In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the effectiveness of Internet tracking opt-out tools, an embarrassing Google glitch for Mitt Romney, and a pro athlete’s (mildly) scandalous tweets.

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Usability Issues Make Opt-Out Tools Ineffective

Opt-out buttons and other tools designed to help people stop Internet tracking may not be effective according to a new study. Quoting the Wall Street Journal, “instead of helping consumers limit websites, advertisers and others from collecting information about their web browsing behavior, the Carnegie Mellon University study found that the tools were more likely to cause confusion and, at times, accomplish the opposite of what the user intended.”

Google Glitch Says “Romney Can’t Win” 2012 Election

Everyone knows that Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has a pretty bad Google problem, but it looks like Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has a Google issue of his own. According to CBS News, “when a Google user types the phrase ‘Romney can win’ into the search engine, its spell check function responds with the message, ‘Did you mean: Romney can’t win?’” The glitch is related to Google’s auotmatic spellcheck function, which the company says it is always improving.

New England Patriots Receiver Apologizes for Twitter Snapshots with Porn Star

New England Patriots Tightend Rob Gronkowski apologized to the Patriots organization recently after snapping a few photos for Twitter with an adult film star. In a statement Gronkowski said “I didn’t intend anything to hurt the reputation of anyone on the New England Patriots or on behalf of Robert Kraft.” Truthfully, the incident was pretty mild. The pictures weren’t inappropriate or explicit in anyway and the relationship didn’t extend beyond the snapshots. Nevertheless, the incident shows how pro athletes must always be mindful of their online reputations.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a new social start-up, why oversharing and privacy don’t go hand-in-hand, the ongoing investigation into Facebook’s alleged “shadow profiles,” and how one Austrian law student’s efforts to access his Facebook data have created international press coverage.

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Internet Start-up Wants to be the Anti-Facebook

A new Internet company hopes to take on Facebook and Google+ by painting the companies as corporate giants interested only in snatching user data. Quoting CNN, the website, called Upthink, hopes “to capitalize on frustrations with the social networking giant, not to mention some of the anti-corporate sentiment bubbling up on Wall Street and beyond.” The start-up is similar to Diaspora, a self-proclaimed privacy-centric alternative to Facebook that launched to much fanfare last year.

Choosing Between Twitter and Privacy

In an op-ed for NJ.com, Carl Golden writes that the way people overshare online is at odds with a society that desires personal privacy. Quoting the op-ed: “In the electronic communication world in which we live, nothing remains confidential for very long and only the foolhardy believe it is. A secret, as has been said, remains a secret only for as long as it takes one person to tell another. And, in the case of social media, once it’s exposed, it’s out there forever no matter how many times or how frantically someone hits the delete button.”

Privacy Groups Investigate Facebook’s Irish Offices

Fox News reports that “privacy watchdogs began an on-site investigation Tuesday of Facebook’s regional office in Ireland, following sensational accusations that the company is creating extensive ‘shadow profiles’ of non-users.” Facebook has denied the claims and is cooperating with the investigation.

Austrian Law Student Takes on Facebook Over Privacy

The AP has an interesting report on one Austrian law student’s efforts to show how much data Facebook collects and stores about users online. Quoting the article, “Max Schrems wasn’t sure what he would get when he asked Facebook to send him a record of his personal data from three years of using the site.  What the 24-year-old Austrian law student didn’t expect, though, was 1,222 pages of data on a CD. It included chats he had deleted more than a year ago, ‘pokes dating back to 2008, invitations to which he had never responded, let alone attended, and hundreds of other details.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the ECPA, Facebook privacy, and using Facebook for recruiting.

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Electronic Communications Privacy Act Turns 25

Twenty-five years ago Friday, President Reagan signed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act into law. Since then, the bill has remained relatively unchanged despite tremendous advances in digital technology. This article from Wired.com discusses the ECPA and how the language in the law allows police to access e-mail data without a warrant if its at least six months old. Moreover, because of the wording of the law, the ECPA allows access to any content in “the cloud” if it’s six months old via a government subpoena.

Thousands of Users Download Facebook Privacy App

A portion of Facebook users are becoming concerned about their privacy online and are turning to third-party apps to protect their information. According to the Daily Mail, “Facebook Disconnect – a browser extension which prevents Facebook ‘seeing’ which other sites you visit online – has been downloaded 152,000 times.  The software works in Google’s Chrome browser and automatically blocks web traffic between other sites and Facebook, so the social network can no longer ‘look at’ your browsing history.”

Facebook Glitch Sends Unwanted Friend Requests

Some Facebook users are complaining that a glitch in the site is sending out unwanted friend requests, but  the more likely scenario is that they downloaded a rogue Facebook app that is using their account to try and spread spam messages. This safety issue underlies why it’s important to only download trustworthy third-party apps.

Developers Use Facebook to Launch Networking and Recruiting Tools

This article from the Wall Street Journal discusses how independent developers are tapping into Facebook to build networking and recruiting tools. While Facebook hasn’t been a direct competitor with professional networking website LinkedIn, independent apps like BranchOut demonstrate how the site could become a powerful tool for recruiters looking to connect with the ideal job candidate. Conversely, there are privacy concerns among users who believe that their profiles shouldn’t be accessible to recruiters.

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Sean Parker Defends ‘Creepy’ Facebook

Sean Parker, the outspoken former president of Facebook made famous by Justin Timberlake in the film The Social Network, recently took to the stage of the Web 2.0 Summit to defend his old company’s lax attitude toward privacy. According to the Huffington Post, Parker said “there is good creepy and there’s bad creepy” and that “today’s creepy is tomorrow’s necessity.” The only problem Parker had with Facebook was that the company didn’t make it easy for “power users” to filter the massive amount of information on the site.

Facebook Isn’t Really Free

There’s a misconception that the because you don’t have to pay for it, Facebook is free. It isn’t. As Ira Winkler explains in a well-written Computerworld editorial, “Facebook is not free. While you don’t have to pay to join the site, you nonetheless give Facebook two things that are much more valuable: your time and your intellectual property. Facebook gives you access to its system for free because it is in Facebook’s interest that you spend time on the system and click links. So, what is your time worth?” As Facebook prepares for another large-scale profile redesign, that last question will certainly ring with users who have shown frustration with the site in the past.

Man’s Facebook Revenge Story Leads to Drug Arrest

A Chicago-area man was arrested on drug possession after police were called to his home to investigate kidnapping claims on Facebook. The man, who posted updates on Facebook talking about kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, claimed that it was a creative writing exercise, but one Facebook friend was concerned and alerted police. When they arrived, he granted them permission to search his house, where they found heroin, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Viral Website Creates Horror Movie with Your Personal Facebook Account

TV and music director Jason Zada recently launched a viral app on Facebook that challenges our perception of personal privacy. According to the New New York Times, “the mysterious site is called Take This Lollipop. After you give the site permission to connect to your Facebook account, it begins playing a video featuring a sweaty, twitchy man, sitting in a darkened room, using a computer to nose around Facebook. But he’s not browsing through just any random page — he’s looking at your account and getting increasingly agitated by what he’s seeing.“

Zada explains that the horror-themed project is intended to make people feel uncomfortable about sharing their personal data: “When you see your personal information in an environment where you normally wouldn’t, it creates a strong emotional response. It’s tied into the fears about privacy and personal info that we have now that we live online.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the infamous Hollywood hacker, why Facebook doesn’t have to give you all of your data, Verizon’s big privacy policy changes, and how a New Jersey teacher’s Facebook comments have started a mini-controversy in her school district.

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Man Accused of Hacking Into Celebrity Accounts Claims “Addiction” to Violating Privacy

The Florida man arrested for hacking into the e-mail accounts of Scarlet Johansson, Mila Kunis, and other celebrities has apologized for his actions, claiming that he knew what he was doing was wrong but that he couldn’t stop himself. According to the hacker, he “became addicted to seeing the behind-the-scenes of what’s going on with these people you see on the big screen every day.” If convicted of all charges, the hacker faces up to 121 years in prison.

Facebook Won’t Give Users Their Data to Protect “Trade Secrets”

In news that clearly demonstrates Facebook’s priorities when it comes to user data, the company recently revealed that international law protects it from having to give up all data about users, even if they request the data themselves. The news came out when users of the social sharing website Reddit flooded Facebook with data requests and the company was forced to reject the requests.

Verizon Now Sharing Location Data, Web Surfing Data, and More

The Los Angeles Times reports that “Verizon Wireless has made a change in its privacy policy that clears the nation’s largest wireless carrier to track its subscribers’ Web browsing, location and app usage habits.  The change in Verizon’s privacy policy covers all customers of the company by default, automatically opting-in subscribers, though they can opt out of this if they want.”

Teacher Sparks Controversy With Anti-Gay Facebook Remarks

A New Jersey teacher sparked a controversy after school administrators discovered anti-gay speech on her Facebook wall. The woman, who was expressing her religious beliefs regarding homosexuality, may face investigation over whether she violated the state’s Law Against Discrimination.

In today’s Quick Hits, some school teachers get in trouble for making fun of students online, the USPS is criticized over privacy issues, a mom wonders when bullying is really bullying, and the FBI makes an arrest in the case of the Hollywood hacker.

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School Apologizes Over Teacher Facebook Post Calling Students “Inbred”

A school in the U.K. was forced to offer an embarrassing apology to parents when several of its teachers were discovered referring to students as inbred during an online chat on Facebook. This isn’t the first time a school has faced criticism for its teachers remarks. Earlier this year, a first-grade teacher in New Jersey was suspended for calling students “future criminals.”

USPS Welcome Kit Raises Privacy Concerns

For years, the cash-strapped United States Postal Service has earned money by sending ads to individuals as part of its change of address welcome kit, but privacy advocates argue that the arrangement may be in violation of federal privacy laws. According to the Washington Times, “While these welcome kits may provide a targeted marketing opportunity for advertisers and much-needed revenue for the USPS, federal agencies aren’t allowed to sell or rent personal information such as names and addresses under the federal Privacy Act.” The USPS has defended the partnership and claims that it’s doing nothing illegal.

The Difficulty of Identifying Bullying

In this article for TIME, Bonnie Rochman talks about bullying and why it can be hard for parents to identify if their child is being bullied or is a bully themselves due to changing definitions of the act. Rochman also discusses research into anti-bullying techniques and how children naturally form antipathetic relationships with some of their peers.

Man Arrested for Scarlett Johansson Nude Photo Leak and Other Hollywood Hacks

A Florida man has been arrested for hacking into the e-mail, cell phones, and social media accounts of Scarlett Johansson and other notable celebrities. According to the AP report, “the FBI announced that it had made an out-of-state arrest Wednesday morning in a year-long investigation of celebrity hacking that was dubbed Operation Hackerazzi.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about data collection online, Facebook’s desire for younger users, an annoying Spotify bug, and concerns over frictionless sharing online.

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Stanford Report Reveals Widespread Data Sharing on Popular Websites

A new report from the Stanford Center for Internet and Society reveals just how rampant data collection is online and how difficult it is for individuals to protect their information while browsing the Web. According to PCMag, “researchers created an account and interacted with 185 Web sites that offered a sign up, did not require a purchase, and had limited features so as to be practical for the study. They were able to identify a username or user ID leaked to a third party on 113 of those Web sites. The top five sites that received the data were: comScore, Google Analytics, Quantcast, Google’s DoubleClick, and Facebook.” The way that this leaked information can be used to create a detailed profile of individuals is worrying to government regulators who are considering enacting a “Do Not Track” law to protect personal privacy online.

Why Facebook Wants Kids as Users

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Emily Bazelon explains why Facebook wants to amend the federal Child Online Privacy Protection Act to make it easier for kids under the age of 13 to join the site, writing that “Facebook has tripled its spending on lobbying, formed a political action committee and hired former Bush and Obama officials to push for its agenda.” Despite the company’s efforts, however, it appears that new child privacy legislation may be on the horizon with Congress considering a proposal that “would bar Web sites outright from using kids’ data to target ads to them until they are 17.”

Spotify Bug Keeps Sharing Data After Users Opt-Out

Spotify angered fans recently when it forced users to sign-in through Facebook with the social sharing option enabled by default. Spotify quickly backtracked and added a private listening option, but the company missed an important bug, which caused users to continue to sharing music even after opting out. According to ZDNet, “Apparently, the Spotify app disregarded users having disconnected their Facebook accounts, and logged them back in the next time they loaded the app. As a result, users who explicitly said they no longer wanted to share their music listening activity with their Facebook friends may have continued to share songs on the social network.”

Frictionless Facebook Sharing Concerns Privacy Groups

This article from The Hill discusses how privacy groups and some congressional leaders are concerned over Facebook’s recently announced “frictionless sharing” feature. Quoting the article, Facebook “points out that users still have complete control over which applications share their data and who has access to different types of profile information…but privacy advocates respond that the controls are either too complex or wrongly make public sharing the default option.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we follow up on a three-year old Facebook firing, consider social media and politics, discuss Facebook profiles and college admissions, and ponder the privacy implications of the growing “cyberarms” race.

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Court Rules Against Teacher Fired for Facebook Photos

A former Georgia schoolteacher who was fired three years ago after an anonymous parent complained about a photo on her Facebook profile recently faced a setback in her lawsuit against the school district. The teacher had filed a lawsuit asking for her job to be reinstated, but that claim was rejected because of technical issues related to when her teaching contract expired. Her attorney still is working on winning monetary damages in the case, arguing that the teacher was not informed of her rights at the time of the incident.

Social Media Companies Get Involved in Political Campaigns

Big social media companies like Twitter and Facebook are becoming more and more involved in hosting political events and debates, demonstrating a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back” savvy that may help them when the issue of privacy legislation. As the AP explains, “social media giants like Facebook and Google are hosting debates and sponsoring presidential town halls. They remain indispensable tools for candidates looking to connect with voters. The companies get great public exposure for their attachment to the presidential campaign. It also helps their business interests by nurturing relationships with political leaders.”

7 Tips for Cleaning Up Facebook Profile for College Admissions

This article from Huffington Post’s new High School section talks about how college admissions officers are using Facebook to screen applicants and shares advice on how high school students can clean up their profiles to make a good impression. As one teen in the article explains, “I treat my profile as a way for college admissions officers to get to know me outside of my academic accomplishments.”

Online Privacy and Cyber Warfare

This article from the Financial Times discusses how the “cyberarms race” between world powers may end up forcing personal privacy protections to disappear. Quoting the article, “an internet increasingly policed by intelligence agencies will be reshaped to fit country borders, says Peter Dombrowski, of the Naval War College in the US. Nations fearing attack will find ways to inspect electronic traffic just as they do people.”

In today’s Quick Hits, thoughts on Facebook’s power, teen online privacy, and why taking steps to protect yourself from junk e-mail can end up causing you to miss out on important privacy notices.

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Phone Thief Accidentally Uploads Picture of Himself to Victim’s Facebook Page

A thief may have unwittingly outed himself when he snapped a picture using a stolen mobile phone. According to ABC News, “police in Henry County, Ga., said they now believe the thief grabbed [the victim's] cellphone, took a picture of himself and unwittingly uploaded it to her Facebook page, which automatically synced with her phone.” In this case, the woman’s predilection for sharing all of her cell phone photos online (something that we might usually recommend against) may have actually helped her.

Op-Ed: Facebook’s Power Should Worry Us All

In an op-ed for the National Times, Julian Lee writes that Facebook’s power is “unsettling,” saying “if Facebook was a government agency, its power would be as undisputed as it would be frightening.” Lee’s incisive commentary points out that legal protections lag far behind technology and that Web companies like Facebook have a practically unchecked ability to enact new privacy-invasive features with little fear of punishment. At the end of his piece, Lee touches on the idea that “free” Internet service aren’t really free saying, “it’s the price we pay for such free services, the Faustian pact into which we have entered in order to survive in an age of constant connectivity where the tentacles of Facebook — with its ambition to be the “identity platform” — are extending to every corner of the internet.”

How News Outlets Rank in Privacy Protection for “Frictionless Sharing”

With its new “Frictionless Sharing” feature, Facebook has teamed up with third-party websites to stream a user’s Web habits directly to his or her profile. This feature, which is unnerving to many privacy advocates, is already in place with many news websites. But not all news organizations give users the same level of privacy protection. This article from Inside Facebook discusses all of the third-party news organizations using frictionless sharing and rates them according to how much control they offer users over sharing.

How Privacy Measures Can Impact E-Mail Disclosures About Personal Privacy

In its bid to buy a massive list of e-mail addresses from bankrupt book chain Borders, Barnes & Noble was forced to send an e-mail to Borders’ customers giving them 15 days to opt out of sharing information with the new company. Ironically, as Forbes’ Kashmir Hill explains, this disclosure e-mail might not make it to all customers if they’ve taken certain steps to protect their privacy. Hill writes that “most folks who signed up for Borders accounts, or any company account, usually hand over their ‘junk e-mail address.’”

Because these aren’t the accounts people usually check (in order to keep them from massive amounts of spam), they might miss the notice. Similarly, Hill notes that because she had unsubscribed from Borders e-mail list long ago: “I was unsubscribed from a future email that would tell me that my data would be sold to another company.” In both of these cases, the company isn’t legally in the wrong, but the user still doesn’t get the disclosure, demonstrating the complexity of online privacy protections.

Survey Reveals Kids Have Awareness of Online Privacy

In this video interview with CBS News, Yahoo! Web Life Editor Heather Cabot talks about a new survey that shows kids are much savvier about online privacy than parents give them credit for, while also offering advice about “how parents can drive home the message home about the importance of online privacy.”

In today’s Quick Hits, Facebook is hit with a lawsuit, Google adds some privacy features to Google+, and Barnes & Noble tries to swoop in on Borders’ customer base.

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Kansas Man Seeks Class-Action Lawsuit Against Facebook Over Tracking Cookies

A Kansas man recently filed a lawsuit against Facebook alleging that the company violated federal wiretap laws by tracking browsing data on users after they logged off the service. As ABC News explains, however, the litigation may be unsuccessful because it is difficult to prove harm in these kinds of cases. Quoting the article, “Experts say the Kansas litigation faces an uphill battle since courts in the past have tossed out similar cases against Facebook and others filed under wiretap law, finding such computer cookies are not wiretaps. In those cases that do end up being litigated the plaintiffs typically lose because they cannot prove any harm.”

There is a movement among some privacy activists to reframe what constitutes “privacy harm” in a legal sense. Stanford’s Ryan Calo has been a leading voice in the debate over the meaning of privacy harm and was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the subject last year.

Dad “Stalks” Journalist Daughter on Twitter