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The collection, use and dissemination of sensitive consumer data is one of the greatest causes of concern in today’s online data tracking environment. Companies can easily access the most intimate details about you and compile them into comprehensive profiles that can then be sold to the highest bidder, without your permission or control. This bill gives some power back to consumers by requiring companies to get your permission before collecting or using this information, with only a few very carefully defined exceptions.

It’s not perfect, but given that it attempts to give consumers protections that we don’t currently enjoy, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

(via Huffington Post)

“Customers can watch whatever they want on the computer,” said Brooklyn Public Library spokeswoman Malika Granville, describing the anything-goes philosophy that’s the rule at the city’s 200-plus branches.

And that has religious leaders and library patrons — even some librarians — hotter than an XXX flick.

Make this fun for yourself and go straight to the comments because according to them, protecting elderly perverts at libraries is the new liberal agenda, and I really really love imagining those protests and campaigns. 

They’ve already complied with the filters, so just to cover their bases, they could probably supply headphones since many of them seem to provide a “privacy screen” (prevents people from viewing the screen when viewed sideways).

And if people really want to have a discussion on how libraries are spending our taxpayer dollars, then I would like to make a comment about how I do not appreciate that XX% of my income goes towards funding the 5.5 hours of time wasted each day by a former high school classmate who was just laid off and can barely afford rent, let alone internet access, who keeps sending me Farmville invitations over Facebook in between messages and emails to join his pyramid-schemed-designed business that would make even Bernie Madoff blush. Let’s talk about that, hmmm?

(For more information on this matter, read United States v. American Library Association.)

In February, federal agents raided the home of a man in Buffalo (throwing him down the stairs in the process) and arrested him for possession of child pornography. It took three days for the authorities to realize they had the wrong guy: The suspect’s neighbor had accessed his unprotected wireless network and used it to share child porn.

Honestly, I’m surprised they figured this all out in three days. The article makes a good point that investigators can determine whether there is an unsecured signal, which raises the possibility that someone else is responsible for the downloads. … but seriously, people. Secure your networks.

(via Gawker)

Debt collector stalking you on Facebook? Melanie Beacham says it’s harassment and took debt collector MarkOne Financial to court, trying to get the company to stop sending her Facebook messages about the debt she owed. The company also allegedly sent such messages to everyone else on her Facebook friends list.

This was clearly harassment but I wonder why she didn’t just change her privacy settings and block MarkOne Financial from sending her messages? I guess taking them to court was more fun.

(via Mashable)

chartier:

Charles Arthur:

Security researchers have discovered that Apple’s iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner’s computer when the two are synchronised.

The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone’s recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner’s movements using a simple program.

(via poptech)