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New fronts open in the battle against privacy-invading online ads
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Web and mobile ads – and the companies that profit from them – are in the crosshairs of privacy advocates inside and outside government. The people who run the ad networks are finding out that the days of them having carte blanche to do as they please with our sensitive personal information are coming to an end.

It’s about damn time!

I’ve been writing about the dangers of online ads for many years. (At the end of this post you’ll find a directory of past articles on ad-related threats.) In fact, encouraging people to use ad-blocking browser extensions may have cost me my gig as a CNET how-to blogger. Yes, I understood the conflict of writing about ad blockers for a site that made its money from ads.

Why would a blogger rail against the only viable way to generate revenue from blogging? Because in my opinion, what the online ad networks are doing is unethical. Increasingly, I’m not the only person who thinks so. This week it was announced that Brendan Eich, the man behind the JavaScript language on which so many Web ads are based, has formed a new company called Brave Software that is developing a browser that will put ads in their place – literally.

TechCrunch’s Anthony Ha writes in a January 20, 2016, article that Eich was motivated by a desire to prevent the most obtrusive ads from impinging on users’ browsing experience, but doing so in a way that avoids an escalating conflict between ad blockers and ad providers. Eich states on the Brave Software site that use of ad blockers can “feel like free-riding, or even starting a war.”

The Brave browser will block ads and other tracking technologies, except “native, trackerless ads,” as Ha describes them. These are ads that use only the publisher’s own data. Brave will serve up its own ads, but with a big difference: these ads will be placed in “a few standard-sizes spaces” on the page, and while there will be some targeting based on “browser-side intent signals,” they will not include a “persistent user ID or highly re-identifiable cookie.”

The revenue generated by these ads will be split with the publishers, according to Eich, beginning with 55 percent to the publisher, but ultimately reaching a 70-30 split as more people adopt the Brave browser. There’s even talk of kicking some of the ad revenue back to users via a bitcoin wallet.

Clamor grows for a kinder, gentler, saner approach to digital ads

If you don’t think web and mobile ads pose a threat, consider that Google, the emperor of online ads, blocked 780 million “bad” ads in 2015. This is a 50 percent increase from the number of ads the company blocked in 2014. As Sarah Perez reports in a January 21, 2016, article on TechCrunch, the bad ads were flagged for their “policy violations.” They include 12.5 million pharmaceutical ads (up from 9.6 million such ads in 2014) that made false or misleading claims, or that were not “approved for use.”

In addition to those promoting fraudulent goods, blocked ads were spreading malware and tricking people into downloading software they don’t want. Google’s efforts to thwart such unwanted downloads appear to be working, though. In 2014, the company blocked 250,000 sites that were dispensing malware and drive-by downloads, but in 2015, that number was slashed to about 10,000, according to Perez.

Services go ad-free, but only for their upscale customers

It’s no secret that businesses treat some customers better than others. If you’re one of the people Twitter wants to keep “engaged,” your tweet stream is served up with fewer ads, and sometimes no ads at all, as Re/code’s Peter Kafka reports in a January 25, 2016, story.

Apple’s strategy of minimizing the number of ads that display on its products could be a punch in the gut for Google, which relies almost entirely on ads for its revenue. Business Insider’s Jim Edwards writes in a January 18, 2016, article that Apple’s decision to “downgrade” its iAd mobile-ad program is part of a plan to minimize mobile ads on its devices.

Edwards cites an analysis posted by AppleInsider’s Daniel Eran Digler on January 16, 2016, that describes the battle brewing between Apple and Google. According to a report published in April 2015 by Goldman Sachs, Apple devices account for 75 percent of Google’s mobile-ad revenue, and Apple represents 13.5 percent of Google’s total revenue, which is expected to have reached $70 billion in 2015.

In a post from September 29, 2015, I wrote about the implications of Apple’s decision to allow third parties to create ad-blocking programs for iOS. Digler claims that Apple’s disdain for ads relates to its upscale customers. Just as you don’t find many billboards and other advertising in rich neighborhoods (compared to poor neighborhoods, which are plastered with ads), Apple wants to make the ads that appear on its products as unobtrusive as possible.

Edwards points out that Apple and Google are not really in the same business, but that doesn’t mean they’re not competitors, and not just in terms of Android vs. iOS. So if you get more ads on an Android device than you see on your iPhone or iPad, the message is that Android is Baltic Avenue and iOS is Park Place. Maybe that distinction extends in people’s minds to each company’s other products.

Government calls for consumer controls over data collection

The story goes, we pay for “free” services by surrendering our personal information. The personal information becomes a commodity that is converted into revenue via ads, primarily. So effective ads are a key component of the Internet economy. That’s the deal, and most of us understand it, more or less, despite a near-complete absence of transparency.

What do consumers want? According to Julie Brill of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, “advertising that respects their privacy and that they can trust.” Ad Exchange’s Ryan Joe reports in a January 22, 2016, article on Commissioner Brill’s address at a recent ad-industry event in New York City. Of particular concern to privacy advocates is cross-device tracking, which ties your Internet history with your mobile activity.

Brill asks, “How can consumers knowingly bargain for free content without actually knowing what they are giving up, to whom and for what purpose?” That is the precise question I pose in “Reclaim your personal information.”

As more people come to distrust online ad networks, ad blocking rates increase. One way to beat ad blockers is with native advertising, which doesn’t appear to be advertising at all – at least not to ad blockers. The problem is, consumers don’t identify them as ads, either, which is misleading.

The ad industry’s previous attempts at delivering informed choice options for consumers have failed to win over privacy advocates. For example, the Digital Advertising Agency’s AdChoices program is called “cumbersome” and ineffective by the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Peter Eckersley, Rainey Reitman, and Alan Toner in an August 8, 2015, post. Worst of all, according to the EFF, AdChoices doesn’t stop the tracking.

One of the best things about the Internet is that it’s a ground-up phenomenon. According to online research firm GlobalWebIndex, the percentage of people using ad-blocking software increased from 28 percent through the first three quarters of 2015 to 38 percent in the fourth quarter of the year. MediaLife Magazine’s Toni Fitzgerald writes about the survey in a January 26, 2016, article. Likewise, ad blocking is now as prevalent on mobile devices as it is on desktops and laptops, according to the Guardian’s Jasper Jackson in another January 26, 2016, article.

At the same time, ads aren’t going anywhere. Facebook just announced that the company is expanding its ad network to mobile sites, as the Wall Street Journal’s Jack Marshall reports in yet another January 26, 2016, article. And ClickZ’s Yuyu Chen writes in a January 6, 2016, article that in-app ads are seen as the future of mobile revenue.

It looks like it’s going to require an intervention to prevent the digital ad industry from slaying the goose that laid the golden egg by trampling all over our privacy.
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Previous posts related to online advertising

Consumers may be ready to pay for an ad-free, tracking-free Internet, November 18, 2015
Ad blocking as a political statement, October 6, 2015
Google, Android, ads, and a tech titan’s revenge, September 29, 2015
Why targeted advertising is doomed, September 22, 2015
Online advertisers feel the heat from increased use of ad blockers, September 15, 2015
Online ad networks take more liberties, July 28, 2015
Google caught in the middle of the ad-blocking war, June 16, 2015
When web ads attack: Web ad networks battle the blockers, May 26, 2015
Big-name ad networks serve up malware, May 12, 2015
Web ads are indistinguishable from spyware, April 28, 2015
More reasons why you need to block web ads, April 7, 2015
Browse better with these three essential freebies, plus one valuable cheapie, February 10, 2015 (ad-blocking browser extensions)
How Google, Facebook, and Twitter make billions by offering free services, December 2, 2014
Instant access to all your recent files, October 6, 2014 (scroll to “Malicious ads strike again”)
Facebook’s latest shenanigans, July 1, 2014 (scroll to “Google may exaggerate the effectiveness of search ads”)
A micropayment alternative to privacy-sucking ads, June 10, 2014
Free browser extensions give ads the boot, June 10, 2014 (includes links to browser security tips)
U.S. Senate: Self-regulation of online ad networks isn’t working, June 10, 2014
Online advertising dangers, June 10, 2014
Claim a property interest in your personal information, June 10, 2014
Protect your device from malicious ads, April 10, 2014


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          • The battle against data thieves heats up, January 20, 2015
          • 'The Interview' and 'I Can't Breathe': Connecting the dots, December 29, 2014
          • Cyberwar? Fuhgeddabouddit! There are plenty more serious threats to fret over, December 16, 2014
          • Trading privacy for the public good, November 18, 2014
          • Deregulating the legal profession: Only a matter of time, October 6, 2014
          • Internet companies' transparency reports indicate trademark abuse is on the rise, September 25, 2014
          • Google patent infringement: The proof's in the Post-its?, August 25, 2014
          • Most data breaches are the result of weak or stolen credentials, August 18, 2014
          • The best government money -- lots and lots of money -- can buy, August 11, 2014
          • Have 'money addicts' taken over our political system?, August 11, 2014 >
            • Part 2: Money and political power, August 11, 2014
            • Part 3: A contrived distinction between 'venal' and 'systematic' corruption, August 11, 2014
            • Part 4: Fear of political corruption trumps government economic regulation, August 11, 2014
            • Part 5: Investment-oriented political contributions boost the bottom line, August 11, 2014
            • Part 6: Case study: Corporate political corruption, 19th-century style, August 11, 2014
          • Corporate ownership of the U.S. political process, August 11, 2014 >
            • Part 2: Party perpetuation trumps service to the constituency, August 11, 2014
            • Part 3: Party loyalty trumps independent thought, August 11, 2014
            • Part 4: The roots of corporate 'personhood,' August 11, 2014
            • Part 5: Is political corruption actually on the rise? Who knows?, August 11, 2014
          • It all depends on who's doing the surveilling -- and why, July 28, 2014
          • Be careful what you comment -- it might get you sued, July 19, 2014
          • Supreme Court: You can patent software, but only if it's 'transformative,' June 21, 2014
          • Privacy Manifesto
        • Privacy Tips >
          • Privacy infographic-palooza, January 24, 2018 >
            • Data Collection on Consumers infographic
            • How Companies Identify People
            • PayPal Data Sharing
            • Data Collection Guidelines for Businesses
            • What Does It Mean to Be a Success?
          • Could artificial intelligence give the tech industry a heart and save us from capitalism run amok? December 21, 2017
          • Your email use is being tracked, and not just by marketers and spammers, December 13, 2017
          • Your location location location means money money money for trackers, November 16, 2017
          • Addiction by design: Don't let tech products run your life, October 19, 2017
          • Essential internet privacy tips, 2017 edition
          • The best response to the Equifax breach: Don't deal with Equifax, September 13, 2017
          • How to deter 'fingerprint' trackers from identifying your computers and devices, August 23, 2017
          • Find the internet security level that's right for your needs, August 9, 2017
          • A novel concept: Let consumers decide which personal data to share with trackers, July 12, 2017
          • Keep online trackers at bay without breaking a sweat, June 28, 2017
          • Privacy tips for the most vulnerable: Children and seniors, May 31, 2017
          • Simple, free ways to lock down your private data, March 29, 2017
          • Let big data benefit consumers, not marketers, March 22, 2017t
          • Practical security preparations for the worst-case scenario, December 13, 2016
          • Before the deluge: Spend your attention wisely, November 23, 2016
          • The 'consumer boycott' of web advertising is gaining momentum, November 8, 2016
          • Encryption: It's not just for banking anymore, November 1, 2016
          • A call to action: Stop the surveillance - by web services, apps, October 25, 2016
          • Web ad networks are malware authors' best friends, October 18, 2016
          • Privacy is becoming fashionable - Yippee! October 11, 2016
          • How do we bridge the growing media and political divides? October 4, 2016 >
            • Pew Center Research chart: Political bias of news organizations
          • Safety essentials: 10-step security revisited, 11 years later
          • Simple ways to limit the private information you surrender on the web, September 20, 2016
          • Top 10 reasons why people hate listicles - and yes, this is a joke headline, September 13, 2016
          • Why internet voting is a terrible idea, September 6, 2016
          • The web is broken - Guess who's trying to fix it? August 23, 2016
          • Dragging the online trackers - kicking and screaming - into the light of day, August 9, 2016
          • Five questions, no answers, March 29, 2016
          • How to fix the Internet: Ratchet down the anonymity, lose the ads, March 23, 2016
          • 2016: The first social-media election, March 2, 2016
          • The end is near for passwords (not really), February 24, 2016
          • New fronts open in the battle against privacy-invading online ads, January 26, 2016
          • Fifteen ways to stay safe on the Internet, January 19, 2016
          • Prepare for the inevitable theft of your personal information, January 13, 2016
          • Separating the bitcoin hype from the blockchain substance, December 17, 2015 >
            • Shorts for December 17, 2015: Trump's legal ineptitude, and eight ways the world is getting better
          • Consumers may be ready to pay for an ad-free, tracking-free Internet, November 18, 2015
          • Get ready for the Attention Economy, November 4, 2015
          • Tech shorts, October 27, 2015
          • How to find a reliable network speed test, May 2, 2014
          • Facial recognition ushers in the Age of Surveillance, October 13, 2015 >
            • Tech Short for October 13, 2015: ID by face + social profile
          • Fantasy sports gambling finally gets scrutinized, October 6, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, October 6, 2015
          • Google, Android, ads, and a tech titan's revenge, September 29, 2015
          • How to fix problems caused by Apple's flaky iTunes updates, September 23, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, September 22, 2015
          • Tech shorts, September 15, 2015
          • Three simple ways to improve your privacy, September 8, 2015
          • Use your free Google Voice number to make and receive phone calls, September 1, 2015
          • Coming soon: A more trustworthy form of encryption, July 28, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, July 28, 2015
          • Protect yourself while browsing by enabling click to play, July 21, 2015 >
            • Tech short, July 21, 2015: Computers now tie emotions to facial expressions
          • Everyday Windows 10 users become beta testers for the Enterprise Edition, June 30, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, June 30, 2015
          • Tech shorts, June 16, 2015
          • The five-minute Facebook security checkup, June 2, 2015
          • When ads attack: Web ad networks battle the blockers, May 26, 2015
          • Flying the furious skies: How to stay sane on a commercial flight, May 19, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, May 19, 2015
          • Online shopping tips: Put differential pricing to work for you, May 12, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, May 12, 2015
          • We're sitting on a big-data gold mine, May 5, 2015
          • The case against web encryption, Title II designation for ISPs, April 28, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, April 28, 2015
          • Tech shorts, April 21, 2015
          • Should all web traffic be encrypted? April 14, 2015 >
            • Anonymous Internet Map, April 14, 2015
          • More reasons why you need to block web ads, April 7, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts: April 7, 2015
          • Web 3.0 returns control of personal information to users, March 31, 2015
          • Passwords are about to get some much-needed assistance -- from your body, March 24, 2015
          • An unexpected visit from the Karma Police, March 17, 2015
          • Three views of the future that are certain to curl your hair, March 10, 2015
          • The tricks of the malware trade: Don't take the bait! February 24, 2015
          • How to ruin your life in 140 characters or fewer, February 17, 2015
          • Browse better with these three essential freebies (plus one valuable cheapie), February 10, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts: February 10, 2015
          • Why you should care about your loss of privacy, January 27, 2015
          • How to combat hate and harassment on the Internet, January 13, 2015
          • Beat ransomware by saving your files to the cloud, January 6, 2015
          • Five fantastic Web freebies, December 9, 2014
          • How Google, Facebook, and Twitter make billions by offering 'free' services, December 2, 2014
          • Telephone tech-support scams are on the rise, November 24, 2014
          • Tor breach shows there's no such thing as Internet anonymity, November 11, 2014 >
            • Hackers owned Home Depot's networks for five months, November 11, 2014
            • Another call for a nationwide breach-notification law, November 11, 2014
          • Comcast battles Netflix, and everybody loses, November 4, 2014
          • Sexting has become part of growing up (gulp!), October 28, 2014
          • Quick, simple fixes for everyday tech glitches, October 21, 2014
          • Battle of the behemoths: Facebook ad network takes on Google, October 14, 2014
          • Instant access to all your recent files, October 6, 2014
          • iPhone's new Medical ID feature could save your life, September 29, 2014
          • Now you can really lock your phone, September 22, 2014
          • Facebook auto-play videos eat up mobile data allotments, September 15, 2014
          • Three free browser add-ons protect against cyber-crime, September 9, 2014
          • Control which iPhone apps are allowed to stay 'active' when they're off, August 25, 2014
          • The best browser you're probably not using, August 4, 2014
          • Never pay for software again (almost), July 14, 2014 >
            • Best free alternatives to top-selling software, July 11, 2011
          • The pros and cons of cloud computing, July 14, 2014 >
            • Three approaches to free encrypted online storage, June 23, 2009
            • Future-proof your data archive, December 30, 2010
            • Ten simple, common-sense security tips, October 9, 2012
          • Browser security settings you gotta change, June 24, 2014 >
            • Beef up Chrome's security, June 24, 2014
            • Batten down the hatches in Firefox, June 24, 2014
            • Enable Internet Explorer's privacy and security features, June 24, 2014
          • Online advertising dangers, June 10, 2014 >
            • U.S. Senate: Self-regulation of online ad networks isn't working, June 10, 2014
            • Free browser extensions give ads the boot, June 10, 2014
            • Claim a property interest in your personal information, June 10, 2014
            • A micropayment alternative to privacy-sucking ads, June 10, 2014
          • Great people make great sites, May 30, 2014
          • Three free privacy add-ons for Firefox and Chrome, May 20, 2014 >
            • Three essential security add-ons for Firefox, Chrome, and IE, May 7, 2013 >
              • How to improve security in Firefox, Chrome, and IE, May 6, 2013
            • Disable third-party cookies in IE, Firefox, and Google Chrome, March 14, 2011 >
              • Add 'do not track' to Firefox, IE, Google Chrome, December 7, 2010
              • Five great Firefox privacy add-ons, July 14, 2010
          • Remove metadata from Office files, PDFs, and images, May 16, 2014
          • Make folders private in Windows 8.1, May 9, 2014 >
            • Enable Vista's hidden administrator, and password-protect its XP equivalent, February 13, 2008
            • How to secure your PC in 10 easy steps, November 15, 2011 >
              • Three approaches to free encrypted online storage, June 23, 2009
              • Amazon Cloud Drive and Box.net go toe-to-toe, April 5, 2011
              • Free VPN service helps keep public Wi-Fi safe, February 14, 2011
              • How to prevent identity theft, September 13, 2011
            • Free utility finds unwanted programs uninstallers miss, February 24, 2014
          • Malware authors target Android phones, May 13, 2014
          • Secure your Facebook account in six easy steps, September 23, 2013
          • How to find the positive in negative comments, April 30, 2014
          • The 'I hate passwords' guide, April 29, 2014
          • Protect your device from malicious ads, April 10, 2014
          • Five ways to save a Web page, September 26, 2011
          • Five essential Windows 8.1 time-saving tweaks, February 3, 2014
          • Best free sites for learning how to write code, December 12, 2013
        • Software Intellectual Property Protections, August 16, 2014 >
          • Introduction: It's a Software World
          • 1. Trademark >
            • a. Registration
            • b. Trademark requirements
            • c. Lanham Act: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1053 and 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) (a.k.a. § 43(a)) >
              • 1. Distinguish from patent protection
              • 2. Distinguish from copyright protection
              • 3. Trademark-infringement elements >
                • A. Confusion
                • B. Designation of origin
                • C. Famous and distinctive
            • d. Infringement criteria
          • 2. Trade Secrets >
            • a. Uniform Trade Secrets Act
            • b. Software protected by trade secrets
            • c. Limitations on trade-secret protections >
              • 1. Secret and valuable
              • 2. Described with particularity
              • 3. Software trade secrets and patents: Conflicting or complementary?
          • 3. Copyright >
            • a. History of software copyright statute
            • b. Assembling the pieces of the software-copyright jigsaw puzzle >
              • 1. Two types of source code: Declaring and implementing
              • 2. Originality requirement
              • 3. Merger doctrine
              • 4. Abstraction-filtration-comparison test
              • 5. Short phrases
              • 6. Scenes a faire doctrine
              • 7. Structure, sequence, and organization of the Java APIs
              • 8. Interoperability as it relates to copyrightability
              • 9. Fair use
              • 10. Copyright protections vs. patent protections for software
          • 4. Patent >
            • a. U.S. Constitution Article 1 § 8 >
              • 1. In terms of patent law, software is special
              • 2. Software innovations are clearly patentable
            • b. 35 U.S. Code § 101 >
              • 1. Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International: Procedural history
              • 2. Test for patentability of abstract ideas: Implicit exception to exclusion
            • c. 35 U.S. Code § 102 - Conditions for patentability; novelty, prior art >
              • 1. Section 102(a)'s "known or used" determination (prior art)
              • 2. Section 102(b)'s "on sale" and "disclosure" determinations
              • 3. Section 102(g)'s "abandoned, suppressed, or concealed" determination
            • d. 35 U.S. Code § 103 Conditions for patentability: non-obvious subject matter
            • e. 35 U.S. Code § 112: Specification >
              • 1. Claim construction
              • 2. Doctrine of equivalents and rule of prosecution history estoppel
          • Conclusion
          • Table of Cases
        • Reclaim your personal information
  • Cloud Computing
    • Five tips for protecting cloud data from internal threats
    • What does the future hold for DBAs?
    • Busted: 10 Big Data Myths Exploded
    • Is the cloud ready for speech APIs?
    • From machine learning to super clouds: Competing visions of cloud 2.0
    • Two great reasons for making your cloud data location aware
    • The most common cloud migration mistakes
    • How to prepare for the next cloud outage
    • The new shadow IT: Custom applications in the cloud
    • Drawbacks of running containers on bare-metal servers
    • How to reduce latency in public clouds
    • Mastering the art of container management
    • Hybrid Clouds: Here to stay, or stop-gaps to enterprise cloud?
    • How zero-trust security makes VMs more efficient
    • Ultimate virtualization: The end of infrastructure
    • 21 best orchestration tools for MSPs
    • Cloud governance: The key to effectively scaling your cloud
    • Update or rewrite? A cloud-application perspective
    • New views into cloud application performance
    • Multicloud vs. hybrid cloud
  • The Stories So Far....
    • Story
    • O'Jitterys Catch a Movie, October 27, 2015
  • Mandolinoleum
  • About
  • workersedge
    • The Weekly >
      • The Weeklies >
        • Excuse me while I duck and cover, March 1, 2018
        • We're running out of words, February 7, 2018
        • Help fight information pollution, January 31, 2018
        • Privacy infographic-palooza, January 24, 2018
        • Another great reason to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., January 17, 2018
        • Bye-bye, Fourth Amendment: Spy agencies feed tips to law enforcement, January 10, 2018
        • Bring virtue to the internet by keeping trackers at bay, January 3, 2018
        • Could artificial intelligence give the tech industry a heart and save us from capitalism run amok? December 21, 2017
        • Your email use is being tracked, and not just by marketers and spammers, December 13, 2017
        • Time to let others do the talking, December 6, 2017
        • Our front-row seat for the crashing and burning of the internet, November 29, 2017
        • Your location location location means money money money for trackers, November 16, 2017
        • YouTube: Unsafe for all ages, November 8, 2017
        • Birthday wishes, November 2, 2017
        • That Weekly when everything was pretty good, or at least not so bad, October 25, 2017
        • Addiction by design: Don't let tech products run your life, October 19, 2017
        • Essential internet privacy tips, 2017 edition
        • Unreported news story: 'Algorithmic takeover' of journalism, September 27, 2017
        • The door slams shut on the open internet, September 22, 2017
        • The best response to the Equifax breach: Don't deal with Equifax, September 13, 2017
        • In business and government, the bullies are calling the shots, September 6, 2017
        • There's no stopping tech giants' surveillance for profit, August 30, 2017
        • How to deter 'fingerprint' trackers from identifying your computers and devices, August 23, 2017
        • That was the week that was, 2017 revival, August 16, 2017
        • Find the internet security level that's right for your needs, August 9, 2017
        • Internet Media 101: The bigger the lie, the greater the profit, August 3, 2017
        • Cyber-crimestoppers: How individuals and companies help nab internet crooks, July 26, 2017
        • A free press: The antidote to authoritarianism, July 19, 2017
        • A novel concept: Let consumers decide which personal data to share with trackers, July 12, 2017
        • We're in the midst of the third American Civil War, and democracy is losing, July 5, 2017
        • Keep online trackers at bay without breaking a sweat, June 28, 2017
        • Pleas for civility meet with... incivility, but that's okay, June 21, 2017
        • The price we pay for unbridled digital surveillance, June 14, 2017
        • Privacy protections may form the basis of antitrust actions against internet giants, June 7, 2017
        • Privacy tips for the most vulnerable: Children and seniors, May 31, 2017
        • Applying Fourth Amendment search protections to data in the cloud, May 24, 2017
        • Just when you thought you couldn't be tracked any closer..., May 17, 2017
        • Facebook addiction turns users into marketing guinea pigs, May 10, 2017
        • America: A tale of two countries, May 3, 2017
        • The internet: Destroyer of truth, justice, and the American Way, April 26, 2017
        • The death and ultimate rebirth of the public internet, April 19, 2017
        • An internet dinosaur spits in extinction's eye, April 12, 2017
        • Trust Busters 2.0: Dismantling modern monopolies, April 5, 2017
        • Simple, free ways to lock down your private data, March 29, 2017
        • Let big data benefit consumers, not marketers, March 22, 2017t
        • Gig economy changes what it means to be an 'employee,' March 8, 2017
        • Privacy: There's just no percentage in it, March 1, 2017
        • Practical security preparations for the worst-case scenario, December 13, 2016
        • The Rough Beast's lies indicate his intentions - Just like the Nazis, December 6, 2016
        • Government phone searches: Return of the 'general warrant', November 29, 2016
        • Before the deluge: Spend your attention wisely, November 23, 2016
        • You can't hide from facial-recognition systems - Or can you? November 16, 2016
        • The 'consumer boycott' of web advertising is gaining momentum, November 8, 2016
        • Encryption: It's not just for banking anymore, November 1, 2016
        • A call to action: Stop the surveillance - by web services, apps, October 25, 2016
        • Web ad networks are malware authors' best friends, October 18, 2016
        • Privacy is becoming fashionable - Yippee! October 11, 2016
        • How do we bridge the growing media and political divides? October 4, 2016
        • Safety essentials: 10-step security revisited, 11 years later
        • Simple ways to limit the private information you surrender on the web, September 20, 2016
        • Top 10 reasons why people hate listicles - and yes, this is a joke headline, September 13, 2016
        • Why internet voting is a terrible idea, September 6, 2016
        • No consent needed for ISPs to scan email and create ad-targeting profiles of non-customers, August 30, 2016
        • The web is broken - Guess who's trying to fix it? August 23, 2016
        • Supreme Court throws 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine under the bus, August 16, 2016
        • Dragging the online trackers - kicking and screaming - into the light of day, August 9, 2016
        • Silly questions: Who 'owns' video captured by police? And is Facebook really 'privacy-enhancing'? August 2, 2016
        • It's official: No expectation of privacy on the internet, June 28, 2016
        • How to wrest control of our government away from corporations, June 21, 2016
        • The fight against privacy smashers continues, June 14, 2016
        • Publishers are losing the battle against their ad-blocking visitors - so what's next? May 31, 2016
        • Tech companies resist government attempts to broaden definition of 'personal information', May 25, 2016
        • Privacy threats on parade, May 17, 2016
        • Government goes dark as private lives are exposed, May 10, 2016
        • The great online-advertising swindle, May 3, 2016
        • Modern news media: Too big not to fail? April 26, 2016
        • Internet Confidential: How to establish a privacy right on the public Internet, April 20, 2016
        • The new browser wars: Thou shalt not block our ads and trackers, April 13, 2016
        • FCC to regulate ISP data collection, but Google, Facebook off the hook, April 6, 2016
        • Five questions, no answers, March 29, 2016
        • How to fix the Internet: Ratchet down the anonymity, lose the ads, March 23, 2016
        • How we lose ourselves in private data collection, March 15, 2016
        • People tracking is about to get even creepier, March 8, 2016
        • Silicon Valley's long-standing connections to the U.S. government, March 2, 2016
        • 2016: The first social-media election, March 2, 2016
        • How to build the future of work, February 24, 2016
        • Why it's a bad idea to trust private companies with the job of protecting our rights, February 16, 2016
        • Your Internet life is an open book: The dark side of online-ad profiling, February 9, 2016
        • Why don't Americans care as much about their privacy as Europeans do? February 2, 2016
        • New fronts open in the battle against privacy-invading online ads, January 26, 2016
        • Fifteen ways to stay safe on the Internet, January 19, 2016
        • Prepare for the inevitable theft of your personal information, January 13, 2016
        • 'Hey, gang, let's put on a government!', January 5, 2016
        • The appropriate response to living in a surveillance state: Ignore it, December 22, 2015 >
          • Legal shorts for December 22, 2015
        • Separating the bitcoin hype from the blockchain substance, December 17, 2015 >
          • Shorts for December 17, 2015: Trump's legal ineptitude, and eight ways the world is getting better
        • Re-reinterpreting our constitutional right to bear arms, December 10, 2015
        • How open data can help save the world, December 2, 2015
        • Consumers may be ready to pay for an ad-free, tracking-free Internet, November 18, 2015
        • Fair use stages a comeback: New protections against copyright abuse, November 10, 2015
        • Welcome to the Age of 'Existential Despair', November 10, 2015
        • Get ready for the Attention Economy, November 4, 2015
        • O'Jitterys Catch a Movie, October 27, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, October 27, 2015
        • Do we have a right to know what they know about us?, October 20, 2015
        • Facial recognition ushers in the Age of Surveillance, October 13, 2015 >
          • Tech Short, October 13, 2015: ID by face + social profile
          • Legal Short, October 13, 2015: GOP mega-donor sues Mother Jones, loses, sort of
        • Fantasy sports gambling finally gets scrutinized, October 6, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, October 6, 2015
        • Google, Android, ads, and a tech titan's revenge, September 29, 2015 >
          • Legal shorts, September 29, 2015
        • How to fix problems caused by Apple's flaky iTunes updates, September 23, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, September 22, 2015
        • Campaign 2016: Where's the love? September 15, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, September 15, 2015
          • Legal shorts, September 15, 2015
        • Three simple ways to improve your privacy, September 8, 2015
        • Use your free Google Voice number to make and receive phone calls, September 1, 2015
        • Reclaiming our government starts with universal Internet access, August 25, 2015
        • Upon further review, times three, August 4, 2015 >
          • Shorts for August 4, 2015
        • Coming soon: A more trustworthy form of encryption, July 28, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, July 28, 2015
        • Protect yourself while browsing by enabling click to play, July 21, 2015 >
          • Tech short, July 21, 2015: Computers now tie emotions to facial expressions
        • The connection between poverty, hunger, and obesity, July 14, 2015 >
          • Shorts for July 14, 2015
        • A long-overdue turning of the political tide, July 7, 2015
        • Obamacare: A misstep in the right direction, July 7, 2015
        • Everyday Windows 10 users become beta testers for the Enterprise Edition, June 30, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, June 30, 2015
        • Obamacare decision imposes limits on executive power, June 30, 2015
        • It's time to get serious about prosecuting Internet threats, June 23, 2015
        • Worst. Supreme. Court. Ever. June 16, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, June 16, 2015
        • Five indications that we are currently between regimes, June 9, 2015
        • The five-minute Facebook security checkup, June 2, 2015 >
          • Legal shorts, June 2, 2015
        • When ads attack: Web ad networks battle the blockers, May 26, 2015
        • Flying the furious skies: How to stay sane on a commercial flight, May 19, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, May 19, 2015
        • Online shopping tips: Put differential pricing to work for you, May 12, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, May 12, 2015
          • Legal shorts, May 12, 2015
        • We're sitting on a big-data gold mine, May 5, 2015 >
          • Legal shorts, May 5, 2015
        • The case against web encryption, Title II designation for ISPs, April 28, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, April 28, 2015
          • Legal shorts, April 28, 2015
        • More examples of judges clueless about technology... and one that gets it, April 21, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts, April 21, 2015
        • Should all web traffic be encrypted? April 14, 2015 >
          • Anonymous Internet Map, April 14, 2015
        • More reasons why you need to block web ads, April 7, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts: April 7, 2015
          • Legal shorts: April 7, 2015
        • Web 3.0 returns control of personal information to users, March 31, 2015
        • Passwords are about to get some much-needed assistance -- from your body, March 24, 2015
        • An unexpected visit from the Karma Police, March 17, 2015
        • Three views of the future that are certain to curl your hair, March 10, 2015
        • Privacy, Inc.: Welcome to the personal-information marketplace, March 3, 2015
        • The tricks of the malware trade: Don't take the bait! February 24, 2015
        • How to ruin your life in 140 characters or fewer, February 17, 2015
        • Browse better with these three essential freebies (plus one valuable cheapie), February 10, 2015 >
          • Tech shorts: February 10, 2015
        • What's the best way to fix the broken U.S. political system? February 3, 2015
        • Why you should care about your loss of privacy, January 27, 2015
        • The battle against data thieves heats up, January 20, 2015
        • How to combat hate and harassment on the Internet, January 13, 2015
        • Beat ransomware by saving your files to the cloud, January 6, 2015
        • 'The Interview' and 'I Can't Breathe': Connecting the dots, December 29, 2014
        • Cyberwar? Fuhgeddabouddit! There are plenty more serious threats to fret over, December 16, 2014
        • Five fantastic Web freebies, December 9, 2014
        • How Google, Facebook, and Twitter make billions by offering 'free' services, December 2, 2014
        • Telephone tech-support scams are on the rise, November 24, 2014
        • Trading privacy for the public good, November 18, 2014
        • Tor breach shows there's no such thing as Internet anonymity, November 11, 2014 >
          • Hackers owned Home Depot's networks for five months, November 11, 2014
          • Another call for a nationwide breach-notification law, November 11, 2014
        • Comcast battles Netflix, and everybody loses, November 4, 2014
        • Sexting has become part of growing up (gulp!), October 28, 2014
        • Quick, simple fixes for everyday tech glitches, October 21, 2014
        • Battle of the behemoths: Facebook ad network takes on Google, October 14, 2014
        • Instant access to all your recent files, October 6, 2014
        • iPhone's new Medical ID feature could save your life, September 29, 2014
        • Now you can really lock your phone, September 22, 2014
        • Facebook auto-play videos eat up mobile data allotments, September 15, 2014
        • Three free browser add-ons protect against cyber-crime, September 9, 2014
        • Manslaughter conviction expunged after worker dies in baling machine, August 25, 2014 >
          • Google patent infringement: The proof's in the Post-its?, August 25, 2014
          • Control which iPhone apps are allowed to stay 'active' when they're off, August 25, 2014
          • Weekly What? August 25, 2014 >
            • No more 'Like' gates to view content, get rewards, August 25, 2014
            • FTC goes after a company that lost customer data, company cries 'Foul!', August 25, 2014
            • A mobile phone company releases customer data -- and it's a good thing, August 25, 2014
            • Clickless approvals don't qualify as 'reasonable notice' for terms of service, August 25, 2014
            • Baby steps closer to authentication that doesn't rely on passwords, August 25, 2014
        • Most data breaches are the result of weak or stolen credentials, August 18, 2014
        • The best government money -- lots and lots of money -- can buy, August 11, 2014
        • The best browser you're probably not using, August 4, 2014
        • It all depends on who's doing the surveilling -- and why, July 28, 2014
        • Be careful what you comment -- it might get you sued, July 19, 2014
        • Never pay for software again (almost) Plus: The pros and cons of cloud computing, July 14, 2014
        • Mind that download! Free phone apps deliver malware, July 7, 2014
        • How to build the future of work, February 24, 2016
        • The end is near for passwords (not really), February 24, 2016
        • Facebook's latest shenanigans, July 1, 2014
      • Privacy Weeklies >
        • The Weeklies >
          • Excuse me while I duck and cover, March 1, 2018
          • We're running out of words, February 7, 2018
          • Help fight information pollution, January 31, 2018
          • Another great reason to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., January 17, 2018
          • Bye-bye, Fourth Amendment: Spy agencies feed tips to law enforcement, January 10, 2018
          • Bring virtue to the internet by keeping trackers at bay, January 3, 2018
          • Time to let others do the talking, December 6, 2017
          • Our front-row seat for the crashing and burning of the internet, November 29, 2017
          • YouTube: Unsafe for all ages, November 8, 2017
          • Birthday wishes, November 2, 2017
          • That Weekly when everything was pretty good, or at least not so bad, October 25, 2017
          • Unreported news story: 'Algorithmic takeover' of journalism, September 27, 2017
          • The door slams shut on the open internet, September 22, 2017
          • In business and government, the bullies are calling the shots, September 6, 2017
          • There's no stopping tech giants' surveillance for profit, August 30, 2017
          • That was the week that was, 2017 revival, August 16, 2017
          • Internet Media 101: The bigger the lie, the greater the profit, August 3, 2017
          • Cyber-crimestoppers: How individuals and companies help nab internet crooks, July 26, 2017
          • A free press: The antidote to authoritarianism, July 19, 2017
          • We're in the midst of the third American Civil War, and democracy is losing, July 5, 2017
          • Pleas for civility meet with... incivility, but that's okay, June 21, 2017
          • The price we pay for unbridled digital surveillance, June 14, 2017
          • Privacy protections may form the basis of antitrust actions against internet giants, June 7, 2017
          • Applying Fourth Amendment search protections to data in the cloud, May 24, 2017
          • Just when you thought you couldn't be tracked any closer..., May 17, 2017
          • Facebook addiction turns users into marketing guinea pigs, May 10, 2017
          • America: A tale of two countries, May 3, 2017
          • The internet: Destroyer of truth, justice, and the American Way, April 26, 2017
          • The death and ultimate rebirth of the public internet, April 19, 2017
          • An internet dinosaur spits in extinction's eye, April 12, 2017
          • Trust Busters 2.0: Dismantling modern monopolies, April 5, 2017
          • Gig economy changes what it means to be an 'employee,' March 8, 2017
          • Privacy: There's just no percentage in it, March 1, 2017
          • The Rough Beast's lies indicate his intentions - Just like the Nazis, December 6, 2016
          • Government phone searches: Return of the 'general warrant', November 29, 2016
          • You can't hide from facial-recognition systems - Or can you? November 16, 2016
          • No consent needed for ISPs to scan email and create ad-targeting profiles of non-customers, August 30, 2016
          • Supreme Court throws 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine under the bus, August 16, 2016
          • Silly questions: Who 'owns' video captured by police? And is Facebook really 'privacy-enhancing'? August 2, 2016
          • It's official: No expectation of privacy on the internet, June 28, 2016
          • How to wrest control of our government away from corporations, June 21, 2016
          • The fight against privacy smashers continues, June 14, 2016
          • Publishers are losing the battle against their ad-blocking visitors - so what's next? May 31, 2016
          • Tech companies resist government attempts to broaden definition of 'personal information', May 25, 2016
          • Privacy threats on parade, May 17, 2016
          • Government goes dark as private lives are exposed, May 10, 2016
          • The great online-advertising swindle, May 3, 2016
          • Modern news media: Too big not to fail? April 26, 2016
          • Internet Confidential: How to establish a privacy right on the public Internet, April 20, 2016
          • The new browser wars: Thou shalt not block our ads and trackers, April 13, 2016
          • FCC to regulate ISP data collection, but Google, Facebook off the hook, April 6, 2016
          • How we lose ourselves in private data collection, March 15, 2016
          • People tracking is about to get even creepier, March 8, 2016
          • Silicon Valley's long-standing connections to the U.S. government, March 2, 2016
          • How to build the future of work, February 24, 2016
          • Why it's a bad idea to trust private companies with the job of protecting our rights, February 16, 2016
          • Your Internet life is an open book: The dark side of online-ad profiling, February 9, 2016
          • Why don't Americans care as much about their privacy as Europeans do? February 2, 2016
          • 'Hey, gang, let's put on a government!', January 5, 2016
          • The appropriate response to living in a surveillance state: Ignore it, December 22, 2015 >
            • Legal shorts for December 22, 2015
          • Re-reinterpreting our constitutional right to bear arms, December 10, 2015
          • How open data can help save the world, December 2, 2015
          • Fair use stages a comeback: New protections against copyright abuse, November 10, 2015 >
            • Welcome to the Age of 'Existential Despair', November 10, 2015
          • Do we have a right to know what they know about us?, October 20, 2015
          • Legal shorts, September 29, 2015
          • Campaign 2016: Where's the love? September 15, 2015 >
            • Legal shorts, September 15, 2015
          • Reclaiming our government starts with universal Internet access, August 25, 2015
          • Upon further review, times three, August 4, 2015 >
            • Shorts for August 4, 2015
          • The connection between poverty, hunger, and obesity, July 14, 2015 >
            • Shorts for July 14, 2015
          • A long-overdue turning of the political tide, July 7, 2015
          • Obamacare: A misstep in the right direction, July 7, 2015
          • Obamacare decision imposes limits on executive power, June 30, 2015
          • It's time to get serious about prosecuting Internet threats, June 23, 2015
          • Worst. Supreme. Court. Ever. June 16, 2015
          • Five indications that we are currently between regimes, June 9, 2015
          • Legal shorts, June 2, 2015
          • Legal shorts, May 12, 2015
          • Legal shorts, May 5, 2015
          • Legal shorts, April 28, 2015
          • More examples of judges clueless about technology... and one that gets it, April 21, 2015
          • Legal shorts: April 7, 2015
          • Legal shorts, March 31, 2015
          • Legal shorts: March 24, 2015
          • Privacy, Inc.: Welcome to the personal-information marketplace, March 3, 2015
          • Legal shorts: February 24, 2015
          • What would George Washington think of his country now? February 16, 2015 >
            • Lobbyists thrive by building relationships with lawmakers, February 17, 2015
            • On the fast track to American fascism, February 17, 2015
            • The one Senator who's speaking truth to power, February 17, 2015
            • Fight terrorism by fighting its source: Corruption, February 17, 2015
            • Anonymous users: Your ISP may ID you on demand -- and not even tell you, February 17, 2015
          • Legal shorts: February 10, 2015
          • What's the best way to fix the broken U.S. political system? February 3, 2015
          • The battle against data thieves heats up, January 20, 2015
          • 'The Interview' and 'I Can't Breathe': Connecting the dots, December 29, 2014
          • Cyberwar? Fuhgeddabouddit! There are plenty more serious threats to fret over, December 16, 2014
          • Trading privacy for the public good, November 18, 2014
          • Deregulating the legal profession: Only a matter of time, October 6, 2014
          • Internet companies' transparency reports indicate trademark abuse is on the rise, September 25, 2014
          • Google patent infringement: The proof's in the Post-its?, August 25, 2014
          • Most data breaches are the result of weak or stolen credentials, August 18, 2014
          • The best government money -- lots and lots of money -- can buy, August 11, 2014
          • Have 'money addicts' taken over our political system?, August 11, 2014 >
            • Part 2: Money and political power, August 11, 2014
            • Part 3: A contrived distinction between 'venal' and 'systematic' corruption, August 11, 2014
            • Part 4: Fear of political corruption trumps government economic regulation, August 11, 2014
            • Part 5: Investment-oriented political contributions boost the bottom line, August 11, 2014
            • Part 6: Case study: Corporate political corruption, 19th-century style, August 11, 2014
          • Corporate ownership of the U.S. political process, August 11, 2014 >
            • Part 2: Party perpetuation trumps service to the constituency, August 11, 2014
            • Part 3: Party loyalty trumps independent thought, August 11, 2014
            • Part 4: The roots of corporate 'personhood,' August 11, 2014
            • Part 5: Is political corruption actually on the rise? Who knows?, August 11, 2014
          • It all depends on who's doing the surveilling -- and why, July 28, 2014
          • Be careful what you comment -- it might get you sued, July 19, 2014
          • Supreme Court: You can patent software, but only if it's 'transformative,' June 21, 2014
          • Privacy Manifesto
        • Privacy Tips >
          • Privacy infographic-palooza, January 24, 2018 >
            • Data Collection on Consumers infographic
            • How Companies Identify People
            • PayPal Data Sharing
            • Data Collection Guidelines for Businesses
            • What Does It Mean to Be a Success?
          • Could artificial intelligence give the tech industry a heart and save us from capitalism run amok? December 21, 2017
          • Your email use is being tracked, and not just by marketers and spammers, December 13, 2017
          • Your location location location means money money money for trackers, November 16, 2017
          • Addiction by design: Don't let tech products run your life, October 19, 2017
          • Essential internet privacy tips, 2017 edition
          • The best response to the Equifax breach: Don't deal with Equifax, September 13, 2017
          • How to deter 'fingerprint' trackers from identifying your computers and devices, August 23, 2017
          • Find the internet security level that's right for your needs, August 9, 2017
          • A novel concept: Let consumers decide which personal data to share with trackers, July 12, 2017
          • Keep online trackers at bay without breaking a sweat, June 28, 2017
          • Privacy tips for the most vulnerable: Children and seniors, May 31, 2017
          • Simple, free ways to lock down your private data, March 29, 2017
          • Let big data benefit consumers, not marketers, March 22, 2017t
          • Practical security preparations for the worst-case scenario, December 13, 2016
          • Before the deluge: Spend your attention wisely, November 23, 2016
          • The 'consumer boycott' of web advertising is gaining momentum, November 8, 2016
          • Encryption: It's not just for banking anymore, November 1, 2016
          • A call to action: Stop the surveillance - by web services, apps, October 25, 2016
          • Web ad networks are malware authors' best friends, October 18, 2016
          • Privacy is becoming fashionable - Yippee! October 11, 2016
          • How do we bridge the growing media and political divides? October 4, 2016 >
            • Pew Center Research chart: Political bias of news organizations
          • Safety essentials: 10-step security revisited, 11 years later
          • Simple ways to limit the private information you surrender on the web, September 20, 2016
          • Top 10 reasons why people hate listicles - and yes, this is a joke headline, September 13, 2016
          • Why internet voting is a terrible idea, September 6, 2016
          • The web is broken - Guess who's trying to fix it? August 23, 2016
          • Dragging the online trackers - kicking and screaming - into the light of day, August 9, 2016
          • Five questions, no answers, March 29, 2016
          • How to fix the Internet: Ratchet down the anonymity, lose the ads, March 23, 2016
          • 2016: The first social-media election, March 2, 2016
          • The end is near for passwords (not really), February 24, 2016
          • New fronts open in the battle against privacy-invading online ads, January 26, 2016
          • Fifteen ways to stay safe on the Internet, January 19, 2016
          • Prepare for the inevitable theft of your personal information, January 13, 2016
          • Separating the bitcoin hype from the blockchain substance, December 17, 2015 >
            • Shorts for December 17, 2015: Trump's legal ineptitude, and eight ways the world is getting better
          • Consumers may be ready to pay for an ad-free, tracking-free Internet, November 18, 2015
          • Get ready for the Attention Economy, November 4, 2015
          • Tech shorts, October 27, 2015
          • How to find a reliable network speed test, May 2, 2014
          • Facial recognition ushers in the Age of Surveillance, October 13, 2015 >
            • Tech Short for October 13, 2015: ID by face + social profile
          • Fantasy sports gambling finally gets scrutinized, October 6, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, October 6, 2015
          • Google, Android, ads, and a tech titan's revenge, September 29, 2015
          • How to fix problems caused by Apple's flaky iTunes updates, September 23, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, September 22, 2015
          • Tech shorts, September 15, 2015
          • Three simple ways to improve your privacy, September 8, 2015
          • Use your free Google Voice number to make and receive phone calls, September 1, 2015
          • Coming soon: A more trustworthy form of encryption, July 28, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, July 28, 2015
          • Protect yourself while browsing by enabling click to play, July 21, 2015 >
            • Tech short, July 21, 2015: Computers now tie emotions to facial expressions
          • Everyday Windows 10 users become beta testers for the Enterprise Edition, June 30, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, June 30, 2015
          • Tech shorts, June 16, 2015
          • The five-minute Facebook security checkup, June 2, 2015
          • When ads attack: Web ad networks battle the blockers, May 26, 2015
          • Flying the furious skies: How to stay sane on a commercial flight, May 19, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, May 19, 2015
          • Online shopping tips: Put differential pricing to work for you, May 12, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, May 12, 2015
          • We're sitting on a big-data gold mine, May 5, 2015
          • The case against web encryption, Title II designation for ISPs, April 28, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts, April 28, 2015
          • Tech shorts, April 21, 2015
          • Should all web traffic be encrypted? April 14, 2015 >
            • Anonymous Internet Map, April 14, 2015
          • More reasons why you need to block web ads, April 7, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts: April 7, 2015
          • Web 3.0 returns control of personal information to users, March 31, 2015
          • Passwords are about to get some much-needed assistance -- from your body, March 24, 2015
          • An unexpected visit from the Karma Police, March 17, 2015
          • Three views of the future that are certain to curl your hair, March 10, 2015
          • The tricks of the malware trade: Don't take the bait! February 24, 2015
          • How to ruin your life in 140 characters or fewer, February 17, 2015
          • Browse better with these three essential freebies (plus one valuable cheapie), February 10, 2015 >
            • Tech shorts: February 10, 2015
          • Why you should care about your loss of privacy, January 27, 2015
          • How to combat hate and harassment on the Internet, January 13, 2015
          • Beat ransomware by saving your files to the cloud, January 6, 2015
          • Five fantastic Web freebies, December 9, 2014
          • How Google, Facebook, and Twitter make billions by offering 'free' services, December 2, 2014
          • Telephone tech-support scams are on the rise, November 24, 2014
          • Tor breach shows there's no such thing as Internet anonymity, November 11, 2014 >
            • Hackers owned Home Depot's networks for five months, November 11, 2014
            • Another call for a nationwide breach-notification law, November 11, 2014
          • Comcast battles Netflix, and everybody loses, November 4, 2014
          • Sexting has become part of growing up (gulp!), October 28, 2014
          • Quick, simple fixes for everyday tech glitches, October 21, 2014
          • Battle of the behemoths: Facebook ad network takes on Google, October 14, 2014
          • Instant access to all your recent files, October 6, 2014
          • iPhone's new Medical ID feature could save your life, September 29, 2014
          • Now you can really lock your phone, September 22, 2014
          • Facebook auto-play videos eat up mobile data allotments, September 15, 2014
          • Three free browser add-ons protect against cyber-crime, September 9, 2014
          • Control which iPhone apps are allowed to stay 'active' when they're off, August 25, 2014
          • The best browser you're probably not using, August 4, 2014
          • Never pay for software again (almost), July 14, 2014 >
            • Best free alternatives to top-selling software, July 11, 2011
          • The pros and cons of cloud computing, July 14, 2014 >
            • Three approaches to free encrypted online storage, June 23, 2009
            • Future-proof your data archive, December 30, 2010
            • Ten simple, common-sense security tips, October 9, 2012
          • Browser security settings you gotta change, June 24, 2014 >
            • Beef up Chrome's security, June 24, 2014
            • Batten down the hatches in Firefox, June 24, 2014
            • Enable Internet Explorer's privacy and security features, June 24, 2014
          • Online advertising dangers, June 10, 2014 >
            • U.S. Senate: Self-regulation of online ad networks isn't working, June 10, 2014
            • Free browser extensions give ads the boot, June 10, 2014
            • Claim a property interest in your personal information, June 10, 2014
            • A micropayment alternative to privacy-sucking ads, June 10, 2014
          • Great people make great sites, May 30, 2014
          • Three free privacy add-ons for Firefox and Chrome, May 20, 2014 >
            • Three essential security add-ons for Firefox, Chrome, and IE, May 7, 2013 >
              • How to improve security in Firefox, Chrome, and IE, May 6, 2013
            • Disable third-party cookies in IE, Firefox, and Google Chrome, March 14, 2011 >
              • Add 'do not track' to Firefox, IE, Google Chrome, December 7, 2010
              • Five great Firefox privacy add-ons, July 14, 2010
          • Remove metadata from Office files, PDFs, and images, May 16, 2014
          • Make folders private in Windows 8.1, May 9, 2014 >
            • Enable Vista's hidden administrator, and password-protect its XP equivalent, February 13, 2008
            • How to secure your PC in 10 easy steps, November 15, 2011 >
              • Three approaches to free encrypted online storage, June 23, 2009
              • Amazon Cloud Drive and Box.net go toe-to-toe, April 5, 2011
              • Free VPN service helps keep public Wi-Fi safe, February 14, 2011
              • How to prevent identity theft, September 13, 2011
            • Free utility finds unwanted programs uninstallers miss, February 24, 2014
          • Malware authors target Android phones, May 13, 2014
          • Secure your Facebook account in six easy steps, September 23, 2013
          • How to find the positive in negative comments, April 30, 2014
          • The 'I hate passwords' guide, April 29, 2014
          • Protect your device from malicious ads, April 10, 2014
          • Five ways to save a Web page, September 26, 2011
          • Five essential Windows 8.1 time-saving tweaks, February 3, 2014
          • Best free sites for learning how to write code, December 12, 2013
        • Software Intellectual Property Protections, August 16, 2014 >
          • Introduction: It's a Software World
          • 1. Trademark >
            • a. Registration
            • b. Trademark requirements
            • c. Lanham Act: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1053 and 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) (a.k.a. § 43(a)) >
              • 1. Distinguish from patent protection
              • 2. Distinguish from copyright protection
              • 3. Trademark-infringement elements >
                • A. Confusion
                • B. Designation of origin
                • C. Famous and distinctive
            • d. Infringement criteria
          • 2. Trade Secrets >
            • a. Uniform Trade Secrets Act
            • b. Software protected by trade secrets
            • c. Limitations on trade-secret protections >
              • 1. Secret and valuable
              • 2. Described with particularity
              • 3. Software trade secrets and patents: Conflicting or complementary?
          • 3. Copyright >
            • a. History of software copyright statute
            • b. Assembling the pieces of the software-copyright jigsaw puzzle >
              • 1. Two types of source code: Declaring and implementing
              • 2. Originality requirement
              • 3. Merger doctrine
              • 4. Abstraction-filtration-comparison test
              • 5. Short phrases
              • 6. Scenes a faire doctrine
              • 7. Structure, sequence, and organization of the Java APIs
              • 8. Interoperability as it relates to copyrightability
              • 9. Fair use
              • 10. Copyright protections vs. patent protections for software
          • 4. Patent >
            • a. U.S. Constitution Article 1 § 8 >
              • 1. In terms of patent law, software is special
              • 2. Software innovations are clearly patentable
            • b. 35 U.S. Code § 101 >
              • 1. Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International: Procedural history
              • 2. Test for patentability of abstract ideas: Implicit exception to exclusion
            • c. 35 U.S. Code § 102 - Conditions for patentability; novelty, prior art >
              • 1. Section 102(a)'s "known or used" determination (prior art)
              • 2. Section 102(b)'s "on sale" and "disclosure" determinations
              • 3. Section 102(g)'s "abandoned, suppressed, or concealed" determination
            • d. 35 U.S. Code § 103 Conditions for patentability: non-obvious subject matter
            • e. 35 U.S. Code § 112: Specification >
              • 1. Claim construction
              • 2. Doctrine of equivalents and rule of prosecution history estoppel
          • Conclusion
          • Table of Cases
        • Reclaim your personal information
  • Cloud Computing
    • Five tips for protecting cloud data from internal threats
    • What does the future hold for DBAs?
    • Busted: 10 Big Data Myths Exploded
    • Is the cloud ready for speech APIs?
    • From machine learning to super clouds: Competing visions of cloud 2.0
    • Two great reasons for making your cloud data location aware
    • The most common cloud migration mistakes
    • How to prepare for the next cloud outage
    • The new shadow IT: Custom applications in the cloud
    • Drawbacks of running containers on bare-metal servers
    • How to reduce latency in public clouds
    • Mastering the art of container management
    • Hybrid Clouds: Here to stay, or stop-gaps to enterprise cloud?
    • How zero-trust security makes VMs more efficient
    • Ultimate virtualization: The end of infrastructure
    • 21 best orchestration tools for MSPs
    • Cloud governance: The key to effectively scaling your cloud
    • Update or rewrite? A cloud-application perspective
    • New views into cloud application performance
    • Multicloud vs. hybrid cloud
  • The Stories So Far....
    • Story
    • O'Jitterys Catch a Movie, October 27, 2015
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