Privacy

NSA PRISM Program: Amid the Tech Giants, Where’s Twitter?

June 8, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Amid public outrage that the United States has been secretly mining data on foreigners through partnerships with nine U.S.

Google’s Page Clueless When It Comes to Privacy Concerns About Glass

June 8, 2013  ·  John M. Simpson

<p>Google CEO Larry Page simply doesn't get it when it comes to privacy concerns about the Internet giant's new computerized eyewear, Google Glass.   He made that crystal clear at the annual shareholders's meeting Thursday.<br /> <img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2658" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/images_pageglass.jpg" style="width: 180px; height: 165px; margin: 7px; float: right;" width="180" height="165" /><br />

Consumer Watchdog Calls Google Execs ‘Hypocrites’ for Banning Recording Devices from Stockholders Meeting

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/">Consumer Watchdog</a>, a nonprofit and nonpartisan consumer protection organization, is turning a critical eye on Google for banning recording devices from <a href="http://investor.google.com/proxy.html">today’s annual stockholders meeting</a>. After all, the technology company has just created <a href="http://socialtimes.com/designing-google-glass_b127292">Google Glass</a>, which is computerized eyewear that can record people without their knowledge.</p>

Google Accused of Hypocrisy Over Glass Ban at Shareholder Shindig

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Strange things afoot in Google's bathrooms</strong></p> <p>Google's directors were accused of hypocrisy over a regulation banning attendees at its annual shareholder's meeting in California from wearing Google Glass hardware at the event.</p> <p>"Cameras, recording devices, and other electronic devices, such as smart phones, will not be permitted at the meeting. Photography is prohibited at the meeting," attendees were told, something that rankled with Consumer Watchdog's privacy policy director and Google shareholder John Simpson.</p>

Why Isn’t Twitter Part of the NSA PRISM Snooping Program?

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Microsoft was the first to <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040991/report-nsa-prism-program-spied-on-americans-emails-searches.html">partner with the NSA</a> in 2007, according to the once-secret <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data">PRISM PowerPoint deck</a>. Other big-name tech companies followed, and even the obscure PalTalk joined the fray. But, quite conspiculously, Twitter never joined the government snooping program—there's no reference to the company in the NSA document.</p>

Banned! Google Glass Prohibited at Shareholder Meeting

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Tight security restrictions at Thursday's <a class="inline_quotes" data-gdsid="19004" data-inline-quote-symbol="GOOG" href="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOG" target="_self" rel="noopener">Google</a> shareholder meeting led even the company's much-hyped Google Glass technology to be banned, infuriating a consumer watchdog group who accused the tech giant of hypocrisy.</p>

Quick Note: Google Bans Google Glass from Annual Shareholder Meeting, Is Called a Hypocrite

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span class="ArticleSummary" id="lblSummary">No electronic or recordable devices are allowed</span><br /> <br /> <span id="lblBody">Google's shareholder meetings are so private, not even its own products are allowed in.  Nonprofit organization Consumer Watchdog said Google executives are hypocrites for not allowing Google Glass into its shareholder meeting yesterday. <br /> <br />

Irony (noun) — Google Bans Google Glass at Its Annual Shareholders Meeting

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Every day, it seems the list of places geeks can wear their Google Glasses gets shorter and shorter. What about the Googleplex itself?</p> <p>Google held its annual shareholders meeting Thursday afternoon in Mountain View, and <a href="http://investor.google.com/proxy.html">banned</a> anyone from taking anything into the meeting that was capable of recording the proceedings—no cameras, no recording devices, no smartphones and no Google Glass.</p>

Google CEO: People Won’t Freak Out When Glass is Used in the Restroom

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Google CEO Larry Page is pretty confident most people will be comfortable with others walking around wearing Glass, the company's new smartglasses, and not worry about protecting their privacy.</p> <p>How comfortable? Comfortable enough to be in the restroom while others use the device.</p> <p>"You don't collapse in terror that someone might be using Glass in the bathroom just the same as you don't collapse in terror when someone comes in with a smartphone that might take a picture," Page said Thursday, according to the Associated Press. </p>

Google Glass Banned at Company’s Own Shareholders Meeting

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span id="intelliTxt"><a href="http://www.slashgear.com/tags/project-glass">Google Glass</a> has been facing a lot of criticism ever since the Explorer Edition was released earlier this year. <a href="http://www.slashgear.com/cracked-glass-why-wearables-are-the-next-security-maelstrom-04284709/">Privacy concerns are the biggest issues</a> surrounding the computerized pair of glasses, getting banned in numerous establishments already, with the most recent banning being Google’s own shareholders meeting.</span></p>

Is Government Data Mining Necessary To Keep Us Safe?

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The revelations in the Washington Post's report on <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?hpid=z1" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?hpid=z1">PRISM</a> trains the spotlight on a sticky dilemma.</p>

Reports: NSA, FBI Collecting Content from Google, Facebook, Other Services

June 7, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation have access to servers at Google, Facebook, and other major Internet services, collecting audio, video, email, and other content for surveillance, the Washington Post and the Guardian reported on Thursday.</p>