Snapchat Settles With FTC Over Privacy and Security Concerns

Snapachat, the maker of the popular video and photo chat app, has agreed to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the company misrepresented the supposedly ephemeral nature of the messages users send and failed to take adequate security precautions with the data it collects, leading...

Flashlight App Settles with FTC

The makers of a popular Android flashlight application have settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that they covertly tracked the locations of the “Brightest Flashlight Free” users and sold that information to advertising firms. The FTC’s charges stem primarily from the fact...

Gaming Company Settles on Bitcoin Mining Allegations

The ESEA League, an online competitive gaming community, has decided to settle with the state of New Jersey after the acting attorney general there alleged that the gaming community operator infected user-machines with malware designed to mine Bitcoins. The league is owned and managed by E-Sports...

Google Pays $17 Million to Settle Privacy Violations

Thirty-seven states are claiming a privacy victory against Google and will split a $17 million settlement from the search giant. Google, which generated $2.97 billion in online advertising revenue in the third quarter, was deliberately bypassing default privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser ...

LG Android Backup Software Vulnerable to Root Exploit

A vulnerability in backup software installed on some LG Android smartphones could enable an attacker with access to the device to gain root privileges. Sprite Software’s AndroidBackup tool is installed by OEM on a number of LG Optimus, Mach, Lollipop, and Prada devices. The backup tool, in...

ACLU Asks FTC to Investigate Carriers on Android Security

The next shoe has fallen in an effort to force wireless carriers and handset makers to provide regular security updates to Android mobile devices. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint this week with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing four leading carriers of deceptive...

Google Privacy Director Alma Whitten Leaving

Alma Whitten, the director of privacy at Google, is stepping down from that role and leaves behind her a complicated legacy in regards to user privacy. Whitten has been the company’s top product and engineering privacy official since 2010 and was at the helm as the company navigated a number of...

Google to Pay $7M Settlement Over Street View Data Collection

Google has agreed to pay a $7 million settlement to several dozen U.S. states as part of an agreement of charges that the company was collecting private user data from WiFi hotspots while its Street View cars were driving around taking photos in various locations. The controversy over Google’s...

HTC Settlement Could Alter Mobile Security and Privacy Landscape

HTC America’s settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Friday has the potential to revamp not only how hardware manufacturers handle the security and privacy of mobile devices, but how carriers do so, as well. “In many ways, this settlement is a shot across the bow of the handset and...

Google Play privacy issue, sends app buyers personal details to developers

Google is again under attack for its apparent mishandling of its users’ personal information. An Australian software developer 'Dan Nolan' revealed that the search giant was sending him the full names, email and post codes of everyone who purchased his app on Google's Play. In a blog post, Nolan...

Small Breach, Big Settlement

Earlier this week the Department of Health and Human Services HHS announced the first ever breach settlement where fewer than 500 patient records were compromised. The $50,000 settlement was issued as a result of 441 patient records being stored on an unencrypted laptop that was stolen from the...

FTC Settles With Ad Network Over Browser History Sniffing

The FTC has reached a settlement with Epic Marketplace, a large online ad network, related to what the FTC says is the company’s practice of sniffing users’ browser history for the purpose of serving them targeted ads related to a variety of sensitive topics. The settlement bars Epic from...

Microsoft Settles With Kelihos Botnet Defendant, Says He Didn't Run the Network

Microsoft on Friday said it has reached a settlement with a Russian programmer it named as a defendant in a lawsuit related to the operation of the notorious Kelihos botnet. The company said that it no longer believes Andrey N. Sabelnikov was the operator of the botnet, but was instead responsibl...

Microsoft Reaches Settlement with Site Linked to Nitol Botnet

Microsoft announced today it’s reached a settlement with the operator of a Chinese Web site whose domain and sub-domains hosted more than 500 kinds of malware, including the Nitol botnet found on brand new computers. In a lawsuit filed two weeks ago by the software giant, Microsoft alleged the...

Massachusetts Hospital Agrees to Pay $1.5m After Stolen Laptop HIPAA Violation

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a Boston-based hospital, agreed to pay $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HSS earlier this week, settling a HIPAA violation stemming from a 2010 incident. The agreement acknowledges that the hospital failed to comply with...

FTC Finalizes Facebook Settlement over Privacy

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today announced it had finalized its settlement with Facebook, which is now subject to biennial privacy audits for the next 20 years and requires its nearly 1 billion users opt in to any future privacy policy changes. The settlement announcement follows news that...

Google Settles With FTC Over Tracking Cookies, Pays $22.5M Fine

Google has agreed to pay a $22.5 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission to settle charges that the company set tracking cookies on the machines of Safari users, after saying that it would not use such tracking measures or serve targeted ads to the users. The FTC investigation began after a...

Verizon Settles with FCC for $1.25 Million Over Tethering Block

In an unprecedented move, the Federal Communications Commission ended a 10-month investigation of Verizon Wireless with a $1.25 million settlement for restricting Android customer access to “tethering” software used to relay Internet signals to other devices. The federal probe was launched after...

Google Reportedly Near Settlement With FTC on Safari Tracking

The FTC is nearing completion of its investigation into allegations that Google used a special technique to circumvent the privacy settings on Safari to enable better tracking of users, even when tracking was disabled by the user. The decision may cost Google millions of dollars in fines, but it’...

Woman Sues LinkedIn for $5 Million Over Data Breach

Less than two weeks after learning more than 6 million stolen LinkedIn passwords were posted online, an Illinois woman is leading a class-action lawsuit against the professional networking site for using inadequate security tools to protect its members’ data. Katie Szpyrka, who registered for a...