Millions of singles turn to Internet dating sites each year in the hopes of finding a mate. I know because I was one of them. In 2001, on a dare from my brother and sister, I signed up for JDate and went out with one person. Long story short, we’ve been happily married for 10… Read More
Q: Facebook recently announced a new service, Facebook Gifts, that allows users to send Starbucks gift cards, Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, GUND teddy bears and other knickknacks for events like birthdays, job promotions and anniversaries. (The Palo Alto, Calif., social networking giant has plans to add more types of gifts every day.) Are there any risks… Read More
Identity thieves who have fallen on hard times, take heart. The IRS could be the answer to your prayers. The IRS may have delivered more than $5 billion in refund checks to you and your compadres who took the initiative to file fraudulent tax returns in 2011, according to Treasury Department investigators. Keep your nose… Read More
In case you haven’t heard, Google wants to make life simpler by moving to one companywide privacy policy. Yes, that’s right. The company that started out as a little search engine has grown into a behemoth that dabbles in everything from social networking to picture sharing to 3D modeling. And it plans to integrate information… Read More
Whether you’re a Facebook user, a privacy wonk, or both, you’re likely aware of the social network’s settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, announced this week. Under terms of the settlement, Facebook must now get users’ permission before it changes the way their personal information is shared. The social network also agreed to submit to… Read More
A day doesn’t go by when we don’t read news of a data breach at a major company, healthcare facility or financial institution. The breaches at Epsilon, Sony and now brokerage Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, are a good example. We asked Eduard Goodman, Identity Theft 911 chief privacy officer and an expert on international privacy… Read More
We’ve been waiting for a federal data breach notification law for well over five years now. So when I read the White House’s proposed notification bill, I was disappointed to the point of being grumpy. The intention was for Congress to take federal action to unify the nation’s 50-plus different data breach notification laws and… Read More
The Federal Trade Commission is taking its role as America’s privacy and data protection authority more seriously than ever.
We’re Addicted, Net Execs Like it That Way It’s tiresome when billion-dollar Internet CEOs tell us that our privacy concerns are overblown. Whether they run Google, Facebook or an online marketing company, the truth is that they obviously have a financial interest in trading my personal and search information, online contacts and purchases. They’re a… Read More
A friend raised this question recently—on Facebook no less. The question isn’t new. Whether we recognize it or not, Americans have historically asked and re-asked this question. We redefine what privacy means to us on a regular basis. You could say it’s part of our national DNA. The concept of privacy was central to our… Read More