And the privacy beat goes on…

So, perhaps you remember that despite the lack of any formal legislation mandating it, Mozilla, Microsoft and Apple have each implemented a “Do Not Track” feature in the latest versions of their respective browsers (Mozilla even just integrated the option into its Firefox Android browser as well). But one glaringly absent player in the browser game is obviously Google, as the company has yet to, nor may it have any plans to, integrate such a feature into its Chrome browser…apparently because of a lack of clarity around what is “tracking” on the web… [paidcontent.org]

But just because browsers have taken preemptive remedial measures doesn’t mean the rest of the appropriate players are doing the same. According to the firm Evidon, which provides icon technology that allows users to know when they’re being “tracked” and gives them the ability to opt out, only about 10% of advertisers have currently implemented the icon… [WSJ]

And while we’re pointing to a Wall Street Journal story about privacy, as you probably know the Journal has been hot on the digital privacy tip for a while now, taking a pretty firm and transparent perspective that not everyone is in love with… [paidcontent.org]

Obviously there are several bills currently under consideration in Congress regarding digital privacy, perhaps the most noted of which is John Kerry and John McCain’s “Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights,” but what would this piece of legislation really mean for us users? [EFF Deeplinks Blog]

Finally, despite the fact that its currently against “the law,” Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg firmly believes that children under 13 should be able to join Facebook…not surprising, but not for the reason you might think…he actually thinks Facebook has good educational potential…an interesting idea, indeed… [Fortune]

We know the FTC has been an extremely active voice in the digital privacy debate, unveiling its privacy proposal that included the infamous “Do Not Track” several months back. But while it may lack the authority to regulate a section of those who might be able to help protect users privacy (their mobile providers), it does claim jurisdiction over application developers, potentially protecting users on at least one mobile front… [Mediapost]

And that probably sounds even better when I mention this recent survey that asserts we as mobile phone users are entirely too nonchalant about our mobile security/privacy… [Mashable]

And even BETTER when you read this article about how much geolocation data your mobile provider may or may not be storing about you… [NY Times]

Finally, today in company’s asking government to allow them to self-regulate as opposed to subjecting them to government imposed regulation – Microsoft recently laid out its policy for retaining/disposing of Bing users’ IP addresses after six months (and cookies after 18 months), which it believes could be a shining example of how to “do privacy right”… [NetworkWorld]

At this point, every web, mobile or social service ought to be thinking about privacy and security long and hard given the current climate. And that apparently includes Skype, which privacy watchdog organization, Privacy International, claims is exposing users’ privacy due to a couple of security issues that make it easy to impersonate a Skype user… [TG Daily]

The other day we highlighted how the online marketplace Etsy made an unfortunate mistake, exposing certain sensitive information about users to the public at large. Well, if you’re an Etsy user who wants to hide that “sensitive information,” here are your step-by-step instructions… [Business Insider]

Last week, we also mentioned how the EU has proposed a new privacy regulation that should take effect later in the year that will require all online entities that are accessible by EU users to explicitly obtain users’ permission to be tracked, among other things…and in case there was any confusion, the regulation will apply even to sites/services based outside of the EU that have users in the EU… [WSJ]

And, of course, that includes Facebook, where EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding hinted that EU users should have a “right to be forgotten,” or essentially the right to control what appears on Facebook about/involving them… [paidcontent.org]

Finally, we mentioned on Monday that Microsoft had finally released its latest version of Internet Explorer – IE9 – which brought with it improved privacy controls and the ability to opt out of 3rd party ad tracking. Well, apparently the browser’s new version was downloaded 2.35 million times in just 24 hours… [Mashable]

With Microsoft now integrating privacy-focused tools into IE9, and generally showing an openness to self-regulation when it comes to privacy, the heat may be on its giant brethren Google (which hasn’t exactly been a paragon of privacy protection) and Apple (which hasn’t been part of the privacy conversation at all so far) to follow suit… [paidcontent.org]

But again, if IE isn’t your browser of choice, and you’re a Firefox user, there are already add-ons you can use to block ad tracking, and here’s the latest add-on in that vein – “Do Not Track Plus,” which implements the “Do Not Track” feature as proposed by the FTC a couple of months back… [PC World]

And as for Apple and privacy, since its browser Safari blocks 3rd party cookies that advertisers typically use to track users, and Safari is the default browser on all of its iOS devices, clicks from paid search advertisements go uncounted about 80% of the time when the click comes from a user on an iOS device (according to a recent study conducted by Marin Software)… [TechCrunch]

A couple of days ago, we mentioned how Senators John McCain and John Kerry were attempting to introduce a digital privacy bill of rights…well, it seems our fearless leader (or at least his administration) supports that concept and effort… [WSJ]

Well, Google probably could have cautioned online marketplace site Etsy against this move (since it was similar to the way Google rolled out Buzz last year)…nevertheless, Etsy yesterday made all of its users’ activity on the site public by default… [Business Insider]

But almost as soon as it flipped that switch on, it realized the error it had made and switched it back off… [Etsy]

Yesterday, the FTC settled its complaint with Twitter over what it deemed to be insufficient security measures that led to Twitter users accounts being hacked in the past. As part of the settlement, Twitter has agreed to “establish a more rigorous information-security policy to prevent user accounts from being hijacked” in the future… [eWeek]

But Twitter isn’t the only party the FTC settled with yesterday. The Commission also settled a complaint with the online ad provider Chitika, in which it had charged that the service was continuing to track users who had actually opted out of their tracking… [Washington Post]

And finally, Microsoft launched the latest version of Internet Explorer – IE 9 – yesterday, which as we’ve been mentioning for far too long here also includes a feature that allows users to opt out of ad tracking… [WSJ]

But if you’re not interested in using IE 9, you can still disable third party (tracking) cookies in Firefox and Chrome…here’s how… [CNET]

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a second hearing on online privacy for next Wednesday, the goal of which is apparently to understand whether or not government intervention is necessary in order to properly protect our privacy on the web… [The Hill]

We’ve mentioned several times recently that Microsoft’s upcoming latest version of its Internet Explorer browser (IE9) would emphasize privacy controls, including potentially the ability to opt out of ad tracking. Well, we now know that we can expect to find out what exactly that all looks like next Monday, March 14… [Microsoft IE Blog]

Yesterday, we mentioned how the EU just approved a law that would require all sites to get explicit permission from users in order to “track” them using cookies. Later, Gizmodo explained just how silly and pointless such an effort would be… [Gizmodo]

Finally, no stranger to litigation, Google may find itself in another courtroom to defend itself against a plaintiff who is displeased with its practice of scanning gmail users’ mail in order to serve them relevant ads. Of course, this is not a new issue for Google to deal with, but nevertheless, it happened… [InformationWeek]

Ok, so, as we mentioned yesterday, and have been following for a little over a month now, Facebook has been planning to allow developers access to users’ addresses and phone numbers. And despite the wealth of public concern that rippled all the way up to Congress, and resulted in Facebook nixing the access after just a few days in January, it’s apparently going to move forward and allow that same access once anew… [paidcontent.org]

And the new version of Internet Explorer (IE9) that we’ve noted recently will have increased user privacy controls, including the ability to opt out of ad/behavioral tracking will apparently be released in a little over a week, on March 14th…or it could be a little over a week after that on March 24th… [Gizmodo]

The big privacy news at the end of last week was Facebook rolling out a new privacy policy that – pursuant to its recent response to the FTC in which it agreed that “any privacy framework must be implemented in a way that both honors consumers’ expectations in the contexts in which they use online services and promotes the innovation that has fueled the growth of the Internet of the past two decades” – makes it more readable (in theory, anyway) for the lay person… [Mashable]

And if it isn’t, Facebook wants to know…and they want to hear it from you, the user… [All Facebook]

Elsewhere in Facebook and privacy, the social network is apparently considering whether or not it should allow developers to access its minor users’ (those under 18, just so we’re clear) cell phone numbers and addresses… [LA Times]

We’ve mentioned throughout the past couple of months the advertising industry’s disdain for the FTC’s privacy policy, and specifically the “Do Not Track” element of its proposal, but as Microsoft’s corporate VP of advertising and publisher solutions recently told a group of digital ad industry execs – [if they really want a favorable outcome for themselves on the issue of privacy and user tracking on the web] the industry ought to just start policing itself… [WSJ]

Which, coincidentally, the industry may have already started to do now that the Interactive Advertising Bureau has given its constituents six months to comply with its own privacy code of conduct… [ClickZ]

Perhaps you’ve noticed the recent change Google made across its services in the form of the new nav bar at the top of your screen. Well, this nav bar is actually (at least according to Google) aimed at helping users see how they identify themselves when they are using Google services, so they can change those settings as they see fit… [Search Engine Watch]

And while we’re mentioning Google, at the end of last week, we noted how recently, Google asked kids for their social security numbers in order to participate in its “Doodle 4 Google” contest…well, Congress has now decided to look into the matter, led by the online privacy-focused Joe Barton and Edward Markey… [National Journal]

Recently we noted that Microsoft had announced that it will be including the ability for users to block certain sites, or all sites, from “tracking” them using tracking cookies…apparently that and the other built-in privacy controls were enough to gain acceptance by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which “develops standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web”… [CrunchGear]

And yesterday we mentioned that Google was going to find out where it netted out in its dispute with the Swiss government over its Street View photos. Apparently the Swiss court asked it to guarantee that it will blur 100% of all license plates and faces in its Street View images…but, Google wasn’t quite thrilled to hear that and pointed out that having to do so would require manually reviewing every Street View picture tile that makes up Switzerland’s street view… [PC Mag]

As we mentioned yesterday, Microsoft will be including a “Do Not Track” feature in its forthcoming Internet Explorer 9. And yesterday, PC World sat down with Microsoft’s Corporate VP in charge of IE, Dean Hachamovitch, to talk about that and other browser privacy issues/features… [PC World]

And one thing we missed yesterday was that with digital privacy at the forefront of legislative efforts right now, the Senate has created a new subcommittee panel, chaired by Minnesota’s Al Franken, covering “Privacy, Technology and the Law”… [AFP]