Finally, 2014 is officially over. The ball has dropped, and it's time to turn our sights to the year ahead. If you are anything like me, you've already had your fill of "New Year, New You" mottos being blasted around social media. So in the spirit of the New Year, I've decided to reexamine 2014 and what I've learned.
Posted Jan 08, 2015
With companies and sensitive consumer information increasingly targeted by cyber attacks, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Venable LLP released a new guide to state laws on data breach notification. The Essential Guide to Data Breach Notification is being distributed at DMA2014.
Posted Oct 28, 2014
Nude photos of about 20 celebrities appeared on 4chan over the weekend, and speculation quickly led to Apple's iCloud taking much of the blame. But Business Insider's James Cook is skeptical that anyone actually hacked Apple's encrypted iCloud. Instead, he thinks it is more likely that the thief used "social engineering" to gain access to the celebrities' accounts the old-fashioned way, by simply guessing their passwords.
Posted Sep 02, 2014
Most of us are familiar with using social media to post status updates about our vacation, photos of our family, funny videos we find on YouTube, or tweeting about our favorite sports team. However, when it comes to using social media for business purposes, it is important to understand that the rules are different. Anything you post can be considered a form of consumer advertising; as such, you need to be careful not to post misleading or false information. This is especially true if you work in a regulated industry such as financial services, banking, healthcare, law, or pharmaceutical.
Posted Jul 09, 2014
Social media management and compliance tools are promising approaches that allow companies to stay within the law but still communicate with customers. Experts say tools alone are not enough to prevent a social media faux pas-a solid social media management strategy is paramount. The evidence suggests that businesses are in the early stages of social media risk management. Social media for business may not be the Wild West any longer, but it takes prudence to stay on the right side of the law.
Posted Jun 30, 2014
Sookasa, Inc., a provider of compliance for popular cloud applications and mobile devices, introduced new capabilities for its Sookasa Cloud Compliance Service, including the ability for users to share documents through any email provider using secure private links. Content that is encrypted on public cloud services can be shared securely using file links with any recipient, with no receiver downloads or setup required. Sookasa has also extended its support for Dropbox encryption, compliance, and access control to Android devices.
Posted Jun 26, 2014
Websense, Inc. released the first report of the Ponemon Institute survey, "Exposing the Cybersecurity Cracks: A Canadian Perspective," uncovering the deficient, and disconnected realities that challenge IT security professionals. The new survey of nearly 240 Canadian IT security professionals reveals a deficit in enterprise security systems, a disconnect in how confidential data is valued, and limited visibility into cybercriminal activity.
Posted Jun 17, 2014
As I sat down to write this column, Anonymous was in the news again--this time for its vow to help bring about justice in yet another depressingly mishandled sexual assault case. This time the news was coming out of Maryville, Mo. Anonymous, known for its internet vigilantism, called for further investigation into the Daisy Coleman case. It wrote: "Mayor Jim Fall, your hands are dirty. Maryville, expect us." And it wasn't long before Anonymous got exactly what it wanted. The case was reopened.
Posted Dec 30, 2013
Check out our most recent EContent Live Hangout, with Jose Castillo, Drew Bedard, and Tom Mullen. The guys talked about Facebook video ads, privacy, and what the emerging role of the "marketing technologist" means to companies.
Posted Dec 20, 2013
It used to be really hard to create good content. Twenty-five years ago if you wanted photos of your product it was a chore. As a kid I remember watching the process in my dad's advertising agency in Knoxville, TN. First you needed several thousands of dollars of professional camera equipment and lighting. Then you would gather all the products and shoot endless rolls of film, which you would then ship off to be developed and wait weeks for the actual shots. It was tedious at best and even then you would wind up editing things in a dark room. It would take me hours to resize clip art with a photostat machine that now takes seconds and requires a click and drag with my pointer. In 2013 if you are a major brand and you want a killer photo of your product, it takes one step: Search.
Posted Nov 21, 2013
Did you miss our latest EContent Live Hangout? You can still join Jose Castillo, Ron Miller, and Brad Batt to discuss the ins-and-outs of content management, Kindle MatchBook, and privacy (or the lack thereof) on the web. Be sure to follow @econtentmag on Twitter, or EContent on Google+ to be kept up-to-date on upcoming EContent Live events.
Posted Sep 06, 2013
In light of Edward Snowden's recent disclosure that the NSA is keeping tabs on our every electronic move, it's hard not to think about privacy (or the lack thereof). While I often try to ignore it, sometimes it feels like science fiction movies (starring Tom Cruise...of course) about the watchful eye of the government are slowly becoming reality. That's when I begin worrying about the fabric of society. Shouldn't we all be worried about our privacy (especially if Tom Cruise isn't going to fix this problem)? Not surprisingly though, some of us worry more than others.
Posted Jul 04, 2013
MyPermissions, a provider of security tools and services for scanning, monitoring, and controlling how connected applications access personal data online, has announced new versions of its internet data privacy applications on iOS, Android, and its Chrome web plugin, MyPermissions Cleaner. The redesigned scanning tools now offer 24/7 privacy protection with real-time mobile alerts, and the ability to select, approve or remove multiple applications with a single click.
Posted Jun 24, 2013
Third-party data collection across many leading websites continues at significant levels while data collection via social media/sharing widgets is growing rapidly according to the third-annual Cross Industry Study (CIS) of web data collection activity from Krux.
Posted May 08, 2013
EMC Corporation announced beta availability of EMC's Syncplicity cloud-based online file sharing service with the option for customers to use either EMC Isilon scale-out NAS or EMC Atmos object-based storage. Now customers can store files on-premise in addition to the cloud. Unlike competitive approaches that cobble together point-products from multiple vendors, this approach gives IT choice and control over where managed files reside, while users get a secure, easy-to-use solution for file sync and sharing across all of their computers and devices.
Posted Jan 16, 2013
If Instagram has you feeling like a professional photographer the news tweaks to its terms of service may have you concerned about your intellectual property. Starting January 16, 2013, the photosharing app will share data with Facebook. How will your data - and your photos - be used?
Posted Dec 18, 2012
You say you don't have any personal Big Data? Not worried about cloud storage? Think again. Private data, including passwords, are breached almost every month. WikiLeaks is the poster child for loss of massive amounts of classified information, all due to poor oversight of personal external drives. Most recently the case of Mat Honan, a Wired magazine journalist, comes to mind. Privacy breaches and lost data aren't always due to personal carelessness, although that is often a contributing factor.
Posted Dec 06, 2012
The State of California is once again taking up privacy issue on consumers' behalf, this time with mobile app developers. According to Information Week, app developers that fail to post easy-to-find privacy policies can be fined $2,500 per download.
Posted Nov 01, 2012
Regardless of industry or niche, reputation is one of the most precious commodities that a working professional has. It can take months, even years to build up a strong, positive reputation; then, the whole thing can come crashing down, in an instant. This has never been truer than it is now, in the age of Google, Facebook, and Yelp.com: A bad review or a defamatory post can make its way onto the web and all but destroy a person's image.
Posted Oct 17, 2012
I started making a lot of hiking plans earlier this spring. I'd adopted a dog in January and had been wandering in the woods almost every weekend since. Then a friend of mine emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in section-hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail-specifically the parts that run through Connecticut and Massachusetts. I'd visited a couple of the Connecticut sections last summer, so I was excited to hit some new spots, this time with the dog in tow.
Posted May 30, 2012
Some say men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but when it comes to social media sites, both genders share an array of personal information, including relationship status, brand preferences, and political/religious affiliation. However, when it comes to divulging more sensitive details such as phone numbers, location, and email/physical addresses -- which could put their personal security at risk -- women are significantly more wary than men, according to the findings of the recently released "Social Media Habits and Privacy Concerns Survey."
Posted Apr 09, 2012
Google claims that Microsoft's privacy protection feature in Internet Explorer (IE) is impractical to comply with while still providing modern web functionality. Microsoft had accused Google of circumventing privacy protections in Internet Explorer.
Posted Feb 21, 2012
After a developer discovered mobile social network Path had been uploading his contacts' data to its servers, Apple announced it will implement requirements for iOS apps that will seek explicit user approval before accessing address book data.
Posted Feb 16, 2012
In wake of Apple's admission that mobile iOS apps have had access to users' contact data without permission, Google announced it's impossible for apps on an Android phone to share personal data with a developer unless users acquiesce.
Posted Feb 16, 2012
Google is toggling its privacy policy and terms of service to introduce a new master document, stitching together the 70 policies that currently rule its many offerings. The new regulations will take effect on March 1. However, details about the new terms of service were not disclosed.
Posted Jan 25, 2012