Techdirt points to this (inevitable) example of function creep in the use of traffic cameras:A motorist who made V-signs [equivalent to the middle finger -mz] at a police speed camera has been convicted of dangerous driving and banned for a…
Read More Speed Cameras Used To Charge People With Other Crimes
With end of semester craziness, the holidays, and the transition to this new website, I wasn't able to blog about the revelations that the President authorized the NSA to engage in domestic surveillance without proper warrants. [See Bruce Schneier's excellent…
Privacy.org reports on the buzz regarding a new iTunes feature recently added in version 6.0.2 may be communicating information on the song you are listening to Apple, raising privacy concerns. A "Mini Store" pane has been added to the main…
To get a better sense of how michaelzimmer.org is being utilized, I have decided to experiment with a StatCounter counter. This was a difficult decision, being that StatCounter utilizes web cookies to help provide information about what IP addresses access…
Read More Experimenting with a “StatCounter” counter on michaelzimmer.org
Bruce Schneier points to an amazing article by Tom Owad, "Data Mining 101: Finding Subversives with Amazon Wishlists". In it, Owad reveals how simple it can be to use data mining techniques to profile people based on their public Amazon…
Read More Schneier on Security: Data Mining and Amazon Wishlists
Bruce Schneier points us to the latest steps the UK is taking to embark on wholesale surveillance of citizens driving on the public roads: Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles…
I'm late (due to end-of-semester grading) to the discussion of the recent Google-AOL deal. The key points:Google spends $1 billion to gain a 5% stake in AOL;Google offers special promotion and links to AOL (as sponsored links) for searches which…
Read More Bias in Google-AOL Deal; “Unethical,” says Microsoft
Declan McCullagh at CNET offers his commentary on the latest example of "driving big brother": GPS tracking of vehicles in support of mileage-based road user fees. From his commentary:In principle, the idea of what bureaucrats like to call "value pricing"…
From the New York Times Editorial Observer: "What Google Should Roll Out Next: A Privacy Upgrade." Nothing that new here for those who follow the privacy implications of Google, but it's good that attention to the issue is broadening. Here…
Read More What Google Should Roll Out Next: A Privacy Upgrade
Phil Bogle has an important post on the privacy implications of the new Google Analystics website traffic measuring product:The thing that's a little bit disappointing is that Google used their standard search engine terms of service and privacy policy with…
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