In the NewsHere are summaries of recent, worthwhile articles about online privacy issues from other websites that piqued our interest.
Here are summaries of recent, worthwhile articles about online privacy issues from other websites that piqued our interest.
December 5th, 2019
Private companies are tracking your every online move and using that data to rate your behavior as a consumer. It’s valuable information, and it’s now available for you to see. As explained in this recent piece in the New York Times, you can request your file—the records that determine your secret consumer score—and find out just what these companies know about you. Fair warning: They know a lot. And if you want to try to shake some of the trackers, here’s one of our articles about how to get started.
Read full articleNovember 13th, 2019
Instagram is experimenting with likes—specifically, it’s testing what happens when it switches off public “like” tallies. Other tech companies, Twitter and Facebook among them, are launching similar assessments. According to Axios: “Responding to public clamor and media criticism, social media companies are trying to move away from engagement at all costs and towards a healthier experience. That means they’re also stepping into a more unpredictable future for their own bottom lines and those of businesses that depend on them.”
Read full articleNovember 7th, 2019
The Chinese government has decided 90 minutes is the maximum amount of time per day young people should be playing video games. According to the New York Times, officials say more than that amount puts eyesight at risk and hinders academic performance.
Read full articleOctober 2nd, 2019
Microsoft recently revealed a new security flaw in its Internet Explorer. Some say it’s high time to ditch the browser altogether in favor of more secure options. In a statement, the company warns, “An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user.” Mashable’s Jack Morse writes, “Sure, there’s a wonky fix available, but you have to do it manually. . . So go ahead and delete that relic from your forgotten past.” No matter which browser you use, always look for secure sites.
Read full articleSeptember 24th, 2019
Facebook has suspended a vast swath of apps from its platform, citing privacy concerns, in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The tech giant has been roundly criticized for its policies relating to the collection and dissemination of personal data and was fined $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for mishandling users’ information. Millions of apps developed for Facebook are under review.
Read full articleMarch 18th, 2019
Lexie Kite, PhD, explains in detail the pitfalls of letting girls on Instagram. While this article on BeautyRedefined.org focuses on middle school and high school aged girls, it also demonstrates how it can be bad for boys as well. The inherent message in Instagram is that your value resides in your appearance. For developing brains who are creating their identities, this is a dangerous paradigm and when Dr. Kite writes “Save Your Girls from Instagram,” it’s not an exaggerated headline. The article also shows how social media apps and their endless scroll take a toll on our lives.
Read full articleMarch 20th, 2019
This One Zero article on Medium explores a new math game, Prodigy, that bills itself as both an education and fun. The creators see themselves as competing with Fortnite, and teachers and parents like that it teaches the children math. Gamifying education isn’t a new idea, think Oregon Trail or Carmen Sandiego, but having hidden purchases available is. Jeff Wise explores this idea in his article, “The Ethically Questionable Math Game Taking Over U.S. Schools.”
Read full articleJuly 13th, 2018
On BBC.com , Tom Calver and Joe Miller outline a simplified list of what the biggest tech companies do with your data. It’s clear and a little scary. Facebook, Google, and others are grabbing your data and they explain why and how. However, there are no solutions here–just clear explanations about how your privacy is compromised daily. Reading this article provides a fantastic checklist for your annual privacy update. It works for both you and for your children. Print it out and put aside an hour or two, and you’ll be on your way to improving your privacy. (For more detailed information on how best to address these issues, check out our archive.)
Read full articleSeptember 6th, 2018
Professor Zeynep Tufekci has been talking to the tech world about the dangers of data collection since 2012. Six years later, everybody else is finally starting to listen. She has received a lot more attention since the news broke about Facebook and Google’s data collection in Spring of 2018. The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interview with her (behind a paywall). And on Vox, she recommends three books on how technology shapes us. (At the bottom of that article is a link to Ezra Klein’s interview with her on his podcast.) The podcast goes into the weeds on this topic, but also gives a solid background into what companies have been doing for years in terms of collecting users data. Tufekci has also given a few TED talks about this topic, and they are well worth watching. She also writes about all of this for the New York Times.
Read full articleJune 11th, 2018
Baratunde Thurston guides you through the maze of data which Facebook and Google collect about you. He shows you what he did to protect himself and his family. Following his steps, you can improve your privacy and limit who takes your data. While this article is long, it is also incredibly informative and easy to read. There is one hitch. The article is accessed through Medium, a new media company. Medium only offers three free articles before you hit the paywall. That said, we think this piece is worth using up one of those freebies or paying for a subscription.
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