privacy

Know Where to Run to: The 5 Best Counties With No Extradition

Hong Kong is looking less and less safe for U.S. government whistleblower Edward Snowden. Here are a few other places that might be a bit more attractive for a man on the run.

TV That Watches You: Tech Giants Are Patenting a Creepy Future

How much privacy are you willing to give up? Imagine a gadget in your den that knows if you're arguing with your spouse. Or a device that blocks an R-rated show when a child enters the room. Based on their patent applications, Microsoft and Verizon have plans for just such technology.

Mickey Mouse Is Watching You: Does MyMagic Know Too Much?

Walt Disney World is about to get a bit more magical, but Mickey Mouse will have to soothe some skeptical privacy advocates along the way. Guests using its new MyMagic wristbands will get a more personalized vacation -- but do you really want Snow White to "magically" know your kid's name without being told?

Google to Pay $22.5 Million FTC Penalty in Cookie Tracking Case

Google has agreed to pay a $22.5 million penalty to settle its dispute with the FTC over the company's role in bypassing browser settings in Apple's Safari web browser.

Apple-0-7: Is Siri Spying on You?

What do IBM and the ACLU have against Siri? Because every time you use your iPhone's Siri or Dictation functions, what you say gets recorded -- and sent to Apple.

Want to Protect Your Online Privacy? Too Late

Recently, companies have begun to ask potential employees to hand over their Facebook passwords, and the backlash has been loud, widespread and angry. Too bad we hardly have any online privacy left to save.

How Facebook Timeline May Poke Holes in Your Privacy

Facebook's new Timeline program allows users to review everything they've ever shared on Facebook and showcase what they think is most worth remembering. It's fully customizable -- but there are some downsides.

Beyond Card Fees: Banks Look To Sell Your Data

New and higher debit card fees may not be enough to satiate the big banks. Financial institutions looking for revenue are now eyeing another source: Selling your debit-card transaction data to marketers. So which is worth more to you: The deals such targeted advertising will bring, or your privacy?

Your New iPhone's Defaults Put Your Privacy at Risk

If you care about your privacy at all, you might want to muzzle Siri. The groundbreaking voice-recognition personal assistant on the brand-new Apple iPhone 4S turns out to be quite the chatterbox when you least expect her to be, and doesn't go to sleep when the phone is locked.

ATM Plus KGB? New Russian Cash Machines Detect Lies

A new Russian ATM will make customers pay for lying: A voice-measured polygraph to be installed in the electronic tellers of Russia's state-run Sberbank can tell if patrons are talking truth or hogwash in applying for a credit card or loan -- an anti-fraud weapon with roots in the old Soviet Union.

Facebook Knows Faces, But Should It ID Our Pictures?

Facebook has announced that it is adding facial recognition software to help members tag photos. The world's largest social network can help you to see your friends more easily, and they'll be able to use the software to see you. But how vulnerable is this new feature to abuse?

Google Privacy Settlement Unlikely to Lead to Big Change

Google has agreed to a privacy program -- including independent audits, but no monetary fees -- to settle Federal Trade Commission privacy charges around its Buzz service. Consumer protection groups say the deal isn't strong enough to lead to widespread change.

Google Settles With FTC Over Privacy Violations on Buzz

FTC Says US Search's 'PrivacyLock' Service Did Little to Block Snoopers

Chitika Claimed It Wouldn't Track Your Behavior but Did Anyway, FTC Says

Credit Report Resellers Exposed Consumers to Identity Theft: FTC

Can Firefox and Google Bring More Privacy to the Web?

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are developing tools that will allow Web users to block advertisers from collecting information about them.

South Korea Accuses Google of Privacy Violations

Google's troubles over its inadvertent collection of personal data while mapping its "Street View" overseas seems never-ending. The latest country to accuse the company of privacy violations is South Korea.

How the Web Will Make Winners and Losers in 2011

A year ago, few expected Angry Birds or Groupon to be among 2010's stars, but the underlying trends that powered their success were plain enough. So picking individual companies to rise or fall this year isn't worthwhile. What is? Identifying the trends that will move them all.

Parents' Monitoring Software Maker That Sold Kids' Data Settles With FTC

FCC Investigating Google Over Snooping by Street View Cars

Federal Communications Commission regulators are investigating Google's Street View cars and their capture of users' personal information, from complete email addresses to passwords, an FCC official said Wednesday.

Google Toolbar Spurs Another Privacy Lawsuit

Google has been slapped with another privacy lawsuit, this time over its toolbar, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. A New York man alleges the toolbar software transmits users' Internet activity to the company, and misleads people into believing they can prevent that transmission.

Google Buzz Class Action Settled for $8.5 Million

Google plans to pay out an $8.5 million settlement as part of a privacy class action lawsuit against its Gmail Buzz feature, the Internet giant said Tuesday.

Google Data-Collection Probe Dropped by Regulators

A Federal Trade Commission probe into Google's practices related to data collection from its Street View cars has been dropped after the world's largest search-engine operator made changes to safeguard consumer privacy.

How to stop companies like Rapleaf from selling your personal info

How to Avoid Being a Victim of Medical Identity Theft

Everyone knows there are identity thieves who want to drain your bank accounts and siphon off your credit. But did you know there are scam artists out to steal your health benefits? So far, 1.5 million Americans have suffered from medical identity theft, at a cost of $29 billion.

There's No Hiding: Nine Industries That Know Your Every Move

Don't kid yourself. Real privacy no longer exists in this country. From your hobbies to your income to your phone calls, pretty much everything about you is tracked by someone, somewhere. We've examined the most intrusive firms and industries -- some of them may surprise you.