Government

Yahoo and Apple have revealed how the US government accesses their customers' private information. It's part of an ongoing campaign by tech firms to try to avoid being tainted by the ongoing National Security Agency's PRISM scandal . Until recently ... neither Yahoo nor Apple had discussed their role in the scandal, which involves government surveillance and secretive data requests. However, both firms have now published statistics showing how many times the government demanded information about their customers. Yahoo Hit With 2,000 Data Requests A Month Yahoo says that between the beginning of ... (view more)

Google has revealed extensive details about what it does when the government asks for access to your personal data. It's part of an ongoing attempt by the search giant to distance itself from the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance scandal . ... Google's explanation is designed to make a clear point: that it delivers the data directly to the government, rather than allowing the government to physically access Google computers. The company wants to make clear it doesn't allow officials the opportunity to access more data than the law requires. (Source: nytimes.com ) Google continues to ... (view more)

The National Security Agency (NSA) has drawn all sorts of anger after a whistleblower revealed that it was using prominent tech programs and services to spy on people. In its defence, the NSA says it has been able to use the PRISM surveillance ... program to prevent terrorists from carrying through with planned attacks. General Keith Alexander, the director of the National Security Agency, recently testified that the part of the Patriot Act giving the NSA permission to snoop on people (Section 215) has resulted in the disruption of "dozens of terrorists plots." Democrats, Republicans Question NSA ... (view more)

Some of the world's biggest technology companies say they're not happy about revelations involving the National Security Agency (NSA) and data collection. The firms are forming a united front in a quest to create greater transparency around this ... kind of surveillance. Last week whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency had been using a controversial surveillance program known as PRISM to spy on users of major Internet programs and services. This included users of products provided by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, YouTube, Skype, America Online, and Apple. ... (view more)

Leaked documents claim the U.S. government has direct access to user data for some of the web's most popular services. Officials admit the program exists but insist it's only being used to targeting foreigners who may pose a threat to U.S. national ... security. The documents were reportedly leaked from a National Security Agency (NSA) program called PRISM to the British newspaper The Guardian. The documents say the program involves NSA officials gaining direct access to the servers of nine tech companies, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, YouTube, Skype, AOL and Apple. ( ... (view more)

A U.S. senator wants to close a legal loophole that allows law enforcement officials to read private emails without first obtaining a warrant. If successful, the change would mean users of webmail services, such as Gmail and Hotmail, will receive ... extra protection against prying eyes. Private email content is currently protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. However, email usage is far greater today than it was then, and new procedures leave open the opportunity for officials to read private emails in secret. Years ago most email users downloaded their messages, which ... (view more)

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is going ahead with a $1 billion program that will help it find persons of interest more rapidly. Between now and 2014 the money will be used to upgrade the FBI's facial recognition system and national ... fingerprint database. Officially, the upgrading program is called "Next Generation Identification" (NGI). The idea has been percolating for at least two years. In 2010, FBI representative Richard Vorder Bruegge first discussed the bureau's desire to use facial recognition technology to "identify subjects in public datasets." Bruegge ... (view more)

A government agency wants to overhaul the rules limiting how websites collect personal data about children. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the changes would make the rules much clearer and more effective. The current regulations stem ... from the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), which took effect in 2000 and currently applies to sites aimed at children under 13 years of age. As the rules stand, websites must clearly explain to both children and parents what data they will collect about children and how they plan to use it. Such sites must also get parental ... (view more)

In an attempt to limit companies that make automated marketing calls to consumers, a government agency has introduced tougher restrictions and standards. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the move was necessary because companies had ... failed to take heed of the principles behind the existing rules. The new restrictions and standards involve automated calls, often called 'robocalls' because a robot (computer program) makes them, in which consumers answer their phones and immediately hear recorded messages. Marketers find such tactics profitable because they can conduct whole ... (view more)

A lot of people are comfortable using their credit card online to purchase items -- but would they feel comfortable voting via the world wide web? Right now, Elections Canada is mulling over that very idea, and may implement an online voting system ... within the next two years. According to Canada's chief electoral officer, Marc Mayrand, testing for an Internet voting platform could be ready for the federal by-election in 2013. In a report filed earlier this summer, Mayrand noted that Canadians have demonstrated a desire to make the voting process easier. And let's face it, voting in one's ... (view more)