Here’s the problem: I hate my friends. You do too. I’m using the word “friends” in the social networking sense. Facebook and Flickr “friends.” Twitter and Tumblr Followers. More »
The Transportation Security Administration has written itself quite the storied history, especially after they took up more “aggressive” pat-down techniques and full-body scans last fall. Hundred of disturbed flyers later and we’re all still annoyed and perhaps even slightly irradiated. More »
Your next job application could require a social media background check. Odds are, you have no clue what that means. Nobody does. It’s new and scary and probably scours the Web for pictures of you puking on the beach. More »
Last week, Microsoft quietly confirmed that cloud data stored on its European servers can still be handed over to American investigators — and the EU is none too pleased about it. As it turns out, the revelation has shed new light on a fundamental conflict between US law and the EU’s Data Protection Directive — an edict requiring that companies notify consumers whenever sharing their personal information. The bi-lateral Safe Harbor agreement calls for similarly strict protocol, but under the Patriot Act (which trumps all else), companies like Microsoft could be forced to hand over private data without informing targeted individuals. In response, some members of the European Parliament are calling upon legislators to take action and to implement safeguards that can’t be overridden by third-party governments. It remains to be seen whether or not this leads to any new laws or transatlantic tensions, but if we’ve learned anything, it’s that Europeans take their clouds very seriously.
Microsoft’s Patriot Act admission has the EU up in arms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Don’t want anyone searching for you on Google+? No problem! Just leave your profile marked as private and Google will punt your page from the cloud after July 31st. If you still want your profile around come August, you’ll need to mark it as public before that deadline. You can still keep most of your personal details under lock and key, limiting access to specific elements to yourself, your Circles, extended Circles, or anyone on the web — Google does require that your full name and gender be available to everyone, however. Want your social network profile to be forever visible to you and you alone? MySpace is still around. For a little while longer, at least.
Google+ to require that profiles be visible to all, will boot private profiles after July 31st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Even though there’s a For Sale sign in the window Hulu isn’t taking a break and today it unveiled a new partnership with Facebook to make its library of TV shows and movies more social. Adding Facebook Connect (competitor Netflix may be on the board, but it’s still working on adding the button) should let the social network log you in, customize things based on preferences from you and your friends, and share time-coded likes and comments. Unfortunately what actually happened for some users was that they were suddenly given access to someone else’s Hulu account, a problem documented by both AVRev and NewTeeVee. According to a second blog post, due to approximately 50 users being affected Hulu has shut down the program, required everyone to log in again and cranked privacy settings to the highest for anyone who logged in while it was on. Of course, with rumors from the LA Times that Google (along with Microsoft and Yahoo) is interested in purchasing the service, maybe they can get an invite to the Google+ party and forget the whole thing ever happened
Facebook, Hulu partnership accidentally clicks ‘security breach’ instead of ‘Like’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In the event you got lulled into a groovy seat dance by that most excellent muzak above, let us repeat – this app does not protect your lockscreen. That said, Visidon’s Applock will prevent the privacy-adverse from messing with your personally curated app collection. Have a nosy significant lover? No sweat — snap a pick with your front-facing cam, enable the face-lock in your settings, and those sexts are as good as blocked. It’s far from foolproof, however, as some comments indicate an extended bit of facial-wriggling tricks the app into unlock mode. Oh well, you’re so vain, you’ll probably think this Android market link is for you — don’t you?
[Thanks, Matti]
Visidon Applock sees your pretty face, grants you Android access (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Let’s bid a bitter welcome to Sega, the latest entrant to the newly founded club of hacked online communities. Sega Pass, the company’s web portal, suffered a breach of its defenses on Thursday, which has now been identified to have affected a whopping 1.29 million users. Usernames, real names, birth dates, passwords, email addresses, pretty much everything has been snatched up by the malicious data thieves, with the important exception of credit / debit card numbers. We’d still advise anyone affected to keep a watchful eye on his or her banking transactions — immediately after changing that compromised password, of course. In the meantime, Sega’s keeping the Pass service offline while it rectifies the vulnerability; it’ll be able to call on an unexpected ally in its search for the perpetrators in the form of LulzSec, a hacker group that boasted proudly about infiltrating Sony’s network, but which has much more benevolent intentions with respect to Sega. What a topsy-turvy world we live in!
Sega’s online Pass hacked, 1.3 million user passwords stolen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
And here we thought folks were concerned about protecting their personal data. As it turns out, however, a surprising chunk of Android users have volunteered to give a group of University of Cambridge researchers a look at exactly how they use their cellphones. By downloading the Device Analyzer app from the Android market, more than 1,000 participants have allowed the data collection program to harvest statistics in the background while they use their phones. Those statistics — varying from when the power is switched on, to which apps are in use — are then made available to users via the Device Analyzer website. Of course, this is Cambridge, a rather well respected institution of higher learning, and the researchers involved say the data collected is stripped of personal information “as best as possible,” but we’re not keen on anyone peeping our cell stats. If you’re an Android exhibitionist, however, you can sign up for the study at the source link below.
Device Analyzer Android study wants to track your every move, if you’ll let it originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tired of getting swamped with spam and malware? Just pack your things and catch the next flight to Japan, where computer viruses are now considered illegal. Under the country’s new legislation, anyone convicted of creating or distributing viruses could face up to three years in prison, or a maximum fine of ¥500,000 (about $6,200). It’s all part of Japan’s efforts to comply with the Convention on Cybercrime — an international treaty that requires member governments to criminalize hacking, child pornography, and other terrible things. Privacy advocates, however, have already raised concerns over some stipulations that would allow investigators to seize data from PCs hooked up to allegedly criminal networks, and to retain any suspicious e-mail logs for up to 60 days. In an attempt to quell these fears, the Judicial Affairs Committee tacked a resolution on to the bill calling for police to exercise these powers only when they really, really need to.
Don’t bring your computer viruses to Japan, because they’re illegal now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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