Tag: Privacy

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“There are no target audience, just targets.”

facebook-censored

From TechCrunch:

Facebook has long been promoting the the idea of free, zero-rated mobile services in emerging countries to drive more Facebook (and wider mobile data) usage. Now, its Internet.org initiative has crafted another way to promote growth: by working with directly with carriers to analyse and fix their networks, with a recent trial in Indonesia — the fourth-biggest country for Facebook usage — speeding up mobile network speeds by up to 70%, the company says.

According to Wikipedia, Indonesia’s population is estimated at 250 millions in 2014; the fourth most populated country in the world.

The Internet.org work is being made public as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg travels in Indonesia and meets with its president-elect and current Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo…….

I don’t think the President Elect of Indonesia understands that Facebook’s number one product is the user. No doubt that Facebook really see the revenue potential from Indonesian users.

Yep, this is one country where hoaxes are treated as facts, hoaxes such as:

Then there’s SoldatenKaffee, a Nazi-themed restaurant which opened for more than two years without a peep from the community and Indonesian government. It took some offended tourists for this Nazi-themed restaurant to close and reopen with different theme.

Of course, voicing an opinion could also land Indonesian in jail.

Then, the police got involved – but not to defend Ms Sihombing. Instead, after residents complained about her in numbers to the police, she was summoned for questioning on Saturday 30 August, and charged under the 2008 Electronic Transactions and Information Law for defamation and “inciting hatred”. Yogyakarta has a conservative reputation, and public manners are valued highly.

If the mobs didn’t kill you, the police will.

Indonesia is for sure an easy target for Facebook business model.

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Tim Cook, Apple and Privacy.

Apple Privacy Message from Tim Cook

Apple CEO, Tim Cook:

A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.

Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple.

It is simple, Apple makes money by selling products instead of selling customer’s information. Apple is selling its products at a premium price, expectation of privacy is implied.

Finally, I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.

Apple Pay

Apple is serious about its commitment to privacy, especially with the impending launch of Apple Pay.

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Limited Gmail intrusions through Google+

From the Official Gmail Blog:

Have you ever started typing an email to someone only to realize halfway through the draft that you haven’t actually exchanged email addresses? If you are nodding your head ‘yes’ and already have a Google+ profile, then you’re in luck, because now it’s easier for people using Gmail and Google+ to connect over email.

Wait, what did he say?

The post continues:

Your email address isn’t visible to a Google+ connection unless you send that person an email, and likewise, that person’s email address isn’t visible to you unless they send you an email.

The problem with this latest move by google is that users are automatically opted in to this feature. It’s time to opt out and hoped that it would send Google a message.

No one is allowed to email me through GooglePlus

By the way, Gmail users should be getting the notifications on their Gmail.

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Changes to Google Privacy Policy

Google will be taking its new Terms of Service into effect on November 11, 2013.

We are updating the Google Terms of Service. The new Terms will go live on November 11, 2013 and you can read them here.

Because many of you are allergic to legalese, here’s a plain English summary for your convenience.

We’ve made three changes:

  • First, clarifying how your Profile name and photo might appear in Google products (including in reviews, advertising and other commercial contexts).
  • Second, a reminder to use your mobile devices safely.
  • Third, details on the importance of keeping your password confidential.

To opt-out of the “Shared Endorsement“, Google+ users need to lbe logged in and uncheck the box for “Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads.”

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Starbucks Team Up With Google For Wi-Fi Hotspot

It is official, Starbucks team up with Google to provide Wi-Fi hotspot.

The good news is that Google should be able to provide better Wi-Fi hotspot, especially in cities where Google Fiber are available; that’s Kansas City for now, Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah are next.

The other good news is that Google gets to collect more info on the users.

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Apple’s Official Response on Prism

Apple posts its official response regarding U.S. Government’s “Prism” program.

Apple’s Commitment to Customer Privacy

Two weeks ago, when technology companies were accused of indiscriminately sharing customer data with government agencies, Apple issued a clear response: We first heard of the government’s “Prism” program when news organizations asked us about it on June 6. We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer content must get a court order.

There’s the “direct access” phrase again.

Like several other companies, we have asked the U.S. government for permission to report how many requests we receive related to national security and how we handle them. We have been authorized to share some of that data, and we are providing it here in the interest of transparency.

Here we go.

From December 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013, Apple received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement for customer data. Between 9,000 and 10,000 accounts or devices were specified in those requests, which came from federal, state and local authorities and included both criminal investigations and national security matters. The most common form of request comes from police investigating robberies and other crimes, searching for missing children, trying to locate a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, or hoping to prevent a suicide.

De-emphasizing the surveillance on the individuals.

Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it.

Let’s say that we have dealt with Apple in requesting informations on stolen Apple Products.

Apple has always placed a priority on protecting our customers’ personal data, and we don’t collect or maintain a mountain of personal details about our customers in the first place. There are certain categories of information which we do not provide to law enforcement or any other group because we choose not to retain it.

OK…..

For example, conversations which take place over iMessage and FaceTime are protected by end-to-end encryption so no one but the sender and receiver can see or read them. Apple cannot decrypt that data. Similarly, we do not store data related to customers’ location, Map searches or Siri requests in any identifiable form.

So, use FaceTime and iMessage instead of SMS and phone calls on the iPhone.

We will continue to work hard to strike the right balance between fulfilling our legal responsibilities and protecting our customers’ privacy as they expect and deserve.

Apple will response to judge-signed-warrants.

 

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