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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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."

The average American may not spend much time thinking about individual bills working their way through government machines. But popular websites are making sure the average web user knows exactly what SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Protect IP Act) are by hitting them where it hurts: in the Wikipedia.

Lately, it seems like nobody's information is safe on the web. From CitiGroup, Inc., to Google's Gmail, to Sony's Playstation Network, hackers have been running amuck on the web. Dastardly hackers aren't the only ones getting access to your information, however. Rarely discussed is the information that's being doled out by websites to third parties, on purpose. A recent study titled "Privacy Leakage vs. Protection measures: the growing disconnect," released from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, co-authored by Professor Craig Wills, shows that of 100 popular websites studied, nearly 75% are leaking personal and sometimes sensitive data about users.

Sharing your thoughts and activities on Facebook in and of of itself is not necessarily a problem. The problem comes when users forget that everyone in their social network is reading their posts. When you post something in frustration over your boss, co-worker, spouse, or friend, remember that the boss, co-worker, spouse, or friend-and all their networked friends (and all of their networked friends)-may also be reading your posts. It is possible to take part in Facebook and still maintain a modicum of privacy. To accomplish this, keep these 10 lessons in mind.

In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that several popular Facebook applications had been transmitting users' personal identifying information to literally dozens of advertising and internet tracking companies. While Facebook maintains that there is "no evidence that any personal information was misused or even collected as a result of this issue," not all observers have been appeased.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.