Lucian Constantin reports that Amazon Silk, a cloud-based browser developed by Amazon to support its new Kindle Fire tablet, is raising privacy concerns. Although there is non-cloud option that would not share data with Amazon, the default settings do, and users’ data might be subject to access by the government under provisions of the PATRIOT…
Category: Business
Microsoft identifies privacy bugs in Windows Phone location services, promises update fix
Tom Warren writes: Microsoft admitted on Wednesday that the company has identified an “unintended behavior” in its Windows Phone 7 location services. Microsoft has been accused of tracking Windows Phone locations without explicit end user consent over the past few weeks. A lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court earlier this month, backed by analysis…
Reddit users overwhelm Facebook with data requests
The floodgates have already opened, it seems. Emil Protalinski reports: Reddit users have flooded Facebook with personal data requests via the service’s official form. This appears to have overwhelmed Facebook’s Data Access Request Team, forcing the group to send out e-mails telling users there will be a significant delay. It all started with a Reddit…
Which Telecoms Store Your Data the Longest? Secret Memo Tells All
David Kravets writes: The nation’s major mobile-phone providers are keeping a treasure trove of sensitive data on their customers, according to newly-released Justice Department internal memo that for the first time reveals the data retention policies of America’s largest telecoms. The single-page Department of Justice document, “Retention Periods of Major Cellular Service Providers,” (.pdf) is…