which is based on data flows. It reiterates the significance of data protection as a human right and underlines that protection must be at a high level.” Related: Google denies Android Auto car system sends it user's driving data This is classic lawyerly understatement. My hunch is that if you were to visit the legal departments of many internet companies today you would find people changing their underpants at regular intervals. For the big names of the search and social media worlds this is a nightmare scenario. For those of us who take a more detached view of their activities, however, it is an encouraging development. For one thing, it provides yet another confirmation of the sterling service that Snowden has rendered to civil society. His revelations have prompted a wide-ranging reassessment of where our dependence on networking technology has taken us and stimulated some long-overdue thinking about how we might reassert some measure of democratic control over that technology. Snowden has forced us into having conversations that we needed to have. Although his revelations are primarily about government surveillance, they also indirectly highlight the symbiotic relationship between the US National Security Agency and Britain’s GCHQ on the one hand and the giant internet companies on the other. For, in the end, both the intelligence agencies and the tech companies are in the same business, namely surveillance. And both groups, oddly enough, provide the same kind of justification for what they do: that their surveillance is both necessary (for national security in the case of governments, for economic viability in the case of the companies) and conducted within the law. We need to test both justifications and the great thing about the European court of justice judgment is that it starts us off on that conversation. __________________________________________________________________ More comment Topics * Data protection * Edward Snowden * Court of justice of the European Union * Google * Facebook * (BUTTON) More… * Alphabet * Social networking __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We’re doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > tech * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech selected * travel browse all sections close Facebook Max Schrems Facebook privacy complaint to be investigated in Ireland Audit by Irish data protection watchdog over alleged transfer of European data to US by Facebook follows three-year campaign and ECJ ruling Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems speaking to reporters Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems has said he may make other cases. Photograph: Christian Bruna/AFP/Getty Images Samuel Gibbs and agencies @SamuelGibbs Tuesday 20 October 2015 16.07 BST Last modified on Tuesday 20 October 2015 16.49 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 3 months old Facebook's European privacy practices are to be investigated by the Irish data protection watchdog, after a three-year legal fight by Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems. The high court in Dublin quashed the Irish data protection commissioner's original refusal to examine Schrems' complaint over the alleged movement of his data outside of Europe by Facebook after referring the case to the European court of justice. Judge Gerard Hogan said the initial decision by the watchdog had been premised on the validity of the safe harbour agreement, which was recently declared invalid by the ECJ after another, separate two-year case by Schrems against Facebook. "The commissioner is obliged now to investigate the complaint ... and I've absolutely no doubt that she will proceed to do so," Hogan said, while awarding Schrems costs for his legal bill and travel expenses. Ireland's data protection commissioner Helen Dixon welcomed the ruling and said: "My office will now proceed to investigate the substance of the complaint with all due diligence." The law is clear so theoretically you could make a decision within weeks Max Schrems Schrems, who has been critical of the Irish who govern Facebook's operations within Europe, said: "The big question is going to be if the Irish Data Protection Commissioner is going to do its job. "The law is clear and the facts are rather clear so theoretically you could make a decision within weeks. "They pledged that they will really investigate things swiftly. My last experience was that a complaint takes up to three years and nothing comes out of it but they now pledge the opposite and I hope that's going to be the case." Facebook reiterated that it does not give the US government direct access to its servers and it does not recognise the NSA's Prism surveillance programme. A Facebook spokesperson said: "We will respond to inquiries from the Irish Data Protection Commission as they examine the protections for the transfer of personal data under applicable law." Safe harbour no more The news comes after the invalidation of the 15-year-old safe harbour agreement, which deemed European citizens' data transferred between the EU and US as being adequately protected, allowing US companies to self certify their data protection practices. The Snowden revelations over the NSA's surveillance practices triggered unrest in Europe and provoked the Schrems' landmark challenge, which led to what Hogan described as the most important ruling of the ECJ in years that "transcended international law". Schrems said: "It's a procedure you start but you get into it step by step, you didn't plan it to be this big thing but you think, there is actually the problem, and you poke and see what's happening and it's good if things get poked up all the way and solved in the end." The campaigner said watchdogs in 28 European states will now be able to accept complaints about the movement of personal information and that he was considering other challenges to tech giants involved in cloud services. "There are certain companies where we know they are involved in mass surveillance because of the Snowden leaks, and I think those are the companies you should take a look at," Schrems said. Schrems warned it would be very hard for European and US authorities to create a version of safe harbour based on the ECJ ruling that would withstand another challenge at the ECJ. "The court has been very clear a new safe harbour would have to give you the same rights as you have in Europe. That's going to be hard to get a deal on," he said. * Tech companies like Facebook not above the law, says Max Schrems * Victim of state spying? Facebook will tell you __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Facebook * Internet * Ireland * Social networking * Surveillance * (BUTTON) More... * Privacy * Europe * Social media __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › tech * home * UK * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech selected * travel browse all sections close Data protection Digital surveillance 'worse than Orwell', says new UN privacy chief Joseph Cannataci describes British oversight as ‘a joke’ and says a Geneva convention for the internet is needed Joseph Cannataci Joseph Cannataci, UN special rapporteur on privacy, doesn’t use Facebook or Twitter and says it is regrettable people have signed away their digital rights without thinking about it. Photograph: Adam Alexander Adam Alexander in Valletta Monday 24 August 2015 19.50 BST Last modified on Tuesday 25 August 2015 07.20 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 5 months old The first UN privacy chief has said the world needs a Geneva convention style law for the internet to safeguard data and combat the threat of massive clandestine digital surveillance. Speaking to the Guardian weeks after his appointment as the UN special rapporteur on privacy, Joseph Cannataci described British surveillance oversight as being “a joke”, and said the situation is worse than anything George Orwell could have foreseen. He added that he doesn’t use Facebook or Twitter, and said it was regrettable that vast numbers of people sign away their digital rights without thinking about it. One thing that is certainly going to come up in my mandate is the business model that large corporations are using “Some people were complaining because they couldn’t find me on Facebook. They couldn’t find me on Twitter. But since I believe in privacy, I’ve never felt the need for it,” Cannataci, a professor of technology law at University of Groningen in the Netherlands and head of the department of Information Policy & Governance at the University of Malta, said. Appointed after concern about surveillance and privacy following the Edward Snowden revelations, Cannataci agreed that his notion of a new universal law on surveillance could embarrass those who may not sign up to it. “Some people may not want to buy into it,” he acknowledged. “But you know, if one takes the attitude that some countries will not play ball, then, for example, the chemical weapons agreement would never have come about.” Cannataci came into his new post in July after a controversial spat involving the first-choice candidate, Katrin Nyman-Metcalf, who the Germans in particular thought might not be tough enough on the Americans. But for Cannataci – well-known for having a mind of his own – it is not America but Britain that he singles out as having the weakest oversight in the western world: “That is precisely one of the problems we have to tackle. That if your oversight mechanism’s a joke, and a rather bad joke at its citizens’ expense, for how long can you laugh it off as a joke?” He said proper oversight is the only way of progressing, and hopes more people will think about and vote for privacy in the UK. “And that is where the political process comes in,” he said, “because can you laugh off the economy and the National Health Service? Not in the UK election, if you want to survive.” The appointment of a UN special rapporteur on privacy is seen as hugely important because it elevates the right to privacy in the digital age to that of other human rights. As the first person in the job, the investigator will be able to set the standard for the digital right to privacy, deciding how far to push governments that want to conduct surveillance for security reasons, and corporations who mine us for our personal data. Cannataci’s mandate is extensive. He is empowered to: * Systematically review government policies and laws on interception of digital communications and collection of personal data. * Identify actions that intrude on privacy without compelling justification. * Assist governments in developing best practices to bring global surveillance under the rule of law. * Further articulate private sector responsibilities to respect human rights. * Help ensure national procedures and laws are consistent with international human rights obligations. Although Cannataci admits his job is a complex one that is not going to be solved with a magic bullet, he says he is far from starting from scratch and believes there are at least four main areas – including a universal law on surveillance, tackling the business models of the big tech corporations, defining privacy and raising awareness among the public. “I would say it’s impossible to achieve in three years. And it’s probably impossible to achieve even if the mandate is renewed to six years, if you’re trying to do too much. But I do think that – at least my view of things in a field like human rights – is the longer term view, right? The impact must be felt in the long term.” However, Cannataci says we are dealing with a world even worse that anything Orwell could have foreseen. “It’s worse,” he said. “Because if you look at CCTV alone, at least Winston [Winston Smith in Orwell’s novel 1984] was able to go out in the countryside and go under a tree and expect there wouldn’t be any screen, as it was called. Whereas today there are many parts of the English countryside where there are more cameras than George Orwell could ever have imagined. So the situation in some cases is far worse already. “The way we handle it is going to be the difference. But Orwell foresaw a technology that was controlling. In our case we are looking at a technology that is ever-developing, and ever-developing possibly more sinister capabilities.” Because of this, the Snowden revelations were very important, he said. “They were very important. Snowden will continue to be looked upon as a traitor by some and a hero by others. But in actual fact his revelations confirmed to many of us who have been working in this field for a long time what has been going on, and the extent to which it has gone out of control.” Cannataci, who works between his offices in Malta and the Netherlands, has set his sights on challenging the business model of companies that are “very often taking the data that you never even knew they were taking”. “This is one thing that is certainly going to come up in my mandate, which is the business model that large corporations are using,” he said. “We have a number of corporations that have set up a business model that is bringing in hundreds of thousands of millions of euros and dollars every year and they didn’t ask anybody’s permission. They didn’t go out and say: ‘Oh, we’d like to have a licensing law.’ No, they just went out and created a model where people’s data has become the new currency. And unfortunately, the vast bulk of people sign their rights away without knowing or thinking too much about it,” he said. * This article has been amended to correct an error introduced in editing. __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Data protection * Privacy * Surveillance * United Nations * Twitter * (BUTTON) More… * Facebook * Internet * Social networking * Human rights __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We’re doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > world * europe * US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Surveillance Cybersecurity bill could 'sweep away' internet users' privacy, agency warns Homeland Security admits Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act raises concerns while corporations and data brokers lobby for bill as it returns to Senate department of homeland security cybercrimes Wallpaper is seen lining the walls at the Department of Homeland Security new Cyber Crimes Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty Images Sam Thielman @samthielman Monday 3 August 2015 22.23 BST Last modified on Monday 3 August 2015 23.20 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 6 months old The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday said a controversial new surveillance bill could sweep away "important privacy protections", a move that bodes ill for the measure's return to the floor of the Senate this week. The latest in a series of failed attempts to reform cybersecurity, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (Cisa) grants broad latitude to tech companies, data brokers and anyone with a web-based data collection to mine user information and then share it with "appropriate Federal entities", which themselves then have permission to share it throughout the government. Minnesota senator Al Franken queried the DHS in July; deputy secretary of the department Alejandro Mayorkas responded today that some provisions of the bill "could sweep away important privacy protections" and that the proposed legislation "raises privacy and civil liberties concerns". Much of the attention on Cisa has been directed at companies such as Google, Facebook and Comcast, which have large hoards of internet user behavior. But arguably more important are data brokers. Among the groups lobbying for the passage of Cisa are Experian, which tracks consumer trends using information from loyalty cards and other sources and licenses the information to help target advertising; Oracle, whose Data Cloud product works similarly; and Hitrust, which aggregates healthcare information. The paragraph generating the most concern can be found in section 4 of the bill: "[a] private entity may, for cybersecurity purposes, monitor A) the information systems of such a private entity; B) the information systems of another entity, upon written consent of such other entity [...] and D) information that is stored on, processed by, or transiting the information systems monitored by the private entity under this paragraph." Debate on the bill could start on Wednesday with a vote on Thursday. Privacy concerns are already significant in the private sector, where the use of personal data at scale is largely unregulated. "With respect to data brokers that sell marketing products, the Commission recommends that Congress consider legislation requiring data brokers to provide consumers access to their data, including sensitive data held about them, at a reasonable level of detail, and the ability to opt out of having it shared for marketing purposes," wrote the FTC in a whitepaper titled Data Brokers: A Call for Transparency and Accountability last May. Such legislation has been introduced, but is repeatedly referred to committee. Data brokers are anxious to avoid losing the ability to aggregate vast quantities of personal data - the sale and licensing of consumer databases is a lucrative practice, as web advertising booms and TV advertising becomes more sophisticated. It's also a practice that prefers not to disclose exactly what information it is holding. Mike Seay, an Illinois man whose child died the year previous, received in 2014 a junk mail flier from OfficeMax addressed to "Mike Seay, Daughter Killed in Car Crash" (this was indeed how his 17-year-old daughter had died). Cisa's mandate would seem to cover the publicly used interfaces of the health insurers and banks - including SunTrust, Prudential, American Express, Aflac and Bank of America - that lobbied on the bill. Drew Mitnick of digital advocacy organization Access Now pointed to language in the bill that would give participants in the proposed information-sharing program immunity not just from prosecution, but from regulatory action. "The transparency requirement is so narrow that, if you met the requirements within the bill to get protection, it would give [participating companies] broad range to collect data and then send it to the government." Lobby group the Financial Services Roundtable (FSR) on Monday launched an advertising campaign, stopcyberthreats.com, aimed at tackling an online campaign by privacy activists who have dubbed Cisa "the Darth Vader bill" and are worried by the sweeping legal immunity corporations will receive under Cisa. If the bill were to pass and enough of those companies were to cooperate with any given agency, the amount of information floating free within the federal government could easily extend to credit card histories (collected by data miners at Argus), lists of goods purchased (aggregated from customer loyalty cards by companies including Acxiom and Experian), and healthcare records (tracked by insurers). Credit check giant Experian said that the company would like to see the legislation pass. "Experian supports legislation that would facilitate greater sharing of cyber threat information among appropriate private and government entities," said a company spokeswoman in a statement to the Guardian. "Such sharing arrangements, under parameters set by law, could improve our mutual efforts to better detect and respond to emerging cyber threats." The company also laid the duty to walk the knife's edge between citizens' information security and their personal safety at the feet of their elected officials. "Congress has the responsibility to balance the need for facilitating greater information sharing, and thereby enhancing cyber security, with important consumer privacy concerns. We encourage and support Congress' effort in striking this balance." __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Surveillance * Privacy * US Congress * US Senate * Private sector * (BUTTON) More... * Data protection * Internet __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > UK * > society * law * scotland * wales * northern ireland * education * media * home * UK selected * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Local government Councils have lost or misused private data thousands of times, says watchdog Call for greater penalties as examples include child protection files left on train, worker using CCTV to watch a wedding and another digging into benefit claims A council worker used CCTV to watch a colleague's wedding - one of thousands of data and privacy breaches, says Big Brother Watch. A council worker used CCTV to watch a colleague's wedding - one of thousands of data and privacy breaches, says Big Brother Watch. Photograph: Rex Press Association Tuesday 11 August 2015 06.11 BST Last modified on Tuesday 11 August 2015 06.29 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 5 months old Related: Public bodies are releasing confidential personal data by accident, activists say Sensitive personal information has been lost or stolen in thousands of data breaches by councils, according to a study by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch. In one case a social worker left papers containing confidential records about children and information linked to sex offenders on a train; in another, a CCTV operator use cameras to watch a colleague's wedding. Local authorities recorded a total of 4,236 data breaches in three years from April 2011 - a rate of almost four every day, the study found. Sensitive or confidential information was compromised in 260 of the cases, while breaches involved personal data linked to children on 658 occasions. In some cases council staff were found to have accessed material "for personal interest". Big Brother Watch called for custodial sentences to be introduced for the most serious data breaches after finding only one in 10 resulted in disciplinary action and only a single case out them all led to a prosecution. The group's director, Emma Carr, said: "Despite local councils being trusted with increasing amounts of our personal data this report highlights that they are simply not able to say it is safe with them. Related: Right to be forgotten: Swiss cheese internet, or database of ruin? "A number of examples show shockingly lax attitudes to protecting confidential information. For so many children and young people to have had their personal information compromised is deeply disturbing. "With only a tiny fraction of staff being disciplined or dismissed this raises the question of how seriously local councils take protecting the privacy of the public." The report, based on responses to freedom of information requests, said data was lost or stolen on 401 occasions, while there were 628 instances of incorrect or inappropriate information being shared on emails, letters and faxes. More than 5,000 letters were sent to the wrong address or included content meant for another recipient, while there were 99 cases of unauthorised access to or disclosing of data. Researchers also found that a total of 197 mobile phones, computers, tablets and USBs were lost or stolen. More than two in three incidents led to no disciplinary action at all, while staff resigned in 39 cases and 50 employees were dismissed. Examples of breaches included: o A social worker at Lewisham council in London accidentally leaving a bundle of papers on the train. It included personal or sensitive data relating to 10 children such as detailed confidential records about the children and family with names, addresses and dates of birth. It also included "third party information" in relation to sex offenders as well as police reports and child protection reports. The individual resigned during disciplinary procedures. o A CCTV operator at Cheshire East council watched part of the wedding of a colleague and was issued with "management instruction" on future use of equipment. o An unencrypted laptop containing the details of 200 schoolchildren was stolen from Aberdeenshire council. It was later recovered. No disciplinary action was taken but the matter was reported to the information commissioner's office. o An employee at Thanet in Kent was dismissed after accessing benefit claim records "inappropriately". o In Portsmouth a member of staff was sacked for passing "highly sensitive confidential" information to a third party. Freedom of information requests were sent to all local authorities in the United Kingdom. Big Brother Watch said 167 town halls reported no data breaches at all over the period. A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Councils take data protection extremely seriously and staff are given ongoing training in handling confidential data. "Given the huge volume of data councils handle, breaches are proportionately rare. "When they do occur, robust investigations and reviews are immediately undertaken to ensure processes are tightened." __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Local government * Data protection * Privacy __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * › world * › US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * europe * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close The NSA files Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Revealed: how US and UK spy agencies defeat internet privacy and security • NSA and GCHQ unlock encryption used to protect emails, banking and medical records • $250m-a-year US program works covertly with tech companies to insert weaknesses into products • Security experts say programs 'undermine the fabric of the internet' • Q&A: submit your questions for our privacy experts Computer screen data Through covert partnerships with tech companies, the spy agencies have inserted secret vulnerabilities into encryption software. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters Kacper Pempel/REUTERS James Ball, Julian Borger and Glenn Greenwald Friday 6 September 2013 11.24 BST Last modified on Friday 3 October 2014 14.45 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 2 years old US and British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden. The files show that the National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have broadly compromised the guarantees that internet companies have given consumers to reassure them that their communications, online banking and medical records would be indecipherable to criminals or governments. The agencies, the documents reveal, have adopted a battery of methods in their systematic and ongoing assault on what they see as one of the biggest threats to their ability to access huge swathes of internet traffic – "the use of ubiquitous encryption across the internet". Those methods include covert measures to ensure NSA control over setting of international encryption standards, the use of supercomputers to break encryption with "brute force", and – the most closely guarded secret of all – collaboration with technology companies and internet service providers themselves. Through these covert partnerships, the agencies have inserted secret vulnerabilities – known as backdoors or trapdoors – into commercial encryption software. The files, from both the NSA and GCHQ, were obtained by the Guardian, and the details are being published today in partnership with the New York Times and ProPublica. They reveal: • A 10-year NSA program against encryption technologies made a breakthrough in 2010 which made "vast amounts" of data collected through internet cable taps newly "exploitable". • The NSA spends $250m a year on a program which, among other goals, works with technology companies to "covertly influence" their product designs. • The secrecy of their capabilities against encryption is closely guarded, with analysts warned: "Do not ask about or speculate on sources or methods." • The NSA describes strong decryption programs as the "price of admission for the US to maintain unrestricted access to and use of cyberspace". • A GCHQ team has been working to develop ways into encrypted traffic on the "big four" service providers, named as Hotmail, Google, Yahoo and Facebook. NSA diagram This network diagram, from a GCHQ pilot program, shows how the agency proposed a system to identify encrypted traffic from its internet cable-tapping programs and decrypt what it could in near-real time. Photograph: Guardian The agencies insist that the ability to defeat encryption is vital to their core missions of counter-terrorism and foreign intelligence gathering. But security experts accused them of attacking the internet itself and the privacy of all users. "Cryptography forms the basis for trust online," said Bruce Schneier, an encryption specialist and fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. "By deliberately undermining online security in a short-sighted effort to eavesdrop, the NSA is undermining the very fabric of the internet." Classified briefings between the agencies celebrate their success at "defeating network security and privacy". "For the past decade, NSA has lead [sic] an aggressive, multi-pronged effort to break widely used internet encryption technologies," stated a 2010 GCHQ document. "Vast amounts of encrypted internet data which have up till now been discarded are now exploitable." An internal agency memo noted that among British analysts shown a presentation on the NSA's progress: "Those not already briefed were gobsmacked!" The breakthrough, which was not described in detail in the documents, meant the intelligence agencies were able to monitor "large amounts" of data flowing through the world's fibre-optic cables and break its encryption, despite assurances from internet company executives that this data was beyond the reach of government. The key component of the NSA's battle against encryption, its collaboration with technology companies, is detailed in the US intelligence community's top-secret 2013 budget request under the heading "Sigint [signals intelligence] enabling". NSA Bullrun 1 Classified briefings between the NSA and GCHQ celebrate their success at 'defeating network security and privacy'. Photograph: Guardian Funding for the program – $254.9m for this year – dwarfs that of the Prism program, which operates at a cost of $20m a year, according to previous NSA documents. Since 2011, the total spending on Sigint enabling has topped $800m. The program "actively engages US and foreign IT industries to covertly influence and/or overtly leverage their commercial products' designs", the document states. None of the companies involved in such partnerships are named; these details are guarded by still higher levels of classification. Among other things, the program is designed to "insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems". These would be known to the NSA, but to no one else, including ordinary customers, who are tellingly referred to in the document as "adversaries". "These design changes make the systems in question exploitable through Sigint collection … with foreknowledge of the modification. To the consumer and other adversaries, however, the systems' security remains intact." The document sets out in clear terms the program's broad aims, including making commercial encryption software "more tractable" to NSA attacks by "shaping" the worldwide marketplace and continuing efforts to break into the encryption used by the next generation of 4G phones. Among the specific accomplishments for 2013, the NSA expects the program to obtain access to "data flowing through a hub for a major communications provider" and to a "major internet peer-to-peer voice and text communications system". Technology companies maintain that they work with the intelligence agencies only when legally compelled to do so. The Guardian has previously reported that Microsoft co-operated with the NSA to circumvent encryption on the Outlook.com email and chat services. The company insisted that it was obliged to comply with "existing or future lawful demands" when designing its products. The documents show that the agency has already achieved another of the goals laid out in the budget request: to influence the international standards upon which encryption systems rely. Independent security experts have long suspected that the NSA has been introducing weaknesses into security standards, a fact confirmed for the first time by another secret document. It shows the agency worked covertly to get its own version of a draft security standard issued by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology approved for worldwide use in 2006. "Eventually, NSA became the sole editor," the document states. The NSA's codeword for its decryption program, Bullrun, is taken from a major battle of the American civil war. Its British counterpart, Edgehill, is named after the first major engagement of the English civil war, more than 200 years earlier. A classification guide for NSA employees and contractors on Bullrun outlines in broad terms its goals. "Project Bullrun deals with NSA's abilities to defeat the encryption used in specific network communication technologies. Bullrun involves multiple sources, all of which are extremely sensitive." The document reveals that the agency has capabilities against widely used online protocols, such as HTTPS, voice-over-IP and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), used to protect online shopping and banking. The document also shows that the NSA's Commercial Solutions Center, ostensibly the body through which technology companies can have their security products assessed and presented to prospective government buyers, has another, more clandestine role. It is used by the NSA to "to leverage sensitive, co-operative relationships with specific industry partners" to insert vulnerabilities into security products. Operatives were warned that this information must be kept top secret "at a minimum". A more general NSA classification guide reveals more detail on the agency's deep partnerships with industry, and its ability to modify products. It cautions analysts that two facts must remain top secret: that NSA makes modifications to commercial encryption software and devices "to make them exploitable", and that NSA "obtains cryptographic details of commercial cryptographic information security systems through industry relationships". The agencies have not yet cracked all encryption technologies, however, the documents suggest. Snowden appeared to confirm this during a live Q&A with Guardian readers in June. "Encryption works. Properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on," he said before warning that NSA can frequently find ways around it as a result of weak security on the computers at either end of the communication. The documents are scattered with warnings over the importance of maintaining absolute secrecy around decryption capabilities. NSA Bullrun 2 A slide showing that the secrecy of the agencies' capabilities against encryption is closely guarded. Photograph: Guardian Strict guidelines were laid down at the GCHQ complex in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on how to discuss projects relating to decryption. Analysts were instructed: "Do not ask about or speculate on sources or methods underpinning Bullrun." This informaton was so closely guarded, according to one document, that even those with access to aspects of the program were warned: "There will be no 'need to know'." The agencies were supposed to be "selective in which contractors are given exposure to this information", but it was ultimately seen by Snowden, one of 850,000 people in the US with top-secret clearance.A 2009 GCHQ document spells out the significant potential consequences of any leaks, including "damage to industry relationships". "Loss of confidence in our ability to adhere to confidentiality agreements would lead to loss of access to proprietary information that can save time when developing new capability," intelligence workers were told. Somewhat less important to GCHQ was the public's trust which was marked as a moderate risk, the document stated. "Some exploitable products are used by the general public; some exploitable weaknesses are well known eg possibility of recovering poorly chosen passwords," it said. "Knowledge that GCHQ exploits these products and the scale of our capability would raise public awareness generating unwelcome publicity for us and our political masters." The decryption effort is particularly important to GCHQ. Its strategic advantage from its Tempora program – direct taps on transatlantic fibre-optic cables of major telecommunications corporations – was in danger of eroding as more and more big internet companies encrypted their traffic, responding to customer demands for guaranteed privacy. Without attention, the 2010 GCHQ document warned, the UK's "Sigint utility will degrade as information flows changes, new applications are developed (and deployed) at pace and widespread encryption becomes more commonplace." Documents show that Edgehill's initial aim was to decode the encrypted traffic certified by three major (unnamed) internet companies and 30 types of Virtual Private Network (VPN) – used by businesses to provide secure remote access to their systems. By 2015, GCHQ hoped to have cracked the codes used by 15 major internet companies, and 300 VPNs. Another program, codenamed Cheesy Name, was aimed at singling out encryption keys, known as 'certificates', that might be vulnerable to being cracked by GCHQ supercomputers. Analysts on the Edgehill project were working on ways into the networks of major webmail providers as part of the decryption project. A quarterly update from 2012 notes the project's team "continue to work on understanding" the big four communication providers, named in the document as Hotmail, Google, Yahoo and Facebook, adding "work has predominantly been focused this quarter on Google due to new access opportunities being developed". To help secure an insider advantage, GCHQ also established a Humint Operations Team (HOT). Humint, short for "human intelligence" refers to information gleaned directly from sources or undercover agents. This GCHQ team was, according to an internal document, "responsible for identifying, recruiting and running covert agents in the global telecommunications industry." "This enables GCHQ to tackle some of its most challenging targets," the report said. The efforts made by the NSA and GCHQ against encryption technologies may have negative consequences for all internet users, experts warn. "Backdoors are fundamentally in conflict with good security," said Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist and senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. "Backdoors expose all users of a backdoored system, not just intelligence agency targets, to heightened risk of data compromise." This is because the insertion of backdoors in a software product, particularly those that can be used to obtain unencrypted user communications or data, significantly increases the difficulty of designing a secure product." This was a view echoed in a recent paper by Stephanie Pell, a former prosecutor at the US Department of Justice and non-resident fellow at the Center for Internet and Security at Stanford Law School. "[An] encrypted communications system with a lawful interception back door is far more likely to result in the catastrophic loss of communications confidentiality than a system that never has access to the unencrypted communications of its users," she states. Intelligence officials asked the Guardian, New York Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying that it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read. The three organisations removed some specific facts but decided to publish the story because of the value of a public debate about government actions that weaken the most powerful tools for protecting the privacy of internet users in the US and worldwide. __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * The NSA files * NSA * GCHQ * Surveillance * US national security * (BUTTON) More… * Privacy * Internet * Data protection * Data and computer security __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We’re doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. 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(BUTTON) View more comments more on this story * Secret court laws to lose backing of Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg will abandon support after membership revolt over Justice and Security Act, says David Laws Published: 10 Sep 2013 (BUTTON) Secret court laws to lose backing of Liberal Democrats * Senior Labour MP welcomes public debate over security service powers Hazel Blears says watchdog will be more transparent and rebuffs Nick Clegg's call for review over accountability Published: 17 Oct 2013 (BUTTON) Senior Labour MP welcomes public debate over security service powers * NSA spying on Europe reflects the transatlantic culture gap Stephan Richter and Jan Philipp Albrecht Stephan Richter and Jan Philipp Albrecht: The US simply does not respect privacy and rule of law as much as Europe. But we can start to change this by hitting US social media giants operating in Europe where it hurts Published: 30 Oct 2013 (BUTTON) NSA spying on Europe reflects the transatlantic culture gap * After the NSA leaks, we've got to talk about rebalancing security and privacy Julian Huppert Julian Huppert: Parliament must fix British legislation urgently and create a new body with independent members to oversee the security services Published: 30 Oct 2013 (BUTTON) After the NSA leaks, we've got to talk about rebalancing security and privacy popular The Guardian back to top * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel all sections close * home * UK + education + media + society + law + scotland + wales + northern ireland * world selected + europe + US selected + americas + asia + australia + africa + middle east + cities + development * sport + football + cricket + rugby union + F1 + tennis + golf + cycling + boxing + racing + rugby league * football + live scores + tables + competitions + results + fixtures + clubs * opinion + columnists * culture + film + tv & radio + music + games + books + art & design + stage + classical * business + economics + banking + retail + markets + eurozone * lifestyle + food + health & fitness + love & sex + family + women + home & garden * fashion * environment + climate change + wildlife + energy + pollution * tech * travel + UK + europe + US + skiing * money + property + savings + pensions + borrowing + careers * science * professional networks * the observer * today's paper + editorials & letters + obituaries + g2 + weekend + the guide + saturday review * sunday's paper + comment + the new review + observer magazine * membership * crosswords + blog + editor + quick + cryptic + prize + quiptic + genius + speedy + everyman + azed * video * World * › US News * › The NSA files IFRAME: /email/form/footer/37 * Facebook * Twitter * Facebook * Twitter * all topics * all contributors * solve technical issue * complaints & corrections * terms & conditions * privacy policy * cookie policy * securedrop © 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. #publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > world * europe * US * americas * asia * australia * africa * middle east * cities * development * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Surveillance State surveillance of personal data: what is the society we wish to protect? Tom Stoppard One of the writers who signed a letter demanding an international bill of digital rights, says 'our masters are in the grip of a delusionary nightmare' British playwright Tom Stoppard Tom Stoppard: 'The world of surveillance operated by the people we pay to guard us exceeds the fevered dreams of the Stasi'. Photograph: Altaf Hussain/Reuters Tuesday 10 December 2013 01.00 GMT Last modified on Friday 15 January 2016 11.58 GMT * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 2 years old What in principle would justify the scope of the surveillance revealed by the Snowden leak? Would it be enough, for example, if it could be shown that a specific potential act of terrorism had been prevented by, and could only have been prevented by, the full breadth and depth of what we now have learned is the playing field of the security services? We should hesitate before we stray off the touchline. The idea that public safety, the safety of the innocent, is an absolute which trumps every other consideration, is tacitly abandoned in the way we live. Nobody would be killed on the roads if the speed limit were 10 miles an hour. Flying would be safer if airport security demanded body searches with no exceptions and the examination of every item in every piece of luggage. On the matter of surveillance in general we have, without much discussion, learned to live with almost blanket surveillance by CCTV in our towns and cities. As a result thousand of crimes, including murder, have been solved and perhaps many more prevented. But how many more would there have been if we doubled the number of cameras, or increased them tenfold, a hundredfold? Between that and the surveillance we are now talking about there is a qualitative as well as a quantitative difference which hardly needs pointing out. The cameras are in public places, they are not in our houses or our cars or even in our gardens. By contrast, the world of surveillance operated by the people we pay to guard us exceeds the fevered dreams of the Stasi. Even so, let's go carefully here. The Stasi were not dealing with a global threat of murderous malignity. The constituency of everything to be feared has also been altered dreadfully by a technology which vastly underwrites a capacity for evil as it does the capacity for the social good. As for our spooks, I know what I want from them. I want them to eavesdrop on the phones, the emails, on every tap of the keyboard of anybody who comes under suspicion. Somebody somewhere has the responsibility, indeed the necessary duty, of identifying those who bear us ill. I would like there to be secret cameras in their houses. I would applaud the technological means to survey and interpret every breath they take. However, metaphors for the expansion from this selflimiting scope beggar the imagination. If the world of secrets is its own universe, here we have an expansion of the universe which brings to mind something cosmological. It had to happen. When all that possibility of expansion became available the spooks were going to avail themselves of it as naturally as night follows day. Imagine that some law enforcement agency received reliable information that a drug lord or a suicide bomber or a murderer on the run was at this moment hiding out in ... let's say Beaconsfield. Should we have a problem with the idea that for the next few days there was going to be blanket electronic surveillance on every message or metadatum flowing in and out of Beaconsfield? Would I get worked up about that? Not much. How about Swindon? Manchester? You can see where this is going. At some point in the expansion there is a phase transition our attitude will undergo. Something that seemed OK no longer seems OK. The impulse we are now experiencing goes back as long as we have been living in groups. How much do we owe each other? How much of our very self, our individuality, our privacy, our subjective and autonomous freedom to live as utterly unique human beings, is up for grabs on the say so of whoever is making the rules for the group, not withstanding that the rulemakers have been validated by all of us? It is no light matter to put in jeopardy a single life when it is the very singularity of each life which underpins the idea of a just society. But it appears to me that our masters are in the grip of the delusionary nightmare of completeness: the complete annihilation of every rogue bacillus. It's as if there is a belief that in the end the virus has no riposte, that there cannot be and will not be a means to evade blanket security if it is blanket enough. What is the society we wish to protect? Is it the society of complete surveillance for the commonwealth? Is this the wealth we seek to have in common - optimal security at the cost of maximal surveillance? Not that anybody asked us. It takes a brave newspaper to have forced the question into the open. __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Surveillance * Data protection * Internet * Social media * Digital media * (BUTTON) More... * Edward Snowden * The NSA files __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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(BUTTON) View more comments more on this story * World's leading authors: state surveillance of personal data is theft 500 signatories including Guenter Grass, Margaret Atwood and Martin Amis demand 'digital bill of rights' to curb state abuses Published: 10 Dec 2013 (BUTTON) World's leading authors: state surveillance of personal data is theft * Writers dub UK leaders 'America's digital pit bull' over surveillance Published: 10 Dec 2013 (BUTTON) Writers dub UK leaders 'America's digital pit bull' over surveillance * + International bill of digital rights: call from 500 writers around the world Published: 10 Dec 2013 (BUTTON) International bill of digital rights: call from 500 writers around the world + Australian authors join call for UN bill of digital rights to protect privacy Published: 10 Dec 2013 (BUTTON) Australian authors join call for UN bill of digital rights to protect privacy + Response to the Snowden revelations: the seven-month itch Published: 10 Dec 2013 (BUTTON) Response to the Snowden revelations: the seven-month itch popular The Guardian back to top * home * UK * world selected * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel all sections close * home * UK + education + media + society + law + scotland + wales + northern ireland * world selected + europe + US + americas + asia + australia + africa + middle east + cities + development * sport + football + cricket + rugby union + F1 + tennis + golf + cycling + boxing + racing + rugby league * football + live scores + tables + competitions + results + fixtures + clubs * opinion + columnists * culture + film + tv & radio + music + games + books + art & design + stage + classical * business + economics + banking + retail + markets + eurozone * lifestyle + food + health & fitness + love & sex + family + women + home & garden * fashion * environment + climate change + wildlife + energy + pollution * tech * travel + UK + europe + US + skiing * money + property + savings + pensions + borrowing + careers * science * professional networks * the observer * today's paper + editorials & letters + obituaries + g2 + weekend + the guide + saturday review * sunday's paper + comment + the new review + observer magazine * membership * crosswords + blog + editor + quick + cryptic + prize + quiptic + genius + speedy + everyman + azed * video * World * > Surveillance IFRAME: /email/form/footer/37 * Facebook * Twitter * Facebook * Twitter * all topics * all contributors * solve technical issue * complaints & corrections * terms & conditions * privacy policy * cookie policy * securedrop (c) 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. #Hopes&Fears Now — Hopes&Fears Politics — Hopes&Fears ____________________ (BUTTON) Cancel * City * Culture * Future * Now * Blogs * News Popular topics * Question * What Do You Do * City Index * City * Art * Technology * Experiments Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 1. Toney Palumbo Author "If journalism is good, it is controversial, by its nature." And if Julian Assange's soundbite-worthy maxim rings true, then his brainchild WikiLeaks is a masterpiece of form. Since its 2006 inception in Iceland by a ragtag multinational team of hackers and dissidents, the rogue media organization and its charismatic founder/spokesperson have attracted a remarkable degree of controversy, as well as praise. Founded as a means by which whistleblowers could anonymously submit content exposing corruption and injustice, WikiLeaks has published and contextualized millions of documents, including national intelligence agency reports and internal communications of global corporations and banks. With the release of the notorious “Collateral Murder” video in 2010, WikiLeaks erupted into the mainstream media, admired by free-press advocates and condemned by the United States government and other global powers. That year would prove to be a watershed for the organization and its leader; while WikiLeaks scored a succession of high-impact releases, Assange’s megalomaniacal tendencies and apparent aversion to harm-reduction methods resulted in conflicts both professional and personal. Now, just in time for a blockbuster 2015 summer - and coinciding with Assange’s three-year anniversary of confinement under asylum in London’s Ecuadorian embassy - WikiLeaks has followed a period of relative inactivity with multiple epic releases containing troves of global import. In just the past two months, WikiLeaks has published chapters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a secretly-negotiated regulatory and investment agreement; a complete draft of the similarly-opaque Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) - an accomplishment humbly referred to by WikiLeaks as a “modern journalistic holy grail”; “Espionnage Élysée,” a collection of documents pertaining to the surveillance of three consecutive French administrations by the United States; and “The Saudi Cables,” hundreds of thousands of internal communications from the Saudi Foreign Ministry. While the impact of these latest releases has yet to be determined, a dramatic return to the global spotlight provides an opportune time for reflecting on the exposés of WikiLeaks - the shocking, the revelatory, and the mundane. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] leak Order to assassinate Somali officials TARGET/SUBJECT: Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys PUBLISHED: December 2006 BOLD: 4 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of the leak: Tough-talking directives from a jihadi Sheikh who was hell-bent on wresting control from the insufficiently Shari’a-observing Somali government, featuring a suggestion that supporters brainstorm ways to take out the local government officials. Significance/Reception: The document’s authenticity had been questioned internally at WikiLeaks prior to its publication, but Assange, et al, believed that outside analysts could bring about verification. Authorship has evidently never been confirmed, but the letter retains significance by virtue of being accepted as the first official “leak” published by the site. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK “Collateral murder” video Target/Subject: United States military Published: April 5, 2010 BOLD: 10 FRIVoLOUS: 0 IFRAME: https://www.youtube.com/embed/zYTxuW2vmzk?rel=0&showinfo=0 CONTENTS OF THE LEAK: A 17-minute gunsight video from a U.S. military helicopter depicting an aerial assault on multiple Iraqis, including Reuters journalists, and the follow-up attack on a van that had stopped to assist the wounded. The pilots reportedly believed that they were firing on insurgents. SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: The impact of “Collateral Murder” is difficult to overstate -- the reaction to the video was strong and predictably partisan. The leaks shocking depiction of civilian casualties, including two children who had been riding in the van, generated widespread public outrage and scathing pushback from authorities and apologists. The title was criticized for being overtly editorial, and the heavily annotated first cut (later followed by a release of the full, unedited 30-minute footage which included a hellfire missile attack on a building) was dismissed by some as propaganda, rather than a neutral contextualization of visual information. Chelsea Manning, then known as Pfc Bradley Manning, was arrested for leaking the video and ultimately convicted on charges of espionage and theft though she was acquitted on the more serious charge of “aiding the enemy.” This is the grand, cinematic WikiLeaks story, destined to be hamfisted into Hollywood Oscar-bait, featuring a rising young comedic star’s transition into dramatic roles with a clumsy interpretation of Manning’s own transition into womanhood. Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 2. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Afgan war diary TARGET/SUBJECT: United States military PUBLISHED: July 25, 2010 BOLD: 10 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of the leak: Tens of thousands of on-the-ground U.S. military reports from the war in Afghanistan, from 2004-9. The logs provide first-hand accounts of casualties, including civilians and friendly-fire. The leak also details the roles of other nations and organizations in the ongoing conflict. Just one of many cases described in the diary involved a US-led NATO coalition task force which killed seven children among other non-combatants in a firefight gone wrong. Initial reports attempted to conceal the casualties. Significance/Reception: Obama administration figures and U.S. military leaders aggressively denounced the leak, which sparked widespread discussion about pursuing criminal charges against Assange. Rifts developed within the WikiLeaks team as well, primarily over the handling of information which could put the lives of Afghan informants at risk; this led to multiple defections from the organization. See also: The Iraq War Logs, released beginning October 22, 2010, is a similar collection of field reports, amounting to about four times the volume of the Afghan War Diary. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK “Cablegate” Target/Subject: United States government Published: beginning November 28, 2010 BOLD: 8 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of the leak: Hundreds of thousands of State Department communications from United States embassies abroad, going back to the Nixon administration (plus one lone entry from 1966). The cables feature U.S. officials’, frank assessments of global threats, “War on Terror” strategizing, discussion of counterintelligence actions, and many other issues of diplomatic significance. Many of the cables revealed embarrassing characterizations of foreign leaders or surveillance orders directed at erstwhile United States allies. One example from the documents included the revelation that Saudi Arabia's "elite youth" are allowed to indulge in debaucherous behavior under the protection of the royal family. At first, WikiLeaks and its mainstream media partners released only a handful of the cables, in redacted form, but in September 2011 the organization unilaterally published all 251,287 unredacted cables. Significance/Reception: The publication of over a quarter-million diplomatic cables - characterized as the largest-ever leak of its kind - was the final of three mega-leaks in 2010, following twin releases of Afghan and Iraq War motherlodes. Unsurprisingly, government officials further decried WikiLeaks and Assange; after unloading the entire unredacted cache, even the organization’s mainstream media partners voiced criticism. Outside U.S. diplomatic relations, the leaked cables have been widely credited with contributing to the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, whose inner circle had been likened to a Mafia family by U.S. officials; the events in Tunisia subsequently influenced a series of regional demonstrations, protests, and civil wars later dubbed “the Arab Spring.” See also: The Public Library of US Diplomacy (PlusD) - WikiLeaks has been compiling a massive archive of diplomatic cables which include the Cablegate documents, in addition to previously declassified materials such as “the Kissinger Cables” and “the Carter Cables.” [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Cayman Islands money laudering TARGET/SUBJECT: Swiss Bank, Julius Baer PUBLISHED: January 2008 BOLD: 7 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 3. CONTENTS OF LEAK: Account data alleged to reveal money laundering and tax evasion. According to Wikileaks the documents exposed more than $4.5 billion worth of money laundering including by the former president of Kenya. SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: After winning an injunction against WikiLeaks, preventing the publication of its own embarrassing information, Julius Baer over-reached by seeking to get the entire site shut down. The move backfired spectacularly, generating more negative attention for the bank and providing WikiLeaks with a triumphant victory over attempted suppression. See also: Kaupthing Bank, Iceland. The July 2009 publication of an internal document exposing suspicious transactions prior to Iceland’s financial crisis of 2008-2012 resulted in similar legal threats against WikiLeaks, which were ultimately dropped after public outrage toward Kaupthing swayed an Icelandic court to lift a gag order suppressing the document. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Guantanamo Bay documents, aka “The GITMO files” TARGET/SUBJECT: United States Department of Defense PUBLISHED: April 24, 2011 BOLD: 8 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of leak: Nearly 800 internal reports from the controversial Guantánamo Bay detention camp. The documents, referred to as Detainee Assessment Briefs, provide background information about each prisoner, including health status and biographical details. Recommendations to release or retain custody of the detainees were revealed, which were determined by appraisals of their threat potential and intelligence value. Significance/Reception: The military prison at “Gitmo” has remained a hot-button issue for many Americans, particularly since President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign promise to close the facility during his first year in office. (Today, more than 100 prisoners still remain at Guantánamo.) Reaction to the documents was varied, with American mainstream media outlets focusing on the revealed activities of the suspected terrorists in custody while Non-US news sources highlighted the questionable detention of numerous innocent or low-threat captives. See also: “The Detainee Policies,” published beginning October 25th, 2012; more than 100 classified procedural documents pertaining to individuals held in U.S. military custody. The collection’s first entry, a manual for handling Gitmo prisoners known as the Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedures, was originally published in 2007. Among other information, the policies confirm the use of dogs as an intimidation tactic against detainees as well as the official policy of removing an inmates garments by cutting them of when they first arrive. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK British National Party membership list TARGET/SUBJECT: The British National Party, a far-right political faction in the United Kingdom PUBLISHED: November 18, 2008 BOLD: 5 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of leak: Information identifying many members of the Party, described by political commentators as “neo-fascist,” “anti-immigration,” and “white nationalist.” Significance/Reception: The BNP is exceptionally controversial in the United Kingdom, where members are banned from certain occupations, including police and prison work; several outed individuals, including police officers and a sports-radio DJ were subsequently investigated and “sacked,” in the local parlance. One profession that avoided the proverbial sacking were teachers. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK The global intelligence files TARGET/SUBJECT: Texas-based global intelligence company Stratfor PUBLISHED: February 27, 2012 BOLD: 7 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 4. CONTENTS OF LEAK: Over five million emails containing client information, intelligence-gathering terminology and strategy, and accounts of financial activities. The leak exposed and explored Stratfor’s deep ties to private-sector corporations, as well as the U.S. military and government. Among the findings were the fact that Stratfor had been tracking activist groups including the pranksters of the Yes Men and selling the information to corporations. What may have been the most important finding is that many analysts dubbed Stratfor's services "bad intelligence," meaning that the company was billing governments and corporations for useless information. Stratfor's response was in line with one internal memo from it's vice president of intelligence, "Admit nothing, deny everything and make counter-accusations." SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: Murmurs regarding how to prosecute (or extrajudicially handle) Julian Assange were bandied about by the usual suspects while journalists like Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! gushed that “thanks to WikiLeaks and its media partners, we have a disturbingly vivid picture of the intelligence-industrial complex.” see also: “The Spy Files,” published beginning December 1, 2011; a collection of documents belonging to scores of global “intelligence contractors,” demonstrating how mass surveillance companies collaborate with intelligence agencies to compile data on huge populations worldwide. While issuing his official press statements, Assange said, “Who here has a BlackBerry? Who here uses Gmail? Well you are all screwed! The reality is intelligence contractors are selling right to countries around the world mass surveillance systems for all of those products.” [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Operating Thetan documents TARGET/SUBJECT: The Church of Scientology PUBLISHED: March 24, 2008 BOLD: 6 FRIVoLOUS: 3 Contents of leak: According to WikiLeaks, “the collected secret ‘bibles’ of Scientology,” detailing core beliefs and practices of the celebrity-wooing L. Ron Hubbard cult. These documents are intended to be seen only by members at the highest levels of the church, after paying substantial fees to make their way up the ranks. Aside from the ridicule that some of the more esoteric ideas in the documents might invite, the bibles also include a Manuel of Justice which explains procedures for blackmailing journalists. Significance/Reception: WikiLeaks responded to “abusive” legal threats from the Church’s “Religious Technology Center,” which claimed copyright ownership of the materials, by publishing several thousand pages of other Scientology documents. At the time, Assange framed this leak as important because he believes Scientology to be a threat to free speech, saying, "If the west [sic] can not defend its cultural values of free speech and press freedoms against a criminal cult like Scientology, it can hardly lecture China and other state abusers of these same values." Scientology remains a billion-dollar-plus venture, despite the continued online availability of its “Advanced Technology.” [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Syria Files TARGET/SUBJECT: Administration of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad PUBLISHED: July 5, 2012 BOLD: 7 FRIVoLOUS: 0 Contents of leak: Nearly two and a half million emails from Syrian political figures and ministries, from 2006-2012. Included are internal correspondences between Syrian officials, records of financial transactions involving other nations, and exchanges with Western communications and public relations companies. Significance/Reception: Appearing several months into the Syrian Civil War, the leak was a revelatory peek inside a regime grappling with its own diminishing power and credibility. One result of the leak was a PR nightmare for several corporations, including the PR company Brown Lloyd James who advised Syria's oppressive regime on how to look like the good guy while striking down any public dissent. Assange’s statement coinciding with the release suggested the information could be used to reach a greater insight into the goals and actions of the involved parties, saying, “it is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it." No resolution is forthcoming in the ongoing struggle. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Sarah Palin email hack TARGET/SUBJECT: Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska PUBLISHED: September 2008 BOLD: 3 FRIVoLOUS: 7 Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 5. CONTENTS OF LEAK: Screenshots of Palin's inbox, address book, sample emails, and family photos, uploaded to WikiLeaks by an Anonymous-affiliated hacker. SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: While the images bolstered criticism of Palin’s governing transparency, suggesting she was using personal email for official purposes, the leak was condemned on privacy grounds by both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. The 20-year-old son of a Democratic Tennessee state representative was later tried and convicted in relation to the hack. Palin and her running mate, John McCain, went on to lose the general election on their own merits. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK Bilderberg reports TARGET/SUBJECT: Bilderberg Group PUBLISHED: May 8, 2009 BOLD: 4 FRIVoLOUS: 3 Contents of leak: Meeting reports from one of the most shadowy and powerful conferences of power players and government officials, spanning several decades as well as a group history written in 1956 by founding member Józef Retinger. Significance/Reception: Despite being a favorite obsession of the conspiracy-minded, disclosure of sensitive Bilderberg materials has not revealed a smoking-gun blueprint for the New World Order. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK 9/11 pager intercepts TARGET/SUBJECT: United States officials, citizens PUBLISHED: November 25, 2009 BOLD: 1 FRIVoLOUS: 3 Contents of leak: Approximately 570,000 text pager messages from a 24-hour period of time beginning 3 am EST on September 11th, 2001. Significance/Reception: WikiLeaks suggests that the intercepted texts can help lead to a “nuanced understanding” of the attacks and their aftermath, though the primary applications thus far appear to be threefold: fodder for conspiracy theorists, source material for digital art projects, and an excuse for national navel-gazing. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK The Sony hacks TARGET/SUBJECT: Sony Pictures PUBLISHED: April 16, 2015 BOLD: 1 FRIVoLOUS: 10 Recapping WikiLeaks: the bold and frivolous moves of a radical organization. Image 6. CONTENTS OF LEAK: Over 30,000 internal documents and 170,000 emails to and from Sony Pictures Entertainment email addresses. In addition to depicting insider conversations about projects in production, the messages demonstrate Sony’s lobbying efforts and establish the company’s ties to the United States government and military. SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: Although WikiLeaks’ press release announcing the archive highlighted Sony’s lobbying efforts on issues like internet policy and copyright law, and characterized the company as an “influential” and “newsworthy” corporation “at the centre of a geo-political conflict,” more ink was spilled over the tabloid-fodder element of seeing private correspondence pertaining to America’s Hollywood sweethearts. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] LEAK "The WikiLeaks threat" PUBLISHED: February 2011 BOLD: N/A FRIVoLOUS: N/A CONTENTS OF LEAK: A joint report by security companies HBGary Federal, Palantir Technologies, and Berico Technologies commissioned by the law firm Hunton & Williams, on behalf of Bank of America. The meta-leak contained “potential proactive tactics” to combat WikiLeaks which resembled FBI “COINTELPRO” strategies against left-wing groups in the 1960s and ‘70s: pitting disgruntled personnel against each other, submitting false information to undermine the organization’s credibility, and creating a media campaign to smear its public image and reputation. The report also detailed the organization structure of WikiLeaks and identified individual collaborators, including journalist Glenn Greenwald. SIGNIFICANCE/RECEPTION: The report, seen as a spiteful attempt at cutthroat corporate sabotage, was a public relations disaster for the security firms that authored it; Palantir publicly cut ties with HBGary and apologized to not only Mr. Greenwald but “progressive organizations in general.” IMAGEs via flickr.com (1, 4), wikipedia.org (3) Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. * * * * Grid * Newsletter * Terms of Service * About Us * Contact Us Copyright © 2016, Hopes LLC. All Rights Reserved #Hopes&Fears Now — Hopes&Fears Media — Hopes&Fears ____________________ (BUTTON) Cancel * City * Culture * Future * Now * Blogs * News Popular topics * Question * What Do You Do * City Index * City * Art * Technology * Experiments How Iceland is trying to make "actual journalism" legal Iceland is a cold, small, and isolated island in the northern Atlantic. It is a place of sublime landscapes and awe-inspiring volcanic activity. There are more sheep (500,000) than people (323,002) living in Iceland. There is also a small group of activist working to position Iceland as a key player in the international battle over the right to privacy and free speech. As the Director of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, Guðjón Idir, told Hopes&Fears, their goal is “to legalize actual journalism.” How Iceland is trying to make "actual journalism" legal. Image 1. Ben Valentine Author The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, an effort that grew out of Iceland’s financial collapse in 2008, was passed by Parliament in 2010. Iceland was one of the hardest-hit countries in the world when the financial crisis happened and they're serious about ensuring that it doesn't happen again. The failure of journalists to properly investigate the sudden boom is considered a key factor in the collapse. The initiative, shepherded by the Icelandic Modern Media Institute (IMMI) aims to make Iceland the safest country in the world for journalists. IMMI seeks to collect and enact the world’s best free speech and privacy laws and thereby ensure that Iceland becomes a bastion of free speech in an era where surveillance runs rampant worldwide. There is a growing sentiment that the cyberutopian dream has failed. The idea of an internet that transcends physical boundaries and limitations and thus creates a free world where code is law and not the silly work of corrupt politicking; well, that ship has sailed. Professional and citizen journalists in Ethiopia, Egypt, Vietnam, and Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the world, have been arrested for violating local laws that would cause most citizens in Europe and North America to balk. Meanwhile, the West cannot point fingers. With Barrett Brown serving prison time for sharing a link, Edward Snowden stuck in Russia for exposing systemic violations of the US Constitution, and Chelsea Manning being tortured and held in solitary confinement for whistleblowing war crimes. As journalism continues to be one of the world's most dangerous professions, Internet access and publication of information remain begrudgingly tied to local culture and practice regarding the lawful scope of free speech. And Iceland is entrenched in an issue that matters for all who wish to speak truth to power. The Switzerland of Bits Just as Snowden had to flee his country for one that guaranteed his safety, IMMI wants Iceland to become a safe haven for information and those who report on it. As John Perry Barlow, a prominent activist and one of the founders of the Electronic Frontier Foundation called it, Iceland could become, the “Switzerland of Bits.” Guðjón Idir Director of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative Guðjón Idir has been IMMI’s Executive Director since January 2014. His background is in philosophy, psychology and activism. As an activist he has fought for information freedom and human rights. He has also worked with refugees. The motivation for Iceland to lead this charge comes out of a first-hand knowledge of how devastating a lack of transparency can be. Iceland’s financial crash of 2008 was catastrophic to the country, and few had answers until Wikileaks began publishing documents the local reporters were legally blocked from airing. The general public, justifiably feeling robbed, saw Wikileaks as the purveyor of important knowledge that they were being denied. Regarding the crash, Róbert Marshall, a former editor, now an MP and the leader of the Social Democrat party, recently pointed out: "Nobody asked where the money was actually coming from. Journalists failed to follow the basic rule: follow the money.” When a nine-volume investigation was finally published, after the fact, an entire volume was dedicated to the media's failures. IFRAME: //coub.com/embed/7h86l?muted=true&autostart=true&originalSize=false&hid eTopBar=true&startWithHD=false From its inception, IMMI has sought to ensure that the type of assistance Iceland was forced to rely on from Wikileaks would never be necessary again. I sat down with IMMI Director Guðjón Idir at a café in Reykjavik to learn more about IMMI. “The IMMI objective is to create in Iceland the best access to information and a media environment where real journalism can flourish, which is vital for an authentic participatory democracy,” said Idir. That dream was more complex than the people of Iceland had hoped, and so, understandably the battle is far from over. Slow and steady “We've already affected legislative changes, and we will continue that work, but we will always be focused on the implementing of the whole picture,” Idir explains. The legal system is a complex web that interacts with local and international law, private businesses, and governments. For instance, if Iceland were to pass a whistleblowing law that protected people like Edward Snowden, which Guðjón does want to do, the nation would also need a law to make the future Snowden’s extradition illegal, or it would be a hollow promise of protection. IMMI has been collecting the best laws, keeping a tab on the ever-changing legal landscape around such issues as transparency, free speech, and privacy. These laws, as well as the businesses and technology that affect them, are in a constant state of flux, especially after Snowden. Translating all of this into functional laws for Iceland, is a monumental task. IMMI is working hard to draft legislation that will pass through parliament and it is collaborating with MPs to find the most effective way to do that. Working against massive data retention by telecommunication carriers, IMMI has sought more substantial encryption with less storage, weakening the potential for mass surveillance, as well as making a court order with specific demands and rationale for the data required. Guðjón is very hopeful about this work, especially after last year when the EU Court of Justice ruled that the Data Retention Directive was invalid and a gross violation of privacy. Although Guðjón expects that it will require more work, IMMI has also introduced a progressive whistleblower protection act to Parliament this year. While there is much to do, IMMI has not been without successes. In 2013, IMMI helped pass the Information Act, which helped broaden the public's access to information as well as source protection, thus nudging some of IMMI’s core goals forward. A few days after our meeting, IMMI joined with other organizations to repeal Iceland’s 75-year-old blasphemy law, making blasphemy no longer an illegal act in the country. Smári McCarthy, one of IMMI's organisers, had told the Guardian, "Sweden has a really progressive law on the protection of sources ... Journalists are actually not allowed to reveal sources there. IMMI's proposal for source protection is based on that.” The IMMI believes that if this hybrid approach (using the best legislation) is successful, then journalistic outfits will want to base their servers in Iceland to enjoy the same protections. IFRAME: //coub.com/embed/7h7qc?muted=true&autostart=false&originalSize=false&hi deTopBar=false&startWithHD=false A Pirate Party Parliament Exciting again: however, since the initiative was passed, Birgitta is now one of three of Iceland’s Pirate Party members in the Parliament – the first group of Pirates to be voted into office in a national election – and a recent poll just ranked the party as the most popular in the country. There is a feeling that more progress is imminent. Those involved in IMMI’s work “feel that legislative reform is a matter of urgency,” Guðjón says, “and they don’t want to work for a year to just see what happens.” The Pirate Party: The moniker has been adopted in various countries and while they are not all directly affiliated, they share the principles of support for civil rights, direct democracy, open content, information privacy, network neutrality and reform of copyright laws. The party first emerged in Sweden as a political platform opposed to intellectual property. Its members included the founders of The Pirate Bay BitTorrent tracker. From there, it proceeded to spread to countries like Austria, Germany and Australia. Iceland has seen some of the most substantial success for the party with Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Jón Þór Ólafsson and Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson all being elected to parliament. Although Guðjón is committed to working across party lines and is not a Pirate Party member, he is cautiously optimistic. With a shift in political support, “so many things are possible. In my opinion that represents the biggest stumbling block, lack of political will.” Þórgnýr Thoroddsen, First Deputy City Councilmember of the Pirate Party, wrote me that despite the slow speed, he remains hopeful about IMMI's work. "I expect we'll be able to push forward when and if the Pirate Party gets into a majority coalition in the future." However, despite the new support, IMMI’s work requires, "a time consuming method even if you have all the momentum you want.” Even if the Pirate Party has IMMI as a main objective and they gain a majority, the changes cannot happen overnight. Guðjón adds that, of course, “we would love to see another country beat us to it." Ben Valentine is a writer and organizer who has worked with SFAQ, The New Inquiry, Motherboard, SXSW, ACLU and Hyperallergic. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. * * * * Grid * Newsletter * Terms of Service * About Us * Contact Us Copyright © 2016, Hopes LLC. All Rights Reserved #Hopes&Fears Now — Hopes&Fears Internet — Hopes&Fears ____________________ (BUTTON) Cancel * City * Culture * Future * Now * Blogs * News Popular topics * Question * What Do You Do * City Index * City * Art * Technology * Experiments Follow @hopesandfearshq * Internet * Loney Abrams * June 12, 12:29 PM French privacy agency demands that Google make 'right to be forgotten' global CNIL, the French privacy watchdog, demands that Google de-list search results as part of the 'right to be forgotten' ruling not only in Europe, but globally. Currently, Europeans can request that Google remove unwanted or irrelevant search results associated with their names. If approved, the requests are only implemented on Google results in Europe. CNIL threatens to establish a formal judgement - most likely in the form of a fine - against Google if it doesn't take steps to remove links "on all extensions of the search engine." Cover image: Flickr Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. * * * * Grid * Newsletter * Terms of Service * About Us * Contact Us Copyright © 2016, Hopes LLC. All Rights Reserved #Hopes&Fears Now — Hopes&Fears Question — Hopes&Fears ____________________ (BUTTON) Cancel * City * Culture * Future * Now * Blogs * News Popular topics * Question * What Do You Do * City Index * City * Art * Technology * Experiments Follow @hopesandfearshq QuestionHow can you tell you are being watched online? Hopes&Fears answers questions from our readers and friends, with the help of people who know what they're talking about. Today, we're wondering about internet privacy. * Mike Sheffield * February 23 How can you tell you are being watched online? — Question на Hopes&Fears We've all had the experience. You search online for something a little bit out of your normal comfort zone - let's say, an interesting new creme brulee recipe - and think nothing of it. But as the hours pass by, you notice something's different. Real Simple keeps coming up as your first search engine hit, your spam box is filled up with chicken noodle soup recipes from Bon Appetit, and all of the sudden Martha Stewart is a regular on your Facebook trends. The horror! But while your culinary tastes might be your own damn business, these violations are a much bigger deal if, let's say, the NSA thinks you're a terrorist or even a dissenter. It's obvious that someone is watching but how do we know for sure? And is there anything you can do to stop it? We asked some web junkies what they thought. How can you tell you are being watched online? . Image 1. James Hodges PhD student, Rutgers University [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] When something online seems 'free,' chances are it's being paid for one of two ways: with your attention, or with your personal data. Audience attention has been a premium product for over a century. Throughout the twentieth century, broadcast radio and TV made good money without charging the audience for content, because advertisers picked up the bill. The business model hasn't changed too much since then, even if ad targeting has gotten more specific. I recently shared a bunch of hip-hop videos on Facebook, and then got served a bunch of ads for bail bonds. It became obvious that I was being tracked and profiled by a really insensitive algorithm. It's been legitimate public knowledge for over a decade that the federal government monitors online communication. On a more banal level, you can look in your browser history any time to find all the "cookies" that sites leave behind, which often report your browsing habits back to HQ. If you want to maintain privacy more seriously, you could use TOR, encrypt your email, and browse on "private" all the time. You could go further if you want, and use BitCoin to buy your groceries. But something tells me going that far off the grid probably attracts more attention than it avoids. Avoiding sneakiness without sacrificing privacy is one of the main ideas behind TrackMeNot, a privacy plugin I used to work on at NYU. Instead of blocking surveillance, TrackMeNot spams out your history with a ton of whatever is trending in a given month. This way you still seem like a normal internet user, but you're hidden behind a pile of mass culture. It's like using a smoke screen instead of trying to become invisible. How can you tell you are being watched online? . Image 2. Peter Yeh Senior Systems Administrator [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw= =] There's literally no way to know if you're being watched online. You can be monitored in a multitude of ways, from a kid across the street hacking your webcam with a RAT (Remote Access Trojan) to see you naked, to a state actor putting in a splice at the phone company. Digital information can be copied perfectly, without interruption to the original data stream. Modern phone taps make no noise, because the data is just being copied. If you want to feel extremely unsafe, Van Eck Phreaking is using a special antenna to detect the tiny electromagnetic leaks your monitor makes, and then using that to reconstruct what you're seeing. Equipment can be sensitive now to be able to read your keystrokes with an antenna. In the end there's only three types of threats -- your spurned lover hacking your Facebook (use 2-factor authentication, and don't tell anyone your password), RATers trying to steal your credit card data (keep your computer and antivirus updated) and, finally, a state actor (god help you because nothing will help you there). Cover illustration: Sergii Rodionov Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. * * * * Grid * Newsletter * Terms of Service * About Us * Contact Us Copyright © 2016, Hopes LLC. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Voices 2. Editorials Internet without borders: The balkanisation of digital territory to protect privacy is not ultimately in consumers’ interests * Editorial * @IndyVoices * Tuesday 6 October 2015 20:28 BST * Facebook confirmed that it had seen an increase in the number of requests for personal information since Mr Schrems began his campaign GETTY IMAGES The tectonic plates of the internet, if such an analogy can be made, are not a perfect match with those of global geography. One has, historically, covered all of North America and Europe. Of late, Russia has moved away from this zone, where free exchange of information rules, and headed into the realms of censorship and protectionism. China, for its part, has been isolated from the very off, its 650 million internet users – more than the US and EU combined – operating online in a strictly controlled and limited environment. Or at least this was the picture up until two years ago, when Edward Snowden revealed the extent of the American National Security Agency’s (NSA) snooping on digital communications across the globe. Since then, Europe has started to pull away from the US, citing concerns not only with the privacy of its citizens, but the competitive dominance and tax juggling of tech giants such as Google. In the early months of 2015 Barack Obama highlighted this growing transatlantic gulf. He suggested, in uncharacteristically spiky terms, that the EU’s digital regulation drive stemmed from little more than commercial jealousy: “We have owned the internet,” claimed the President, “and perfected it in ways that they can’t compete [with].” [pg-2-nsa-hacking-ap.jpg] Read more Everything you need to know about the Safe Harbour scheme Mr Obama’s ire will be excited again today. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has just ruled that Safe Harbour – the 2000 agreement that allowed companies to transfer customer data from the EU to the US – breaches European citizens’ right to privacy. According to the EU’s highest court, there are not sufficient safeguards in place to stop the NSA prying into a German internet user’s data, for example, once it has landed in Palo Alto. The entire Safe Harbour agreement has as a result been struck down, leaving the 4,400 internet firms that rely on it – whose number includes Facebook and Amazon – in disarray. Yet the actions of the ECJ deserve a more open hearing than they are likely to receive in the White House. Even before Mr Snowden’s revelations, European politicians complained the protections provided to their citizens were weak. Thanks to feeble enforcement on the part of the US Federal Trade Commission, American firms have got away with all kinds of negligence. The principle of Safe Harbour – that a European consumer’s data could not be passed on to a third party – looked paper-thin even before the extent of the NSA’s spying became clear. That is not to say that the ECJ’s ruling will translate well in the real world. Simply enacting the court’s verdict will pile costs on to US firms which would have to set up infrastructure in Europe to hold EU customer data. Even payroll data could not be shared between an office in London and one in New York. Of more concern is the shift this would mark to a so-called “balkanisation” of the internet, whereby digital firms have to tailor their services to each country they operate in. Not only would such stratification compromise the “open borders” that have allowed the internet to flourish; it would increase the cost of running a digital business – costs which would inevitably be passed on to the consumer. Far better than summary implementation of the ECJ verdict, then, would be for the European Commission to complete its negotiation with Washington over an updated Safe Harbour treaty, which takes into account the European concerns over privacy. Solving this dispute through the creation of more digital borders will do more harm than good. * More about: * Safe Harbour * Edward Snowden Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. News 2. People Edward Snowden: Smartphone users can do 'very little' to stop security services getting control of devices The former intelligence contractor says GCHQ has the power to hack into phones without their owners’ knowledge * Paul Gallagher * @PMGallagher1 * Monday 5 October 2015 20:02 BST * Edward Snowden claims that GCHQ has the power to hack into phones without their owners' knowledge AFP Smartphone users can do “very little” to stop security services getting “total control” over their devices, US whistleblower Edward Snowden has said. The former intelligence contractor told the BBC’s Panorama in his first British television interview that UK intelligence agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phones without their owners’ knowledge. Mr Snowden, responsible for the biggest leak of top secret intelligence documents the world has ever seen, said GCHQ could gain access to a handset by sending it an encrypted text message and use it for such things as taking pictures and listening in. Edward Snowden in 60 seconds “The GCHQ is for almost intents and purposes a subsidiary of the NSA,” he told Panorama from a hotel room in Moscow, where he fled in 2013. “They provide technology, they provide tasking and direction as to what they should go after. And in exchange the GCHQ provides access to communications that are collected in the United Kingdom.” Cornwall is where most of that data comes in and goes out – via optical cables under beaches like Porthcurno. Dr Joss Wright, from Oxford University’s Internet Institute, told the programme that internet company Cisco carried out a relatively recent estimate that there are equivalent to around 650,000 DVDs worth of data transmitting the UK every hour, as of last year – a “huge amount” of data, he said. Read more * Smartphones can be hacked into with just a text message, says Snowden * Edward Snowden receives 47GB worth of Twitter notifications * US comedian defends Edward Scissorhands in talks about Edward Snowden * Edward Snowden joins Twitter and follows the NSA Mr Snowden revealed how this bulk data was secretly collected by GCHQ via its top security station high on the cliffs of Cornwall above Bude in a programme called Tempora. He also described a secret GCHQ training programme, codenamed “Smurf Suite” - a collection of secret intercept capabilities individually named after the little blue Belgian cartoon characters. “Dreamy Smurf is the power management tool which means turning your phone on and off with you knowing,” he said. “Nosey Smurf is the ‘hot mic’ tool. For example if it’s in your pocket, [GCHQ] can turn the microphone on and listen to everything that's going on around you - even if your phone is switched off because they've got the other tools for turning it on. “Tracker Smurf is a geo-location tool which allows [GCHQ] to follow you with a greater precision than you would get from the typical triangulation of cellphone towers.” The UK government declined to comment. Meanwhile, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer said terrorism investigations are becoming harder and more risky because some social media companies either refuse to help or make products which deliberately hamper inquiries. London Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that since Mr Snowden revealed the extent to which intelligence agencies could intercept online traffic, new technologies had emerged that made plots harder to foil. “We have a growing Achilles heel that, if it is not tackled, will slowly diminish our ability to keep the public safe,” Mr Rowley told the Royal United Services Institute, a London think-tank. “If we are glibly creating a safe operating environment for criminals and terrorists, we are going to regret it.” Edward Snowden signs up to Twitter His comments on social media and the impact of Snowden’s revelations in 2013 echoed similar expressions of exasperation from David Cameron and the head of Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5. The government is planning new laws, due to be detailed later this month, to bolster the surveillance capabilities of spies and police. They will face stiff opposition from privacy and human rights campaigners who say they represent an assault on freedoms. * More about: * Edward Snowden * Surveillance * GCHQ Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech 3. News Facebook, Google and Amazon await EU court ruling over legality of data-transfer agreement The international agreement allows US corporations to transfer European customers’ personal data to America where critics say it is shared with US intelligence agencies * David Connett * Saturday 3 October 2015 21:25 BST * The case was instigated by the revelations of NSA worker Edward Snowden Getty Images Europe’s highest court will rule this week on whether it “likes” the legality of an international agreement which allows US corporations such as Facebook, eBay, Google and Amazon to transfer European customers’ personal data to America where critics say it is shared with US intelligence agencies. The landmark ruling is set to shape international regulations over access to, and ownership of, individuals’ online information. In a recommendation to justices hearing the case at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the court’s advocate general, Yves Bot, recommended ruling that the “Safe Harbour” agreement – the US-EU data transfer agreement which is meant to protect individuals’ privacy – was “invalid”. In his report he said: “The revelations about the practices of the United States intelligence services as regards the generalised surveillance of data transferred under the safe harbour scheme have shed light on certain insufficiencies [of the agreement].” His judgment is not binding on the court but is often followed. The case was brought by Max Schrems, an Austrian law student. He brought the case after US whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the US National Security Agency was routinely intercepting data from emails, social media and telephones, including EU citizens’ data information transferred to the US. He brought the case in Ireland where Facebook’s European headquarters are based, arguing his privacy should have been safeguarded against security surveillance. He took the case to the CJEU after the Irish regulator declined to intervene. He argued the “safe harbour” protections – which state that US data protection rules are adequate if information is passed by companies that “self-certify” they abide by EU privacy rules – because America no longer qualifies for such a status. “The promise of a higher level of data protecting is being betrayed by [Europe] to serve business interests,” Mr Schrems has said. He has asked the CJEU to declare Facebook’s “safe harbour” designation under EU law should be cancelled and that the Irish DPC should audit the exchange of information rather than allowing it to be transferred unscrutinised. Read more * Next-gen USB standard will boost data transfers to 10GB/second * Law: Data transfer proposals lay a trap for business If the CJEU finds against the agreement, there will huge cost implications for the company and others like it. Experts warn an adverse ruling could dramatically increase the costs of satisfying each individual country’s privacy laws and make companies vulnerable to legal action wherever their websites are targeted. Facebook has already faced a number of privacy cases across Europe where data protection watchdogs have argued national privacy laws have been breached. The ruling could strengthen their powers to enforce local rules. The US government denied it carried out mass surveillance on EU citizens and said it was directed only at lawfully approved foreign intelligence targets. Supporters of the safe harbour agreement claim the court should not be able to overturn it once the European Commission has approved it. The US Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for policing US companies which transfer data across the Atlantic, has been criticised for failing to police properly the companies involved in it. According to a 2013 European Commission document, as many as one in 10 of US companies that claim to be covered by the agreement were not registered with it. The Commission is understood to be meeting on 6 October to discuss the ruling. On 2 October, the Irish government urged the Commission and the US to settle a new citizen data transfer deal quickly. The case is highly sensitive for Dublin because Facebook and many other US tech companies have their European headquarters in Ireland and are regulated by Irish data protection authorities. * More about: * Facebook * Google * Amazon * EU * Edward Snowden * US National Security Agency Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech Hackers cause a power cut for the first time, say researchers It is believed the attacks that caused the blackout were the work of a group dubbed 'Sandworm' * Andrea Peterson * Wednesday 6 January 2016 08:57 BST * Experts warn that, while is easy to come to conclusions about cyberattacks, it can be very difficult to pin down who was responsible Getty Hackers caused a power outage in Ukraine during holiday season, researchers say, signalling a potentially troubling new escalation in digital attacks. "This is the first incident we know of where an attack caused a blackout," said John Hultquist, head of iSIGHT Partner's cyberespionage intelligence practice. "It's always been the scenario we've been worried about for years because it has ramifications across broad sectors." Half of the homes in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region were left without power for several hours on December 23rd, according to a local report that attributed the blackout to a virus that disconnected electrical substations from the grid. Researchers at iSight on Monday said their analysis of malware found on the systems of at least three regional electrical operators confirmed that a "destructive" cyberattack led to the power outage. [BBC-down.jpg] Read more Anti-Isis hackers claim responsibility for taking down BBC website Electrical outages can lead to ripple effects that leave communities struggling with things like transportation and communication, according to security experts who have long warned about the potential for cyberattacks on the power grid. In this case, the attackers used a kind of malware that wiped files off computer systems, shutting them down and resulting in the blackout, Hultquist said. At least one of the power systems was also infected with a type of malware known as BlackEnergy. A similar combination was used against some Ukrainian media organizations during local elections last year, he said. A blog post from cybersecurity company ESET also reported that BlackEnergy malware helped deliver the destructive component "in attacks against Ukrainian news media companies and against the electrical power industry." While ESET's analysis showed the destructive element was "theoretically capable of shutting down critical systems," it said BlackEnergy malware's ability to take control of a system would give attackers enough access to take down the computers. In that case, the destructive element may have been a way to make it harder to get the systems up and running again, according to ESET. Hultquist believes the attacks that caused the blackout were the work of a group iSight dubs "Sandworm" that the company previously observed using BlackEnergy. In a 2014 report, iSight said the group was targeting NATO, energy sector firms and U.S. academic institutions as well as government organizations in Ukraine, Poland and Western Europe. "Operators who have previously targeted American and European sensitive systems look to have actually carried out a successful attack that turned the lights out," Hultquist said. [Windows-10-fan-celebration-_1.jpg] Read more Microsoft to alert users when they are victims of government hacking He described the group as "Russian," but declined to connect it to a specific government or group. Other destructive cyberattacks in the past have been attributed to government actors - such as attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities thought to be the result of a collaboration between the U.S. and Israel, or the Sony Pictures entertainment attack blamed on North Korea. But experts warn that, while is easy to come to circumstantial conclusions about cyberattacks, it can be very difficult to pin down who was responsible - or even what exactly happened. And there have been false alarms about cyberattacks on infrastructure in the past. In 2011, experts said that a pump failure at an Illinois water plant appeared to be caused by foreign hackers. However, it was later reported that there hadn't been any malicious activity: Instead, a remote login to the plant's computers systems from a contractor traveling in Russia was mistakenly connected to the issue. "It's easy to assume this threat actor is controlled by the Russian government and they intentionally shut down power in this region in Ukraine, but evidence to prove that conclusion is very difficult to obtain for various reasons," said Tom Cross, chief technology officer at cybersecurity firm Drawbridge Networks. The picture can often become clearer as more information trickles out, but the public and even some of those investigating may not be operating with all the facts, according to Cross. "When a plane crashes, the FAA publishes all of the details about the incident. That makes sense because we pilots want to know what to do to avoid the next crash," he said. "In our industry, when something like this happens, some information comes out and some doesn't." Not everyone necessarily has an interest in fully disclosing the attacks because it might embarrass them or give new information to attackers, Cross said. But he argues that the more people know the details about the attack, the better the security industry can prepare for the next one. "People should operate with an abundance of caution and assume the threat is real while demanding technical detail and evidence," he said. Assuming that the hackers did take out the power in Ukraine, there was a silver lining, according to Cross: The grid seems to have rebounded quickly. "The world didn't end here - they did get power back up," Cross said. Washington Post * More about: * cyber crime * Ukraine Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech 3. News Hackers claim $1m prize for discovering remote iOS9 jailbreak The company that offered the prize, Zerodium, will now be able to sell the hack to national security agencies * Doug Bolton * @DougieBolton * Wednesday 4 November 2015 09:58 BST * Craig Federighi, Apple senior vice president of Software Engineering, speaks about iOS 9 during an Apple event Justin Sullivan/Getty A team of anonymous hackers has claimed a $1 million (£648,000) bounty for remotely jailbreaking Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS9. Jailbreaking is the practice of removing Apple's restrictions on their devices, allowing users to install a range of unauthorised apps and tweaks on their phones and tablets. Jailbreaking is often done willingly by people looking to customise their device, but since it bypasses the security restrictions, jailbreaking can also be a technique used by hackers to break into phones and install spyware. [jailbreakios9.jpg] Read more First iOS9 jailbreak released, just a month after launch The hefty prize was offered by cybersecurity company Zerodium, who offered $1 million to any person or team who could come up with a browser-based untethered jailbreak for iOS9 in September this year. The conditions of the competition required that the hacking process "should be achieveable remotely, reliably, silently and without requiring any user interaction except visiting a web page or reading a SMS/MMS." In other words, the winning team found a way to remotely install an app on phones running iOS9 simply by getting the the user to open a certain webpage or read a text message. The terms required that the break-in would have to be truly remote - any solutions that involved the iPhone being plugged in to a computer, or being accessed through Bluetooth or NFC did not qualify. Gadgets and tech news in pictures * * * * * 21 show all Gadgets and tech news in pictures * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1/21 FA announces it will host the Emirates FA Cup video game tournament The FA has announced that for the first time ever it will host the inaugural Emirates FA Cup gaming tournament, with video game fans from across the world invited to compete for glory at Wembley Stadium connected by EE. Early rounds will take place in iconic locations in the stadium such as The Royal Box, the changing rooms and the players’ tunnel, with the two finalists set to play the virtual final using Wembley Stadium’s 82 foot screens as they sit in the centre circle. Gamers of varying ability will descend upon Wembley Stadium as the home of football transforms into an epic gaming colosseum set to turn heads and sweat palms in equal measure * 2/21 Oculus Rift release date Oculus has said that it is about to open pre-orders for its Rift virtual reality headset. Some have claimed that the hardware will be the device that will bring virtual reality into the mainstream. And it will start being available from 6 January 2016, the company has said. The company hasn’t said when the headsets will actually start arriving, or how much they will cost. It isn’t clear whether the company intends to announce more details before pre-orders begin * 3/21 iPhone stock apps can be removed by just putting them into special folder A new trick shows a quick way of getting rid of the stock apps that might be cluttering up your iPhone screen — at least for a while. The iPhone comes with a range of apps that are stuck on the phone, and can't be deleted like others. While some are key to the phone — like the Phone app itself — others like Stocks are less well-regarded. But the new trick shows how you can hide those unused stock apps with just a quick trick using some folders * 4/21 CES 2016: Four big things set to be revealed The CES 2016 gadget show is about to kick off, and nearly the entire technology industry has descended on Las Vegas to try and show off the future. Every year, companies and technologists attempt to show that they have seen what’s coming and that they will be there to offer it. Every year, a lot of people get it wrong. This year’s expectations are as big as ever. Every year, CES unofficially gets a big theme that everything’s supposed to be about — this year that’s virtual reality. There is also future for cars, smart home and wearables * 5/21 Terrorists could use drones to attack planes and spread propaganda A government counter-terrorism adviser has warned that terrorists could use commercially available drones to attack passenger planes. Detective Chief Inspector Colin Smith, a security expert and adviser to the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology, warned that small quadcopter drones could easily be used by terrorists for attacks and propaganda purposes * 6/21 Goggle-Eyed Lemurs watch TV as part of their reintroduction to the wild Port Lympne Reserve in Kent, UK, has installed Sony Bravia 4K TVs into its lemur and langur enclosures to show life-like footage to its primates as part of its ‘Back to the Wild’ programme. The charity will trial TV watching on Sony’s 4K TVs as part of this programme in a bid to make langurs more familiar with the new environment * 7/21 UberPool Uber has added a lift-sharing feature to its app in London, allowing people to share their taxi with a stranger in return for a reduced fair. Users will be given 25 per cent off their journey if they say they will let up to two other passengers share their car. Drivers will then receive a message telling them that they’ll be picking up more than one fare, and can plan their route accordingly. London is the second European country to get the feature, after Paris. It was first launched in San Francisco and now most people who use the app do so with the feature * 8/21 Attempt to build world’s biggest Rubik’s cube ends in disaster An attempt to build the world’s biggest Rubik’s cube ended in disaster when the puzzle exploded as it was turned for the first time. One of the masterminds behind Coren Puzzle, a YouTube channel dedicated to custom puzzles, live-streamed the final assembly of the 22x22 cube. The video was the culmination of seven months of construction, which included a month of deliberation on how to build the mechanism at the centre of the device * 9/21 New battery chip could let phones charge in minutes The maker of a new chip claims that it could reduce the charging times of phones to a few minutes, and could prevent dangerous explosions. The tiny chip could be embedded into batteries of all sizes and monitor how healthy and charged they are. That in turn would mean that the batteries would become much safer and quicker to charge, according to the scientist that developed it. Unhealthy lithium-ion batteries can be at risk of exploding or catching fire, as well as gradually losing their capacity so that they run out more quickly. Those problems may become even more important as people move towards electric cars or other vehicles * 10/21 Facebook on iPhone gets new fast-loading Instant Articles If you've noticed articles on Facebook loading a little quicker recently, that's because the new Instant Articles have been launched to all iPhone users. Instant Articles load up to 10 times quicker than a regular article, and have some enriched features - such as unobtrusive autoplay videos, zoomable high-definition images and interactive maps * 11/21 Halo 5 patch Gamers looking forward to playing Halo 5: Guardians on its release on 27 October 2015 will have to wait to download a 9GB day one patch before the game's multiplayer mode can run properly. Those without the patch won't even be able to play multiplayer at all until it's downloaded, in yet another case of a blockbuster game needing a patch on the day of launch * 12/21 New HTC Desire 626 handset launch HTC has launched its latest Desire 626 handset with the Sense 7 software which automatically detects whether you’re at work, at home or on-the-go and alters its theme to suit your location. This advanced technology intelligently analyses your favourite photos to modify the look and feel of your apps, allowing you to modify the colour scheme and backgrounds – the ultimate in personalisation * 13/21 Nasa confirms Mars water discovery Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae — or dark patches — on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. * 14/21 Customers wait in line at the Apple Store in Paris to get their hands on the iPhone 6s Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive “3D Touch” display * 15/21 Bloodhound SSC: The most powerful ever made is shown off to the public The car is displayed at Downing Street, when the team visited David Cameron to demonstrate the project * 16/21 Lunar eclipse threatens Nasa technology Artist's rendering of Nasa's LRO spacecraft, which will have to withstand a rapid drop in temperature during an upcoming lunar eclipse that could lead to it shutting down * 17/21 Mobile phone bills could rocket up after Ofcom announced that the fees it charges to phone operators will be trebled The regulator will now charge far more to phone companies for using the mobile spectrum — and though it says that fee will not be passed on to customers, experts have said that prices are likely to go up * 18/21 New iPhone 6s rose gold Apple has released a bright pink new iPhone 6s — likely the only way that you’ll be able to tell that someone has the new handset. The company released the new phone with much fanfare, but almost all of the changes — a new camera and pressure-sensitive display — were on the inside. The only new noticeable addition to the phone’s look is the very pink rose gold colour, and a tiny “S” on the back. The new handsets will be released on September 25 * 19/21 iPad Pro Apple has launched a huge new iPad, which it hopes can bring the tablet to offices and designers. But it unveiled it with an Apple-designed stylus — an idea that was famously mocked by late Apple founder Steve Jobs * 20/21 Apple TV Apple has introduced the new Apple TV * 21/21 Apple Pencil Apple has introduced the new Apple Pencil It's easy to see how this tech could be used by hackers with nefarious intentions, as they could break in to phones without the owners ever realising. Fortunately, those who discovered the jailbreak technique were happy to just claim their million dollars. The type of exploit that won the prize is known as a 'zero-day' vulnerability - a bug that is totally unknown to the manufacturers. Read more * Wikipedia founder urges Apple to stop selling iPhone in UK over law * There's an easy trick to get YouTube Red on your iPhone for cheaper * iPhone 6s screen can weigh things, but Apple won’t let people do it * iPhone alarms being disabled by iOS 9 and 9.1 updates Knowledge of how to break into phones using these vulnerabilities can be very valuable, and in exchange for their $1 million giveaway, Zerodium will be able to sell the hack to national security agencies or other companies for a much higher price. The technical details of the hack, however, will not be shared with Apple - so you can bet that their engineers are currently scrambling to find a solution to the jailbreak as soon as possible. While Apple's iOS is considered one of the most secure mobile operating systems, "secure does not mean unbreakable," as Zerodium said. iOS can be expensive and difficult to hack into - which is why the $1 million prize was offered. * More about: * Iphone * iOS9 Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech 3. News European Court rules that it is not a breach of privacy to read messages — but bosses could snoop on pretty much everything you do already As long as you have been informed that your communications will be monitored, which is probably in your contract, then it’s almost always possible for your boss to do so * Andrew Griffin * @_andrew_griffin * Wednesday 13 January 2016 14:03 BST * This picture taken on April 16, 2014 shows a man using a laptop at an office of Sina Weibo, widely known as China's version of Twitter, in Beijing WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images A European court ruling has made clear that bosses can spy on their employees. But the ruling really just points out the wide range of the current law — which allows bosses to spy on their employers in almost every circumstance. The ruling revolved around a Romanian engineer who was fired after his boss looked in on Yahoo Messenger conversations and saw that he had been using it to communicate with his fiancée and brother. It found that the engineer couldn’t appeal under the European Convention on Human Rights and that his right to privacy wasn’t infringed. The ruling confirms once again that bosses have huge powers to snoop on the conversations of their employees — whether or not they have anything to do with work. [whatsapp.jpg] Read more Your boss can now officially monitor your WhatsApp So long as the monitoring is related to the business, the equipment being used is provided for work and the employer has told workers that their communications could be monitored, employers are able legally to look in on conversations. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau makes clear that the limits aren’t really very limiting at all. The allowed circumstances cover “almost every situation where your employer might want to monitor your electronic communications, except where the monitoring is for purely private or spiteful reasons almost every situation where your employer might want to monitor your electronic communications, except where the monitoring is for purely private or spiteful reasons”, it writes. The monitoring must happen for one of a long list of reasons for it to be lawful. But that includes broad things like checking that work is being done properly and that people aren’t using computers or the internet for their own purposes. Gadgets and tech news in pictures * * * * * 21 show all Gadgets and tech news in pictures * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1/21 FA announces it will host the Emirates FA Cup video game tournament The FA has announced that for the first time ever it will host the inaugural Emirates FA Cup gaming tournament, with video game fans from across the world invited to compete for glory at Wembley Stadium connected by EE. Early rounds will take place in iconic locations in the stadium such as The Royal Box, the changing rooms and the players’ tunnel, with the two finalists set to play the virtual final using Wembley Stadium’s 82 foot screens as they sit in the centre circle. Gamers of varying ability will descend upon Wembley Stadium as the home of football transforms into an epic gaming colosseum set to turn heads and sweat palms in equal measure * 2/21 Oculus Rift release date Oculus has said that it is about to open pre-orders for its Rift virtual reality headset. Some have claimed that the hardware will be the device that will bring virtual reality into the mainstream. And it will start being available from 6 January 2016, the company has said. The company hasn’t said when the headsets will actually start arriving, or how much they will cost. It isn’t clear whether the company intends to announce more details before pre-orders begin * 3/21 iPhone stock apps can be removed by just putting them into special folder A new trick shows a quick way of getting rid of the stock apps that might be cluttering up your iPhone screen — at least for a while. The iPhone comes with a range of apps that are stuck on the phone, and can't be deleted like others. While some are key to the phone — like the Phone app itself — others like Stocks are less well-regarded. But the new trick shows how you can hide those unused stock apps with just a quick trick using some folders * 4/21 CES 2016: Four big things set to be revealed The CES 2016 gadget show is about to kick off, and nearly the entire technology industry has descended on Las Vegas to try and show off the future. Every year, companies and technologists attempt to show that they have seen what’s coming and that they will be there to offer it. Every year, a lot of people get it wrong. This year’s expectations are as big as ever. Every year, CES unofficially gets a big theme that everything’s supposed to be about — this year that’s virtual reality. There is also future for cars, smart home and wearables * 5/21 Terrorists could use drones to attack planes and spread propaganda A government counter-terrorism adviser has warned that terrorists could use commercially available drones to attack passenger planes. Detective Chief Inspector Colin Smith, a security expert and adviser to the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology, warned that small quadcopter drones could easily be used by terrorists for attacks and propaganda purposes * 6/21 Goggle-Eyed Lemurs watch TV as part of their reintroduction to the wild Port Lympne Reserve in Kent, UK, has installed Sony Bravia 4K TVs into its lemur and langur enclosures to show life-like footage to its primates as part of its ‘Back to the Wild’ programme. The charity will trial TV watching on Sony’s 4K TVs as part of this programme in a bid to make langurs more familiar with the new environment * 7/21 UberPool Uber has added a lift-sharing feature to its app in London, allowing people to share their taxi with a stranger in return for a reduced fair. Users will be given 25 per cent off their journey if they say they will let up to two other passengers share their car. Drivers will then receive a message telling them that they’ll be picking up more than one fare, and can plan their route accordingly. London is the second European country to get the feature, after Paris. It was first launched in San Francisco and now most people who use the app do so with the feature * 8/21 Attempt to build world’s biggest Rubik’s cube ends in disaster An attempt to build the world’s biggest Rubik’s cube ended in disaster when the puzzle exploded as it was turned for the first time. One of the masterminds behind Coren Puzzle, a YouTube channel dedicated to custom puzzles, live-streamed the final assembly of the 22x22 cube. The video was the culmination of seven months of construction, which included a month of deliberation on how to build the mechanism at the centre of the device * 9/21 New battery chip could let phones charge in minutes The maker of a new chip claims that it could reduce the charging times of phones to a few minutes, and could prevent dangerous explosions. The tiny chip could be embedded into batteries of all sizes and monitor how healthy and charged they are. That in turn would mean that the batteries would become much safer and quicker to charge, according to the scientist that developed it. Unhealthy lithium-ion batteries can be at risk of exploding or catching fire, as well as gradually losing their capacity so that they run out more quickly. Those problems may become even more important as people move towards electric cars or other vehicles * 10/21 Facebook on iPhone gets new fast-loading Instant Articles If you've noticed articles on Facebook loading a little quicker recently, that's because the new Instant Articles have been launched to all iPhone users. Instant Articles load up to 10 times quicker than a regular article, and have some enriched features - such as unobtrusive autoplay videos, zoomable high-definition images and interactive maps * 11/21 Halo 5 patch Gamers looking forward to playing Halo 5: Guardians on its release on 27 October 2015 will have to wait to download a 9GB day one patch before the game's multiplayer mode can run properly. Those without the patch won't even be able to play multiplayer at all until it's downloaded, in yet another case of a blockbuster game needing a patch on the day of launch * 12/21 New HTC Desire 626 handset launch HTC has launched its latest Desire 626 handset with the Sense 7 software which automatically detects whether you’re at work, at home or on-the-go and alters its theme to suit your location. This advanced technology intelligently analyses your favourite photos to modify the look and feel of your apps, allowing you to modify the colour scheme and backgrounds – the ultimate in personalisation * 13/21 Nasa confirms Mars water discovery Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae — or dark patches — on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. * 14/21 Customers wait in line at the Apple Store in Paris to get their hands on the iPhone 6s Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive “3D Touch” display * 15/21 Bloodhound SSC: The most powerful ever made is shown off to the public The car is displayed at Downing Street, when the team visited David Cameron to demonstrate the project * 16/21 Lunar eclipse threatens Nasa technology Artist's rendering of Nasa's LRO spacecraft, which will have to withstand a rapid drop in temperature during an upcoming lunar eclipse that could lead to it shutting down * 17/21 Mobile phone bills could rocket up after Ofcom announced that the fees it charges to phone operators will be trebled The regulator will now charge far more to phone companies for using the mobile spectrum — and though it says that fee will not be passed on to customers, experts have said that prices are likely to go up * 18/21 New iPhone 6s rose gold Apple has released a bright pink new iPhone 6s — likely the only way that you’ll be able to tell that someone has the new handset. The company released the new phone with much fanfare, but almost all of the changes — a new camera and pressure-sensitive display — were on the inside. The only new noticeable addition to the phone’s look is the very pink rose gold colour, and a tiny “S” on the back. The new handsets will be released on September 25 * 19/21 iPad Pro Apple has launched a huge new iPad, which it hopes can bring the tablet to offices and designers. But it unveiled it with an Apple-designed stylus — an idea that was famously mocked by late Apple founder Steve Jobs * 20/21 Apple TV Apple has introduced the new Apple TV * 21/21 Apple Pencil Apple has introduced the new Apple Pencil Bosses aren’t allowed to monitor people at work in secret, by using things like hidden cameras, in all but a very limited number of cases. Data protection law says that such monitoring should only ever happen in the case of serious crime, like drug dealing in toilets. The rules on monitoring are usually written in an employees’ contract. That will usually make clear that communications could be intercepted and that workers might be punished depending on what is found there. * More about: * Messaging * Business * Work Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. Lifestyle + Travel + Fashion + beauty + Food + Health + Love + sex 5. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. News 2. Business European Court rules bosses can monitor employees' private messages on WhatsApp and other messaging services * Siobhan Fenton * @siobhanfenton * Wednesday 13 January 2016 09:27 BST * Zuckerberg told Brazilians to use Facebook Messenger while WhatsApp is blocked Zuckerberg told Brazilians to use Facebook Messenger while WhatsApp is blocked GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images Companies have the right to monitor their workers’ online private messages, a court has ruled. The European Court of Human Rights made the ruling on a case involving a Romanian engineer who was fired after using Yahoo Messenger not only to communicate with professional contacts, but also to send messages to his fiancée and brother. Bogdan Mihai Barbulescu was asked to create the Yahoo account in order to answer clients’ queries. In 2007, he was approached by his employers and told that they had been monitoring his chats over several days, citing the company policy that the service should have been used for work purposes only. He was presented with a 45 page transcript of his messages, including those sent to his fiancée. [v5-hackers.jpg] Read more How to tell if your boss is spying on you The Strasbourg court sided with his employer that it was “not unreasonable that an employer would want to verify that employees were completing their professional tasks during working hours.” The judge dismissed the Barbulescu’s claim that his right to privacy had been breached in the form of his confidential correspondence being compromised. Business news in pictures * * * * * 35 show all Business news in pictures * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1/35 SocGen rogue trader seeks retrial Jérôme Kerviel, the former Société Générale trader convicted of running up €4.9bn (£3.7bn) losses from unauthorised trades in 2008 and sentenced to five years in prison, appeared in a Paris court on Monday January 18, seeking retrial. Kerviel argues that the French bank was always aware of his trading, something SocGen denies ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images * 2/35 British Airways Concorde 40th anniversary David Leckie and his haggis with the G-BOAA Concorde at the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian, Scotland, to mark Concorde's 40th anniversary. The world's first commercial supersonic passenger service was launched on Wednesday 21st January 1976 Andrew Milligian/PA Wire/ PA Press Association Images * 3/35 Tata Steel to cut 1,050 jobs amid union calls for Government action A Unite union banner on the fence outside the Tata steel plant on Harbour Way, Port Talbot, as Tata is expected to announce around 1,000 job cuts at plants including Port Talbot and Llanwern in South Wales, dealing a huge blow to the industry and the Welsh economy. Ben Birchall / PA Wire/Press Association Images * 4/35 A selfie with the Prime Minister Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha takes pictures with stock exchange workers after attending a seminar on capital market development in Bangkok, Thailand, January 15, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva * 5/35 Lego lets go of its bulk sales Ai Wei Wei on Wednesday January 13 hailed Lego's U-turn on bulk sales, after the toymaker said it would stop asking what the bricks were for. When the Chinese artist tried last year to buy Lego for a work on political dissidents Lego said it did not supply public displays with a "political agenda". Ai ended up using brick donated by the public. PA * 6/35 Dalian Wanda scales up China's richest man has splashed out $3.5bn (£2.4bn) on the US film studio behind blockbusters such as Jurassic World. The move by Wang Jianlin's Dalian Wanda for Legendary Entertainment is the group's biggest bid yet to expand overseas. It plans to eventually float its film business ILM/Universal Pictures/Amblin Entert * 7/35 Brighton - rental increases The average cost of a first-time buyer deposit in Brighton has jumped 14-fold in the past twenty years to £71,000 Getty Images * 8/35 Japan prays for good business People line up at the Kanda Myojin Shrine to pray at the start of the new business year in Tokyo, Japan, January 4, 2016. Several thousand company representatives traditionally visit the shrine on the first day of business in the new year to ask for luck and commercial fortune. REUTERS/Thomas Peter * 9/35 Ferrari shares open at 43 euros in Milan bourse debut Ferrari's model cars are seen in front of the Milan's stock exchange, downtown Milan, Italy January 4, 2016. Ferrari shares opened at 43 euros in their Milan bourse debut on Monday as the luxury sports car maker completed its spin-off from parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, establishing the Agnelli family as its biggest investor. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini * 10/35 China stocks down 7% forcing trading to be suspended An investor takes a nap in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Beijing, China, January 4, 2016. China's benchmark CSI300 share index tumbled 7 percent on the first session of 2016 on Monday, prompting the stock exchange to halt trading for the rest of the day. The "circuit breaker" suspension mechanism first came into effect on Monday. REUTERS/Li Sanxian * 11/35 Fairbairn warning to Government Ministers have been told by the new head of the CBI, Carolyn Fairbairn that they must not allow politics “to trump prosperity” in 2016. She singled out the delay in the Heathrow expansion decision and the expected European Union referendum NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images * 12/35 Apple to pay £234m to Italian authorities to settle tax dispute Apple has agreed to pay €318 million to settle a tax dispute with the Italian authorities. The payout comes after Italian prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations that Apple failed to pay around €879 million in corporation tax. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images * 13/35 Argos recalls Nevaboard hoverboards over electrocution fears Argos have recalled a model of hoverboard over fears that it could electrocute users. Argos said that Nevaboard hoverboards, supplied by Debut Sports, do not comply with technical standards and could pose a risk of electrocution. The UK's National Trading Standards organisation has said that 88 per cent of the 17,000 hoverboards that have been examined at UK entrypoints, including airports, are deemed to be unsafe because of the risk of them overheating, exploding or catching fire. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images * 14/35 Janet Yellen Federal Reserve Bank Chair Janet Yellen holds a news conference where she announced that the Fed will raise its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2008 at the bank's Wilson Conference Center December 16, 2015 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images * 15/35 Milan Fashion Week Profits at the Italian luxury goods group Prada fell 38 per cent in the quarter to 31 October, hit by slumping sales in China. Europe and Japan were the only two areas that saw modest growth for the fashion house, whose 2016 lines were modeled at the Milan Fashion Week. But a strong dollar held back travelers headed to the United States. TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images * 16/35 We have lift-off! A man in a space suit watches a television with school children at the Science Museum ahead of the launch of space mission Principia in London. European Space Agency Astronaut Tim Peake is the first publicly funded Briton in Space. The value of the space sector in the UK has grown from £6.5 billion in 2007 to £11.8 billion in 2014. It currently employs nearly 35,000 skilled workers, with current government ambitions for the sector to grow to £40 billion by 2030 and a further 100,000 jobs. Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images * 17/35 Jean Claude Juncker Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker jokes with a Member of the European Parliament ahead of a debate on the future of the Economic and Monetary Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, December 15, 2015 REUTERS/Vincent Kessler * 18/35 Fancy chancing your arm? A robot arm, developed by Nachi Robotic Systems was on show at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo on Wednesday December 3. The Bank of England recently published research that 15 million UK jobs could be at risk of automation in the coming decades. REUTERS/Thomas Peter * 19/35 Elizabeth Holmes Elizabeth Holmes is the only woman that has made it on the Forbes magazine “America’s richest entrepreneurs under 40” list. Elizabeth Holmes who founded the blood-testing company Theranos came sixth with $4.5 billion (£2.9 billion). Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg topped the ranking with $47.1 billion. Kimberly White/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize * 20/35 Peppa pig Peppa set out to hog the market - The film and TV distribution company Entertainment One said it was on course to double merchandise sales for the pre-school favourite Peppa Pig to $2bn (£1.3bn) by 2020. Sales of Peppa toys will begin in China next year, following the launch of the TV show there. E1's underlying annual profits climbed by 42 per cent to £52m, on sales up 2 per cent at £337m. Rob Stothard/Getty Images) * 21/35 Paris attacks The Eiffel Tower illuminated with the French national colors in tribute to the victims of the November 13, 2015 Paris terror attacks. Tourism and travel stocks fell on Monday in the wake of Friday’s jihadist attacks in Paris – as a leading European policymaker warned that the killings could compound the region’s economic woes. AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY * 22/35 Blue diamond A model holds a 12.03-carat blue diamond during a press preview by auction house Sotheby's in Geneva on November 4, 2015. A 12.03-carat blue diamond could fetch a record $55 million (47 million Euros) when it goes under the hammer by Sotheby's on November 11 in Geneva. Categorised as a fancy vivid blue diamond, the Blue Moon, discovered in South Africa in January last year, is the largest cushion-shaped stone in that category to ever appear at auction FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images * 23/35 Burberry profit warning Burberry shares were down 12 per cent after it missed forecasts for sales in the first half of 2015 as Chinese customers cut back on luxury goods. * 24/35 Is Go Pro caught on camera? Polaroid's owner C&A is suing Go Pro over its Hero4 Session camera, claiming the ice-cube shaped device is a rip-off of the Polariod Cube camera and infringes its patent. Shares in Go Pro, which denied the announcement, fell to an all-time low. Alamy * 25/35 UK to conduct its own inquiry into vehicle testing as BMW hit by fallout In the aftermath of the Volkswagen emissions scandal BMW shares have fallen by more than 5 per cent after claims one of its models exceeded European emissions limits by more than 11 times. DPA/Getty Images * 26/35 Starbucks to help staff with rent deposits The coffee chain will provide an interest-free loan to pay a rental deposit that should be repaid within 12 months * 27/35 Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix has said that companies greatly underestimate the importance of reference checks when hiring YouTube/Screen shot/KPCB * 28/35 Cold winter for Volkswagen VW CEO Martin Winterkorn ousted over diesel emissions that could cause thousands of premature deaths * 29/35 Groupon cuts down its workforce Groupon has cut 10% of its workforce and closed its operations in 7 countries. When it went public in 2011 it was valued at $12.8bn 2011 Getty Images * 30/35 Eastern Promise Britain's Chancellor George Osborne has urged closer business ties with China when he visited Shanghai, the country's commercial hub, on Tuesday. He declared that the UK and China will "stick together", despite stock market turmoil and faltering economic growth in the world's second-largest economy. Getty * 31/35 United going down Manchester United's absence from the Champions League hurt more than the fans' pride last year - it also dented the bottom line. Revenues at the New Uork listed club dipped 8.8 per cent to £395.2m in the year to June, triggering a £1.2 million loss after broadcasting and sponsorship deals dried up. The club said it was now looking to raise $400m from a share issue. 2015 Manchester United FC * 32/35 Star Wars boosts economy Production of the next Star Wars movie has brought an economic impact of some £150 million to Britain, according to company accounts. The seventh movie in the series, The Force Awakens, will be released in December. * 33/35 Natalie Massenet Leaves Net-a-Porter The Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet decided to quit the online fashion retailer during "a summer of reflection" that included a spectacular 50th birthday party on the Almalfi coast. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. * 34/35 I'll keep working, says Mayer The chief executive of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, said that she was expecting twin girls in December. She said she would "approach the pregnancy and delivery the same way as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout". In 2012, she took two weeks off when her first child was born. 2014 Getty Images * 35/35 World's richest lose $182b Warren Buffett, the world’s third richest person, lost $3.6bn in last week’s market slump Getty Rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are binding to countries which have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights, including the UK. Home Secretary, Theresa May details surveillance plan Lawyer Michael Burd, Head of Employment at London firm Lewis Silkin, told Bloomberg: “This decision is significant for a number of European countries. There’s been a very strict division between employers’ ability to look at private stuff and employers’ ability to look at company stuff and this decision will break that down. “What’s significant about this case is that they were allowed to use the content, not simply the fact of using Yahoo.” * More about: * WhatsApp Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech 3. News Google, Facebook and Twitter among internet giants criticising 'snooper's charter' Firms join forces to criticise plans to force them to help security services hack into devices as 'very dangerous' * Hayden Smith * Thursday 7 January 2016 22:48 BST * Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo criticised plans to force firms to help security services hack into devices as “very dangerous” and called for several changes to the draft legislation Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo criticised plans to force firms to help security services hack into devices as “very dangerous” and called for several changes to the draft legislation Rex Internet giants have joined forces to attack parts of the Government’s proposed new snooping Bill. Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo criticised plans to force firms to help security services hack into devices as “very dangerous” and called for several changes to the draft legislation. The draft Investigatory Powers Bill unveiled last year includes a requirement for internet firms to store records of data relating to people’s web and social media use for up to a year, and domestic communications providers will be required in law to help officers hack into suspects’ smartphones and computers. [web-laptop-snoopers-charter-pa.jpg] Read more Five things you need to know about the 'Snooper's Charter' In a 2,000-word joint statement to the committee of MPs and peers, the five US technology firms said the actions of the Government “could have far-reaching implications”. They stated that “as a general rule” users should be informed when the Government seeks access to data. They also criticised “opaque” aspects of the Bill and claimed that allowing warrants on overseas companies to be served on British-based offices “presents a risk to UK employees”. Security minister John Hayes said: “We are clear about the need for legislation that will provide law enforcement and the security and intelligence agencies with the powers they need in the digital age, subject to strict safeguards and world-leading oversight.” Press Association * More about: * Snooper's charter Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Lifestyle 2. Tech 3. News Anonymous 'declares war' on Turkey, claims responsibility for recent massive cyberattacks Anonymous threatened to attack the digital infrastructure of Turkey's banks, airports and government * Doug Bolton * @DougieBolton * Wednesday 23 December 2015 10:16 BST * A man wearing an Anonymous-style Guy Fawkes mask sites in Taksim Square in Istanbul during 2013's anti-government protests A man wearing an Anonymous-style Guy Fawkes mask sites in Taksim Square in Istanbul during 2013's anti-government protests MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images Leaderless 'hacktivist' group Anonymous has taken responsibility for a recent major cyberattack on Turkey, and have claimed they will continue waging war on the country's internet services due to their belief that the Turkish government is helping Isis. A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on Turkey's internet between 14 and 21 December took around 400,000 websites offline, according to Turkish media, after they were overloaded with huge amounts of traffic. The attack, which was reportedly the biggest in Turkey's history, was only stopped when the Turkish cybersecurity agency stopped all foreign internet traffic from accessing Turkish websites, essentially closing the country's digital borders to the outside world. [Anonymous.jpg] Read more Anonymous declares war on Donald Trump over Muslim comments In a video apparently produced by Anonymous-linked hackers, a computer-generated voice said: "As many of you have heard, Turkey is supporting Daesh [Isis] by buying oil from them and hospitalising their fighters." "We won't accept that [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, the leader of Turkey, will help Isis any longer. The news media has already stated that Turkey's internet has been the victim of massive DDoS attacks." "Dear Government of Turkey, if you don't stop supporting Isis, we will continue attacking your internet, your root DNS [the foundation of Turkey's internet], your banks and take your government sites down." Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets * * * * * 5 show all Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets * * * * * * 1/5 Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border * 2/5 Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border * 3/5 Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border * 4/5 Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border * 5/5 Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border "After the root DNS we will start to hit your airports, military assets and private state connections. We will destroy your critical banking infrastructure." "Stop this insanity now, Turkey. Your fate is in your hands." Read more * Anonymous declares war on Donald Trump over Muslim comments * Anonymous activists take down website of Japanese PM * Anonymous asks public for help in mocking Isis on 'trolling day' Anonymous is completely leaderless and has no real 'official' web presence - anyone with a computer can make a video or start a Twitter account and begin declaring attacks in Anonymous's name, making it hard to tell how real this threat is and how genuine their claims to the Turkish cyberattacks really are. At the time of the attacks, there was speculation that the hackers responsible could have been acting on behalf of the Russian government, after Turkish missiles downed a Russian fighter jet over the Syrian border in November. However, Anonymous has performed a number of high-profile operations in recent months, taking down Isis-linked websites and Twitter accounts and releasing the names and personal information of around 1,000 alleged Ku Klux Klan members. Past Anonymous DDoS attacks have also disabled websites belonging to a number of governments and major companies around the world. The latest declaration of war from Anonymous appears to be part of the ongoing #OpIsis, an operation which has been attacking the terrorist group's presence on the internet since the start of the year. Turkey has long been accused of supporting Isis, with Russian President Vladimir Putin labelling the government "accomplices of terrorists" after the jet was shot down. * More about: * Islamic State * Russia * Anonymous * Hacking * cyberattack * Turkey * President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Voices How my run-in with Chinese censorship shows the country as more than a global Big Brother World View: The life of Aung San Suu Kyi, who successfully confronted dictatorship, is too sensitive for publication in China * Peter Popham * @peterpopham * Sunday 3 January 2016 18:08 BST * The life of Aung San Suu Kyi, who successfully confronted dictatorship, is too sensitive for publication in China The life of Aung San Suu Kyi, who successfully confronted dictatorship, is too sensitive for publication in China EPA Whatever else the New Year may bring, one thing is certain: more than ever before, the planet will find itself at the mercy of China. If its economy continues to flourish, we in Europe may enjoy stability, and perhaps modest growth. If its economy crashes, all bets are off. The People’s Republic’s burgeoning power is not all bad. Its potential for good was demonstrated at the recent climate conference in Paris, where its about-turn made the difference between success and failure. Faced with ecological Armageddon, China has grasped the dangers of galloping economic growth. And because it is an authoritarian state, we can be fairly confident that it will now go on to do something about it – on a scale that can make a difference. But China’s actions and policies are often not as clear and decisive as its government would like the world to believe. Because it is a one-party state with a neutered mainstream media, emerging from the historic culture of East Asia where discretion, tact and “face” have always been valued highly, China succeeds in giving the impression of a vast nation acting like a single awesome machine. But in my own experience the reality is rather different. [china-games-afp.jpg] Read more Great firewall of China gets higher as censors tighten grip Four years ago my biography of Aung San Suu Kyi, The Lady and the Peacock, was published in the UK and the US. The Chinese language rights were snapped up by Linking Publishing Co in Taiwan and the edition of the book in the complex characters used in the island became a bestseller. The struggle of an indomitable Asian woman to rescue her country from tyranny was hugely appealing to a Chinese readership. The book’s success did not go unnoticed in Beijing, and after a while a mainland publisher approached my agent about producing a version in the simplified characters used in the People’s Republic. I was told there would have to be some cuts, and when I found myself in Beijing speaking at a literary festival I visited the publisher’s offices to discuss them. Any form of censorship is undesirable, but I take the view that some cuts may be worth accepting if they are the price for getting one’s ideas across to a large new readership. When the story concerns a champion of democracy confronting a one-party state, the opportunity is especially appealing. At the publisher’s office I asked what cuts they had in mind. Various delicate passages were mentioned: anything showing the PRC in a bad light was going to be taboo. But one curious point of sensitivity sticks in my memory. The nice young woman in charge of the translation pointed out that the word “communist” appeared several times in the book. I had recorded that an uncle of Suu Kyi was the leader of the Burmese Communist Party. She wasn’t sure that this would get past the censors. Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy * * * * * 7 show all Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy * * * * * * * * 1/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Surveillance Camera, 2010 Ai Weiwei * 2/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Coloured Vases, 2006 Ai Weiwei * 3/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Table and Pillar, 2002 Ai Weiwei * 4/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Free Speech Puzzle, 2014 Ai Weiwei * 5/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Video Recorder, 2010 Ai Weiwei * 6/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, Remains, 2015 Ai Weiwei * 7/7 Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy Ai Weiwei, I.O.U. Wallpaper, 2011-13 Ai Weiwei How could the use of the word “communist” be an issue in the world’s biggest communist state? I was baffled. But some months later, before any decision could be taken about cuts, my agent forwarded me an apologetic mail from the publisher: the policy on publishing politically sensitive works had been tightened (Xi Jinping had recently come to power), and no licence to publish my book would now be forthcoming. The publisher was very sorry, and paid a decent kill fee in compensation. Bizarrely, exactly the same thing has just happened all over again: my Chinese literary Groundhog Day. Another Beijing publisher approached my agent about the rights. We started discussing an advance, royalties, print run and so on, and I felt it prudent this time to insert a kill fee into the contract. But before it could be signed, word came that publication had again been blocked. “So frustrated to let you know that the publisher still cannot be allowed to publish this title in China,” the Chinese agent wrote. “We both pour much of the time and energy into this project so are also feel [sic] very depressed to hear this news.” Read more * Suu Kyi edges closer to power after meeting with Burma’s army chief * Chinese court convicts prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang * The 10 biggest business stories of 2015 * China ditches one-child policy – and launches two-child policy I like to think that this saga has a positive message. Behind its monolithic exterior, its awful government-approved newspapers, its poker-faced leaders and rubber-stamp parliament, the People’s Republic teems with people and organisations doing their best to make their country a more human, less repressive, more open-minded place. They don’t have an easy time of it and – as happened with my two publishers – the big foot of authority is ever ready to stamp on their endeavours. But they keep on trying! I start the year in hope of a third offer of publication from another plucky Beijing publisher. This time, with Suu Kyi installed in power, it might even come to pass. These Chinese publishers are not alone in challenging state dogma. The only foreign embassy in London with a permanent demonstration on its doorstep is China’s, with round-the-clock protesters from the blacklisted religious group Falun Gong parked across from their front door. The career of the artist Ai Weiwei, successively imprisoned and commissioned, intimidated and applauded, exposes a state with a scary propensity to bully its citizens, but a citizenry increasingly disinclined to take it. We need to see China less as a global Big Brother than as one billion-plus souls desperate to connect with the rest of the world. And slowly succeeding in doing so. * More about: * China * Aung San Suu Kyi * Censorship * Ai Weiwei Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. Voices + GOSH Appeal + Grace Dent + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Howard Jacobson + John Rentoul + Mark Steel + Voices in Danger 3. Culture + TV + radio + Film + Music + Books + Art + Theatre + dance 4. Lifestyle + Travel + Fashion + beauty + Food + Health + Love + sex 5. Tech + Tech news + Tech culture + Gaming 6. Sport + Football + Transfers + Rugby union + Cricket + Tennis + Golf + Motor racing + US sport 7. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. Voices Surveillance Bill: Theresa May should be aware how un-British spying on ourselves is The Home Secretary's attempts to strengthen surveillance powers at home runs counter to her party’s traditions * Bernard Porter * Saturday 2 January 2016 21:33 BST * Theresa May Theresa May Getty In seeking to extend the state’s powers of surveillance over its citizens, Theresa May’s Draft Investigatory Powers Bill is flouting a long tradition in British history. I’m not sure that the Government is aware of this. Conservatives are supposed to respect tradition as the soil in which “British values” are sown. Hence their enthusiasm for history teaching in school. But they may not realise how important the principle of not spying on their citizens was in the past. Books and television programmes on Britain’s “secret service” trace it back to Francis Walsingham in the 16th century, which is fair enough; but not if it is also assumed that it must have gone on between then and now. In fact, for a long period in the 19th century, Britain abjured this kind of thing. She left herself effectively spyless, however unlikely that must seem today. So, the secret service wasn’t a “tradition”. Traditions must be joined up. [5-GCHQ-get.jpg] Read more Concessions to surveillance bill unlikely to head off peer revolt The reasons why spying was rejected may be instructive. It was considered ungentlemanly. It could lead to abuse. “Men whose business it is to detect hidden and secret things,” wrote Anthony Trollope in 1869, “are very apt to detect things that have never been done.” The Victorians had learned that from their earlier history, in more revolutionary days, when spies had often morphed into agents provocateurs or worse. Another important reason was the damage it could do to the trust between rulers and the ruled, on which stable government depended. “Should the practice of spydom become universal,” pronounced The Times in 1859, “farewell to all domestic confidence and happiness.” The novelist Mayne Reid thought that, once introduced, even on a small scale, its effect would be “wedge-like… cleaving the columns of our glory and sapping the foundations of our dear liberty”. Read more * Surveillance plans 'could put citizens, economy and internet at risk' * UK spying laws should be scrapped, Anderson report says * Government rewrites surveillance law to get away with hacking In the early 20th century, when the modern secret service was born, some came to suspect that unscrupulous politicians or agents might harness it against democratically elected governments that they didn’t like. (Doubts still remain over the Zinoviev letter of 1924, and the so-called Wilson plot of the late 1960s.) Next, spying was fundamentally illiberal. Hence Erskine May, the great British constitutional theorist, in 1863: “Men may be without restraints upon their liberty: they may pass to and fro at pleasure, but if their steps are tracked by spies and informers, their words noted down for crimination, their associates watched as conspirators – who shall say that they are free?” Finally, and perhaps most importantly: spying was what the French did. In the 19th century, France was the country Britain measured and identified herself against. A ghastly series of murders in east London in 1811 prompted some contemporaries to call for a more effective detective force to prevent such things. This was Earl Dudley’s response: “They have an admirable police at Paris. But they pay for it dear enough. I had rather half-a-dozen people’s throats be cut in Ratcliffe Highway every three or four years than be subject to domiciliary visits, spies, and all the rest of Fouché’s contrivances.” (Joseph Fouché was Napoleon’s much-reviled minister of police.) So, whatever the advantages of a “detective” police might be, France illustrated the downside. Spylessness was a crucial identifier of the British against the French. (Also, incidentally, automatic asylum for foreign refugees, even terrorists.) This could be taken to surprising lengths. In 1851, a Metropolitan Police sergeant was demoted for hiding behind a tree to observe “an indecent offence”. The reason why early policemen were given their silly tall hats was so that no one would suspect them of being “under cover”. When an infant plain-clothes branch was formed in the 1860s, it had to be disbanded almost immediately when three of its four senior officers were found to have been implicated in a betting fraud. That seemed to bear out the anti-spy prejudice. The same arguments were repeated later, when London was subjected to “terrorist” threats in the 1880s (Irish Fenians) and the 1900s (foreign anarchists). In response to these, the government set up a “political” (“Special”) branch that used spies and informers; and later – around 1910 – MI5 was founded to deal (mainly) with the German spy threat. But both were largely manned by Irishmen and ex-colonial officials, whose policing traditions were less liberal. And both were kept strictly hidden from the public. It may be this that fuelled the suspicions which have hovered over Britain’s secret policing and intelligence agencies from that time onwards. Secrecy is almost bound to provoke mistrust and even paranoia. Some of that may be undeserved. On the other hand, it also provides a cover behind which these agencies can abuse their positions if they want without being brought to book. In the 20th century, this was exacerbated by the fact that members of MI5, in particular, were often ex-colonial hands, or people trusted by them – politically right-wing, in other words; which affected – to put it mildly – the objectivity of the intelligence that they provided. It is some of these people who will have been responsible for plots against Labour governments in the past. No wonder the left distrusts them. The answer is probably not to do away with them. Circumstances are obviously very different now from what they were then – including the Islamist terrorist threat, in particular – and public opinion clearly not as shocked by our transformation into something of a surveillance state as almost any transplanted Victorian would have been. But the Government should be aware of how un-British its Draft Investigatory Powers Bill is in historical terms. And should learn from the abuses of the past. The way to do that is to make the secret services more transparent and fully accountable to democracy. Secret services are always problematic; secret secret services, however, are even more so. Bernard Porter is the author of 'Plots and Paranoia: A History of Political Espionage in Britain 1790-1988' and 'British Imperial: What the Empire Wasn’t' * More about: * Surveillance * Theresa May Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] * * * 1. News + Davos summit + UK + US + World + People + Politics + Business + Science + Media + Obituaries 2. 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Read our Privacy and Cookies policies to find out more. 1. News 2. Business 3. Business News Cyber attackers have stolen bank details of one fifth of UK customers Some 21 per cent of people living in the UK had their bank accounts used to buy goods and services as results of cyber-security breach * Zlata Rodionova * Monday 23 November 2015 10:48 BST * Banks fear imminent Russian cyber-attack Banks fear imminent Russian cyber-attack Reuters Data protection will soon become UK consumers number one priority as new study reveals that one in five Brits have had personal details stolen used as a result of a cyber-security breach. Some 21 per cent of people living in the UK had their bank accounts used to buy goods and services as results of cyber-security breach, according to new research by business advisory firm Deloitte. The survey of nearly 1,500 UK customers found that over 70 per cent would reconsider using a company if it failed to keep their data safe. IFRAME: //datawrapper.dwcdn.net/uGAcL/3/ However, more than half don’t know the exact details of the information that has been collected and just 23 per cent believe that companies are being transparent about it. IFRAME: //datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ylVaC/2/ “The volume and value of data available online means that consumers are now more exposed than ever before,” said Simon Browick director in the cyber risk services team at Deloitte “Many organisations are struggling to prepare themselves to deal with the wide range of different cyber-attacks. Cyber security has moved beyond simply being an IT issue; it is now a business-wide risk which requires immediate attention at the highest level,” he added. IFRAME: //datawrapper.dwcdn.net/p9zJl/2/ Since 2013, there has been a significant increase in the number of consumers taking action following a security breach. More than 75 per of respondents would conduct a security review after a cyber-attack, up from 52 per cent in 2013 or reduce their online activity altogether. IFRAME: //datawrapper.dwcdn.net/opckr/1/ Ben Perkins, head of consumer business research at Deloitte, said: “Consumers have been very clear in their message to businesses and third party organisations: data security is paramount. “At the same time, consumers now have greater awareness of cyber-crime and internet fraud and are, perhaps understandably, more distrustful of companies looking after their data. * More about: * Cyber attack * Cyber Security Comments [i100.png] Most Popular Video Sponsored Features * Follow us: * * * User Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie Policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint Form * Contact Us * Contributors * All Topics * Archive * Newsletters * iJobs * Subscriptions * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Evening Standard * Novaya Gazeta * Install our Apps [p?c1=2&c2=10476312&cv=2.0&cj=1] #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu How to Make Privacy Policies Better, in Two Easy Steps * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousNew Orleans Is Still Not Prepared for the Next Storm What Do Americans Really Think About Education Policy?next story How to Make Privacy Policies Better, in Two Easy Steps Okay, they’re not so easy. But they would save us from the eternal amend-then-freak-out cycle. [lead_960.jpg?1440513320] Daniel Ek, Spotify's CEO, speaks during a May press event in New York. Shannon Stapleton / Reuters We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Robinson Meyer * Aug 25, 2015 * Technology The end of last week saw one of those tech stories that runs the cycle—from Twitter outrage to corporate chagrin—in less than 48 hours. Here’s what happened: On Thursday, a major tech company (in this case, Spotify) debuted a new privacy policy. The policy permitted the software to access more information than seemed reasonable (in this case, a user’s photos, contacts, and GPS location), and people were upset. They had no easy way to opt out of the new contract: They either had to agree to it or leave the service. Late that night, a nerd hero (in this case, Markus Persson, the developer of Minecraft) told the service on Twitter that he had cancelled his subscription and that the company should be ashamed of itself. (His words: “Please consider not being evil.”) More corporate shaming from less high-profile nerds ensued Friday morning, as pundits more sympathetic to the needs of venture capital in turn condescended users. By noon in California, it was all over: The company had clarified its policy and apologized for not communicating better. Fin. Another privacy-policy scandal managed, another variant on corporate Big Brother avoided. (Though a Spotify-driven surveillance regime would look less like 1984’s Oceania and more like The Apple’s disco-dystopian West Berlin.) So privacy policies could nicely disappear from the tech news slate—at least, until the next scandal. And there will be a next scandal. The agita over Spotify’s privacy policy resembled disputes just this year over other companies’s privacy policies—like Samsung’s and Uber’s—as well as the the cyclical fretting over Facebook’s reach. These scandals have attained a degree of predictability: They are almost as formulaic as the legalese of the policies themselves. But beyond the cycle of discovery, outrage, and apologetic adjustment, there are deeper problems. The way lawyers, executives, and developers address user privacy just doesn’t work that well. Neither consumers nor corporations benefit from our current amend-then-freak-out regime. That’s partly because, if we’re being honest, privacy policies are kinda boring. They’re how new and shiny consumer software gets scaffolded in mundanity. Just like how, when your new Cuisinart or Frigidaire arrives, no one looks at the manual that comes with it. The sum is that no one wants to think about privacy policies except during a crisis—and corporations want to avoid a crisis. So when they do have to amend their policies, companies are reluctant to provide too much information lest they initiate a negative PR cycle. But that reluctance leads them to state their privacy policy expansively or in forbidding legalese—and then they invite that same crisis, as users interpret the policy in the worst way. This traps both consumers and companies in a cycle of bad faith. As the privacy consultant Jonathan Salem Baskin put it: The fait accompli behind privacy practices is that businesses have the right to intrude massively into customer’s lives and, since the policies are legal agreements (often executed by nothing more than their tolerance), people have made consciously willing trades: their privacy for better playlists, or shoe ads. This just isn’t true, since few people understand those transactions. It also violates every conceivable psychological or sociological model of how humans define and manage their privacy, which depend on two parties learning to trust and reveal information to one another over time. “It doesn’t have to be like this,” Baskin wrote. “There’s nothing inherently wrong with customers sharing their personal information or behavior, nor with companies using it to improve their operations and, gasp, profiting from it.” The situation could also be improved with two different specific adjustments, one legal and one technical. Legally, the tech-policy writer Logan Koepke (who, full disclosure, is a friend of mine) advocates that companies should announce a new privacy policy whenever they change. Right now, most consumer-tech companies only announce changes whenever they make “material” changes to their policy. (The last time the Federal Trade Commission issued guidance on privacy policies, in 2009, it recommended that process.) But that means that it’s up to tech companies to decide which changes are material and which are not—which sets up a potentially adversarial relationship between company and consumer. If companies instead notified users of every change to their privacy policy, they will be more skittish about making any change, Koepke believes, and more likely to frame the changes they do make in more public-facing language. The benefits of this would then accumulate over time: Once a more user-respecting privacy regime is mandatory, companies will compete on privacy. Medium has since changed its privacy policy accordingly, and it now notifies users whenever it makes a change to its policies. The FTC should encourage similar companies to do the same. * * * If a regulatory change looks unlikely, though, there is a technical intervention that Apple and Google could make. To explain how, it’s worth getting into the nitty-gritty of the Spotify flap. One of the clauses that most worried users was the following: Depending on the type of device that you use to interact with the Service and your settings, we may also collect information about your location based on, for example, your phone’s GPS location or other forms of locating mobile devices (e.g., Bluetooth). The company says this access was needed for its new Running feature, announced in July, that monitored someone’s jogging pace and served them tunes appropriately. And when the company’s CEO, Daniel Ek, explained the new policy on Friday, he said that that type of data collection would always require a user’s permission: We will never gather or use the location of your mobile device without your explicit permission. We would use it to help personalize recommendations or to keep you up to date about music trending in your area. (Wired’s coverage, by the way, is revealing about how dissonant the tech industry’s thinking about privacy is right now: A feature described innocuously in Spotify’s “lovely” and “powerful” “hunt for the perfect playlist” on July 20 becomes, exactly a month later, something “eerie” that the user “can’t do squat about.”) On Twitter, Nick Seaver, an incoming anthropology professor at Tufts University, pointed that the social costs of Spotify’s privacy policy emerged from social and technical limitations. “The creepiness isn’t in using GPS for the running feature or whatever, it’s in asking for GPS access independent of a specific use,” he wrote. “In normal social interaction, you can tell someone where you are for a while without giving them ‘forever access’ to your location.” To Seaver, this makes the case for “seamfulness” in design: Software should be asking for permission to use personal data more, not less. Currently, many designers aim for a “seamless” experience and take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to app privacy. The Facebook app on the iPhone, for instance, has to ask for permission the first time it tries to access the phone’s photos, camera, or GPS location—but once a user has given access, it never has to ask again. (“Seamlessness” as a goal resembles Facebook’s infamous “frictionless sharing.”) This seamlessness is a software problem. On iOS, users can be specific about what kind of data an app can access: It can see their photos, for instance, but not their location. But once they’ve given it that access the first time, the app never asks again. A user has to go manually turn off permissions in the phone’s settings to restrict access. Android users, meanwhile, can’t even give apps permission with that level of granularity yet. It will be a feature in the next major update. Imagine if, right before a run, Spotify asked for 60 minutes of access to your GPS location. If you still seemed on the move 55 minutes later, it would ask for another hour of access. That seems to me like a better trade: Not all the access, all the time, wherever; but access right now, for a little while, here. Apple or Google could encourage this practice simply by making that feature possible at the operating-system level. It would be more seamful, and it would be more trustworthy. Such a technical advance would still require companies to communicate their privacy policies better to users—would require them to turn privacy policies from standalone, hedging, anxious land grabs into “living, breathing documents that represent a company’s culture,” as Koepke put it. But doing so would save both companies and users significant distress, taking us out of the cycle of wonder and shock. * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Robinson Meyer is an associate editor at The Atlantic, where he covers technology. + Twitter + Email Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. [ld+json] ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ [State_________________] __________ United States_______ ____________________ Order Now Fraud Alert regarding The Atlantic Newsletters+ * The Atlantic * [ ] The Atlantic Daily * [ ] This Week * [ ] This Month * [ ] New Photo Galleries * [ ] Top Videos This Week * CityLab * [ ] Today’s Top Stories * [ ] This Week's Most Popular Stories * [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. * ____________________ * Sign up Follow+ * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store About+ * Masthead * FAQ * Press * Jobs * Shop * Books * Emporium * Contact Us * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Advertising Guidelines * Terms and Conditions * Subscriber Help * Site Map Copyright © 2016 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. (BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu By 2025, the Definition of 'Privacy' Will Have Changed * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousDonate Your Voice to CharityDon't Count These Actors Out of the Oscar Race Quite Yetnext story By 2025, the Definition of 'Privacy' Will Have Changed In a new paper from Pew, experts warn that surveillance-free spaces are disappearing. [lead_large.jpg?1430148614] Alexandre Dulaunoy/Flickr We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Adrienne LaFrance * Dec 18, 2014 * Technology When living a public life becomes the new default, what does privacy even mean? That's one of the central questions in a new report about the future of privacy from Pew Research Center, which collected the opinions of more than 2,500 experts in computer programming, engineering, publishing, data science, and related fields. Some respondents told Pew they are confident that policymakers will, in the next decade, establish privacy rights that protect individuals from government and corporate surveillance. (In the United States, there are practically no protections for individuals against the companies and governments that track them.) But many others are pessimistic about the possibility that such a framework might come about in the next 10 years ago—or ever. Experts agreed, though, that our expectations about personal privacy are changing dramatically. While privacy once generally meant, "I assume no one is looking," as one respondent put it, the public is beginning to accept the opposite: that someone usually is. And whether or not people accept it, that new normal—public life and mass surveillance as a default—will become a component of the ever-widening socioeconomic divide. Privacy as we know it today will become a luxury commodity. Opting out will be for the rich. To some extent that's already true. Consider the supermarkets that require you to fill out an application—including your name, address, phone number, and so on—in order to get a rewards card that unlocks coupons. Here's what Kate Crawford, a researcher who focuses on ethics in the age of big data, told Pew: In the next 10 years, I would expect to see the development of more encryption technologies and boutique services for people prepared to pay a premium for greater control over their data. This is the creation of privacy as a luxury good. It also has the unfortunate effect of establishing a new divide: the privacy rich and the privacy poor. Whether genuine control over your information will be extended to the majority of people—and for free—seems very unlikely, without a much stronger policy commitment. And there's little incentive for the entities that benefit from a breakdown in privacy to change the way they operate. In order to get more robust privacy protections—like terms of service agreements that are actually readable to non-lawyers, or rules that let people review the personal information that data brokers collect about them—many experts agree that individuals will have to demand them. But even that may not work. Where there's tension between convenience and privacy, individuals are already primed to give up their right to be left alone. For instance, consider the Facebook user who feels uneasy about the site's interest in her personal data but determines quitting isn't an option because she'd be giving up the easiest way to stay in touch with friends and family. That mentality is changing the way people think about their rights in the first place. “By 2025, many of the issues, behaviors, and information we consider to be private today will not be so," said Homero Gil de Zuniga, director of the Digital Media Research Program at the University of Texas-Austin, in the Pew report. "Information will be even more pervasive, even more liquid, and portable. The digital private sphere, as well as the digital public sphere, will most likely completely overlap.” In other words, the conveniences of the modern world will likely dictate privacy norms. This is already happening all around us. As the media critic Mark Andrejevic points out to Pew, many people today treat email as though it's equivalent to a private face-to-face conversation. It is not. "We will continue to act as if we have what we once called ‘privacy,’" Andrejevic told Pew, "but we will know, on some level, that much of what we do is recorded, captured, and retrievable, and even further, that this information will provide comprehensive clues about aspects of our lives that we imagined to be somehow exempt from data collection." "We are embarked, irreversibly, I suspect, upon a trajectory toward a world in which those spaces, times, and spheres of activity free from data collection and monitoring will, for all practical purposes, disappear." * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Adrienne LaFrance is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers technology. She was previously an investigative reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat, Nieman Journalism Lab, and WBUR. + Twitter Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. [ld+json] ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ [State_________________] __________ United States_______ ____________________ Order Now Fraud Alert regarding The Atlantic Newsletters+ * The Atlantic * [ ] The Atlantic Daily * [ ] This Week * [ ] This Month * [ ] New Photo Galleries * [ ] Top Videos This Week * CityLab * [ ] Today’s Top Stories * [ ] This Week's Most Popular Stories * [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. * ____________________ * Sign up Follow+ * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store About+ * Masthead * FAQ * Press * Jobs * Shop * Books * Emporium * Contact Us * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Advertising Guidelines * Terms and Conditions * Subscriber Help * Site Map Copyright © 2016 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. (BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu Why Does Privacy Matter? One Scholar's Answer * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousCan Someone Please Explain How This Michelle Malkin Video Is Funny?Emmylou Harris: Better Collaborator Than Soloist (and That's a Good Thing)next story Why Does Privacy Matter? One Scholar's Answer We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Jathan Sadowski * Feb 26, 2013 * Technology If we want to protect privacy, we should be more clear about why it is important. 7483010074_cd45e2bfcd_o-6152.jpg Neo_II/Flickr/Rebecca J. Rosen Our privacy is now at risk in unprecedented ways, but, sadly, the legal system is lagging behind the pace of innovation. Indeed, the last major privacy law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, was passed in 1986! While an update to the law -- spurred on by the General Petraeus scandal -- is in the works, it only aims to add some more protection to electronic communication like emails. This still does not shield our privacy from other, possibly nefarious, ways that our data can be collected and put to use. Some legislators would much rather not have legal restrictions that could, as Rep. Marsha Blackburn stated in an op-ed, "threaten the lifeblood of the Internet: data." Consider Rep. Blackburn's remarks during an April 2010 Congressional hearing: "[A]nd what happens when you follow the European privacy model and take information out of the information economy? ... Revenues fall, innovation stalls and you lose out to innovators who choose to work elsewhere." Even though the practices of many companies such as Facebook are legal, there is something disconcerting about them. Privacy should have a deeper purpose than the one ascribed to it by those who treat it as a currency to be traded for innovation, which in many circumstances seems to actually mean corporate interests. To protect our privacy, we need a better understanding of its purpose and why it is valuable. That's where Georgetown University law professor Julie E. Cohen comes in. In a forthcoming article for the Harvard Law Review, she lays out a strong argument that addresses the titular concern "What Privacy Is For." Her approach is fresh, and as technology critic Evgeny Morozov rightly tweeted, she wrote "the best paper on privacy theory you'll get to read this year." (He was referring to 2012.) At bottom, Cohen's argument criticizes the dominant position held by theorists and legislators who treat privacy as just an instrument used to advance some other principle or value, such as liberty, inaccessibility, or control. Framed this way, privacy is relegated to one of many defenses we have from things like another person's prying eyes, or Facebook's recent attempts to ramp up its use of facial-recognition software and collect further data about us without our explicit consent. As long as the principle in question can be protected through some other method, or if privacy gets in the way of a different desirable goal like innovation, it is no longer useful and can be disregarded. Cohen doesn't think we should treat privacy as a dispensable instrument. To the contrary, she argues privacy is irreducible to a "fixed condition or attribute (such as seclusion or control) whose boundaries can be crisply delineated by the application of deductive logic. Privacy is shorthand for breathing room to engage in the process of ... self-development." What Cohen means is that since life and contexts are always changing, privacy cannot be reductively conceived as one specific type of thing. It is better understood as an important buffer that gives us space to develop an identity that is somewhat separate from the surveillance, judgment, and values of our society and culture. Privacy is crucial for helping us manage all of these pressures -- pressures that shape the type of person we are -- and for "creating spaces for play and the work of self-[development]." Cohen argues that this self-development allows us to discover what type of society we want and what we should do to get there, both factors that are key to living a fulfilled life. Woodrow Hartzog and Evan Selinger make similar arguments in a recent article on the value of "obscurity." When structural constraints prevent unwanted parties from getting to your data, obscurity protections are in play. These protections go beyond preventing companies from exploiting our information for their financial gain. They safeguard democratic societies by furthering "autonomy, self-fulfillment, socialization, and relative freedom from the abuse of power." In light of these considerations, what's really at stake in a feature like Facebook's rumored location-tracking app? You might think it is a good idea to willfully hand over your data in exchange for personalized coupons or promotions, or to broadcast your location to friends. But consumption -- perusing a store and buying stuff -- and quiet, alone time are both important parts of how we define ourselves. If how we do that becomes subject to ever-present monitoring it can, if even unconsciously, change our behaviors and self-perception. In this sense, we will be developing an identity that is absent of privacy and subject to surveillance; we must decide if we really want to live in a society that treats every action as a data point to be analyzed and traded like currency. The more we allow for constant tracking, the more difficult it becomes to change the way that technologies are used to encroach on our lives. Privacy is not just something we enjoy. It is something that is necessary for us to: develop who we are; form an identity that is not dictated by the social conditions that directly or indirectly influence our thinking, decisions, and behaviors; and decide what type of society we want to live in. Whether we like it or not constant data collection about everything we do -- like the kind conducted by Facebook and an increasing number of other companies -- shapes and produces our actions. We are different people when under surveillance than we are when enjoying some privacy. And Cohen's argument illuminates how the breathing room provided by privacy is essential to being a complete, fulfilled person. * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Jathan Sadowski studies applied ethics and the human and social dimensions of science and technology at Arizona State University. + Twitter Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. 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(BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu Obscurity: A Better Way to Think About Your Data Than 'Privacy' * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousMy Dream College Won't Accept Me Because I'm a WomanThe Future of Medical Recordsnext story Obscurity: A Better Way to Think About Your Data Than 'Privacy' Obscurity is a protective state that can further a number of goals, such as autonomy, self-fulfillment, socialization, and relative freedom from the abuse of power. We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Woodrow Hartzog and Evan Selinger * Jan 17, 2013 * Technology Obscurity is a protective state that can further a number of goals, such as autonomy, self-fulfillment, socialization, and relative freedom from the abuse of power. 102029925_d14d2e8b69_b-615.jpg (tajai/Flickr) Facebook's announcement of its new Graph search tool on Tuesday set off yet another round of rapid-fire analysis about whether Facebook is properly handling its users' privacy. Unfortunately, most of the rapid-fire analysts haven't framed the story properly. Yes, Zuckerberg appears to be respecting our current privacy settings. And, yes, there just might be more stalking ahead. Neither framing device, however, is adequate. If we rely too much on them, we'll miss the core problem: the more accessible our Facebook information becomes, the less obscurity protects our interests. While many debates over technology and privacy concern obscurity, the term rarely gets used. This is unfortunate, as "privacy" is an over-extended concept. It grabs our attention easily, but is hard to pin down. Sometimes, people talk about privacy when they are worried about confidentiality. Other times they evoke privacy to discuss issues associated with corporate access to personal information. Fortunately, obscurity has a narrower purview. Obscurity is the idea that when information is hard to obtain or understand, it is, to some degree, safe. Safety, here, doesn't mean inaccessible. Competent and determined data hunters armed with the right tools can always find a way to get it. Less committed folks, however, experience great effort as a deterrent. Online, obscurity is created through a combination of factors. Being invisible to search engines increases obscurity. So does using privacy settings and pseudonyms. Disclosing information in coded ways that only a limited audience will grasp enhances obscurity, too. Since few online disclosures are truly confidential or highly publicized, the lion's share of communication on the social web falls along the expansive continuum of obscurity: a range that runs from completely hidden to totally obvious. Discussion of obscurity in the case law remains sparse. Consequently, the concept remains under-theorized as courts continue their seemingly Sisyphean struggle with finding meaning in the concept of privacy. Legal debates surrounding obscurity can be traced back at least to U.S. Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (1989). In this decision, the United States Supreme Court recognized a privacy interest in the "practical obscurity" of information that was technically available to the public, but could only be found by spending a burdensome and unrealistic amount of time and effort in obtaining it. Since this decision, discussion of obscurity in the case law remains sparse. Consequently, the concept remains under-theorized as courts continue their seemingly Sisyphean struggle with finding meaning in the concept of privacy. Many contemporary privacy disputes are probably better classified as concern over losing obscurity. Consider the recent debate over whether a newspaper violated the privacy rights of gun owners by publishing a map comprised of information gleaned from public records. The situation left many scratching their heads. After all, how can public records be considered private? What obscurity draws our attention to, is that while the records were accessible to any member of the public prior to the rise of big data, more effort was required to obtain, aggregate, and publish them. In that prior context, technological constraints implicitly protected privacy interests. Now, in an attempt to keep pace with diminishing structural barriers, New York is considering excepting gun owners from "public records laws that normally allow newspapers or private citizens access to certain information the government collects." The obscurity of public records and other legally available information is at issue in recent disputes over publishing mug shots and homeowner defaults. Likewise, claims for "privacy in public," as occur in discussion over license-plate readers, GPS trackers, and facial recognition technologies, are often pleas for obscurity that get either miscommunicated or misinterpreted as insistence that one's public interactions should remain secret. Obscurity received some attention when Facebook previously rolled out Timeline. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, for example, was dismayed by how easy the design made it to retrieve past posts -- including ones that previously required extensive manual searching to locate. Alas, the two dominant ways of discussing Graph have not had that same focus on obscurity. One narrative suggests that since Graph will only reveal information to users that was previously visible to them or publicly shared, it presents no new privacy issues. As Facebook hammered home, a user's original privacy settings are neither altered nor violated. According to Kashmir Hill, "Zuckerberg and crew emphasized the 'privacy awareness' of the new search engine." "You want a search tool that gives you access to just things that people have shared with you," said Zuckerberg. "I can only search for what I can already see on Facebook," added director of product management, Tom Stocky. "You can only search for the content people have shared with you," re-emphasized software developer Lars Rasmussen. Respecting Facebook users' privacy settings is no small feature, due to the harm that can result when privacy settings are given too little weight in socio-technical design. Thanks to the soothing message and intuitive appeal of the "self-selected insiders" narrative, many reporters are spreading its gospel. Wired and CNN, among others, note Graph doesn't expose any information that wasn't already available on Facebook. Ultimately, the "you choose who to let in" narrative is powerful because it trades on traditional notions of space and boundary regulation, and further appeals to our heightened sense of individual responsibility, and, possibly even vanity. The basic message is that so long as we exercise good judgment when selecting our friends, no privacy problems will arise. What this appeal to status quo relations and existing privacy settings conceals is the transformative potential of Graph : new types of searching can emerge that, due to enhanced frequency and newly created associations between data points, weaken, and possibly obliterate obscurity. Of course, that result won't bother everyone. Some users won't miss their obscurity havens, while others will find the change dismaying. As we'll clarify shortly, those who become dismayed will have good reason for being upset. The other dominant narrative emerging is that the Graph will simplify "stalking." Kashmir Hill states, "Good news for snoops: the new tool will make Facebook stalking much easier." Megan Rose Dickey wrote an article titled "Facebook's Graph Search Is Awesome For Stalkers And Hookups." While utilization of the "stalker" frame brings us a little closer to articulating what the harm from the Graph might be, it, too, is inadequate. First, the stalking frame risks creating undue psychological associations with the more severe harms of stalking, as legally defined and prohibited. Yes, we recognize these accounts use "stalking" colloquially. But words have power, and such deliberatively evocative rhetoric unduly muddies the already murky conceptual waters. Second, because of this, the stalker frame muddies the concept, implying that the problem is people with bad intentions getting our information. Determined stalkers certainly pose a threat to the obscurity of information because they represent an increased likelihood that obscure information will be found and understood. Stalkers seek and collect information with varying degrees of rigor. But as social search moves from an atomistic to composite form, many harms resulting from loss of obscurity will likely be accidental. Well-intentioned searches can be problematic, too. Obscurity is a protective state that can further a number of goals, such as autonomy, self-fulfillment, socialization, and relative freedom from the abuse of power. Consider the following hypothetical to demonstrate this point. Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that Graph is still in beta and many new features could be added down the road. It is not a stretch to assume Graph could enable searching through the content of posts a user has liked or commented on and generating categories of interests from it. For example, users could search which of their friends are interested in politics, or, perhaps, specifically, in left-wing politics. While many Facebook users are outspoken on politics, others hold these beliefs close. For various reasons, these less-outspoken users might still support the political causes of their friends through likes and comments, but refrain from posting political material themselves. In this scenario, a user who wasn't a fan of political groups or causes, didn't list political groups or causes as interests, and didn't post political stories, could still be identified as political. The Graph would wrench these scattered showings of support from the various corners of Facebook into a composite profile that presents both obscurity and accuracy concerns. The final reason the stalker frame is not a good fit for Graph is that it implies the harm at stake is the experience of feeling "creeped out." While the term 'creepy' isn't appearing as much as with other Facebook-related stories, it is still a non-trivial aspect of the Graph narrative. As one of us has previously posited, due to its vagueness and heightened emotional resonance, 'creepy' is not a helpful term to use when identifying the harm that might result from new technologies. Some of the chatter about Graph and privacy belies the optimistic belief that Facebook will not diminish too much obscurity in order to keep consumers happy and willing to post their lives away. Facebook regularly emphasizes the importance of users believing that posting on Facebook is safe. But is it really wise to presume Facebook's financial interests align with the user interest in maintaining obscurity? In a system that purportedly relies upon user control, it is still unclear how and if users will be able to detect when their personal information is no longer obscure. How will they be able to anticipate the numerous different queries that might expose previously obscure information? Will users even be aware of all the composite results including their information? Accurately targeting the potential harms and interests at stake is only the first step in the debate about Graph and other similar technologies. Obscurity is a protective state that can further a number of goals, such as autonomy, self-fulfillment, socialization, and relative freedom from the abuse of power. A major task ahead is for society to determine how much obscurity citizens need to thrive. * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Authors * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Authors * [headshot.jpg] Woodrow Hartzog is an assistant professor at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law and affiliate scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. * [headshot.jpg] Evan Selinger is an associate professor of philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. + Twitter Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. [ld+json] ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ [State_________________] __________ United States_______ ____________________ Order Now Fraud Alert regarding The Atlantic Newsletters+ * The Atlantic * [ ] The Atlantic Daily * [ ] This Week * [ ] This Month * [ ] New Photo Galleries * [ ] Top Videos This Week * CityLab * [ ] Today’s Top Stories * [ ] This Week's Most Popular Stories * [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. * ____________________ * Sign up Follow+ * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store About+ * Masthead * FAQ * Press * Jobs * Shop * Books * Emporium * Contact Us * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Advertising Guidelines * Terms and Conditions * Subscriber Help * Site Map Copyright © 2016 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. (BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu When Big Data Meets the Blackboard * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousTaylor Swift AlmightyThe President’s Candid Garage Interviewnext story When Big Data Meets the Blackboard Do the benefits of student analytics outweigh concerns over individuals’ privacy? [lead_960.jpg?1434982342] Ina Fassbender / Reuters We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Andrew Giambrone * Jun 22, 2015 * Education The recent debate over the NSA’s surveillance policies shows just how much Americans care about privacy—perhaps on an unprecedented scale. “This is the power of an informed public,” Edward Snowden wrote of Congress’s decision this month to limit the agency’s data-collecting power. “With each court victory, with every change in the law, we demonstrate facts are more convincing than fear.” But when it comes to the future of education in the United States, what if Americans’ privacy concerns are hindering the constructive use of data, from customized student learning to better teaching performance? That’s the tension behind a growing body of education research by private companies, academics, and nonprofits alike. McKinsey’s Education Practice, for one, published an article in April that considered the pros and cons of data in schools. Citing an earlier McKinsey report, the authors argued that using student data could feed between $900 billion and $1.2 trillion into the global economy each year. More than $300 billion of that value could result from improved teaching, while other benefits could arise from more efficiently matching students to jobs and programs, estimating education costs, and allocating resources to schools, according to the report. Still, many are skeptical, fearing that student data could be used inappropriately, or for corporate purposes. As Sophie Quinton reported for National Journal, analytics have raised ethical questions on college campuses, including whether institutions are essentially surveilling their students. One study from 2012 focusing on the higher-ed sector found that nearly a quarter of education professionals surveyed were concerned about the misuse of data, regulations governing data use, and individuals’ privacy rights. But when asked about data’s potential to maximize strategic outcomes, from student progress to efficient spending, more than 80 percent of the respondents said analytics would become more important in the future. “Even if you’re doing a lot of data-tracking, you still need a thinking human to interpret it.” Similar concerns exist in K-12 schools. “Even if they don’t follow education policy, people’s ears perk up when they hear something about their own children’s data, and they can get swayed pretty quickly by groups that are fighting to maintain privacy at all costs,” says Rod Berger, the vice president of education at RANDA Solutions, a software firm based in Tennessee. K–12 schools have almost always kept track of standardized test scores and graduation rates, but only over the past decade or so have they had access to more-detailed information captured by sophisticated analytic software. This level of tracking has caused some consternation among families. Last year, a nonprofit company called inBloom, funded by $100 million in seed money from the Gates and Carnegie Foundations, shut down because parents worried that their children’s personal information—stored by inBloom to help improve academic performance in public schools across the country—could be misused, sold, or breached. InBloom recorded student grades and attendance in addition to details like family composition, free-lunch eligibility, and reasons for enrollment changes, including medical conditions. It was one of an increasing number of third-party vendors that create, license, and implement education software—an $8 billion market, by recent estimates. Reluctance to adopt data analytics across school districts may be preventing improvements to student outcomes and teacher effectiveness, according to Jimmy Sarakatsannis, one of the McKinsey article’s authors. He says parents are understandably concerned that decisions based on data could “rob the human experience from teaching and learning.” But, as a former public-school teacher in Washington, D.C., Sarakatsannis adds that most teachers strive for “personalization,” or instruction tailored to a student at a given point in time; data could help them achieve this goal. Major textbook publishers like McGraw-Hill as well as smaller ventures like ThinkCERCA, a digital package of tools and lesson plans focused on boosting literacy, have already begun to capitalize on student data—proving that making kids smarter is smart business. The public’s concerns about privacy put a significant burden on these companies—and other stakeholders, such as policymakers to school administrators—to illustrate the benefits, says Ryan Baker, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College. One way to do this, Baker says, is by measuring engagement: to what extent a student expresses interest in and motivation to learn about a particular subject. (Although experts disagree over what the term exactly means, “engagement” can typically be measured by surveying students and teachers and by observing classroom behavior.) Baker adds that tracking such data can help teachers identify which kids are struggling with which material. Of course, not all students enjoy the same subjects: a bookworm may find calculus impenetrable, while a math whiz may think history is boring. That largely leaves it up to teachers to encourage their students to go beyond their comfort zones, says Eileen Murphy Buckley, the founder and CEO of ThinkCERCA. Her company, which emphasizes the role of debate and collaboration skills in education, provides teachers and school officials with data dashboards that display an individual student’s progress. But having sophisticated information about students isn’t a cure-all for education’s challenges, Buckley notes. “There’s this dream that we will have data that will make everything adaptive, and that thinking humans won’t have to do anything anymore,” she says. “I’m not there—it’s like thinking you could successfully automate a sales force. Even if you’re doing a lot of data-tracking, you still need a thinking human to interpret it.” Reasoning Mind, a Houston-based nonprofit, does with math what ThinkCERCA does with literacy: It offers an online platform to help students advance their computational skills. George Khachatryan, the cofounder and a senior executive of the organization, says Reasoning Mind collaborates with teachers and even math Ph.D.s (called “knowledge engineers”) to develop curricula. It currently serves over 100,000 students in grades two through six, 85 percent of whom reside in Texas. Khachatryan argues that the platform has reduced student boredom, increased standardized test scores, and allowed teachers to give students targeted feedback, citing research studies the company has conducted with parental consent. “It permits a better allocation of human time,” he says. “Why should I let you collect my data? The benefits are fantastic? Now you have to reassure me you’re going to use it in a way I’m comfortable with.” Administrators can leverage student data to more fairly distribute financial resources, too. This could go a long way towards making American education more equitable across demographic groups: Under the status quo, public-school funding is regressive in many states, with schools serving disproportionate numbers of low-income students receiving fewer resources. As Susan Dynarski recently wrote in The New York Times, researchers and others rely on data to “pinpoint where poor, nonwhite, and non-English-speaking children have been educated inadequately.” Student data, in other words, could help make education the “great equalizer” it’s supposed to be. Various obstacles, including political ones, stand in the way of that vision. The public’s aversion to data-gathering—exacerbated in part by the current discourse surrounding national security and privacy—may threaten to stymie new education research. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans (54 percent) disapprove of the government collecting individuals’ phone and internet data to combat terrorism. Education may be quite different from national security, but American attitudes on privacy and personal data suffuse both. Jose Ferreira, the founder and CEO of Knewton, a New York-based company that develops adaptive-learning tools, says a lot of student data is going to waste right now; rather than being forgotten at the end of each school year or semester, it could be harnessed responsibly to drive learning outcomes. His company tracks students’ proficiencies across a variety of subjects, but will not share that information—even with teachers—unless explicitly authorized to do so by a student’s legal guardians. “If you’re going to touch people’s data, it’s very important that the benefits be clear,” he explains. “‘Why should I let you collect my data? The benefits are fantastic? Now you have to reassure me you’re going to use it in a way I’m comfortable with.’” * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Andrew Giambrone is a former editorial fellow with The Atlantic​. + Twitter Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. [ld+json] ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ [State_________________] __________ United States_______ ____________________ Order Now Fraud Alert regarding The Atlantic Newsletters+ * The Atlantic * [ ] The Atlantic Daily * [ ] This Week * [ ] This Month * [ ] New Photo Galleries * [ ] Top Videos This Week * CityLab * [ ] Today’s Top Stories * [ ] This Week's Most Popular Stories * [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. * ____________________ * Sign up Follow+ * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store About+ * Masthead * FAQ * Press * Jobs * Shop * Books * Emporium * Contact Us * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Advertising Guidelines * Terms and Conditions * Subscriber Help * Site Map Copyright © 2016 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. (BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu It's Not All About You: What Privacy Advocates Don't Get About Data Tracking on the Web * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousThinking of Buying a Stock? Check If the CEO Is Married FirstIf Employers Stop Paying Health Care, Who Wins? (Maybe, Everyone)next story It's Not All About You: What Privacy Advocates Don't Get About Data Tracking on the Web We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Alexander Furnas * Mar 15, 2012 * Technology People condemn targeted advertising for its "creepiness" but the real issue is that we are giving private companies more power. collusion_615.jpg Jonathan Zittrain noted last summer, "If what you are getting online is for free, you are not the customer, you are the product." This is just a fact: The Internet of free platforms, free services and free content is wholly subsidized by targeted advertising, the efficacy (and thus profitability) of which relies on collecting and mining user data. We experience this commodification of our attention everyday in virtually everything we do online, whether it's searching, checking email, using Facebook or reading The Atlantic Technology section on this site. That is to say, right now you are a product. Most of us, myself included, have not come to terms with what it means to "be the product." In searching for a framework to make sense of this new dynamic, often we rely on well established pre-digital notions of privacy. The privacy discourse frames the issue in an ego-centric manner, as a bargain between consumers and companies: the company will know x, y and z about me and in exchange I get free email, good recommendations, and a plethora of convenient services. But the bargain that we are making is a collective one, and the costs will be felt at a societal scale. When we think in terms of power, it is clear we are getting a raw deal: we grant private entities -- with no interest in the public good and no public accountability -- greater powers of persuasion than anyone has ever had before and in exchange we get free email. The privacy discourse is propelled by the "creepy" feeling of being under the gaze of an omniscient observer that one gets when they see targeted ads based on their data about their behavior. Charles Duhigg recently highlighted a prime example of this data-driven creepiness when he revealed that Target is able to mine purchasing behavior data to determine if a woman is pregnant, sometimes before she has even told her family. Fundamentally, people are uncomfortable with the feeling that entities know things about them that they didn't tell them, or at least that they didn't know they told them. For many people the data-for-free-stuff deal is a bargain worth making. Proponents of this hyper-targeted world tell us to "learn to love" the targeting, after all we are merely being provided with ads for "stuff you would probably like to buy." Oh, I was just thinking I needed a new widget, and here is a link to a store that sells widgets! It's great, right? The problem is that, in aggregate, this knowledge is powerful and we are granting those who gather our data far more than we realize. These data-vores are doing more than trying to ensure that everyone looking for a widget buys it from them. No, they want to increase demand. Of course, increasing demand has always been one of the goals of advertising, but now they have even more power to do it. Privacy critics worry about what Facebook, Google or Amazon knows about them, whether they will share that information or leak it, and maybe whether the government can get that information without a court order. While these concerns are legitimate, I think they are missing the broader point. Rather than caring about what they know about me, we should care about what they know about us. Detailed knowledge of individuals and their behavior coupled with the aggregate data on human behavior now available at unprecedented scale grants incredible power. Knowing about all of us - how we behave, how our behavior has changed over time, under what conditions our behavior is subject to change, and what factors are likely to impact our decision-making under various conditions - provides a roadmap for designing persuasive technologies. For the most part, the ethical implications of widespread deployment of persuasive technologies remains unexamined. Using all of the trace data we leave in our digital wakes to target ads is known as "behavioral advertising." This is what target was doing to identify pregnant women, and what Amazon does with every user and every purchase. But behavioral advertisers do more than just use your past behavior to guess what you want. Their goal is actually to alter user behavior. Companies use extensive knowledge gleaned from innumerable micro-experiments and massive user behavior data over time to design their systems to elicit the monetizable behavior that their business models demand. At levels as granular as Google testing click-through rates on 41 different shades of blue, data-driven companies have learned how to channel your attention, initiate behavior, and keep you coming back. BUY.jpg Keen awareness of human behavior has taught them to harness fundamental desires and needs, short-circuiting feedback mechanisms with instant rewards. Think of the "gamification" which now proliferates online - nearly every platform has some sort of reward or reputation point system encouraging you to tell them more about yourself. Facebook, of course, leverages our innate desires -- autobiographical identity construction and the need for interpersonal social connection -- as a means of encouraging the self-disclosure from which they profit. The persuasive power of these technologies is not overt. Indeed, the subtlety of the persuasion is part of their strength. People often react negatively if they get a sense of being "handled" or manipulated. (This sense is where the "creepiness" backlash comes from.) But the power is very real. Target, for instance, now sends coupon books with a subtle but very intentional emphasis on baby products to women who think they are pregnant, instead of more explicitly tailored offers that reveal how much the company knows. Tech theorist Bruno Latour tells us that human action is mediated and "coshaped" by artifacts and material conditions. Artifacts present "scripts" that suggest behavior. The power to design these artifacts is, then, necessarily the power to influence action. The mundane example of Amazon.com illustrates this well: The goal of this Web site is to persuade people to buy products again and again from Amazon.com. Everything on the Web site contributes to this result: user registration, tailored information, limited-time offers, third-party product reviews, one-click shopping, confirmation messages, and more. Dozens of persuasion strategies are integrated into the overall experience. Although the Amazon online experience may appear to be focused on providing mere information and seamless service, it is really about persuasion--buy things now and come back for more. In some ways, this is just an update to the longstanding discussion in business ethics circles over the implications of persuasive advertising. Behavioral economics has shown that humans' cognitive biases can be exploited, so Roger Crisp has noted that subliminal and persuasive advertising undermines the autonomy of the consumer. And the advent of big-data and user-centered design has provided those who would persuade with a new and more powerful arsenal. This has led design ethicists to call for the explicit "moralization of technology," wherein designers would have to confront the ethical implications of the actions they shape. mustusemilk_615.jpg There is another significant layer, which complicates the ethics of data and power. The data all of these firms collect is proprietary and closed. Analysis of human behavior from the greatest trove of data ever collected is limited to questions of how best to harvest clicks and turn a profit. Not that there is no merit to this, but only these private companies and the select few researchers they bless can study these phenomena at scale. Thus, industry outpaces academia, and the people building and implementing persuasive technologies know much more than the critics . The result is a fundamental information asymmetry. The data collectors have more information than those they are they are collecting the data from; the persuaders more power than the persuaded. Judging whether this is good or bad depends on your framework for evaluating corporate behavior and the extent to which you trust the market as a force to prevent abuse. To be sure, there is a desire for the services that these companies offer and they are meeting a legitimate market demand. However, in a sector filled with large oligopolistic firms bolstered by network effects and opaque terms of service agreements laden with fine-print, there are legitimate reasons to question the efficacy of the market as a regulator of these issues. A few things are certain, however. One is that the goals of the companies collecting the data are not necessarily the same as the goals of the people they are tracking. Another is that, as we establish norms for dealing with personal and behavioral data we should approach the issue with a full understanding of the scope of what's at stake. To understand the stakes, our critiques of ad tracking (and the fundamental asymmetries it creates) need to focus more on power and less on privacy. The privacy framework tells us that we should feel violated by what they know about us. Understanding these issues in the context of power tells us that we should feel manipulated and controlled. theboss2.jpg This piece was informed by discussions with James Williams, a doctoral candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute researching the ethical implications of persuasive technologies. * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Alexander Furnas is a research fellow at the Sunlight Foundation in Washington, D.C. + Twitter Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. [ld+json] ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ [State_________________] __________ United States_______ ____________________ Order Now Fraud Alert regarding The Atlantic Newsletters+ * The Atlantic * [ ] The Atlantic Daily * [ ] This Week * [ ] This Month * [ ] New Photo Galleries * [ ] Top Videos This Week * CityLab * [ ] Today’s Top Stories * [ ] This Week's Most Popular Stories * [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. * ____________________ * Sign up Follow+ * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store About+ * Masthead * FAQ * Press * Jobs * Shop * Books * Emporium * Contact Us * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Advertising Guidelines * Terms and Conditions * Subscriber Help * Site Map Copyright © 2016 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. (BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #The Atlantic Best of The Atlantic publisher The Atlantic * Subscribe * Search * Menu Now the GOP Must Choose: Mass Surveillance or Privacy? * * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Close * Home * Latest * Most Popular * Magazine * Video * Photo * Writers * News * Politics * Business * Culture * Science * Technology * Health * Sexes * U.S. * Education * Global * Notes * Projects * Events * Books * Shop * Your AccountSign Out * Sign InSign Up [javascript] 2 Free Issues Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Claim now Follow * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Tumblr * Pinterest * RSS * App Store See our Newsletters > previousThe Dream of Country-Music Gender Equality, Made Visible for One NightWhat American Voters Have in Common With the Vietnamesenext story Now the GOP Must Choose: Mass Surveillance or Privacy? Before May, Congress has no alternative but to endorse or end NSA spying on the phone calls of virtually every American. What does the new party in charge want? [lead_large.jpg?1430150520] Toby Melville/Reuters We noticed that you have an AD BLOCKER ENABLED Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways [large.jpg?1450107429] [large.jpg?1446761730] Subscribe Now > __________________________________________________________________ Sign up for The Atlantic Daily newsletter ____________________ [X] I want to receive updates from partners and sponsors. Sign up * * * * * * * * * Conor Friedersdorf * Nov 7, 2014 * Politics The Patriot Act substantially expires in May 2015. When the new Congress takes up its reauthorization, mere months after convening, members will be forced to decide what to do about Section 215 of the law, the provision cited by the NSA to justify logging most every telephone call made by Americans. With Republicans controlling both the Senate and the House, the GOP faces a stark choice. Is a party that purports to favor constitutional conservatism and limited government going to ratify mass surveillance that makes a mockery of the Fourth Amendment? Will Mitch McConnell endorse a policy wherein the Obama administration logs and stores every telephone number dialed or received by Roger Ailes of Fox News, Wayne LaPierre of the NRA, the Koch brothers, the head of every pro-life organization in America, and every member of the Tea Party? Is the GOP House going to sacrifice the privacy of all its constituents to NSA spying that embodies the generalized warrants so abhorrent to the founders? The issue divides elected Republicans. Senator Rand Paul and Representative Justin Amash are among those wary of tracking the phone calls of millions of innocent people. Senator Richard Burr favors doing it. Republicans pondering a run for president in 2016 will be trying to figure out how mass surveillance will play in that campaign. Many would rather not take any stand before May, as if governing—the very job citizens are paying them to do—is some sort of trap. But their preferences don't matter. This fight is unavoidable. Nor is it the only one that touches on surveillance. The dubiously named USA Freedom Act began as an effort to reform the NSA and has since been weakened. The NSA and FBI engages in lots of questionable surveillance besides the phone dragnet. Republicans will now run the Senate and House intelligence committees. 'I believe phoning your obstretician should be private.' Don't Republicans see the appeal of that commercial? Rather than urging the GOP to avoid "the governing trap," National Review and other outlets purportedly dedicated to constitutional conservatism ought to be demanding that Republicans use their newfound power to rein in our surveillance bureaucracy, since anyone with a healthy mistrust of government should see how easily its staggering power, exercised in secret, could be ruinous to liberty. A limited-government movement that does not demand oversight and reform now that its party has regained power is a farce. To endorse the national surveillance bureaucracy as it now stands is tantamount to declaring oneself a trusting statist. And opposing it would be a populist victory that puts Republicans in a position to truthfully brag about fighting to save core liberties from Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and every other prominent Democratic apologist for the NSA. "When you phone your obstetrician, the Democratic nominee believes that call should be recorded and stored in a government database. I believe it should be private." Don't Republicans see the appeal of a nominee who could run that commercial? The GOP is at a crossroads. It could easily go on as a party that dismisses affronts to individual liberty so long as they're carried out in the name of counterterrorism. But enough Republicans are uncomfortable with that approach (among both elites and the grassroots) that a major change of course is possible. What's most important for the public to know, as events unfold in Congress, is that anyone who claims to be seriously concerned about NSA surveillance but favors no reform save the USA Freedom Act, is ignorant, lying, or both. It is imperative to deny them credit as surveillance reformers—and even more important to reward any legislator of either party if they help, against long odds, to wrest back our core right to privacy from an abusive state. It's your move, Republicans. * Continue Reading * Jump to Comments * About the Author * * * * * * * * Latest Video [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1453474769] How America Trains Its Officers to Respond to School Shootings Inside the program that's preparing law enforcement for the rise in active shooting incidents * The Editors * 10:56 AM ET * Latest Slideshow [thumb_wide_300.jpg?1447874076] Peter Garritano In Photos: Inside the Internet Photographs of what “the cloud” actually looks like * Emily Anne Epstein * Jan 5, 2016 * About the Author * [headshot.jpg] Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction. + Twitter + Email Most Popular Presented by * [javascript] Reuters Standing Athwart History Yelling, 'Stop Donald Trump!' + Conor Friedersdorf The National Review publishes the movement-conservative case against the Republican frontrunner. Last summer, George F. Will, the elder statesman of conservative pundits, declared Donald Trump “an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of National Review––making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable.” He urged conservatives to treat Trump as Buckley once treated the John Birch Society. On Thursday, the National Review published its bull of excommunication. Its new issue leaves no doubt about where the magazine stands on the race for the GOP nomination. Say the editors, “Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.” Continue Reading * [javascript] Barry Blitt Twilight of the Headbangers + James Parker How long can the legends of heavy metal keep on rocking? Where’d lemmy go? The stage is empty: vacated mics, cooling drum stool, the blocky, buzzing statuary of amps and speakers. Motörhead, the legendary Motörhead, is not there anymore. I’m in a heavy-metal hangar in Salt Lake City in late August, and singer/bassist Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister has just walked off, shakily and in evident distress, after only four songs, anxiously pursued by his drummer, Mikkey Dee, and guitarist, Phil Campbell. A man in a bandanna approaches me, pop-eyed with dire foreknowledge: “He’s not comin’ back, man! He’s not comin’ back! He’s too old!” Then he reels away, into the hormonal half-smoke and press of bodies in front of the stage. Should we riot? Are we sad? Is it possible that Lemmy—69 years old, pacemakered, diabetic—Lemmy, the great survivor, opposer, grizzled odds-beater, humanity’s middle finger, was crying? “Listen,” he’d said to us before exiting, in his familiar English roar-gasp, that voice of fiery exhaustion. “I’m really sorry—I can’t tell you how sorry I am—but my back’s gone. I’ve got this bad back and … I can’t breathe up here either.” Then he covered his face with his hands, and he left us. Continue Reading * [javascript] Carolyn Kaster / AP Milk, Bread, and Eggs: The Trinity of Winter-Storm Panic-Shopping + Joe Pinsker Why do people reliably stock up on the same things before they get snowed in? Lines of frantic shoppers have mobbed grocery stores in Washington, D.C., after the National Weather Service gently advised residents on Wednesday that an intense weekend storm will pose “a threat to life and property” and impact “you, your family, and your community.” Which led me to wonder: After people hear a message so ominous, and after reminders of their employers’ inclement-weather policies hit inboxes, what do they buy to prepare for spending a good deal of time indoors? I called up the managers of some grocery stores in D.C. to find out, and they all had more or less the same answer: bread, milk, and eggs. This holy trinity of winter-storm preparedness is not some quirk of the nation’s capital—bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England. Continue Reading * [javascript] Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? + Ta-Nehisi Coates The Vermont senator’s political imagination is active against plutocracy, but why is it so limited against white supremacy? Last week Bernie Sanders was asked whether he was in favor of “reparations for slavery.” It is worth considering Sanders’s response in full: No, I don’t think so. First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do. So I think what we should be talking about is making massive investments in rebuilding our cities, in creating millions of decent paying jobs, in making public colleges and universities tuition-free, basically targeting our federal resources to the areas where it is needed the most and where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino. Continue Reading * [javascript] Glory Foods / Flickr What's Leafy, Green, and Eaten by Blacks and Whites? + Conor Friedersdorf A tiny but illuminating controversy over collards. This is a story about how tiny things come to divide us. Fittingly, it begins with a Tweet. Last week, Whole Foods Market sent this to its 4.81 million Twitter followers: If you're not cooking with these greens, you need to be! How to cook collards: https://t.co/2lk2bMnKdS #HealthYeah pic.twitter.com/YqBPXg3uus — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) January 14, 2016 One imagines a marketing staffer drafting the Tweet without apprehension or anxiety. Obesity is epidemic. Americans suffer from their unhealthy diets in myriad ways. Who could object to a supermarket cheerily touting a leafy green vegetable? Alerted to the Tweet by a foodie who asked me to explain why it was controversial, I looked at it, vaguely recalled that Michelle Obama had included a collard-greens recipe in her cookbook, American Grown, and asked if maybe the Red Tribe was giving the Blue Tribe a bit of ribbing about its affinity for plant-based diets? Continue Reading * [javascript] Stefano Rellandini / Reuters Sympathy for the Macklemore + Spencer Kornhaber “White Privilege II” bravely tackles difficult truths about race, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The third verse of Macklemore’s new song, “White Privilege II,” is from the perspective of a fan complimenting the 32-year-old Seattle rapper for hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.” Everything is copacetic and nice until the speaker—it’s Macklemore using a filter and multi-tracking to make it clear that this isn’t his voice—disses the rest of hip-hop: That’s so cool, look what you’re accomplishing Even an old mom like me likes it cause it’s positive You’re the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to Cause you get it, all that negative stuff isn’t cool Yeah, like all the guns and the drugs The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs Even the protest outside—so sad and so dumb If a cop pulls you over, it’s your fault if you run Continue Reading * [javascript] Brian Snyder / Reuters Ted Cruz's Tithing Problem + Jonathan Merritt Many Christians believe God requires the faithful to donate a tenth of their income to charity. Will they vote for a candidate who doesn’t? Conservative critics of Ted Cruz are going after his tithing practices. According to recently released tax records, the Texas senator contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. But many Christians believe that the Bible commands a charitable offering, or tithe, equal to 10 percent of one’s annual earnings. This discrepancy could end up making a difference less than two weeks before the caucuses in Iowa, a state where a Republican politician’s faith matters. And this is exactly what a newly formed political group, Americans United for Values, is hoping for. Today, the group is launching a 60-second radio advertisement on news, talk, and Christian stations across Iowa that raises the tithing question and labels Cruz a “phony”: “He doesn’t tithe?” a female voice asks in the ad. “Isn’t he a millionaire? His wife worked for a big Wall Street bank, right?” Continue Reading * [javascript] Carlos Javier Ortiz The Case for Reparations + Ta-Nehisi Coates Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today. — Deuteronomy 15: 12–15 Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation. Continue Reading * [javascript] Toby Talbot / AP The Decline of the Driver's License + Julie Beck Fewer people of all ages are getting them, and it’s not quite clear why. Remember how, in Clueless, Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher fails her driver’s test after nearly killing a biker and scraping her car alongside several parked cars? And then how she asks, “Do you think I should write them a note?” as she drives away? And then how, at the climax of the movie, her friend Tai (Brittany Murphy) calls her “a virgin who can’t drive” and it is just the harshest burn? Well, that was a fictionalized version of the ‘90s, and this is now. Things are different. Young people are not getting driver’s licenses so much anymore. In fact, no one is. According to a new study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the percentage of people with a driver’s license decreased between 2011 and 2014, across all age groups. For people aged 16 to 44, that percentage has been decreasing steadily since 1983. Continue Reading * [javascript] NASA/NOAA What the U.S. East Coast's Massive Snow Storm Looks Like + Marina Koren and Adam Chandler From outer space down to the streets Updated January 22 at 2:10 p.m. EST That swirling cover of white up there is the first blizzard of 2016, captured by satellite on Friday as it barrels across the central United States, toward the East Coast. The “potentially crippling” storm is expected to bring powerful winds and up to two feet of snow to parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, which could result in flooding in coastal regions, the U.S. National Weather Service warned. The storm has the makings of the “Big One” and so far appears “textbook,” according to the winter-weather expert who literally wrote the textbook on northeast snowstorms. As of Friday morning, more than 85 million people—or more than one in every four Americans—were covered by some kind of blizzard or winter-storm advisory, according to weather.com. Local, state, and federal officials have been scrambling to organize their responses to the blizzard as residents swarm grocery stores to stock up on food and water. As of Friday afternoon, there were already five storm-related deaths reported. Continue Reading * [javascript] The Most Powerful Images of 2015 + Greyson Korhonen and Alan Taylor A selection of the year's best photos Watch Video * [javascript] A Photojournalist Walks Away From His Profession + Nadine Ajaka How do you decide when you've seen enough of war? Watch Video * [javascript] Dennis Hlynsky / The Atlantic / Pearson Scott Foreman / Wikimedia Commons Revealing the Hidden Patterns of Birds and Insects in Motion + Sam Price-Waldman A video shows the dreamlike voyages of starlings, water striders, and more. Watch Video More Popular Stories Show Comments Subscribe Get 10 issues a year and save 65% off the cover price. 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(BUTTON) Close Skip Ad > #alternate alternate alternate Ars Technica ← → 0 ____________________ * Forum * IT * Gadgets * Business * Security * Tech Policy * Apple * Gaming * Science * Cars View Full Site * Ars Technica * Ars Technica UK * Dark on light * Light on dark IFRAME: mobile-login Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents The Ars Technica guide to digital policy in the UK’s 2015 general election What the main parties say they will do in the digital realm if they're elected. by Glyn Moody (US) - May 5, 2015 6:06 am UTC Login to bookmark 65 [Cory_Doctorow_protesting_Digital_Economy_Act-640x480.jpg] rob_knight at Wikipedia As the passage of the UK's technologically illiterate Digital Economy Act in 2010 demonstrated, many UK politicians are completely at sea when it comes to modern technology. But even they recognize that the digital world forms a crucial part of modern life, and that any political party hoping to enter government needs to have policies for issues the Internet raises. That said, the different political parties have very different views and priorities when it comes to legislating for the digital world. Ahead of the UK's General Election on May 7, Ars has put together a guide to what the manifestos say on a number of key topics: surveillance; privacy and data protection; copyright and patents; web blocking; freedom of speech; digital rights; and various forms of openness—open data, open standards and open government. The policies come from the following manifestos (in alphabetical order): Conservatives, Green Party of England and Wales, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Pirate Party, Scottish National Party, and UKIP. The Open Rights Group has usefully collected statements on these and a few other areas in the form of a single web page, organized by party. Surveillance Reflecting the continuing debate initiated by Edward Snowden's revelations of massive online surveillance conducted by the UK's GCHQ and the US' NSA, the main parties' manifestos all make statements about their views and future plans in this area. Keeping pace with technological changes is a common theme. Labour says: "We will need to update our investigative laws to keep up with changing technology, strengthening both the powers available, and the safeguards that protect people’s privacy." [Berlin_2013_PRISM_Demo-640x480.jpg] Enlarge / Snowden's leaks have made people aware of the scale of global surveillance. Mike Herbst The Conservatives try to draw a distinction between content and metadata: "We will keep up to date the ability of the police and security services to access communications data—the ‘who, where, when and how’ of a communication, but not its content. ... We will maintain the ability of the authorities to intercept the content of suspects’ communications, while continuing to strengthen oversight of the use of these powers." Unfortunately, this ignores the fact that metadata can be more revealing than content: that's because metadata is already in a machine-readable form whereas content needs to be parsed—a hard problem that makes it far less useful for automated analysis. The reference by the Conservative's manifesto to intercepting communications shows a clear intent to bring back the Snooper's Charter, aka the Communications Data Bill, which was vetoed by the Liberal Democrats the last time it was proposed—something they promise to do again: "We blocked the draft Communications Data Bill and would do so again. Requiring companies to store a record of everyone’s internet activities for a year or to collect third-party communications data for non-business purposes is disproportionate and unacceptable." The Scottish National Party takes the same view: "We do not support Tory plans for the reintroduction of the so-called ‘snoopers’ charter’, which would see all online activity of every person in the UK stored for a year. Instead, we need a proportionate response to extremism." The Green Party of England and Wales is also in favor of a proportionate approach: "specific surveillance should be proportionate, necessary, effective and within the rule of law, with independent judicial approval and genuine parliamentary oversight." The Pirate Party, which places digital issues at the heart of its manifesto, wants "specific warrants to be issued by a court before communications traffic is monitored," and, like the Greens, calls for the main UK legislation governing surveillance, the outdated Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), to be replaced. Specifically: "sections 49 & 54, which can force people to hand over encryption keys, and prevent them from telling anyone about the request"—two of its more problematic powers. The Pirate Party recognizes the central role that encryption plays in the post-Snowden society and wants to "ensure that the freedom to encrypt data and communications is not abridged or limited, and that access to encryption tools is not restricted." So do the Liberal Democrats, who say they will "Uphold the right of individuals, businesses and public bodies to use strong encryption to protect their privacy and security online." UKIP, by contrast, is keen to re-jig the machinery of surveillance. It wants to create a new role of "Director of National Intelligence," who will be responsible for "bringing all intelligence services together; developing cyber security measures; cutting down on waste and encouraging information and resource sharing." Privacy and data protection Two areas closely related to surveillance are privacy and data protection. Indeed, the only mention of these topics in the Labour manifesto is in that context, as quoted above. For the Conservatives, the key issue here is health records: "We will give you full access to your own electronic health records, while retaining your right to opt-out of your records being shared electronically." That's doubtless in response to the hugely embarrassing Care.data fiasco last year. On this issue, the Green Party says it would: "Oppose the sale of personal data, such as health or tax records, for commercial or other ends." The Liberal Democrats are very strong in this area, with a long list of concrete proposals, including those regulating health records, fingerprints, DNA, facial biometrics, and bringing in "increased powers and resources for the Information Commissioner," including "custodial sentences for egregious breaches of the Data Protection Act." The LibDems also want to ensure "privacy is protected to the same extent in telecoms and online as in the offline world," something clearly not the case in the light of GCHQ's mass surveillance of the UK public. [IrisScanIraq-640x427.jpg] Enlarge / Iris scans are just one of many biometric systems in use today. Cpl. Spencer M. Murphy The Pirate Party is also keen to strengthen data protection laws: "We will make it easier to apply to a court for compensation where data protection laws have been breached, and increase the penalties for any breaches of data protection laws." The main concern of the Green Party in this area is resisting attempts by US companies to weaken data protection laws at the European level. It promises to "Support the EU’s proposals to strengthen data protection laws against opposition from large US data-driven companies"—an evident reference to Facebook, Google, and the like. UKIP once more takes a rather different tack here. On the one hand it wants to ensure "Britain’s police forces comply with the law and do not retain booking photographs, fingerprints, DNA, or biometric data of individuals who have not been convicted of a crime." On the other: "DNA testing and retention of DNA data results will be reinstated for all convicted foreign criminals." Copyright and patents Copyright has a disproportionately large effect in the online world because of the inherent clash between a 300-year-old intellectual monopoly that seeks to prevent copying and a modern digital communications technology that is built on it. So it's disappointing to see little awareness in the party manifestos of the problems this tension causes. The Liberal Democrats say they are: "supporting modern and flexible patent, copyright and licensing rules," without specifying what that might mean. The Greens want to "Make copyright shorter in length, fair and flexible, and prevent patents applying to software," which is slightly better defined. [Statute_of_anne-e1430318543958-300x478.jpg] Enlarge / The 1710 Statute of Anne set copyright's term at 14 years. British Government It falls to the Pirate Party to come out with the most concrete suggestions here. That's hardly a surprise: the Pirate Party came into existence largely as a reaction against copyright laws that were ill-suited to the Internet age. Here's what the UK Pirates say: "We will work for copyright reform and reduce copyright terms to 10 years to balance everyone's needs." That's a dramatic reduction from the current copyright term of life plus 70 years, but could be tricky to implement: the UK was one of the original signatories of the Berne Convention, which requires a minimum 50-year copyright term. The other major proposal of the UK Pirate Party concerns anti-circumvention measures—DRM, in other words. Currently, it is unlawful to circumvent "effective technological measures" that restrict access to copyrighted material, even if doing so is required for some lawful use. "The Pirate Party seeks to abolish these laws, making it legal both to circumvent “effective technological measures” and produce, distribute, and possess tools to aid in doing so. This would not change existing copyright law, merely remove the extra layer of illegality." However reasonable that might be, it too is problematic because the European Union's Copyright Directive contains a section explicitly forbidding such circumvention of DRM and distribution of tools to do so, even when the use is legal. That's an indication of just how hard it will be to create what the Pirate Party calls "A fair and balanced copyright regime that is suitable for the 21st century." Web blocking Although the Conservative party has nothing to say about fixing some of copyright's problems in the digital age, it is more vocal about enforcing copyright through online censorship of sites that are alleged to be infringing in some way, even indirectly: "We will protect intellectual property by continuing to require internet service providers to block sites that carry large amounts of illegal content, including their proxies." That seems to be a reference to The Pirate Bay, which has spawned hundreds of "proxies" that have proved impossible to stamp out. It seems that the Conservatives want to try anyway. [2000px-The_Pirate_Bay_logo.svg_-300x340.png] Enlarge / Many attempts to block The Pirate Bay have been made around the world. The Pirate Bay Their manifesto continues: "we will build on progress made under our voluntary anti-piracy projects to warn internet users when they are breaching copyright. We will work to ensure that search engines do not link to the worst-offending sites." These "voluntary" schemes are extremely problematic, because they are ill-defined—what exactly does "worst-offending site" mean?—and have no legal safeguards or checks as formal schemes would. Since those who are required to implement such voluntary schemes—ISPs or search engines—have no official texts to help them and their lawyers decide where to draw the line, they typically err on the side of caution, which means blocking legal content or threatening users for actions that are perfectly permissible. The Liberal Democrats address this issue along with that of net neutrality—otherwise not mentioned in the other manifestos—saying that they will "Safeguard the essential freedom of the internet and back net neutrality, the principle that internet service providers should enable access to lawful content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites." The Greens want to "Limit the censoring or takedown of content or activity to exceptional circumstances, clearly set out within a comprehensive legal framework," while the UK Pirate Party "will stop the imposing by government of censorship tools such as so-called "web filtering" or site blocking as blanket tools." Expand full story Page: 1 2 Next → Reader comments 65 You must login or create an account to comment. * Share - * Tweet * Email * Google - * Reddit - [glyn-moody-bw-100px.jpg] Glyn Moody / Glyn Moody is Contributing Policy Editor at Ars Technica. He has been writing about the Internet, free software, copyright, patents and digital rights for over 20 years. @glynmoody on Twitter ← Older Story Newer Story → You May Also Like * Condé Nast UK Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us | © Condé Nast UK 2016 [p?c1=2&c2=15335235&cv=2.0&cj=1] #alternate Ars Technica ← → 0 ____________________ * Forum * IT * Gadgets * Business * Security * Tech Policy * Apple * Gaming * Science * Cars View Full Site * Ars Technica * Ars Technica UK * Dark on light * Light on dark IFRAME: mobile-login Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents EU takes important step towards agreeing updated data protection rules Final negotiations to reconcile differences on external data flows likely to be tough. by Glyn Moody - Jun 15, 2015 2:58 pm UTC Login to bookmark 4 [Banderas_europeas_en_la_Comisión_Europea-640x438.jpg] The head office of the European Commission, one of the three political bodies involved in revising the EU's data retention rules. Amio Cajander Justice ministers of the European Union's 28 member states have agreed their general approach on the European Commission's 2012 proposal for a radical overhaul of the EU's data protection regulations, which currently date from 1995. Since the European Parliament has already given its overall endorsement of the Commission's plans, the final haggling over a common, compromise text can now begin in the trilogue meeting between the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (representing the member states), which will take place next week. The Council's general approach on the data protection regulation includes a number of key elements, some of which may, however, be modified during the coming negotiations with the European Parliament and European Commission. First of all, a single set of rules on data protection will be valid across the EU. This contrasts with the current situation, where each of the member states has its own implementation of the broad principles. The unified approach will make life easier for EU companies, since they won't need to grapple with multiple data protection regulations. The European Commission claims this move will save businesses around €2.3 billion a year. The new rules will establish a "one-stop shop" approach for both businesses and citizens. This means, for example, that individuals will only have to deal with their home national data protection authority, in their own language, even if their personal data is processed outside their home country. The national authorities will be given new powers, including the ability to impose some serious fines on companies that breach the rules: penalties of up to 2 percent of their global annual turnover. The new data protection rules will also strengthen the EU's "right to be forgotten," but not simply in the sense that it has been used hitherto. As previous articles on Ars have reported, this "right" has typically been claimed by those who wish to stop incorrect or irrelevant information appearing in search engine results. What is proposed under the new data protection rules is rather different: "When you no longer want your data to be processed, and provided that there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it, the data will be deleted. This is about empowering individuals, not about erasing past events or restricting freedom of the press." Other benefits for ordinary citizens include a right to data portability, so that personal data can be moved between services, and a right to be informed when personal data has been compromised: "companies and organisations must notify the national supervisory authority of serious data breaches as soon as possible (if feasible within 24 hours) so that users can take appropriate measures." One of the most contentious areas concerns the application of EU data protection laws to foreign companies—particularly US ones like Facebook and Google. Here's what the European Commission says will happen under the revised directive: "companies based outside of Europe will have to apply the same rules. We are creating a level-playing field." It then goes to say: "rules for international transfers of data are streamlined, through simplified approval of binding corporate rules. This will foster international trade while ensuring continuity of protection for personal data." The big question is: what exactly does that last statement mean in practice? If the rules for transferring data outside the EU are "streamlined," that suggests that the protections accorded them elsewhere—for example, in the US—will remain weak, as at present. That's something that the European Parliament has said it wants to change, particularly in the light of Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's Prism programme. It is precisely issues like external dataflows that are likely to provoke the greatest disagreement in the coming trilogue negotiations, which will seek to draw up a common text. It is by no means clear whose vision on such matters will prevail: those wanting to "streamline" data flows, or those who want to enhance privacy protection for citizens' personal data when it is collected and used by companies outside the EU. Expand full story Reader comments 4 You must login or create an account to comment. * Share - * Tweet * Email * Google - * Reddit - [glyn-moody-bw-100px.jpg] Glyn Moody / Glyn Moody is Contributing Policy Editor at Ars Technica. He has been writing about the Internet, free software, copyright, patents and digital rights for over 20 years. @glynmoody on Twitter ← Older Story Newer Story → You May Also Like * Condé Nast UK Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us | © Condé Nast UK 2016 [p?c1=2&c2=15335235&cv=2.0&cj=1] #alternate Ars Technica ← → 0 ____________________ * Forum * IT * Gadgets * Business * Security * Tech Policy * Apple * Gaming * Science * Cars View Full Site * Ars Technica * Ars Technica UK * Dark on light * Light on dark IFRAME: mobile-login Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents Head of EU data protection says trading privacy for security is a “false fad” Greater security does not require the loss of privacy, according to Buttarelli. by Glyn Moody - Jul 6, 2015 11:15 am UTC Login to bookmark 11 [buttarelli-640x962.jpg] Giovanni Buttarelli, the European Data Protection Supervisor Security & Defence Agenda The European Data Protection Supervisor, Giovanni Buttarelli, who is responsible for ensuring that the machinery of EU government respects the privacy of a citizen's data when processing their data, says that it is time to "move beyond the false fad of discussing security vs. privacy." In an article published on The Mark News site, Buttarelli writes that governments should "focus on implementing laws that take into account privacy rights as well as the indisputable need to fight terrorism." Buttarelli insists that as European Data Protection Supervisor he is not necessarily "for or against any specific measure that interferes with the right to privacy and involves handling large volumes of personal information," for example through large-scale surveillance. However, he points to a post by the security expert Bruce Schneier that shows, in the US at least, there is little evidence that mass surveillance prevents terrorist attacks. Schneier explained how, initially, NSA Director General Keith Alexander claimed in 2013 that he had disrupted 54 terrorists plots. A few months later, this was revised down to 13, and then to "one or two." Eventually, the only success that the NSA could point to was the prevention of a San Diego man sending $8,500 to support a Somali militant group. Although the head of MI5 said in 2013 that 34 terror plots against the UK have been disrupted by the security services and police in the last eight years, we don't know what role mass surveillance played in that. Given the NSA's considerably greater resources, it seems unlikely that GCHQ's programmes are doing much better. Buttarelli is particularly concerned that the public is being asked by governments to acquiesce in the gathering of highly personal information in the belief that this will minimise real or perceived risks. As he writes: "The result is an increased intrusion into our privacy, which in turn changes the relationship between the individual and the state and the relationship between citizens." Instead, he says, surveillance should enhance, not undermine, trust in democratic institutions, but in order for that to happen, "Governments need to justify why any massive, non-targeted, and indiscriminate collection of individuals’ data is really needed"—something that the UK authorities have signally failed to do. Expand full story Reader comments 11 You must login or create an account to comment. * Share - * Tweet * Email * Google - * Reddit - [glyn-moody-bw-100px.jpg] Glyn Moody / Glyn Moody is Contributing Policy Editor at Ars Technica. He has been writing about the Internet, free software, copyright, patents and digital rights for over 20 years. @glynmoody on Twitter ← Older Story Newer Story → You May Also Like * Condé Nast UK Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us | © Condé Nast UK 2016 [p?c1=2&c2=15335235&cv=2.0&cj=1] #alternate Ars Technica ← → 0 ____________________ * Forum * IT * Gadgets * Business * Security * Tech Policy * Apple * Gaming * Science * Cars View Full Site * Ars Technica * Ars Technica UK * Dark on light * Light on dark IFRAME: mobile-login Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents EU takes important step towards agreeing updated data protection rules Final negotiations to reconcile differences on external data flows likely to be tough. by Glyn Moody - Jun 15, 2015 2:58 pm UTC Login to bookmark 4 [Banderas_europeas_en_la_Comisión_Europea-640x438.jpg] The head office of the European Commission, one of the three political bodies involved in revising the EU's data retention rules. Amio Cajander Justice ministers of the European Union's 28 member states have agreed their general approach on the European Commission's 2012 proposal for a radical overhaul of the EU's data protection regulations, which currently date from 1995. Since the European Parliament has already given its overall endorsement of the Commission's plans, the final haggling over a common, compromise text can now begin in the trilogue meeting between the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (representing the member states), which will take place next week. The Council's general approach on the data protection regulation includes a number of key elements, some of which may, however, be modified during the coming negotiations with the European Parliament and European Commission. First of all, a single set of rules on data protection will be valid across the EU. This contrasts with the current situation, where each of the member states has its own implementation of the broad principles. The unified approach will make life easier for EU companies, since they won't need to grapple with multiple data protection regulations. The European Commission claims this move will save businesses around €2.3 billion a year. The new rules will establish a "one-stop shop" approach for both businesses and citizens. This means, for example, that individuals will only have to deal with their home national data protection authority, in their own language, even if their personal data is processed outside their home country. The national authorities will be given new powers, including the ability to impose some serious fines on companies that breach the rules: penalties of up to 2 percent of their global annual turnover. The new data protection rules will also strengthen the EU's "right to be forgotten," but not simply in the sense that it has been used hitherto. As previous articles on Ars have reported, this "right" has typically been claimed by those who wish to stop incorrect or irrelevant information appearing in search engine results. What is proposed under the new data protection rules is rather different: "When you no longer want your data to be processed, and provided that there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it, the data will be deleted. This is about empowering individuals, not about erasing past events or restricting freedom of the press." Other benefits for ordinary citizens include a right to data portability, so that personal data can be moved between services, and a right to be informed when personal data has been compromised: "companies and organisations must notify the national supervisory authority of serious data breaches as soon as possible (if feasible within 24 hours) so that users can take appropriate measures." One of the most contentious areas concerns the application of EU data protection laws to foreign companies—particularly US ones like Facebook and Google. Here's what the European Commission says will happen under the revised directive: "companies based outside of Europe will have to apply the same rules. We are creating a level-playing field." It then goes to say: "rules for international transfers of data are streamlined, through simplified approval of binding corporate rules. This will foster international trade while ensuring continuity of protection for personal data." The big question is: what exactly does that last statement mean in practice? If the rules for transferring data outside the EU are "streamlined," that suggests that the protections accorded them elsewhere—for example, in the US—will remain weak, as at present. That's something that the European Parliament has said it wants to change, particularly in the light of Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's Prism programme. It is precisely issues like external dataflows that are likely to provoke the greatest disagreement in the coming trilogue negotiations, which will seek to draw up a common text. It is by no means clear whose vision on such matters will prevail: those wanting to "streamline" data flows, or those who want to enhance privacy protection for citizens' personal data when it is collected and used by companies outside the EU. Expand full story Reader comments 4 You must login or create an account to comment. * Share - * Tweet * Email * Google - * Reddit - [glyn-moody-bw-100px.jpg] Glyn Moody / Glyn Moody is Contributing Policy Editor at Ars Technica. He has been writing about the Internet, free software, copyright, patents and digital rights for over 20 years. @glynmoody on Twitter ← Older Story Newer Story → You May Also Like * Condé Nast UK Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us | © Condé Nast UK 2016 [p?c1=2&c2=15335235&cv=2.0&cj=1] #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Surveillance Comments Feed Gillmor Gang 12.3.11 (TCTV) SAP Will Buy SuccessFactors For $3.4 Billion alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Surveillance * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... Surveillance Posted Dec 3, 2011 by Jon Evans (@rezendi), Columnist * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Gillmor Gang 12.3.11 (TCTV) [surveillance.jpg?w=400] Your phone might be spying on you. The many cameras you pass every day can recognize your face. Facebook, despite its grudging concessions, still wants you to broadcast your personal life. “Eye in the sky” drones are already watching over borders; next, they’ll patrol the Olympics. It won’t be long before police drones are omnipresent in the skies over every major city, and then every town. Welcome to the 21st century. Smile! You’re probably on TV. Especially if you live in the kind of repressive state that imprisons its citizens without trial. (You know, like America, if the US Senate has its way.) According to both Wikileaks and that well-known bastion of the left wing The Wall Street Journal, such regimes have been buying up Western-made high-tech surveillance systems like business travellers on unlimited expense accounts. To quote the former, “companies are making billions selling sophisticated tracking tools to government buyers, flouting export rules, and turning a blind eye to dictatorial regimes that abuse human rights.” Which kind of puts Facebook privacy violations in perspective, so I’m not going to bash Mark Zuckerberg, for once. The guy probably genuinely believes in the merits of a transparency society where everybody’s life is essentially on display all the time. Or even if he doesn’t, he figures that our ever-doubling tech level means we’re inevitably heading there anyways, so he may as well make a few dozen billion dollars from that sea change while he’s at it. Fair enough. But a transparent society can’t work if it’s built out of one-way glass. The powers that be are thrilled by the prospect of using all this new surveillance tech to keep an eye on the unruly masses, but they seem much less excited about its effect on their own privacy. The Occupy movement (which, you may recall, I have mixed emotions about) can cite a whole bunch of examples of protestors arrested or shot with rubber bullets for the sin of photographing police, and of the police expelling and restricting media from the evictions in NYC and LA. Dear Media: When the police tell you to leave IS WHEN YOU STAY. You're supposed to be a check on this kind of power! — Wil Wheaton (@wilw) November 30, 2011 Earlier this year the chief minister of India’s Kerala state had a webcam installed in his office. A cheap gimmick, yes, but a powerful symbol. If we’re headed into a world where everything becomes public, so be it–but shouldn’t the first people to surrender their privacy be those in authority? This is partly an economic issue: if Greece hadn’t lied about its finances for many years, the euro wouldn’t be in quite as parlous a state right now. But mostly it’s a moral one. Why aren’t police, border guards, and the TSA required to carry always-on shoulder cameras while on duty, so that the data recorded can be used in court and subjected to Freedom Of Information requests? Why are vague, unsubstantiated “security reasons” always enough to close doors, shut events, squelch protests, fence off areas from the public, and harass photographers and the media, when more surveillance is supposed to make us more secure? The answer, of course, is that security is only rarely the real issue. Two-way surveillance, the much-touted transparent society, is about the complex dynamic between the relative merits of privacy and public information–and they do both have their merits. But one-way surveillance is all about raw naked power. It worries me that the powers that be all seem to be touting the former while actually trying to implement the latter. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli FiveStars Gets $50M To Help Small Retailers Run Loyalty Programs Like Their Bigger Rivals 8 hours ago by Ingrid Lunden Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance Comments Feed Yarn’s App Lets You Share Short Clips From Movies, TV Shows And Music Videos This $19,000 Hoverboard Will Let You Ride For Five Minutes At A Time alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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CalECPA privacy * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy * FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds * Browse more... Crunch Network A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance Posted Dec 29, 2015 by Rafael Laguna (@rafbuff) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Yarn’s App Lets You Share Short Clips From Movies, TV Shows And Music Videos [privacy.jpg?w=738] Rafael LagunaCrunch Network Contributor Rafael Laguna is the CEO of Open-Xchange. How to join the network Look around any crowded place nowadays and it’s quite clear that many of us have literally become prisoners of our own devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops — anything and everything with an Internet connection. Our lifestyles practically require us to always be on, and connected to everyone else. That means at any point in the day, and at any point in the world, individuals freely exchange massive amounts of personal information among each other: names, email addresses, phone numbers, photos, bank account and credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, insurance details and so on. Looking at that list, it’s clear why some are calling data the oil of the digital world — data has effectively become its own currency, something we trade to either share updates about our lives or make a purchase. Yet, valuable as this information is, and much like physical currency, when it’s exchanged, governments now want to play a central role in monitoring, storing and processing it. That may not have been part of the deal at the outset of the Internet, but 15 years into the 21st century, it’s clear that more and more citizens are not only exchanging privacy for vague promises of security, but are doing so willingly. That kind of oversight comes at a cost, though, as the feeling of always being watched forces a gradual change in behavior. We act differently if we’re always being watched, always typing or sharing under the assumption that someone within our government is peering in from over our shoulder — and this forced change in behavior amounts to a gradual disintegration of our online freedoms. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Data Protection In A Post-Safe Harbor World The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling to invalidate the Safe Harbor agreement was a huge step forward for privacy advocates, both in the U.S. and the E.U. For too long, American intelligence agencies like the NSA had been able to co-opt the data transfer deal to spy on the personal information of European citizens. But with the ECJ’s overturning of that agreement — and with it, the NSA’s means of breathing down the necks of E.U. end users — American companies will now have to find alternatives for facilitating intercontinental data transfers, alternatives that put data privacy and security front and center. Data has effectively become its own currency. We’re already starting to see those alternatives bear fruit. Microsoft, whom the U.S. government has hounded to relinquish the emails of a Hotmail user stored on a Microsoft server in Ireland, recently announced that it was building a pair of new data centers in Germany, which will be managed and operated by an independent German “data trustee.” That third-party group will be the one responsible for storing and processing E.U. customer data, ensuring that it never leaves Germany — and that, even if prompted by the U.S. government, Microsoft would be unable to access that user data unless permitted by the trustee. While it’s a meager step forward, and a much bigger paradigm shift is likely waiting for us come January, Microsoft’s move is a significant signal to both the U.S. government and the E.U. public that European data privacy is not something to be infringed on so easily just to make spies’ lives easier. CalECPA And States Taking The Lead On Privacy Public Policy The adoption of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) in the U.S. also strikes a blow for privacy advocates and against government overreach. The ACLU of Northern California, along with state Sen. Mark Leno and top tech companies, worked to pass the law, which requires law enforcement agencies to acquire a warrant before they can search through a person’s email, texts or other online documents, regardless of it being stored on a device or in the cloud. This kind of legislation is not only sorely needed, but long overdue. The federal government passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act way back in 1986 — and given how far the Internet and online communication have come in the last 30 years, that law may as well have been passed a century ago. That kind of outdated legislation opens a lot of potential vulnerabilities and pain points for tech companies in charge of safeguarding customer data and simultaneously fielding data acquisition requests from law enforcement agencies. More and more citizens are not only exchanging privacy for vague promises of security, but are doing so willingly. Authorities have long capitalized on these digital gaps in Fourth Amendment protections to ramp up data requests: Google has seen consumer data demands from law enforcement skyrocket by 180 percent over the past five years, and AT&T received more than 260,000 similar requests in 2014 alone. But CalECPA brings a much-needed game changer to the table, now requiring law enforcement within the state to secure a judicial warrant before they can begin rifling through a California resident’s online life. It’s the same expectation we have of police before they can begin looking through homes and physical papers — and the same expectation that 75 percent of Americans have who believe that email, texts and location data qualify as sensitive information — so why shouldn’t that be the standard for online, as well? The California state law, similar legislation of which exists in other states, such as Colorado, Maine, Texas and Utah, brings to life Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ words of how a “state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory” for wider public policy. It’s especially significant that we’re seeing this lab experiment take place in California, America’s premier tech hub and home to companies supporting the law, like Apple, Google, Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter. The overturning of Safe Harbor in the E.U. and the adoption of CalECPA in California both show that it is possible to “check out anytime,” and reassert our rights to online privacy and a democratized Internet, free of the watchful eye of Big Brother. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli FiveStars Gets $50M To Help Small Retailers Run Loyalty Programs Like Their Bigger Rivals 8 hours ago by Ingrid Lunden Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Costs And Risks Of UK’s Draft Surveillance Powers Probed Comments Feed Product Hunt Revamps iOS App, Adds Live Chats And Podcast Player Server Density, The Server Monitoring SaaS, Raises $1.5M For Further U.S. Expansion alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... Costs And Risks Of UK’s Draft Surveillance Powers Probed Posted Dec 10, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Product Hunt Revamps iOS App, Adds Live Chats And Podcast Player [16164233084_7f9e0cd5fb_k.jpg?w=738] A U.K. parliamentary committee tasked with scrutinizing the new surveillance powers contained in the draft Investigatory Powers Bill has heard several contradictory views on the proposed legislation. The latest evidence session heard by the committee included questions on the costs of implementing the web browsing data retention requirement of the bill, and questions about the legal requirements it might place on companies when end-to-end encryption is being used to secure data. Concerns over provisions to sanction state hacking en masse were also aired. The amount of time the government has afforded for scrutiny of what is very complex and technical legislation has already been criticized — with committee members themselves complaining there is not enough time for them to do a proper job. The committee is expected to file its report by February 11, with the government aiming to get a final bill through parliament and onto the statute books before the end of next year. Questions over costs On the cost point, ISP BT’s Mark Hughes, president of BT security, suggested the requirement for ISPs’ to capture and retain a log of websites visited by their users would run to tens of millions of pounds just for BT to do this. A government impact assessment document accompanying the draft bill has suggested this aspect of the proposed legislation would cost £174 million to implement. However Hughes cast doubt on that, suggesting that a “large part” of that money would be required just for BT to implement it — just one of hundreds of U.K. ISPs who may also be subject to the requirement by the legislation. (Although the committee also heard conflicting views on which U.K. ISPs would be required to log users’ website visits.) “It would cost us a large part of that figure to be able to implement, looking over a period,” said Hughes. “When one looks at the internet connection records part of the Bill, the bandwidth appetite in our country is increasing very rapidly, so, clearly, assumptions have to be put in that take account of the fact that bandwidth will increase. Indeed, in the consultation some of that has been taken into account, but the core key technical aspect of the internet connection records part of this is the extent to which the sampling or 100% collection goes on within the networks for them then to be able to comply. Technically, there are many different options, depending upon what you come up with, so there is a definite range of possible costs.” Antony Walker, deputy CEO of digital tech trade association techUK, who was also giving evidence, also expressed scepticism about the cost estimate. “Given the uncertainty about the extent of the powers and the implications of potentially a much broader range of communication service providers, at this stage it is quite difficult to determine whether or not that is an accurate figure. I have met very few people across business who currently would regard it as a properly robust figure,” he said. BT’s Hughes was asked whether the industry is “relaxed” about the current wording of the bill, which has been criticized as opaque and open to interpretation — which resulted in something of a slap down to the questioner. “On a subject like this we are not relaxed about any area of it, frankly, because it is an incredibly serious matter,” he rebuked the committee. Conflicting views on encryption Asked by the committee whether there was anything in the draft bill that could threaten the integrity of encryption, Walker said the language of the bill remains a cause for concern here — saying it is more “open to interpretation” than the organisation would like. “The language around encryption remains a little opaque,” he told the committee. “And responses from the Home Office when questioned on the implications of some of those powers remain unclear.” Walker flagged up a specific concern around end-to-end encryption, noting that it’s not clear what a third party provider would be legally required to do if they have implemented a form of encryption they cannot themselves decrypt. “The powers are such that the security services could request that telecom service providers remove any encryption used by them to provide information in the clear. What is not completely transparent is what happens where a third party has implemented end-to-end encryption themselves and it would not be technically feasible for the service provider to remove that encryption. There is still some uncertainty and concern across the industry about the implications for encryption,” he said. As it stands, Walker said industry is relying on comments made by the Home Secretary and other senior government ministers in order to interpret the bill. “They have been very clear about how they interpret the Bill, and to some extent we are relying on that interpretation,” he added. But he reiterated that tech companies are still grappling with possible implications of the bill, given how vague definitions are, and the fact the draft bill was only published last month. “I must stress that many companies are themselves still trying to work through the implications of the Bill and to understand it, so there are different views at this stage,” he said, answering a question about technical feasibility. “If we look at what is technically and reasonably practical in the various definitions of the Bill, we believe it means that when companies are providing services where there is end-to-end encryption instigated by a third party and not by themselves, it safeguards them from having to modify or change what they are doing, but it is open to interpretation.” Walker said further reassurances are required that the bill would not require companies providing end-to-end encryption to modify their business practices. We should not do anything to undermine the fact that security and privacy are a continuum of the same thing. Later in his evidence session, Hughes also touched on this, noting: “We should not do anything to undermine the fact that security and privacy are a continuum of the same thing. It is important, and encryption has a significant role to play in that.” Also giving evidence to the committee, Richard Alcock, director of the Home Office’s oversight program for state use of communications data, suggested senior civil servants have a different interpretation on the encryption requirements vs those reassuring statements from senior government ministers about ‘not banning encryption’. Asked specifically whether companies which have deployed end-to-end encryption will not be required to be able to provided decrypted data when served with a government request, he said it is in fact his understanding that the opposite is true (emphasis mine). “In the context of interception, section 12 of RIPA [existing legislation, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act] mandates that there is an expectation that information is provided in the clear, effectively, by those on whom a notice is served. It may be the case that a service provider has certain encryption arrangements, but when you are putting someone on interception cover you want to be able to understand the content. There is an expectation — a clear mandation, in fact — that data will be provided to law enforcement in the clear, as has been the case. This Bill does exactly the same as section 12 of RIPA.” Another civil servant giving evidence to the committee, Professor Bernard Silverman, chief scientific adviser to the Home Office, was asked directly whether a reference in the bill requiring the “removal of electronic protection” is a route to compromising encryption. “My understanding of the Bill is that what has to be removed is the electronic protection that the service provider itself has put on the message. It is not removing encryption; it is removing electronic protection. I do not know whether Richard [Alcock] wants to go into more detail on that, but the short answer is that there is no threat to encryption as such.” However in response Alcock merely reiterated his view about the bill mandating clear data be served up in response to a government warrant. “It goes back to my previous point about provision of data in the clear. Companies may have all manner of different encryption equipment, which Government support. At the same time, when a notice is served to provide intercept data, the expectation is that those data will be provided in intelligible form — in the clear,” he reiterated. At this point another witness, Dr Bob Nowill, chairman of Cyber Security Challenge, pointed out that providing data in the clear may not always be possible — i.e. if it has been end-to-end encrypted and a service provider does not hold the encryption keys. “The ISP or CSP could unwrap whatever they have put on, but if the underlying data stream is encrypted by something proprietary and unknown and is originating and terminating overseas, you would probably have the devil of a job digging into it,” he pointed out. To this Alcock suggested the route to obtaining ‘clear data’ is about “forging constructive working relationships with the comms service providers” — whatever that means. It might, for example, mean the state leaning on Internet companies to backdoor their services to workaround end-to-end encryption. “All comms service providers are different. All systems are different. We need to work out pragmatic ways in which we can satisfy requests from the UK Government,” he said. “The expectation is that, when served with a notice, providers would provide us with data in the clear. That would involve working with the particular provider of the day to work out how best that could be achieved.” Fears over mass hacking The committee also asked for views on provisions in the proposed legislation to sanction equipment interference — aka state hacking powers. Walker expressed particular concern about the bill’s provision for mass hacking, dubbing this sweeping power “one of the areas of the Bill that is most problematic for many technology companies”. “That is regarded by a lot of people across the industry as opening up the potential for the maintenance, or addition, of vulnerabilities in networks or services that should in reality be patched, because they present vulnerabilities for the individual and the service, and for the company in terms of liabilities and so on,” he said. “You really have to think forward to the world in five or 10 years’ time, to the sheer range and diversity of equipment that potentially could be interfered with and the consequences of that. For example, if a vulnerability is found in a system that means you can automatically stop an autonomous or a semi-autonomous vehicle, and that vulnerability is exploited by somebody else for malicious purposes, there is a serious risk to life for the people involved. In a much more connected world, with many more connected devices on which we all rely for our security and safety, we have to think carefully about taking that additional step.” Walker also noted that some companies believe mass hacking powers could have “significant reputational impacts on their business” — by undermining the security and credibility of their services. “We are aware of some companies that said that makes them question where the right jurisdiction might be for them,” he added, implying the proposed law could lead to an exodus of such companies from the U.K. Another specific concern regarding this provision that was flagged by Walker is to open source business models. He suggested there are “significant problems” for such companies when it comes to meeting state hacking requirements given that they do not conceal their source code and therefore could not conceal state hacking activities from the open source community. “Potentially there are significant problems for companies based fundamentally on an open source business model. I think you have had evidence from Mozilla in that regard, which I think is quite instructive. The very nature of its business, which is based on inputs from the open source community, means that a lot of its code has to be out in the open. Therefore, meeting any of the equipment interference requirements would be something it could not conceal from the people who provide the open source software. A company like that would face very real specific problems.” Featured Image: Phil Dolby/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * isp * mass surveillance * surveillance * encryption * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Costs And Risks Of UK’s Draft Surveillance Powers Probed Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Product Hunt Revamps iOS App, Adds Live Chats And Podcast Player Posted Dec 10, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Another U.K. Surveillance Review Calls For Judicial Sign-Off For Intercepts Posted Jul 14, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Pura Lets You Monitor Your Finicky Cat’s Water Intake [screen-shot-2015-07-14-at-9-50-04-am.png?w=738] Another independent report into U.K. government surveillance has concluded interception warrants should require judicial sign-off, rather than being sanctioned by ministers as is the case now. This follows the publication of the Anderson surveillance review last month which also urged the government to adopt judicial sign-off. The U.K. is alone among the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance powers in not having a judicial process for signing off interception warrants. Late last month Home Secretary Theresa May said the government was considering the Anderson recommendations, and had not yet made a decision on the judicial sign-off point, although in earlier comments (reported in The Guardian) the government appeared to pour cold water on the idea of handing off warrant authorization to judges. The government has said it is committed to introducing new surveillance legislation, the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill, in the current parliament, with a timetable to introduce a draft bill this autumn — with a view to gaining Royal Assent next year before emergency surveillance legislation (DRIPA) expires at the end of 2016. The latest U.K. surveillance powers review, conducted by defense and security think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) — at the request of the government’s former deputy Prime Minister, in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations — concludes it found “no evidence” the government “knowingly acts illegally in intercepting private communications”. This despite the judicial oversight body for the U.K.’s intelligence agencies, the IPT, itself ruling earlier this year that GCHQ had acted unlawfully in the past in its data-sharing arrangements with the NSA. A second IPT ruling also judged GCHQ has broken the law in its handling of intercepted comms data pertaining to two humans rights organizations — breaching its own internal rules and violating the human rights of the target groups. The RUSI’s report aligns with the government position on mass surveillance being a ‘necessary tool’ for intelligence gathering too — arguing that “some degree of untargeted data collection, involving the collection of data in bulk, may sometimes be required, especially given the nature of modern communications” — and claiming it found no evidence that mass surveillance is being used to provide the state with “a perpetual window into the private lives of British citizens”. Anderson’s report generally supported the use of mass surveillance — going against the prevailing view from European rights bodies and recent political moves to row back domestic dragnets in the U.S. — although he said such powers must be “subject to strict additional safeguards”, such as the aforementioned judicial sign-off for intercept warrants, if they are to be acceptable. The RSUI follows what is now a clear consensus that reform of U.K. surveillance legislation is needed, identifiing an urgent need for “a new, comprehensive and clearer legal framework” for authorizing interception, noting: “We have seen evidence that the present legal framework authorising the interception of communications is unclear, has not kept pace with developments in communications technology, and does not serve either the government or members of the public satisfactorily. A new, comprehensive and clearer legal framework is required.” That said, it does not support the earlier Intelligence and Security Committee’s call for a single act of Parliament to govern how spy agencies operate, arguing that “substantial” reform does not require consolidating all existing legislation in this area. It is also not supporting separate legislation for the police and the security agencies. The RSUI calls for new surveillance legislation “in this session of Parliament to provide a new democratic mandate for digital intelligence”, asserting that: “The present arrangements are too complex to be understood by the citizen and have contributed to a public credibility gap that must be addressed.” It also sets out “ten tests” it believes any new legislation must pass before it can be regarded as giving the police and the intelligence agencies a “democratic licence to operate” — such as intrusion being in accordance with the rule of law; being justified as necessary to “explicit tasks and missions”; being “judged as proportionate to the advantages gained”; being subject to an effective oversight regime, and the applicable legal regime being transparent and clear, and comprehensive to the public. “The ‘secret parts of the state’ must draw and observe clear boundaries between that which must remain secret (such as intelligence sources or the identity of its employees) and all other aspects of its work which should be openly acknowledged. Necessary secrecy, however, must not be a justification for a wider culture of secrecy on security and intelligence matters,” the report adds. The 154-page report, entitled A Democratic Licence To Operate, is based on a year of “investigation and consultation”, and draws on views from investigative journalism, the Internet, law, policing, political life, moral philosophy. Former heads of the three U.K. intelligence and security agencies were also consulted. Update: Responding to the report, civil liberties campaign group Privacy International flags up the RSUI’s finding that the existing technical oversight regime “does not check the code [that underlies GCHQ’s interception capabilities], nor does it have the capacity to do so” — arguing this is a clear deficiency and asymmetry in U.K. surveillance oversight capabilities. “GCHQ’s mass surveillance systems rely heavily on computer automation and processing to crunch the large numbers of private communications that it collects. When GCHQ’s processing goes wrong, it results in ‘large volumes of material erroneously collected’. Adequate technical oversight is necessary to prevent this from happening,” it says. Commenting in a statement, Privacy International’s deputy director, Eric King, added: “It should be obvious that the most technologically advanced government agency, with the most intrusive powers, would require oversight bodies to have the independent technical chops to match. Yet today, our oversight relies on technical errors to be self-reported by GCHQ itself. “Fundamentally, our safeguards against abuse will not be effective when the core technical activities of GCHQ cannot be kept in check by equally technically-equipped overseers. While recent efforts by the Interception Commissioner have been made, they are essentially trying to make the best of what is an impossible situation. “While we applaud such efforts to navigate this problem, this is a gaping structural deficiency, plain as day, that needs to be fixed. A better resourced, more technically-equipped oversight body who can take GCHQ to task should be a priority in the coming discussion of reform.” * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * surveillance * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Another U.K. Surveillance Review Calls For Judicial Sign-Off For Intercepts Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Pura Lets You Monitor Your Finicky Cat’s Water Intake Posted Jul 14, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli FiveStars Gets $50M To Help Small Retailers Run Loyalty Programs Like Their Bigger Rivals 8 hours ago by Ingrid Lunden Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » UK Open Rights Group Crowdfunds Mass Surveillance Explainer Comments Feed Audi Leads $28M Investment In Rental Startup Silvercar Movinga, The European Online Removals Startup, Picks Up $25M Series B Round Led By Index alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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UK Open Rights Group Crowdfunds Mass Surveillance Explainer Posted Jan 4, 2016 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Audi Leads $28M Investment In Rental Startup Silvercar [6092000030_b8808e63f4_b.jpg?w=738] Proof, if proof were needed, that democracy is a cat and mouse game of PR these days… Civil rights campaign organisation, the Open Rights Group, is running a crowdfunding campaign to try to raise £20,000 to fund a challenge to the U.K. government’s own massive PR machine which is in the midst of driving the draft Investigatory Powers bill through Parliament and onto the statute books this year. The draft IP bill, presented to parliamentary in November — and now being interrogated by a joint select committee of MPs and Peers, due to report next month — is the U.K. government’s attempt to update and crystalize the law on surveillance powers in the post-Snowden era. The bill not only seeks to legitimize mass surveillance activity that has been ongoing in the U.K. for decades, with little or no public acknowledgement of this fact until after the Snowden disclosures — and with activity authorized via obscure legal loopholes such as section 94 of the 1984 Telecommunications Act — it also expands the surveillance capabilities available to the intelligence and security agencies. For example by requiring ISPs to store a list of all the websites U.K. Internet users have visited for the past 12 months. So called ‘Internet connection records’. This despite European judges overturning blanket data retention powers, back in 2014, on the grounds that such capabilities are disproportionate. While, last summer the U.K. High Court also ruled that the current emergency U.K. surveillance law, DRIPA — pushed through parliament without proper scrutiny, also in 2014 — is illegal under European Human Rights Law. The Open Rights Group is hoping to be able to run its own, inevitably more modest, public information campaign about the IP Bill, by turning to Indiegogo to raise £20,000 to make a short film to explain mass surveillance to the masses and illuminate the implications for Internet users if the bill passes into law. Its flexible funding campaign is nearing the end, with five days left to run and more than £12,500 pledged so far. “The public have… been repeatedly told that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. We need to challenge this sweeping statement and show people just what is at stake. We may not have things to hide but we all have things we want to keep private, safe and secure. If this Bill is passed, there can be no guarantee that we can do this,” the group writes on its campaign page. A key criticism of the IP Bill has been the truncated timetable afforded to the joint select committee that is hearing views on the proposed legislation. A member of the committee, the Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Strasburger, characterized the two weeks afforded to hear witnesses as “ridiculous“, adding that the government is turning the process “into a rubber stamp”. In one witness session held in December before the holiday break, the committee heard conflicting views on the costs of capturing Internet connection records, concerns over the implications for encrypted services — including criticism of the bill’s vague wording — and fears over sweeping powers to sanction mass hacking of services. So plenty to be concerned about then. The Open Rights Group says it wants to launch its public-facing campaign next month, to coincide with the committee’s report and put pressure on the MPs and Peers who will be debating, amending and voting on the legislation in the coming months. The government’s timetable for passing the legislation is before the end of the year when DRIPA is due to expire. “The Government is using fear of terrorism to persuade the public that they should give up their rights. We need to show more members of the public that what the Government is proposing is mass surveillance and it does have serious implications for their privacy and security. We have just a few months to persuade them, the media and our MPs that this draft law needs to be changed before it it passed by parliament,” the Open Rights Group adds. A £1,500 pledge to be the official sponsor of the planned film has been bought by U.K. ISP Andrews and Arnold, which has submitted written evidence to the IP Bill committee — and is a long time campaigner against Internet censorship and against earlier attempts to legislate so called ‘Snoopers’ charters’ in the U.K. Featured Image: Sebastien Wiertz/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Open Rights Group + Founded 2005 + Overview Open Rights Group is a non-profit organization that exists to protect civil liberties wherever they are threatened by the poor implementation and regulation of digital technology. Since its founding, Open Rights Group has spoken out on copyright term extension, DRM and the introduction of electronic voting in the U.K. It has informed the debate on data protection, freedom of information, data … + Location London, H9 + Categories Non Profit + Website http://www.openrightsgroup.org + Full profile for Open Rights Group TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * UK Open Rights Group Crowdfunds Mass Surveillance Explainer Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Audi Leads $28M Investment In Rental Startup Silvercar Posted Jan 4, 2016 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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U.K. ‘Emergency’ Surveillance Law Ruled Unlawful By High Court Posted Jul 17, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Join Us At PragueCrunch IV: The Enpraguening [gavel.jpg?w=738] In a high profile win for civil liberties in the U.K., surveillance legislation rushed through the national parliament in a matter of days last year has today been declared unlawful under European Human Rights law. Two MPs, Tom Watson (Labour) and David Davis (Conservative), along with civil rights campaign group Liberty, took the government to the High Court last month, challenging the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) on privacy and data protection grounds. Today the High Court agreed with their challenge. Court overturns #DRIPA. We won the case! — tom_watson (@tom_watson) July 17, 2015 The government can appeal the judgement — and does not have to instantly halt data retention practices taking place under DRIPA, with the court allowing those portions of the law it deems unlawful to remain in force until March 2016 “to allow time for the government to legislate properly”. But the ruling fires a clear warning shot across the bows of a government that is among the most hawkish in Europe on surveillance and interception — with the U.K. Prime Minister at times appearing to suggest encryption should be outlawed, and a Home Secretary who has consistently banged the drum to ramp up investigatory powers. DRIPA as a whole has a sunset clause of the end-of-2016. So the government is already working to replace it with permanent and potentially more expansive surveillance legislation (it has talked of plugging “capability gaps”) via the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB) — the latter due in draft form this fall. Today’s High Court ruling will feed into the debate as MPs seek consensus on where the line should be drawn to balance state surveillance capabilities with individual privacy rights. And indicates that the government’s current thinking is out of step with EU law. (NB: the government’s election manifesto included a pledge to replace the European Convention on Human Rights with a British Bill of Rights — although it has not announced any legislative timetable for doing so yet). One area where there is cross-party — and wider — consensus is the need for clarity in the oversight legislation which governs state surveillance, interception and data retention powers in the U.K. The existing Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is roundly condemned as unfit for purpose. And legislating to provide for “appropriate oversight” is one of the government’s stated intentions with the forthcoming IPB. DRIPA, meanwhile, is anything but clear or appropriate. The legislation was criticized last year for being overly vague and draconian, as well as for going against the wider regional trajectory by effectively reversing the European Court of Justice ruling that had, months earlier, struck down EU data retention powers as disproportionate. Discussing DRIPA with TechCrunch last year former Pinsent Mason lawyer Danvers Baillieu noted how few limits it afforded on the scope of retention notices that the Home Secretary could issue. “Basically clause 1 says the Secretary of State may issue a retention notice and it may require just about anything — including ‘the retention notice may make different provision for different purposes’, that’s what it says in the bill. So a retention notice can pretty much tell you to do anything — other than hold anything longer than 12 months,” he said. The High Court evidently agrees with Baillieu’s assessment, ruling that section 1 is unlawful on the grounds that it fails to provide “clear and precise rules” to ensure data is only accessed for the purpose of preventing, detecting or conducting criminal prosecutions of serious offences. The court also ruled section 2 unlawful because it does not build in limits to accessing this data by requiring access be authorized by a court or independent body. The latter point is interesting because two government commissioned independent reviews of surveillance legislation, which have both published their findings this summer, have called for intercept warrants to be signed off by the judiciary, rather than being sanctioned by ministers — as is the case now. The government has so far said it has not yet made a decision on that point, although some of the noises coming out of Downing Street appear to suggest Cameron is not keen on the idea. Today’s High Court ruling piles more pressure on the government to bend to a growing number of calls that warrants be authorized by judges, not senior politicians. On the independent approval point, the High Court notes in its ruling: “The need for that approval to be by a judge or official wholly independent of the force or body making the application should not, provided the person responsible is properly trained or experienced, be particularly cumbersome.” Another criticism of DRIPA is the government’s unseemly haste in railroading the bill through parliament, bypassing the normal lengthy legislative scrutiny process by gaining the support of the opposition Labour party to ensure a majority, and by using a tactic of putting the law through as parliament was about to go on summer recess. All of which was widely condemned at the time as un-democractic. With the High Court slamming DRIPA as unlawful now the government will also be under pressure to avoid any such unseemly haste in future surveillance debates as it works to reshape legislation in this area. That said, DRIPA’s sunset clause already puts in place a fairly short window for detailed parliamentary scrutiny of such a technologically complex area (not to mention the moral and ethic complexities arising at the intersection of individual rights and state responsibilities). The High Court ruling now squeezes the government’s timetable further by sunsetting some of DRIPA’s powers several months earlier. Albeit, to spin all that another way… Government have nine months to bring back new legislation. MPs were given one day to discuss the legislation last year. — tom_watson (@tom_watson) July 17, 2015 The Home Secretary has previously said the government is committing to having a IBP by “early next year” to allow time for it to pass into law before the DRIPA sunset clause comes into effect at the end of 2016. “In order to meet that timetable and allow thorough parliamentary scrutiny we intend to bring forward a draft bill for consideration in the autumn, which will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny, including by a joint committee of both Houses,” she said last month. Responding to today’s High Court judgement, David Anderson, the QC who penned one of the two independent reviews of government surveillance legislation, notes it may affect the timing of the government’s plans for “wide-ranging reform in this area” should the government decide it needs “remedial legislation” before March 2016. Which suggests the IPB’s timetable could be set back if the government focuses on another stop-gap legislative patch. The prospect of the government rushing through more hasty surveillance legislation is not good. Nor is the prospect of truncated parliamentary scrutiny of new surveillance oversight law when the overwhelming requirement here is for “clear and precise” guidance. Problematically vague existing legislation has undoubtedly contributed to serious privacy and civil liberties breaches by state operators for years. We don’t need any more RIPAs. Anderson dubs today’s court ruling a “decision of great potential importance”, noting that it echoes decisions already made by national courts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia and Romania — falling in line with EU law. He writes: If not successfully appealed, the judgment will require change to existing practices for accessing communications data (which I had already recommended should be subject in some categories of case to a higher degree of independent authorisation: see A Question of Trust, Recommendations 65, 67-71). Indeed it may point to broader-reaching change than I had recommended, speaking of the need for approval in all cases by “a judge or official wholly independent of the force or body making the application” (Judgment, para 98). This throws into doubt the adequacy of the existing system for approval and authorisation by a designated person within the police force or public authority which seeks communications data. Some of the practical constraints in this area are illustrated at 9.24(a)(b) of A Question of Trust. The judgment may also be of relevance to the current debate over whether there should be judicial or ministerial authorisation of interception warrants (which were not the subject of the Davis/Watson case, but which relate to the content of communications and may thus be considered more intrusive than the communications data at stake in that case). Change in this respect was recommended both in A Question of Trust (Recommendation 22), and in this week’s RUSI report, A Democratic Licence to Operate. My reflections on this point in A Question of Trust, 5.79, were reproduced by the Divisional Court at para 72 of its judgment. He also adds that the ruling is “of no direct relevance” to the so-called Snooper’s Charter — another piece of surveillance legislation which the government tried and failed to pass last year, and which would have expanded the categories of data retained by ISPs — but he reiterates, in line with recommendations from his recent surveillance review report, that it “underline[s] the need for a legally sound and evidence-based case, if this idea is to be pursued in the future”. With the Snowden revelations of 2013 unmasking the huge scale and scope of state digital surveillance apparatus, creating an imperative for reform and clearer oversight, it’s to be hoped that a U.K. law as opaque and problematic as RIPA could no longer be passed — and that domestic politicians heed growing calls for “legally sound and evidence-based” investigatory powers that do not infringe human rights. Or, as Eduardo Ustaran, Partner at law firm Hogan Lovells writes, today’s High Court ruling is “a sign of the need for democratic diligence in the political decision-making process” — and signals the need for “an open and public debate that leads to a thorough legislative process without hyperbole and paranoia in order to deliver a legal framework that stands up to the courts’ scrutiny”. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli FiveStars Gets $50M To Help Small Retailers Run Loyalty Programs Like Their Bigger Rivals 8 hours ago by Ingrid Lunden Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » U.K. PM Backpedals On ‘Encryption Ban’, Sort Of Comments Feed PayPal Here Adds Windows Support, Will Launch An EMV Card Reader Later This Year The Hovertrax Is Like Two Dumb Little Segways For Your Feet alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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U.K. PM Backpedals On ‘Encryption Ban’, Sort Of Posted Jan 13, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story PayPal Here Adds Windows Support, Will Launch An EMV Card Reader Later This Year [6092000030_b8808e63f4_b.jpg?w=738] U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been weathering a Twitter storm of mockery for comments he made yesterday in which he appeared to suggest it would be the intention of a future Conservative government to ban strong encryption. “Are we going to allow a means of communication between people which even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the Home Secretary personally, that we cannot read?” he said in a public speech. “No we must not. The first duty of any government is to keep our country and our people safe.” Internet security experts chipped in en masse on social media to point out the pyrrhic folly of Cameron thinking he can ban encryption, while others noted the heightened hypocrisy of a politician using last week’s terror attacks in Paris as a foil to attempt to undermine citizens’ digital privacy rights at home. TechCrunch understands alarm at the potential implications of Cameron’s comments even extended to the U.K.’s VC investment community — which makes sense, given that Internet businesses wouldn’t be able to function without encryption. So in a move that will shock precisely no one, the back channel back-peddling has begun. Downing Street sources said the PM’s words had been misinterpreted, and that he was not, in fact, singling out encryption, or any particular Internet companies, for a ban. Although another government source declined to confirm to TechCrunch that a future Conservative government would not be seeking to ban encryption when we asked directly. So the Tories are evidently not committing to ending all encryption-banning rhetorical outbursts in future. The game being played here is not just with popular opinion on the election campaign trail — ahead of the U.K.’s General Election this May, as the Tories cack-handedly try to capitalize on fear of terrorism by tilting at digital windmills. It’s also an attempt to apply political pressure on foreign owned Internet companies to provide U.K. security services with backdoors into their services. Last November the incoming head of the U.K.’s GCHQ spy agency made a direct public appeal to U.S. Internet companies to co-operate with government counter terrorism efforts and hand over data on users when asked. Yesterday Cameron was evidently trying to speed that same plough. However if, as government sources are (sort of) suggesting, he does not in fact have an intention to ban encryption, but is hoping that Internet companies will agree to put backdoors into services themselves, there are undoubtedly some digital services that U.K. spooks will not be able to peek into — i.e. those that use end-to-end encryption or companies that refuse to co-operate with requests to install backdoors — and, really, there is not a whole lot U.K. politicians will be able to do about that. That said, the Prime Minister has previously committed a future Tory government to re-introduce more comprehensive powers of digital comms data capture, and to extend the emergency surveillance legislation (DRIPA) that was rushed through the U.K. parliament last year. Under DRIPA, companies providing a service to the U.K. are technically required to provide access to data. The difficulty (for government) comes in trying to enforce such a legal requirement if a company does not have a physical presence in the U.K. And even where a company does have a presence, no U.K. government is going to want to be seen banning mainstream apps. That’s never a good look — unless you’re heading up a totalitarian regime. Indeed, government sources were very keen to stress that it is not Cameron’s intention to ban Internet companies in the U.K. They added that the government is working closely with Internet companies to ensure compliance with DRIPA — describing the approach it is taking, led by a special envoy, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, appointed last September, as “co-operative”. At the time of Sheinwald’s appointment the government noted: A number of overseas companies have asserted that their ability to work with the UK government is being severely constrained by international conflicts of jurisdiction. For example, where they think they have a British law saying that they should share data, and an American law saying that they shouldn’t. So we intend to appoint a senior diplomat to work with America and other countries to address these concerns and ensure that lawful and justified transfer of information across borders takes place to protect our people’s safety and security. What’s the long and the short of all this? Cameron’s non-specific anti-encryption drum banging is not worth the paper it wasn’t written on. And Internet companies should definitely expect a lot more rhetoric about how they risk aiding and abetting terrorists if they don’t give in to U.K. government requests to perforate the security of their users. So, really, expect a whole lot more tilting at windmills before this digital debate is done. Stronger encryption is growing not diminishing, so the “challenge”, as U.K. government sources put it, that strong encryption poses to security services’ digital surveillance programs is not going away. Politics meet technology. 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Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... What The U.K. Surveillance Powers Review Says On Encryption And Hacking Posted Jun 13, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Mobile App Enablers: Who Will Be The Winners? [lock.jpg?w=738] An independent review of U.K. surveillance powers conducted by QC David Anderson published its findings this week. Among its recommendations the report calls for judges to sign off interception warrants, and for a new law to govern surveillance powers — replacing the problematic patchwork of outdated and amended legislation that currently exists with stricter and more coherent oversight. The report also supports continued use of “bulk data collection” (aka mass surveillance) by U.K. intelligence agencies — so long as “strict additional safeguards” oversee its usage and minimize privacy impacts. Anderson writes: …if the acceptable use of vast state powers is to be guaranteed, it cannot simply be by reference to the probity of its servants, the ingenuity of its enemies or current technical limitations on what it can do. Firm limits must also be written into law: not merely safeguards, but red lines that may not be crossed. He also weighs in on encryption, although his recommendations here are rather more murky. In essence, he is taking the view that more widespread use of strong encryption ultimately sanctions mass surveillance — and even hacking activities by state agencies — as necessary workarounds to get at information that’s otherwise locked out of reach. The 300-page+ report was commissioned by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron last year in the wake of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations. Since then Cameron has stepped up his rhetoric in support of state surveillance powers, making hawkish pronouncements arguing for expanded capabilities — to the point where, earlier this year, he appeared to be calling for an effective ban on strong encryption. “Are we going to allow a means of communication between people which even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the Home Secretary personally, that we cannot read? No we must not. The first duty of any government is to keep our country and our people safe,” said Cameron back in January. Anderson’s review backs Cameron’s notion that encryption should not be an ultimate barrier to security agencies — arguing that the power to “intercept a particular communication” or “track a particular individual” “needs to exist”, although he also qualifies this by saying such a power might only be usable “where skill or trickery can provide a way around the obstacle”. What that means in practice appears to be a suggestion that surveillance capabilities should allow enough intrusiveness that strongly encrypted data can be got at — or its intelligence inferred — by other “ingenious or intrusive” means. Not by enforced backdoors, but by what amounts to a patchwork of investigatory workarounds. Government-sanctioned hacking/malware is one mooted option, along with the triangulation offered by data retention powers plus data-mining of bulk datasets — which, presumably, expands the likelihood that encrypted comms can be caught in a less secure form somewhere in the digital haystack. All these ‘tricksy circumventions’ are offered up as an alternative to legislating to deliberately and systematically perforate encryption — i.e. by mandating backdoors be built into encrypted services. Anderson writes (emphasis mine): …There may be all sorts of reasons – not least, secure encryption – why it is not physically possible to intercept a particular communication, or track a particular individual. But the power to do so needs to exist, even if it is only usable in cases where skill or trickery can provide a way around the obstacle. Were it to be otherwise, entire channels of communication could be reduced to lawless spaces in which freedom is enjoyed only by the strong, and evil of all kinds can flourish. This does not mean that state access to communications should be made easy. Few now contend for a master key to all communications held by the state, for a requirement to hold data locally in unencrypted form, or for a guaranteed facility to insert back doors into any telecommunications system. Such tools threaten the integrity of our communications and of the internet itself. Far preferable, on any view, is a law-based system in which encryption keys are handed over (by service providers or by the users themselves) only after properly authorised requests. But in an imperfect world, in which many communications threatening to the UK are conducted over services whose providers do not or cannot comply with such requests, there is a compelling public interest in being able to penetrate any channel of communication, however partially or sporadically. Paedophiles should not be able to operate on the dark net with guaranteed impunity, and terrorists should not be able to render themselves undetectable simply by selecting an app on which their communications history will never be known even to the provider. Hence the argument for permitting ingenious or intrusive techniques (such as bulk data analysis or CNE [computer network exploitation]) which may go some way towards enabling otherwise insuperable obstacles to be circumvented. Hence, also, the argument for requiring certain data to be retained so that they can be used in piecing together a crime after the event. He notes elsewhere in the report that U.K. Agencies “do not look to legislation to give themselves a permanent trump card” to unlock encryption, adding: “Neither they nor anyone else has made a case to me for encryption to be placed under effective Government control, as in practice it was before the advent of public key encryption in the 1990s.” Instead, the push from U.K. security agencies appears to be for a multitude of workarounds to get at encrypted intel — including gaining access to domestic and foreign companies’ own user datasets via “cooperation, enforced by law if needed, from companies abroad as well as in the U.K., which are able to provide readable interception product”. “The Agencies seek to address impeded access to communications through their own cryptographic work,” the report adds. “They will also need to develop new methods of accessing data, for example through increased use of CNE [aka hacking]. They therefore want the capabilities and an appropriate legal framework within which this work can be carried out.” Elsewhere in the report Anderson notes that the use of hacking by U.K. security agencies has not been clearly defined in national law — pointing out that this activity was only “recently acknowledged” by government, when it published the Draft Equipment Interference Code in February. Indeed, civil liberties organizations have accused the U.K. government of making ‘under the radar’ legislative changes to try to retroactively legalize state agency hacking activities. Unsurprisingly Anderson recommends that hacking powers be clearly defined within a new oversight framework for state surveillance capabilities. He also touches on concerns there may be a need for “exceptional safeguards” in order for some types of hacking to be used legally — without specifying exactly which methods could warrant theses extra checks and balances. [Hacking] presents a dizzying array of possibilities to the security and intelligence agencies. “There are significant concerns regarding the use of these methods at all,” he writes. “In particular in relation to encryption, some are of the view that these methods are dangerous for the safety and security of the users of the internet. Moreover, CNE presents a dizzying array of possibilities to the security and intelligence agencies, and while some methods of CNE may be appropriate, many are of the view that there are others which are so intrusive that they would require exceptional safeguards for their use to be legal.” While the intelligence and security agencies are the only U.K. public bodies currently afforded hacking (and mass surveillance) powers for investigatory purposes, the review notes that the U.K.’s National Crime Agency wants additional powers to be considered for domestic police forces — including “the possible future use by law enforcement of CNE”. So, to be clear, U.K. police forces are pushing to be allowed to use hacking to investigate criminal activity. Anderson is specifically not supporting such an expansion of police powers, but he does suggest that invasive digital investigation techniques are likely to spread to other government agencies in future. “There are still investigatory powers that only the security and intelligence agencies deploy: notably, bulk data collection and CNE. I have not suggested that this should change. But as technology develops, bulk data analysis (notably by private companies) becomes a standard feature of everyday life and digital investigation techniques become more widespread, the trend may prove to be towards convergence rather than the reverse,” he writes. The report also touches on enforced decryption as a workaround method for thwarting secure encryption. Anderson says it was required 76 times in 2013-14, with two convictions over this period for failure to comply. But he notes the security agencies’ primary concern with this resort for circumventing encryption is the target may choose to opt for a smaller prison sentence for refusing to hand over their encryption keys than a more serious conviction for criminality based on whatever data they have encrypted. Hence the push for security agencies to have something else up their sleeve to workaround encryption. Anderson’s report is not binding, so it remains to be seen how many of his recommendations will be adopted by the government as it drafts the new Investigatory Powers Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech last month. The draft bill is due to be published this fall. After the report’s publication this week, the government said it will “carefully consider” Anderson’s recommendations. However Home Secretary Theresa May has already signaled she may reject his proposal to strip ministers’ power to sign off interception warrants and hand that over to judges. That suggests the government is preparing to expand state surveillance capabilities without bracketing additional powers within the strict red lines Anderson believes are necessary in order to achieve an acceptable balance between state security and individual liberty — pushing the U.K. further out of step with countries such as the U.S. where politicians are now legislating to place limits on domestic spying powers. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * surveillance * encryption * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * What The U.K. Surveillance Powers Review Says On Encryption And Hacking Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Mobile App Enablers: Who Will Be The Winners? 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Push For Greater State Surveillance Powers Could Have Chilling Effect On U.K. Tech Sector Comments Feed Millennials Are Destroying Banks, And It’s The Banks’ Fault The Obsession With Silicon Everywhere alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... surveillance * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... Push For Greater State Surveillance Powers Could Have Chilling Effect On U.K. Tech Sector Posted May 30, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Millennials Are Destroying Banks, And It’s The Banks’ Fault [16164233084_7f9e0cd5fb_k.jpg?w=738] The U.K. government is lining up a new piece of legislation to expand the state’s digital data capture powers. The incoming bill, the Investigatory Powers Bill, was announced in the Queen’s speech this week. It has not yet been published in draft form so specific details of what is being planned remains unclear, but in recent times the Conservative party has been banging the drum to expand the type and volume of captured comms data. The U.K. Prime Minister has even appeared to suggest that strong encryption should be outlawed. The Telegraph newspaper this week suggested new powers to be outlined in the Bill will require companies like Google and Facebook to give U.K. intelligence agencies access to the encrypted conversations of suspected terrorists and criminals. That scenario presupposes Internet companies have the ability to access their users’ encrypted messages. While that is certainly true for some digital services with a sloppy attitude to security (or with business models that rely on data mining their users), others, such as Apple, claim they intentionally do not hold encryption keys — which presumably sets up a legal clash with security- and privacy-conscious tech companies and the U.K. government. Does the Tory government intend to make iMessage illegal? That really will be a *gets popcorn* moment… The Tory’s prior attempt to expand the state’s data capture powers, the Communications Data Bill — widely criticized as a ‘Snoopers’ Charter’, on the grounds that it would have required ISPs to retain detailed data on web usage — failed to pass through Parliament owing to the lack of support from the Conservative’s Lib Dem coalition partners. The new Tory majority government has no such limitation. Former Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert, who lost his seat in the election this month but was a prominent critic of the Communications Data Bill, tells TechCrunch he has concerns about the surveillance powers that the government will be pushing for. The concept of keeping track of every website everybody ever goes to, or of requiring ISPs to keep track of what you do on Facebook all the time are deeply intrusive. “We’ll have to see how much they’ll try and throw in to it. When they were trying to push the Communications Data Bill, initially, the first version was incredibly broadbrush and afforded powers to do any data collection. They then admitted, during the process of our [parliamentary committee] enquiry, that actually there were only three things they particularly wanted. One of which was IP addressing matching, which there was good evidence for and we agreed to do… One was about requiring ISPs to keep track of web logs, effectively. So a list of every website you go to, and things like that. And the third thing was to have a power to require ISPs to keep track of third party information — so what you do on Facebook, what you do on any other site,” says Huppert. “Those were the three things they said they wanted. The IP address matching basically was the only thing they had any evidence for. And it doesn’t involve any significant privacy intrusions but has huge advantages. Whereas I think the concept of keeping track of every website everybody ever goes to, or of requiring ISPs to keep track of what you do on Facebook all the time are deeply intrusive. And actually they couldn’t come up with any significant evidence of why it was useful.” “There should be a clear piece of legislation that sets out what is ok, what is not ok, what the processes are for changing it. And it needs to be written with an acceptance of the need for accountability. And the need to have as much transparency as is consistent with the genuine requirements for operational work. But that’s not the approach that’s been taken before. It’s not the approach that the Home Secretary has previously urged. Maybe she will change her mind this time but I’m sceptical,” he adds. “I worry that the Home Secretary will largely try to simply procure more powers for the state without justifying it or consider the count of balancing issues that there are. And certainly, like we’ve seen with the Prime Minister’s comments about encryption, those are huge threats to the UK technology sectors. And is definitely not the right way to proceed.” Beyond the overreach and privacy intrusion of having the state require systematic logging of citizens’ web browsing habits and social media activity, another reason to oppose more expansive state data retention is that it makes the intelligence agencies’ job harder — given it increases the noise to signal ration, as Huppert notes. “There’s no doubt that if you demand more things you have more data, and if you believe that the problem the intelligence services face at the moment is a shortage of data then it would address the problem. I think the problem is they don’t know what to do with all the data that they have. If you look at the killing of [U.K. soldier] Lee Rigby for example the problem isn’t that they have no idea. The problem is they have so much data they couldn’t prioritize it properly,” he argues. “So unlike IP address matching where there really was a strong case, there isn’t a clear case here. Beyond ‘we can think of some situations where it might be useful’. And I think one of the things that people should look very very carefully at this is what is the evidence for any of the claims that are made. We certainly found the ones given initially were, I think the word we used was ‘misleading’.” He also notes that the Joint Committee report on the draft Communications Data bill was hugely critical about the lack of data ministers were able to provide to support assertions that expanding data capture powers for counter-terrorism purposes would save lives. So that’s another thorny problem with legislation in this area — the government can and does shroud its arguments in claims of national security secrecy. Saying, in essence, ‘we need more data — but we can’t tell you why’. And where the U.K. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee should be playing a robust role in holding the government to account in such a sensitive area, Huppert says there has been further failure. So he’s also not putting much store in claims that the Investigatory Powers Bill will “provide for appropriate oversight and safeguard arrangements”. “We do need better oversight. The intelligence services play an incredibly important role and we want them to be able to do their jobs in a clear and accountable way. But the ISC has not played that role,” he adds. “The Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled against the government but the executive response was to do nothing and soon after deny that the ruling had happened. So I don’t have much confidence in that.” One portion of U.K. legislation he does support overhauling is RIPA. Aka the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which regulates the powers public bodies have to carry out surveillance and communications interception. Briefing notes for the Investigatory Powers Bill state it will aim to “modernise our law in these areas and ensure it is fit for purpose”. RIPA has been criticized for years for eroding press freedoms and sanctioning disproportionate surveillance — by, for instance, enabling police and local councils to spy on journalists. Or, in another instance, a local authorities to check if a family was living in a school catchment area. So there’s a clear need for ripping up RIPA and starting again. But again Huppert has concerns about the government’s approach here. “RIPA does need to be re-written. There’s no doubt about that,” he says. “It is an atrociously written piece of legislation… I think that everybody agrees RIPA is not fit for purpose. And that would include strong critics like myself but also if you look at some of the things that [Commissioner for the Global Commission on Internet Governance] David Omand has said… He’s argued for full public and parliamentary understanding of new powers… So I do think we need to have a re-write of RIPA but the correct way to do that is through the joint committee process, thinking about it slowly and carefully — not something rammed through by a new government eager to get on with it. “And the intention, which the Tories had agreed to or stated publicly, was that [to get this balance] there would be a joint committee set up between both houses to consider how to re-do RIPA. And it does seem to me that they are jumping the gun somewhat on it.” Huppert is not alone in his concerns either. This week a UN report dubbed encryption an essential tool for protecting the right of freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age. While Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, called for checks and balances on government surveillance. Speaking at an Internet festival taking place in London this week he asked of politicians: “Can you show us that you can build a system which is accountable to us, where when the security services take the ability to look at private data, they do it in a way where it goes through a court, they do in way so my personal data is not going to be snooped on and when people do have their data snooped on it’s only used in a very serious process of tracking down organised crime and terrorism?” The Investigatory Powers Bill is one of a series of initial bills announced in the Queen’s speech, which sets out the government legislative agenda for the new Parliament — so shoring up and expanding state surveillance and data capture powers is evidently front of mind and a clear priority for the new U.K. government. How that preoccupation with supporting and enabling greater state powers of intrusion on the one hand vs an apparent desire to modernize problematic older laws pertaining to interception powers plays out remains to be seen. But the government’s anti-encryption rhetoric suggests another serious clash of politics vs technology is incoming — the outcome of which will ripple out to affect both U.K. web users and their online behavior, and global companies doing business in the U.K. The U.K. is often referred to as the most surveilled country in the world — typically a reference to the pervasive use of CCTV. At the last count there were estimated to be between 4 million and 5.9 million of these surveillance cameras in the U.K. (which has a population of around 64 million), although the vast majority are privately owned and operated — rather than being directly controlled by the state. (The number of publicly operated cameras in England and Wales is around 100,000.) This month the U.K.’s surveillance camera commissioner warned that budget cuts are forcing councils to switch off CCTV cameras. But the idea that state surveillance capabilities will diminish because of shrinking government resources seems fantastical. Rather the role of providing state surveillance apparatus continues to be outsourced to private operators. So U.K. police and intelligence agencies obtain whatever CCTV footage they’re after from the private operator funding a camera in their shop or carpark or driveway — or, hey, even that in-home Dropcam or the lens on that life-logging wearable that never stops recording what’s going on around you. Imagine the power of state surveillance tapping into an expansive Internet of Things infrastructure that ceaselessly gathers real-time data on every point of human intersection — public and ‘private’. When it comes to surveillance of digital comms data, this same outsourcing modus operandi used with CCTV is being applied by governments to Internet companies — with the U.K. government now preparing to push one of the most hawkish data retention agendas in the Western world, and that despite the censure that has been directed at systematic digital dragnets in the wake of the Snowden revelations. How hugely powerful commercial digital platforms respond to being co-opted as the coal face of state surveillance, where their user data is then subject to systematic mining by the state as a byproduct of citizens’ digital participation, continues to be one of the most pressing issues of our technology-fueled times. 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Tim Cook Holds Firm On iMessage Security: It’s Encrypted, And We Don’t Have A Key Posted Sep 15, 2014 by Ingrid Lunden (@ingridlunden) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Recruitment Trainwreck BranchOut In Talks To Be Acquired, May Sell Mobile Team To Hearst [screen-shot-2014-09-16-at-00-41-54.png?w=738] As Apple continues to come under some attack for how it handles iCloud security, the company’s CEO Tim Cook is holding firm on the company’s priorities when it comes to data protection. In part 2 of an interview with Charlie Rose, airing on PBS tonight, Cook is adamant that Apple is not in the business of collecting data, but rather selling hardware, and, as such, it puts data privacy as a priority. “We’re not reading your email. We’re not reading your iMessage,” Cook said. “If the government laid a subpoena to get iMessages, we can’t provide it. It’s encrypted and we don’t have a key. And so it’s sort of — the door is closed.” The comments sit not just as a defense of Apple in the wake of the celebrity iCloud selfie scandal, where racy photographs were obtained by malicious, phishing hackers and then distributed online (Apple plainly denied a security breach); but they are also a reiteration of an argument Apple first brought up a year ago, when the company came out with its original defense of the security of its iMessage messaging platform in the wake of NSA revelations — a position that was questioned and debunked by some security researchers. Cook’s comments are also something of an indirect snub to Google, the search and Android giant that Cook flat-out called Apple’s biggest competition in the first part of his Rose interview. Here are Cook’s remarks in full in response to Rose’s comment about how some people feel like “companies like Google” are in possession of too much information, some of it personal. We take a very different view of this than a lot of other companies have. Our view is, when we design a new service, we try not to collect data. So we’re not reading your email. We’re not reading your iMessage. If the government laid a subpoena to get iMessages, we can’t provide it. It’s encrypted and we don’t have a key. And so it’s sort of, the door is closed. But our business Charlie, is based on selling these [pointing to devices]. Our business is not based on having information about you. You’re not our product. Our product are these, and this watch, and Macs and so forth. And so we run a very different company. I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money. And if they’re making money mainly by collecting gobs of personal data, I think you have a right to be worried. And you should really understand what’s happening to that data. And companies I think should be very transparent about it. He also touched on how this relates to new products that Apple is launching — specifically its e-commerce effort, Apple Pay: From our point of view, you can see what we’re doing on the credit card thing. We don’t want it. We’re not in that business. I’m offended by lots of it. And so, I think people have a right to privacy. He also went back to how Apple has handled and would respond to data requests from organizations like the NSA, maintaining that Apple would “never allow” backdoor access to its servers. Cook’s position is that questions of data privacy will be a “key topic over the next year or so.” And we’ll reach higher and higher levels of urgency as more and more incidents happen. I think that the, for us, in the Snowden thing, just to go along on that for just a moment. What we wanted, was, we wanted instantly to be totally transparent because there were rumors and things being written in the press that people had backdoors to our servers. None of that is true, zero. We would never allow that to happen. They would have to cart us out in a box before we would do that. It’s, if we ever get information, and we finally got an agreement from the administration to release how many times we had national security orders on Apple. And in a six month period, and we had to release a range, because they won’t let us say the exact number, it’s between zero and 250. That’s the lowest number you can quote. Zero to 250. An excerpt from the interview is below: IFRAME: http://www.youtube.com/embed/Bmm5faI_mLo?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide= 2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Apple + Founded 1976 + Overview Apple is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple provides many products and services, including iPhone; iPad; iPod; Mac; iPod; Apple TV; … + Location Cupertino, CA + Categories Hardware + Software, Consumer Electronics, Computers, Electronics, Retail + Website http://www.apple.com + Full profile for Apple * Timothy Cook + Bio Timothy Cook is Apple's CEO. He took over from Steve Jobs on 25 August 2011. In his previous position as COO, Cook was responsible for all of the company's worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple's supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple's Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued … + Full profile for Timothy Cook * Charlie Rose + Bio Charlie Rose is an American television interviewer and journalist. He entered television journalism full-time in 1974, when he became the managing editor of the PBS series Bill Moyers' International Report. He currently hosts the Charlie Rose Show, where he has developed a reputation as a skilled interviewer. + Full profile for Charlie Rose TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * Tim Cook * privacy * Google * Apple * Apps * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Tim Cook Holds Firm On iMessage Security: It’s Encrypted, And We Don’t Have A Key Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Mobile * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez * Facebook Is Bringing 3D Touch To Your Timeline Facebook Is Bringing 3D Touch To Your Timeline 4 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Up Next Recruitment Trainwreck BranchOut In Talks To Be Acquired, May Sell Mobile Team To Hearst Posted Sep 15, 2014 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Mass Surveillance Threatens Digital Security And Human Rights, Says European Report Comments Feed Microsoft Slips 2% After Reporting $26.5B In FQ2 Revenue, $1.1B In Surface Revenue Microsoft Faces Stiff Mobile Challenge alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Mass Surveillance Threatens Digital Security And Human Rights, Says European Report Posted Jan 26, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Microsoft Slips 2% After Reporting $26.5B In FQ2 Revenue, $1.1B In Surface Revenue [edward-snowden-nova-1024x575.jpg?w=738] A 32-page report into mass surveillance by a top European rights body has warned that digital dragnets set up by U.S. government intelligence agencies, and some of the U.S.’ allies in Europe and elsewhere, are endangering fundamental human rights — such as the right to privacy, to freedom of information and expression, to freedom of religion, and to the right to a fair trial. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden gave evidence to the committee last year, including revealing that U.S. government intelligence agencies spied on NGOs and human rights organizations. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) report also expresses deep concern about threats to Internet security by what it describes as “the practice of certain intelligence agencies”, as disclosed in the Snowden files, of “seeking out systematically, using and even creating ‘back doors’ and other weaknesses in security standards and implementation, which could easily be exploited also by terrorists and cyber-terrorists or other criminals”. The PACE report comes just days after the U.K. Prime Minister appeared to call for a ban on strong encryption, arguing that national security agencies should be able to gain access to all digital communications. And — just today — the U.K.’s House of Lords was debating amendments to a new counter-terrorism bill that sought to (again) revive a so-called Snooper’s Charter by forcing blanket retention of communications metadata on digital companies, despite such comms dragnets being ruled disproportionate and struck down by the European Court of Justice last year. Following the ECJ strike down, the U.K. government passed “emergency” interception legislation, aka DRIPA, to fill the legislative gap (DRIPA has a sunset clause, hence attempts to inject similar measures in the separate counter-terrorism bill). And was roundly criticized for rushing DRIPA through parliament, without allowing for proper parliamentary scrutiny. In its report PACE expresses specific concerns about the anti-democratic practices and structures that have developed to enable mass surveillance, noting it is “deeply worried by the extensive use of secret laws, secret courts and secret interpretations of such laws, which are very poorly scrutinized”. The report adds: In several countries, a massive “Surveillance-Industrial Complex” has evolved, fostered by the culture of secrecy surrounding surveillance operations, their highly technical character and the fact that both the seriousness of alleged threats and the need for specific counter-measures and their costs and benefits are difficult to assess for political and budgetary decision-makers without relying on input from interested groups themselves. These powerful structures risk escaping democratic control and accountability and threaten the free and open character of our societies. PACE highlights for censure one such workaround for circumventing national privacy laws whereby certain countries — notably among the so-called Five Eyes (aka: U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand) — share data on each others’ citizens, since foreigners’ privacy rights are not nationally enshrined. PACE’s report is not anti-surveillance, rather it is arguing for “effective, targeted surveillance” of specific suspects — contrasting that with resource-intensive mass surveillance, which it notes has not been found to have contributed to the prevention of terrorist attacks, according to various independent U.S. reviews, and “contrary to earlier assertions made by senior intelligence officials”. “Instead, resources that might prevent attacks are diverted to mass surveillance, leaving potentially dangerous persons free to act,” it adds. A new privacy-protecting legal framework is required, in PACE’s view, to rebuild trust between European States, and between Europe and the U.S., post-Snowden. Building in robust protections for whistleblowers, such as Snowden, who are exposing unlawful surveillance practices is also key here. In order to rebuild trust among the transatlantic partners, among the member states of the Council of Europe and also between citizens and their own governments, a legal framework must be put in place at the national and international level which ensures the protection of human rights, especially that which secures the right to privacy. An effective tool for the enforcement of such a legal and technical framework, besides enhanced judicial and parliamentary scrutiny, is credible protection extended to whistle-blowers who expose violations. In its series of non-binding recommendations to European Union Member States PACE also calls for judicial oversight to be baked into national laws that sanction the collection and analysis of personal data (unless individuals have given their consent for their data to be taken). And it suggests court orders should be granted “on the basis of reasonable suspicion of the target being involved in criminal activity”. So, in other words, that surveillance should always be targeted — never a fishing expedition. It adds: …unlawful data collection and treatment should be penalised in the same way as the violation of the traditional mail secret ; the creation of “backdoors” or any other techniques to weaken or circumvent security measures or exploit their existing weaknesses should be strictly prohibited; all institutions and businesses holding personal data should be held to apply the most effective security measures available; It also calls for a multilateral “Intelligence Codex” for nation states’ intelligence services to lay down rules governing counter-terror and organized crime “cooperation” — to ensure that countries apply the same rules to surveillance of each other’s citizens as their own to avoid the ‘back-channel’ snooping within the Five Eyes. PACE also follows Snowden’s lead in calling for privacy-protections to be baked into more consumer products. The report can be read in full here. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * snowden * privacy * mass surveillance * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Mass Surveillance Threatens Digital Security And Human Rights, Says European Report Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Microsoft Slips 2% After Reporting $26.5B In FQ2 Revenue, $1.1B In Surface Revenue Posted Jan 26, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » To Fix Cybersecurity Law, Ask More Questions Comments Feed Accel Partners Looks To Map The Marketing Technology Ecosystem Trello Launches Revamped Business Offering With Third-Party Integrations alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Where Are All The Women In White Hats? * Browse more... Crunch Network To Fix Cybersecurity Law, Ask More Questions Posted Sep 15, 2015 by Jeff Kosseff (@jkosseff) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Accel Partners Looks To Map The Marketing Technology Ecosystem [shutterstock_157028330.jpg?w=738] Jeff KosseffCrunch Network Contributor Jeff Kosseff is an assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy. More posts by this contributor: * Should Tech Companies Be Subject To The Fourth Amendment? * The Biggest Cybersecurity Risk Is Not Identity Theft * Can Decency Be Legislated? How to join the network When a company realizes that it may have been hacked, its first call often is not to outside forensics consultants, security firms or even to law enforcement. Too often, the company first must consult with its lawyers. Lots and lots of lawyers. And for good reason. Our system of cybersecurity and privacy laws is difficult to navigate, and exposes companies to large penalties for failure to follow outdated rules. Unfortunately, the time that companies spend parsing legal liability often leaves the door open for more damage to occur to its systems and networks. The seemingly endless cycle of high-profile computer hacks has caused policymakers and front pages to focus more than ever on cybersecurity law. Once a niche issue, cybersecurity now is in the national spotlight, as we evaluate how to prevent and respond to high-stakes data security compromises. As a cybersecurity lawyer and professor, I am thrilled that the public is fixated on security. But I worry that the debate is too narrow, and we have not yet fully examined the incongruous and often inefficient patchwork of federal and state cybersecurity laws. We need to rethink all of our cybersecurity laws. The current system simply is not working. When Congress returns from recess, it is expected to debate a bill that would allow cyberthreat information sharing among the public and private sectors. Opponents criticize the bill for providing legal immunity to companies that share threat information, while the bill’s proponents say that sharing would be impossible without some legal protection. The information-sharing debate is an important one. But it is only one piece of the much broader framework that governs how companies prevent and manage data breaches. To understand the gaps in our cybersecurity laws, consider how companies respond to data breaches. When companies learn that their users’ data has been hacked, they cannot focus solely on shoring up their networks and preventing further harm. That’s because 47 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that require companies to notify consumers, regulators and credit bureaus of breaches. We need to evaluate all the laws based on the current threats to determine how to make them most effective in preventing and remediating breaches. The notification requirements might not sound like a significant burden, but the laws each require different formats for notice, often under different circumstances. For instance, some states only require notification if highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and credit card numbers are disclosed, while other laws apply to disclosure of account passwords and birth dates. As any cybersecurity lawyer will tell you, North Dakota has particularly quirky notification rules. The end result is that in the days following a hack, companies focus on formalistic notification rules, lest they face heavy fines and lawsuits. While notification of breaches can be useful, I question whether it should play such a central role in breach response. It’s like a fire code that focuses exclusively on when a blaze first was reported to the fire department, rather than requiring building owners to take precautions that prevent the fire in the first place. About a dozen states also have enacted separate laws that require companies to adopt “reasonable” data security plans for certain types of personal information. But most of those laws do not define “reasonable.” At the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission penalizes companies for particularly egregious data security failures, but it, too, does not provide binding compliance guidelines. This murky system leaves well-intentioned companies unsure of what they need to do to comply with data security laws. I also question the need for state-level data security regulations. Very few companies process information only belonging to the residents of a single state. Unlike physical security issues, such as building safety and vehicle regulations, data security is not limited to a single location. A clear, nationwide standard would provide companies with the guidance and flexibility necessary to prevent data breaches. Missing from the current debate has been discussion of incentives for companies to invest in cybersecurity. Federal law provides tax breaks for companies to purchase manufacturing equipment, invest in research and development and produce certain types of fuel. Why not cybersecurity? The public would benefit if the tax code encouraged companies to make costly investments in cybersecurity software and personnel. We also should examine whether the increase in data breach-related class action litigation actually results in better cybersecurity. Unlike communications with attorneys, accountants, therapists and clergy, communications with cybersecurity forensics professionals is not directly covered by a privilege. So if a company hires a forensics team to help remediate a data breach, the communications with that team could be discovered in a lawsuit related to that breach. This could actually discourage companies from hiring cybersecurity consultants when they are needed most. Many of our data security, hacking and privacy laws were enacted in the ’80s and ’90s, long before we ever could have imagined the cybersecurity challenges that companies and other organizations face every day. Quite simply, we need to evaluate all the laws based on the current threats to determine how to make them most effective in preventing and remediating breaches. Cybersecurity is among the most complex and important legal issues that we currently confront. I don’t think that any of us have the answers right now, but I know that we should be asking as many questions as possible. Note: The views expressed in this op-ed are those only of the author, and not of the Naval Academy or Department of Navy. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Is China Coming Around On Cybersecurity? 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Is China Coming Around On Cybersecurity? Posted Oct 9, 2015 by Cat Zakrzewski (@Cat_Zakrzewski) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Code Tenderloin Connects Tech Companies With The Community [jinping.jpg?w=738] The Chinese government arrested hackers at the request of the U.S. government just two weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States. The arrests, reported by the Washington Post on Friday, signal slight progress with China on cybersecurity. They came amid high tensions as the Obama administration threatened to impose harsh economic sanctions on China in the wake of several high profile hacks reportedly linked to the country, including the Office of Personnel Management breach. Recently China has said it would rein in attacks against the United States, but today’s report reveals China is taking action. The arrests are perhaps more significant than the recent cyber deal the United States struck with China two weeks ago because many worried it was just an empty promise. The deal was a landmark agreement because it showed the two countries could talk about cybersecurity — an issue that has caused tension between them for years. Here’s what the White House said in a fact sheet: The United States and China agree that neither country’s government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors. But it quickly gained criticism from experts in the cybersecurity field. Paul Rosenzweig of Lawfare, sarcastically headlined his response to the agreement “I Feel Much Safer Already.” It was vague and offered little explanation for how both sides would be held accountable. But Herb Lin, a Stanford cybersecurity scholar, said it was promising that the summit did not break down. He said both sides needed to take action. “Now each side needs to walk through the doors,” Lin said when the deal was released. “This could just be yet another the thing that sits around that doesn’t go anywhere.” Friday’s report substantiated that cautious optimism. Though the United States and China clearly have to continue to take actions that back up their deal, the arrests show at least China is opening the door to change. The real test will be how long China can stick to the agreement. Just days after Jinping left the United States, The Daily Beast reported Chinese spies are still hacking American companies working for the U.S. military. Technically these hacks for national security reasons are not necessarily in China’s commercial interests, but they highlight how fragile the recent agreement is. Though the arrests and the deal indicate promising steps toward a better relationship with China, they’re just the beginnings of what will likely be a very long road that could be derailed by a single breach. Featured Image: U.S. Embassy The Hague/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * United States * China * hacker * Asia * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Is China Coming Around On Cybersecurity? 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » This Cybersecurity Medicine Might Be Tough To Swallow Comments Feed How We Celebrate New Year’s Eve On Social Media Around The World Ten Ways The World Changed In 2014 alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Where Are All The Women In White Hats? * Browse more... This Cybersecurity Medicine Might Be Tough To Swallow Posted Dec 31, 2014 by Ron Miller (@ron_miller) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story How We Celebrate New Year’s Eve On Social Media Around The World [15868178370_f1cd19af42_o.jpg?w=738] Imagine you’re the CEO of a thriving company and you’ve been horrified by the news of the Sony hack, the Target breach and the litany of security issues that have plagued big companies in recent years. You swear you’re going to do whatever’s necessary to make sure it won’t happen to your company. But do you realize what that really means? At a holiday party, a guy starts chatting you up while you’re working on your fourth martini. And he speaks directly to your fears. He knows someone who could help you out with your security problems — make it so that you would never suffer the fate of those poor suckers at those other companies. You have to admit, you’re intrigued because you never want to be in the position of explaining to your board of directors why you were the latest victim. You get the name and run a background check and find out she’s good. Very good. Her experience includes stints with military intelligence, the NSA and a number of successful security startups. You’re ready to write the check just to hear her pearls of wisdom. The day finally arrives and your assistant shows the consultant into your office where she quickly takes a seat, takes a speck of dust off her pants and looks you in the eye. “You’re really willing to do whatever I say?” she asks. You tell her that if she has a plan, you’ll follow it. You wait anxiously to hear what she’s going to say. The first thing you need to do, she tells you, is disconnect from the Internet. Before you can object, she holds up a hand and asks that you let her finish. You start to sweat, and she keeps going. You’ll need to take away all of the laptops. There will be no smartphones or tablets allowed in the building. You’ll use desktop computers without USB ports or DVD drives. There should be no way that you can save to an external device. Everything will be connected on a highly secure, completely private internal network accessible with two-factor authentication. You won’t use any cloud services and there will be absolutely no mobile apps. If you run a website, you will keep it simple and with very little information. Contact information will be through a form and you won’t have an address for the company beyond a post office box. You will hire highly skilled security personnel. Everyone will leave their phones at the door on the way into the building — including you. Everyone will be searched entering and leaving the building — including you. No exceptions. You will put cameras everywhere and you will have your security staff monitor them in a control room to make sure nobody is doing anything suspicious. Anyone caught with a prohibited device will be fired immediately. You will keep partnerships to a minimum, and all guests, including customers, will be subjected to the same strict security regimen, and no one will be allowed to carry any devices of any kind inside. “I couldn’t possibly do that,” you say to her wide-eyed. “I would be sacrificing my entire business, handicapping and harassing my employees and my customers, all in the name of protecting my company.” “So it seems you wouldn’t do whatever it takes, would you?” — Playing Security Chess So if you can’t lock down your company, what can you do? You have to give up the notion of complete security and place your bets on things you can control because there is an organized effort to attack your networks. And depending on your type of business, the more determined these parties might be. Yet it seems that the further we advance technologically, the less secure we become. David Cowan a partner with venture capital firm Bessemer Ventures says one of the reasons for that is because technology has become so intertwined in our lives. “Broadly speaking we are adopting technology that’s becoming more and more pervasive in our lives and jobs. The opportunities for cybercrime, mischief and [mayhem] has grown over the years and there is more motivation to do so,” he told me. As Cowan explained, back in the 90s, hacking was about ego, but over time it has evolved to include fraud, identity theft and other criminal activity — and more recently nation-states partaking in surveillance and organized cyber-mayhem. But as one security startup CEO told me recently, we are doing better than we think. You may find that hard to believe if you’re a CEO trying desperately to avoid being tomorrow’s headline. But he described a giant chess match between the people trying to get into our computer systems and those trying to keep them out. As bad as it seems today, this security executive says if it weren’t for the checks and balances that security companies have put in place, it would be far worse and we couldn’t be using the internet to conduct business the way we do. Walking the Security Tightrope So we are left with a balancing act: We can’t be stupid, but neither can we sacrifice the business in the name of protecting it. As Cowan explains, security isn’t your highest priority as an organization. Being a good company is your first priority, and security should be part of that. “Job one should be providing functionality your users need to get jobs done and have good experience. For most of the interesting applications in the world, trust is an integral part of good user experience,” he said. And if you want to be trusted, security needs to be at least an important component. From a broader perspective, you cannot have a completely secure company that has been stripped of internal freedom, precisely for the same reason you cannot have a democratic society that is safe from any attack and maintain anything approaching privacy. If you decide, as our example above highlights, that you will do anything to be secure, you end up with a company so locked down that it will not be able to maintain a staff, let alone a staff that you would want to work with. Surely there is always a tradeoff between security and privacy, and everyone has their own tolerance level regarding which side of this they should fall on. In the end, you have to ask yourself how much you squeeze the individual factor out of the equation. Can you honestly turn your workers into drones incapable of malicious activity, let alone honest mistakes? When it comes down to it, you would no doubt agree with the CEO in our example that you cannot prioritize security over the company itself. No CEO would. You just have to be able to reconcile the fact that you could experience a breach — and that’s the tricky part. Alex Wilhelm contributed to this post. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Next-Gen Cybersecurity Is All About Behavior Recognition Comments Feed Crowdsourcing Dystopia Elysium Space Finds A Taker For Its Moon Memorials alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Where Are All The Women In White Hats? * Browse more... BioCatch * Pre-Crime Startup BioCatch Authenticates Users Via Touch And Your Phone’s Accelerometer Pre-Crime Startup BioCatch Authenticates Users Via Touch And Your Phone’s Accelerometer * Pre-Crime Startup BioCatch Raises $10M Series A Pre-Crime Startup BioCatch Raises $10M Series A * Browse more... ashley madison trusteer * IBM Buys Israel/US Cybersecurity Specialist Trusteer For $800M-$1B IBM Buys Israel/US Cybersecurity Specialist Trusteer For $800M-$1B * Browse more... Crunch Network Next-Gen Cybersecurity Is All About Behavior Recognition Posted Aug 23, 2015 by Larry Alton (@LarryAlton3) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Crowdsourcing Dystopia [behavior-e1440349030419.jpg?w=738] Larry AltonCrunch Network Contributor Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business and entrepreneurship. More posts by this contributor: * App-Improvement AI And The Future Of Web Development * How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution * How Consumer-Focused AI Startups Are Breaking Down Language How to join the network In the wake of devastating personal information leaks, like Target’s back in 2014 affecting more than 70 million customers and the more recent Ashley Madison data breach, concerns over cybersecurity are at an all-time high. Financial advisers overwhelmingly cite cybersecurity as their number-one concern, with business owners and everyday consumers sharing in those worries. There are a few ways to approach this problem, but the one on everyone’s mind is the most straightforward; we need to protect companies’ records from ever being breached in the first place. There are many ways a criminal could potentially acquire this information; for example, they could use weak passwords to fraudulently log in to a given system, or find an application vulnerability in the backend to find stored data. Breaches like this are startlingly common, and many go unreported in the news. Recognizing this, many have suggested the proper way to fight back and improve cybersecurity is to improve backend systems to have fewer vulnerabilities, or train consumers and employees to do a better job of keeping their login information secure. Either way, the goal here is to slow criminals down by making it more difficult for them to obtain or use the necessary information. Why Preventing Data Breaches Can Never Lead To Victory This is a logical system of improvement, but it’s fundamentally flawed in two major ways. First, it’s impossible to get everyone on board with new security standards. We need to protect companies’ records from ever being breached in the first place. For example, if you inform a room full of 100 people about all the dangers of cyberattacks and security breaches, and you explain, in detail, the importance of creating, maintaining and regularly changing strong passwords, at least one person in that group of 100 will continue using the password “password123.” And because all it takes is one rogue available login to gain access to a system, that weak link will perpetually remain open. The other side of the problem is continuing advances in encrypted systems. In a series of one-upmanship, advanced technicians are constantly coming up with new ways to stop cybercriminals in their tracks, and cybercriminals are constantly coming up with new ways to tear down those structures. Any new advance in cybersecurity serves only as a temporary wall. Regularly improving and upgrading these walls can serve as an evolving series of defenses, but there can never be a sound “victory” when all data breaches are prevented. An Alternative Method Rather than focusing on stopping cybercriminals with walls, new technologies are emerging that work to identify cybercriminals instead. Take the relatively new startup BioCatch, which received $11.6 million in funding over three rounds. BioCatch’s technology works to identify patterns of user behavior in certain applications, creating user profiles that can then be matched to subsequent visits. For example, if you visit an e-commerce platform and move your cursor in a certain pattern, or type at a certain speed, BioCatch will be able to determine, on future visits, whether or not the user with your login credentials is actually “you.” Account takeovers, remote access (RAT), and MitB malware attacks could all be potentially thwarted by this approach. Mimicking a user’s online behavior is far more difficult than breaking down a wall. Think of it this way — when you use your credit card in an unusual location, like out of state, your bank typically calls you to confirm that it’s actually you making those purchases. This new technology works the same way, except it uses atypical variations in parameters, like typing speed, mouse movement, keyboard strokes, tapping force and swipe patterns instead of geographical location. Take this practical example: After a few logins, this system will learn that you tend to browse slowly, tap icons hard and type at an average speed. If someone gets ahold of your login information and browses quickly, with fast typing speed and weak “taps,” the system will trigger a fraudulent use, and your hacker will be forced to provide further authenticating details (or, more likely, give up the effort). Similar technology, focused on positively identifying people based on behaviors and biometric signatures, is beginning to emerge from other companies, as well. For example, take Bionym, a Toronto-based startup that recently raised $14 million in Series A funding. Using a wearable wristband called Nymi, the technology detects ECG activity to positively identify a user, then wirelessly confirms that identity to apps and online platforms. Sonavation, a company that designs and produces fingerprint sensors, is also exploring the possibilities of using device-based fingerprint readers to verify user identities. None of these technologies require any additional effort from the user — they just need to “act natural” in the course of their typical behavior — yet the possibilities for an imposter to mimic these actions is very low. Some of the strengths of this approach include a “touchless” system, which learns and adapts on its own without direct intervention, and the fact that these patterns can’t be easily learned or faked by an external system. There are some weaknesses, however, as human behavior isn’t always consistent; these systems could trigger false positives and potentially lock people out of their own accounts. They also do nothing to ensure first-line security, such as protecting passwords from leaking in the first place. Other Major Players In addition to biometric and behavior-based security startups like BioCatch and Bionym, several other tech companies are working on this identification-based last line of defense in cybersecurity. For example, take RSA security, which uses adaptive authentication to positively identify human- and machine-based behaviors and determine a qualitative risk level for each use of the system. New technologies are emerging that work to identify cybercriminals. For example, if this system notices improbably fast pacing of clicks, it could register the user as an automated machine and prevent it from operating further. This is great for preventing automated attacks, but does little to identify an unauthorized human being using another human’s personal information. Or take Trusteer, a startup acquired by IBM in 2013 which now functions as a subsidiary of the company. Trusteer uses software that identifies potential criminal activities on mobile devices, as well as desktop-based activities. For example, it uses malware detection to determine when a hostile attempt to take over a mobile device has been initiated. It also uses front-end protection to block phishing attempts and similar breaches to personal information, and helps companies implement web-based services that block account takeover attacks. In this way, Trusteer functions as both a front-end (information protection) and back-end (preventing unauthorized use of information) protection company. Rather than trying to build new walls to slow down criminals, these companies are taking a more efficient path of positive identification. This isn’t to say that conventional security practices aren’t important — encrypted data, multi-level authentication requirements and general best practices for logins and passwords are as important as ever — but they can always be outsmarted. Mimicking a user’s online behavior is far more difficult than breaking down a wall, and if BioCatch and its competitors’ behavioral analysis tools prove to be a success, expect to see more products and services like it emerging in the years to come. Featured Image: Lightspring/Shutterstock * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * BioCatch + Founded 2011 + Overview BioCatch takes behavioral biometrics technology to the next level by leveraging a truly unique approach. Their goal is to equip the industry with a real game-changer in the fight against advanced cyber threats. They’re a privately owned, rapidly growing company that was founded late 2011. Their first products focus on online and mobile fraud mitigation; the technology is at the beta stage and … + Location Boston, MA + Categories Cyber, Cyber Security, Fraud Detection + Website http://biocatch.com + Full profile for BioCatch * Nymi Band + Description Nymi is the wearable authentication technology that allows users to take control of their identity through cardiac rhythm identification. + Website http://www.getnymi.com + Full profile for Nymi Band * Nymi + Founded 2011 + Overview Nymi is a team of thinkers and innovators aimed at shaping the world of technology through biometrics, authentication technology, and their concept of identity. While they specialize in biometrics and authentication technology for consumer electronics, they also develop technology that uniquely utilizes gesture control, proximity detection, and application development. + Location Toronto, Ontario + Categories Hardware + Software + Website http://nymi.com + Full profile for Nymi TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * cybersecurity * BioCatch * ashley madison * trusteer * Security * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Next-Gen Cybersecurity Is All About Behavior Recognition Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Crowdsourcing Dystopia Posted Aug 23, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Crunch Network How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution Posted Sep 12, 2015 by Larry Alton (@LarryAlton3) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Building Smart City Security [368912557_2fc44d3709_b.jpg?w=738] Larry AltonCrunch Network Contributor Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business and entrepreneurship. More posts by this contributor: * App-Improvement AI And The Future Of Web Development * Next-Gen Cybersecurity Is All About Behavior Recognition * How Consumer-Focused AI Startups Are Breaking Down Language How to join the network Fears over privacy are nothing new. As users began to see the sheer availability of information online, and the amount of personal data being seen and used by tech companies, they became rightly concerned over how much information would be available to companies and individuals, and how that information would be used. The increasing stream of news about the scope and intensity of government-backed surveillance programs has only added to the paranoia. As we enter a new era of technology marked by wearable devices like the Apple Watch and Google Glass, those fears — which have been simmering in the minds of consumers for years — may finally begin to boil over. The Problem With Apps When it comes to user privacy, there are two kinds of apps to worry about. The first kind is designed to gather information about a user. For example, social media apps go out of their way to draw as much information about their users as possible. This is advantageous for both users and companies — users get more involved with their networks, and companies get more information to sell to advertisers. However, this can be concerning to users who do not wish their information to be sold or to be publicly available. The same is true for tracking-style apps like Xora, an app whose deletion prompted the recent firing of an employee who resented the idea of being tracked 24/7. The second kind may seem counterintuitive: apps dedicated to preserving user privacy. Snapchat, an app supposedly dedicated to anonymity and user-data protection, was recently the victim of multiple information leaks. These types of apps are dangerous because they lull users into a sometimes-false sense of security, prompting them to allow more of their information to be used without realizing the finer details of each company’s unique privacy policy. But the real problem with apps is in their nature. Because they’re installed on a device, and often running in the background, they can constantly draw in new information about a user. Compare this to a few generations back, when the Internet could only be accessed through a hard-wired machine for specific, designated periods of time. Wearable devices are about to provoke a new revolution in user privacy. Wearable devices exaggerate these problems in two ways. First, they’re increasing the popularity of apps over traditional web browsing experiences. Because wearable devices have smaller screens and more intuitive interfaces, users will begin relying on apps over any other type of function or service. Second, they’re being used in real-time. Rather than relying on a stationary desktop device or occasionally checking in on a previous-generation mobile device, wearable devices are worn and used on the go. This means greater volumes of streaming information and fewer stopgaps for the end user. Fears Already Manifesting Wearable devices are already starting to worry some experts about the security of private user data. Every generation of technology opens the door to new possibilities, but also opens the door to new vulnerabilities. Security professionals argue that the Apple Watch is a relatively secure device, at least compared to comparable wearable devices currently on the market — but the potential vulnerabilities are still a major unknown. The Chinese Army has already taken measures to ban the use of the Apple Watch entirely. While China’s acts of censorship and routine banishments of Western technologies aren’t exactly new, their take-no-chances stance reflects a very real, logical concern. What This Means For The Future Of Users As more people become aware of the privacy threats marked by wearable devices, there could be a very significant leap forward in security and user privacy in tech companies. Responding to public concerns, app developers can make greater efforts to secure their apps and clearly explain their privacy policies. Device makers like Apple and Google can go on record about the potential vulnerabilities of their devices and inform the public about the best ways to protect themselves. Increased regulations mean decreased liberties. Perhaps most importantly, government organizations can step in to create some much-needed regulations about user privacy and corporate privacy policies. Already, the European Union is stepping in to protect user privacy concerns as they relate to Google’s search engine and core products — the next step would be formalizing those regulations across the board for any devices and technologies, and institute those regulations in countries throughout the world. The trade-off is, of course, that increased regulations mean decreased liberties — both for individuals and corporations. While some will push for strict regulations and tighter privacy and security, others will maintain that personal freedoms are more important than a fleeting idea of safety. What’s important here is not where the issue will settle, but the fact that the issue will soon be up for debate. Regardless of where these regulations and new approaches to privacy land, wearable devices are about to provoke a new revolution in user privacy. Featured Image: Josh hallett/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Apple Watch + Description Apple's smart watch. + Website http://www.apple.com/watch/ + Full profile for Apple Watch * Google Glass + Description Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display. + Website http://www.google.com/glass/start + Full profile for Google Glass TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * Google Glass * Apple Watch * digital privacy * wearable devices * Security * Popular Posts Featured Stories * How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Building Smart City Security Posted Sep 12, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Surely, Cybersecurity Must Have Your Attention Now Comments Feed Amazon Again Tries To Unload Its Fire Phones, Dropping Price To $189 Off Contract, Including Prime AT&T Announces Rollover Data Plan, Starting On January 25 alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Where Are All The Women In White Hats? * Browse more... Surely, Cybersecurity Must Have Your Attention Now Posted Jan 7, 2015 by Ron Miller (@ron_miller) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Amazon Again Tries To Unload Its Fire Phones, Dropping Price To $189 Off Contract, Including Prime [canstockphoto6886684.jpg?w=738] As 2014 came to a close, we got a front row seat to the horror show that was the Sony hack. As if we needed a case study to show us, we saw, with vivid clarity, what can happen when hackers run amok inside servers and start sharing confidential business content with the world — and we learned it gets ugly in a hurry. We’re less than a week into the new year and already we’ve seen a major Bitcoin attack. You know that it’s only a matter of time before we hear about the next catastrophic system assault. It’s a bit like cybersecurity roulette. We keep spinning the wheel to find out who the next victim is. The question is, why are we still so vulnerable, and why is the industry not banding together to solve this once and for all? Security matters to everyone from governments to finance to private sector companies of all sorts. Nobody wants to be the next JP Morgan, Home Depot or Sony. Yet everybody seems equally vulnerable. That’s why we must work together and put the best minds to bear on the problem to figure this out. The trouble is these are dreadfully difficult problems or we would have solved them by now. If Security Were Easy, We Wouldn’t Be Having This Discussion David Cowan, a partner with the venture capital firm Bessemer Ventures has been working with security companies since the 1990s and says the problem for most organizations is that they’re just not in the security business. “Sony has a technology business, but they are not Google or Amazon. They make movies and they hire people who are great at making movies. That’s what they think about. They don’t think about data, trust and security,” Cowan told me. Andre Durand, CEO at Ping Identity says another aspect of the problem is that the security industry as a whole tends to be reactive, rather than proactive. “An attack happens, and they plug it. They don’t invest proactively to stop a class of threats in a fundamental manner. It’s not like they don’t try to aggregate threats and think ahead, they do, but by and large, they respond like an immune system. Nothing happens until a virus comes in and they address it,” he explained. Sony has a technology business, but they are not Google or Amazon. They make movies and they hire people who are great at making movies. That’s what they think about. They don’t think about data, trust and security — David Cowan Cowan points out that there is a basic security disconnect in most enterprises, and given the number of highly publicized incidents, he says, we might finally be reaching the point where organizations have to take this more seriously. “Up until this year, most businesses and people had the attitude that cyber-crime and warfare were things that happened to other people. Everyone had the idea, ‘I’m not that interesting. Nobody wants to read my email.'” Cowan says people realize now that just about anyone can be interesting, and if a nation-state or organized hacking collective is hell bent on getting into your servers, there’s not a lot you can do about it. “I can assure you if Russia or China, or the US or Israel, or North Korea or Iran — if one of those players wants information, [they] will get it,” Cowan told me. Sharing Is Caring Against that cheery backdrop, governments, companies and individuals alike must face the grim reality they are always vulnerable and there is always some element of risk, unless they plan on shutting down the internet. And even if they did, let’s not forget that Edward Snowden didn’t perform some elaborate hack. He simply walked out the building with some incriminating files on a thumb drive. That’s why this isn’t FUD as some might suggest, it’s just the stark reality of computing in the modern age. Cowan says that’s why after each breach, we desperately look for a simple answer so we can feel better about our own situation, but he says there just aren’t any easy answers. “If it’s because so and so didn’t patch their system, now we know how they got in. Now we aren’t vulnerable. People are desperate to feel in control,” he explained. But he says, security is a complex set of problems and there is no one answer to solve it. He likens it to a border fence, that’s just riddled with holes. “Some criminal gets in, and we found the hole and we closed it, and we have cameras and armed guards pointed at it. Now we feel safe,” he said. Unfortunately, when we pull back, we see it’s a much bigger predicament than it would first appear. “The trouble is the fence is thousands of miles long, and focusing on one hole is missing the point. Whatever vulnerability we found is just one of many.” And the same goes for our systems. One way to begin to gain control is working together, to see security as a collective problem and not an individual one, while putting the power of modern technology to work on it. Steve Herrod, who is managing director at General Catalyst Partners and the former CTO and SVP of R&D at VMware, wrote a post on TechCrunch this past weekend in which he suggested that sharing security data both internally and externally could be the key to gaining some semblance of control over the problem. Companies have been reluctant to share data to this point because they see their security information as proprietary, but as Herrod pointed out, this is a wrong-headed view. “By sharing data and applying the latest in big data analysis — which has a very real application in the security industry — companies are realizing the power in numbers. Holding off organized crime and malicious nation-states is a daunting task for any individual company, but the odds look much better as like-minded companies band together for their collective defense,” Herrod wrote. Hugh Njemanze, CEO at ThreatStream, a cybersecurity company (which gets funding from General Catalyst) agrees, saying there is safety in the herd. “When the first organization gets attacked, the rest can be informed and defend themselves,” he explained. Another approach, one that Google and other companies have taken, is to offer rewards for people who find vulnerabilities in their products. Once they know the hole is there, they can take steps to close the holes before a hacker can exploit them. HD Moore, chief security officer at Rapid7, a security vendor, says this could be a good investment for these companies. A couple of startups have launched in recent years to help companies create their own bug bounty programs including HackerOne and Synack. These platforms use reward systems to encourage users to find bugs in their programs, putting this type of system within reach of every company, not just the big ones like Google, Yahoo! and Facebook. “Service providers like Yahoo, Google and Dropbox are offering bounties for vulnerabilities because it’s a better deal for them. Paying a thousand dollars to find [an exploit] is money well spent,” Moore explained. As he says, it won’t draw security professionals for that kind of cash, but it will get people involved from economic areas where folks have these skills and the money means more to them. Making Security Part Of The Plumbing Helping one another find security vulnerabilities and sharing information is all well and good, but the best approach might be to make our devices and software more secure from the git-go. Cowan says we need to think about this at the programming level, but in most cases, programmers aren’t security experts. “One of the important changes is to build security into application development itself. Programmers don’t understand encrypted files, access rights or multi-factor identification. Most people don’t know how to do these things,” he told me. “We’ve been riding the tech wave and it’s time we paid for a life vest… We have to increase budgets in our business for security and have people who think about it so that trust is part of what we do for employees, customers and investors.” — David Cowan He added, “Fortunately there is a new class of security company focusing on app developers providing APIs to embed these kinds of [functionalities] into applications.” He offers Stripe as an example, which gives developers access to an API that allows them to add a security layer for credit card payments without a lot of heavy lifting. Despite the doom and gloom, not everyone is so pessimistic about security. ThreatStream’s Njemanze says it’s an ongoing battle, and in spite of the high profile hacks, he says we are doing better than you think. “It’s all about whether you look at the glass as half full or half empty. It’s an arms race between us and the bad guys. If it weren’t for [security tools like ours], the Internet would have ceased to function long ago. It looks like we are not winning and yet we still exist,” he says. That’s true, but the situation remains tenuous for many companies. As Cowan says, if someone is determined to get at your data, chances are they’ll find a way to do it. That means we have to be all the more vigilant as an industry and find ways to defend ourselves because the technology and the security are not necessarily in sync. “We’ve been riding the tech wave and it’s time we paid for a life vest,” Cowan said. “We have to increase budgets in our business for security and have people who think about it so that trust is part of what we do for employees, customers and investors.” Hard to argue with that. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Europe Finally Agrees Tough New Data Protection Rules Comments Feed Paytm’s Founder On Its Online-To-Offline Strategy In India IBM And Apple Enterprise Partnership Reaches 100 App Goal alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Europe Finally Agrees Tough New Data Protection Rules Posted Dec 16, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Paytm’s Founder On Its Online-To-Offline Strategy In India Europe Finally Agrees Tough New Data Protection Rules Advertisement Late yesterday European institutions finally agreed on the text of new data protection rules (GDPR), more than three years after new regulation was proposed. The 28 Member States of the European Union will have two years to transpose the provisions of the GDPR into their national laws, with the regulation set to come into force from 2018. There are still a few more stages in the process — although the Parliament, Council and Commission agreed the text yesterday there’s a further confirmation vote tomorrow by the Civil Liberties Committee, and another vote by the European Parliament as a whole in the new year — but the Commission’s aim of finalizing data protection reform in 2015 has been met. I put #GDPR on the table in 2012. @Europarl_EN pushed for it while @EUCouncil stood on the brakes. It took too long, but now there is a deal — Viviane Reding (@VivianeRedingEU) December 16, 2015 Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, dubbed the rules “clear” and “fit for the digital age”. The current European data protection directive was adopted back in 1995 so updating the bloc’s rules to keep pace with seismic shifts in technology is the overarching aim here, along with a parallel push to harmonize regulations across the region with the goal of creating a so-called “Digital Single Market” to simplify operations for businesses selling services in Europe. Commenting on the agreement in a statement, Andrus Ansip, VP for the Digital Single Market, argued the GDPR will “remove barriers and unlock opportunities”. He also tacitly rebutted critics of the new rules. Brussels has been host to a small army of lobbyists during the data protection directive negotiation process, with the U.S. government and tech giants such Facebook and Google actively seeking to water down proposals. Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes “The digital future of Europe can only be built on trust. With solid common standards for data protection, people can be sure they are in control of their personal information. And they can enjoy all the services and opportunities of a Digital Single Market. We should not see privacy and data protection as holding back economic activities. They are, in fact, an essential competitive advantage,” said Ansip. “Today’s agreement builds a strong basis to help Europe develop innovative digital services. Our next step is now to remove unjustified barriers which limit cross-border data flow: local practice and sometimes national law, limiting storage and processing of certain data outside national territory. So let us move ahead and build an open and thriving data economy in the EU — based on the highest data protection standards and without unjustified barriers,” he added. Dropping like a nuclear bomb into the midst of the data protection reform discussions were the 2013 Snowden disclosures, which revealed the extent of U.S. government mass surveillance programs and detailed how intelligence agencies were tapping directly into consumer data held by commercial firms like Facebook. The fallout from those revelations acted as a counterweight to high level U.S. lobbying against strengthening privacy protections. The Snowden disclosures also played a key role in convincing the European Court of Justice to strike down the fifteen year old Safe Harbor transatlantic data transfer agreement, this fall. EC officials are currently engaged in negotiations with their U.S. counterparts to try to hammer out a new deal — with a deadline set for that of January 2016. If you’re interested in geopolitical data protection politics these have been very interesting days indeed. That’s the backstory, but what’s incoming in the new GDPR? It’s worth noting that the full text has not yet been published (Update: it has now been published here) but the general thrust is billed as strengthening individuals’ data protection rights, giving Europeans a greater say in how their data is used — as well as seeking to streamline some elements of compliance for businesses. The new rules will apply to any companies who have customers in the region regardless of whether the company itself is based outside Europe. Some key provisions in the GDPR include: * fines of up to 4 per cent of a company’s global turnover for breaching data protection rules — which for big tech companies like Google could result in fines that run to billions of dollars * liability for data breaches extending to any data processors a data controller also uses — so also applying to any third party entities involved in processing data to provide a particular service, with plenty of implications for cloud-based business models * enshrining a so-called ‘right to be forgotten‘ in law, so when an individual no longer wants their data to be processed by a company, and “provided that there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it”, the data must be deleted. Huge implications for digital marketing * a requirement for companies to appoint a data protection officer if they process sensitive data on a large scale or collect info on many consumers, with an exemption for SMEs if data processing is not their core business activity * a requirement for companies and organizations to notify the relevant national supervisory authority of serious data breaches as soon as possible * parental consent required for children to use social media, with the specific age within a 13 to 16 year old bracket to be set by individual Member States * a one-stop-shop single supervisory authority for data protection complaints aimed at streamlining compliance for businesses * a right to data portability for individuals to enable them to more easily transfer their personal data between services Commenting in a statement, Green MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht, who led the European Parliament’s negotiations, said: “The regulation returns control over citizens’ personal data to citizens. Companies will not be allowed to divulge information that they have received for a particular purpose without the permission of the person concerned. Consumers will have to give their explicit consent to the use of their data.” As with any new law, the devil will be in the interpretative detail around specific clauses and exemptions. And with 28 Member States all needing to interpret and transpose the regulation into their own national law there is inevitably going to be variation in how the GDPR is applied across the region. So one thing is certain: lawyers won’t be short of work as businesses seek to understand how they are affected and what they need to do to ensure compliance — and avoid the risk of a big fine. #EUdataP: First impression of final text: - Level of protection equivalent or partly lower than nat. laws - Enforcement massively beefed up — Max Schrems (@maxschrems) December 16, 2015 Featured Image: Anton Balazh/Shutterstock (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED) * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Featured Stories * Europe Finally Agrees Tough New Data Protection Rules Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Advertisement Up Next Paytm’s Founder On Its Online-To-Offline Strategy In India Posted Dec 16, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Can You Hear Me Now? Posted Oct 3, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Fear Of Failure May Ensure It [554281668_27f80808f2_b.jpg?w=738] It’s been a pretty big week for tech + privacy, with Apple overhauling the privacy-related info it pushes out to users — sharpening its pro-privacy positioning as a marketing differentiator for its devices and services. And NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden stepping into the public arena by joining Twitter as, well, himself — with the verified account status to prove it. (Who knows if Snowden was lurking on the service under an assumed name prior to uncloaking as @Snowden. Someone has probably DMed him to ask but he clearly has a big backlog of messages to get through…) On the surface the two events may not seem much related but pro-privacy moves by mainstream tech giants can absolutely chart a link back to Snowden’s 2013 revelations about the extent of government intelligence agencies’ dragnet surveillance of the online sphere. Snowden’s big reveal crystalized all those vague yet disconcerting digital sensations prior to then — feelings of being tracked from web service to service, stalked by online ads, and nagging questions about why a simple service needed so much personal data — into the concrete certainty of the systematic scope and scale of an industrial surveillance complex with its fingers in all of the mainstream consumer tech platforms. And a private sector user-stalking operation in the digital business sphere to match. The thing with such gigantic secrets is, once revealed, there’s no way they can slink back into the shadows. It’s no surprise then that Apple’s new privacy pages have an entire section on government information requests — in which the company states categorically: Apple privacy Such public declarations are absolutely progress. While we cannot know for sure that Apple’s hardware and software lacks government backdoors, given these are hermetically sealed proprietary products that don’t allow an open source route for third party audits, the company is on the public record with an anti-backdoors statement — so has chained its corporate reputation to the digital privacy rights cause. Apple is also making some very clear privacy commitments to its users. This is also progress. Its privacy page states: At Apple, your trust means everything to us. That’s why we respect your privacy and protect it with strong encryption, plus strict policies that govern how all data is handled. Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of all our hardware, software, and services, including iCloud and new services like Apple Pay. And we continue to make improvements. Two-step verification, which we encourage all our customers to use, in addition to protecting your Apple ID account information, now also protects all of the data you store and keep up to date with iCloud. We believe in telling you up front exactly what’s going to happen to your personal information and asking for your permission before you share it with us. And if you change your mind later, we make it easy to stop sharing with us. Every Apple product is designed around those principles. When we do ask to use your data, it’s to provide you with a better user experience. That’s not to say that Apple’s services don’t have insecurities — pretty much any software of the modern era contains bugs and flaws that can lead to exploits and data leaks. (Remember last September’s iCloud hack?) But the point is one of principle. Apple is making a pro-privacy stance, which stands in stark contrast to much of the consumer tech industry’s wonted ways in recent times — where overreaching T&Cs and vaguely worded privacy policies have all too often required users to sign over any expectations of privacy for the ‘privilege’ of using a certain service (even, in some cases, when they’ve paid for the service in question — so this is not just a case of privacy being the ‘price’ of using a free service). Apple making a robust pro-privacy stance sets a new privacy benchmark and puts pressure on those tech business models that have been built on mining personal data in the digital shadows. Of which there are, of course, many. But perhaps things are set to change on that front. Such a high profile company shining a disinfecting spotlight on the value of personal data makes those companies with less clearly worded privacy commitments seem a whole lot more murky — even if they’re not actually doing anything too outlandish with the data they gather. And when there is enough pressure, well some pretty unexciting base materials can transform into something valuable. Apple choosing to champion privacy is a marketing strategy that’s both timely and savvy. Of course it aligns with the company’s premium hardware business model. And it allows them to put clear blue water between how they operate and their main, ad-powered competitors’ big data mining operations. It also puts them on Snowden’s side of the fence; on a principled, public stage, championing the rights of online users not to have their every action data-mined for profit — or fed into Kafka-esque government surveillance apparatus on a ceaseless and hopeless quest for crime-preventing omniscience (Minority Report was fiction, yo). And while Apple’s own privacy practices should still absolutely be scrutinized — yes it’s great that they obfuscate your mapping data so they don’t have an absolute view of your start and end points, but why are they retaining user maps data for two years? — they are effectively asking all of us to ask questions about how they operate and what they do with our data. To continually hold them to their apparently high standards. And yes, that is progress. Because it applies industry-wide pressure and works to counter the pro-surveillance narrative that claims users don’t care about privacy anyway. Bottom line: Plenty of users do care — and certainly they do when you inform them exactly how much invasive snooping is going on. As Snowden has said, we need to have the debate about what’s acceptable and what’s not — and the simple fact is you can’t do that without being fully appraised of the facts. A more cynical view on Apple’s stance might be that it’s using privacy as a strategy to shield itself against a relative competitive weakness vs the kinds of big data powered services that companies with a greater overview of their users are able to launch. Google, for instance, has been using user data mined from usage of multiple Google services to power its predictive Google Now feature for several years, touting the convenience of notifications that really know your habits and patterns (because, well, Google reads your emails, knows what’s in your calendar, looks at who’s in your photos, and so on…). With the rise of wearables and a growing Internet of Things, more and more personal data-points can be added to such systems to power apparently more powerful predictions. And yet there’s a gigantic trade-off in privacy. The best personal assistant in the world would literally be a mind-reader but who would actually want to employ such a person? What cost incremental convenience? Meanwhile Apple debuted an update to its Siri voice assistant at its developer conference this summer — called Proactive — which also aims to surface some Google Now-ish predictive smarts. So it’s also moving towards joining more dots about its users’ lives. However Apple’s version of this predictive assistant puts in a privacy check and balance by doing only local on-device processing — meaning it’s not sucking your personal data into the data-mining cloud to power this feature. So the user gets incremental convenience without an eye-wateringly costly privacy price-tag. These sorts of pro-privacy, data obfuscating approaches perhaps take more engineering effort to develop. So might be slower to bring to market. They might also be less compelling from a user point of view if they aren’t able to be quite so pin-point accurate — given they are likely working with a more partial view of the user, rather than nosing through your emails. But if the user understands the value of their privacy they will also understand the value of a personalized service that does not require they strip entirely naked in order to use it. Apple is betting that tech users will — at the end of the day — prefer to keep their clothes on. Another thing to note here is that data protection laws vary in different regions. Failure to gain proper consent for how user data is processed is a recurring theme of many U.S. tech giants doing business in Europe. Facebook and Google have both faced legal challenges in the region over such privacy issues. And the Europe Parliament is in the midst of reworking the bloc’s data protection rules — with larger penalties for privacy infringements likely coming down the pipe. That might well be another trigger to push tech companies to clean up murky privacy practices. Lurking in the shadows to eschew scrutiny no longer looks a viable strategy in the post-Snowden tech world. Another important development triggered by the Snowden revelations is also coming to a head next week. On Tuesday Europe’s top court, the ECJ, will rule on whether the ‘Safe Harbor’ agreement that governs data sharing between Europe and the U.S. affords Europeans enough privacy protections — with the possibility that the court might invalidate the current agreement. U.S. tech companies offering consumers services in Europe but processing user data back in the U.S. rely on this agreement for continued operation of their businesses. The agreement has, in any case, been in defacto crisis ever since Snowden revealed the extent of dragnet government surveillance programs — since the NSA was shown to be hoovering up data from consumer services that were apparently signed up to the privacy covenant of Safe Harbor. How could European’s personal data shipped across the pond still be considered ‘safe’ in an era of systematic mass surveillance by the U.S. government? European privacy campaigner Max Schrems has led a legal challenge on this front, challenging multiple U.S. tech giants for sharing data with the NSA in the Irish court — which referred the case to the ECJ, with a decision now imminent. At the same time, the European Commission is continuing to review the Safe Harbor agreement with a view to updating the framework given the ugly fact of mass surveillance. How exactly they will do that remains to be seen. But the ECJ ruling may overtake the politicians, in any case. In an influential opinion written by the top advisor to the ECJ earlier this month, ahead of the court’s final decision next week, advocate general Yves Bot argued that U.S. mass surveillance has indeed invalidated the Safe Harbor agreement. It’s not clear how the court will rule but they typically lean towards following the AG’s opinion — so at very least these are interesting times for data privacy. Some big implications for how cloud-based tech businesses operate are in the process of being determined. One thing is amply clear: the privacy debate is here to stay. And for that we must thank Mr Snowden. Looking ahead, a digital era where users understand the value of personal data and where tech businesses compete to protect — not exploit — privacy sounds pretty exciting to me. That’s the dream. Yes, Mr Snowden, we hear you. Can you hear me now? — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015 Featured Image: Philip Kromer/Flickr UNDER A CC BY-SA 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Apple + Founded 1976 + Overview Apple is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple provides many products and services, including iPhone; iPad; iPod; Mac; iPod; Apple TV; … + Location Cupertino, CA + Categories Hardware + Software, Consumer Electronics, Computers, Electronics, Retail + Website http://www.apple.com + Full profile for Apple * Edward Snowden + Bio Edward Joseph is an American computer professional who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the mainstream media. He is a former system administrator for the Central Intelligence Agency and a counterintelligence trainer at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). He later worked for Dell assigned as a contractor to U.S. National Security Agency facilities in the … + Full profile for Edward Snowden TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * data protection * snowden * Apple * privacy * Cloud * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Can You Hear Me Now? 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » French Data Protection Watchdog Rejects Google’s Search Delisting Appeal Comments Feed Don’t Be Afraid Of Killer Robots, Says Yuri Milner Snoop Dogg Launches Merry Jane, A Pot-Flavored Lifestyle Media Platform alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Google * Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS * Google’s WiFi for Indian Train Stations Launches At Mumbai Central Railway Station Tomorrow Google’s WiFi for Indian Train Stations Launches At Mumbai Central Railway Station Tomorrow * The Weather On Android Just Got A Whole Lot Better The Weather On Android Just Got A Whole Lot Better * Browse more... privacy * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy * FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds * Browse more... cnil * Google Rejects French Watchdog Demand For Global Privacy Delistings Google Rejects French Watchdog Demand For Global Privacy Delistings * Google To Be Punished In France For Failing To Pare Back Its Overreaching Privacy Policy Google To Be Punished In France For Failing To Pare Back Its Overreaching Privacy Policy * France Has A PRISM-Like Program With Millions Of Trillions Of Metadata Elements France Has A PRISM-Like Program With Millions Of Trillions Of Metadata Elements * Browse more... rtbf * Search Delisting Appeals ‘Working Efficiently’, Say European Regulators Search Delisting Appeals ‘Working Efficiently’, Say European Regulators * Europe’s Search De-Listing Ruling Is Mostly About Social Media Privacy Invasions Europe’s Search De-Listing Ruling Is Mostly About Social Media Privacy Invasions * ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Guidelines Published By European Regulators ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Guidelines Published By European Regulators * Browse more... French Data Protection Watchdog Rejects Google’s Search Delisting Appeal Posted Sep 21, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Don’t Be Afraid Of Killer Robots, Says Yuri Milner [google-eu-flag.png?w=738] France’s data protection watchdog has rejected Google’s appeal against an earlier enforcement notice in which the CNIL told the company to expand search delisting requests across all its domains, not just European sub-domains as Google currently is. Google now faces the risk of enforcement action by the watchdog if it continues to avoid delisting across Google.com as well as Google.fr. Quick backgrounder here: Search delisting in Europe — often dubbed the ‘right to be forgotten’ (rtbf) — refers to a decision by Europe’s top court back in May 2014 ruling that search engines are data controllers and thus must comply with existing European data protection legislation. Specifically the judgement means private citizens in Europe have the right to request from search engines that outdated, irrelevant or inaccurate information associated with a search for their name be delisted from that specific name search. So it requires search engines make difficult value judgements about individuals making requests — such as whether a person has any public role — as well as evaluating the specifics of their request (e.g. what constitutes ‘outdated’ information?). Critics dub the ruling ‘censorship of information’. Yet it has also led to calls in the U.S. for greater pro-privacy protections for private individuals in an age of big data and instant access to information. One other thing that’s worth noting here is despite Google releasing only partial data about how it’s been implementing search delisting in Europe, it’s become clearer over time that the vast majority of Europeans requesting delisting are indeed private individuals looking to have personal information removed from the web — rather than corrupt public figures seeking to whitewash their reputations (as critics of the rtbf often claim). Returning to today’s French ruling, Google had appealed the earlier notice from the CNIL to expand delisting to Google.com but that’s now been slapped down by the data protection authority. The CNIL has been consistent in its position that Google should be applying delisting across all its domains. The argument being that not applying delisting universally leaves a trivial workaround which undermines the application of the law. The CNIL makes this point again in rejecting Google’s appeal today, as well as reiterating the often misinterpreted fact that ruling does not require any source information be deleted from the Internet — ergo, that information is still discoverable. Point being this is about the prominence of information, and individuals’ data protection rights as regards their personal information. The DP also refutes Google’s argument that delisting on dot.com constitutes an extraterritorial application of French law — saying it merely constitutes “full compliance of European law by non-European players offering their services in Europe”. A spokesperson for Google declined to comment on whether the company would be complying with the CNIL’s order or not, instead reiterating a previous statement on the matter — in which Google states: “We’ve worked hard to implement the Right to be Forgotten ruling thoughtfully and comprehensively in Europe, and we’ll continue to do so. But as a matter of principle, we respectfully disagree with the idea that a single national Data Protection Authority should determine which webpages people in other countries can access via search engines.” If Google does not comply it faces the risk of sanction actions by the CNIL. And it wouldn’t be the first time on that front. Last year, the CNIL fined Google €150,000 on another privacy matter, for merging multiple products’ privacy policies into one unified policy. Such small-scale financial penalties are easily shrugged off by company which reported revenues of $17.7 billion at last count. However the European Union is in the process of updating the region’s data protection regulations — with larger financial penalties for breaches being negotiation — of potentially up to 5 per cent of a company’s global turnover. A fine that runs to a hundred million dollars would be a far more prominent price on privacy. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Google + Founded 1998 + Overview Google is a multinational corporation that is specialized in internet-related services and products. The company’s product portfolio includes Google Search, which provides users with access to information online; Knowledge Graph that allows to search for things, people, or places as well as builds systems recognizing speech and understanding natural language; Google Now, which provides information … + Location Mountain View, CA + Categories Search, Email, Blogging Platforms, Information Technology, Video Streaming, Software + Website http://www.google.com + Full profile for Google TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * privacy * cnil * Google * rtbf * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * French Data Protection Watchdog Rejects Google’s Search Delisting Appeal Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Don’t Be Afraid Of Killer Robots, Says Yuri Milner Posted Sep 21, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO Comments Feed Original Stitch Raises $1.1 Million To Put The Shirt On Your Back Microsoft Today Ends Support For Windows 8, Old Versions Of Internet Explorer alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review * Browse more... surveillance * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law * Browse more... encryption * Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security * Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? * Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law * Browse more... data retention * U.K. Users’ Online Activity To Be Logged Under New Surveillance Law U.K. Users’ Online Activity To Be Logged Under New Surveillance Law * New U.K. Comms Data Capture Bill Incoming This Week New U.K. Comms Data Capture Bill Incoming This Week * EFF’s 2015 Data Privacy Report Lauds Apple, Dropbox, Slams Verizon EFF’s 2015 Data Privacy Report Lauds Apple, Dropbox, Slams Verizon * Browse more... mass surveillance * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law Risks And Red Lines As UK Prepares To Reforge Surveillance Law * Costs And Risks Of UK’s Draft Surveillance Powers Probed Costs And Risks Of UK’s Draft Surveillance Powers Probed * Browse more... UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO Posted Jan 12, 2016 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Original Stitch Raises $1.1 Million To Put The Shirt On Your Back [15612583444_2f2eda913f_k.jpg?w=738] The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office has criticized the draft Investigatory Powers bill warning about the risks of requiring communications service providers to weaken encryption, and also asserting that no clear case has been made for why the state should require data on all its citizens to be retained for a full year. The IP bill is the government’s attempt to update and extend the surveillance capabilities of the security and intelligence agencies — replacing the long-in-the-tooth patchwork of legislation currently used to authorize intercepts with a clearer legal framework. It’s aiming to have a new law passed by the end of this year when emergency surveillance legislation, DRIPA, expires. Giving oral evidence last week to the joint select committee currently examining the bill, information commissioner Christopher Graham was asked whether the bill gets the balance right, between privacy and security. “It’s very difficult to judge whether the bill gets the balance right,” he said. “Because the one thing we don’t have in the voluminous material that has been put before you is any real evidence, as opposed to the occasional anecdote, for the utility of the information that’s sought. “The bill proposes that data can be required to be retained for 12 months but there’s no particular explanation of why 12 months — rather than six months or 18 months — is desirable because there is no indication of the use that such information has been put to over many months and years in the normal way of dealing with serious crime and terrorism.” ICO Christopher Graham Parliament needs to recognize that the various data protection rights afforded to individuals, he continued, and be wary of “signing off a blank cheque” in regards to the security services’ appetite for information — arguing instead there should be a system of ongoing proportionality reviews, once the legislation has passed, to ensure data protection obligations continue to be met. He went so far as to suggest that a rolling sunset clause or yearly renewal requirement be embedded within the legislation to enforce proportionality — and avoid the risks associated with data retention overreach. “Parliament renewed the Prevention of Terrorism Act year by year. I can’t see why we shouldn’t have a similar arrangement for something so fundamental as this bill,” he argued. “Data protection is a fundamental right, under the charter of fundamental rights of the European Union, so I don’t think it’s a question of just signing off a blank cheque,” he added. “It is asserted that this information is very important for the detection of crime, and the prevention of terrorism, I think it would be sensible and wise for parliament to review, from time to time, how it’s working in practice. What use is being used of this great mass of data that will be required to be retained by communications service providers?” Graham warned specifically of the “huge risk” of vast caches of retained information being exploited by “bad actors”, or otherwise leaking out because of the security challenges created by an ongoing requirement to store so much personal data. Asked by the committee what sort of sanctions could be put in place to mitigate the risk of misuse of retained data by “rogue” individuals, such as within police forces or other organizations storing the data, Graham suggested parliament could enact a more deterrent-based penalty — such as a prison sentence, rather than the fine-only regime afforded by current legislation that pertains to this area. But he again emphasized that too much retained data itself can generate too much risk. Ergo the best form of mitigation is to retain less data in the first place. “It merely underlines the point that when you require communications service providers to retain a massive collection of data for a year then it creates a risk. It’s there. People may do stupid things with it,” said Graham. When you require communications service providers to retain a massive collection of data for a year then it creates a risk…People may do stupid things with it. “[It’s] a whole pile of stuff which can get lost, inappropriately accessed from the criminal point of view and so on — and it’s because that risk is created by the legislation then you’ve got to have some very powerful safeguards to make sure the legislation is regularly reviewed, that it is being used for what it’s meant to be used for.” On encryption, in its written evidence to the committee, the ICO also warns that “notices requiring the removal of electronic protection should not be permitted to lead to the removal or weakening of encryption”, given the risk to “the security of personal data generally”. It specifically flags up clause 189 in the draft bill, noting that this permits the Secretary of State to impose obligations “relating to the removal of electronic protection applied by a relevant operator to any communications or data”. “This could be a far reaching measure with detrimental consequences to the security of data and safeguards which are essential to the public’s continued confidence in the handling and use of their personal information,” the ICO writes, adding: “The practical application of such requirement in the draft is unclear in the draft bill and the accompanying Guide to Powers and Safeguards does not provide specific details to enable the full extent of the provision to be assessed.” Last month Apple also raised concerns about the IP bill’s implications for encryption, writing in its own submission to the committee that: “The best minds in the world cannot rewrite the laws of mathematics. Any process that weakens the mathematical models that protect user data will by extension weaken the protection. And recent history is littered with cases of attackers successfully implementing exploits that nearly all experts either remained unaware of or viewed as merely theoretical.” Five other Internet companies — Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo — have also raised concerns about the implications of the proposed legislation on encryption, calling for more clarity in the language used in the bill in their own joint written submission. “We reject any proposals that would require companies to deliberately weaken the security of their products via backdoors, forced decryption, or any other means. We therefore have concerns that the Bill includes “obligations relating to the removal of electronic protection applied by a relevant operator to any communication or data” and that these are explicitly intended to apply extraterritorially with limited protections for overseas providers,” they write. “We appreciate the statements in the Bill and by the Home Secretary that the Bill is not intended to weaken the use of encryption, and suggest that the Bill expressly state that nothing in the Bill should be construed to require a company to weaken or defeat its security measures.” The government has been accused of putting out mixed messages when it comes to its legislative intentions around encryption, with the Prime Minister last year appearing to suggest he wanted to ban encryption, before apparently backpedaling. The Home Secretary also subsequently appeared to make comments in support of encryption yet the wording of the legislation remains vague enough that concerns about its implications for encrypted services persist. For example, many speakers at an event held to discuss various aspects of the IP bill last week expressed similar worries about vague language in the draft legislation leaving too much “open to interpretation”. The joint select committee is continuing to take evidence from witnesses, and will hear from Home Secretary Theresa May tomorrow. It’s expected to file a report with recommendations by the middle of next month — suggestions that will doubtless feed into the coming months of debate as MPs and Peers in parliament and the House of Lords chew over the bill’s detail and try to achieve that sought for balance between security and privacy. Featured Image: r. nial bradshaw/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * surveillance * encryption * data retention * mass surveillance * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Original Stitch Raises $1.1 Million To Put The Shirt On Your Back Posted Jan 12, 2016 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » General Data Protection Regulation: A Milestone Of The Digital Age Comments Feed Aerodrome Is The First Commercial Airport For Drones Streaming Services Dominate 2016 Golden Globes, But Amazon Takes The Win alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Crunch Network General Data Protection Regulation: A Milestone Of The Digital Age Posted Jan 10, 2016 by J. Trevor Hughes (@jtrevorhughes) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Aerodrome Is The First Commercial Airport For Drones [gavel.jpg?w=738] J. Trevor HughesCrunch Network Contributor J. Trevor Hughes is the president and chief executive officer of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). More posts by this contributor: * The $25 Million Fine Isn’t The Real AT&T-FCC Story How to join the network The conventional wisdom is that the recently agreed-upon General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most-lobbied piece of legislation in the history of the European Union. I’m not quite sure how you quantify that, but it’s not surprising. This law will likely go down as a milestone of the Digital Age, similar to industry-changing laws like the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act here in the United States. For, just as new laws and regulations were needed to address the consequences of the Industrial Revolution, the European Union has responded to the privacy concerns presented by the Digital Revolution with a law that attempts to apply new order to the complexity of data in society. Like most laws born of intense compromise, everyone will likely find fault with it. Privacy advocates will say it doesn’t go far enough in its risk-based approach to protect human rights. Industry voices will say it stands to cripple innovation and will consign Europe to a digital island. Despite these differing opinions, the message to the global information economy is clear: It is time to get to work on the tough tasks of understanding and, eventually, complying with the GDPR. Virtually every company doing business in the European Union has some challenging months ahead. Companies will need to figure out how to create a data breach response plan that both evaluates the risk of harm to consumers and still allows for regulators to be notified within 72 hours of discovery if that risk is deemed to be great. Social media and other companies serving teen audiences will need to decide on a good way to acquire parental permission to gather the data of children. Every company will need to create systems for the demonstration of compliance with the law upon demand by regulators. Much of this work will fall to the privacy profession. The GDPR mandates the appointment of a “data protection officer” (a DPO), a term that might be foreign to U.S. ears. These DPOs are privacy professionals, and they’ve been proliferating around the world lately. Without question, we will continue to see a public policy debate over many of the provisions of the GDPR. The new regulation requires DPOs for many companies, particularly those that handle sensitive data like biometrics or health information, but also those that make building profiles of their customers integral to their business plans. The good news is that you’ll have three years from this spring to put one in place — but the work of compliance will likely require a privacy professional in your organization far ahead of that deadline. The potentially more challenging news is that privacy professionals are already in high demand, and will likely be even harder to find in the coming years. Training from within may be the most viable solution as companies struggle to find staff for these functions. Related Articles Call For Robust Privacy Legislation In Wake Of EU Safe Harbor Strike-Down Europe's Search De-Listing Ruling Is Mostly About Social Media Privacy Invasions Europe Urged To Make Safeguarding Personal Data A Selling Point How Much Privacy Is Too Much? Without question, we will continue to see a public policy debate over many of the provisions of the GDPR. European regulators will create reams of analysis and guidance on the new regulation. Businesses will define best practices within industries and negotiate the new, risk-filled terrain of compliance. Customers will continue to demand innovative technologies that improve their lives, while at the same time expecting even greater respect for their privacy. In this manner, the GDPR represents not a destination, but an important milestone — a marker that indicates how far we have come and how far we still have to go. Or perhaps the GDPR is more like another type of road sign: “Caution, Work Ahead.” Featured Image: Evlakhov Valeriy/Shutterstock * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * European Union + Overview The European Union occasionally makes investments. For more about them, see [their Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union). + Location London, H9 + Website http://europa.eu + Full profile for European Union TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * european union * privacy * regulatory compliance * Europe * Popular Posts Featured Stories * General Data Protection Regulation: A Milestone Of The Digital Age Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Aerodrome Is The First Commercial Airport For Drones Posted Jan 10, 2016 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » California Is Winning The Digital Privacy Fight Comments Feed ProtonMail On Battling A Sustained DDoS Attack An Inconvenient Proof alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Will 2016 See The End Of Closed-Source Politics? * The Federal Government Must Act To Ensure That The Autonomous Vehicle Revolution Takes Place In The U.S. The Federal Government Must Act To Ensure That The Autonomous Vehicle Revolution Takes Place In The U.S. * Browse more... digital privacy * From Kodak To Google, How Privacy Panics Distort Policy From Kodak To Google, How Privacy Panics Distort Policy * How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution * The Latest Big Data Innovation Is Consumer Empowerment The Latest Big Data Innovation Is Consumer Empowerment * Browse more... CalECPA * A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance * Browse more... California Is Winning The Digital Privacy Fight Posted Nov 7, 2015 by Nicole A. Ozer (@NicoleOzer) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story ProtonMail On Battling A Sustained DDoS Attack California Is Winning The Digital Privacy Fight Advertisement Starting in 2016, tech companies can tell law enforcement in California to get a warrant if they want access to digital data. That’s because California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA), a landmark digital privacy law that requires California police to obtain a warrant from a judge before they can access electronic information about people’s identities, where they go, who they know and what they do. Nicole A. OzerCrunch Network Contributor Nicole A. Ozer is the Technology & Civil Liberties Policy Director for the ACLU of Northern California and an author of Privacy & Free Speech: It’s Good for Business. How to join the network CalECPA protects digital information held by companies, including the content of emails and cloud documents, location information and metadata. The state’s electronic privacy law also means that data on consumers’ computers and mobile devices have the same protection from government snooping as paper files. The protections provided by CalECPA were badly needed. While technology has advanced, digital privacy laws remain stuck in the digital Dark Ages. This has meant that emails, text messages, location information and all of our digital data have been open to warrantless police surveillance. Outdated Federal Laws Antiquated laws on both the state and federal level have created a maze of confusing rules. The federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act was first enacted in 1986 – long before the Internet as we know it today existed. But even modest efforts to update the federal law have yet to get through Congress. The result of outdated laws is that sensitive personal information is at risk, consumer trust is eroded and tech companies large and small have to waste valuable time and resources to meet the growing demand of warrantless requests from law enforcement. The result of outdated laws is that sensitive personal information is at risk, consumer trust is eroded and tech companies large and small have to waste valuable time and resources… The numbers are startling. Google has reported a 180 percent jump in law enforcement demands for consumer data in just the past five years. Last year AT&T received more than 263,000 demands, Verizon reported that only one-third of its requests had a warrant, and Twitter and Tumblr received more demands from agencies in California than any other state. As a result, public concern about privacy has grown while confidence in technology has eroded. A recent California poll conducted this summer found that 82 percent of Californians wanted warrant protection for their digital information. A 2014 study from the Pew Research Center found that 75 percent of adults believe that their emails, text messages, and location information are sensitive, and that 80 percent of adults feel that Americans are rightly concerned about government monitoring of Internet communications. Government And Tech While other states, such as Colorado, Maine, Texas and Utah, provide updated protections for electronic information, California’s law has the biggest impact not only because of its size but because of the prevalence of tech companies based in the state. And those companies had enough: The Internet Association along with Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple, Dropbox, Adobe and others supported CalECPA. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said in an NPR interview that “people want us to help them keep their lives private. We see that privacy is a fundamental human right… We are going to do everything that we can to help maintain that trust.” In its letter of support for the California electronic privacy law, Facebook said “people deserve to connect with friends and loved ones knowing that their personal photos and messages are well-protected.” Google noted that “law enforcement needs a search warrant to enter your house or seize letters from your filing cabinet — the same sorts of protections should apply to electronic data stored with Internet companies.” According to the Internet Association, “California’s Internet users expect their inbox to have the same kinds of safeguards that exist for their mailbox, and we look forward to working with policymakers in pursuit of this goal. It is time to update these laws for the digital age.” The diverse tech industry and civil rights coalition in support of CalECPA should serve as a model for collaboration in other states. After Gov. Brown signed the electronic privacy law, Adobe wrote in a blog post that it “believes that customer data stored online deserves the same protections as data stored at home or at work, and that full Fourth Amendment protections are essential to consumers trusting that their information is safe. Without trust, cloud computing can never realize its full potential.” California continues to be an incubator for ideas, and the California Electronic Privacy Act is certainly an idea whose time has come. Related Articles Call For Robust Privacy Legislation In Wake Of EU Safe Harbor Strike-Down Digital Privacy Is "The New Frontier Of Human Rights" Microsoft Urges Reform Of U.S. Government's Surveillance Practices The diverse tech industry and civil rights coalition in support of CalECPA should serve as a model for collaboration in other states. The new law will hopefully help jumpstart privacy reform on the federal level that has been stalled for too long. It should be a clarion call for leaders in Washington and across the country who are long overdue in updating privacy laws to protect both consumers and the tech industry by preventing warrantless searches of digital information. All tech companies and all Americans deserve updated laws that match the modern digital world. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » The Online Privacy Lie Is Unraveling Comments Feed Live Rowing Is An App and Rowing Machine Monitor That Lets You Challenge Your Friends To A Boat Race The Death And Life Of Truth In The Internet Age alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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The Online Privacy Lie Is Unraveling Posted Jun 6, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Live Rowing Is An App and Rowing Machine Monitor That Lets You Challenge Your Friends To A Boat Race [8100415782_1e4870e67d_h.jpg?w=738] A new report into U.S. consumers’ attitude to the collection of personal data has highlighted the disconnect between commercial claims that web users are happy to trade privacy in exchange for ‘benefits’ like discounts. On the contrary, it asserts that a large majority of web users are not at all happy, but rather feel powerless to stop their data being harvested and used by marketers. The report authors’ argue it’s this sense of resignation that is resulting in data tradeoffs taking place — rather than consumers performing careful cost-benefit analysis to weigh up the pros and cons of giving up their data (as marketers try to claim). They also found that where consumers were most informed about marketing practices they were also more likely to be resigned to not being able to do anything to prevent their data being harvested. “Rather than feeling able to make choices, Americans believe it is futile to manage what companies can learn about them. Our study reveals that more than half do not want to lose control over their information but also believe this loss of control has already happened,” the authors write. Americans believe it is futile to manage what companies can learn about them. “By misrepresenting the American people and championing the tradeoff argument, marketers give policymakers false justifications for allowing the collection and use of all kinds of consumer data often in ways that the public find objectionable. Moreover, the futility we found, combined with a broad public fear about what companies can do with the data, portends serious difficulties not just for individuals but also — over time — for the institution of consumer commerce.” “It is not difficult to predict widespread social tensions, and concerns about democratic access to the marketplace, if Americans continue to be resigned to a lack of control over how, when, and what marketers learn about them,” they add. The report, entitled The Tradeoff Fallacy: How marketers are misrepresenting American consumers and opening them up to exploitation, is authored by three academics from the University of Pennsylvania, and is based on a representative national cell phone and wireline phone survey of more than 1,500 Americans age 18 and older who use the internet or email “at least occasionally”. Key findings on American consumers include that — * 91% disagree (77% of them strongly) that “If companies give me a discount, it is a fair exchange for them to collect information about me without my knowing” * 71% disagree (53% of them strongly) that “It’s fair for an online or physical store to monitor what I’m doing online when I’m there, in exchange for letting me use the store’s wireless internet, or Wi-Fi, without charge.” * 55% disagree (38% of them strongly) that “It’s okay if a store where I shop uses information it has about me to create a picture of me that improves the services they provide for me.” The authors go on to note that “only about 4% agree or agree strongly” with all three of the above propositions. And even with a broader definition of “a belief in tradeoffs” they found just a fifth (21%) were comfortably accepting of the idea. So the survey found very much a minority of consumers are happy with current data tradeoffs. The report also flags up that large numbers (often a majority) of U.S. consumers are unaware of how their purchase and usage data can be sold on or shared with third parties without their permission or knowledge — in many instances falsely believing they have greater data protection rights than they are in fact afforded by law. Examples the report notes include — * 49% of American adults who use the Internet believe (incorrectly) that by law a supermarket must obtain a person’s permission before selling information about that person’s food purchases to other companies. * 69% do not know that a pharmacy does not legally need a person’s permission to sell information about the over-the-counter drugs that person buys. * 65% do not know that the statement “When a website has a privacy policy, it means the site will not share my information with other websites and companies without my permission” is false. * 55% do not know it is legal for an online store to charge different people different prices at the same time of day. * 62% do not know that price-comparison sites like Expedia or Orbitz are not legally required to include the lowest travel prices. Data-mining in the spotlight One thing is clear: the great lie about online privacy is unraveling. The obfuscated commercial collection of vast amounts of personal data in exchange for ‘free’ services is gradually being revealed for what it is: a heist of unprecedented scale. Behind the bland, intellectually dishonest facade that claims there’s ‘nothing to see here’ gigantic data-mining apparatus have been manoeuvered into place, atop vast mountains of stolen personal data. Stolen because it has never been made clear to consumers what is being taken, and how that information is being used. How can you consent to something you don’t know or understand? Informed consent requires transparency and an ability to control what happens. Both of which are systematically undermined by companies whose business models require that vast amounts of personal data be shoveled ceaselessly into their engines. This is why regulators are increasingly focusing attention on the likes of Google and Facebook. And why companies with different business models, such as hardware maker Apple, are joining the chorus of condemnation. Cloud-based technology companies large and small have exploited and encouraged consumer ignorance, concealing their data-mining algorithms and processes inside proprietary black boxes labeled ‘commercially confidential’. The larger entities spend big on pumping out a steady stream of marketing misdirection — distracting their users with shiny new things, or proffering up hollow reassurances about how they don’t sell your personal data. Make no mistake: this is equivocation. Google sells access to its surveillance intelligence on who users are via its ad-targeting apparatus — so it doesn’t need to sell actual data. Its intelligence on web users’ habits and routines and likes and dislikes is far more lucrative than handing over the digits of anyone’s phone number. (The company is also moving in the direction of becoming an online marketplace in its own right — by adding a buy button directly to mobile search results. So it’s intending to capture, process and convert more transactions itself — directly choreographing users’ commercial activity.) These platforms also work to instill a feeling of impotence in users in various subtle ways, burying privacy settings within labyrinthine submenus. And technical information in unreadable terms and conditions. Doing everything they can to fog rather than fess up to the reality of the gigantic tradeoff lurking in the background. Yet slowly, but slowly this sophisticated surveillance apparatus is being dragged into the light. The privacy costs involved for consumers who pay for ‘free’ services by consenting to invasive surveillance of what they say, where they go, who they know, what they like, what they watch, what they buy, have never been made clear by the companies involved in big data mining. But costs are becoming more apparent, as glimpses of the extent of commercial tracking activities leak out. And as more questions are asked the discrepancy between the claim that there’s ‘nothing to see here’ vs the reality of sleepless surveillance apparatus peering over your shoulder, logging your pulse rate, reading your messages, noting what you look at, for how long and what you do next — and doing so to optimize the lifting of money out of your wallet — then the true consumer cost of ‘free’ becomes more visible than it has ever been. The tradeoff lie is unraveling, as the scale and implications of the data heist are starting to be processed. One clear tipping point here is NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden who, two years ago, risked life and liberty to reveal how the U.S. government (and many other governments) were involved in a massive, illegal logging of citizens’ digital communications. The documents he released also showed how commercial technology platforms had been appropriated and drawn into this secretive state surveillance complex. Once governments were implicated, it was only a matter of time before the big Internet platforms, with their mirror data-capturing apparatus, would face questions. Snowden’s revelations have had various reforming political implications for surveillance in the U.S. and Europe. Tech companies have also been forced to take public stances — either to loudly defend user privacy, or be implicated by silence and inaction. Another catalyst for increasing privacy concerns is the Internet of Things. A physical network of connected objects blinking and pinging notifications is itself a partial reveal of the extent of the digital surveillance apparatus that has been developed behind commercially closed doors. Modern consumer electronics are hermetically sealed black boxes engineered to conceal complexity. But the complexities of hooking all these ‘smart’ sensornet objects together, and placing so many data-sucking tentacles on display, in increasingly personal places (the home, the body) — starts to make surveillance infrastructure and its implications uncomfortably visible. Plus this time it’s manifestly personal. It’s in your home and on your person — which adds to a growing feeling of being creeped out and spied upon. And as more and more studies highlight consumer concern about how personal data is being harvested and processed, regulators are also taking notice — and turning up the heat. One response to growing consumer concerns about personal data came this week with Google launching a centralized dashboard for users to access (some) privacy settings. It’s far from perfect, and contains plentiful misdirection about the company’s motives, but it’s telling that this ad-fueled behemoth feels the need to be more pro-active in its presentation of its attitude and approach to user privacy. Radical transparency The Tradeoff report authors include a section at the end with suggestions for improving transparency around marketing processes, calling for “initiatives that will give members of the public the right and ability to learn what companies know about them, how they profile them, and what data lead to what personalized offers” — and for getting consumers “excited about using that right and ability”. Among their suggestions to boost transparency and corporate openness are — * Public interest organizations and government agencies developing clear definitions of transparency that reflect consumer concerns, and then systematically calling out companies regarding how well or badly they are doing based on these values, in order to help consumers ‘vote with their wallets’ * Activities to “dissect and report on the implications of privacy policies” — perhaps aided by crowdsourced initiatives — so that complex legalize is interpreted and implications explained for a consumer audience, again allowing for good practice to be praised (and vice versa) * Advocating for consumers to gain access to the personal profiles companies create on them in order for them to understand how their data is being used “As long as the algorithms companies implement to analyze and predict the future behaviors of individuals are hidden from public view, the potential for unwanted marketer exploitation of individuals’ data remains high. We therefore ought to consider it an individual’s right to access the profiles and scores companies use to create every personalized message and discount the individual receives,” the report adds. “Companies will push back that giving out this information will expose trade secrets. We argue there are ways to carry this out while keeping their trade secrets intact.” They’re not the only ones calling for algorithms to be pulled into view either — back in April the French Senate backed calls for Google to reveal the workings of its search ranking algorithms. In that instance the focus is commercial competition to ensure a level playing field, rather than user privacy per se, but it’s clear that more questions are being asked about the power of proprietary algorithms and the hidden hierarchies they create. Startups should absolutely see the debunking of the myth that consumers are happy to trade privacy for free services as a fresh opportunity for disruption — to build services that stand out because they aren’t predicated on the assumption that consumers can and should be tricked into handing over data and having their privacy undermined on the sly. Services that stand upon a futureproofed foundation where operational transparency inculcates user trust — setting these businesses up for bona fide data exchanges, rather than shadowy tradeoffs. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » With No European Safe Harbor, Facebook Faces Privacy Complaints On Multiple Fronts Comments Feed Announcing The Disrupt London Hackathon Judges And API Workshops 23-Year-Old’s Design Collaboration Tool Figma Launches With $14M To Fight Adobe alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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With No European Safe Harbor, Facebook Faces Privacy Complaints On Multiple Fronts Posted Dec 3, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Announcing The Disrupt London Hackathon Judges And API Workshops [p1040182.jpg?w=738] Facebook’s least favorite Austrian, lawyer and privacy campaigner, Max Schrems, has updated his data protection complaints against the social network giant in the light of the recent EJC strikedown of the Safe Harbor transatlantic data-sharing agreement. Schrems has now filed an updated complaint against Facebook with the Irish data protection authority — where his original complaint was filed back in June 2013. The substance of the complaint relates to European Facebook users’ data being pulled into NSA mass surveillance programs once it has been exported to the U.S. — and thereby, Schrems contends, undermining fundamental European data protection rights. The Irish DPA dismissed the original complaint back in July 2013 on the grounds that the fifteen-year-old Safe Harbor agreement, which Facebook was signed up to, apparently took precedence as the overarching governing mechanism for data transfers. However that position was blown out of the water by the EJC Safe Harbor ruling this fall — hence Schrems’ updating and redoubling his complaints now. “We want to ensure that this very crucial judgement is also enforced in practice when it comes to the U.S. companies that are involved in U.S. mass surveillance,” said Schrems referencing the Safe Harbor ruling in a statement on his latest data protection complaints. “The court’s judgement was very clear in this respect.” Safe Harbor is no long an option for companies to legalize data flows going West across the pond — albeit the European Commission and the U.S. are busy trying to hammer out a replacement deal (with a deadline of January 2016 to secure a so-called ‘Safe Harbor 2.0’). U.S. intelligence agency access to data is, unsurprisingly, the big sticking point for any new agreement. Schrems has also filed two further complaints about the same issue, one with the Belgian data protection authority, and another with the City of Hamburg’s DPA in Germany. These are the “first round” of what his Europe vs Facebook privacy campaign organization dubs “co-ordinated complaints”. So Facebook should expect to be dealing with a European data privacy war that’s being waged on an increasing number of fronts. The three complaints call for the respective DPAs to suspend all data transfers from Facebook’s European HQ to its U.S. operations — with a “reasonable implementation period” suggested to allow the company to transition to an alternative arrangement that would be compliant with the ECJ ruling. (Schrems suggests Facebook’s options here could include: “moving data to Europe, encrypting data that is stored in the United States or reviewing the corporate structure”.) He is also calling for DPAs to conduct an audit of Facebook, as the data importer, and any sub-processors — a suggestion targeting all Facebook’s worldwide offices, data centers and relevant documents of Facebook Inc, as well as all sub-processors of Facebook data. Schrems’ strategy of filing complaints with multiple individual European Union Member States’ DPAs follows several European Court of Justice rulings which have clearly strengthened the position of national DPAs when it comes to data protection complaints — including in the so-called ‘right to be forgotten‘ case against Google last year, and an ECJ judgement this year ruling in favor of the Hungarian data protection authority vs a Slovakian property website called Weltimmo. The Belgian DPA has also been pursuing its own privacy-related action against Facebook, filing a civil suit this summer over Facebook’s use of cookies to track non-Facebook users, and going on to convince a judge it does indeed have jurisdiction over the company (Facebook had tried to claim there was no legal route for it to be sued in Belgium because its European headquarters are in Ireland). Facebook has apparently agreed to comply with the Belgian court’s order not to continue tracking non-users, while it continues contesting the ruling. While the Hamburg DPA was very quick off the mark, post ECJ Safe Harbor ruling, to announce its own investigation of Facebook’s (and others’) data transfer arrangements. The DPA has a history of actively investigating privacy-related complaints. After the Safe Harbor ruling, Hamburg’s data privacy commissioner, Johannes Caspar, also stated: “Anyone who wants to remain untouched by the legal and political implications of the judgement, should in the future consider storing personal data only on servers within the European Union.” Schrems notes his lawyers wrote to Facebook to ask what alternative data transfer methods the company is using in the wake of the Safe Harbor strikedown — obtaining a copy of the contractual agreements it claims it is using. Such agreements have an exception for cases of illegal “mass surveillance” in Schrems’ view — so he’s convinced these transfer methods will not pass muster with the DPAs. “All relevant EU decisions include an exception for cases of mass surveillance,” notes Gerard Rudden of Ahern Rudden Quigley Solicitors, who is representing Schrems in Ireland. “There is no ‘quick fix’ through alternative transfer methods for companies that are involved in the violation of European fundamental rights.” Schrems is also arguing that any new Safe Harbor deal will be irrelevant, because the ECJ ruling is based on the European Charter of Fundamental Rights — so again a data transfer agreement will not be able to overrule the court’s findings in cases of mass surveillance. Unless the U.S. government has a Damascene conversion to Europe’s way of thinking about privacy as a fundamental right, and outlaws its own mass surveillance programs, there are going to be multiple routes for privacy complaints to be filed in Europe against U.S. companies like Facebook, which operate services in the region — at least until the companies themselves restructure their European operations to reflect the new post-Snowden digital data reality. Microsoft’s recent announcement of a German trustee cloud model — with a third party European company apparently acting as a firewall between Microsoft’s European customers’ data and the U.S. intelligence agencies’ data harvesting programs — is one example of how EU-U.S. data flows might be restructured in light of the Safe Harbor strikedown. .@mantelero depends on how it is done (technically). Microsoft's German solution seemed smart.. but just one of many possible options.. ;) — Max Schrems (@maxschrems) December 3, 2015 Responding to Schrems’ latest complaints in a statement, a Facebook spokesperson provided the following emailed statement to TechCrunch: We have repeatedly explained that we are not and have never been part of any program to give the U.S. government direct access to our servers. Facebook uses the same mechanisms that thousands of others companies across the EU use to transfer data legally from the EU to the US, and to other countries around the world. These issues are being examined by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) at the request of Mr Schrems. We are cooperating fully with the DPC and are confident that this investigation will lead to a comprehensive resolution of Mr Schrems’ complaints. Although Schrems’ complaints are continuing to target Facebook principally, the original Europe vs Facebook mass surveillance complaint from 2013 also referenced other U.S. tech companies that had been referenced in documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden as also being involved in the NSA’s PRISM data collection program — including Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Facebook + Founded 2004 + Overview Facebook is an online social networking service that allows its users to connect with friends and family as well as make new connections. It provides its users with the ability to create a profile, update information, add images, send friend requests, and accept requests from other users. Its features include status update, photo tagging and sharing, and more. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » National U.S. Privacy Laws Are Needed Comments Feed A Look At Who’s Down From Google Liquid Bitcoin alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Crunch Network National U.S. Privacy Laws Are Needed Posted Oct 30, 2015 by Carl Herberger (@CarlHerberger) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story A Look At Who’s Down From Google [368912557_2fc44d3709_b.jpg?w=738] Carl HerbergerCrunch Network Contributor Carl Herberger is vice president of security solutions at Radware. How to join the network As the most recent security breaches have taught us around the world, losing one’s privacy also means losing one of humanity’s unique attributes — its secrets. The hack at Ashley Madison taught us that no stored data is secure, no matter how much we think it is or if a service, by it’s very nature, implies it’s providing the highest caliber of security and discretion. The spill of this data has led to, among other things, massive lawsuits, an departing CEO and even suicide. As time will no doubt show us — we’ve lost our humanity. Somehow we missed privacy from the initial design of the Constitution and amendments thereafter. This “right” to privacy was not endowed to us by our Founding Fathers nor does it make up the conscience of our jurisprudence system of government today. Legally, privacy is, at best, a regulation or a state-level law focused around data protection. The United States is not alone in having few overarching privacy laws. Many people in the world do not have a legal right to privacy. Even in the best of scenarios, countries only have laws focused around some notional data element — like a right to healthcare or financial privacy. Is Privacy A Fundamental Inalienable Right? Many questions pervade the notion of privacy, on which the conversation has been somewhat confiscated by information security professionals and ascribed to the notion of “data privacy” as if this is the ultimate arbiter of the question. Isn’t privacy more than data? Questions like the following really provide a powerful sense of the problem: * Is privacy an immutable attribute of being human, making this alienable to the human condition? Are private moments, thoughts and intimate communications part of being human, and does removing these conditions equate to removing our humanity? * Does one “own” their unspoken thoughts, unseen actions and private, intimate moments? If so, does another body, such as a government or organization, have the “‘right” to confiscate, use or monetize it? * Does anyone really feel safer or more protected knowing there is a record of their private moments and acts? When one’s life no longer has the intimacy of sharing a sweet-nothing between lovers, or singing alone in the shower, or being able to just be “you” without anyone knowing, recording or watching, is this really a safer and more humane world? Big Questions Should Lead To Big Debate As you can see, the topic is immensely powerful and in no way trite. The real question is, why isn’t there a real national dialogue around the topic? Yes, there is a lot of chatter, but most of the conversation seems vapid. Many of the pundits I see and read seem to be discussing the notion of “net neutrality” or cybersecurity legislation that address data protections, both of which appear to have, at their core, the goal of appointing bureaucrats and assigning budget authorities. However, the issue is larger than that. The real question of the current various forms of cybersecurity legislation should reach into the heart of the matter and focus on whether privacy is a fundamental human right. The real debate rests on the central question of whether or not privacy is a human right. An answer to this question will forever settle the debate on how to proceed with information security regulations and how to react to breaches in our privacy. Instead, we are left with a quilt of ad hoc, incoherent rules, regulations and micro-laws that define what we should or should not do with privacy. The History Of Privacy Regulation In the U.S., privacy legislation started in the state of California, moved briskly across the country and has largely settled into its current landscape. The problem with this approach, although admirable in the specifics, is that one’s privacy is not a geographic or data-driven matter. One’s privacy is not relative to one’s domicile, and this truth leaves most of us wanting for the notion that legislation covers our privacy, regardless of the type of data (e.g., only healthcare or financial information — but all private information, etc.). As a result, we are left with a threat environment that is exploiting the blind spots between the laws and lack of coverage. Consequences Of No National Privacy Laws Generally, I’m not a big believer that laws or regulations are very helpful for the tactics and operations of a security professional. My general feeling is that laws only add to an overburdened staff and generally only increase budgets, which are often misappropriated toward administrative attestation instead of real security. However, in the case of privacy, there are three real consequences of not having a national privacy law, which will not change until one is passed: Data Breaches Grow Exponentially. The threat landscape is changing with great velocity. Without a law governing the human aspect of privacy, people will continue to steal, borrow and monetize this valuable asset until it no longer holds meaning. Delay of national privacy legislation is directly related to financial loss and national economic competitiveness. Financial institutions will be the great bearers of these costs as consumers demand to have their institutions provide restitution for their losses. Your Humanity Will evaporate. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), whereby nearly every consumer device is measuring and monitoring nearly all human behavior (including implantable devices for healthcare), there will increasingly be opportunities to invade deeper and deeper into one’s personal life and, perhaps one day, even into one’s own thoughts and ambitions. Many people in the world do not have a legal right to privacy. This technology, although immeasurable on the opportunities for human developmental advancement, will, paradoxically further erode the notion of what it is to be human itself. You will become like a machine, predictable and forecastable in every way — from your health to your passion, your purchasing and interest habits and hobbies. You will be “addressable” in more ways than ever. Power To The People Is Not Easily Granted. There is a lot of money and interest to be gained by organizations and governments in having the power to pervade one’s privacy. The laws of control suggest that most people who are in charge of organizations and governments will not easily be interested in ceding control of the aphrodisiac, which is spying on those whom they can potentially manipulate. Is privacy a right? There is a lot to be learned from the debate. However, most of the debate is, in my opinion, an intellectually dishonest conversation. The real debate rests on the central question of whether or not privacy is a human right and, if so, what we must do to protect it and cherish it. In the meantime, security professionals and businesses who are entrusted with data which have become obvious to protect will continue to bear the cost and operational responsibility to try to husband these protections as best they can in face of an insurmountable challenge. If you care about this subject, I encourage you to take up the struggle and start calling for energy around a national law in pursuit of a constitutional amendment to settle once and for all the question of whether or not privacy is a right. Featured Image: Josh hallett/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * digital rights * data protection legislation * privacy policy * Government * Popular Posts Featured Stories * National U.S. Privacy Laws Are Needed Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next A Look At Who’s Down From Google Posted Oct 30, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Apple Blows Up The Concept Of A Privacy Policy Comments Feed Alibaba Increases Its Investment In Indian Payments And Commerce Firm Paytm Qualcomm Plans $150 Million Startup Fund For India alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Apple * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini * Apple Hires Top Augmented/Virtual Reality Researcher Apple Hires Top Augmented/Virtual Reality Researcher * Browse more... iOS 9 * Hide Unwanted iPhone App Icons With This iOS 9 Trick Hide Unwanted iPhone App Icons With This iOS 9 Trick * Apple Puts iOS 9 Adoption At 70% Based On App Store Usage Numbers Apple Puts iOS 9 Adoption At 70% Based On App Store Usage Numbers * You Can Now Jailbreak Your iOS 9 Devices (But You Probably Shouldn’t) You Can Now Jailbreak Your iOS 9 Devices (But You Probably Shouldn’t) * Browse more... privacy * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy * FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds * Browse more... privacy policy * Snapchat Responds To Chatter About Privacy Policy Change Snapchat Responds To Chatter About Privacy Policy Change * National U.S. Privacy Laws Are Needed National U.S. Privacy Laws Are Needed * How To Explain Your Privacy Policy And Terms Of Service Changes How To Explain Your Privacy Policy And Terms Of Service Changes * Browse more... Apple Blows Up The Concept Of A Privacy Policy Posted Sep 29, 2015 by Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Alibaba Increases Its Investment In Indian Payments And Commerce Firm Paytm [appleevent_2015_13.jpg?w=738] Three years ago, a common human being interested in the privacy policy of a gadget or service it was using was a rare bird. With the revelation that a large amount of the communications and private data of both foreign nationals and native residents of the U.S. were being collected and scrutinized by the government, all of that prototypical fine print came home to roost. Since then, privacy has become a war cry among tech companies, and none so vociferously as Apple. It has amplified a well-aligned stance on user data being owned by the user to global proportions, taking a very public stance whenever possible. And that continues today. Here’s the gist of the news: Apple is updating its privacy site with new information about iOS 9 and the latest version of OS X. It’s also expanding the page with additional sections and information about a wide array of Apple services and features provided to users. The page deals with privacy in products and features like iOS 9’s News app, the native deep linking utility to let iOS and developers direct users to specific information and features inside apps and Apple’s new Spotlight Suggestions. The News app is anonymized just like other personally identifiable information, for instance. And Apple’s Proactive Assistant processes data on the device, rather than in the cloud — a challenging design decision we’ve discussed before. Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 12.09.13 AM Health and fitness data is isolated on the device with an encryption key generated based on your passcode. This type of personalized encryption makes it even more difficult for anyone, including Apple, to ever see data you don’t want them to. This passcode key encryption is used throughout Apple’s products now. Content blockers (the thing my industry loves to talk about), which prevent you from being tracked across websites by ads, are also covered. Here’s a tidbit with regards to Apple Maps. When you query Maps for a trip, Apple generates a generic device identifier and pulls the info using that, rather than an Apple ID. Halfway through your trip, it generates another random ID and associates the second half with that. Then, for good measure, it truncates the trip data so the information about exact origin and destination are not kept. That data is retained for 2 years to improve Maps and then deleted. There is also a new iOS 9.0 Security white paper which details, over 60 pages, the various techniques Apple uses to secure its mobile OS. This is not new, but the updated version also covers new iOS features and functions. Apple’s encryption methodology is described in detail, as is the way that it prevents unauthorized keychain access and how it secures apps. Much of this information is even more poignant given the recent debacle with apps compiled by a corrupted bootleg of its Xcode development tool. This is good reading for any security wonk. But what if you aren’t? Blowing Up The Privacy Policy Privacy is something everyone should care about. But studies continue to indicate that people either aren’t aware of what they’re giving up, or they don’t understand the implications. Part of the reason for this is that the privacy policies of most major corporations (Apple included) are written by lawyers, not by someone whose purpose it is to make the companies’ policies actually clear to end users. The reasons for that are many fold, but you can probably suss out the most likely; first, companies like to cover their asses in case of privacy breaches. Second, if you actually saw the privacy policies of most companies laid out in plain verbiage you would want to crawl into a cave. Apple is blowing that up a bit today by expanding on its privacy page and presenting its policies in clear language, with extensive supporting data. Whether it’s government information requests (94 percent of that is trying to find stolen iPhones, and only 6 percent is law enforcement seeking personal information) or how consumer-facing features like iMessage, Apple Pay, Health and HomeKit are set up to protect user information; the sense is one of confidence in its stance. Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 12.15.21 AM Please do not confuse this with me saying that Apple shouldn’t have to continue to answer questions on user privacy — nearly all major tech corporations are money-making enterprises and should be viewed with healthy skepticism. But in his letter when the site launched last year, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple would regularly update and expand the site, and it now has. If you click your way through it, you’re going to see a product that looks a lot like the pages that are attempting to sell you iPhones. There is a section that explains Apple’s philosophy; one that tells users in practical terms how to take advantage of Apple’s privacy-and security-related features; an entire section on government information requests; and, finally, its actual privacy policy. Related Articles Apple Addresses Privacy Questions About 'Hey Siri' And Live Photo Features EFF's 2015 Data Privacy Report Lauds Apple, Dropbox, Slams Verizon Apple's Tim Cook Delivers Blistering Speech On Encryption, Privacy Edward Snowden Supports Apple’s Public Stance On Privacy The ‘manage your privacy’ section in particular provides clear explanations of what to do to improve your security and why you’d want to do it. This is the template for all other tech companies when it comes to informing users about their privacy. Not a page of dense jargon, and not a page of cutesy simplified language that doesn’t actually communicate the nuance of the thing. Instead, it’s a true product. A product whose aims are to inform and educate, just as Apple says its other products do. Apple has been at the forefront of using privacy as a sales tool, but it won’t be the last. Encrypted phones, messaging apps that secure and delete conversations — nearly every major Internet service we use has been re-tooled in some way in response to what we know about how much everyone else knows. It only makes sense that the moribund privacy policy should get a makeover, as well. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Apple + Founded 1976 + Overview Apple is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple provides many products and services, including iPhone; iPad; iPod; Mac; iPod; Apple TV; … + Location Cupertino, CA + Categories Hardware + Software, Consumer Electronics, Computers, Electronics, Retail + Website http://www.apple.com + Full profile for Apple * iOS 9 + Description iOS 9 is Apple's iPhone and iPad update available for public beta in July 2015. + Website http://www.apple.com/ios/ios9-preview/ + Full profile for iOS 9 TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * iOS 9 * privacy * privacy policy * Apple * Security * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Apple Blows Up The Concept Of A Privacy Policy Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Alibaba Increases Its Investment In Indian Payments And Commerce Firm Paytm Posted Sep 29, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. All rights reserved. Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Protect Your Privacy & Security on the Internet With These Tools Comments Feed Uber And Beyond: 12 Transportation On-Demand Services In Asia 18 *More* Female Founders Who’ve Had A Very Good 2015 alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Protect Your Privacy & Security on the Internet With These Tools Posted Dec 28, 2015 by Max Greenwald (@maxpgreenwald) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Gallery View List Fullscreen Exit Fullscreen Photos __________________________________________________________________ Max GreenwaldCrunch Network Contributor Max Greenwald is a computer science and public policy major at Princeton University. How to join the network All across the web companies are collecting information about you whether you like it or not. Knowing which companies are more trustworthy with your information than others and how to keep yourself as safe as possible on the internet is important. If you aren’t sure whether websites that you use are making the grade then check them out yourself! Surprisingly to most, when you log in to most mobile or web applications, at least 15 pieces of information are sent in every which direction. Don’t let companies take advantage of your unawareness – take action! If you catch them claiming one thing, but in reality doing another, get justice by reporting the company to the Federal Trade Commission. If you are a company reading this post, and a bit scared that you’re lacking in decent privacy and security practices, check out the FTC’s best practices guide – otherwise, watch out, Batman is coming for ya. Featured Image: Kevin Dooley | Flickr __________________________________________________________________ Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes Advertisement Previous Next List View Previous of Next More galleries Free Tools For Privacy Verification Here are some free tools you can use to keep a company in line with their privacy practices. There are also some tools to prevent third parties (companies who track you) from getting your information as you browse the web. 1. Mitmproxy Using Mitmproxy, a free “behind the scenes” tool, you can do some investigation to find out whether a company collects more information about you than you would expect or if it sends your information insecurely. 2. PrivacyGrade PrivacyGrade is a website that allows you to see how robust a company’s mobile application is at protecting your privacy. 3. AdBlock The AdBlock browser extension prevents ads from appearing on your browser when you are visiting sites. It also prevents some third parties from receiving some, but not all, information about you. 4. Do Not Track The Do Not Track browser extension also attempts to minimize the information about you that third parties collect by informing them (many have opt-out policies) that you prefer not to be tracked. 5. Cookiepedia Cookiepedia is an index of thousands of companies that try to collect information about you by placing cookies in your browser. If a company lists the third parties that it uses in their Privacy Policy, you can look them up here to learn more about what they do with your data. 6. AppAnnie AppAnnie gives you metrics about mobile applications and has some good aggregate statistics about sharing policies of different application industries which you could use to evaluate whether a mobile application you’re using shares too much information relative to the average company in that sector. Free Tools for Security Verification Here are some free tools you can use to keep a company in line with their security practices, as well as a tool that you can use to enhance your own security in lieu of a bad-practice company. 1. TRUSTe Look for TRUSTe‘s seal of approval as it provides companies with data privacy management solutions. 2. Verisign Trust Seal Run by Symantec, look for the Verisign Trust Seal of approval on websites which ensures SSL encryption. 3. Infoencrypt, SafeGmail, Hushmail or Lockbin Infoencrypt, SafeGmail, Hushmail or Lockbin – use these free services to send all of your emails encrypted. 4. Dashlane Use a password manager like Dashlane Password Manager that gives you one master password for all of the passwords you use across the internet. A manager will set your password for other companies to be really long and complicated (i.e. difficult to hack!). All you have to know is your master password and the rest is taken care of for you. More galleries Advertisement List View Previous of Next More galleries Up Next Uber And Beyond: 12 Transportation On-Demand Services In Asia Posted Dec 28, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. All rights reserved. Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Google, Facebook, Privacy — And You Comments Feed Curebit Apologizes for Copying 37Signals: “Stupid, Lazy, and Disrespectful” The Ecommerce Revolution Is All About You alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Opinion * Book It, Baby Book It, Baby * Buzzy Social App Stolen Shuts Down Amidst “Concerns” From Users Buzzy Social App Stolen Shuts Down Amidst “Concerns” From Users * The GoProblem The GoProblem * Browse more... privacy * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy * FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds * Browse more... Google, Facebook, Privacy — And You Posted Jan 28, 2012 by Keith Teare * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Curebit Apologizes for Copying 37Signals: “Stupid, Lazy, and Disrespectful” [google-privacy-policy.jpg?w=400] Editor’s note: Guest author Keith Teare is General Partner at his incubator Archimedes Labs and CEO of newly funded just.me. He was a co-founder of TechCrunch. Like millions of other people, I got an email from Google this morning. It was entitled “Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service”. The first sentence describes the intent of the changes as shortening 60 policies into one, and improving their readability. Then there is a longer explanation captured in the graphic above. The email goes on to assert that Google has not changed its privacy policy and will not sell our personal information to third parties – “Our privacy policies remain unchanged”. So what is going on here? Facebook is the shiny object that Larry is focused on. This is a week where Sheryl Sandberg – Chief Operating Officer at Facebook – spoke at Hubert Burda’s DLD conference in Munich and stated that we were in the middle of 3 trends. First, a trend “from anonymity to real identity”. Secondly, a trend from “wisdom of crowds to wisdom of friends” and third, a trend “from being receivers of information to broadcasters of information”. See the video below for the actual points she made. It was a thoughtful and at the same time a polemical speech, a speech with a strong point of view. In thinking about Google’s privacy policy changes it helps to listen to Sheryl’s remarks and reflect on the context. IFRAME: http://www.youtube.com/embed/hTpBvnzu7eU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide= 2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent Facebook is saying that the Internet as a pure information retrieval mechanism is dead. That the “readwrite” web that began as long ago as cheap web site hosting in 1998, has entirely replaced the read-only web. That the identifiable author has replaced the anonymous one. We are broadcasting and we are identifiable. That reading what friends say is now dominant in that world. Facebook envisages a future in which we all broadcast almost everything to almost everybody. Google’s problem. In that world, Google’s PageRank algorithm is seriously out of date. It promotes pages based on the number of links to it. Today, pages are no longer the unit of publishing. Far smaller items than a page dominate our senses. And those smaller messages are produced in huge quantity and in real time. So the signals that make something relevant have now changed. Facebook (and Twitter) have oodles of such signals. Google, until recently, had none. Google’s solution. The changes in Google’s terms and conditions are primarily focused on providing the company with an integrated set of data capable of feeding it signals about what is and is not relevant to each of us as we search the vast amount of data produced by the second. In that sense it is not only the right strategic move, it is a question of life and death. Google is doing a pivot, in order to remain relevant. It’s hard to disagree that this is necessary. It also seems clear that neither company is being intentionally “evil”. However, there is a dilemma for both Google and Facebook as we go down the “we are all broadcasters now” path. How can they gather the signals that feed insight without making decisions for the user about what is private, selectively shared or public? We, the people! There is a discernible and growing reaction against both Facebook’s new sharing paradigm and Google’s policy changes. As implicit sharing, or as Sheryl Sandberg calls it, broadcasting, replaces conscious sharing, many are growing disillusioned with Facebook taking liberties with their behavior. The same instinct is making many people focus on the assumed bad intent behind Google’s modifications. Broadcasting our “real identity” is not something anybody wants as a default, and many don’t want under any circumstances. Privacy is becoming a product issue, not only a policy issue. In the past privacy advocates on the Internet were primarily focused on privacy as a policy issue, and the privacy lobby was mainly made up of policy professionals. In the period since Facebook’s 2011 F8 conference, we have seen consumers begin to have strong opinions about the use of their data. The past week has accelerated this trend. Product managers now need to think long and hard about the assumptions built into their products and ensure they are serving consumers not just in words but in fact. Consumers are at a tipping pointy in not tolerating all-inclusive policy decisions by service providers that impact who sees their stuff. Google and Facebook are between a rock and a hard place. There is a big structural problem for both Google and Facebook as they contemplate the product consequences of consumer reactions to their product roadmap. In a centralized platform it is incredibly hard to create easy-to-understand controls that give each user the ability to control, at a granular level, what they share and who with. Grand policy shifts, like that which came out of F8 and which we are now seeing from Google, tend to assume all users are the same and will want the same thing. In reality, users are more complex. I might want to save a private video to a personal storage space one moment, share something with a select group of friends another moment, and broadcast something to the world five minutes later. The web services infrastructure that both Facebook and Google are based on does not easily permit such fine grained control for users without also imposing serious effort. As we all know, that leads users to stick with the default settings most of the time. So, despite good intent by the teams at both companies, one-size-fits-all decisions are the norm. Mobile to the rescue? Structural problems usually require structural solutions. What it seems consumers are asking for is a world in which we all know what we are sharing and who with — but where we don’t have to do a huge amount of work to achieve that. Google Circles seems to be a nod in this direction as are Facebook’s groups. But neither is really easy enough or sufficiently integrated into the flow of the products to really solve the problem. Both require a huge management overhead. As I argued earlier this week in “Google, Look Out Behind You!“, the spread of smartphones may be part of the solution here. Hundreds of millions of consumers are now carrying around connected still and video cameras with lists of contacts in the address book, often already organized into meaningful groups. Decentralized decision-making is very easy when there are decentralized software clients under the unique control of each user. The ability to be private one moment, selectively share the next and then publicly broadcast a few minutes later is easy to achieve in this decentralized software architecture. And service providers can never become bad actors — simply because they do not own our information or the full social graph. The cloud becomes a means of delivering messages to the phones and the place where we store our media. But it’s not the place we need to trust to make decisions about what gets shared and who with. Software can truly reflect the wishes of each human being in each moment in this world. It couldn’t be structurally more different from the past 10 years of centralized web services. What’s Next? Products will need to become increasingly more human as they become more mobile. Privacy can go away as an issue if that happens. All decisions about where data can travel will be able to be made by the individual, each time they produce data. We will all be able to be private, share selectively or choose to broadcast with relative ease. We are moving to a period where it will be considered intrusive and unwelcome if our service providers have any point of view about our sharing behavior. “Just trust us” will not be necessary and certainly won’t cut it. Capturing moments in one’s life, with the choice of whether to share, and as importantly, who to share it with, will be in the hands of each individual. The service provider will merely execute the user’s wishes. If you think about it, it’s kind of like what email service providers do today. I can’t wait. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Google + Founded 1998 + Overview Google is a multinational corporation that is specialized in internet-related services and products. The company’s product portfolio includes Google Search, which provides users with access to information online; Knowledge Graph that allows to search for things, people, or places as well as builds systems recognizing speech and understanding natural language; Google Now, which provides information … + Location Mountain View, CA + Categories Search, Email, Blogging Platforms, Information Technology, Video Streaming, Software + Website http://www.google.com + Full profile for Google * Facebook + Founded 2004 + Overview Facebook is an online social networking service that allows its users to connect with friends and family as well as make new connections. It provides its users with the ability to create a profile, update information, add images, send friend requests, and accept requests from other users. Its features include status update, photo tagging and sharing, and more. Facebook’s profile structure includes … + Location Menlo Park, CA + Categories Social Media, Colleges, All Students, Identity, Communities + Website http://www.facebook.com + Full profile for Facebook * Sheryl Sandberg + Bio Sheryl Sandberg is chief operating officer at Facebook, overseeing the firm's business operations. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank. Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude … + Full profile for Sheryl Sandberg * Keith Teare + Bio Keith Teare is the Founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011 has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon valley startups including Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); Loop Surveys; DownTown and Weendy. He is also CEO and founder of just.me 2014 Inc and ContextPlane Inc - two of the incubated companies. 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Crunch Network From Kodak To Google, How Privacy Panics Distort Policy Posted Oct 1, 2015 by Alan McQuinn (@AlanMcQuinn) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Hungryroot’s Vegetable-Based Pastas Are Now Available On The West Coast [privacy.jpg?w=738] Alan McQuinnCrunch Network Contributor Alan McQuinn is a research assistant at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank focused on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. How to join the network When a new technology comes out, people are generally good at seeing through the hype that is associated with it. Many technological inventions, after all, are not immediately revolutionary — despite what clever marketers might want you to believe. However, people are often bad about seeing through the outsized claims from another type of clever marketer: professional privacy advocates who routinely say new technologies spell doom to the privacy of those who use them. While these fears often never materialize, and the public comes to accept the new technology as they become familiar with it, time and time again people fall into the trap of believing exaggerated claims about privacy risks for new technologies. This cycle of panic-then-acceptance can slow innovation and adoption of new technologies. To be sure, some technologies have challenged traditional notions of privacy, or even presented new risks to consumers, and to the extent that there are legitimate risks of consumer harm, these concerns should be taken seriously. However, it is important to recognize that the privacy panic cycle is a detrimental one — with a long historical precedent. In 1888, when George Eastman introduced the Kodak camera, the first portable camera, amateur photographers everywhere were delighted with the relatively inexpensive, newfound ability to capture everyday motion, or “snapshots.” However, despite praise over the invention, the Kodak camera also set off a privacy-charged panic. While many people quickly adopted the technology, others became terrified that thoughtless shutterbugs would take embarrassing pictures of them without their permission. People using the devices were soon labeled “Kodak fiends,” and the technology was banned from businesses, beaches and even the Washington Monument. In fact, one journalist described a situation in which young men in Britain formed a “Vigilance Association” with the sole purpose of “thrashing the cads with cameras who go about at seaside places taking snapshots of ladies emerging from the deep.” This hysteria died by 1910, as increasing numbers of people adopted the technology. The bans were lifted, and social norms developed around candid photography to act as a disincentive to rude behavior. By creating public fears about new technology, privacy advocates slow the adoption of beneficial new technologies. When it comes to privacy concerns for nascent technologies, however, history repeats itself. Indeed, other technologies would soon have their “Kodak moment.” When first unveiled in 2012, many thought the promise of Google Glass was extraordinary — a pair of futuristic glasses that could augment reality or live stream your world. Both the public and the press were fascinated by the technology. For example, it scored a 12-page spread in VOGUE magazine, was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2012 and earned praise from a host of other publications. Despite the enthusiasm for its potential impact, Google Glass received a huge privacy backlash. Many people saw its recording function as creepy, or mistakenly believed the device was constantly recording. Soon businesses started banning the devices from their premises. One group, called Stop the Cyborgs, offered free anti-Google Glass signs and art on its website for these businesses to notify customers the technology was prohibited. People even invented a nickname for the wearers of Google Glass, calling them “glassholes,” a phrase that harkens back to the “Kodak fiends” of the late 1800s. By creating public fears about new technology, privacy advocates slow the adoption of beneficial new technologies. But that is not the only problem with taking these fearful claims at face value. Overwrought privacy fears can lead to ill-conceived policy responses that either purposely hinder or fail to adequately promote useful technologies. For example, U.S. policymakers have delayed the adoption of various public-sector technologies, such as smart meters that monitor electrical usage, in part because of the pushback these technologies have received from overzealous advocates. We will continue to see the privacy panic cycle distort the public reception of new technologies unless we begin to recognize it. Technologies will always have some tradeoffs, and there is no question that we need smart policies that both mitigate concerns and optimize societal benefits. But when privacy advocates merely scare consumers away from innovation rather than working to create sensible solutions for integrating useful new technologies into society, they slow the pace of economic and social progress. Featured Image: Dan Bruins * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Kodak + Overview Kodak provides imaging solutions and services for enterprises and consumers. It provides packaging, functional printing, graphic communications and professional services under its key segment, which is digital printing & enterprise and graphics, entertainment & commercial films. Kodak is known for photographic film products, It focused on digital photography and digital printing after the rise … + Location Rochester, NY + Categories Service Providers, Consumers, Enterprises + Full profile for Kodak * Google Glass + Description Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display. + Website http://www.google.com/glass/start + Full profile for Google Glass TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * Google Glass * kodak * digital privacy * privacy * Policy * Popular Posts Featured Stories * From Kodak To Google, How Privacy Panics Distort Policy Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Hungryroot’s Vegetable-Based Pastas Are Now Available On The West Coast Posted Oct 1, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Call For Robust Privacy Legislation In Wake Of EU Safe Harbor Strike-Down Posted Oct 28, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Singpost Is Developing A Futuristic Shopping Mall To House Online Retailers [shutterstock_146383358.jpg?w=738] A group of U.S. and EU digital rights organizations and consumer NGOs — including the EFF, the U.S. Center for Digital Democracy, the European Consumer Organization and Privacy International — have issued a statement calling for a “meaningful legal framework” to protect fundamental privacy rights in the digital era. The statement comes as a critical response to the publication earlier this month of the Bridges report: a joint project between U.S. and EU academics — and including the involvement of the Dutch data protection agency — advocating for continued reliance on existing laws coupled with industry self-regulation as a middle-of-the-road approach to safeguarding privacy rights. The Bridges report advocates for, as they put it, “a framework of practical options that advance strong, globally-accepted privacy values in a manner that respects the substantive and procedural differences between the two jurisdictions” — such as offering standardized user controls and user complaint mechanisms, and best practices for the de-identification of user data, among other proposed measures. However the EFF et al are highly critical of this approach — dubbing it “failed policy” and “remarkably out of touch with the current legal reality”. “Digital rights organization and consumer NGOs call on the Data Protection Commissioners to refocus their attention on the need to update and enforce privacy law,” the group said today. The current legal reality on the U.S.-EU data privacy front includes the ruling, earlier this month, by Europe’s top court, the ECJ, invalidating the Safe Harbor data-sharing agreement — which had governed data flows between the regions for some 15 years, allowing companies sending EU data to the U.S. for processing to self-certify they would provide “adequate protection”. The court ruled that such self-certification failed in an era of mass surveillance by government intelligence agency dragnets — opening the door to individual reviews of data transfers by data protection authorities in individual European Member States. This is not a situation conducive to operational certainty for businesses — with DPAs already issuing differing opinions on the current post-Safe Harbor scenario. For example, guidance issued by the U.K.’s ICO differs greatly in tone from a position paper published by German data supervisory authorities in the wake of the ECJ ruling. So while the ICO is telling businesses and organizations not to panic or “rush to other transfer mechanisms that may turn out to be less than ideal” — arguing the impact of the judgement is “still being analysed” — the German DPAs suggest they will immediately be prohibiting data transfers to the U.S. that are solely based on Safe Harbor, as well as specifying other explicit controls, such as that consent clauses cannot be used to sanction ‘repeated, mass or routine data transfers’. Meanwhile, the European Commission is attempting to hammer out a so-called Safe Harbor 2.0 agreement with the U.S. in the next few weeks, to try to reestablish a data flows agreement. Although any such deal is likely to face fresh legal challenges unless the U.S. agrees to substantial concessions on surveillance and privacy rights. (Yet only yesterday the Senate passed another bill that critics say will expand government agencies’ surveillance capabilities…) With existing legal frameworks governing data protection under continued pressure from the surveillance state — and new tech challenges to privacy pushing into the frame all the time, whether it’s from AI-powered big data processing or drone surveillance — the EFF et al are pressing the case for “a comprehensive privacy legal framework” — to offer robust consumer protection, and ultimately also create legal certainty for businesses. “Particularly after the Safe Harbor decision, the ‘Bridges report’ is remarkably out of touch with the current legal reality and what we need to do to address it,” they write, criticizing the report for failing to recommend any “substantive changes in law”. “The practical consequence of focusing instead on failed policies, such as self regulation, will be to make more difficult the work of the privacy experts around the world who could have otherwise benefitted from a meaningful discussion about how to move forward on legislation, aggressive enforcement, and other steps that are long overdue. Yes, they are difficult; all the more reason why we need to act now,” they add. Responding to criticism of the Bridges report and approach, Daniel Weitzner, one of the project participants and director of MIT’s Cybersecurity and Internet Policy Research Initiative, said the aim is not to encourage industry self-regulation but rather to call on the FTC and European data protection authorities to engage in “collaborative policy development”. He also stressed that the call for the development of better user control technologies is something the report says “can only happen with clear guidelines and legal interpretations from regulators”. “We’re not saying industry should set rules through design (that would be self-regulation) but rather that policy guidance from governments is vital,” Weitzner told TechCrunch. “We do hope that we can contribute to progress on legislative development in both the US and EU,” he added. “I myself spent about three years working in the Obama Administration toward issuing and trying to get the US Congress to pass the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. That remains very important to me, but I’m also pursuing other avenues for progress.” However that Bill was described by critics such as the NYT as “riddled with loopholes” and appearing to be “tailored to benefit Internet firms like Google and Facebook and little-known data brokers like Acxiom that have amassed detailed profiles of individuals”. The paper dubbed it a weak reflection of U.S. consumer privacy concerns, concluding: “No bill at all would have been better than this one, which would effectively codify bad behavior.” Weitzner is also a paid advisor to Palantir, a big data analysis company, founded back in 2004, with initial funding coming from the CIA’s not-for-profit VC arm, In-Q-Tel. On its website In-Q-Tel lists its “mission” as being to identify, adapt, and deliver “innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the Central Intelligence Agency and broader U.S. Intelligence Community”. At the time of writing Weitzner had not responded to a request to confirm how much he is remunerated by Palantir for his advisory services. Speaking to Politico about the Bridges report, Jeff Chester, the executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, dubbed it a “trojan horse” — arguing that an attempt to push for transatlantic meetings before new policies are formulated is the same modus operandi as the U.S. proposals on digital trade in the proposed free trade agreement TTIP, currently being negotiated behind closed doors. “This [Bridges report] is a backdoor way of supporting a plan by the U.S. government on digital trade that will ultimately weaken the EU data protection regime,” Chester added. This story was updated with additional comment from Weitzner and Chester Featured Image: Baloncici/Shutterstock * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Electronic Frontier Foundation + Founded 1990 + Overview From the Internet to the iPhone, technologies are transforming our society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990—well before the Internet was on most people's radar—and continues to confront … + Location San Francisco, CA + Categories Nonprofits, IT and Cybersecurity + Founders John Perry Barlow + Website http://eff.org + Full profile for Electronic Frontier Foundation * Privacy International + Founded 1990 + Overview Privacy International is a UK-based organization that defends and promotes the right to privacy across the world. It is a non-governmental organization that has organized campaigns and initiatives in more than fifty countries. Privacy International works to fight against unlawful surveillance through advocacy, litigation, and research. It has built global partnerships with Asociacion por los Derechos … + Location London, H9 + Categories Legal + Founders Simon Davies + Website http://www.privacyinternational.org + Full profile for Privacy International TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * data protection * EFF * safe harbor * privacy * Cloud * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Call For Robust Privacy Legislation In Wake Of EU Safe Harbor Strike-Down Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Singpost Is Developing A Futuristic Shopping Mall To House Online Retailers Posted Oct 28, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Privacy Concerns Raised Over Kids’ Apps And Websites Posted Sep 3, 2015 by Natasha Lomas (@riptari) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Zivame Lands $40M To Change How Women In India Buy Their Lingerie [kidstablet.jpg?w=738] Given the sophisticated tracking technologies embedded into so many digital products and services as a matter of course, it should come as no surprise that a global privacy audit of children’s websites and apps has highlighted big concerns about the collection and use of kids’ data. That doesn’t make it acceptable, however. The Global Privacy Enforcement Network, a network of global privacy regulators, conducted a joint research project last May, involving 29 data protection regulators looking at just under 1,500 websites and apps targeted at or popular with children. Reporting their findings now, they’ve raised concerns about close to a majority (41 per cent) of the services, especially around how much personal information is being collected from minors and how that data is then shared with third parties. Among the overall findings reported by the U.K.’s ICO are that: * 67% of sites/apps examined collected children’s personal information * Only 31% of sites/apps had effective controls in place to limit the collection of personal information from children. Particularly concerning was that many organisations whose sites/apps were clearly popular with children simply claimed in their privacy notices that they were not intended for children, and then implemented no further controls to protect against the collection of personal data from the children who would inevitably access the app or site * Half of sites/apps shared personal information with third parties * 22% of sites/apps provided an opportunity for children to give their phone number and 23% of sites/apps allowed them to provide photos or video. The potential sensitivity of this data is clearly a concern * 58% of sites/apps offered children the opportunity to be redirected to a different website * Only 24% of sites/apps encouraged parental involvement * 71% of sites/apps did not offer an accessible means for deleting account information Per country results vary, with France’s CNIL data protection agency saying it found 87 per cent of the 54 websites it looked at were collecting personal data, such as name, email, IP address, identifying the mobile terminal and the user’s location. And for more than 63 per cent of sites children could be redirected to another website (including a commercial website) with a single click. While just 18 per cent of the subset of sites it looked at prompt users to ask for parental consent to access the content. None of this is surprising, given the rampant tracking technologies developed to monetize free services via ad targeting. But as more regulatory attention is paid to the user data heist that’s going on in the background of the digital economy then more pressure will build to enforce stronger consumer protections and a stricter data protection regime. In the U.S., for instance, there is a fresh attempt to pass a Do Not Track Kids Act this year. While big tech providers such as Google and Apple have been responding to criticism about how kids and apps collide by creating dedicated kids zones within their content marketplaces, or offering programs where developers can opt in to an additional review layer, such as Google Play’s ‘Designed for Families’ program, to gain a kid-friendly certification. Such moves are of course welcome but only cover digital products that are available within certain subsections of the Web. If kids are accessing websites and apps that aren’t explicitly designed for them — such as Tumblr or Twitter or Facebook, for instance — then there’s no such safeguards in place. The onus remains on parents to be aware which apps and websites their kids are accessing. Ultimately the core issue here is the digital economy’s reliance on ad-powered business models which apparently encourage the obfuscation of user data collection; disingenuous approaches to gaining user ‘consent’ for data collection and processing; and a rank lack of transparency about what happens to and with users’ personal data generally. Yet, as barely a week goes by without another huge data leak, digital consumers are bound to start asking more questions about how and for what purposes their personal data is being appropriated. And those tech companies that publicly stand up for privacy will stand out as trustworthy, while those that keep quiet will seem as if they have something unsavory to hide. Commenting on the kids-focused research in a statement, the ICO’s Adam Stevens said: These are concerning results. The attitude shown by a number of these websites and apps suggested little regard for how anyone’s personal information should be handled, let alone that of children. Internationally we saw some websites and apps gathering more information than we felt they needed, and sharing that data with third parties. The most common concern domestically was a lack of information being provided about how their information would be used. We saw generic privacy policies that simply weren’t specific enough, and some without any information at all, which isn’t good enough. We’ll now be writing out to the sites and apps that caused us concern, making clear the changes we expect them to make. We wouldn’t rule out enforcement action in this area if required. Featured Image: Ozgur Coskun/Shutterstock * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * The Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) + Founded 2007 + Overview The Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) was created to strengthen personal privacy protections in this global context by assisting public authorities with responsibilities for enforcing domestic privacy laws strengthen their capacities for cross-border cooperation. + Categories Networking + Website https://www.privacyenforcement.net/ + Full profile for The Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * kids apps * privacy * Advertising Tech * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Privacy Concerns Raised Over Kids’ Apps And Websites Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From Europe * At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media At Davos, Kevin Spacey Predicts That Tech Firms Will Follow Netflix Into Media yesterday | Mike Butcher * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO yesterday | Ingrid Lunden * Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review Kickstarter Needs Better Ways To Sanity-Check Complex Hardware Projects, Says Zano Review yesterday | Natasha Lomas * PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M PieSync, The Belgium Startup That Syncs Contacts Across Cloud Apps, Raises $1.6M yesterday | Steve O'Hear Up Next Zivame Lands $40M To Change How Women In India Buy Their Lingerie Posted Sep 3, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Cockroaches Versus Unicorns: The Golden Age Of Cybersecurity Startups Comments Feed Casio Releases An Android Wear Watch That You Can Beat Up Oscobo Is An Anonymous Search Engine Targeting Brits alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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How to join the network According to Gartner, worldwide information security spending reached $76.9 billion in 2015. As the frequency and intensity of hacks worsen, security spending is expected to reach $170 billion by 2020. That’s more than 100 percent growth in five years. Venture capital (VC) investments in cybersecurity startups continues to grow steadily (~40 percent each year over the past 5 years); 2015 may reach an all-time high, with projections of ~ $3.5 billion. Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 9.59.44 AM Source: CB Insights Yet, when we look at cybersecurity as a percentage of all VC investments, the picture is somewhat sobering. Cybersecurity is less than 7 percent of all VC investments. Despite all the hacks and media attention, is the security sector under-funded? Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.00.11 AM Source: NVCA, CB Insights Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 9.59.58 AM Source: NVCA, CB Insights The conservative VC’s view It’s all about exits and returns. Unicorns are a rarity in the security world. Security exits tend to fall in three distinct bands: ~$50 million, ~$200 million and $500+ million. Capital consumption is highly efficient as compared to other verticals, but the time-to-exit is much longer. Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.00.21 AM Cybersecurity exits range. Source: Author’s analysis. Data from CrunchBase Authy, a two-factor authentication company (2FA) raised $3.8 million and was acquired by Twilio. Another 2FA company, Toopher, was acquired in April 2015 by Salesforce after raising less than $3 million. Aorato, backed by Accel, was acquired by Microsoft for $200 million. The company consumed less than $15 million. Smaller exits occur in ~3 years. The third band of exits occurs in the $500+ million range. OpenDNS was acquired in 2015 by Cisco for $635 million. According to sources, it had reached $60+ million in ARR, but it took 10+ years from launch. Lancope, also acquired by Cisco in 2015 for $435 million, took 14 years to get to an exit. An occasional IPO like FireEye (IPO in 2014) or Palo Alto Networks (IPO in 2012) can create an adrenalin rush…but these are exceptions. It’s baffling as to why enterprise cybersecurity budgets are stuck in archaic logic. Many security startups are not unicorns; rather, they are cockroaches — they rarely die, and  in tough times, they can switch into a frugal/consulting mode. Like cockroaches, they can survive long nuclear winters. Security companies can be capital-efficient, and typically consume ~$40 million to reach break-even. This gives them a survival edge — but VCs are looking for a “growth edge.” The pace of growth in security companies is slower. FireEye (market cap: $6.5 billion) took 10+ years from startup to IPO. Palo Alto Networks (market cap: $11.6 billion) reached there a bit faster —  in 7 years. When it comes to pace of growth and rapid value creation, there is no Uber in the security world. Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.00.32 AM Speed matters! Between 2009-2013, tech companies could achieve market cap of $500 million in 1.6 years. (Source: Play Biggers Advisors) Some tech darlings of the VC world have reached the $1 billion market cap (enviable unicorn status) in less than three years. That’s a challenge for cybersecurity entrepreneurs! If we cannot grow at such a pace, VCs won’t pay much attention. Funding in cybersecurity will remain stagnant, at less than 10 percent of total VC invested. One of the leading VCs in Silicon Valley (the fund just raised more than half a billion dollars) told me that security is cool  — but returns have been sporadic and below average. The double-whammy of low returns coupled with long exit cycles have marred VC enthusiasm. But if we read the tea leaves, things are getting better. Expanding budgets It’s baffling as to why enterprise cybersecurity budgets are stuck in archaic logic. Security spend should be ~ 10 percent of the total IT budget, as common thinking goes. At a macro scale, McKinsey experts state in their book Beyond Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Digital Business that total IT spend globally is approaching $2 trillion. But security spend is still less than $100 billion. All it takes is one hack. And some budgets have surged to 300+ percent. This was affirmed by several cybersecurity experts I spoke with. I moderated a panel of leading cybersecurity VCs at Venture Alpha West 2015. Asheem Chandna of Greylock Partners, who sits on the board of Palo Alto Networks, Skyhigh Networks and other leading security companies, pointed out that across enterprises, security budgets are on the rise. This augurs well for cybersecurity startups. With hacks becoming more intense, security awareness and importance is on the rise. At least, buyers are aware. And board-level push for a better security posture is higher. Dharmesh Thakker of Battery Ventures, who has led investments in Cloudera and MongoDB, described that legacy companies are unable to react to technological shifts rapidly. Symantec and HP are undergoing structural changes and their ability to innovate and launch new products becomes constrained. They are tempted to partner. Bob Ackerman, founder of Allegis Capital, has been investing in cybersecurity for more than 15 years. He pointed out that there has never been a better time for cybersecurity entrepreneurs. And while the fundamentals have not changed, the exit dynamics may be changing. Top notch #cybersecurity panelists at #partnerconnect #venturealpha pic.twitter.com/UakQlCynd5 — Alastair Goldfisher (@agoldfisher) October 14, 2015 Cybersecurity VC Panel at Venture Alpha West 2015 .  From L to R: Mahendra R (Secure Octane), Asheem Chandna (Greylock ), Bob Ackerman (Allegis Capital) and Dharmesh Thakker (Battery Ventures) Expanding universe of buyers Most VCs scratch their heads when it comes to exits in cybersecurity. The classical paths —  IPO and acquisitions —  are often narrow and constrained. IPO windows are subject to a variety of market conditions. As incumbents like Symantec and HP stumble, failing to adapt, newcomers benefit. In the past three years, Symantec has lost two CEOs and its revenues continue to shrink. Its $900 million-a-year security business will soon be split away from its storage division. HP sells about $1 billion in security software and services each year, but its security revenues are shrinking rapidly. And Cisco can only buy so many companies. But the savvy investors see the landscape evolving with a number of new entrants in the market. The onus of security is shifting to two new sets of players  — the OS layer and the carriers. At the OS layer, companies like Microsoft, Intel and Google continue to pour capital into security. Google is one of the largest acquirers of security startups. With the proliferation of data centers and cloud providers, a new universe of buyers is emerging on the horizon. From commodity to security Carriers are tired of being a commodity business and see security as an opportunity to gain trust, increase cloud adoption and upsell. Earlier this year, SingTel announced a $810 million acquisition of cybersecurity company, Trustwave. Managed Security Services (MSS) is a $15 billion market, growing in double digits. Gartner estimates that the size of the combined Enterprise Security Services IT Outsourcing and consulting services markets will be $47 billion in 2019. Large security services companies like IBM, Dell and AT&T are seeing a CAGR of 10+ percent each year, while small and mid-size service providers are growing at 100 percent each year. This is music for carriers’ ears, aching to move away from the competitive world of commodity data centers. Verizon, AT&T (U.S.), British Telecom (U.K.), Orange (France) and NTT (Japan) are investing aggressively in cybersecurity services. As enterprises migrate to the cloud, they plan to shift their security burden to security service providers. When asked how enterprises expect to manage cloud security, 34 percent said they would look to a managed security service provider (MSSP). Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.00.56 AM Source: Cloud Security Spotlight Report, Sep. 2015 survey  ( 1,010 respondents) Startups should bake in a managed services strategy in their offerings (as much as VCs hate it, customers want services). A tie-up with MSSPs could prove to be a valuable path to an exit. In a parallel universe, private equity shops have found security roll-ups to be an efficient way to make money. Blackstone acquired Accuvant and Fishnet to create Optiv —  one of the largest resellers of cybersecurity software in U.S. In March 2015, Thoma Bravo sold Blue Coat to private equity firm Bain Capital for $2.4 billion (Thoma Bravo had acquired Blue Coat in December 2011 for $1.3 billion). The fundamental reason private equity shops have played in the cybersecurity arena is because a lot of startups/solutions are niche offerings. There is no “one-size-fits-all” security platform —  it’s a mind-numbingly fragmented market, which irritates the heck out of investors and customers. Challenges in 2016 The age of the overwhelmed CISO. With increasing hacks, the CISO’s life has just become a lot messier. One CISO told me, “Between my HVAC vendor and my board of directors, I am stretched. And everyday I get a hundred LinkedIn requests from vendors. Their FUD approach to security sales is exhausting.” More than 50 large security vendors exist, and the list is growing rapidly. More than 200 new security startups are funded each year, competing for the CISO mindshare and budget. And the sales pitches use FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) as a primary tactic: Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.01.06 AM It’s like selling life insurance, but only by rubbing your face in it. A question from your insurance salesperson like, “What will happen to your kids if you die in a car accident?” will not generate any trust. Rather, I’d want an intelligent approach. Show me the data and the probability tree. And come to me with intellectual honesty. Earn my trust for the long haul —  not one short-term BS vaporware sale. CISOs want peace of mind in trusted partnerships. If they have a problem, do they trust you enough to call you in the middle of the night? They prefer to have comprehensive (not niche) solutions, which can be integrated within their existing systems and are built by security experts. While all products claim to be robust and reliable, CISOs need “IBM-like” solutions that can be defended in the boardroom. After all, their jobs are on the line. The pace of security innovation often lags behind the pace of technology innovation. This creates a challenge for startups that are seeking to grow fast;  who are your early adopters? Not an average CISO for sure. Adam Ely, co-founder of BlueBox Security (backed by A16Z) did just that. “As we build our company, we work closely with CISOs who are innovative and entrepreneurial. Knowing such CISOs is critical to building your security startup,” he says. The bigger question for cybersecurity entrepreneurs is not that of technological innovation,  but that of being a trusted partner. As SaaS security products become mainstream, the enterprise sales process is changing. In a low-touch world, developers need to be engaged. “Try before you buy” has become the primary mode of security sales. Let the customers come, play with it, try it! Chinese mobile security company Cheetah Mobile (market cap: = $2.5 billion) offers free downloads of mobile consumer security products. It boasts of more than 500 million MAUs. Over a dim-sum lunch in San Francisco, Cheetah Mobile CEO Sheng Fu told me that the security sales model is outdated. “It has not evolved with the times. We need to think differently,” he said. Raising seed capital just got harder. For seed-stage security companies, raising capital will not get any easier in 2016. According to CB Insights, security seed investments average about 2 percent of all dollars invested, and reached a five-year low in 2014. Series A investment amounts have dropped steadily, from 31 percent of all investments in 2013 to 18 percent in H1-2015. Later-stage rounds have grown with Series B, up from 23 percent to 30 percent, and Series C, growing from 9 percent to 28 percent. Security companies have to now show that their product is past a proof of concept stage and scales rapidly. This is largely due to the sheer volume of security startups. As one VC told me, half of these startups don’t know what the hell they are doing, and they all sound like each other. To raise capital, startups need to rise above the noise  — differentiate with clarity and conviction. Of signal, noise and stealth Don’t innovate  — differentiate. “I have seen at least 40 FireEye killers in the past 12 months,” one Palo Alto-based VC told me. Clearly he was exhausted. Some sub-sectors are overheated and investors are treading cautiously. Security founders often rely on their technical skills to find a niche in the marketplace. But establishing differentiators is the key. These differentiators can be around verticals of focus, features, channels, pricing and sales methodology. Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.01.16 AM Buyer behavior forces changes in security sales and product development Crafting a business proposition is often harder as security sales are not based on Return-on-Investment. It’s a risk management approach. And the age-old tactic of “fear-based” selling does not work with intellectually savvy CISOs. Having a clear contextual awareness of the other funded startups makes it easier to target the right VC and demonstrate your value proposition. Today, when most companies stay in stealth, contextual awareness becomes harder. Who has funded which company? And how does that impact your trajectory? After completing one pitch, the VC told the founder, “Thanks for sharing, but I have an exactly similar company in my portfolio,” and walked out. Innovation lag  — the road ahead. The pace of security innovation often lags behind the pace of technology innovation. Justin Somaini, CISO at SAP, told me that the “technology curve needs to flatten so that the security curve can catch up.” Security remains an afterthought, but that is changing. SecOps/DevOps and continuous monitoring opportunities are driving innovation. Even privately held Kaspersky Labs is looking outwards to find innovative security startups. In February 2015, they announced a hackathon in quest of the next big thing. A list of technology opportunities was released by Ponemon Institute earlier this year. Encryption, automation and analytics are in the top 5 —  needless to say, customers demand data protection and automation. Screen Shot 2015-12-31 at 10.01.25 AM Source: Global Megatrends in Cyber Security, Ponemon Institute, March 2015 Such trends create immense opportunity for security entrepreneurs. Vertical-specific security tools for industrial/SCADA are in high demand. Wurldtech was focused on security for infrastructure and electric utilities. GE acquired the company, even as Wurldtech had raised less than $10 million. One of the investors told me that the returns were “pretty nice, indeed.” The Jeep-Chrysler hack led to a recall of 1.4 million cars and a class action lawsuit. Soon thereafter, automotive security startups like TowerSec and Argus gained attention. And moral judgements aside, the Ashley Madison hack may have led to suicides. With hacks becoming more intense, security awareness and importance is on the rise. While no one wants to live in a shark-infested digital ocean, that’s exactly where we have landed. With budgets on the rise (as well as hacks), we will see more founders in 2016 jump in to start companies. Yet a rising tide of opportunity brings touristy challenges. The security bazaar is noisier and messier than ever. Every company sounds exactly like the eight others, and lines get blurred. Those that thrive will do so on differentiation. Being frugal is great, but VCs don’t care about protecting the downside as much as a huge upside. If cybersecurity companies scale faster, we will see more capital flowing into the arena. The second wave of security innovation has just begun. May the cockroaches thrive in the age of the unicorns. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Presidential Candidates Must Articulate Decisive Cybersecurity Plans Comments Feed SpaceX Successfully Lands A Giant Falcon 9 Rocket For The First Time Oculus Shipping Early Builds Of Final Rift Hardware To Developers alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? 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Crunch Network Presidential Candidates Must Articulate Decisive Cybersecurity Plans Posted Dec 21, 2015 by Ben Johnson (@chicagoben) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story SpaceX Successfully Lands A Giant Falcon 9 Rocket For The First Time [peoplepolitician.jpg?w=738] Ben JohnsonCrunch Network Contributor Ben Johnson is the chief security strategist at Bit9 + Carbon Black. How to join the network Traditionally, physical security and cybersecurity have been considered two separate entities. The cybersecurity threat, while significant, was often relegated to the sphere of enterprises, individual privacy, intellectual property loss and financial theft. Physical security, on the other hand, meant potential risk to human safety and lives — and was naturally taken more seriously. Initial investigation indicates that no encryption was used in planning the terrible Paris attacks. Regardless, these events have given new life to the discussion of how cyber means can serve as conduits for planning physical attacks. This discussion signifies a major sea change, in that cybersecurity and physical security have now effectively overlapped. The cyber world levels the battlefield such that instead of military might, all you need is an Internet connection and an agenda to take on the mightiest nations on earth. In fact, if criminals have cyber access to a system or facility, physical security precautions can quickly be rendered useless. In this new world, physical security is often at risk without an eye toward cybersecurity and effective monitoring. Our ability to monitor and gather intelligence in the cyber realm has to be agile enough to keep up with the speed and trends of new technologies and media forms that will inevitably be used for malicious means. And yet, cybersecurity issues have been noticeably absent from most presidential candidate talking points. Beyond the increased physical/cyber connection — which is the most urgent — I predict the growth of several additional cyber-related threats in the coming year, which the candidates must understand and address as part of their comprehensive cybersecurity agendas. These include: Ransomware Will Hit Mobile Phones. Imagine your mobile device is suddenly locked with no access to your data, and you’re forced to pay hackers to get a key. That’s ransomware, and in 2016 it will move into mobile phones. Wearables And The IoT (Internet Of Things) Increase Mobile Threats. 2015’s big excitement over watches and IoT-connected devices has the potential to create a whole new set of security vulnerabilities, ripe for hacker attacks. Security Talent Brain Drain. Cybersecurity is growing fast, and more dollars are pouring in, but the talent to make it all work is not keeping up. This shortage will lead to gaps in security, making organizations more vulnerable. Anything Of Monetary Value Is Fair Game. The most visible threats of 2015 were against companies whose data could be turned into monetary gain. This will increase, with healthcare the most vulnerable industry, based on its lack of investment in security. Citizens should be insisting that candidates clearly outline decisive plans for harnessing growing cyber threats. I’m not suggesting that government leaders are ignoring the serious cybersecurity threats facing us. In fact, Hilary Clinton’s recent bid to Silicon Valley was a good start. But so far, the measures they’ve put in place have proven ineffective. Privacy issues aside, the recent Senate-approved CISA bill may help in analyzing breaches post-mortem, but it does very little to impede attacks before the fact. Then there was the sham of the “Cyber Peace Treaty” White House meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping. This gesture was purely symbolic, as it only mandates that the two governments may not sponsor hacking, leaving much room for potential abuse. Currently, there’s no evidence that cyberattacks waned after this treaty. It’s time for all U.S. citizens to require the candidates to acknowledge the U.S. is on the verge of losing the cyber war. Citizens should also be insisting that candidates clearly outline decisive plans for harnessing growing cyber threats, which increasingly threaten the safety of our nation and our people. And we all need to consider these plans before casting our votes. As citizens, it is our responsibility to not wait for a future event in order to start demanding answers. Featured Image: Arthimedes/Shutterstock (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED) * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * wearables * cybersecurity * U.S. government * politicians * Security * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Presidential Candidates Must Articulate Decisive Cybersecurity Plans Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next SpaceX Successfully Lands A Giant Falcon 9 Rocket For The First Time Posted Dec 21, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Six Lessons From Cybersecurity Superhero Training Comments Feed Upthere’s Beta Users Have Uploaded More Than 3.5M Files Readbug Wants To Be Spotify For Indie Magazines alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Security * Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security * The Tor Project Raised Over $200,000 From Its First Crowdfunding Campaign The Tor Project Raised Over $200,000 From Its First Crowdfunding Campaign * MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO MariaDB Raises $9M More, Michael Howard Named New CEO, Monty Widenius CTO * Browse more... cybercrime * Where Are All The Women In White Hats? Where Are All The Women In White Hats? * The Biggest Cybersecurity Risk Is Not Identity Theft The Biggest Cybersecurity Risk Is Not Identity Theft * De-escalation Is The Answer To Today’s Growing Cyber Tension De-escalation Is The Answer To Today’s Growing Cyber Tension * Browse more... identity theft * Why Apple Pay Is Our Best Hope To Stop Online Fraud Why Apple Pay Is Our Best Hope To Stop Online Fraud * Valuing A Data Breach Victim Valuing A Data Breach Victim * Records Of 15 Million T-Mobile Customers Swept Up In Experian Hack Records Of 15 Million T-Mobile Customers Swept Up In Experian Hack * Browse more... phishing * APIs Are The New FTEs APIs Are The New FTEs * Regular Facebook Users Are More Likely To Fall For Phishing Scams Regular Facebook Users Are More Likely To Fall For Phishing Scams * With New Business Suite & Samsung Partnership, Mobile Security Company Lookout Prepares To Take On The Enterprise With New Business Suite & Samsung Partnership, Mobile Security Company Lookout Prepares To Take On The Enterprise * Browse more... Password * Is The Password Dead? The Future Of Web And Mobile Authentication Is The Password Dead? The Future Of Web And Mobile Authentication * 5 Things That Will Disappear In 5 Years 5 Things That Will Disappear In 5 Years * Microsoft Will Warn Users About Suspected Attacks By Government Hackers Microsoft Will Warn Users About Suspected Attacks By Government Hackers * Browse more... Crunch Network Six Lessons From Cybersecurity Superhero Training Posted Nov 21, 2015 by Chris Richter * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Upthere’s Beta Users Have Uploaded More Than 3.5M Files [heroes.jpg?w=738] Chris RichterCrunch Network Contributor Chris Richter is the senior vice president of global security services at Level 3 Communications. How to join the network One of my distinct grade-school memories is filing out of fourth grade class, nervous, but excited to miss a portion of math class. We were having our quarterly disaster-survival drill; instructing students on what to do in case disaster strikes. While the type of drill varies by location, just about every school kid has participated in a hurricane, tornado, fire or flood drill so they are prepared to handle the situation should it arise. While working through yet another attempted malicious cybersecurity attack it dawned on me, why can’t we apply this diligence and training to cybersecurity? Why can’t we have cybersecurity drills? Today, children are savvy consumers of technology. If you’ve passed by a television in the last month you may have seen the ads for Microsoft 10. It starts with great music and a voiceover, “Imagine, these kids won’t have to remember passwords or obsess about security…” This seemed a little naïve to me. According to a 2014 report from IBM, 95 percent of IT security breaches are caused by human error. And it gets worse. You may also be shocked to learn “123456” is the most common password on the Internet, closely followed by “password,” according to SplashData’s annual list of 25 most common passwords. Why? The answer seems simple: The majority of the population does not receive cybersecurity training in any form. We must do something about the lack of cybersecurity education available. People should know the basic ways to protect their online reputation. I think the solution is to go straight to the native generations. Kids in school today are very familiar and comfortable with tech gadgets. They have access to laptops, tablets, Internet-connected watches and mobile phones all day long. My company was contacted by a local school because a sixth grader hacked the school district’s firewall to override the web content controls. It wasn’t a malicious black hat attack, the student simply wanted to access restricted content on a school computer. Think about it. While the hack wasn’t malicious, it was performed by a sixth grader! How old is a child in the sixth grade, 11 or 12? The fact that a child at such a young age has these skills underscores the point: We can’t underestimate the cyber skills of the upcoming generation — or anyone, for that matter. Technology won’t keep us safe if we don’t adhere to cybersecurity basics. What we can and should do is seize the opportunity for a teachable moment, where we can demonstrate the right course of action and inspire kids to work for the good guys. In this case, we participated in an all-day cybersecurity superhero training program at the school to help students and faculty understand basic cybersecurity rules of the road. Everything Is Connected We kicked off the training by asking the room full of students if they had a smart phone, computer or tablet at home. Every hand in the room shot up in the air. The first step for good cybersecurity hygiene is to identify all the ways you and your family are connected to the Internet. You might be surprised once you start counting and realize all of the IP-enabled devices in your home. Passwords Next, we asked the kids if they knew a strong password. One student took the bait and shouted out her secret code. We hammered home that kids shouldn’t share passwords with anyone except their caregivers. We also detailed what goes into a strong password. The kids were surprised to learn they shouldn’t use names of pets or best friends, as those words are easy to find on social media. Passwords should include letters, numbers and symbols, and should be at least eight characters. And everyone should change their passwords regularly. Lock Those Screens Next, the kids learned the importance of screen time outs and auto locks. One security expert on the panel used an Apple Watch as an example. The minute it was taken off his wrist, no student could access it. You Did Not Win $1 Million Then students learned about safe clicking. When playing games or perusing the Internet, they may experience a pop-up box claiming they are a winner or that their computer needs an immediate update. Kids (and parents) should never click on these links. Close the window and move on. The Biggest Fish You Ever Caught When asked about fishing, many kids told stories of hanging out on the water. No one knew about phishing and spear phishing. Once they learned what this cyber risk was all about, most realized they had received an email from a stranger asking for something. The team taught the kids to never open suspicious emails or click on unknown links. Software Updates Software updates were a hot topic of discussion. The students needed to understand that software updates are an important way companies provide security updates. However, they need to make sure they access only updates from the company or a program’s website. Otherwise, these updates could be pop-up malware. The day closed out with a panel of white hats chatting with the kids about using their powers for good. Topics ranged from games to programs to what a job in cybersecurity might look like. Hopefully we inspired the gifted young student who hacked the school’s firewall to use his powers for good. What I discovered is something I think I have known innately: This type of basic training and preparedness helps to create a society of people who are aware of the dangers, how to prevent them and know what to do in case something happens. Even better, it is something that can be shared. We asked these kids to go home and make sure their parents and relatives abide by these new standards, changing passwords and updating software. There are no silver bullets. Technology won’t keep us safe if we don’t adhere to cybersecurity basics. Featured Image: Yuravector/Shutterstock * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * cybercrime * identity theft * phishing * Password * Security * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Six Lessons From Cybersecurity Superhero Training Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Upthere’s Beta Users Have Uploaded More Than 3.5M Files Posted Nov 21, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli These Are The Most-Watched Vines Of The Year 5 hours ago by Jordan Crook Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell #alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » Cybersecurity Firm Digital Guardian Raises $66M Comments Feed Qalendra Wants To Ensure You Never Book A Bad Trip Again With Spotify Party, Spotify Pumps Up The Jam On Event-Based Music Streams alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Cybersecurity Firm Digital Guardian Raises $66M Posted Dec 16, 2015 by Lucas Matney (@lucas_matney) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Qalendra Wants To Ensure You Never Book A Bad Trip Again [screen-shot-2015-12-16-at-5-15-25-am.png?w=738] It seems like every time you check the headlines a new company is getting its data stolen. For the past 12 years Digital Guardian has been striving to help companies classify and protect data on their systems so that they can avoid being the next ones in the news. Today the company is getting some more capital to help grow its cybersecurity products. Digital Guardian just completed a $66 million raise. The company has raised north of $135 million to date. According to Digital Guardian CEO Ken Levine, the company’s technologies revolve around a “desktop agent that monitors all of your data and system events, inspects the contents, clarifies the data and then forms policies around where the data can go.” The Massachusetts-based cybersecurity firm currently has 265 employees, with offices in the U.S., UK and Japan. With this new capital, the company is looking to continue to expand the scope of their products and tightly integrate existing tech as they look to effectively serve the company’s 450 distinct clients. This past September, Digital Guardian acquired Code Green Networks, a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) network. Levine confirmed to TechCrunch that the Sunnyvale, California company was acquired for roughly $18 million. In the wake of the purchase, Levine and the rest of the team at Digital Guardian have been working hard to begin integrating the network-level DLP into their products, which have largely focused on endpoint data protection, as the company looks to further extend their services into addressing cyber threats. In what appears to be a trend among several cybersecurity companies at this point in time, Levine says that he is beginning to look more closely at what would make Digital Guardian a successful IPO candidate in 2016. A laundry list of investment partners participated in the round, including, GE Pension Trust, Fairhaven Capital Partners, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge, Special Situation Funds, Brookline Venture Partners, LLR Partners, Mass Mutual Ventures LLC, MassMutual and the Venture Capital Unit of Siemens Financial Services. “Like most companies, our lifeblood at Siemens is our intellectual property and it must be safeguarded,” said CEO Ralf Schnell, Venture Capital Unit of Siemens Financial Services, in a release. “We closely evaluated Digital Guardian’s product capabilities, strategic roadmap, and corporate vision and were very encouraged with our results.” Also of note is that David Stienes, a partner at LLR Partners, will be joining the company’s Board of Directors. * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement CrunchBase * Digital Guardian + Founded 2003 + Overview Digital Guardian is the only data-centric security platform designed to stop data theft. The Digital Guardian platform performs across traditional endpoints, mobile devices and cloud applications to make it easier to see and stop all threats to sensitive data. For more than 10 years we’ve enabled data-rich organizations to protect their most valuable assets with an on premise deployment or an outsourced … + Location Waltham, MA + Categories Data Visualization, Data Security, Enterprise Software + Founders Dwayne Carson + Website https://digitalguardian.com/ + Full profile for Digital Guardian TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * Popular Posts Featured Stories * Cybersecurity Firm Digital Guardian Raises $66M Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Qalendra Wants To Ensure You Never Book A Bad Trip Again Posted Dec 16, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. 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[X] Re/code Product Updates Special series, exclusive interviews and new features. ____________________ Sign Up ____________________ search [http%3A%2F%2Frecode.net%2F2015%2F11%2F14%2Ffrance-has-a-powerful-and-c ontroversial-new-surveillance-law%2F] Recode logo http://on.recode.net/20TnqX6 France Has a Powerful and Controversial New Surveillance Law 20151117-flag-paris-france Jiri Flogel / Shutterstock Security * Arik Hesseldahl * By Arik Hesseldahl Nov 14, 2015 * @ahess247 * EMAIL * Ethics November 14, 2015, 9:22 AM PST * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) * Click to email (Opens in new window) * Share: As it plans its response to a series of six terrorist attacks Friday night that killed 129 and injured 352, the government of France will likely step up its efforts to keep tabs on the movements and communications of people within its borders. As it happens, the attacks have occurred only a few months after legislators in that country passed a sweeping new surveillance law that gives the government broad powers to closely monitor the mobile phone and Internet communications of French citizens. Passed by the French Parliament in May in response to the attacks on the Paris-based magazine Charlie Hebdo, the law allows the government to monitor phone calls and emails of people suspected of connections to terrorism without the authorization of a judge. Related Media Paris Attacks: Where to Follow the Breaking News By Noah Kulwin, Nov 13, 2015, 4:46 PM PST But it goes further than that. The law requires Internet service providers to install “black boxes” that are designed to vacuum up and analyze metadata on the Web-browsing and general Internet use habits of millions of people using the Web and to make that data available to intelligence agencies. In exceptional cases, the law allows the government to deploy what are called “ISMI catchers” to track all mobile phone communications in a given area. These catchers are basically designed to impersonate cell towers, but they intercept and record communications data from phones within its range, and can also track the movements of people carrying the phones. Finally, the law allows government agents to break into the homes of suspected terrorists for the purpose of planting microphone bugs and surveillance cameras and installing keyloggers on their computers, devices that capture data on every keystroke and mouse click. Critics of the law complain that there’s not much oversight and that the conditions under which the law’s powers can be triggered are vague. As The Verge noted in July, the government can authorize the surveillance for “major foreign policy interests” or to counter “organized delinquency.” Surveillance operations are overseen by a nine-person committee led by Prime Minister Manuel Valls. But that committee has only an advisory role, and cannot overrule decisions by the prime minister. * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) * Click to email (Opens in new window) * * Contact Arik Hesseldahl: * @ahess247 * | * EMAIL * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) * Click to email (Opens in new window) * Join the conversation: __________________________________________________________________ [01-RecodeDecode-640x180.jpg] [then-theres-this-promo-640x180.jpg] __________________________________________________________________ This entry was posted in Policy, Security and tagged France, mass surveillance, surveillance, terrorism. 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Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In TechNewsWorld.com [260x40-tnw.gif] Search ____________________ Privacy * Computing + Applications + Data Management + Hardware o Chips o Personal Computers o Servers + Operating Systems * Internet + Internet of Things + Online Entertainment + Search Tech + Social Networking + Web Apps * IT + Developers + IT Leadership + Network Management * Mobile Tech + Mobile Apps + Smartphones + Tablets + Wearable Tech + Wireless Networking * Reviews * Security + Cybersecurity + Hacking + Malware + Privacy * Technology + Audio/Video + Emerging Tech o Virtual Reality + Gaming + Home Tech + How-To + Photography + Science o Health o Space + Tech Buzz + Tech Law + Transportation * Tech Blog * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:35 PM PST TechNewsWorld > Security > Privacy | Next Article in Privacy Survey: Surveillance Is Fine as Long as It's Not on Me By John P. Mello Jr. Mar 16, 2015 3:12 PM PT Growing concern over surveillance in cyberspace has people changing their online behavior, according to a report released Monday by the Pew Research Center. Survey: Surveillance Is Fine as Long as It's Not on Me Nearly 90 percent of the 475 adults surveyed said they were aware of government surveillance programs targeting Internet users. "That's a very high number," said Omer Tene, vice president of research and education at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. "It's a big development," he told TechNewsWorld. "Until a couple of years ago, when I told people I worked on privacy, most of them would stare at me with a blank look not knowing what I meant." Moreover, of those aware of the programs, more than a third (34 percent) had taken at least one measure to hide or shield their information from the government. Changing Behavior Among the measures taken in response to government surveillance were changing social media settings (17 percent), avoiding certain apps (15 percent), reducing social media use (15 percent), increasing face-to-face conversations (14 percent), uninstalling certain apps (13 percent), avoiding certain terms in online communication (13 percent), and deleting social media accounts (8 percent). While more people are trying to hide their activity from the kinds of surveillance first revealed by Edward Snowden two years ago, there's an irony associated with their efforts. "Most of the steps mentioned are really not effective for avoiding government surveillance," said Robert Neivert, COO of Private.me. "They are good for other reasons -- protection from hacking and things like that -- but they're not terribly effective against the NSA," he told TechNewsWorld. The adults in the survey appear to be aware that their efforts to thwart government surveillance leave something to be desired. "Our survey showed that half of Americans think it would be difficult for them to find tools and strategies to help them be more private as they use technology," observed Pew Senior Researcher Mary Madden. "The vast majority have not yet adopted some of the more advanced tools that would encrypt their communications or make them less visible when they are using the Internet," she added. The NIMBY Syndrome For a long time, there's been a disconnect between online users' concern about privacy and what they're doing to address those concerns, noted privacy attorney Alexandra Ross. "Those surveyed who felt strongly that there was no longer an appropriate balance between national security interests and privacy concerns are taking some small or incremental changes in their behavior, but many are still not aware of the technologies that can protect privacy and security," she told TechNewsWorld. "That's an opportunity for privacy advocates to educate users on the ways that they can protect their privacy," Ross added. Large numbers of adults supported monitoring programs aimed at suspected terrorists (82 percent), foreign leaders (60 percent), foreign citizens (54 percent) and even American leaders (60 percent), the Pew study found. However, 57 percent opposed monitoring of U.S. citizens. "There's a bit of "not in my backyard" syndrome showing up in the survey results," said Rob Shavell, CEO and co-founder of Abine. "People at the NSA will point out that nobody wants to be monitored, but many people like the apparent security of having other people monitored," he told TechNewsWorld. "It's hypocritical," Shavell said, "but society is still searching for some kind of balance between what's appropriate to monitor and what's off limits." The Pew survey shows both the concerns and frustrations of people about privacy, noted Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "People are concerned about government surveillance but find many of the privacy techniques difficult to use," he told TechNewsWorld. "Also, as the public learns more about the [surveillance] programs, they are less persuaded they are effective," Rotenberg pointed out. "Taken as a whole, the message in the Pew survey is clear: The U.S. government should curtail its surveillance activities." [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ John Mello is a freelance technology writer and contributor to Chief Security Officer magazine. You can connect with him on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by John P. Mello Jr. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! 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Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In TechNewsWorld.com [260x40-tnw.gif] Search ____________________ Privacy * Computing + Applications + Data Management + Hardware o Chips o Personal Computers o Servers + Operating Systems * Internet + Internet of Things + Online Entertainment + Search Tech + Social Networking + Web Apps * IT + Developers + IT Leadership + Network Management * Mobile Tech + Mobile Apps + Smartphones + Tablets + Wearable Tech + Wireless Networking * Reviews * Security + Cybersecurity + Hacking + Malware + Privacy * Technology + Audio/Video + Emerging Tech o Virtual Reality + Gaming + Home Tech + How-To + Photography + Science o Health o Space + Tech Buzz + Tech Law + Transportation * Tech Blog * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:37 PM PST TechNewsWorld > Security > Privacy | Next Article in Privacy Government Surveillance: What to Do, What to Do? By Richard Adhikari Apr 21, 2015 10:36 AM PT The CIA has been trying to hack into iOS for years. British and American agencies reportedly have collaborated to create a map of the Internet and Web users. The United States National Security Agency has, together with the UK's GCHQ, reportedly stolen SIM card encryption keys from Gemalto. The FBI is frothing at the mouth over Google's and Apple's encryption of their mobile OSes. Vulnerabilities in Signaling System 7 telephony protocols let third parties eavesdrop on cellphone calls and intercept text messages, despite encryption. Government Surveillance: What to Do, What to Do? Law enforcement agencies in several states in the U.S. are using Stingray devices to scoop up data from everyone's cellphones within range, and reportedly are using private funds to purchase the devices. And, for the third time, the U.S. government is trying to revive CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. The latest version of the bill, filed in January, would give the NSA more access to Americans' data and create a data-sharing program between the Department of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, without any external accountability and with exemption from the Freedom of Information Act. Meanwhile, Google is fighting a proposed amendment to Rule 41 of the U.S. Criminal Code that might allow the U.S. to hack into computers abroad, GCHQ has used fake LinkedIn pages to target telecom engineers, and the NSA has forced U.S. high-tech companies to include back doors in their hardware and software. President Obama has insisted -- not quite truthfully, it turns out -- that the U.S. government is not conducting surveillance on Americans. Despite trumpeting the president's strong support of privacy, the White House has just come out in support of the renewed CISPA bill. "Hacking is like a gun or any other dangerous tool," said Jonathan Sander, strategy and research officer for Stealthbits Technologies. "People who use it will argue that it's the intention and the results that matter ethically. The difference is that murder is a well understood evil, and stealing information is still morally vague," he told TechNewsWorld. The Dungeons of Despair Billions of dollars are being spent on cybersecurity, but why even bother? If there's a back door, some intrepid hacker will find it sooner or later and leap in. "The greatest security threat isn't wearing a hoodie and armed with a laptop and Metasploit," said Ken Westin, senior security analyst at Tripwire. "They wear suits and are armed with secrecy and legal loopholes," he told TechNewsWorld. The real problem is that government surveillance "appears to be done illegally with little oversight or transparency," Westin continued. "As governments pass laws to crack down on criminal hackers, we are learning that they in many respects are hypocrites. The law needs to provide citizens protection both from criminal hackers as well as our own governments." Espionage and cyberware are impacting businesses around the world because "they get caught in the middle, with foreign nations trying to penetrate their front door and our own governments trying to install and find weaknesses in the back door," Westin observed. The CIA: Tiger or Kitty Cat? Don't be too concerned about the CIA, suggested Brett Fernicola, CISO at Stealthbits. The agency "is one of the biggest leeches and script kiddies to date. Most of what they know infosec-wise was stolen or taken from hackers or legitimate research groups," he told TechNewsWorld. Nevertheless, "the NSA, CIA, Chinese security agencies and many others polluting the security of ecosystems [through hacking] is really bad for trust and for security," warned Eric Cowperthwaite, VP of advanced security and strategy at Core Security. Creating systems that are inherently insecure "is going to destroy trust in operating systems, software, applications and devices," he told TechNewsWorld. The e-commerce ecosystem, in particular, is fundamentally based on trust, Cowperthwaite pointed out. "What happens when the average consumer no longer trusts that the systems they use daily are trustworthy? How will CISOs secure systems when they don't know what's been polluted by government agencies?" A Side Helping of Ethics, Please It's not so much that intelligence agencies spy on people. After all, that's their job, contended Derek Bambauer, professor of law at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law. The question is whether their operations are sanctioned by law. The Obama administration has "increasingly sought and used FISA orders" to conduct surveillance of U.S. persons on the grounds of national security, Bambauer told TechNewsWorld. U.S. persons "might" have some Fourth Amendment claims against surveillance, he said, "but the Supreme Court has been very careful never to address this issue, and I don't expect it to do so." Mass surveillance is not unnecessarily unlawful, but it's "best described as being in conflict with individuals' perceptions of ethics and privacy," commented Philip Lieberman, president of Lieberman Software. "The purpose of a government is the protection of its citizens and the promotion of their welfare," he told TechNewsWorld. Technical security measures "are not restraining surveillance, because the NSA and GCHQ are compromising them," pointed out Gregory Nojeim, senior counsel for the Center for Democracy & Technology. That "cries out for a strengthening of the extremely weak standards under which surveillance is conducted," he told TechNewsWorld. What Can Be Done "One of the best ways to secure user data is to not collect it in the first place," Tripwire's Westin said. "The second is to encrypt it and ensure the keys stay safe." In the long run, though, hacking and surveillance will become a way of life, and the old saw about not putting anything online you don't want someone else to know might be the only safe course. [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ [Richard Adhikari.jpg] Richard Adhikari has written about high-tech for leading industry publications since the 1990s and wonders where it's all leading to. Will implanted RFID chips in humans be the Mark of the Beast? Will nanotech solve our coming food crisis? Does Sturgeon's Law still hold true? You can connect with Richard on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by Richard Adhikari Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR SHOWCASE Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. TechNewsWorld Headlines TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? Inside TechNewsWorld Applications * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * Slack Energizes App Development With $80M Fund * Linux Mint Upgrade Sparkles Computing * Oculus VR Founder Laments Failure to Communicate on Pricing * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * Iranian Cyberattack on American Dam Viewed As Rarity Data Management * MacKeeper Loses Control of User Data * Federal IT Opportunities: Steady Funding, Constant Challenges * Microsoft Hands Cloud Data Control to German Trustee Emerging Tech * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * Google Sharpens Its Virtual Reality Focus * Ford's Self-Driving Cars Brave Ice and Snow Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Hardware * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA Internet of Things * Sony Builds Smart Home Hub Into Ceiling Light * Samsung Places Fridge at Center of Smart Home * New Smart Cam Can Distinguish Between Cats, Cat Burglars and Cars IT Leadership * Apple Execs' Salaries Go Up as Stock Goes Down * Zuckerberg Resolves to Invent, Encourages Girls to Invent Too * Cook Rearranges Apple's Executive Suite Mobile Tech * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Samsung Snaps Up Snapdragon 820 Chip Manufacturing Deal * Apple Loses Track of News App Traffic Science * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Researchers May Have Licked Flaming Lithium-Ion Battery Problem Spotlight Features * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof Tech Buzz * Time Warner Possibilities Put Glint in Apple's Eye * Behind the Scenes at CES * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In TechNewsWorld.com [260x40-tnw.gif] Search ____________________ Tech Law * Computing + Applications + Data Management + Hardware o Chips o Personal Computers o Servers + Operating Systems * Internet + Internet of Things + Online Entertainment + Search Tech + Social Networking + Web Apps * IT + Developers + IT Leadership + Network Management * Mobile Tech + Mobile Apps + Smartphones + Tablets + Wearable Tech + Wireless Networking * Reviews * Security + Cybersecurity + Hacking + Malware + Privacy * Technology + Audio/Video + Emerging Tech o Virtual Reality + Gaming + Home Tech + How-To + Photography + Science o Health o Space + Tech Buzz + Tech Law + Transportation * Tech Blog * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:41 PM PST TechNewsWorld > Technology > Tech Law | Next Article in Tech Law CISA Passes Senate Despite Privacy Advocates' Fear and Loathing By Richard Adhikari Oct 28, 2015 12:15 PM PT The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 74-21 to pass the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA, in the face of strong opposition from legal and cybersecurity experts, the high-tech industry, privacy and civil liberties organizations, and members of the public. CISA Passes Senate Despite Privacy Advocates' Fear and Loathing The Act calls for the United States Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Justice to share cyberthreat indicators between the public and private sectors. It allows private entities to monitor and operate cybersecurity measures applied to their own information systems and, with permission, to those of other private or government entities. It also allows them to monitor information stored in, processed by, or transiting through monitored systems. Personal identifying information of people not directly related to a cybersecurity threat must be removed from data that's shared. CISA calls for the institution of automated real-time sharing procedures and for the imposition of penalties against federal officers, employees or agents who conduct unauthorized activities. La CISA Nostra Private entities that exchange or provide cyberthreat indicators or help to prevent, investigate or mitigate cybersecurity threats are exempt from antitrust laws -- provided they do not engage in price-fixing or anticompetitive behavior. Cyberthreat indicators and defensive measures shared with the U.S. federal government, along with threat indicators shared with state, tribal or local governments, are deemed voluntarily shared information under the Act. They are exempt from disclosure, and the public cannot rely on laws requiring disclosure of information or records to access them. Companies that monitor information systems or share or receive indicators or defensive measures have liability protection, so long as they follow the DHS' sharing procedures. The bill next goes to a congressional conference committee for reconciliation of its final language with the House-approved version, and then to the president to be signed into law. "The passage of CISA today ... shows just how badly Congress misunderstands technology, security and privacy," the Electronic Frontier Foundation tweeted. Ave CISA! Morituri te Salutant! CISA "is fundamentally flawed, due to its broad immunity clauses, vague definitions, and aggressive spying authorities," argued Mark Jaycox, a legislative analyst at EFF. "If CISA becomes law, more Internet users' communications information will be funneled to the National Security Agency, not as intelligence surveillance, but under the cybersecurity umbrella," said Greg Nojeim, director of the freedom, security & technology project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. For users, "the result is the same: less privacy and more surveillance," he told the E-Commerce Times. "The fact that those that share data and accidentally expose customer information are protected from lawsuits is a major concern," noted Brian Laing, VP of products and business development at Lastline. "Very few companies are adequately staffed with employees that have the skills to respond to major security events," Laing told the E-Commerce Times. "There's a high likelihood that in the event of a major incident, users' data will be exposed." Under CISA, those victims "would have no protection and no recourse for their exposed data." The biggest hacks this year occurred at Anthem, where 80 million people's records were stolen, at Ashley Madison, where 37 million members were compromised, and at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, where at least 25 million government workers' personal data was breached. Good Lovin' Gone Bad Hackers are exploiting the inability of law enforcement agencies to share data with each other and with private sector firms. For example, in the case of the Sony hack, the NSA might have expected it was going to happen but informing Sony wasn't in its purview. "Given the current climate of cyberthreats, we need something like CISA so organizations can coordinate efforts to defend themselves and us," remarked Jonathan Sander, VP at Lieberman Software. That said, CISA "started out with the noble and necessary mission to encourage wider sharing of cyberthreat intelligence," he told the E-Commerce Times, "but like so many bills before it, Washington games stuffed it full of things that served other, less noble interests." [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ [Richard Adhikari.jpg] Richard Adhikari has written about high-tech for leading industry publications since the 1990s and wonders where it's all leading to. Will implanted RFID chips in humans be the Mark of the Beast? Will nanotech solve our coming food crisis? Does Sturgeon's Law still hold true? You can connect with Richard on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by Richard Adhikari Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR SHOWCASE Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" TechNewsWorld Headlines TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? Inside TechNewsWorld Applications * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * Slack Energizes App Development With $80M Fund * Linux Mint Upgrade Sparkles Computing * Oculus VR Founder Laments Failure to Communicate on Pricing * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * Iranian Cyberattack on American Dam Viewed As Rarity Data Management * MacKeeper Loses Control of User Data * Federal IT Opportunities: Steady Funding, Constant Challenges * Microsoft Hands Cloud Data Control to German Trustee Emerging Tech * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * Google Sharpens Its Virtual Reality Focus * Ford's Self-Driving Cars Brave Ice and Snow Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Hardware * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA Internet of Things * Sony Builds Smart Home Hub Into Ceiling Light * Samsung Places Fridge at Center of Smart Home * New Smart Cam Can Distinguish Between Cats, Cat Burglars and Cars IT Leadership * Apple Execs' Salaries Go Up as Stock Goes Down * Zuckerberg Resolves to Invent, Encourages Girls to Invent Too * Cook Rearranges Apple's Executive Suite Mobile Tech * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Samsung Snaps Up Snapdragon 820 Chip Manufacturing Deal * Apple Loses Track of News App Traffic Science * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Researchers May Have Licked Flaming Lithium-Ion Battery Problem Spotlight Features * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof Tech Buzz * Time Warner Possibilities Put Glint in Apple's Eye * Behind the Scenes at CES * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In TechNewsWorld.com [260x40-tnw.gif] Search ____________________ Cybersecurity * Computing + Applications + Data Management + Hardware o Chips o Personal Computers o Servers + Operating Systems * Internet + Internet of Things + Online Entertainment + Search Tech + Social Networking + Web Apps * IT + Developers + IT Leadership + Network Management * Mobile Tech + Mobile Apps + Smartphones + Tablets + Wearable Tech + Wireless Networking * Reviews * Security + Cybersecurity + Hacking + Malware + Privacy * Technology + Audio/Video + Emerging Tech o Virtual Reality + Gaming + Home Tech + How-To + Photography + Science o Health o Space + Tech Buzz + Tech Law + Transportation * Tech Blog * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:44 PM PST TechNewsWorld > Security > Cybersecurity | Next Article in Cybersecurity Apple's Cook Goes to the Barricades on Encryption By John P. Mello Jr. Dec 22, 2015 8:31 AM PT tim-cook-encryption-60-minutes-charlie-rose Apple CEO Tim Cook brought the encryption battle between the high-tech industry and the nation's law enforcement authorities to prime time TV Sunday in an interview on the CBS news program 60 Minutes. During the interview, Charlie Rose asked Cook about the need for law enforcement agencies to access data that has been encrypted on Apple phones. There's all kinds of sensitive information on smartphones today, Cook noted. "You should have the ability to protect it. The only way we know how to do that is to encrypt it." Apple will comply with any warrants served on it by law enforcement authorities as it's required to do by law, Cook said, but "in the case of encrypted communication, we don't have it to give." Going Dark That snag is what's frustrating law enforcement authorities. "Unfortunately, the law hasn't kept pace with technology, and this disconnect has created a significant public safety problem," FBI Director James B. Comey said last year in an address at the Brookings Institute. "We call it 'Going Dark,' and what it means is this: Those charged with protecting our people aren't always able to access the evidence we need to prosecute crime and prevent terrorism, even with lawful authority," he explained. "We have the legal authority to intercept and access communications and information pursuant to court order, but we often lack the technical ability to do so," Comey added. Framing the encryption issue as one of either privacy or security is oversimplifying the issue, Cook told Rose. "We're America," he said. "We should have both." Banning Locks "A proposal to protect our security by weakening our security is going in the wrong direction," said Cindy Cohn, exective director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "If the government were to suggest that no one put locks on their doors because if we were a terrorist it would be harder to get into our house, we would think that was a bad idea," she told TechNewsWorld. "This is pretty much the digital equivalent of that," Cohn maintained. Binary Issue Although Director Comey has said in several public forums that a compromise is possible on the encryption issue, others are less sanguine about that prospect. "I don't know what 'compromise' means in this context," Cohn said. "If 'compromise' means compromising the security of your encryption, then that's not a compromise." There is no compromise in sight, said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom. "This is really a binary issue. Are you going to allow end-to-end encyption by the operating system makers or not?" he asked. "Once you say no," Szoka told TechNewsWorld, "you start down this road without stopping the really smart bad guys from continuing to use encryption on their devices." Resource Allocation If government law enforcement agencies are looking for an encryption compromise, maybe they should look outside the tech sector for it, suggested Yorgen Edholm, CEO of Accellion. "Encryption can always be broken by people who have supercomputers -- the government has more supercomputers than anyone else," he told TechNewsWorld. "So the government has the resources to decrypt anything. It's just that those resources have to be made available to local law enforcement," said Edholm. "That compromise wouldn't make it easier to for the bad guys to get into my privacy just because the government wants to have the computer equivalent of a wiretap," he added. The Greed Card If the U.S. high-tech industry were forced to use weaker encryption, it could affect business abroad. Edward Snowden's revelations about U.S. government agencies vacuuming data on the Internet already has cost domestic companies millions in overseas business. Despite potential losses, high-tech companies should change their business model when it comes to encryption, FBI Director Comey recently told a U.S. Senate panel. Also, "encryption isn't just a technical feature -- it's a marketing pitch," he noted in his Brookings'speech. "What he's trying to do is distract from the fact that he's trying to ban a technology that secures Americans' communications every day," sais TechFreedom's Szoka. "He's trying to reframe the issue as one of corporate greed, which is asinine." [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ John Mello is a freelance technology writer and contributor to Chief Security Officer magazine. You can connect with him on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by John P. Mello Jr. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR SHOWCASE Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" TechNewsWorld Headlines TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? 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Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In TechNewsWorld.com [260x40-tnw.gif] Search ____________________ Cybersecurity * Computing + Applications + Data Management + Hardware o Chips o Personal Computers o Servers + Operating Systems * Internet + Internet of Things + Online Entertainment + Search Tech + Social Networking + Web Apps * IT + Developers + IT Leadership + Network Management * Mobile Tech + Mobile Apps + Smartphones + Tablets + Wearable Tech + Wireless Networking * Reviews * Security + Cybersecurity + Hacking + Malware + Privacy * Technology + Audio/Video + Emerging Tech o Virtual Reality + Gaming + Home Tech + How-To + Photography + Science o Health o Space + Tech Buzz + Tech Law + Transportation * Tech Blog * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:46 PM PST TechNewsWorld > Security > Cybersecurity | Next Article in Cybersecurity NSA Keeps Some Security Bugs Under Its Hat By David Jones Nov 10, 2015 5:00 AM PT The U.S. National Security Agency is getting a collective side-eye after posting what it characterized as proactive information: the fact that it discloses 91 percent of security vulnerabilities that pass through its internal review process. NSA Keeps Some Security Bugs Under Its Hat While the agency appears pleased with its newfound transparency, it's being called out en masse for the things it's not reporting -- primarily, the other 9 percent of vulnerabilities. In fact, the NSA's revelations have raised far more questions than they've answered. The disclosures came late last month in an infographic touting the way the agency's security bug reporting practices. Disclosing vulnerabilities usually makes sense, it reads, "but there are legitimate pros and cons to the decision to disclose vulnerabilities, and the tradeoffs between prompt disclosure and withholding knowledge of some vulnerabilities for a limited time can have significant consequences." The NSA historically has leaned in favor of disclosure, and withholds information only if the information may be necessary to collect crucial foreign intelligence used to stop a terrorist attack, prevent the theft of intellectual property, or use the information to uncover even greater vulnerabilities, it said. What's Left Unsaid However, what often is done with the information not disclosed is that the government leaves the unknowing party in the dark and then exploits the vulnerability for its own purposes, critics have charged. By withholding information about the remaining 9 percent, the NSA has chosen not to notify the party best situated to fix the security flaw, said Jennifer Stisa Granick, director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for the Internet and Society. "They do this to enable intelligence agents to exploit these flaws for surveillance or to use them as weapons, as with Stuxnet," she told TechNewsWorld. "As for the remaining 91 percent, it is not clear whether the NSA uses a subset of those vulnerabilities before it discloses them. In the case of Stuxnet, the U.S. and Israel used the information to create a backdoor attack on industrial control systems in Iran, as part of an effort to disrupt suspected uranium enrichment programs being developed in that country. Timing of the Matter The timing of the infographic's publication is another issue that has raised questions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation last year filed suit to force the federal government to disclose the so-called Vulnerabilities Equities Process, which is used by the FBI, NSA and other agencies to determine whether to disclose vulnerabilities to various software developers or other entities, or to use those very vulnerabilities to carry out its own operation. The massive Heartbleed bug discovered last year left millions of computer users vulnerable. Disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, EFF and a number of other privacy advocates raised serious questions about whether the agency allowed that open wound to fester for two years while it exploited the security hole, only to deny knowledge of it. The infographic happened to post the exact same day that government lawyers filed for summary judgment in the suit EFF brought regarding the VEP process, noted Andrew Crocker, staff attorney at EFF, although a direct connection cannot be established. There have been reports that the National Security Council and Department of Homeland Security are taking a more active role in making sure there is a strong movement in favor of disclosure, he told TechNewsWorld, "but we'd like to see more transparency, such as public reporting about how the process works," which is requested in the litigation, "as well as some way of understanding the volume, number of vulnerabilities the government handles, and even the budget devoted to it." Spit and Polish On the other hand, the timing may be no more than an effort to remove some tarnish from the agency's public image. "The NSA has in recent years struggled from a public relations perspective; one can imagine that they would prefer that the discussion be focused on the 91 percent of exploits that they do report, and the -- perhaps unexpected -- indication that they adhere to the principle of sunlight being the most effective disinfectant," observed GreatHorn CEO Kevin O'Brien. It's also significant that what the NSA is reporting -- or not reporting, as the case may be -- are vulnerabilities. "Software exploits of this kind -- unintentional issues that are researched and reported on -- are a different kind from the more sophisticated types of cyberattack that lead to large breaches," O'Brien told TechNewsWorld. For example, exploits of trust go after comparatively soft targets -- people -- rather than systems and software, he pointed out. "As a security professional, having the NSA allocating resources to finding these kinds of issues is comforting," O'Brien said. "They're a resource that, on many levels, has the best interests of United States and its national security in mind. Bluntly put, someone will find these exploits; I'd rather it be an agency which is aligned with our national security." The NSA may need to split its duties with a new security-related agency that can take the function of fixing vulnerabilities out of the hands of an entity that spends most of its time in the business of analyzing intelligence, suggested Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research. "The NSA is conflicted on security issues," he told TechNewsWorld. "On the one hand, it should be supporting more software security to protect the interests of the U.S.A. Yet on the other hand, security vulnerabilities are extremely important for their mission to gather information. NSA officials did not respond to our request to comment for this story. [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ David Jones is a freelance writer based in Essex County, New Jersey. He has written for Reuters, Bloomberg, Crain's New York Business and The New York Times. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by David Jones Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR SHOWCASE Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. TechNewsWorld Headlines TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? Inside TechNewsWorld Applications * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * Slack Energizes App Development With $80M Fund * Linux Mint Upgrade Sparkles Computing * Oculus VR Founder Laments Failure to Communicate on Pricing * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * Iranian Cyberattack on American Dam Viewed As Rarity Data Management * MacKeeper Loses Control of User Data * Federal IT Opportunities: Steady Funding, Constant Challenges * Microsoft Hands Cloud Data Control to German Trustee Emerging Tech * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * Google Sharpens Its Virtual Reality Focus * Ford's Self-Driving Cars Brave Ice and Snow Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Hardware * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA Internet of Things * Sony Builds Smart Home Hub Into Ceiling Light * Samsung Places Fridge at Center of Smart Home * New Smart Cam Can Distinguish Between Cats, Cat Burglars and Cars IT Leadership * Apple Execs' Salaries Go Up as Stock Goes Down * Zuckerberg Resolves to Invent, Encourages Girls to Invent Too * Cook Rearranges Apple's Executive Suite Mobile Tech * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Samsung Snaps Up Snapdragon 820 Chip Manufacturing Deal * Apple Loses Track of News App Traffic Science * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Researchers May Have Licked Flaming Lithium-Ion Battery Problem Spotlight Features * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof Tech Buzz * Time Warner Possibilities Put Glint in Apple's Eye * Behind the Scenes at CES * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. 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Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In ECommerceTimes.com [240x40-ect.gif] Search ____________________ Government * Business + Boardroom + Deals + Service Providers + Tech Law + Wall Street * E-Commerce + Analytics + Entertainment + Marketing + Online Advertising + Piracy + Search * Enterprise IT + Applications + Cloud Computing + Government + Infrastructure * Mobile + BYOD + Carriers + M-Commerce + Mobile Advertising * Security + Consumer Security + Cybercrime + Enterprise Security + Privacy * SMB * Social Media + Social Media Marketing + Social Networks * Trends + Expert Advice + Hot Topics + Opinions + Trailblazers * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:49 PM PST E-Commerce Times > Enterprise IT > Government | Next Article in Government FTC Debates Cybersecurity Injury Standard By John K. Higgins Jan 5, 2016 7:00 AM PT ftc-cybersecurity The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is engaged in an internal struggle over how it should assess the effect on consumers when businesses fail to provide proper e-commerce security. The outcome of the debate will have a significant impact on the FTC's ability to initiate cybersecurity violation cases. Depending on the outcome, in fact, the legal issue could spill over to federal courts or even Congress for resolution. The internal debate surfaced last month. FTC staff members issued a notice that they were challenging the dismissal of a commission complaint against a company for alleged cybersecurity failures. An FTC administrative law judge who was selected to rule on the complaint dismissed it. The staff challenge will occur through an appeal of the ALJ's decision to the full commission. Exposure of Data Triggered Complaint In the complaint, the FTC contended that cyberprotection deficiencies at LabMD had exposed personal consumer information. However, the ALJ dismissed the complaint in November, ruling that the FTC staff had failed to prove that the exposure and dispersion of the electronically processed records on company networks had caused any injury to consumers. The ALJ's decision "confirms what our client, LabMD, has said all along, which is that the Federal Trade Commission's case is meritless," said Daniel Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action, which provided legal counsel to LabMD in contesting the FTC's charges. The FTC "produced no evidence that even a single patient was harmed by LabMD's alleged inadequacies," he said. "Instead, it was the FTC that victimized LabMD and its employees, and more importantly, the doctors that it served." LabMD's business involved performing diagnostic specimen tests for medical providers and managing related records for medical and insurance purposes. The evidence in the case involved peer-to peer computer exchanges, expert testimony and physical printouts of data. The proceedings also involved issues regarding assertions of a relatively limited scope of exposure. Injury Standard Questioned Broadly speaking, the FTC staff contended that company's clients were injured because the mere exposure of the personal data put them at risk. However, the law judge questioned the applicability of such a broad standard for meeting the federal legal definition for injury or harm. The FTC is empowered to initiate enforcement actions in the event it suspects a party has engaged in "unfair or deceptive" business practices. By law, the FTC must show that a business practice "causes or is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers," in order to be judged as unfair. The FTC claimed LabMD engaged in unfair business practices by putting clients at risk. However, the ALJ rejected the staff's position, concluding that evidence of actual harm was lacking. Financial injury, inconvenience and even embarrassment are some of the types of harm considered in such cases. The FTC staff's failure to demonstrate any material, actual harm over a significant period also showed that the potential for future likely injury was virtually nonexistent, the ALJ contended. "The absence of any evidence that any consumer has suffered harm" as a result of LabMD's "alleged unreasonable data security" after the passage of many years "undermined the persuasiveness" of the FTC staff that such harm likely would occur, FTC Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell said in his dismissal of the case. In line with his emphasis on the need to provide evidence of actual harm, Chappell questioned the mere recitation of risk statistics related to cyber data exposure or breaches for fulfilling the legal definition of likely harm. He turned around the mathematical risk probabilities the FTC staff cited in noting that, given such statistics, it was curious that the FTC staff could not cite a single actual consumer victim. Case Could Become a Benchmark The evidence produced to support the charges may have been unique in that it was hotly contested and involved some convoluted and controversial elements regarding the validity of sources and the role of a third party. Still, the outcome of the case could have a broad impact on similar cases in that the decision raised the issue that the FTC will need to meet a stricter real-time standard for proving harm and injury in cyberprotection cases than it has in the past. "Importantly, the ALJ opined that historically, liability for unfair conduct has only been found in instances where there is proof of actual consumer harm," said Patricia Wagner, chief privacy officer at Epstein Becker & Green, in a case analysis. The ALJ held that the standard for what is likely to cause substantial injury "does not mean that something is merely possible. Instead, likely means that it is probable that something will occur," she noted, citing the decision. "One of the striking things about the ALJ's opinion is his willingness and ability to parse through the evidence, understand what the studies presented demonstrated -- and failed to demonstrate -- and evaluate the circumstances in a well-reasoned manner. Rather than just assume that a breach automatically means that consumers would be harmed, he evaluated the facts and circumstances at issue in this case," Wagner told the E-Commerce Times. "The recent LabMD decision serves to highlight that the commission's cybersecurity authority under the FTC Act is not without limits, and that the commission must prove that specific cybersecurity incidents actually meet the requirements for an unfair or deceptive practice under the statute," Chris Burris, a partner at King & Spalding, told the E-Commerce Times. While the issues the LabMD case raised are significant in terms of cyberlaw -- especially related to the FTC's role -- a resolution of the injury issue could take awhile. First, the FTC staff's appeal of the ALJ decision means that the full commission could possibly overturn the ruling. In its appeal, the FTC staff continued to contend that just the exposure of data creates a risky situation for consumers and that in itself satisfies the legal threshold for harm or injury. The ALJ mistakenly neglected to assess the substantial risk of alleged deficiencies at LabMD involving passwords, firewalls and other protection measures, the staff noted in its appeal. The law judge "failed to analyze LabMD's multiple, systemic, and serious security failures before issuing [the] ruling," the staff said. "This was a fatal flaw: whether LabMD's security practices caused or were likely to cause substantial consumer injury can be determined only through an analysis of the significant risks created by LabMD's security failures. The decision is wrong as a matter of law and fact." The commission has set a deadline of Feb. 5 for LabMD to file an answering brief in the internal appeals process. The outcome of the internal FTC appeal could then be brought before a U.S. appeals court. "We will take this to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary," LabMD CEO Michael Daugherty told the E-Commerce Times. LabMD ceased normal operations in 2014 as a result of the FTC action. [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ John K. Higgins is a career business writer, with broad experience for a major publisher in a wide range of topics including energy, finance, environment and government policy. In his current freelance role, he reports mainly on government information technology issues for ECT News Network. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by John K. Higgins Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR RESOURCES CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. E-Commerce Times Headlines E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" Inside E-Commerce Times Cloud Computing * Cisco Aims to Pin Down Shadow IT * US Army Marches to the Cloud * The Cloud Complexity Challenge Enterprise IT * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * EFF Urges Revival of Human Rights Case Against Cisco Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Expert Advice * The Lego-ization of Software, or the Rise of Snap-On SaaS * Are Your Sales Tools Turning A-Performers Into B-Performers? * Customer Engagement in the Age of the Silent Traveler Hot Topics * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * China's Internet Tightrope Walk Marketing * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA * Zuckerberg Defends Downsized Internet for Developing World * CRM Predictions: Spotting the Critical Connections Mobile * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * iAd Shakeup May Be in the Works Security * Phishing Attack Could Net LastPass Credentials * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * Privacy as a Service Advocates Promise Better Data Protection SMB * Hats Off to Chapeau Linux's Better Fedora Concept * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof * Sage Live Launches on Salesforce AppExchange Social Media * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Foursquare Shifts Gears * Periscope's Live Streams Now Pop Up in Tweets Spotlight Features * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Creating Rules of War for Cyberspace * Going Big: Preparing to Grow Your E-Commerce Startup Trends * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * Legere Steps Back After Hurling F-Word at EFF * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. 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Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In ECommerceTimes.com [240x40-ect.gif] Search ____________________ Tech Law * Business + Boardroom + Deals + Service Providers + Tech Law + Wall Street * E-Commerce + Analytics + Entertainment + Marketing + Online Advertising + Piracy + Search * Enterprise IT + Applications + Cloud Computing + Government + Infrastructure * Mobile + BYOD + Carriers + M-Commerce + Mobile Advertising * Security + Consumer Security + Cybercrime + Enterprise Security + Privacy * SMB * Social Media + Social Media Marketing + Social Networks * Trends + Expert Advice + Hot Topics + Opinions + Trailblazers * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:51 PM PST E-Commerce Times > Technology > Tech Law | Next Article in Tech Law Congress Passes Budget Bill With Controversial Cybersecurity Provision By Richard Adhikari Dec 18, 2015 11:59 AM PT Congress on Friday passed an omnibus budget bill that included the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA. Congress Passes Budget Bill With Controversial Cybersecurity Provision The Senate earlier this year passed CISA, which many conservative and liberal politicians, high-tech firms, and privacy and civil liberty advocates oppose. The latest version includes amendments that will allow corporations to freely share customers' information with the government. "This is the worst version of CISA yet, and we are deeply disappointed by its likely passage," Mark Jaycox, legislative analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation said before the vote. "Such key legislation should not be sandwiched into a 2,000-plus-page federal spending bill." Truth in Government The legislation "should have followed the normal process -- a formal conference committee bill that's sent back to the House and Senate separately for an up-or-down vote," he told the E-Commerce Times. Adding CISA to the omnibus budget bill "is why folks don't trust the government," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "It's fundamentally antidemocratic," he told the E-Commerce Times. Objections to the Latest Version This version of CISA essentially lets private firms monitor their systems and access information flowing through them so long as they declare that it is being done for cybersecurity purposes. Private organizations will be able to hand data, including private personal information, over to the federal government with legal immunity as long as they categorize it as cyberthreat information. Further, there will be few, if any, restrictions on how the government can use the data it receives. "Removing some of the legal restrictions on sharing cybercrime or threat data with the government is a win," Erik Knight, president of SimpleWan. "However, it's a blow to individual privacy rights," he told the E-Commerce Times. Data shared with the U.S. National Security Agency is useless without personally identifying information, and "almost negates the use for the NSA," Knight said. It "will just show trends, not necessarily prevent any kind of active threat." On the other hand, "without restrictions on even protecting this data, most private data could become public, especially if the government has another data breach," he said. Too Much Information The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is concerned about the flood of information that will come down the pipeline with the passage of CISA. The bill's authorization to share data with any federal agency "will increase the complexity and difficulty of a new information sharing program," DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in July in response to a query from Sen. Al Franken. Further, it "could sweep away important privacy protections, particularly the provisions in the Stored Communications Act limiting the disclosure of the content of electronic communications to the government by certain providers," he said. The administration "should work harder to make more efficient use of the information they currently have legal access to before moving to violate our privacy to get more information they can't effectively use," Enderle said. "The latest attack [in San Bernardino, California] was conducted by people who acted like terrorists on social media, and [federal agencies] couldn't even pick that up," he noted. Opposition to CISA Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, on Wednesday reportedly offered an amendment to the government funding bill that would have removed an undisclosed cybersecurity measure, among other things. It was filed to the House Rules Committee. Fight for the Future has set up the ObamaDecides campaign opposing CISA. President Obama must sign the bill into law. CISA "will not do anything to prevent cyberattacks," said campaign director Evan Greer. It "gives companies an incentive to share data because they can then pass the buck to government when there's a problem." Google and Facebook "haven't done enough," she told the E-Commerce Times, and are "hiding behind their industry body." [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ [Richard Adhikari.jpg] Richard Adhikari has written about high-tech for leading industry publications since the 1990s and wonders where it's all leading to. Will implanted RFID chips in humans be the Mark of the Beast? Will nanotech solve our coming food crisis? Does Sturgeon's Law still hold true? You can connect with Richard on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by Richard Adhikari Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR RESOURCES CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. E-Commerce Times Headlines E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions Inside E-Commerce Times Cloud Computing * Cisco Aims to Pin Down Shadow IT * US Army Marches to the Cloud * The Cloud Complexity Challenge Enterprise IT * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * EFF Urges Revival of Human Rights Case Against Cisco Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Expert Advice * The Lego-ization of Software, or the Rise of Snap-On SaaS * Are Your Sales Tools Turning A-Performers Into B-Performers? * Customer Engagement in the Age of the Silent Traveler Hot Topics * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * China's Internet Tightrope Walk Marketing * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA * Zuckerberg Defends Downsized Internet for Developing World * CRM Predictions: Spotting the Critical Connections Mobile * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * iAd Shakeup May Be in the Works Security * Phishing Attack Could Net LastPass Credentials * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * Privacy as a Service Advocates Promise Better Data Protection SMB * Hats Off to Chapeau Linux's Better Fedora Concept * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof * Sage Live Launches on Salesforce AppExchange Social Media * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Foursquare Shifts Gears * Periscope's Live Streams Now Pop Up in Tweets Spotlight Features * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Creating Rules of War for Cyberspace * Going Big: Preparing to Grow Your E-Commerce Startup Trends * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * Legere Steps Back After Hurling F-Word at EFF * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In ECommerceTimes.com [240x40-ect.gif] Search ____________________ Privacy * Business + Boardroom + Deals + Service Providers + Tech Law + Wall Street * E-Commerce + Analytics + Entertainment + Marketing + Online Advertising + Piracy + Search * Enterprise IT + Applications + Cloud Computing + Government + Infrastructure * Mobile + BYOD + Carriers + M-Commerce + Mobile Advertising * Security + Consumer Security + Cybercrime + Enterprise Security + Privacy * SMB * Social Media + Social Media Marketing + Social Networks * Trends + Expert Advice + Hot Topics + Opinions + Trailblazers * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:55 PM PST E-Commerce Times > Security > Privacy | Next Article in Privacy Surveillance Rights and Wrongs, Part 1: Begging the Questions By Richard Adhikari Jan 3, 2014 5:00 AM PT The NSA's surveillance of Americans' emails, Web searches and phone calls has angered the nation, but lawmakers remain divided on the issue. Bipartisan groups have spoken out against the surveillance and a few have introduced legislation to curb it, but some contend it is essential to protect America from its enemies. Surveillance Rights and Wrongs, Part 1: Begging the Questions Americans are not hesitant about posting the most intimate details of their lives on the Web. In fact, the NSA would probably do better to drop its surveillance and just get the records of suspects from the Internet companies themselves, though those high-tech companies are now fighting it tooth and nail -- at least publicly. Certainly, that approach would save billions of taxpayer dollars. Recent developments seem to point to a shift away from the NSA. Are we going to see it reined in? Will there be stricter curbs on what the agency can do and how it does that? 'Common-Sense Reforms' On Dec. 17, U.S. Federal District Court Judge Richard Leon shook up the debate over the NSA's surveillance activities when he ruled that the agency's collection of telephone metadata is likely a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Then, on Dec. 19, the White House released a scathing review of the NSA's surveillance activities by a task force. On Dec. 20 President Obama indicated he might stop the NSA's collection and storage of Americans' phone records and have phone companies hold the data instead, although he defended the agency, saying he had seen no evidence that it acted inappropriately with the records. Taken together, these events might presage a change in the NSA's surveillance of Americans. "The government should always seek to protect the privacy and civil liberties of its citizens, as well as their safety," Jake Laperruque, a fellow on privacy, surveillance and security at the Center for Democracy and Technology, told the E-Commerce Times. "Ending bulk collection, closing the backdoor search loophole and enacting other common-sense reforms will better safeguard civil liberties without harming the government's ability to protect national security," Laperruque continued. Defending the Snoops President Obama last month reiterated claims that various restrictions, safeguards and audits ensure that the NSA and other intelligence agencies do not spy on Americans. Opponents of the NSA's spying programs might not agree. First, NSA officials have admitted to illegally collecting metadata about Americans' phone calls, including tracking cellphones worldwide. Second, the secretive FISA Court, which grants the NSA warrants for surveillance and is claimed by the Obama administration to be one of the checks on the agency's power, may have been talked up. It cannot investigate issues of noncompliance, its chief judge, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, told the Washington Post. The NSA's Activities Today The NSA spies on both Americans and our allies; has infected 50,000 networks worldwide with malware; placed secret servers code-named "Quantum" at key places on the Internet backbone as part of its so-called "Turmoil" system; runs programs such as Quantum and Foxacid to hack into people's browsers; runs the PRISM program to collect users' data; uses Google cookies to tap into people's PCs; and tracks 5 billion cellphone locations worldwide every day. Facebook hop distance As Facebook has grown, the number of "hops" separating any two people has decreased dramatically. Americans' communications with people abroad are prime targets, and the NSA has claimed that only people with links to suspects are its targets. However, the agency's "three hops" rule widens its net considerably. Here's how the three hops rule works: The first hop targets a suspect's direct friends and acquaintances -- including those on their social media page. The second targets friends of friends. The third goes for, yes, friends of friends of friends. That could lead to thousands of people being swept up into the NSA's surveillance net. Any two Facebook friends together know practically every one of the social network's approximately 1.3 billion other users, one study found. "With neither public debate nor court authorization, the NSA is automating guilt by association, on a global scale," Rebecca Jeschke, media relations director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the E-Commerce Times. Privacy activists and others opposed to the NSA's surveillance of Americans contend it has broken the law and has breached the Fourth Amendment. Judge Leon's ruling appears to bear them out, although he has stayed it pending appeal by the Obama administration. The Justice Department's response was to state the agency's telephone metadata collection program is constitutional. Police Gone Wild Local law enforcement agencies are also tracking citizens' cellphones. The latest weapon in their arsenal is the "Stingray" -- a device developed for spy agencies that captures cellphone traffic by simulating a cell tower. Sometimes, they ask for a "tower dump" -- all the cellphone traffic recorded during a specific period by a particular cell tower. Tower dumps are widespread, and at least 25 law enforcement agencies own a Stingray, a joint investigation by USA Today, 10 News and Gannett has found. Proudly Protecting Americans? Similarly, the NSA has claimed that its surveillance of Americans' phone calls has helped prevent 50 or so potential terrorist attacks, but it has not provided any proof. In fact, Judge Leon ruled that there is no evidence that surveillance of phone calls -- aimed at providing timely information on possible attacks -- does so. Still, terrorists are turning to mobile phones. For instance, the men who attacked the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in 2008 used cellphones and VoIP accounts to coordinate their activities. Then there's the Global Islamic Media Front, which has released encryption software for mobile phones running Android and Symbian. Governments have to keep their citizens safe, Avni Rambhia, digital media industry manager for Frost & Sullivan, told the E-Commerce Times. In a time when technology is fast dissolving national boundaries and enabling would-be criminals and terrorists to communicate rapidly and set up attacks at frenetic speed, can anyone definitively state that surveillance is entirely wrong? Above the Law? "I'm not sure if 'has the NSA broken the law?' is the right question to ask," Brian Pascal, a research fellow at UC Hastings College of the Law, told the E-Commerce Times. "To me, the question is, 'how effective has the oversight been?'" The FISA Court has found on multiple occasions that the NSA had misrepresented its activities to the court, and NSA officials have withheld the truth even in congressional hearings, Pascal pointed out. "General Alexander even said that no one within the NSA understood the entirety of the systems," he said. Despite this, the FISA Court has routinely reauthorized the NSA's surveillance, Pascal noted. "This means that, at least in the eyes of the FISC judges, the NSA's activities were 'legal.'" If no one understands the system, has it run amok? And in that case, why is the FISA Court reauthorizing surveillance warrants? Is it time the system was overhauled? The task force whose report was released last month suggests that's the case for both the FISA Court and the NSA. [end-enn.gif] Surveillance Rights and Wrongs, Part 2: No Clear Answers. __________________________________________________________________ [Richard Adhikari.jpg] Richard Adhikari has written about high-tech for leading industry publications since the 1990s and wonders where it's all leading to. Will implanted RFID chips in humans be the Mark of the Beast? Will nanotech solve our coming food crisis? Does Sturgeon's Law still hold true? __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by Richard Adhikari Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR RESOURCES CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. E-Commerce Times Headlines E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions Inside E-Commerce Times Cloud Computing * Cisco Aims to Pin Down Shadow IT * US Army Marches to the Cloud * The Cloud Complexity Challenge Enterprise IT * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * EFF Urges Revival of Human Rights Case Against Cisco Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Expert Advice * The Lego-ization of Software, or the Rise of Snap-On SaaS * Are Your Sales Tools Turning A-Performers Into B-Performers? * Customer Engagement in the Age of the Silent Traveler Hot Topics * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * China's Internet Tightrope Walk Marketing * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA * Zuckerberg Defends Downsized Internet for Developing World * CRM Predictions: Spotting the Critical Connections Mobile * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * iAd Shakeup May Be in the Works Security * Phishing Attack Could Net LastPass Credentials * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * Privacy as a Service Advocates Promise Better Data Protection SMB * Hats Off to Chapeau Linux's Better Fedora Concept * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof * Sage Live Launches on Salesforce AppExchange Social Media * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Foursquare Shifts Gears * Periscope's Live Streams Now Pop Up in Tweets Spotlight Features * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Creating Rules of War for Cyberspace * Going Big: Preparing to Grow Your E-Commerce Startup Trends * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * Legere Steps Back After Hurling F-Word at EFF * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quantcast #RSS Podcasts E-BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | CRM | LINUX | ECTNEWS.COM Welcome Guest | Sign In ECommerceTimes.com [240x40-ect.gif] Search ____________________ Government * Business + Boardroom + Deals + Service Providers + Tech Law + Wall Street * E-Commerce + Analytics + Entertainment + Marketing + Online Advertising + Piracy + Search * Enterprise IT + Applications + Cloud Computing + Government + Infrastructure * Mobile + BYOD + Carriers + M-Commerce + Mobile Advertising * Security + Consumer Security + Cybercrime + Enterprise Security + Privacy * SMB * Social Media + Social Media Marketing + Social Networks * Trends + Expert Advice + Hot Topics + Opinions + Trailblazers * Reader Services + Account Management + Discussion + News Alerts + Newsletters + Reader Surveys + RSS / XML Headline Feeds + Search ECT News Network + + ECT News Network Map o CRM Buyer Site Map o E-Commerce Times Site Map o LinuxInsider Site Map o TechNewsWorld Site Map * | * Software Buyers Guide January 22, 2016 01:14:59 PM PST E-Commerce Times > Enterprise IT > Government | Next Article in Government Writers Worldwide Chilled by Government Surveillance By John P. Mello Jr. Jan 6, 2015 6:46 AM PT Concern over government surveillance has been so heightened by confidential information leaked by former intelligence hand Edward Snowden that writers in free countries are as worried as those in autocratic nations, according to a report released Monday by the PEN American Center. Writers Worldwide Chilled by Government Surveillance Three-quarters of writers in countries classified as "free" by Freedom House told PEN researchers they were "worried" or "somewhat worried" by the level of surveillance in their countries. That compares to 80 percent in "not free" countries and 84 percent in "partly free" nations. Writers in free countries also are engaging in self-censorship as a result of surveillance fears, the report notes. For example, 34 percent of those writers said they avoided or considered avoiding writing or speaking on certain topics due to fear of government surveillance. "Even a moment's hesitation in writing or communication is poison for a liberal democracy," Sophia Cope, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the E-Commerce Times. Deep Chill Four out of 10 writers in free countries avoided or considered avoiding interactions on social media because they feared government snoops, the report also revealed. In addition, nearly a third of the writers in free countries (31 percent) said they steered clear of certain topics in personal phone conversations or email messages for fear of surveillance, while a quarter (26 percent) acknowledged they refrained or seriously considered refraining from running certain Internet searches or visiting specific websites because those searches or websites could be considered suspicious or controversial by their governments. The research shows just how deep the chill from government surveillance has penetrated democratic nations, observed Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Free Expression Project. "Writers weren't asked just about their reluctance in writing and speaking activities, but also social media, personal phone conversations and online searches for information," she told the E-Commerce Times. "This is where we really see just what a fundamental threat this sort of mass surveillance can pose," Llansó added. "If you have people who are just not just unwilling to speak but are feeling chilled from researching and thinking about controversial issues, then we can see how these mass surveillance programs are undermining democratic societies." Fallen Champion Revelations about mass surveillance by the U.S. government not only have put fear in the hearts of many writers, but also have harmed the reputation of the United States as a champion of free expression. In Western Europe, for example, close to half the writers (43 percent) said their native countries offered more protection of free expression than the United States, PEN researchers found. Even in "partly free" countries, a third of the writers (32 percent) felt their right to express themselves was protected locally better than it would have been by Uncle Sam. Those attitudes aren't likely to change soon, if ever. U.S. credibility as a champion of free expression "has been significantly damaged for the long term," six out of 10 writers Western European writers said. "I believe there's been permanent damage," said Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst with IT Harvest. "Sadly, there's no going back. We can't backpedal at this stage." However, the constraints writers are placing on themselves may not be entirely negative. "They're acting more realistically now than they did before," Stiennon told the E-Commerce Times. "If they acted more freely when they were ignorant of the surveillance, at least now they're being more cautious and more secure," he pointed out. Dose of Reality "This report demonstrates how much damage was done by the NSA's programs and by Snowden's revelations about those programs," Scott Borg, CEO and chief economist with the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, told the E-Commerce Times. However, the report is a bit misleading, he added. "Writers in democratic countries have very different standards for comparison with writers in not-free countries," Borg explained. "If you're not in a democratic country, you worry about a lot worse consequences from surveillance than you do if you live in one. The worries are not comparable." The report makes a number of recommendations: suspension of dragnet monitoring of domestic and international communications; suspension of wholesale collection of telecommunications and digital metadata; and stronger oversight over government surveillance programs. At question, though, is whether lawmakers will address what the NSA has wrought. "Whether or not there's a will, they're going to be forced to deal with the issue, because on June 1st, some of the provisions of the Patriot Act that authorize these surveillance programs are due to expire," Katy Glenn Bass, deputy director of Free Expression Programs at the PEN American Center, told the E-Commerce Times. Still, the prospects for immediate surveillance reform are dim, observed Co3 Systems CTO Bruce Schneier, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. "In 50 years, we will not spy on everybody," he told the E-Commerce Times, but "in the next five years, there won't be any change." [end-enn.gif] __________________________________________________________________ John Mello is a freelance technology writer and contributor to Chief Security Officer magazine. You can connect with him on Google+. __________________________________________________________________ [ccc-button.png] Get Permission to License or Reproduce this Article Print Email Reprints More by John P. Mello Jr. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_32x32.png] RSS [icon_mostpop_14x14roundcorner.png] Most Popular [icon_newsletter_16x12.png] Newsletters [icon_alert_14x14.png] News Alerts How do you rate YouTube vs. TV content? (*) TV is better -- YouTube's content doesn't compare. ( ) YouTube hands down -- it's original, while TV is stale. ( ) There's no comparison -- it's an apple vs. an orange. ( ) I watch and like plenty of both. ( ) With so many content choices, there's still very little that's good. ( ) I'm not tuned into either -- there are better things to do with my time! (BUTTON) Vote or See Results TechNewsWorld Facebook Opens Sports Stadium Brave Browser Promises to Defend Users' Privacy Chrome Browser to Blaze With Brotli GM Bug Program Gets Mixed Notices Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets SpaceX Finds Silver Lining in Failed Sea Landing Ukraine Mounts Investigation of Kiev Airport Cyberattack Reading, Writing and Minecraft? CRM Buyer Cloud Research Demandware Teams With eBay on Omnichannel E-Commerce Solution The Top 20 CRM Blogs of 2015: Part 1 Vendor of the Future FordPass Aims to Engage Customers on Their Terms Taxpayer Advocate Blasts IRS' Planned Customer Service Revamp Loyalty and Engagement Amazon UK Lets Customers Pay in Installments ECT News Network on Twitter Tweets about "TechNewsWorld" LinuxInsider Snap-Happy Trojan Targets Linux Servers Zero-Day Flaw Puts Millions of Linux Machines, Android Devices at Risk Deepin Takes Linux to New Depths OpenSSH Flaw Could Leak Crypto Keys Dronecode Project Gets More Wind Beneath Its Wings Black Duck Intros Container Scanning Solus Project's Virtues Begin and End With Stability Hack Lets PS4 Run Linux SPONSOR RESOURCES CRM Software Buyer's Guide This free buyer's guide compares the best CRM software systems and allows you to request a price or demo for the system that best fits your needs. Marketers - Fill Your Sales Funnel Instantly [sales-funnel_60x60.jpg] Access millions of IT and business decision makers. Our full-service global marketing program delivers sales-ready leads. Learn more. E-Commerce Times Headlines E-Commerce Times Consumer Advocates Push FCC on Broadband Privacy Rules Apple Stats Reflect Slow Slog Toward Diversification ESPN Boss Sees Significant Role for Sling TV Microsoft Cloud Rains Free Services on Nonprofits The Year of Connected and Self-Driving Cars Digital Ad Fraud Could Top $7 Billion in 2016 FTC Issues Regulatory Warning on Big Data Use Cook Slams Door on Backdoor Discussions Inside E-Commerce Times Cloud Computing * Cisco Aims to Pin Down Shadow IT * US Army Marches to the Cloud * The Cloud Complexity Challenge Enterprise IT * NASA Advances Mission to Protect Earth From Asteroids * Google's Self-Driving Cars Still Need Human Touch * EFF Urges Revival of Human Rights Case Against Cisco Exclusives * HP's Marten Mickos: Open Source Is Not a Business Model * Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source Projects * PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for Devs Expert Advice * The Lego-ization of Software, or the Rise of Snap-On SaaS * Are Your Sales Tools Turning A-Performers Into B-Performers? * Customer Engagement in the Age of the Silent Traveler Hot Topics * Uber Settles With New York AG After 'Playing God' With Data * China Levels Antitrust Allegations Against Microsoft * China's Internet Tightrope Walk Marketing * What the PC Industry Could Learn From the NRA * Zuckerberg Defends Downsized Internet for Developing World * CRM Predictions: Spotting the Critical Connections Mobile * In the Shadow of the Amazon Prime Juggernaut * IDC: There's Hope on the PC Horizon * iAd Shakeup May Be in the Works Security * Phishing Attack Could Net LastPass Credentials * Microsoft Prods Skylake Users to Take the Windows 10 Plunge * Privacy as a Service Advocates Promise Better Data Protection SMB * Hats Off to Chapeau Linux's Better Fedora Concept * Surprise Success: What to Do When Sales Go Through the Roof * Sage Live Launches on Salesforce AppExchange Social Media * WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model * Foursquare Shifts Gears * Periscope's Live Streams Now Pop Up in Tweets Spotlight Features * The Future of Deliveries Will Be Driverless * Creating Rules of War for Cyberspace * Going Big: Preparing to Grow Your E-Commerce Startup Trends * Gadget Ogling: Baring Souls, Soaking Up Sound, and Tracking Babes * Legere Steps Back After Hurling F-Word at EFF * Gadget Ogling: Fitbit's Smartwatch, Super Home Movies, and Flying Machines Publications * E-Commerce Times * TechNewsWorld * LinuxInsider * CRM Buyer ECT News Network Newsletters * E-Commerce Minute * Tech News Flash * ECT News Network Weekly * Editor's Pick * Subscribe Reader Services * Account Management * Discussion * Linking Policy * Network Map * News Alerts * RSS / XML Feeds * Search ECT News Network Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ [navicon-stumbleupon_20x20-gray.png] RSS Company Info * About * Advertising * Business Development * Careers * Contact * Permissions * Reprint Information Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How To Advertise Copyright 1998-2016 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quantcast