Entries from May 2011 ↓
May 9th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Internet Safety, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Quick Hits, Twitter | Rob Frappier
In today’s abbreviated Quick Hits, we talk about Google’s possible redesign for search, share some interesting new stats on kids and social media, and discuss the inefficacy of the U.K. “super-injunction.”
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Despite unprecedented growth from Facebook and other social media websites, Google is still the king when it comes to accessing information on the Internet. And one way the company intends to stay on top is by keeping things fresh. This article from Mashable offers details of Google’s most recent redesign, which it is currently testing with a small set of users. The new look offers more space between search results and divides them with a thin dotted line.
A new Reuters article reveals that, “despite age restrictions on some social media sites, the number of U.S. parents who would allow children 10-12 years old to have a Facebook or MySpace account has doubled in a year,” according to Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project. The percentage of parents was still small — only 17% — but it is more than double the 8% from the previous year’s survey. A clinical psychiatrist quoted in the article describes the change as a “sign of the times,” which, however true, does not mean that it is okay for children to surf the social web with no supervision or education.
In the U.K., if you have enough money, you can keep certain information out of the news via a “super-injunction.” However, these super-injunctions, which have been used by celebrities and business moguls to keep certain embarrassing elements of their private life from the media, are increasingly useless thanks to the prevalence of Twitter and other social media websites. This article from BusinessWeek discusses some of the legal hurdles that U.K. citizens face in having their super-injunction enforced in the age of the social web.
May 6th, 2011 | CyberBullying, Facebook, Google, Internet Safety, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a new piece of privacy legislation, why cyberbullying is an international problem, and how Facebook is surging in display advertising.
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As if there was ever any doubt that Facebook has become a powerhouse in online advertising, the San Jose Mercury News reports that Facebook received “nearly one-third of Internet display ad views during the first quarter of 2011.” Some industry experts see parallels between Facebook’s current growth and Google’s growth when Internet search was first taking off.
In this article for CNN International, Catherine E. Shoichet writes about how online bullying is a worldwide problem for teens and children. In her report, Shoichet discusses how France’s Education Minister has “announced plans to combat bullying by shutting down Facebook accounts of students who harass their classmates.” She also discusses how government officials are targeting bullying in other countries, including Mexico and Brazil.
According to the Washington Post’s Cecilia Kang, “Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va) on Friday said he will introduce a “do not track” bill that would allow consumers to block Web sites and marketers from tracking their activity on the Internet.” The bill, which comes on the heels of the Sony PLaystation Network breach and concern over location data snooping by Apple and Google, is not tied to any other bill in Congress, including the McCain-Kerry Internet privacy bill. Kang also notes that there is another Do Not Track bill in Congress, sponsored by Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass) and Joe Barton (R-Tex.), but that it is aimed for protecting children.
Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart recently expressed concern that Canadian citizens are not well-informed about how they are being tracked online nor are they giving explicit consent, saying, “We have some serious concerns about online tracking, profiling and targeting – and the fact that many Canadians don’t know what’s happening behind their computer screens, let alone agree to it.” In a report, Stoddart’s office also calls attention to the growth of cloud computing, asking for strong protections for data stored in the cloud.
Following widespread reports that Apple and Google mobile devices are tracking user location data, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) has convened a Senate committee hearing to investigate claims of invasion of privacy. According to TUAW, tech executives from numerous major companies will be in attendance, including “Apple’s VP of software technology, Guy L. “Bud” Tribble,” as well as “Google’s VP of public policy.”
May 5th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Internet Safety, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Quick Hits | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we share an article on cyberbullying, talk about Silicon Valley lobbying, and offer some advice on crafting the perfect password.
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This article in the Vancouver Sun discusses the growing danger of cyberbullying and how online harassment is far more pernicious than traditional bullying because of its 24/7 nature. Additionally, cyberbullying is more severe because the digital device, whether it’s a computer or cell phone, offers a disconnect between the attacker and the victim. The article also features tips on how parents can spot cyberbullying and help their children get through it.
According to CNN Money, “Silicon Valley has become a force to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill, spending more than $100 million on lobbying and tens of millions on campaign contributions.” This spending comes in response to a wide range of issues, but for many tech companies, such as Facebook and Google, lobbying dollars are spent on data privacy issues. Currently, there are multiple bills floating through Congress that would significantly impact online tracking and data collection.
Europe has long been ahead of the game when it comes to consumer privacy protections, offering stronger data privacy laws and pushing companies for greater transparency. This article in the New York Times explains how Europe is setting the rules on privacy issues, and also discusses a new proposal by Viviane Reding, the European justice commissioner, that would extend “unionwide rules about breaches of privacy to online banking, video games, shopping and social media.”
In an interesting and thoughtful article for the Huffington Post, Zachary Stockill writes that the way we share information on Facebook is detracting from our ability to form strong relationships in the real world. Stockill argues that the superficial way in which Facebook users share information with strangers devalues the meaning of the word friend and portends a day when true relationships dissolve in favor of virtual relationships.
Internet users are often told to change their passwords frequently, but few actually take the time to come up with a unique and uncrackable password. This article from Computerworld offers some password tips that can help people come up with strong passwords without losing their minds.
May 4th, 2011 | Facebook, Internet Safety, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about augmented reality smartphone apps, why Facebook can be risky for teachers, and Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart’s efforts to protect consumer privacy.
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This article in the Wall Street Journal discusses the growing trend in “Augmented Reality” applications for smartphones. AR apps use sophisticated technology to add information to a live streaming image. For instance, you could point your smartphone camera at a business and see its online reviews, or you could point it at your friend and see a link to their Facebook profile. Facial recognition technology and AR apps are closely related, raising privacy concerns for individuals who don’t necessarily want to be recognized on the street. Advanced AR ads are also a privacy concern.
Mike Welsh the outgoing president of the UK-based National Association of Head Teachers, calls Facebook a “danger” to teachers in this article for the BBC, offering “examples of social networking sites being used maliciously to abuse or denigrate teachers.” The article describes how students, and others, can use Facebook to abuse teachers by impersonation or bullying. According to the article, “the NAHT claims that one in five head teachers have suffered abuse on social networking sites such as Facebook.”
This article by Seb Janacek in Silicon.com’s Apple Talk column explains why concern over the storage of user location data via Apple devices matters, both from a consumer privacy perspective and from a corporate reputation perspective. Specifically, Janacek argues that Apple’s response to the location privacy concerns has been inconsistent with the company’s previous pro-privacy statements.
Canadian privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, one of the world’s staunchest consumer privacy advocates, has spoken out about the massive Playstation Network hack, saying she was “very disappointed” that Sony didn’t notify her office of the breach. Stoddart also called on Canadian legislators to “empower the Office of Canada’s Privacy Commissioner to impose substantial fines against major corporations that fail to adequately protect Canadians’ personal information from preventable breaches,” according to the Vancouver Sun. One reason many experts believe companies don’t take adequate steps to protect consumers is because there are no consequences for their actions.
May 3rd, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Privacy, Quick Hits | Rob Frappier
This edition of our daily Quick Hits has more legal drama than an episode of Law & Order. Today, we share news on lawsuits against Facebook and Google, as well as news about a raid on Google’s South Korean offices.
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Facebook’s Social Ads product works by showing the names of a Facebook user’s friends who have “liked” the product or service being advertised, thereby giving the advertisement a level of social approval. But a new lawsuit filed in federal court charges that Social Ads improperly used the “names or likenesses” of Facebook users under the age of 18 “without the consent of their parent or guardian.” According to Bloomberg, “the suit invokes the New York Civil Rights Law, which prevents using a person’s picture for advertising purposes without that person’s permission.” Facebook has yet to respond to the complaint.
Men and women need to be careful about what they share on Facebook, particularly if they’re going through a divorce. This article in the New York Daily News talks about some of the ways that Facebook status updates and messages have swung court cases in favor of the man or the woman and features insight from a Florida divorce attorney who says sits like Facebook have “made her job a million times easier”
Ask two parents whether or not it’s okay to post images of your children online and you’re likely to get two very different answers. This article from CNN asks the question, “What are the rules when it comes to posting images of our kids online?” After hearing input from parents and experts, Lee Rose Emery concludes her op-ed by saying, “But, if our responsibility as parents is to protect our kids, then we need to be conscious of the fact that the Web is a public forum. We need to remember that like innocence lost, once you post it, you can never get it back.”
Consumerist reports that Google, like Apple, has been sued over claims that the company tracked data on users via a hidden file in its Android mobile devices. The lawsuit is a big one, asking for $50 million in damages and demanding that Google stop location tracking.
In other Google news, South Korean cops raided the offices of the company’s Seoul offices as part of an investigation into whether or not Google illegally gathered private location data on users via its Android devices. According to the International Business Times, “Head of the police cyber crime unit, Chang Byuk-Duk, told the Agence-France Presse that the police were sent to the company’s offices to secure evidence related to the AdMob platform”
