Your Employer Can Read Your Work Emails, Even to Your Lawyer

Noteworthy from Lifehacker.  Personally, I’ve dispensed any illusion of privacy on a company email a long time ago.  That said, it doesn’t seem to apply to attorney-client privilege, according to California appellate court.

There are many, many reasons not to use your work email address for anything remotely personal. Here’s one more: a California appellate court has ruled that even attorney-client confidentiality doesn’t apply when the email is on company servers.

via Your Employer Can Read Your Work Emails, Even to Your Lawyer.

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Facebook thinks twice on giving dev access to phone, address data

I posted about this a few days ago.  Thankfully, it looks like Facebook reconsidered, in no small part due to the “useful feedback” (aka nerd-rage uproar) that ensued.

I know I’m already deleted my personal info, although there is, of course, no guarantee that it was ACTUALLY deleted.  *grumble*

From Lifehacker

Facebook has put off its plan to allow developers access to users’ phone numbers and home addresses. The company posted an update on its Developer Blog Tuesday morning, saying that it got “useful feedback” about the decision and that it would be making changes so that it’s clearer when users are about to share such sensitive info. As a result, the “feature” is being turned off until a better solution is found.

via Facebook thinks twice on giving dev access to phone, address data.

Read Full Post »

Ars Techinica: How your Web browser rats you out online

A fascinating article about user “fingerprinting.”  Basically it looks at the way you have your computer and browser setup in order to “profile” your activity on the web.  It has nothing to do with cookies, and the more you customize your settings (presumably to prevent identification) the more unique you become (at least until everyone does it).

Anyway, a great read.

You’re concerned about your online privacy, and you do all the right things to keep from being tracked around the Web: purge your cookies regularly, clean out Flash “supercookies,” even switch to browsers like Browzar, which lets you “search and surf the web without leaving traces on your computer.” Doesn’t matter—your browser is giving you away.

via How your Web browser rats you out online.

Read Full Post »

City to job applicants: Facebook, MySpace log-ins please – Ars Technica

Ok, this is a really worrisome thing if it becomes a trend.  In this economy when people are struggling to find jobs, it is really unfair that they are asked to turn over this level of privacy…  Isn’t it also against Facebook/MySpace Service agreements to give out your password like this?   I don’t know.  Like most people, I never looked…

“Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.” the form reads. But Bozeman isn’t simply interested in finding out where to look for potentially embarrassing personal details; the city wants full disclosure, since the form demands username and password information for each. City employees will apparently be able to dig through any information applicants have put online, regardless of whether it’s accessible to the public.

This is especially ironic given that Bozeman’s website has an extensive privacy policy that indicates a significant familiarity with some of the major issues that have cropped up regarding the retention and security of information entrusted to websites.

This actually goes well beyond a startling invasion of privacy in a state that has a reputation for a strong independent streak; it provides a serious risk of running afoul of employment law. Employers are typically prohibited from digging into an applicant’s ethnic or religious background. An Internet search already runs the risk of picking up photos or text that can reveal these sorts of details; opening a person’s social networking accounts would seem to make the discovery of these details almost inevitable.

via City to job applicants: Facebook, MySpace log-ins please – Ars Technica.

Read Full Post »