Privacy – Page 12 – Follow To Know

Smart TVs Are Invading Privacy And Should Be Investigated, Senators Say | Ars Technica

July 14, 2018 mdbincbi

Two Democratic US senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate privacy problems related to Internet-connected televisions. “Many Internet-connected smart TVs are equipped with sophisticated technologies that can track the content users are watching and then use that information to tailor and deliver targeted advertisements to consumers,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter yesterday to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons. “Regrettably, smart TV users may not be aware of the extent to which their televisions are collecting sensitive information about their viewing habits.” The…

Study Calls Out ‘Dark Patterns’ In Facebook And Google That Push Users Toward Less Privacy | TechCrunch

June 28, 2018 mdbincbi

More scrutiny than ever is in place on the tech industry, and while high-profile cases like Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance in front of lawmakers garner headlines, there are subtler forces at work. This study from a Norway watchdog group eloquently and painstakingly describes the ways that companies like Facebook and Google push their users towards making choices that negatively affect their own privacy. It was spurred, like many other new inquiries, by Europe’s GDPR, which has caused no small amount of consternation among companies for whom collecting and leveraging user data…

Canadians At Risk Of Being ‘Data Cows’ Absent Big Data Strategy, Documents Show | CBC News

June 20, 2018 mdbincbi

Artificial intelligence could give internet giants like Facebook and Amazon even more power to reshape the Canadian economy, threatening the viability of domestic businesses, researchers warn. A December presentation to senior civil servants said that Canadian companies were losing ownership of — and access to — data to the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google, requiring a federal policy response. Artificial intelligence “will reinforce this trend,” presenters from the National Research Council warned top officials, adding that a national data strategy would be necessary to prevent Canada from becoming…

Mounties, CSIS Still Haven’t Publicly ID’d People Behind Electronic Cell Surveillance In Ottawa | CBC News

June 12, 2018 mdbincbi

After investigating for over a year, the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) are still unable to publicly identify those who have deployed electronic espionage devices in the national capital. In April 2017, a CBC/Radio-Canada report revealed that IMSI catchers were being used in Ottawa and Montreal. These devices can capture cellphone data and listen to telephone conversations. News that sophisticated spying tools had been deployed within range of Parliament Hill caused some tumult within the government. Following the CBC/Radio-Canada report, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the launch…

A Trip To The ER With Your Phone May Mean Injury Lawyer Ads For Weeks | Ars Technica

May 29, 2018 mdbincbi

With digital traps in hospitals, there’s no need for personal injury lawyers to chase ambulances these days. Law firms are using geofencing in hospital emergency rooms to target advertisements to patients’ mobile devices as they seek medical care, according to Philadelphia public radio station WHYY. Geofencing can essentially create a digital perimeter around certain locations and target location-aware devices within the borders of those locations. Patients who unwittingly jump that digital fence may see targeted ads for more than a month, and on multiple devices, the outlet notes. While the…

Google’s Selfish Ledger Ideas Can Be Found In Its Patent Applications – The Verge

May 20, 2018 mdbincbi

I trust by now we’ve all seen and been at least a little disturbed by The Selfish Ledger, the nearly 9-minute-long concept video from inside Google’s “moonshot factory” X labs. In the wake of it becoming public this week, Google quickly disavowed the video, claiming it was just a thought experiment “not related to any current or future products.” And yet, the company’s patent applications exhibit a mode of thinking that runs at least in parallel, if not on the exact same tracks, as The Selfish Ledger’s total data collection…

Chinese School Uses Facial Recognition To Make Kids Pay Attention | Engadget

May 18, 2018 mdbincbi

Civilian surveillance in China has seen a boom in recent times, with facial recognition leading the charge in the technologies used to keep tabs on the population. Police are scanning travelers with facial recognition glasses, authorities are using the tech to monitor ethnic minorities — now the Orwellian technology has a new target: kids. According to government-run Chinese website Hangzhou.com, a school has installed facial recognition technology to monitor how attentive students are in class. Three cameras have been installed above a blackboard at Hangzhou Number 11 High School in…

Paper Documents In Hospitals Not Always Properly Destroyed: Study | CTV News

March 21, 2018 mdbincbi

It was while sitting in a doctors’ lounge and watching a janitor take away a huge recycling bin that Dr. Nancy Baxter stumbled on a major problem with the way hospitals operate. Inside that bin, she saw paperwork containing the personal medical information of hospital patients. It was paperwork that should have been shredded, but instead, the janitor was planning to take it to recycling. The types of bins available in many hospitals, designating where sensitive documents and where recycling should go. She soon discovered it’s a disturbing amount. Dr.…