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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Mozilla's Do Not Track: the numbers so far
Earlier this year, Mozilla added a new feature to Firefox: do not track
(DNT) functionality.
When enabled, the Firefox browser includes an HTTP header intended for advertisers and publishers that indicates the user does not want to be tracked.
Many, myself included, were skeptical about the potential efficacy of DNT, but how's it doing thus far?
Facebook checks out of check-ins, but not location
For years, privacy issues have dogged the world's largest social network, Facebook.
From changes that have gradually made the once-closed network more open to the world to advertising programs that were are little too creepy for comfort, Facebook arguably has more experience dealing with privacy flubs than any other company in the world.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Facebook continues to tweak its privacy features, as it preparing to do in a big way soon.
