Collaborate Disseminate
I attended the National Restaurant Association exposition in Chicago earlier this year, and looked at all the ways modern restaurant IT is spying on people. But there’s also a fundamentally creepy aspect to much of this. One of the prime ways to increase value for your brand is to use the Internet to practice surveillance of both your customers and… Continue reading Me on Restaurant Surveillance Technology
The company that sells the Roomba autonomous vacuum wants to sell the data about your home that it collects. Some questions: What happens if a Roomba user consents to the data collection and later sells his or her home — especially furnished — and now the buyers of the data have a map of a home that belongs to someone… Continue reading Roombas will Spy on You
This article argues that Britain’s counterterrorism problem isn’t lack of data, it’s lack of analysis…. Continue reading Data vs. Analysis in Counterterrorism
Facebook published paper on the information operations it has seen, as well as some observations regarding the recent US election. It’s interesting reading…. Continue reading Facebook’s Observations on Information Operations and the 2016 US Election
Fitbit evidence is cited in an arrest warrant, stating that the device monitored steps by the victim after the suspect claimed she died…. Continue reading Fitbit Evidence Used in Murder Investigation
Interesting paper: "The rise of reading analytics and the emerging calculus of reading privacy in the digital world," by Clifford Lynch: Abstract: This paper studies emerging technologies for tracking reading behaviors ("reading analytics") and their implications for reader privacy, attempting to place them in a historical context. It discusses what data is being collected, to whom it is available, and… Continue reading Reading Analytics and Privacy
Interesting paper: "The rise of reading analytics and the emerging calculus of reading privacy in the digital world," by Clifford Lynch: Abstract: This paper studies emerging technologies for tracking reading behaviors ("reading analytics") and their implications for reader privacy, attempting to place them in a historical context. It discusses what data is being collected, to whom it is available, and… Continue reading Reading Analytics and Privacy
Ad blockers represent the largest consumer boycott in human history. They’re also an arms race between the blockers and the blocker blockers. This article discusses a new ad-blocking technology that represents another advance in this arms race. I don’t think it will "put an end to the ad-blocking arms race," as the title proclaims, but it will definitely give the… Continue reading Advances in Ad Blocking
Think about all of the websites you visit every day. Now imagine if the likes of Time Warner, AT&T, and Verizon collected all of your browsing history and sold it on to the highest bidder. That’s what will probably happen if Congress has its way. This week, lawmakers voted to allow Internet service providers to violate your privacy for their… Continue reading Congress Removes FCC Privacy Protections on Your Internet Usage
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order affecting the privacy rights of non-US citizens with respect to data residing in the US. Here’s the relevant text: Privacy Act. Agencies shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law, ensure that their privacy policies exclude persons who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents from the protections of the… Continue reading New Rules on Data Privacy for Non-US Citizens