privacy

Why is Google Dashboard being dubbed a privacy tool?

Networking & Internet, Software / By Khalid Hosein / November 6, 2009

Google Dashboard is being labeled a ‘privacy tool’ by the media. I don’t understand why.Sure, it’s a nice tool that shows you on one page all of your Google accounts/products and their latest statuses.

Ok, so there are links on many of them so you can see the privacy policies, but not really much you can do about the policies! And this isn’t unique to Google. Pretty much every company out there has similar one-way privacy policies.

Folks (as herded by the media) are up in arms because they are being led to believe that Google is (becoming?) a big bad company that will take your private information and use it for nefarious schemes that will directly impact you. Well then, don’t give out your private information or opt out of using these products. Your government has more information on you and probably takes worse care of it than a Google does.

Remember, if you signed up for a Google account, no one twisted your arm, (except perhaps your geek friends!). Own up to your responsibilities and stop blaming the company(s) that are giving you useful, and in many cases free, products.

Facebook revamping privacy controls

Miscellaneous, Networking & Internet / By Khalid Hosein / July 8, 2009

If you read this blog, there’s a pretty good chance you’re also a Facebook user. If so, and you care about your privacy, you should probably set aside some time to take a look at Facebook’s new privacy controls when they are rolled out to you.

Facebook is in the midst of reorganizing the controls that users have to their privacy settings. Currently, those settings can be found on multiple pages.

In a recent press conference call, Facebook also announced that they will be ditching regional networks as only half of the members even joined them or joined the ‘wrong’ ones.

Lock down your Skype Privacy settings

Networking & Internet, Software / By Khalid Hosein / May 31, 2009

Just a quick note. Phishers and malware vendors are using Skype to snare people into paying for their crap and infecting their machines. You should lock down your Skype privacy settings [detailed howto] to prevent them from messaging you in the first place!

Broughton, UK residents say no to Google StreetView

Miscellaneous, Networking & Internet / By Khalid Hosein / April 6, 2009

The residents of Broughton, a village north of London, decided that they did not want Google’s StreetView team taking any photos of their homes, so they took matters into their own hands. They not only flagged down the Google StreetView driver, and angrily remonstrated with him, they called the police as well.

As much as I (we) all love StreetView, we can certainly appreciate the rights and wishes of the residents not to have their homes appear on a public website. Now if only Google could ammend their policy to include the ability of homeowners to not appear on StreetView in the first place. Right now, you can request to have your home removed from StreetView within a matter of hours.