The Challenges of the Values Advocate

When Ask.com launched AskEraser, a new service which promises to protect user privacy by, upon request, deleting users’ search activity from Ask.com servers, I applauded the effort, but also pointed out some of its shortcomings. The privacy advocacy group EPIC,…

Yale ISP Reading Group: Technology, Law, Society, Values and Design

This spring I am running a reading group at the Yale Information Society Project (but open to all) titled "Technology, Law, Society, Values and Design." The description and draft syllabus are below -- comments and suggestions are welcome! Technology, Law,…

Privacy Protection in the Network Society: “Trading Up” or a “Race to the Bottom”?

In many of my recent presentations on privacy and information policy, I've drawn on differences in the legal and regulatory frameworks applied to the flows of personal information in the United States compared to the European Union. In short, the…

Facebook Beacon Worse than Most Thought (And Still Is)

I had a hunch... Last week we welcomed Wendy Seltzer at the Yale Information Society Project, who gave a talk on "Online Privacy in Context." Most of our discussion centered on the controversy swirling around Facebook's Beacon advertising platform, where…

Google Discloses Blogger’s IP Address (No Subpoena Required)

In more chilling news, it has been reported that Google reached a settlement with a group of Israeli council members and will voluntarily turn over the IP address of a blogger accused of slander to a court overseeing the case.…