Amazon’s IMDb wins verdict against 41-year-old actress who sued for revealing her age

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A federal jury in Seattle ruled in favor of Amazon.com’s IMDb yesterday in a case brought by a 41-year-old actress whose birthdate was revealed against her wishes on the popular movie and television database site. Texas actress Huong “Junie” Hoang originally filed her suit as a “Jane Doe,” in October 2011. She alleged that IMDb was able… Read More…

Scroogled: Microsoft attacks Google again, this time about Android privacy issues

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First it was Google Shopping, then Gmail, and now, Microsoft’s latest attack on Google comes in the form of Android privacy issues. As part of its “Scroogled,” campaign, Microsoft today launched a new barrage that accuses Google’s handling of user data when purchasing an app from the Google Play Store. In hopes of convincing users to… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Enliken helps consumers control personal data and market it to advertisers

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Advertisers are getting to know more about each and every one of us, especially as behavioral targeting technologies allow big brands to more directly target messages to individuals with specific interests and Internet browsing patterns. But what if the consumer had more control of that data? And what if you could earn value from marketing… Read More…

VIDEO: Here’s what customers think of a Seattle bar banning Google Glasses

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If you haven’t heard yet, Seattle’s 5 Point Cafe is one of the first establishments to declare a ban on Google Glasses to prevent its patrons from being recorded by the high-tech glasses (but also as a bit of a joke, the bar’s owner admits). Google’s high-tech augmented reality “Project Glass” spectacles are still in development and not available for purchase by… Read More…

Microsoft wants new model for online privacy, says current one ‘can’t survive’

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It’s inevitable that companies will collect an array of data about people and their online activities. So rather than trying to prevent that data collection from happening, consumers should instead be given the ultimate control over how data is used. That’s the contention of a recent report from the World Economic Forum’s Rethinking Personal Data… Read More…

MTV and BET’s fake Twitter hack PR stunt wasn’t funny and raises serious questions

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MTV and BET just fooled us all, and I’m not sure if it was funny, stupid or scary. Yesterday, Burger King’s Twitter account was hacked and the same hackers did it to Jeep today. Then, just an hour ago, it appeared the @MTV and @BET accounts — both are owned by Viacom — were also… Read More…

Open letter to Skype from digital rights advocates urges Microsoft to issue transparency reports

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Over 100 Internet advocates, journalists and other organization members penned an open letter to Microsoft today, urging the Redmond software giant to be more transparent with its Skype software. In the letter addressed to Skype Division President Tony Bates, Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch and Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith, the concerned advocates want Microsoft to release… Read More…

FTC investigating Intelius, and other so-called ‘data brokers’

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Intelius, the Bellevue-based company led by entrepreneur Naveen Jain, is among the companies being investigated by the The Federal Trade Commission for practices of how they capture consumer data. The Consumerist has more details, noting that the FTC is looking into how Intelius and the others collect and use data about consumers. Here’s what the FTC… Read More…

Commentary: Why the downfall of Facebook is more possible than you think

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Facebook is the clearcut leader in social. We all know this. No one else is even close (except maybe Google). There are all sorts of reasons why they are succeeding — namely due to the billion people using the site. However, like all industry leaders, Facebook is under attack from all sides. As the well-established elephant in… Read More…

Microsoft holds its ground as big advertisers blast IE10′s default privacy settings

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Microsoft’s decision to prevent Internet Explorer 10 users from being tracked online, by default, is getting an extraordinary response from some of the world’s largest advertisers, in the form of a letter to the Redmond company this week from the Association of National Advertisers, objecting to to the plan. The letter was signed by representatives of… Read More…