Privacy

How Your Friends’ Locations Give Yours Away Online

You might have the privacy settings locked down on all your social networks, but it’s the weak links in the system that make the difference. A team at the University of Rochester in New York, for instance, say they can predict where you are to within 100 meters, just by analyzing the location of your…

Social Media Jamie Condliffe

How To: Escape From Google’s Clutches, Once and For All

So you’re fed up with Google, and you’ve got a litany of reasons. More now than ever. You don’t even have to explain—we’re just here to help you crawl out from under the shadow of the big G, step by step. The decision to close your Google account has to be carefully considered—after all, this…

Tech News Gizmodo

Supreme Court: Warrantless GPS Tracking Is Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court just shut down a major tech controversy: police planting a GPS bug without your knowledge or the approval of a judge. By a unanimous decision, the court said such warrantless tracking is illegal. This is big. The case originated with a Maryland drug dealer whose car was nailed with a GPS tracker—and…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

This Is What the Megaupload Million-Dollar Car Seize Looks Like

Yesterday the feds shut down MegaUpload. They’ve also seized an awful lot of the founders’ possessions, including Kim “Dotcom” Schmitz’s rather expensive car collection. Here’s what towing away his millions of dollars of cars looks like. Over at Jalopnik, there’s a full list of the cars that were seized, along with their rather hilarious number…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

10 Ways Big Data is Creating the Science Fiction Future

Sometimes, it already seems like the websites you visit know more about you than you know about yourself — but this is just the beginning. Every day you’re helping to generate masses more data, which computers are getting better and better at crunching. How long will it be before the predictive power of these systems…

io9 Kelly Faircloth

Facebook Launches Open Graph With 60 New Partners

Facebook opened up Open Graph tonight, its tool for letting third party developers share actions in your timeline. It announced 60 partners tonight, including AirBnB, Runkeeper, and Pintrest, and now it’s open to developers everywhere. Basically, privacy is over. What this means is the app-ification of your timeline. The new Open Graph tool will let…

Social Media Mat Honan

Account Hacked? These Password Managers Keep Your Everything Safe

You know you should be using strong, unique passwords for every website and service you login to. You don’t, of course, because it’s a pain. A password manager can help. But which one should you use? Today, Zappos informed its customers that millions of their login credentials were compromised over the weekend. Horrible, if you’re…

Privacy & Security Mario Aguilar

Google Can Expect a Call from the FTC Over Its New Social Search Feature

Google changed the way its search works yesterday by heavily integrating Google+ social media content into its search engine results. Now, advocacy groups are up in arms about potential invasions of user privacy. What, like you didn’t see this coming. The Electronic Privacy Information Center announced today that it is considering filing a complaint with…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Google Changes the Way Its Search Engine Works, Privacy Be Damned

Google’s great at finding pretty much anything on the Web—no matter how obscure—but has generally lacked social content thanks to itsongoing standoff with Facebook. But, according to the search giant today, the “most radical transformation ever” has just occurred to its search engine. But maybe not in the good way. Google dubbed this metamorphosis, “Search,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

iPhone Bug Allows People to Peek Into Your Photos Without a Password

There’s a bug in Apple’s iOS 5 that would allow anyone to look into your photos without using a password—users would only have to click on the camera button on your iPhone to access all the images. Consultant Ade Barkah has discovered that Apple sets the security of the images stored in your phone based…

Tech News Jesus Diaz

Who Owns Your Phone’s Privacy? My Email Chat with Carrier IQ

Last week, some ominous news regarding the FBI’s involvement with Carrier IQ surfaced. Carrier IQ, having had its fair heap of godawful press, was quick to shoot me an email clarification. What followed doesn’t help its case. It began with a simple note from Mira Woods, who works in “Marketing Communications” for Carrier IQ: Just…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Your Face in Facebook Ads: Deal With It

A California judge ruled today that’s it’s okay to sue Facebook for showing your picture in an ad. That’s dumb, and to pretend that it’s anything but turns a blind eye to how that nearly everyone uses Facebook. The issue, according to the potential plaintiffs, is whether we are “economically injured by the misappropriation of…

Social Media Kyle Wagner

SOPA: Delayed Indefinitely, But Far From Dead

The Stop Online Piracy Act has hit a major snag, with the House Judiciary Committee adjourning before it could send the bill to the floor—and setting no date to continue proceedings. It’s not a deathblow—not by a longshot—but it’s a welcome pause for consideration for a bill that has the potential to grow into a…

Privacy & Security Kyle Wagner

Will Amazon Soon Spy On You Through Your Kindle?

We don’t need to tell you how big an issue tracking software is. What we do need to tell you about is a new patent from Amazon that lays out its plan to track and predict your movements via mobile devices. Made public last week, the patent describes a system that allows mobile devices —…

Commerce Jamie Condliffe

iMessage Keeps Texting Stolen iPhones Even After Wipeout

Beware: if your iPhone gets stolen, it will keep receiving messages sent via iMessage even after a remote wipe out and deactivation. The thief—or whoever buys the stolen terminal—would be able to read whatever is written to you. Users in Apple support board are reporting this problem which has no solution for now. The iMessages…

Tech News Jesus Diaz

Carrier IQ: We’re Not Working with the FBI

Yesterday, we told you about a ominous denial from the FBI regarding its involvement with Carrier IQ. Today, Carrier IQ spoke to us on the matter. Just to clarify all of the media frenzy around the FBI. Carrier IQ has never provided any data to the FBI. If approached by a law enforcement agency, we…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Carrier IQ Explains What It Does with Your Data

While the FBI has so far blocked FOIA attempts regarding its involvement in the Carrier IQ scandal, the embattled firm has released an expansive report detailing its data collection process and responds directly the allegations against it. Most of the information in the report has come to light previously but a few new tidbits stand…

Privacy & Security Andrew Tarantola

The FBI Is Using Carrier IQ Information

Well, I suppose this was inevitable: the FBI, via a Freedom of Information Act request denial, inadvertently admitted to involvement with Carrier IQ. And it won’t say how. The government transparency wranglers at MuckRock filed for a FOIA release on the FBI’s use of Carrier IQ, and by saying no, they almost said it all:…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Netflix Wants All of Your Friends to Know Everything You’re Watching

There’s a law in place that requires a company to get your permission before it discloses videos you’ve seen. It sounds like an obscure, niche piece of legislation, but it’s suddenly super relevant—and Netflix wants to kill it. The New York Times reports Netflix is putting big support behind a bill that would turn the…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Zuckerberg’s Private Photos Revealed in Facebook Security Flap (Updated)

A security flaw in Facebook reveals your private photos, reports Launch. Like these formerly private photos of company founder, amateur butcher, and generally creepy human being Mark Zuckerbeg, showing off his dinner both alive and deep fried. We weren’t able to duplicate it, but as described, the exploit that allowed the hacker to grab Zuck’s…

Social Media Mat Honan

How Your Friends’ Locations Give Yours Away Online

How To: Escape From Google’s Clutches, Once and For All

Supreme Court: Warrantless GPS Tracking Is Unconstitutional

This Is What the Megaupload Million-Dollar Car Seize Looks Like

10 Ways Big Data is Creating the Science Fiction Future

Facebook Launches Open Graph With 60 New Partners

Account Hacked? These Password Managers Keep Your Everything Safe

Google Can Expect a Call from the FTC Over Its New Social Search Feature

Google Changes the Way Its Search Engine Works, Privacy Be Damned

iPhone Bug Allows People to Peek Into Your Photos Without a Password

Who Owns Your Phone’s Privacy? My Email Chat with Carrier IQ

Your Face in Facebook Ads: Deal With It

SOPA: Delayed Indefinitely, But Far From Dead

Will Amazon Soon Spy On You Through Your Kindle?

iMessage Keeps Texting Stolen iPhones Even After Wipeout

Carrier IQ: We’re Not Working with the FBI

Carrier IQ Explains What It Does with Your Data

The FBI Is Using Carrier IQ Information

Netflix Wants All of Your Friends to Know Everything You’re Watching

Zuckerberg’s Private Photos Revealed in Facebook Security Flap (Updated)

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

Students Are Now Renting Smart Glasses to Cheat on Exams

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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