Displaying items by tag: Privacy

There is a term that often gets thrown around when we talk about technology and the way we now store data, reasonable expectation of privacy. This term has been used to get around some of the basic laws we have when it comes to accessing our digital lives. According to many corporations and some law makers, when you put information into a cloud based system (including Facebook) you give up your reasonable expectation of privacy. After all you put your data in someone else’s hands. If you wanted to keep it private you would hold onto it.

Here at DecryptedTech we love semantics as they provide us with endless hours of fun not only deciphering the hidden message behind the words, but also in laughing at the message that is trying to be presented. Today we are taking a look at Microsoft’s latest PR move and how they hope it will not only help them recover from the sins of the past, but hurt Google just a little bit.

When Edward Snowden revealed the extent of US Government surveillance and just how much corporations cooperated with them to accomplish their goals everyone was shocked. Many could not believe that the companies we trust would betray us in the ways that Snowden showed. Even as the clarifications and denials were being typed up by Microsoft, Google and others the consumer backlash was starting and not just in the US. Consumers here and overseas were pulling their data out and cancelling accounts. This change has (and will continue to) seriously hurt technology companies financially. As we all know, the only way to motivate big business is to hit them in the bank account.

When we first saw Google Glass as a concept one question jumped to my mind: when will the bans start? The idea that you can wear a piece of technology that is capable of on demand recording of your point of view had to strike a nerve in someone. So far we have watched as Casinos, Bars… Adult entertainment clubs and even art galleries have outright prohibited the wearing of glass inside them. Now the one that we thought would be most vocal has finally spoken up as we see our first cinema chain refuse them.

You have seen them around, the guys wearing Google Glass and you know that you have to wonder if they are recording you or not. It is sort of creepy to see them out there, even when it is someone you know. When Google designed Glass recording video was one of the features they showed off and later developed even more. Granted Google Glass has a very limited storage on the device, but it can send images and video over the internet as well.

The anonymous social networking app Secret has been finally released for Android users. Now, if you have not heard about this then let me give you a short overview. Imagine Facebook where the images, posts and links were not related to a person, but were simply there. You would not know who they came from, but you could comment and like them all without anyone (even the original poster) knowing that you did so.

In the post Snowden world people are concerned about privacy (rightfully so). The revelation that the companies we have trusted with our personal information and data might be working with government agencies to catalog and track what we do and say is a sobering one. It also raises concerns about how to protect our individual rights moving forward. In many ways the public reaction is similar to what happened when the first widely distributed and harmful viruses hit the streets.

Snapchat lately came under criticism after it was revealed that their services are not entirely what they appear. The case went before the U.S. Trade Commission, which has accused the company that messages sent via Snapchat can easily be saved even though the application claims that they are only temporary.

In line with earlier announcements, on the Facebook's F8 conference in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled its new advertising service. It is a service called Audience Network, which serves to distribute ads in mobile applications from other manufacturers, all via Facebook.

Facebook bragged with the new functionality for its mobile iOS and Android apps. A new option is called "Nearby Friends" which notifies the user when the one of his Facebook friends are found nearby, all to facilitate socializing users in real life.