Today, the FTC announced a settlement with Myspace, involving charges that the social networking service misrepresented how it protects users' personal data. The settlement "bars Myspace from future privacy misrepresentations, requires it to implement a comprehensive privacy program, and calls for regular, independent privacy assessments for the next 20 years." Ed Felten breaks it down here.
Myspace settles with FTC over broken user privacy promises
Signal posts the ads that Facebook banned it for trying to run on Instagram
Encrypted messaging service Signal wanted to run clever ads on Facebook's Instagram that revealed how specifically the ad itself was targeted. Facebook banned its account, writes Signal's Jun Harada. It was evidently not OK with Signal exposing the barely-anonymized personal data that Facebook has for sale to promote its own more private alternative. We created… READ THE REST
The iPhone pop-up that Facebook dreads is out, and it is going to hurt them
Facebook exists for one reason: to make money selling targeted advertising. That's it. Anything that prevents Facebook from tracking what its users do online — the websites they visit, the videos they watch, the posts they "like," the things they buy — is going to put a kink in its cash hose. That's why Facebook… READ THE REST
UK rollout for sweat-testing ankle bands to enforce alcohol bans
Big Brother is licking you. Sweat monitors (aka scram cams) are ankle bands that monitor the wearer's sweat for alcohol, to enforce court-ordered abstinence. They're rolling them out nationwide in the UK in a bid to tackle booze-related crime. Under the scheme, courts will be able to hand out "alcohol abstinence orders" to offenders who… READ THE REST
This bladeless fan delivers smooth airflow that's as cool as the fan itself
In your eternal search to cool up your home — both figuratively and literally — a bladeless fan might be a great investment as the summer months start rolling into view. For efficiency, new power-saving bladeless fans help cool a space without being forced to pay the cost of using the air conditioner to chill out… READ THE REST
Learn valuable IT skills for Linux with this 7-course package for just $20
Microsoft has Windows. Apple has Mac OS. Between them, they're the operating systems running 92 percent of the computers in the world. And they were created, developed, owned, and sold as proprietary software by those two companies for use on their particular machines. Linux? Linux is the very definition of a free agent. A versatile,… READ THE REST
This $80 portable instant photo printer will be an instant hit at your next party
Not too many years ago, just about every home had a basic printer for handling a variety of household projects from protecting major documents to printing reports or information from the web. More upscale households even had laser printers or photo quality printers for creating high-end images that were virtually indistinguishable from photographs. That's not… READ THE REST