Groups call for the end of whole body scanning at U.S. Airports. They said that the technology has not been independently reviewed for effectiveness and health impact. Further, they charge that privacy protections must be assured in a way that prevents changes in policy, without public notice. At the beginning of last year the TSA announced plans to replace medal detectors with whole body scanning technology.
Students and parents were shocked to learn that laptops issued by local public schools included alleged plans by the school to use web cams to spy on students while at home. The allegations emerged after a student was disciplined based on evidence that was collected while the student was alone. Parents filed a class action lawsuit against the school district.
Surprise is an understatement for the reaction to Google's roll out of its social networking application "Buzz." Many wondered what was Google thinking when it set up social networking connections within its Buzz application based on Gmail users' e-mail contacts. Google's social networking application bypassed the expected registration process for potential users by setting up accounts with a ready made list of contacts. Privacy advocates had for years focused on the non-privacy policies associated with the G-mail application that scanned e-mail content for key words for the disclosed purpose of serving ads. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on the Google Buzz incident.
More lawsuits filed against Facebook following its decision last year to change some user settings and making public online associations that had once been de-linked from user profile information. The company disclosed information by making it publicly available. The change in settings resulted in users sharing more about their online relationships and activities than user account preferences had allowed. The company has been under a privacy cloud since it premiered an application called "Beacon," which reported online purchases to users' Facebook associations.
Recent reports that Google was negotiating an agreement with the National Security Agency (NSA) to understand the recent cyber-attacks against the company's Gmail service raised eyebrows. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the NSA seeking information regarding the relationship between the agency and the largest Internet Search Engine, and service provider in the world. Google made public the attack on its servers and their suspicion that the source was the Chinese Government. There have been long-term concerns regarding China and its willingness to use surveillance on U.S. citizens, agencies, and corporations. Google had cooperated with the Chinese government's policy of censorship of information available to people living within that nation.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to have 500 "digital strip search" machines in U.S. airports by the end of 2011. The technology allows passengers to be viewed as if they were not wearing clothing. This is the latest attempt to calm public fears about air terrorists attacks. The incident on December 25, 2009, which post-investigations have revealed included failures by federal agencies to communicate what they knew regarding the threat the attempted attacker posed. There are also questions regarding the ability of these devices to identify the substance used in the incident; the privacy protections for passengers; as well as health risks to the general public posed by the screening technology. The manufacturer of the devices is poised to make hundreds of millions on the rush to disrobe air travelers. The European Union has elected to have an independent review of the technology prior to making any decisions to deploy the systems.
January 28 is International Privacy Day, celebrating the day that the first international convention on privacy was signed. The Council of Europe and the European Commission initiated this commemoration in 2007. This year marks its fourth edition, and a wide variety of activities are being held in cities around the world to underscore the importance of privacy protections.
On January 28, 2010, at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology the Federal Trade Commission held its second in a series of three roundtable discussions on online privacy in Berkeley California. The meeting took place on International Privacy Day. Representatives from leading social networking companies where joined by privacy and civil liberty advocacy organizations to discuss the topic of privacy and social networking services.
Plans for an accurate 2010 Census are underway. Census forms will be mailed to every home later this year. The forms will be supported by thousands of Census workers who will canvass areas seeking information to complete the count national tally of residents. Census data is used to calculate federal formulas that determine communities share of billions of dollars for programs ranging from education to roads. There have been concerns about how sensitive personal information collected by Census is used.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Security Agency (NSA) seeking details of the worlds largest surveillance agency's relationship with the Internet's largest service providers. It is reported that Google and the NSA are in the final stages of reaching an agreement to have the NSA analyze a cyber attack on Google's network. The relationships between the NSA and telecommunication companies have been sited as a factor in the unlawful surveillance of domestic telephone communications. Statement to NSA Hill Oversight Committee on the Google/NSA deal.
Facebook is working to end outstanding lawsuits around the nation that resulted from privacy violations related to its Beacon application. The proposed settlement would fund a foundation Facebook creates and would approve representatives to serve on its board. The settlement would allow Facebook to have substantial say in how $6 million set aside to create a foundation would be spent. Facebook's experience with customer privacy has not been smooth sailing.
International travelers and domestic destinations in a tight economy may think twice about air travel if it means a digital strip search. Whole body scanners have not been independently reviewed for there effectiveness or health impact on travelers. The privacy protections expressed by TSA are not assured by policy or oversight, but the rush to spend over $400 million before the end of 2010 is underway.
