A Different Perspective On A Common Phrase Over the years, we’ve run stories warning of the dangers of social networks; of “over-sharing” and eroding personal privacy. One aspect previously addressed is the phenomena often called “cyber-stalking.” We stand second to no one in warning of the genuine threat stalkers pose, regardless of whether they track […]
Spying Online In Syria
Posted June 7th, 2012 at 11:09 am (UTC-4)
Damascus Mines The Web To Target Activists Doug Bernard | Washington DC As the situation and armed conflicts in Syria enter a new period of uncertainty and militarization, it increasingly appears the same may well be said about Syria’s Internet. Of course, it’s old news to say that Damascus restricts citizen’s access to the web […]
“Shading” The Truth In China
Posted May 11th, 2012 at 3:11 pm (UTC-4)
Weibo censorship in the Chen Guangcheng case Alice Xin Liu The twists and turns of the fate of blind lawyer and dissident Chen Guangcheng has had much of China’s online community in its thrall. On April 27 Chen arrived in the US embassy from his native Shandong, where he had escaped from house arrest. Despite […]
More Privacy, or More Excuses?
Posted February 24th, 2012 at 10:52 pm (UTC-4)
Examining the Obama Administration’s Proposed Privacy Bill of Rights Doug Bernard | Washington DC There aren’t many things the world’s three largest web browsers – Microsoft’s Explorer, Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox – can agree on. This week saw the unveiling of one of them. The Obama administration is putting forward a new set of […]
“Blogging While Vietnamese”
Posted February 22nd, 2012 at 11:08 pm (UTC-4)
Vietnam Cracks Down On The Internet And Free Expression Doug Bernard | Washington DC Dieu Cay knows the risks and rewards of being a blogger in Vietnam. On the risk side, he’s been tossed in and out of prison cells over the last five years, today finding himself detained once more. His reward? He’s still […]
Google, Privacy and You
Posted January 27th, 2012 at 11:45 pm (UTC-4)
What The Search Engine Giant Knows About You Doug Bernard | Washington DC Perhaps they should have expected this. Years ago, the founders of Google adopted as their semi-official motto the phrase “Don’t Be Evil.” And that, for Google’s critics, has been the gift that keeps on giving. Every time Google announces something different -unveiling […]
UPDATE: Wiki Blackout, One Day Later
Posted January 19th, 2012 at 3:07 pm (UTC-4)
Just What, If Anything, Did Wednesday’s Protest Achieve? Doug Bernard | Washington DC UPDATE: Friday, January 20, 2012: Not content to leave the battle un-joined, the hacker group Anonymous stepped into the SOPA fray Thursday evening by launching a massive denial of service attack on several SOPA supporters, including Universal Music, the RIAA and MPAA. […]
The Note Card Confessional
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 3:24 pm (UTC-4)
Why Are So Many Teens Spilling Their Secrets on YouTube? Doug Bernard | Washington DC They go by titles like “Secrets and Confessions.” “If You Really Knew Me.” “Notecard Confessions.” Their form, by now, is fairly standard. A young person sits silently in front of their computer webcam, cards in hand. Music plays in the […]
Who’s Buying All the Spy Gear?
Posted December 10th, 2011 at 1:06 pm (UTC-4)
The Full Truth Is Hard To Know Doug Bernard | Washington DC Five times a year, in cities as diverse as Prague, Washington, Brasilia, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, thousands of buyers and sellers of electronic gear gather for a series of events that have come to be known as “The Wiretapper’s Ball.” On display are […]
Carrier IQ, Quietly Tracking Your Phone
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 1:33 pm (UTC-4)
New Questions About Mobile Phone Privacy Doug Bernard | Washington DC Trevor Eckhart, by his own account, is a 25-year-old “average Joe.” A digital developer based in Connecticut, Eckhart’s been quietly exploring the privacy and security aspects of the Android mobile operating system. This week, the quiet ended. First posted on his website “Android Security […]
