Mainly stories from the spring of 2012 and going forward, but some older stories will be dredged up and included too.
2010
January 9, 2010 - Facebook's Zuckerberg Says The Age of Privacy is Over
2011
January 28, 2011 - Lieberman wants kill switch for U.S. Internet access
March 9, 2011 - Why we need to get rid of anonymous comments.
I think Slate's commenting requirements—and those of many other sites—aren't stringent enough. Slate lets people log in with accounts from Google and Yahoo, which are essentially anonymous; if you want to be a jerk in Slate's comments, create a Google account and knock yourself out. If I ruled the Web, I'd change this. I'd make all commenters log in with Facebook or some equivalent third-party site, meaning they'd have to reveal their real names to say something in a public forum. Facebook has just revamped its third-party commenting "plug-in," making it easier for sites to outsource their commenting system to Facebook.
July 26, 2011 - Anonymity and Pseudonyms in Social Software
The point I think is this: Pseudonyms are not in themselves harmful. Yes, they can be used for harm, as when people use them for anonymous, slanderous attacks, trolling, etc., but in the vast majority of cases there is no harm done. In the cases where pseudonyms are being abused, it is the harm that should be stopped, not the pseudonyms.
July 28, 2011 - 'It has to go away': Facebook director calls for an end to internet anonymity
The comments echo those of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt who has previously labelled internet anonymity a 'dangerous' precedent, before predicting government intervention will one day lead to its demise.
August 2, 2011 - Randi Zuckerberg Runs in the Wrong Direction on Pseudonymity Online
But there is one person for whom insisting on the use of real names on social networking sites is not enough. Unsurprisingly, that person is Facebook’s Marketing Director, Randi Zuckerberg. Speaking last week on a panel discussion about social media hosted by Marie Claire magazine, Zuckerberg said, "I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away. People behave a lot better when they have their real names down. … I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."
September 18, 2011 - Now’s the time for a Web 3.0 right to privacy
September 25, 2011 - Logging out of Facebook is not enough
September 25, 2011 - Facebook tracks what you do online, even when you’re logged out
September 26, 2011 - Facebook Is Tracking Your Every Move on the Web; Here’s How to Stop It
October 2011 - http://www.takethislollipop.com - demo app that uses the Facebook API and shows potential problems with sharing info on Facebook.
October 13, 2011 - 24 year old student lights match: Europe versus Facebook
October 17, 2011 - Secure Firefox Browsing
October 18, 2011 - EU vs Facebook: Facebook's dossiers on Europeans breach EU privacy laws
November 15, 2011 - Facebook tracking is under scrutiny
November 17, 2011 - Facebook Reveals its User-Tracking Secrets
November 19, 2011 - Facebook Tracks Websites Members and Non-Members Visit
November 20, 2011 - How to Safely use Facebook
2012
January 13, 2012 - Stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation - PIPA/SOPA
January 23, 2012 - Why Facebook Is Never Safe
January 24, 2012 - Facebook’s Sandberg Gently Warns Europe About Privacy Rules
Concerned about privacy? Maybe you should be concernedabout the economy instead. That was the subtext of a keynote speech by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, at a technology conference in the heart of Europe.
February 16, 2012 - Homeland Security Committee Hearing on DHS Monitoring of Social Media
February 20, 2012 - Google Bypassing User Privacy Settings
March 5, 2012 - Facebook, Google are selling who you are
March 6, 2012 - Civil libertarians slam McCain cybersecurity bill
March 12, 2012 - What Should You Do If Your Employer Asks For Your Facebook Password?
March 18, 2012 - Facebook applications - do you care what they do?
March 20, 2012 - Job seekers getting asked for Facebook passwords
March 20, 2012 - Your Facebook Password Should Be None of Your Boss’ Business
March 27, 2012 - Four Unanswered Questions About the Cybersecurity Bills
- Who will be in charge of cybersecurity?
- What exactly is a “cybersecurity threat?”
- What does "information sharing" mean?
- Will the cybersecurity bills improve our security or not?
March 28, 2012 - Cybersecurity's 7-Step Plan for Internet Freedom
- Don't Turn Cybersecurity Into a Backdoor Wiretapping Program.
- Don't Give the Keys To the Castle to the NSA.
- Don't Hide the Ball on NSA Role.
- Don't Broadly Authorize Companies To Monitor their Customers.
- Don't Make Net Neutrality a Victim of Cybersecurity "Countermeasures".
- Don't Authorize the Government To Seize the Family Home When Junior Violates Somebody's Terms of Service.
- Do Narrowly and Carefully Define the Cybersecurity Information that Can Be Shared.
March 28, 2012 - Analysis of Senate Cybersecurity Bills 2012
The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, S. 2105 ("Lieberman-Collins"), and SECURE IT, S. 2151 ("McCain"), both have broadly written provisions that would authorize ISPs and other companies to:
- share private communications with the National Security Agency and other federal entities, or with any other agency of the federal government designated by the Department of Homeland Security;
- monitor private communications passing over their networks; and
- employ countermeasures against Internet traffic.
March 28, 2012 - House Shoots Down Legislation That Would Have Stopped Employers From Demanding Your Facebook Password
March 29, 2012 - Some Thoughts On Online Privacy
March 30, 2012 - This Creepy App Isn’t Just Stalking Women Without Their Knowledge, It’s A Wake-Up Call About Facebook Privacy
April 2, 2012 - Arizona Law Amendment Would Criminalize “Lewd Or Profane” Language On The Internet
The law has been revised with, essentially, a find-and-replace of “telephone” with “electronic or digital device,” without any thought given to how fundamentally different these forms of communication are. If signed by the governor, the revised law would potentially outlaw any speech on the internet determined by the government as being lewd, profane, threatening, or disturbing of the “peace, quiet, or right of privacy of any person.”
April 3, 2012 - Internet Freedom Starts at Home - The United States needs to practice what it preaches online.
Congress is considering several cybersecurity bills that would authorize Internet service providers and other companies not only to monitor private communications passing over their networks, but also to share private communications with the National Security Agency and other federal entities or with any other agency of the federal government designated by the Department of Homeland Security -- and with less due process and judicial oversight than ever before.
Possible things to-do
- read Electronic Frontier Foundation
- use search engine DuckDuckgo.com
- use Firefox Web browser with add-ons, such as:
- Firefox browser settings:
- options --> privacy --> check "Tell websites I do not want to be tracked"
- options --> privacy --> history --> set "Firefox will" to Never remember history
- options --> security --> uncheck "Remember passwords for sites"
Going further: