Internet privacy

The Department of Justice has narrowed the scope of a warrant it served to web hosting company DreamHost. The government has demanded information about DisruptJ20.org, a website used to organize protests in Washington, D.C., during the Inauguration in Jan

Justice Department Narrows Request For Visitor Logs To Inauguration Protest Website

7:51pm August 23, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Dropping a request for some 1.3 million IP addresses, the Trump Administration says its will instead focus "on evidence of the planning coordination and participation in a criminal act."

The Department of Justice has issued a warrant for a web hosting company to turn over all records related to the website of #DisruptJ20, a group that organized actions to disrupt President Trump's inauguration in January.

DOJ Demands Files On Anti-Trump Activists, And A Web Hosting Company Resists

10:20pm August 15, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Legal experts called the government's demand for information unusually broad. DreamHost says the warrant would require it to hand over logs of 1.3 million visits to its customer's website.

Google has announced it will no longer scan users' emails to target ads. Above, the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., in 2015.

National

Google Says It Will No Longer Read Users' Emails To Sell Targeted Ads

5:40pm June 26, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The company says it will make the change later this year, bringing Gmail in line with its business products. But Google has already gathered a lot of data on users since it launched Gmail in 2004.

Congress on Tuesday rolled back Internet privacy regulations established under the Obama administration.

Congress Overturns Internet Privacy Regulation

8:32pm March 28, 2017

by Brian Naylor

The rule, which had not yet taken effect, would have required Internet providers to ask permission before selling consumers' personal data. President Trump is expected to sign the rollback.

Both chambers of the U.S. Congress have voted to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's privacy rules for Internet service providers.

National

As Congress Repeals Internet Privacy Rules, Putting Your Options In Perspective

6:59pm March 28, 2017

by Alina Selyukh

President Trump is expected to sign a bill to overturn new privacy rules for Internet service providers. An expert says there are steps you can take though they won't deliver absolute privacy.

In a party-line 50-48 vote Thursday, senators approved a resolution to undo sweeping privacy rules adopted by the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission.

U.S. Senate Votes To Repeal Obama-Era Internet Privacy Rules

3:26pm March 23, 2017

by Alina Selyukh

The rules would require Internet providers to tell consumers what data they collect and get consent before selling. Republicans said ISPs were facing stricter regulations than companies like Google.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit is moving to soften his predecessor's sweeping privacy rules for Internet service providers.

FCC Chairman Goes After His Predecessor's Internet Privacy Rules

5:28pm February 24, 2017

by Alina Selyukh

The new telecom chief is moving to halt one part of the sweeping rules for Internet service providers, which were passed last year in part based on "net neutrality" regulations.

The people involved in organizing and promoting cryptoparties say the presidential election spurred activists, journalists and everyday citizens to attend the get-togethers to learn how to anonymously use the Internet.

Cryptoparties Teach Attendees How To Stay Anonymous Online

4:33pm February 06, 2017

by Jon Kalish

In these days of cyber intrigue, journalists, activists and ordinary citizens are interested in learning how to navigate the Internet anonymously. At cryptoparties, they learn how to do just that.

Author Tim Wu says that much of the content on the Internet is created by businesses that are on a "quest for clicks."

Books
Arts

How Free Web Content Traps People In An Abyss Of Ads And Clickbait

4:02pm October 17, 2016

Author and law professor Tim Wu says much of the "free" content on the Web comes at a price to users, who are subjected to ads that are targeted specifically at them and increasingly hard to ignore.

Queue Listen Now

Private online chat channels on Slack are the modern-day "safe spaces" for co-workers.

National

Workers Find Safe Spaces In Private Slack Channels, But How Safe Are They?

10:39am June 21, 2016

by Anne Li

Workers always find ways to confide — through sign language on assembly lines or now, digitally, on private Slack channels. But privacy experts warn these spaces may not be as safe as they seem.