Privacy

Navizon's new tech tracks you, the smartphone user

Smartphone users now face another way of being located.

Navizon I.T.S. (Indoor Triangulation System) is a new system from the location services company that can track the whereabouts of people in public places through their phones and other Wi-Fi devices. Geared toward retail stores, shopping malls, museums, office buildings, and similar spots, the technology can be used for security and surveillance or just to measure the traffic patterns in a certain area.

The company poses a few specific ways in which the system can come into play, including monitoring approved Wi-Fi devices in a secure area, locating Wi-Fi … Read more

How to delete yourself from the Internet

The Internet companies that power your online life know that data equals money, and they're becoming bolder about using that data to track you. If they get their way, your every online step would be not only irrevocable, but traceable back to you. Fortunately, there are some positive steps you can take to reclaim your online history for yourself.

The online privacy software company Abine, which makes Do Not Track Plus, also offers a service called DeleteMe, which removes your data from numerous tracking sites and keeps it from coming back. In an unusual gesture, though, they've made … Read more

Facebook's profile-download tool comes up short

Even casual Facebook users can quickly accumulate a library of photos, videos, and posts reflecting the noteworthy and mundane moments in the lives of family and friends.

Facebook lets you download much of this information and recently enhanced its download archive to include IP addresses used by the account, relationship information, and other categories of personal data.

The download-tool update is being rolled out gradually. (When I downloaded a Facebook profile this weekend the added categories of information weren't included.) To use the profile downloader, sign into your Facebook account and click the down arrow next to the Home … Read more

Automatically close Private Browsing sessions with a Firefox extension

If you have ever got up and left a Private Browsing session unattended, your private information is sitting there for any passer-by to see. With PB Exit, a Private Browsing window will close after 10 minutes of inactivity, either the last page load or tab switch.

This Firefox extension could not be easier to use; simply install it and let it run in the background. In my trial, it worked as advertised, closing Private Browsing tabs after I let them sit idle for 10 minutes. There are no settings to muss with, though the developer has a note on the … Read more

Disable social reader apps in Facebook

Many of us, maybe all of us, use Facebook to share interesting articles and other things we find online. The Social Reader app, and other similar apps, try to make this process simpler, but often end up oversharing or otherwise crossing the line into annoying. Here's how you can keep from sharing everything you read: 

If you've already signed up for a Social Reader app, it's pretty easy to disable it or to limit what it shares. Just open up your Account Settings using the small drop-down menu in the top right next to the word … Read more

U.S., U.K. firms selling spy gear to repressive regimes, says report

A privacy group is claiming that Britain is exporting high-tech spy gear to repressive countries, endangering dissidents, says a report in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper.

The Guardian reports that a group called Privacy International said it has identified at least 30 British companies it believes have exported surveillance gear to Bahrain, Iran, Syria, and Yemen, among other countries. The group also said 50 firms were exporting such technology from the U.S. and that Germany and Israel are also big exporters of spy gear.

The technology includes tools for monitoring mobile phone calls and text messages and for … Read more

How to protect yourself online in three easy steps

Sometimes it may seem safer to go back to the days of the Pony Express rather than deal with the multitude of online threats, but there are some simple steps you can take to minimize the risks you face.

First, get a security suite. CNET gave Avast Free Antivirus 7 (download) and Bitdefender Total Security 2012 (download) Editors' Choice Awards recently, although there are about a dozen good suites, free and paid, out there. Go with one that gets good ratings and that you trust, and make sure that you let it update and scan regularly.

Second, I strongly recommend … Read more

Teacher's aide refuses to share Facebook access, is suspended

Teacher's aide Kimberly Hester has found herself on suspension and in the middle of a legal battle with her school after reportedly refusing to show a superintendent her Facebook account.

Working as an aide at the Frank Squires Elementary School in Cassopolis, Mich., Hester was employed by the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District, according to news site WSBT.

The issue arose in April 2011 when Hester posted a picture on her own time of a co-worker's pants around her ankles and a pair of shoes. Hester thought the picture harmless enough. But one of her Facebook friends, also … Read more

Facebook: Don't reveal your password to snooping employers

Has an employer or potential employer ever requested access to your Facebook account? If so, Facebook itself advises you to just say no.

Responding to growing complaints from employees over the practice, Facebook made its own position quite clear in a post published today. Noting an increase in the number of such requests from employers, the social network said they undermine both the security and the privacy of the user and the user's friends.

And the practice can put employers themselves at risk.

Companies making such requests may not have the right policies or training in place to deal … Read more