By Anna Salem, ACLU of Northern California at 2:10pm
In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The ACLU believes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we’ve spotted from the previous week.
By Caitlin O'Neill, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Associate, ACLU of Northern California at 2:48pm
In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The ACLU believes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we’ve spotted from the previous week.
By Chris Conley, Technology and Civil Liberties Fellow, ACLU of Northern California at 3:14pm
Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed settlement with Facebook, addressing its assertion that Facebook deceived users by failing to uphold its privacy promises. As we said elsewhere, the proposed settlement has one major step forward: it prohibits the company from “begging forgiveness instead of asking permission” by changing its privacy settings to make data more public or share it with more people. But it doesn’t cure all of the outstanding issues with Facebook privacy.
By Caitlin O'Neill, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Associate, ACLU of Northern California at 4:00pm
In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The ACLU believes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we’ve spotted from the previous week.
By Sandra Fulton, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:37pm
In a largely partisan vote, Senate Democrats defeated a resolution that would have overturned the FCC's open Internet rules that are set to go into effect this month.
By Caitlin O'Neill, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Associate, ACLU of Northern California at 3:12pm
In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The ACLU believes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we’ve spotted from the previous week.
By Nicole Ozer, Technology & Civil Liberties Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California at 2:02pm
This past weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that the most popular Facebook apps consistently share information about you and your friends with advertisers and other third parties, no matter what your privacy settings are.
By Nicole Ozer, Technology & Civil Liberties Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California at 5:11pm
Facebook has been taking heat for its recent privacy-unfriendly practices, from the "privacy transition" that took away privacy controls to "instant personalization" that instantly shares personal information with third party pages without the user's consent. In response, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg published an op-ed in the Washington Post today, claiming that Facebook has "heard the feedback" and now realizes that "people want easier control over their information." But we don't just want simpler settings that limit our choices and force us to share information broadly or not at all—we want real control, and we want it to be the default.
In recent months, Facebook has rolled out some very privacy-unfriendly practices, from the "privacy transition" that took away privacy controls to "instant personalization" that instantly shares your personal information with third party pages without your consent. Tell Facebook loud and clear that you want control of your personal information.
By Chris Conley, Technology and Civil Liberties Fellow, ACLU of Northern California at 12:00am
We recently blogged that Facebook's default privacy settings allow quizzes and other applications to peer into your profile - even if it's your friend, and not you, who takes the quiz!
But don't take our word for it. If you're a Facebook user, check out our very own quiz. It's a behind-the-scenes look at all the personal details a Facebook app can collect about you and your friends — and some steps you can take to keep your private information from landing in the wrong hands.
Facebook has been taking heat for its recent privacy-unfriendly practices, from the "privacy transition" that 