Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg gave us his first meaningful, action-oriented response to all of the privacy and data-misuse issues that Facebook has encountered over the past two years.
In his letter titled A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking, he outlines a transition of Facebook toward:
- Increase in private interactions through encryption
- Message ephemerality – messages disappear/deleted after some time (think Snapchat)
- Interoperability – cross-communication between Messenger, Instagram, & WhatsApp
A lot of the critics are wondering how this will all work in unison with their premier, money-making product, which is advertising via the News Feed. I’m curious as well.
Nonetheless, I’m glad to see them taking these first steps toward a “theoretically” better and more secure social media experience. This, however, doesn’t change my perspective on Facebook being a non-private means of communicating under every circumstance. Whatever you share via Facebook, you might as well be broadcasting via national TV.
If you’re really concerned about privacy, then you should be using an encrypted, private messenger such as Wire or Signal. Personally, I communicate using these apps in lieu of almost all of the other messaging platforms. It’s the best way to know that you control who sees your messages.
I’m curious about your thoughts. Do you still trust Facebook with your data, given Mark’s urge to move towards a more privacy-centric network? Or do you believe this is simply a press tour to help clean up Facebook’s image?
This is what caught my attention in technology:
Are we entitled to the Right To Be Forgotten?
We’ve reached this point in time where our digital identities are more expansive and encompassing than our physical identities. The issue is that all of the data on our digital identities is chiseled in stone. As a result, our digital identities often reflect who we once were, rather than who we are today. Should we be capable of managing our own data and ultimately hold the Right To Be Forgotten?
Watch my full discussion on this topic here
Telecom providers struggle to keep your location data safe
Bounty hunters and people with histories of domestic violence are abusing telecom company policies created to give law enforcement real-time location data without a court order in “exigent circumstances,” such as when there is the imminent threat of physical harm to a victim. One debt collector tricked T-Mobile by fabricating cases of child kidnapping to convince the telco to hand over location data.
Read the entire story by Motherboard here
Android’s digital wallet may hold your driver’s license
Governments have been exploring digital driver’s licenses for a while, but there are quite a few flaws with existing approaches. You usually have to rely on a proprietary app, sometimes with uncertain security… and what happens if your phone is low on battery when you need to flash your credentials? Google might have a solution.
The fake doctor who conned the media via LinkedIn
Damian’s profile on ResearchGate.net contains over 45 research papers, 7,139 views, and his work has been cited 161 times. His research has been picked up by Vice, Forbes, Huffington Post, among others. However, he’s a con man who used digital tools and media weaknesses to become a medical expert in the most bizarre fields of research.
Read the rest of the story on Inevitable/Human
In LA, scooters become the next data privacy fight
In Los Angeles, a dispute over how the city manages data embedded in Uber-operated scooters has emerged as a leading-edge privacy issue, foreshadowing a debate over the government’s role in managing sensitive data in a new era of connected transit. They say it’s critical to know what’s happening in their streets and ensure people are being served equitably.