Privacy

Look but don't touch seems to be the theme with this file encryption program. Thanks to MAXA Security Tools Lite's highly restrictive trial limitations, we were unable to use any of its features.

After installation, we encountered an error message each time we tried to access MAXA Security Tools Lite. We were able to bypass the message and move on to the main interface, but it was annoying nonetheless. The user interface uses tabs for each of the program's features, which include file encryption, steganography, file manipulation, and more advanced settings. But no matter where we turned, … Read more

Facebook has changed the way its password reset tool works so that it does not easily verify e-mail addresses to potential spammers, after CNET News contacted it with concerns from an Israeli security expert.

On a separate matter, the company also has asked the maker of the Photo Stalker Facebook app to make it clear that despite the name, the app conforms to Facebook's privacy guidelines.

First off, Facebook is making it harder for spammers to mine the site for valid e-mail addresses.

"Last night, we took steps to make sure that our password reset tool is not … Read more

Facebook has hired an American Civil Liberties Union attorney to serve in the new role of director of public policy for the social network, according to The New York Times.

As a senior attorney at the ACLU, Timothy Sparapani worked on issues like data mining and national ID cards. He also has close ties to privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Center for Digital Democracy.

Representatives from those groups have complained about Facebook's advertising practices and its revised terms of service agreement. (The CDD complained this week that revised terms … Read more

This story has been updated. See below for details.

Watchdog group Privacy International has filed a formal complaint with the U.K. government over the recent introduction of Google's Street View in Britain.

Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, argues that Street View has caused "clear embarrassment and damage" to many residents of the U.K., according to a BBC News report. The street-level feature of Google Maps, which debuted in the U.K. last week, provides a driver's-eye photographic record of urban landscapes, including storefronts and pedestrians.

The complaint was filed with the Information Commissioner's Office, … Read more

Editor's note: This guest post by Drexel University researcher Keith Sevcik is in response to statements made by California assemblyman Joel Anderson in a Q&A conducted earlier this week with CNET News.

California Assemblyman Joel Anderson wants to censor Google Earth and other satellite mapping services from providing detailed images of sensitive areas.

Under the guise of preventing terrorist attacks, the bill seeks to blur satellite imagery of government buildings, medical facilities, schools, and places of worship to remove "air duct"-level detail from the images. If Mr. Anderson's claim--that only "bad people&… Read more

When it comes to things Web-related, sometimes you just want to read something sensible, for a change.

So it was with some relief that the recent words of Tim Berners-Lee swam through my left ear without entirely exiting from my right.

Speaking to a bunch of possibly sober British politicians, Sir Tim, as he's known over there, said it's time that we should really have a jolly good think about who is crawling all over our Web behavior.

"We use the Internet without a thought that a third party would know what we have just clicked on,&… Read more

Imagine if all the hospitals, schools, churches, and government buildings that appear on online maps were nothing but blurs.

That would not only reduce the usefulness of things like Google Maps and Google Earth, but it would be a huge undertaking for Google and would probably violate the First Amendment.

But that's exactly what California Assemblyman Joel Anderson, a Republican from El Cajon, is proposing in a measure dubbed "AB-255."

The measure would apply to Web site operators and online services that make "a virtual globe browser available to members of the public" and fails … Read more

Verizon Wireless is being criticized (again) by customers for its policy of requiring them to opt out or have their information shared with other Verizon-owned businesses.

The company began notifying customers in 2007 that they had 45 days to opt out. David Weinberger, a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, received the "small legalistic pamphlet" from Verizon recently and wrote a blog posting on Friday detailing how difficult it was to opt out online, even with customer support help.

"The whole thing sucks," Weinberger concluded.

Verizon posted a note on its public … Read more

As brick-and-mortar stores close, the convenience and competitive pricing available through online shopping are becoming ever more important. This free Firefox add-on provides a simple tool to enhance your online shopping experience.

The buySafe Shopping Advisor installs two small buttons and a search field to your Firefox toolbars. Its searches connect to the buySafe Web site, which searches bonded merchants to provide reliable and safe shopping. This shopping search engine responded well during our tests, returning results quickly. Although it performed well on searches for apparel and shoes, pet items, woodworking tools, and electronics, we didn't have much luck … Read more