iPhone SDK changes would restrict access to customer personal data collected by third party applications that had been sharing customer data with analytics companies. Apple's privacy policy outlines the purpose for data collection, retention, use, and limitations on sharing to purposes related to the product or services sought by customers. It further states that the company "safeguard[s] your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction." The Apple statement on the issue suggests that application developers for the Apple iPhone possibly used code from existing application developer programs, which contained third party data sharing instructions.
Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Mobile Device Identification Act that if passed would require all pre-paid phone users to provide an ID as a condition of purchase. The bill targets users of pre-paid cellphones and would require phone companies to keep the information on file, as they are required do now for land line users. Abuse of telephone land line users' call detail information of the past include pretexting, where individuals pretending to be the user gains access to information or the warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency raise questions regarding the protection of the data collected. The bill is a reaction to the Time Square attempted car bomb attacker who used a pre-paid cellphone to purchase the car.
Google Street View according to Privacy International after reviewing audit logs engaged in criminal intent to collect and store all unencrypted wireless computer network information. Google is under investigation in several countries including the United States for using its Street View project to all so collect information on unprotected wireless computer networks.
A California federal court ruled that nonpublic Facebook communications and content is protected by the Stored Communications Act and cannot be access by a civil subpoena. The ruling gives added privacy protection to Facebook users who set privacy settings to not share with the public. The question settled by the court arose from a copyright dispute regarding artwork. The court left the question to a lower court of whether the content was publicly available or not.
Unlimited data retention and information sharing policies of social networking service providers are creating privacy problems for users. Attorney's in civil cases are routinely subpoenaing online records of social network users when involved in a case. Increasingly consumers, and policy makers are joining privacy advocates in asking what do social networking services know about their users and with whom are they sharing that information. Facebook has come under pressure for manipulating customer privacy settings from restrictions on sharing to broadly sharing user content. Google's Buzz application without notice or consent converted Gmail users e-mail contacts into a social networking service.
Connecticut continues its investigation of Google's Street View project's activity that are now being called unofficially-Spyfi. Google launched an ambitious project to create a street-by-street visual map of residential and commercial areas around the globe. It was disclosed this year through an investigation conducted by the Germany government that while Google mapped residential and business neighborhoods by collecting images of structures and people. What was not known at the time is that they may have also been collecting large amounts of personal data off of unprotected wireless computer networks. The company is now under investigation by several international law enforcement agencies including the US Department of Justice as well as several US state Attorneys Generals for possible violations of privacy laws.
Yahoo announced that it is poised to roll out the first share option for e-mail users. The option would allow Yahoo e-mail users to share their e-mail with others. The company hopes to enter the social networking business model through this change in a well established application. E-mail generally is shared between one or more parties--Yahoo did not address the privacy interest of e-mail recipients of Yahoo users to opt-in to sharing e-mail content.
The "I Like" button popping up on commercial and news organizations' websites violate basic privacy rights of online users, such as, no secret data collection, opt-in to the sharing of personal information, and the right to know who has accessed or used their personal information. When online content users select the button--Facebook tracks both Facebook and non-Facebook users' online activity. Tracking is not limited to the site where users clicked the "I Like" button. Better, richer, and more detailed profiles of online users' activities feeds the demand for more detailed customer profiles to sell advertiser and marketers.
