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Privacy

You are currently browsing the archive for the Privacy category.

Patch Monday: Online industrial espionage

25 January 2010 in Business, Internet, Privacy by Stilgherrian | 4 comments

ZDNet Australia logo: click for Patch Monday episode 27

Following the allegedly-Chinese attacks on Google (and 33 other corporations), and following Hillary Clinton’s assertive speech on Internet Freedom, online espionage is in the news — and it’s my topic on the Patch Monday podcast this week.

My guests are Mark Goudie, who heads the forensics practice at Verizon Business in Melbourne; and Ajoy Ghosh, security executive with Logica in Sydney.

You can listen below. But it’s probably better for my stats if you listen at ZDNet Australia or subscribe to the RSS feed or subscribe in iTunes.

Please, let me know what you think. We now accept audio comments too. Either Skype to “stilgherrian” or phone Sydney 02 8011 3733.

Patch Monday: Contactless EFTPOS and Google privacy

18 January 2010 in Internet, Media, Privacy by Stilgherrian | No comments

ZDNet Australia logo: click for Patch Monday episode 26

Privacy issues on the Patch Monday podcast this week.

Contactless EFTPOS and credit cards that allow you to make payments without a signature or entering a PIN, and the vast honey pot of personal data that is Google. It’s not just Gmail, but everything else.

My guest is the Chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation, Professor Roger Clarke.

You can listen below. But it’s probably better for my stats if you listen at ZDNet Australia or subscribe to the RSS feed or subscribe in iTunes.

Please, let me know what you think. We now accept audio comments too. Either Skype to “stilgherrian” or phone Sydney 02 8011 3733.

ABC Radio Statewide NSW, third spot

03 December 2009 in Human Nature, Internet, Media, Privacy by Stilgherrian | 1 comment

ABC logo

I joined presenter Paul Turton on ABC Radio’s Statewide for our third chat about things Internettish on Tuesday afternoon.

This week, we talked about privacy. What are the real risks online? How easy is it for people to find out about you? What should you tell your kids, and how safe are they?

The program isn’t streamed on the Internet, but I did another cheap-arsed recording using my MacBook Pro’s built-in microphone. The audio is below — and the shit quality is my fault, not the ABC’s.

Statewide is broadcast on ABC Local Radio throughout NSW from 1600 to 1800 weekdays, except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and wherever else they have their own local drive-time program. I’m joining Paul every Tuesday afternoon at 1615 through until 15 December.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:01 — 11.5MB)

[The radio interview is probably Copyright © 2009 Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but since they don't archive them I reckon it's fair enough putting it here provided you just listen to it and I link back to Statewide and encourage you to listen.]

Weekly radio spot on ABC Statewide NSW

18 November 2009 in Internet, Media, Privacy by Stilgherrian | No comments

ABC logo

Yesterday I joined presenter Paul Turton on ABC Radio’s Statewide for the first of a few regular chats about social networking and social media and things Internettish.

Statewide is broadcast on ABC Local Radio throughout NSW from 1600 to 1800 weekdays, except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and wherever else they have their own local drive-time program.

Yesterday we talked about the etiquette of “friending” on sites like Facebook and whether it’s OK to refuse a friend request, where you draw the line between your personal and professional life, how people spread the news of the September dust storms for themselves and Rickrolling, amongst other things.

The program isn’t streamed on the Internet, alas, but I did a cheap-arsed recording using my MacBook Pro’s built-in speaker microphone [doh!], and I’ve posted the audio below. I’ll see if I can get a proper audio split next week.

I’ll be joining Paul every Tuesday afternoon at 1615 through until 15 December.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:27 — 20.0MB)

[The radio interview is probably ©2009 Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but since they don't archive them I reckon it's fair enough putting it here provided you just listen to it and I link back to Statewide and encourage you to listen.]

How were my predictions for 2008?

22 November 2008 in Business, Internet, Media, Personal, Politics, Privacy, Thailand by Stilgherrian | 1 comment

The Christmas decorations are in the shops, people are having Christmas parties, the current affairs programs are off TV, so the year has ended, right? What do you mean, your calendar has something called “December”? Bah! This is the 21st Century! One-twelfth of the year is just thrown away!

Back in January I made some Predictions for 2008. Since 2008 has already ended, let’s see how I went.

Read the rest of this entry »

Crikey: Oh no, Google took a photo of my house!

06 August 2008 in Internet, Politics, Privacy by Stilgherrian | 4 comments

Crikey logo

[This article was first published in Crikey yesterday.]

This morning Australians woke to the news that Google’s Street View has taken photos of their street, their office, their school — their home! — and published them for all to see. Doubtless we’ll now see a flood of stories screeching “Invasion of privacy!” Hardly.

A picture taken on a public street isn’t “private”. A house is a visible, physical object that anyone can walk past and photograph. Its address is a known fact. Anyone can post pictures online with a description. Real estate agents do it all the time. All Google has done is photographed “everywhere” all at once, and given us the results.

Worried that knowledge of who lives in your house will become public? That data is already available — in the phone book, in most cases, or the electoral roll. If you’ve done any renovations recently, there’s probably even a floor plan of your house on your local council’s website.

Besides, when you use Street View, chances are the very first thing you’ll look up is your own home. Knowing this, Google can simply cross-match that with everything they already know about you: every Google search you’ve done, every link you’ve followed, every YouTube video you’ve watched — and, if a website uses the “free” Google Analytics or runs Google AdSense advertising, Google also knows about every such website you’ve ever visited. Congratulations, you just let them write your address across the top of their dossier!

And isn’t Google owned by the CIA anyway? Beware The Googling… ! [Insert maniacal laugh here.]

Read the rest of this entry »

Photography of Justice Michael Kirby

There’s just too much Good Stuff to read today! A speech by Justice Michael Kirby (pictured) to the Internet Industry Association last month, Law making meets technology, is a magnificent summary of the challenge facing legislators (and judges) in the face of rapidly-advancing technology. There’s also related news from Canada, where a bar was ordered to stop scanning people’s ID cards and keeping the data (hat-tip to Threat Level).

06 March 2008 by Stilgherrian | No comments

New website policies

07 February 2008 in Blogging, Privacy by Stilgherrian | No comments

I’ve decided to write a Comments Policy, Privacy Policy and Legal Disclaimer for this website. I think you’ll find the lengthy Privacy Policy decidedly… different!

I’ve been meaning to write a Privacy Policy like this for ages, ‘cos I think most website privacy policies are a load of shite. What do you think?

With little energy after last night’s massive session of Silent Hunter III, I haven’t written an original essay today. Instead, let me suggest you read two things I’ve commented upon. 1. The redoubtable Laurel Papworth’s analysis of Corey Delaney’s page being deleted from Wikipedia. 2. Duncan Riley’s polemic on life streaming and whether we should still draw the line on privacy somewhere.

21 January 2008 by Stilgherrian | No comments

What is “data portability” and why should you care?

20 January 2008 in Internet, Politics, Privacy by Stilgherrian | No comments

Data portability is the capability to control, share, and move data from one system to another, says Wikipedia. Michael Pick of Smashcut Media has made a very short video explaining it more clearly.


DataPortability – Connect, Control, Share, Remix from Smashcut Media on Vimeo.

Data portability will become more important as more are more of our lives are conducted online. And the issues need to be thrashed out it advance — especially when people like Facebook reckon that even if you delete your account they get to keep your information forever. The Data Portability Workgroup is discussing it as the IT industry level, but where are are politicians and non-government organisations on this?

Thanks to Peter Black’s Freedom to Differ for the pointer.

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