Data Protection

Google launched its new privacy policy on Thursday, adding Web search and YouTube history to the pool of data that the company collects about its account-holders. The changes bring 60 of the company's services under the same umbrella, and clarifies that Google has permission to share the information of people who have signed into their accounts. That means that what you watch on YouTube will inform ads you see in Gmail or could change the results you get in Web searches.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Edith Ramirez, the new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, as President Obama's nominee for that position. As a sitting commissioner, she did not require confirmation for the new role. This version has been corrected. Google is nearing a deal in which it would pay $7 million to resolve investigations with more than 30 state attorneys general over its controversial Street View program , in which it captured data from private WiFi signals while taking...

Jenner & Block, the Chicago-based law firm with 80 attorneys in the District, is creating a privacy and data protection group under the leadership of Mary Ellen Callahan, the former chief privacy officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Privacy and data protection is one of the booming areas for law firms , as companies increasingly grapple with how to move sensitive data onto Internet-based systems and keep their information secure. Privacy lawyers also advise businesses that deal directly with...

The push for strict new limits on how Internet companies collect and use consumer data in Europe has hit stiff resistance from U.S. industry groups and the Obama administration, dimming hopes that the effort could lead to expanded privacy safeguards for users worldwide. Privacy advocates have embraced a bill before the European Parliament as their best chance to win a range of protections that have failed to gain political traction in Washington. The sprawling nature of the information...

Data privacy rules enacted last month in India are now alarming some U.S. companies, which worry that they may be too restrictive. The rules in India's Information Technology Act govern the collection and use of personal information including banking and medical details. But business leaders in India and the United States worry that they add a cumbersome layer of disclosures such as obtaining written consent from each customer before collecting and using personal data. Google has protested some sections of...

Parts of Facebook's proposed new privacy policy conflict with European law, a key regulator said Friday as he moved to give users in the European Union more power to block the sharing of their data with the company's affiliates such as Instagram. Regulators alerted Facebook about the problem shortly after the company announced major changes Wednesday in how it will treat users' personal data, said Gary T. Davis, deputy data protection commissioner in Ireland. His office oversees ...

A   grave threat is said to be stalking Europe. No, it isn't the financial crisis and the potential demise of the euro. It's the "rapacious" U.S. approach to privacy — which portends, for those engaged in the development of cloud architecture, a coming "clash" of privacy laws. According to Viviane Reding , the European Union's justice commissioner, cloud-based companies that collect personal data are violating fundamental human rights. "We . . . believe that companies who direct their...

The push for strict new limits on how Internet companies collect and use consumer data in Europe has hit stiff resistance from U.S. industry groups and the Obama administration, dimming hopes that the effort could lead to expanded privacy safeguards for users worldwide. Privacy advocates have embraced a bill before the European Parliament as their best chance to win a range of protections that have failed to gain political traction in Washington. The sprawling nature of...

If there's one buzz word Reed Smith attorney Tim Nagle hears a lot, it's "BYOD. " The acronym stands for "bring your own device," the term businesses use when they have their employees use personal cellphones and tablets to access work-related e-mails, servers and data rather than using company-issued mobile devices. It sounds simple, but BYOD comes with a minefield of legal questions and risks: How do we prevent trade secrets and client lists from getting leaked if an employee...

VIENNA — To carry on his war against Facebook, Max Schrems figures he needs at least 200,000 euros — about $250,000 — no small sum for a law student scraping by on a government stipend. But like those he is targeting, Schrems, 25, is a creature of the Internet age. He envisions a fundraising campaign that could go viral: If 10,000 people give 20 euros each, Schrems figures, he will have enough to take the world's most effective user revolt against Facebook to the next level — in a court of law. ...

In the politically charged aftermath of a pregnant woman's death, Ireland's simmering abortion debate exploded into mass demonstrations in Dublin and beyond last month. And in many thousands of homes across the nation, phones began ringing with an urgent message from a man speaking with an Irish lilt. The calls might have been unremarkable in the United States, where abortion politics long have been fierce and political robocalls are protected by the First Amendment. But in Ireland, they are...

A student-led group in Europe said Tuesday that it is preparing to file a suit against Ireland's data protection regulator over its audit of Facebook's privacy policies. The group, which calls itself europe-v-facebook.org, has published its own, 70-page report outlining the ways in which it believes the social network violates European law. Max Schrems, who leads the group and who was recently profiled in The Washington Post, says Facebook collects too much...

Parts of Facebook's proposed new privacy policy conflict with European law, a key regulator said Friday as he moved to give users in the European Union more power to block the sharing of their data with the company's affiliates such as Instagram. Regulators alerted Facebook about the problem shortly after the company announced major changes Wednesday in how it will treat users' personal data, said Gary T. Davis, deputy data protection commissioner in Ireland. His office oversees ...

VIENNA — To carry on his war against Facebook, Max Schrems figures he needs at least 200,000 euros — about $250,000 — no small sum for a law student scraping by on a government stipend. But like those he is targeting, Schrems, 25, is a creature of the Internet age. He envisions a fundraising campaign that could go viral: If 10,000 people give 20 euros each, Schrems figures, he will have enough to take the world's most effective user revolt against Facebook to the next level — in a court of law. ...

Google's efforts to track users across services such as YouTube and Gmail do not meet European standards of privacy, officials announced Tuesday, in the latest of a growing number of regulatory challenges for the American technology giant. A letter signed by regulators from 27 countries calls on Google to give users more notice about how their data are collected and seek consent in some cases. The company merged the privacy policies of 60 of its services this year, making it easier...

If there's one buzz word Reed Smith attorney Tim Nagle hears a lot, it's "BYOD. " The acronym stands for "bring your own device," the term businesses use when they have their employees use personal cellphones and tablets to access work-related e-mails, servers and data rather than using company-issued mobile devices. It sounds simple, but BYOD comes with a minefield of legal questions and risks: How do we prevent trade secrets and client lists from getting leaked if an employee...

The U.K government expects to respond next month to a European Commission query regarding whether a targeted Internet advertising system violates European Union data protection regulations, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The Webwise system, from the company Phorm, tracks a person's online history in order to deliver targeted advertisements related to the content the person has viewed. Targeted advertising platforms such as Webwise and NebuAd are under scrutiny by the U.K. and U.S. governments, which are concerned about...

A student-led group in Europe said Tuesday that it is preparing to file a suit against Ireland's data protection regulator over its audit of Facebook's privacy policies. The group, which calls itself europe-v-facebook.org, has published its own, 70-page report outlining the ways in which it believes the social network violates European law. Max Schrems, who leads the group and who was recently profiled in The Washington Post, says Facebook collects too...

Jenner & Block, the Chicago-based law firm with 80 attorneys in the District, is creating a privacy and data protection group under the leadership of Mary Ellen Callahan, the former chief privacy officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Privacy and data protection is one of the booming areas for law firms , as companies increasingly grapple with how to move sensitive data onto Internet-based systems and keep their information secure. Privacy lawyers also advise businesses that deal directly with...

The entrepreneur Seasoned entrepreneur Michael Pratt has spent the past 16 years building start-ups. Kevin Sapp has been pioneering mobile security for much of his career, most recently as senior director and chief architect for mobile at McAfee. The pair collaborated on a previous software venture, Trust Digital, acquired by McAfee in 2010. Now they are tackling what they say is the looming issue for IT departments everywhere: the security of cell phones, tablets and other portable devices.