online privacy

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Google to Destroy 'Unprecedented' Amount of Data

Move is part of settlement in Incognito case

(Newser) - Google is going to destroy what a lawyer calls an "unprecedented" amount of data as part of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit over its "Incognito" mode. According to a Monday court filing, the company will "delete and/or remediate billions of data records that reflect class members'...

Users Rail on Glassdoor for 'Breach of Trust'

Company review site seems to have attached real names to profiles without consent

(Newser) - Glassdoor was recently named one of the most innovative companies in the nation by Fast Company , but some users aren't too pleased these days with the employer review site. "Time to delete your Glassdoor account," one software professional named Monica wrote in a recent blog post, upset...

You May Get a Specific Google Pop-Up Starting Thursday
Google Launches Plan
to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies
the rundown
Jan 4, 2024 1:07 PM CST

Google Launches Plan to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies

Initiative to eliminate third-party trackers online begins with test of 1% of Chrome users

(Newser) - If you're a Chrome user who gets a pop-up from Google on Thursday, it's likely a sign that you're part of the first phase of the company's plan to eliminate cookies—the much-reviled tech gizmos that track your online activity and direct targeted ads your way....

Google to Settle Lawsuit Over Claims It Tracks People in 'Incognito' Mode

Plaintiffs argued Google continued to track users who thought they were browsing privately

(Newser) - Google will settle the class-action lawsuit, filed in 2020, accusing the tech giant of tracking users even when they were using "incognito" mode on their Chrome web browsers, the AP reports. Plaintiffs argued Google had amassed an "unaccountable trove of information" on users who were misled into believing...

Irish Regulator Hits TikTok With $367M Fine

Watchdog says social media app violated EU law on handling of children's data

(Newser) - Irish eyes are not smiling on how TikTok handled children's data in the second half of 2020. After reviewing the company's procedures during that period, Ireland's data watchdog fined the social media company $367 million for breaking European Union law and issued a reprimand, the Guardian reports....

Amazon Fined $25M in Child Privacy Case

Company also has to pay refunds over Ring privacy issues

(Newser) - Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids' voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. Separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million...

EU's Fine Against Amazon Was Huge. Meta's Is Even Bigger

Facebook parent hit with record $1.3B penalty in longtime privacy case over US cybersnooping fears

(Newser) - The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday and ordered it to stop transferring user data across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decade-long case sparked by US cybersnooping fears. The penalty fine of 1.2 billion euros from Ireland's...

Women Buying Abortion Pills Online Have Another Worry

ProPublica finds that pharmacies are sharing data that could wind up in hands of prosecutors

(Newser) - Third-party trackers are a common nuisance for anyone who buys something online. But a ProPublica investigation has found that women who buy abortion pills on the internet face the possibility of more than a nuisance—they might get prosecuted. The outlet discovered that at least nine online pharmacies that sell...

Security, Compliance Executives Quit Twitter

FTC warns company, which risks violating consent decree

(Newser) - Federal regulators expressed alarm Thursday after several privacy and security executives resigned from Twitter. Those leaving include the chief information security officer, chief privacy officer, and chief compliance officer, the Washington Post reports. The news was met with a warning from the Federal Trade Commission, which said it could take...

Warning Puts a Damper on Lawmakers' Use of TikTok

Memo from chamber's Chief Administrative Office warns against app due to privacy, security concerns

(Newser) - Even members of the US House of Representatives and their staff like to catch the latest viral dance video on TikTok, but a new warning from the chamber's Chief Administrative Office may have them rethinking using the popular social-media app. "We do not recommend the download or use...

IRS Outsources Online Security to Private Company

Video selfies will be required for some online functions by this summer

(Newser) - The bane of some people’s existence, the Internal Revenue Service, is about to make life a little harder this summer. American taxpayers will be unable to perform most functions at IRS.gov without providing a video selfie to a private identity verification company, CNBC reports. Do not panic yet—...

Priest Case Shows 'Weaponization' of App Data Is Here
Priest Case Shows
'Weaponization'
of App Data Is Here
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 22, 2021 12:25 PM CDT

Priest Case Shows 'Weaponization' of App Data Is Here

Supposedly 'anonymous' data exposed his use of gay dating app

(Newser) - A Catholic priest resigned from a top role at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops this week after a news site exposed his alleged use of the Grindr gay hookup app—but Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill isn't the only person in the US with secrets to hide, and analysts say...

Facebook Plans Workaround on Instagram's Age Minimum

Criticism meets internal announcement about allowing users under 13

(Newser) - Two days after saying it needs to do better at protecting its youngest customers, Facebook has said in an internal post that it's developing an Instagram app that would add users under age 13. Federal privacy regulations don't allow children younger than 13 to use the app as...

Woman Must Delete Photos of Grandchildren on Facebook
Woman Must
Delete Photos
of Grandchildren
on Facebook
in case you missed it
May 24, 2020 10:13 AM CDT

Woman Must Delete Photos of Grandchildren on Facebook

Court in Netherlands rules GDPR covers case

(Newser) - A Dutch court has interpreted the General Data Protection Regulation to cover a woman's posting of photos of her grandchildren on Facebook. That means, in this case, she has to take the photos down, the BBC reports, because she lacks the parents' permission to post them. After a rift...

Zoom Hid Security Flaws: Shareholder

Class-action lawsuit also claims unauthorized disclosure of personal info

(Newser) - Shares in videoconferencing app Zoom hit record highs at the end of last month as COVID-19 forced people to work and socialize from home. Then came the drop, coinciding with concerns about " zoombombing " and other security and privacy issues. Another drop in stock price came Tuesday, with shares...

Working From Home During Virus? Beware of 'Zoombombs'
Working From Home During
Virus? Beware of 'Zoombombs'
THE RUNDOWN
Apr 1, 2020 12:27 PM CDT

Working From Home During Virus? Beware of 'Zoombombs'

FBI warns that hackers are 'hijacking' videoconferencing app

(Newser) - As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, people stuck at home have taken to using videoconferencing apps to hold work meetings and chat with family and friends. One such app that's become ubiquitous: Zoom, founded by Cisco engineer Eric Yuan. But be careful before you log in for that virtual...

Google 'Bug' Sent Videos to the Wrong Users

If you downloaded content from Google Photos using Google Takeout, you may have been affected

(Newser) - On Monday evening, some users of Google Takeout, which lets you download data from your Google apps, received what the Verge calls a "nonchalant email" from the company about a "technical issue," and it's one that's raising eyebrows . Per a statement sent by Google to...

Facebook Hit With Biggest FTC Fine Ever for Tech Firm

Company slammed with $5B penalty over privacy; Zuckerberg escapes serious personal liability

(Newser) - Federal regulators have fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations and are instituting new oversight and restrictions on its business—but they're only holding CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally responsible in a limited fashion. The fine is the largest the Federal Trade Commission has levied on a tech company, though...

Popular Face-Aging App Claims Rights to Your Likeness
Millions Having Fun
With FaceApp.
Now, the Downside
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 18, 2019 11:41 AM CDT

Millions Having Fun With FaceApp. Now, the Downside

Critics say users are jeopardizing their own privacy through Russian-made app

(Newser) - You may have seen the wrinkled faces of friends online, or shared your own, thanks to an aging filter that transforms user photos via the viral FaceApp. The Russian-made app has been around since 2017 but has seen new interest with the viral #FaceAppChallenge and #AgeChallenge, with participants including Lil...

UK Age Checks for Porn Will Take Effect in July

Opponents say new laws threaten privacy

(Newser) - Starting July 15, UK websites will have to run "robust" age checks on users before providing pornography—or face being blocked by the government. Sites also could lose access to payment services if they don't ensure customers are over 18, the Guardian reports. The age verification requirement is...

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