Complaint Filed with the FTC Regarding "advertisers' use of digital data"

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Peter Vogel

A report that a number of privacy groups filed a complaint with the FTC to investigate includes this quote “Internet ad exchanges… are basically markets for eyeballs on the Web. Advertisers bid against each other in real-time for the ability to direct a message at a single Web surfer. The trades take 50 milliseconds to complete.” The April 8, 2010 complaint was filed by the Center for Digital Democracy, US PIRG, and the World Privacy Forum against Google, Yahoo, PubMatic, TARGUSinfo, MediaMath, eXelate, Rubicon Project, AppNexus, Rocket Fuel, and others. Among other allegations in the complaint is a “massive and stealth data collection apparatus.” How much privacy to we really have?

Privacy in Social Media

Seems like an interesting overlap with my recent blog about the fact that the FTC is already dealing with EPIC’s complaint that Google’s new Buzz significantly breached “consumers' expectations of privacy” at the same time that Google acquired Social Media Optimization company Aardvark. Since it is the job of the FTC to protect consumer privacy it will be interesting to see how both of these disputes evolve.

Hearst Said to Be in Talks for Web-Marketing Agency iCrossing

More interesting news is that Hearst might take over iCrossing.  iCrossing is one of the leading Search Engine Optimization (SEO) companies with a who’s who customer list including: Adobe, Bank of America, BMW, Epson, Fairmont Hotels, Mary Kay, MasterCard, Office Depot, and Toyota. Hearst is:

“one of the nation's largest diversified media companies. Its major interests include magazine, newspaper and business publishing, cable networks, television and radio broadcasting, internet businesses, TV production and distribution, newspaper features distribution and real estate.”

So the addition of SEO power for Hearst will make an interesting future for everyone. Not to mention the impact on Social Media Optimization that Google and others possess we can expect the FTC investigations to prove very interesting.

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Not Very Cyber Secure Headline - "More than 75,000 computer systems hacked"

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Peter Vogel

After the news reports about the cyber attacks in China it’s no wonder that that more than “75,000 computer systems at nearly 2,500 companies in the United States and around the world have been hacked in what appears to be one of the largest and most sophisticated attacks by cyber criminals discovered to date.” Unfortunately those computer systems hacked included the US government, “educational institutions, energy firms, financial companies, and Internet service providers. “ Included were access to “e-mail systems, online banking accounts, Facebook, Yahoo, Hotmail and other social network credentials, along with more than 2,000 digital security certificates and a significant cache of personal identity information.” Doesn’t sound much security given these facts, and this is pretty scary since we now have a Cyber Czar to protect us.

Kneber bot

Amit Yoran, NetWitness's chief executive reported how the Kneber bot was launched in this attack on the +75,000 computer systems:

The hackers lured unsuspecting employees at targeted firms to download infected software from sites controlled by the hackers, or baited them into opening e-mails containing the infected attachments, Yoran said. The malicious software, or "bots," enabled the attackers to commandeer users' computers, scrape them for log-in credentials and passwords -- including to online banking and social networking sites -- and then exploit that data to hack into the systems of other users, Yoran said. The number of penetrated systems grew exponentially.

Clearly educating employees is critical to avoid such attacks in the future, but what’s the likelihood of avoiding these kind of disasters? Not good!

Privacy at Home? - School Official Defended in Webcam Spy Case

The Lower Merion School District (in suburban Philadelphia) acknowledged that the District remotely activated webcams inside students’ homes, but the District claimed it was only to find missing, lost or stolen laptops. However a student and his parents filed a federal civil rights suit alleging violation of wiretap laws and violation of privacy. Among other problems created was that allegedly the District thought a piece of candy was a pill and that the student was selling drugs. This reminds me of Big Brother from George Orwell’s 1984. he just missed the year!

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