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PSA – “Modern motor vehicles often include new connected vehicle technologies that aim to provide benefits such as added safety features, improved fuel economy, and greater overall convenience. Aftermarket devices are also providing consumers with new features to monitor the status of their vehicles. However, with this increased connectivity, it is important that consumers and …
Gizmodo – “Much to the chagrin of anyone who hates algorithms, it appears that Twitter’s new timeline—the one that displays tweets based on importance rather than chronology—is now the default setting for all users. Twitter rolled out the feature in February, but it was initially opt-in. Now, however, reports are emerging that the company has …
Department of Homeland Security Privacy Office 2015 Freedom of Information Act Report to the Attorney General of the United States, February 2016 “DHS was able to make enormous strides in significantly reducing the backlog despite the fact that DHS consistently receives the largest number of FOIA requests of any federal department or agency in each …
DuckDuckGo explains new map feature – “We’re proud to announce that we’ve just added one of the most-requested features to date: Directions! Now, location results will not only give you the option for directions but allow you to choose from the most-requested map providers – Apple, Bing, Here, OpenStreetMap, and yes – even Google Maps!”
Google Transparency Report – Focus on Encryption – 2016: “HTTPS is a mechanism that allows your browser or app to securely connect with a website. HTTPS is one of the measures to help keep your browsing safe and secure, which is important when you are doing things like logging into your bank’s website or submitting …
Via EFF – “Last week, EFF filed a brief in support of Apple’s fight against the FBI, in which we argued that forcing Apple to write—and sign—a custom version of iOS would violate the First Amendment rights of Apple and its programmers. That’s because the right to free speech sharply limits the government’s ability to …
von Shoshana Zuboff, March 3, 2016: “Governmental control is nothing compared to what Google is up to. The company is creating a wholly new genus of capitalism, a systemic coherent new logic of accumulation we should call surveillance capitalism. Is there nothing we can do?…Google is ground zero for a wholly new subspecies of capitalism …
CRS report via FAS – Cybersecurity: Critical Infrastructure Authoritative Reports and Resources, Rita Tehan, Information Research Specialist. March 8, 2016. “This report serves as a starting point for congressional staff assigned to cover cybersecurity issues as they relate to critical infrastructure. Much is written about protecting U.S. critical infrastructure, and this CRS report directs the …
March 10, 2016: “Chairman Wheeler’s Proposal to Give Broadband Consumers Increased Choice, Transparency & Security With Respect to Their Data – FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has circulated for consideration by the full Commission a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to ensure consumers have the tools they need to make informed choices about how and whether …
“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced new resources today to educate bank customers about appropriate steps they can take to help avoid fraud and other cyber threats when banking online or on their mobile devices. The information is being issued in advance of National Consumer Protection Week, March 6-12. As part of an ongoing …
“National Consumer Protection Week (March 6-12, 2016) highlights the importance of understanding your consumer rights to make informed buying decisions. And it gives you the chance to learn about and share information to protect yourself and others from scams and fraud. Find a wealth of tips and information on a variety of consumer topics: banking, …
Via FAS – CRS report – Encryption: Selected Legal Issues, Richard M. Thompson II, Legislative Attorney; Chris Jaikaran, Analyst in Cybersecurity Policy. March 3, 2016. “This report first provides background to the ongoing encryption debate, including a primer on encryption basics and an overview of Apple, Google, and Facebook’s new encryption policies. Next, it will …
