privacy policy
Latest
Audacity owner will revise its privacy policy following spyware concerns
Muse Group says it won't sell the 'very limited' user data it will collect.
Audacity sparks uproar over new data collection policy
Some users are calling the audio-editing app 'spyware.'
WhatsApp won't limit accounts for users who don't accept its new privacy policy
WhatsApp won't be limiting features you can access if you don't accept its new privacy policy.
Facebook ordered to stop collecting data on German WhatsApp users
An emergency ban will be in place for three months.
Riot will record voice chats in 'Valorant' to tackle harassment
The publisher said it will only listen to a recording after a report is filed.
WhatsApp reassures users it can't read their messages
The Facebook-owned messaging platform has drawn ire for the way it's handled the policy changes.
WhatsApp: Let us share your data with Facebook or else
“As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information (see here) with, the other Facebook Companies,” the updated privacy policy reads.
Twitter introduces a Privacy Center to keep users informed
Today, Twitter launched a Privacy Center, where it will share announcements, new privacy products and communication about inevitable security incidents. "By using Twitter, you've shown us that you trust us with your data," the Twitter Privacy Center states. "We do not take that trust lightly."
Apple is now presenting its privacy policy as if it were another product
It's not uncommon for users to skip reading an app's privacy policy because it's too long and jumbled. Apparently, Apple wants to change that. Today, it released a new privacy page that makes its privacy policy easier to read and understand. The new privacy page looks more like a product page than your standard screen of black and white text.
Microsoft says humans will still transcribe Cortana and Skype audio
Just like seemingly every other major tech company with a voice assistant or voice chat service, it emerged that Microsoft contractors were listening to Skype and Cortana recordings. Apple, Google and Facebook have temporarily halted similar efforts, and Amazon lets users opt out of having Alexa conversations reviewed by humans. But Microsoft will continue the practice for the time being despite possible privacy concerns.
Google agrees to make its privacy policy clearer in the UK
Three years ago Google merged more than 60 privacy policies into one gargantuan document, in the hope it would be simpler and more readable for its customers around the world. Some people were skeptical of the changes and, despite Google's best efforts to explain itself, the company was pulled into an investigation with European regulators. Since then both sides have been debating back-and-forth, with Google proposing new changes and the EU's assigned taskforce asking for various revisions and improvements.
Facebook translates its privacy policy back into plain English
Facebook is changing its privacy policies yet again, but this time it's using language regular people might be able to understand. A new initiative called Privacy Basics attempts to inform Facebook users of how its settings work, including interactive tutorials on how to take control of your privacy on the social network.
AT&T updates privacy policy, may begin sharing anonymous user data
In an update on its Public Policy Blog, AT&T disclosed that it may begin selling anonymous user data to retailers and marketers, with the end goal being "to deliver more relevant advertising to... customers." The carrier is far from the first to sell aggregate information -- here's looking at you, Verizon -- but the provider is unique in combining data on TV, WiFi and wireless usage. The company said it could also provide aggregate info about users' app usage and U-Verse info. Also notable in the new privacy policy: AT&T notes that it could sell information about individual users, with the stipulation that the data would still be kept anonymous, and media research companies would only be able to use that info in aggregate reports. While this is hardly a case of AT&T pushing new privacy boundaries, users can opt out of the program (see the second source link below).
Foursquare to display full user names, share more data with local businesses
Fond of your family name? Good -- it's about to get a bit more visible. Foursquare is planning to display full user names on profile pages, explaining in a recent community email that the old policy has become confusing. "If you search for a friend on Foursquare, we show their full name in the results, but when you click through to their profile page you don't see their last name." The team says these abbreviations made sense in Foursquare's early days, but recently users have been asking for change. "We get emails every day saying that it's now confusing." The social network hopes that displaying users' full surnames will help mitigate confusion between the John Smiths and John Smythes of the world. The company's tweaked privacy policy promises to share more data with businesses, too, giving store owners greater visibility of customers who have recently checked in. Users who want their quests for coffee to remain anonymous still can, of course -- Foursquare was careful to remind users that they can change their "full name" whenever they want, and can opt out of sharing their location information with businesses. We wouldn't want to step on any toes, would we? Head past the break to see the email for yourself, or check out the adjacent source link to read Foursquare's "Privacy 101" summary.
EA privacy policy mentions 'Nintendo Network ID,' Origin on Wii U
The latest version of Origin's privacy policy may have just given the world its first fleeting glimpse into the online architecture of Nintendo's rapidly approaching Wii U, or at least the naming conventions used by said architecture."By signing up to play EA's titles," the policy reads, "you agree that limited user account information can be transferred to EA. Information transferred to EA includes your Mii information, email address, Nintendo Network ID, friend list, country, language and date of birth."Not only does this confirm that Origin will be an integral part of playing EA games on Wii U, presumably in a similar fashion to its integration on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but also that Nintendo's friend codes of yore are being supplemented/replaced by something called a Nintendo Network ID. We've reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update as soon as we know more.
EU regulators urge Google to modify privacy policy, offers 12 recommendations (update: statement from Google)
It wasn't all that long after Google consolidated most of its privacy policies before people wanted clarification on what this meant to users. Even then, EU regulators weren't satisfied, asking the search giant to hold up a little while it took a proper look at the implications for European citizens. The result of that investigation? Well, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding previously declared it to be in breach of European law, and now the EU is commanding that it be reexamined. The assertion comes in a letter to Mountain View from the EU's data protection regulators, who feel that consolidating so much personal data into one place creates untenable risks to privacy, and was signed by 24 member states (plus Liechtenstein and Croatia). The regulators also outlined 12 recommendations for Google to follow to bring its policy back to the favorable side of the fence. No official word from Google at this time, but we've reached out for comment. Update: Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel issued the following statement: "We have received the report and are reviewing it now. Our new privacy policy demonstrates our long-standing commitment to protecting our users' information and creating great products. We are confident that our privacy notices respect European law."
Editorial: We, the digitally naked
The iPhone 5. It is taller, and has incremental improvements under the hood, and is shiny. (I'm staying away. Typing on glass is wrong.) Of more import, the smartphone you carry is more than a communication device; it is potentially a government surveillance enabler. To whatever extent that is the case (depending on whose public pronouncements you believe), latent digital snooping was reinforced on the same day as the iPhone event. Two days after that, Google announced its intention to build a "Do Not Track" option into the Chrome browser, giving users some shielding from a different type of rampant surveillance -- the type that creepily delivers knowingly targeted ads. The two issues differ in seriousness, but are related as privacy concerns. As our mobile and desktop devices get sexier, we become increasingly naked.
App.Net posts terms of service, asks for feedback
Against all odds App.Net met its funding goal, which has allowed the fledgling social network to shift its focus to the next phase of its founding. That means putting together all those essential documents that will govern its operation, including a terms of service and privacy policy. Creator Dalton Caldwell has posted first drafts of several docs and asked his backers for feedback, offering them an attempt to shape the rules that will guide how the site is run. Those policy documents are also going to be subjected to a quarterly review, which should allow the service to remain nimble if some rules turn out to be controversial or cumbersome. For more info, check out the source link.
Facebook starts really, truly deleting removed photos
For those who haven't kept track, Facebook has had a years-long history of only maybe-sort-of-more-or-less purging our photos: they could be removed from a profile, but they would sometimes float around the site's content delivery networks for months or years, just waiting for a prospective employer to spot those embarrassing frosh week snapshots by accident. As Ars Technica discovered through experiments and official remarks, that problem should now be solved. In the wake of a months-long photo storage system migration and an updated deletion policy, Facebook now won't let removed photos sit for more than 30 days in the content network stream before they're scrubbed once and for all. The improved reaction time isn't as rapid as for a service like Instagram, where photos vanish almost immediately, but it might be a lifesaver for privacy advocates -- or just anyone who's ever worn a lampshade on their head in a moment of insobriety.
Cisco climbs down another rung over unpopular Connect Cloud service
Cisco has already tried to soothe angry customers by scrapping a key section in its new Linksys privacy agreement -- a clause which allowed the company to monitor a person's internet history via their router. However, realizing that probably wasn't enough to quell the sense of intrusion, it's now gone one step further. Writing on an official blog, Cisco VP Brett Wingo has declared that Linksys customers will no longer be pushed into signing up for Connect Cloud, the service which lay at the heart of the problem: "In response to our customers' concerns, we have simplified the process of opting-out of the Cisco Connect Cloud service and have changed the default setting back to traditional router set-up and management." In other words, you'll no longer have to hook up to a convoluted cloud service just to access advanced settings on your router, and neither will you have to sign away an even greater chunk of your personal space -- which is just how it should have been (and indeed how it was) in the first place.
