Can We Secure Our Privacy?

Hot on the tail of this year's Facebook issues over privacy and the question of Google's Street mapping program collecting extra data on wifi security, a class action lawsuit has been taken against Apple claiming personal data is being passed around on iPad and iPhone users without owners them being notified or compensated. They are also considering a similar action against Google over personal data on Android applications.

The Wall Street Journal report that the claimant, Jonathan Lalo of LA, said Apple and a group of mobile application developers were selling personal data, including his age, gender and location to ad networks. The suit states that Lalo "did not expect, receive notice of, or consent to Defendants' tracking of his iPhone app use and did not want Defendants to engage in such activity’.

The case papers allege that many applications collect too much personal data and enable users to be individually identified. They claim that many firms and advertisers are able monitor and identify individuals via Apple’s unique device ID which they feel is not adequately restricted by Apple. This claim is supported by researchers from Bucknell University who recently proved that individuals can be identified this way. Apple’s stated policy only allows data to be shared with third parties if an app genuinely requires the information operationally.

The question remains as to how much of a privacy issue exists and the full implications of any tightening of the rules. However, it once again raises the question about privacy and protection of personal information today.

Meanwhile Mozilla ,the developers of the Firefox browser, have accidently exposed the passwords of 44,000 inactive addons.mozilla.org accounts left on a Mozilla public server. Mozilla's director of infrastructure security Chris Lyon wrote in a posting on the Mozilla Security Blog late Monday night notes that all the passwords were for inactive accounts that have now been deleted and disabled. Mozilla has informed all affected users of the breach by email.

Seabird Shows the Near Future of the Mobile?

Where would you expect to see the future of the mobile? Some would say Apple, others Google, some HTC, or Samsung, or LG, or Motorola, but today we have a concept mobile which certainly captures the imagination and says ‘yes’ and ‘why not?’and doesn't come from any of the above.



Seabird was created by Billy May, a member of Mozilla Labs community in his spare time. Seabird is not a Mozilla or Mozilla Labs project but part of the Mozilla Labs Concept Series and like Pranav Mistry, May has looked at how we interact with technology and frustration we all have with smartphones today.

Seabird has two pico projectors which enable them to project onto a nearby screen for easier viewing and a full size virtual keyboard on to the table on which the device is docked. The users merely then users the virtual keyboard and is in many ways very similar in its virtual keyboard concept to that shown by Mistry. When the dock isn’t used the pico projectors can provide a split virtual keyboard on each side of the device.

We love the small Bluetooth dongle that slots into the back of the phone and the immediate loss of those white wires. However, the dongle does much more and can be used to control the cursor, select and zoom. Everyone would also love the concept of wireless charging and no charger.

The concept is built on Android and is shaped like a teardrop with a bulge protruding from the top at the back which is used to elevate the projector lenses.

While Mozilla says it has no intention of developing a phone like it, the technologies in it are only one step away from being packaged today and someone is bound to follow up. We want one!

So Which Browser Do You Use?

Having just experienced replacing our hard drive on the laptop we understand technology pain and frustration. We also understand the opportunity to declutter and delete those files and applications that just grow like fungus on your computer. So we went from having four browsers to two.

So it was interesting to hear that the browser wars are getting warmer with the news that Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) market share dropped under the 70% last month for the first time since Net Applications started monitoring market share. IE is now down 7.6% points in the last year.

Rival browsers from Mozilla, Apple and Google are benefiting with Mozilla's Firefox, next most popular with some 20%, Apple next with 7.1% and the new Chrome offer from Google slowly bring up the rear. The change appears to be the shift from corporate to home users who obviously prefer Firfefox and Safari and Net Applications state that Firefox and Safari usage climbs on weekends and after work hours.

Microsoft have said that it will launch IE8 in 2009, but as more users shift to the home market it could be continued bad news for the giant Microsoft.