In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the Commerce Department’s new privacy report, Facebook’s facial recognition technology, and the tech year in review.
Weeks after the FTC made its recommendation for a “Do Not Track” system for consumers to opt out of Internet advertising, the Commerce Department has released a preliminary report calling for a “privacy bill of rights” and the creation of a privacy policy office that would coordinate U.S. privacy issues globally. The final report is expected next year and will include more legislative recommendations.
If there’s an untagged photo of you on Facebook, don’t be surprised if you get a tag request in the coming weeks. According to Facebook’s blog, via the LA Times, “The software matches faces in newly posted photos to those in previously tagged pictures and suggests the names of friends pictured in the new photo.” You can stop your name from appearing in tag suggestions by disabling the suggested tag feature in your privacy settings. In your privacy settings, click “Customize Settings” and then deselect “Suggest photos of me to friends.”
The election season is over, but that doesn’t mean politicians have stopped using Facebook to connect with their constituents. This article from ABC News goes in depth into how several politicians use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media tools to connect with voters and get feedback on legislative decisions.
In another article for CNN’s “End of Privacy” series, John D. Sutter takes a look at 10 reasons why not having any privacy online might actually be a good thing. The value of Sutter’s 10 choices is debatable, but it’s an interesting perspective on an issue of growing importance.
For its 2010 Year in Review article, CNET takes a look at the growth of Google and Facebook, along with several other notable tech companies throughout the year. The piece also examines the rise of location-based social networking services and touches on some privacy-related tech developments from the year.
In today’s Quick Hits, Mark Zuckerberg is Time’s newly crowned Person of the Year, Katie Couric talks about Internet privacy, and we ponder the connection between social communities of the 1980s and today.
Mark Zuckerberg has been named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2010. Time’s sprawling 10 page profile of Zuckerberg offers a number of intriguing insights into the Facebook CEO’s life before and after developing the world’s largest social network. A mini war is brewing in the comments of the Time magazine piece excoriating the magazine for not selecting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. One wonders if Time won’t be the next target for an anonymous hacker attack.
In an article for CNN’s “End of Privacy” series, Doug Gross explores perceptions of social media privacy among members of Generation Y. In his article, Gross cites Pew research that shows concern over privacy online has dropped in the last half-decade. The drop is not because users aren’t aware of the risks, however, but rather because social media users, particularly those who grew up with the Internet, are more skilled at managing their privacy controls. Gross writes that the cliche of a college student sharing party pictures online for the whole world to see may be fading away.
In a very interesting article for BBC, Rory Cellan-Jones writes about the history of social networking and how some of the same things that make Facebook successful today were also inherent to previous iterations of social networking websites. Specifically, Cellan-Jones explores the development of Friendster in the early 2000s and the Whole Earth Catalogue, an online community formed in the 1980s. In each of these web communities, an emphasis was placed on using real names and maintaining authentic identities, something which has helped shape the Internet as it is today.
In a special for Yahoo News, Yahoo contributor Jennie Lee Williams discusses seven common ways that Facebook users ruin their relationships on the social networking site and annoy other users in the process. Cataloging the worst offenders by names such as “The Pusher” and “The Autobiographer,” Williams talks about some Facebook styles that we’ve all seen and probably been bothered by in the past.
In a special segment of his popular (R)evolution video series, social media expert Brian Solis talks about the Internet with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric. Over the course of the segment, Couric and Solis talk about Internet privacy, cyberbullying, and other timely issues.
In today’s Quick Hits, we follow up on CNN’s “End of Privacy” series, talk about Facebook’s “Hate and Harassment” team, and discuss possible new privacy legislation.
Facebook has over 500 million users worldwide. That’s a lot of individuals to monitor, and a lot of pressure for the company’s “Hate and Harassment” team. This article in the New York Times offers an intriguing look into the small group of individuals tasked with monitoring the site for content that violates the company’s Terms of Service. The article is framed around the ongoing Wikileaks saga, discussing Facebook’s decision to shut down Facebook accounts of hackers who use hateful language in support of Wikileaks while simultaneously allowing the official Wikileaks pages to operate (despite pressure from the government).
In an article for CNN’s ongoing “End of Privacy” series, Mark Millian discusses how the sheer volume of information shared online via social media has made products that sort the data (such as Twitter) very valuable. Millian talks about the “Signal to Noise” ratio of unfiltered online content, explaining how the companies that organize the information best will be the ones that find the most success.
In an article for Forbes’ Work in Progress blog, Susan Gunelius discusses 10 ways that job seekers can build their online reputation to aid them in their job hunt. Gunelius’ practical advice includes recommendations to monitor your name online, engage in intelligent conversation with other industry peers, and to offer an authentic look at your professional and personal brand.
Sen. John Kerry is the latest D.C. politician to enter the privacy debate. This article from the Hunton & Williams Privacy Blog discusses the bill in detail. At its core, Kerry’s bill focuses on three non-negotiable rights for Internet users: “(1) all firms must put procedures in place to secure personally identifiable information; (2) consumers have a right to know in clear and concise terms what firms intend to collect, why and how it will be used; and (3) consumers should be given a simple mechanism for opting out of the process.” A simple mechanism for opt-out is not preferable to allowing users to opt-in, but it may be the best that any legislation will offer.
In an interesting article for the Forbes’ Marketing Revolution blog, Lisa Arthur writes that the FTC’s investigation into Internet advertising and privacy issues should teach marketers two valuable things: that “consumers want a personalized, relevant digital experience” and that “they want to use digital channels on their terms.” Arthur goes on to say that consumers will always find a way to block out ads, which is why “[marketers] simply must make our brand messages relevant –or else they will be ignored.”
The Australian newspaper The Age has an interesting discussion on Internet privacy legislation, featuring insights from four different specialists in the area. Hearing differing and concurring opinions from a lawyer, a privacy activist, a privacy consultant, and a newspaper editor is an interesting way of exploring the issue.
Throughout 2010, media pundits, technology experts, and legal scholars declared that we had reached the “End of Privacy.” It’s easy to see why when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declares that privacy is no longer a “social norm” or Google CEO Eric Schmidt jokes that teenagers may have to change their name when they get older to escape their digital past.
Here at Reputation.com, we haven’t been wrapped up in whether privacy is “dead” or “dying,” but rather what steps regular men and women can take to protect their personal privacy online. Instead of lamenting the way that people-search companies are scooping up sensitive information and selling it to the highest bidder, we’ve focused on delivering solutions that opt you out of search databases and give you control over your personal data.
To this end, Reputation.com recently lent its expertise on Internet privacy and reputation management to CNN for the cable network’s new “End of Privacy” series. In a special segment for CNNMoney, Reputation.com CEO Michael Fertik paired with CNN’s Poppy Harlow to explore just how much data is available about each of us online. Using just Harlow’s name and e-mail address, Reputation.com uncovered a wide range of personal information about the CNNMoney anchor, surprising even her. Check out the full segment below.
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Keep checking back to CNN for more article on the “End of Privacy” this week, and follow along with the “End of Privacy” conversation on Twitter by checking out the #endofprivacy hashtag.
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about why the Facebook User ID is important to Internet marketers, how Google is still in hot water over its Wi-Fi snooping scandal, and CNN’s new series on the “End of Privacy.”
On Friday, Connecticut Attorney General (and Senator-Elect) Richard Blumenthal issued a civil investigative demand to force Google to reveal the e-mails and other Wi-Fi data the company collected accidentally via its Street View cars. Blumenthal launched his investigation into Google several months ago, but that the company has not “continued to cooperate” to his satisfaction, which is why he issued the civil investigative demand.
Google, always working to tweak and improve its search engine, recently came out with a new set of search filters allowing users to find results based on their reading level. Google separates the reading levels into basic, intermediate, and advanced. A highly technical website would be filtered into the advanced category, whereas a newspaper website might range from basic to intermediate. Among other reasons, Google made this change to help teachers find age-appropriate material for their classrooms.
When paired with a verified e-mail address, an individual’s Facebook User ID (UID) can unlock massive amounts of data for Internet marketers and people-search databases. This article from CNNMoney’s David Goldberg explores the importance of a UID and how there is an arms race between data miners seeking to get access to the stockpile of personal information on Facebook.
In this Chicago Sun-Times article, a woman recounts how she met up with an old high school crush during a reunion, started a relationship, and then ended it when the guy got too clingy on Facebook…but not before the man contacted her other Facebook friends, made public posts about their relationship, and visited her brother in person. Eventually, the woman had to contact the police for fear of her safety. CNN Begins “End of Privacy” Series
In its first article in a new series called “End of Privacy,” CNN Tech reporter John D. Sutter discusses how Internet users are sharing more information online than ever before, from personal phone numbers to credit card purchases. Using a free-sharing 33 year-old California man as an example, the article shows just how much data people share on the Web, and the potential dangers that oversharing can bring. The article also touches on some of the ways individuals seek to protect their privacy online, as well as thoughts from tech leaders on whether or not the “End of Privacy” is near.
A Florida man has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of extortion and video voyeurism in connection with a series of cyberstalking instances in which he pressured sorority pledges to send explicit photos and more while pretending to be an older sorority sister. The man is suspected of harassing women at several universities. The case was profiled in major media outlets in recent weeks.
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