privacy | Internet Marketing Blog

Do consumers need "data lockers" for their personal information?

Every day, copious amounts of information about individuals is created and exchanged in some fashion on the internet. Much of the time, the creation of that information is voluntary, and the exchange of that information helps support a universe of services that many consumers couldn't do without.

The volume of personal information out there and the ease with which it can be shared, often opaquely, has raised privacy concerns that could be the biggest stumbling block for the evolution of the web.

So what's the solution?

by Patricio Robles 13 February 2012 19:47pm 1 comment

Don Tapscott on privacy and the new web

As most of us are aware, we are in a huge age of change. The technology genie is now out of the bottle and it is changing the way the next generation is interacting and shaping our world.

Don Tapscott, author of Macrowikinomics, opened Social Media Week in New York with his thoughts on emerging trends. The biggest takeaway? We need a new set of institutions that fit a digital age. The future as Tapscott sees it, is not to be predicted. It’s to be achieved.

by Heather Taylor 13 February 2012 17:33pm 2 comments

Path caught storing users' unencrypted data

Today developer Arun Thampi discovered his entire address book including full names, emails and phone numbers was being collected by the new social app, Path.

In trying to make things easy for users, Path uploads your address book to their servers so you can easily connect to your friends and family on its network.

The problem is Path doesn't tell you it's going to do it.

by Heather Taylor 08 February 2012 00:53am 0 comments

Facebook finally files for IPO

The wait is over. Last night Facebook filed its much-anticipated S-1 paving the way for an IPO which could happen in as little as a few weeks.

The company, which was founded in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, is looking to raise $5bn - though there is still the possibility that it could raise as much as $10bn if it sees strong demand.

by Patricio Robles 02 February 2012 10:56am 1 comment

O2 shares customer phone numbers with websites

Think your phone number is safe when browsing the web via your mobile? It seems like a logical assumption to make.

But that might not be quite true if you're an O2 customer.

by Patricio Robles 25 January 2012 16:23pm 0 comments

EU data protection law language leaked

In January, draft language for the new European Data Protection Directive, is expected to be released publicly.

The directive's goals include setting in place guidelines for the protection of data that originates within Europe and laying out if, how and when that data can leave Europe. The directive will replace the EU's existing Data Protection Directive.

by Patricio Robles 08 December 2011 11:11am 0 comments

Will the EU sour Facebook's 2012 IPO?

Facebook is the world's largest social networking company and widely considered to be one of the most powerful internet companies in the world.

So powerful is Facebook that many observers see it as a potential threat to entrenched players like Google.

Despite Facebook's power, size and revenue, however, it remains privately-held thanks in large part to co-founder Mark Zuckerberg's desire to keep the company free from external influences which might be distracting and harmful.

But that soon could be changing according to the Wall Street Journal, which is reporting that the Palo Alto-based company is prepping an IPO in the second quarter of 2012.

by Patricio Robles 29 November 2011 11:01am 1 comment

Critics don't like Facebook's seamless sharing, but publishers do

Facebook may be one of the most successful companies to emerge on the consumer internet in the past decade, but it has made more than its fair share of blunders and is no stranger to controversy and criticism, especially when it comes to privacy.

The latest feature to attract negative attention is the company's seamless sharing, which was announced earlier this year at Facebook's F8 developer conference.

by Patricio Robles 21 November 2011 16:14pm 0 comments

Google starts indexing Facebook, third-party comments

A relatively large number of publishers, particularly those running 'blogs', rely on third-party services to power the comments on their websites.

From Facebook Comments to Disqus, there is no shortage of options that enable publishers to offer commenting functionality without having to implement it themselves.

While not the most technically complex functionality to implement, there are a number of reasons publishers might choose to outsource comments, ranging from spam control to identity management.

by Patricio Robles 01 November 2011 09:38am 4 comments

The online experience for European children: stats

Some of the most interesting data to be added to the Europe edition of our Internet Statistics Compendium this month focuses on how children are using the internet across the continent.

As social networking becomes more commonplace among adults and mobile technologies give all users more opportunity to get online without computer access, how are children responding to increased connectivity and more pull factors to use digital services?

by Luke Richards 07 October 2011 13:04pm 0 comments