The International Association of Internet Professionals (IAIP) is a nonprofit association that provides professional networking and a forum to promote common interests amongst individuals working in and around Internet technologies. Our members and constituents believe strongly in creating a vibrant, thriving Internet community that naturally grows and evolves to serve the needs of people everywhere.
So long, privacy. Although Google has recently decided not to launch their new technology, the fact that it even exists is just plain creepy. Google has developed software allowing people to enter their headshot into a database so they can be recognized by a mobile application when anyone takes a picture of them.
Going on vacation, but can't seem to relax? Put away all of your electronics! You went on a vacation to get rid of the work e-mails and Facebook drama. Need help on how to unplug? This article gives great tips on how to get away from all of your digital gadgets.
As issues of privacy and Internet control by governments heat up across the globe, France is set to host an "EG8" summit on Internet policy in which many believe the French presidency will support online control and censorship as opposed to Internet freedom.
Firefox's new "Do Not Track" option, which allows a user to opt out of Internet tracking, has started to gain some traction in the advertising industry. Though buy-in from the major players is needed for a fully effective Do Not Track setting, Mozilla has begun to pave the way for widespread adoption.
Ars Technica recently caught up with US Senator Al Franken, one of the top proponents of net neutrality in the Senate. Among the topics of discussion: the House's defunding of net neutrality enforcement, Franken's support of Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) and why he calls net neutrality the net neutrality the "First Amendment issue of our time."
Internet censorship research from the OpenNet Initiative indicates the strictness of censorship for countries across the globe, and also a look at what is being censored. While the research isn't perfect, it offers a good overview of the state of Internet censorship as it stands today.
The Online Trust Alliance has estimated that over 10 billion online ad impressions carried malware in 2010, most in the form of display ads. These malicious ads typically are geared to gaining access to users various account logins and passwords. The OTA, which is dedicated to establishing best practices regarding privacy and security online, puts the onus for prevention of malicious ads squarely on the ad networks and other ad third parties.
Your phone numbers and home addresses are safe... for now. Facebook has temporarily put off its plan to allow developers to access this information of users. Privacy advocates were none too pleased when learning of the plans to give developers this type of access, even though it must be granted by the user. Facebook does have its reasons, but for now is delaying and perhaps adjusting its plan. The best way to ensure app developers don't get your phone number and home address? Don't make it public in the first place.
In the wake of the WikiLeaks scandal, Twitter recently received a court order demanding information about some of its members whom are connected to WikiLeaks. In addition, the court order was accompanied by a gag order prohibiting Twitter from notifying its members about the request.
In an effort to protect Twitter user privacy, Twitter successfully challenged the court order and notified members about the government request. Twitters ‘backbone’ approach to protect its users is in stark contrast to how Amazon, Bank of America, Visa, Mastercard and PayPal responded.
In a time when many companies quickly fold to government requests for user information, some organizations like Twitter and Google are putting policies in place to further protect their user base from divulging personal information.
