privacy

Masker is a file encryption program that uses the concept of carrier files to hide and protect your private files and folders. It successfully encrypted our data, but we were annoyed by the constant errors.

From the time we installed the program, and throughout our tests, we received the same error messages. We were able to bypass them and continue using the program, but they proved to be a pain. The program has a plain, but familiar user interface. A toolbar menu and command buttons run across the top of the small window. We didn't need the Help menu … Read more

While it can password protect user-specified applications, the trade-off in speed is too high a price to pay.

Password Door has an easy-to-use interface that requires you to create a master password to access it. The tabbed style lets you select an application from a list. If you can't find a specific program on the list, there is a search function available under the Options menu. From the main window, you can opt to create a separate password for protecting the application, or you can opt to use your master password. In our tests, Password Door worked fine with … Read more

My Simple Desktop Home Edition is a privacy tool that lets you control access to your desktop. It's beautifully designed and easy to navigate. So what's the catch? The program isn't password-protected.

Right away, we were impressed by its professional user interface. Not only does it look good, but it also flows well. The computer restriction settings are listed on the left side of the window, and are categorized by basic, advanced, and keyboard restrictions. Basic restrictions included hiding your Taskbar and Start Menu. Advanced restrictions limit access to your Control Panel and certain folders. In our … Read more

TechCrunch suggests that Facebook's chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly, will shortly announce his candidacy to become California's attorney general in 2010. Given how poorly Facebook has handled privacy, it's difficult to see why California voters should assume Kelly would do better in the higher matters of public office.

Specifically, California's attorney general is charged with the following responsibilities:

The attorney general represents the people of California in civil and criminal matters before trial, appellate and the supreme courts of California and the United States. The attorney general also serves as legal counsel to state officers and, … Read more

The more Google grows, the more it becomes a cause for concern for many people--and not simply its competitors. But should it?

On the one hand, Google has become a privacy bogeyman, dropping off the list of the top 20 companies trusted with customer privacy. Ironically, this has come at the same time that Google has upped its commitment to open data policies, which enable users to control their own data privacy policies. Are users suggesting that they can't trust themselves?

This abandonment of trust in Google also comes in the face of an ever-growing commitment within Google to … Read more

Citing privacy concerns, a group of Japanese lawyers and professors have asked Google to shut down its Street View feature of Google Maps in the country, according to a Reuters report.

"We strongly suspect that what Google has been doing deeply violates a basic right that humans have," said Yasuhiko Tajima, a professor of constitutional law at Sophia University in Tokyo and head of the Campaign Against Surveillance Society, in an interview with Reuters.

"It is necessary to warn society that an IT (information technology) giant is openly violating privacy rights, which are important rights that the … Read more

This free privacy programs lets you hide and lock your most sensitive files and folders, but we found its user interface counterintuitive and lacking password protection.

Easy File Locker has a very plain user interface. The black-on-white command buttons aren't the least bit eye-appealing. But more importantly, the large blank window gives the impression that you can drag and drop files, but that proved not to be the case when we tried it. When we selected the add file button, a window appeared with boxes already checked to allow access and visibility to files, as well as the capability … Read more

On a very special Buzz Out Loud, we discover that we, much to our surprise and chagrin, are the cause for the ongoing economic crisis in this country. Who knew? Also, of course, we dissect at length the news that Apple is pulling out of future Macworld Expo conferences after this year, and the even bigger news that Steve Jobs won't be giving this last keynote. Heartbreak ensues.

Without Macworld, how will Apple create the buzz? http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10124956-37.html http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/12/16macworld.html… Read more

Correction, 12:07 p.m. PST: This story misstated the number of companies on the "most trusted" list. It is a top 20 list. Update 1:19 p.m. PST: The top 20 list of companies was added, along with information about TRUSTe, which co-sponsored the survey.

Easy come, easy go.

Google has stepped off the top 20 list of the most trusted U.S. companies for privacy, according to a report in theSan Francisco Chronicle on Monday.

The Internet search giant was ranked No. 10 last year, but slipped off into the ether this year as the … Read more