The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Twitter 450,000 euros (about US$546,000) for failing to timely notify the Irish DPC within the required 72 hours of discovering a Q4 2018 breach involving a bug in its Android app, and also for failing to adequately document that breach. The bug caused some 88,726 European Twitter users’
Privacy Tip #258 – Misinformation on Social Media
The misinformation on social media about the election results (and other topics) is rampant. Social media companies like Twitter and Facebook are struggling with the balance between the First Amendment right to free speech and false information or exaggerated reports on their platforms and are hiding or flagging those they deem to be false or…
New York Department of Financial Services Issues Report on Recent Twitter Hack
You probably heard about the recent hack of Twitter accounts that took place on July 15, 2020. The hackers took over several prominent Twitter accounts, which resulted in a scam that netted over $118,000 in bitcoin for the hackers. One of the most startling things about the cyberattack was that it was led by a…
Privacy Tip #222 – The Dating App Privacy Secret
I don’t know much about dating apps. I met my husband decades ago, long before the Internet, and the old-fashioned way—in college. But I know people who have used them, have been happy with them, have found their life partner through them, have funny stories about using them and the people they met through them.…
Privacy Tip #213 – The Jumbo Privacy App
As most of you know, I rarely download an app. However, here’s one I just downloaded and here’s why. The Jumbo Privacy app, available in the App Store, is all about providing consumers with a way to audit their privacy and learn whether and how their information might have been compromised.
A cool thing about…
Twitter Updates its Privacy Policy
Twitter recently announced updates to its Privacy Policy. The updates are effective on June 18, 2017. By using the social media platform on or after that date, Twitter users will be deemed to have agreed to these updates.
The updates enable Twitter to collect more user data, including about a user’s visits from Twitter…
Privacy Tip #55 – October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
I never knew that since 2006, October has been designated as National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. According to the Department of Health and Human Service’s website, “This year’s Bullying Prevention Awareness Month marks the 10th anniversary of its initiation by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center http://www.pacer.org/bullying/.
Since 2006, the event has grown to an entire month of education and awareness activities, and is being recognized by schools and communities throughout the world.
Bullying can be combated through education and awareness. In the context of data privacy and security, cyberbullying is a form of bullying which can be harmful and devastating, particularly to teens and young adults. Cyberbullying can be accomplished through online posts on Facebook, through emails, Twitter, Snapchat, and any other form of social media or online content.
Although somewhat dated, but still applicable, some practical tips on how to combat cyberbullying for teens are outlined in The Cyberbullying Research Center publication “Preventing Cyber Bullying: Top Ten Tips for Teens”
The 10 tips include:
…
Continue Reading Privacy Tip #55 – October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
Start-up, Joberate, Assigns Score to Employees to Determine their Job Search History
Most individuals seeking out new job opportunities use their personal e-mail address to correspond with a prospective employer, presumably keeping that job hunt secret from their current employer. However, now, Joberate, a startup that track’s an individual’s job search activity into their public social media accounts, calculates a score of how likely each individual is…
Aer Lingus Warns Customers about Social Media Scam
Social media users should beware of online scams purporting to offer free Aer Lingus flights.
One scam asks users to fill out a questionnaire for a chance to win Aer Lingus tickets in celebration of Aer Lingus’ 80th anniversary. Once they have completed the questionnaire, users are told they have won two free tickets…
Privacy Tip #47 – Safety Tips for Using Twitter When Anonymity Is Crucial to Your Safety
My Facebook account got hacked, so I am no longer on Facebook. LinkedIn was also hacked and users were told to reset their passwords, which I did immediately. I don’t use Twitter, because it’s just another way to get hacked, and those of you who know me, know I am too paranoid about my data…