privacy issues

And so it begins in earnest. The Web has become the Social Web, and these days “social” translates almost literally into Facebook. Soon there will be few places on the InterWebs untouched by the Zuckerberg machine.

Facebook is about to get a lot more personal and dig deeper into you and your friends' likes, dislikes, and what you do online. This week at a Facebook developers conference called F8, the company pulled the curtain back on some very cool and soon to be available features.

The Massachusetts Data Privacy law, effective as of March 1, 2010, states that all businesses that collect personal data from or about Massachusetts residents will need to adopt a comprehensive written security program. Unlike most state-based data privacy laws, which focus primarily on public disclosure once a breach occurs, the new Massachusetts law prescribes that more stringent protective measures be taken to prevent breaches from occurring in the first place.

The launch of Buzz left Google with a black eye over several privacy mishaps. The main source of angst was the exposure of user Gmail contacts, and Google's rushed tweaks just weren't good enough. Now Google wants a total re-do--and perhaps forgiveness--with the implementation of even further fixes.

Finally, there's something Google and Microsoft can agree on: Our electronic privacy protections are in serious need of an overhaul. They, along with Intel, AOL, AT&T, the ACLU, and a dozen other household names, have formed the Digital Due Process coalition, aimed at urging Congress to modernize the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) -- the only thing keeping Johnny Law from pawing through your digital life.

Private e-mail addresses that many Facebook users wanted to keep hidden were revealed publicly last night on a multitude of Facebook profiles, Gawker reports. The glitch lasted about 30 minutes before Facebook sealed the gap.

Facebook users are expressing strong disapproval of proposed privacy changes that will let the site share some user information with third-party Web sites and applications.

A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows that the Transportation Security Administration plans to install more than double the number of whole body scanners at U.S. airports than originally planned.

Several major U.S. Internet companies, including Google and Facebook, need to "step up" and better protect consumer privacy or face tougher penalties from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, a commissioner said Wednesday.

If the public wants online privacy it had better fight now for laws to protect it because businesses won't and individuals don't have the clout, security expert Bruce Schneier told RSA Conference.

Full-body scanners were installed at Boston Logan International Airport on Friday, a technology that some see as important in identifying terrorist threats but which others worry is an invasion of privacy.

Google, Equifax, Verizon and others launched the Open Identity Exchange (OIX) this week to support federal government guidelines for online privacy and security.