The Discriminatory Dark Side Of Big Data
It has happened again. Researchers have discovered that Google’s ad-targeting system is discriminatory. Male web users were more likely to be shown high paying executive ads compared to female visitors. The researchers have published a paper which was presented at the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium in Philadelphia. I had blogged about the dark side of […]
Privacy is Dead and We Killed it
Privacy…everyone keeps talking about it and apparently everyone is concerned with it, but does it matter? I recently watched the documentary, “Terms and Conditions may Apply,” which provides a fascinating look at how organizations such as Facebook, Google, Apple, and others have changed the way they look at and approach privacy. After watching the movie […]
Does the Internet really need a Delete Tool?
Does the Internet really need a Delete Tool? Every once in a while someone comes along with an idea that makes sense, but given the value of the data we put out there for governments, employers, and marketing folks, I don’t think a delete tool for the internet is going to happen. I am sure […]
KimDotCom
It’s very rare when an individual raises to the level that they are worth listening to. Steve Jobs was one of those people. Kim Dotcom may be another…I’m watching to see. He is certainly one of the most entertaining individuals of all time. From his hot-tub parties to his paratroopers descending from helicopters in a […]
Privacy and Loyalty Clubs
Most of us don’t know when we’ve been hacked or how much of a trail we are leaving. But our corporate secrets may indeed be much bigger than a product protype and are risk of privacy invasion is much broader than a bar.
Why I’m using fake identities to sign up
That is, from now on I will. It is not only getting harder to sign up, it is also getting harder to sign in, and out. Let me explain please as this story has a few sides to it. But first, let me make my point: I’m going to use fake identities to sign up […]
In a world where everyone knows everything about you
Does it matter if Facebook knows you went to Ashley Madison? Google already knows this information if you searched for it on Google, or if there was a Google Ad on Ashley Madison. Does it matter if Facebook knows you went to FetLife (NSFW), if you searched for it on Google (or Bing or Yahoo […]
Gmail’s Most Ridiculous, Idiotic, Intrusive, Useless Feature Ever. Google Apps, Too.
Google keeps on coming up with new features at a rapid pace, some making it to adulthood soon, others stuck in “labs” mode forever, some we like, other’s less so – to each their own. But I’ve never thought the day would come I would write the words utterly ridiculous, iditiotic, intrusive, with absolute certainly […]
Mobile Devices Privacy and GPS
We all love our smart devices that latch onto anything so we can surf the internet, do e-mail, and basically roam at will with our handy mobile devices. A bonus of this is the idea that we can also share our GPS coordinates with people through games like Foursquare and other programs that keep track […]
Facebook and T-Mobile Launch Bobsled. With Huge Privacy Glitch. Or is it By Design? Skype, Google Voice and Telcos Beware, Anyway…
Out of left field, T-Mobile and Facebook launched Bobsled, a VOIP service that allows voice calls to anyone on your Facebook list for free. At this moment the entire blogging world is busy writing about it, so I skip the basics… and just run to some funny experience while testing it. First, here’s how you […]
Hugh Hefner, Sherlock Holmes & Indiana Jones: Making the Case for Mobile Intelligent Content
The navigation system on her phone has turned her life around. Judy, a 50 year old woman feels like a new person. She can now go where ever she wants because the navigation software on her phone is intelligent enough to recognize where she is and where she wants to go. But for her it’s […]
Mark Zuckerberg no longer a social norm
A few days ago Mark Zuckerberg was offered another podium at San Fransisco’s Crunchies, where he dared to state that privacy was no longer a social norm: “People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people,” he said. “That social norm is just something […]
Your Twitter security is an egg, not an onion
Hard to come up with a more fuzzy title really. Let me cut through the usual Twitter conversation show and pick only one: [email protected] @VenessaMiemis @dsearls Twitter DMs can be seen by 3rd parties http://bit.ly/auSmBL < what part of “access” did u not understand? That was a rather short version of the original tweet, including […]
Foxmarks, Xmarks, LastPass, Xpass, LastX, X%^&% Quick Rant
Warning: I think I’m becoming a curmudgeon – except that title has until now been reserved for somebody else . But I still have doubts about the recent transaction: LastPass acquired Xmarks. I really liked Xmarks – when it was Foxmarks. A simple bookmark synchronization service that would keep your Firefox up-to-date no matter where […]
Finally Something Good on the Privacy Front–from Google Latitude
Recently I’ve been experimenting with Google Latitude: I wanted to see if I could use it to replace the “family locator” function that most mobile carriers offer at a premium price. This would require that your child or elderly parent or whoever’s whereabouts you care about carries the phone in their pocket with the display […]
