Privacy: Your Right to Be Left Alone, and How You Can Protect It

Remember when the only time you had to worry about your privacy was when telemarketers would call you during dinner? Now we live in an age of total information surveillance, when everyone from government spy agencies to groups of criminal hackers are out for the same thing -- your information.

We at ConsumerAffairs.com believe that people should be free to buy what they want, say what they want, and live how they wish without that information being used to track their comings and goings, sell them widgets, or control their financial futures.

Your right to be left alone is more than just protecting your personal space. It's about knowing which information broker is selling your address to a credit agency. It's about protecting yourself from identity theft and online fraud. It's about having the freedom to speak your mind, regardless of whether you're left, right, center, or sideways.

The Privacy section is a central resource for people who want to shop smart, live free, and most of all, be left alone when they choose.

Complaints

News & Resources

Twitter Incorporates 'Do Not Track' While Facebook Gets Sued for Billions Trend appears to be towards at least a little respect for users' privacy

Google Wi-Spy Scandal Heats Up What did Google know? And when did it know it?

Telecom Firm Sued For Skirting Do Not Call Rules Pennsylvania claims company hired non-profit group to pitch its services

California Considers Law Limiting Prospective Employers' Social Media Access Would prohibit companies from requiring applicants from turning over passwords

Lead Generation Companies Sell Information About You Unless you want to constantly receive marketing calls, don't make it easy for them

FCC: Google 'Deliberately Impeded' Spy-Fi Probe Agency staff, exasperated with foot-dragging, proposes a $25,000 fine

Taking a Survey Can Compromise Your Privacy It's almost never worth the incentive they offer

Cell Providers Selling Your Data to Police Industry expert calls for reform of cellular communication laws

FTC: RockYou Game Site Exposed 32 Million Emails & Passwords Site agrees to upgrade its security and pay $250,000 penalty

FTC Calls for Far-Reaching Privacy Protection for Consumers Agency wants data brokers to let consumers see the data that has been collected about them

Senators Object to Employers Asking for Facebook Passwords Employers' demands for a "grave intrusion into personal privacy," Senators charge

Consumers Wary of Search Engines' Use of Personal Information Survey finds 73% oppose a search engine keeping track of their searches

Senator Seeks Probe of Smartphone Apps Claims security flaws compromise personal data

Colorado Will Vote on Legalizing Marijuana Measure will appear on the November ballot; no organized opposition yet

What Does Google's New Privacy Policy Really Mean? A communications expert weighs in

Expert: Consumers Give Too Little Thought to Online Privacy Predicts Consumer Privacy Bill Of Rights won't work

Consumer Groups Want Public Hearing on Google Privacy Changes A closed-door Congressional briefing isn't enough, the groups argue

Investigators Searching For 'Rachel' the Robo-Caller Indiana sues telemarketer allegedly tied to elusive caller

Internet Do-Not-Track Button Moves Closer to Reality Internet giants say they'll respect do-not-track buttons, something they don't do now

Attorneys General Challenge Google's New Privacy Policy New policy exposes users to identity theft and fraud, 36 AGs argue

WSJ: Google Bypassed Apple Safari Privacy Settings "Google lied," consumer advocacy group charges as it calls for immediate FTC action

FCC Hands Telemarketers A Setback Ruling virtually eliminates the marketing robo-call

Hospitals Put Confidential Patient Records Online It took a year for someone to notice the records were available

Privacy Group Sues FTC Over Google Privacy Changes FTC isn't doing its job, public interest group claims

FTC Warns Mobile Apps May Violate Credit Reporting Laws Agency writes to marketers of six background-screening apps

'Unwanted Faxes' Scheme Could Result In More Unwanted Faxes By wary of fax that claims it can stop unwanted faxes

Carrier IQ Denies Spying On Cell Phone Users Company is at center of latest mobile privacy concern

Snowballing Concerns About Online And Mobile Privacy Websites and mobile devices getting closer scrutiny

Malls Drop Plans To Track Shoppers' Cell Phones Consumers and a U.S. Senator objected

Malls Tracking Shoppers With Cell Phones Mall officials say data will remain anonymous

What's On Your Mind? United American Insurance, craigslist, Cipro, Capital One Our daily look at consumer reviews

Credit Scores Go Behavioral New scores seek to predict your behavior

Facial Recognition Technology Raising Privacy Concerns Sen. Rockefeller Wants FTC to recommend legislation

California's Reader Privacy Act Signed Into Law Bill will protect Californians' reading habits

GPS Inventor Joins Fight Against Warrantless GPS Tracking Supreme Court urged to block government abuse of surveillance technology

Indiana Warns Politicians About 'Robo-Calls' State law restricts political uses of auto-dialers

Lawsuit Challenges FBI's Citizen Surveillance System eGuardian gathers a suspicious amount of "suspicious activity reports"

New York Telemarketer Blocked From Missouri Calls Company is accused of ignoring Do Not Call List

FTC: iPad, iPod Developer Violated Children's Privacy "Emily's Girl World" apps didn't seek parental permission to store children's data

Feds Give Tentative OK to Behavioral Ad Program FTC won't challenge Better Business Bureau's ad review program

Big Brother Wants a Longer Memory Feds want ISPs to keep one year's data on every customer

Facebook Uses Ads to Alert Users to its Facial Recognition Program Privacy organizations say the action doesn't go far enough; they want an opt-in process

Court: Federal Drug Sentencing Guidelines Too Harsh Punishment for Ecstasy-related crimes not scientifically justified

Court Rules TSA Adopted Body Scanners Improperly Agency did not solicit public comment before imstalling whole-body scanners

Groupon To Track User Locations Issues new privacy policy

Google Exposes Government Demands for Personal Information Consumers worry about advertisers, but government spying is on the rise too

Suit Charges AOL Worked Around Privacy Controls to Stalk Consumers Says companies repurposed Adobe Flash when consumers disabled cookies

Study: Private Data Often Leaks From Popular Websites Study says websites should be held accountable for safeguarding data

Privacy Groups Profit From Google Buzz Settlement Class-action settlement rewards groups that work for privacy, freedom of expression

Start-Up Promises to Put Consumers in Control of Personal Data Personal.com organizes data into "gems" that consumers own and control

Feds Charge Utah Telemarketers Made 16 Million Illegal Calls 'Kids First' campaigns called numbers on Do Not Call list

Facebook a Magnet for Underage Users, Survey Finds Consumer Reports estimates 7.5 million Facebook users are under 13

Sony, Epsilon Are No-Shows Before Congress Companies say they're too busy to testify about collossal privacy breaches

Apple, Android Phones Secretly Record Your Location Information could be sold to marketers

Ooops, Slip-Up Exposes Private Data of 3 Million Texans Scam artists quick to hit the phones searching for more data

Feds Probe Pandora Privacy Issues Prosecutors want to know who gathered what user information, and why

FTC Finalizes Settlement with Twitter Social networking site was accused of deceiving consumers, endangering their privacy

McCain, Kerry Planning 'Online Privacy Bill of Rights' Bipartisan measure would regulate online tracking

Supreme Court: AT&T Is Not a Person But Court urges the company not to take it personally

FTC Urged to Enact Tough 'Do-Not-Track' Rules Consumer group says industry has failed to act

Poll Finds Americans Worried About Online Privacy; LegislationImminent California lawmaker introducing "Do-Not-Track" bill to hamstring online advertisers

Duane Reade Hid Camera in Employee Bathroom, Suit Says Case points out increasing prevalence of security cameras

Indiana Moves Toward Expanding Do Not Call Law Pending measure would expanded protections to cell phones, VoIP lines

The Doctor-Facebook Relationship Survey of doctors' Facebook habits finds many share personal info, don't set privacy settings

Obama Administration Seeks Web Use 'Bill Of Rights' Report recommends creating a Privacy Policy Office to protect consumers

Use Free Wi-Fi? Use Caution As free Wi-Fi becomes more prevalent, consumers urged to stay safe when logged on

Facebook Junkies Can Feel Safer Checking Their Profile On The Go The social networking site plans to offer temporary passwords and other security features

Survey Finds Consumers Willing To Disclose Private Data Researchers say consumers need more education about protecting private information.

Suit: Clearspring Violates Consumer Privacy on Disney, Warner Brothers Sites Plaintiffs take issue with Flash cookie reactivation.

Rite Aid Pays $1 Million to Settle Patient Privacy Case Company agrees to substantial corrective action to safeguard consumer information.

Facebook Facing Another Privacy Suit Heavyweight firm files class action involving half of Canadian population.

States Subpoena Craigslist Records 'Blatant' prostitution ads still appear on site, attorneys general charge.

Netflix Cancels Second Contest Over Privacy Concerns Lawsuit, FTC investigation spelled end for competition.

Classmates Sued Over Content-Sharing Arrangement Complaint accuses site of improperly exposing personal information.

Lifelock Agrees to Pay $12 Million to Settle Federal, State Charges Settlement bars company from misrepresenting its supposed identity-theft protection service.

Malware Threat for 'Smart Phone' Users Smart phone attacks could be worse than assaults on personal computers.

Survey Reveals Dwindling Confidence In Social Networking Security Consumer awareness of identity breaches on the rise.

Giving Away Privacy By Sharing Online? Researcher proposes Virtual Individual Servers.

Facebook Turns Off Beacon System assailed by privacy advocates is casualty of class action.

Google Books Settlement Facing Scrutiny Concerns center on possible monopoly, invasion of privacy.

Equifax Subsidiary Agrees to Settle FTC Charges Failed to fulfill Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements.

Ex-Clear Customers Mount Class Action Lawsuit Sudden demise of airport security program raises privacy concerns.

Internet Publishers Caution Congress Well-meaning privacy restrictions could stifle free flow of information.

Feds Charge Mortgage Broker In Potential Data Breach Broker allegedly left private data in public dumpsters.

Educational Research Center Settles Privacy Suit Nonprofit sold data on students to commercial marketers.

Feds Issue New Identity Theft Recommendations But delay enforcement of "red flags" fraud program for businesses.

'Red Flags Rules' for Identity Theft on the Way Feds push for better fraud and theft prevention.

'Do Not Call' List Entries Are Now Permanent Consumers will not have to renew their entries.

Report: Data Breach Disclosure Laws Don't Affect Identity Theft Results of recent legislation called 'statistically insignificant.'

Thieves Steal AT&T Laptop with Employee Data Unencrypted computer contains personal information on management, staff.

Patient Information Exposed in Data Breach at Walter Reed Army hospital says 1,000 patients may be affected.

TransUnion to Provide Credit Scores to Millions Huge class action settlement could affect 160 million consumers.

FTC Wraps Up Largest Fraud Crackdown in its History More than 180 actions filed against alleged scam artists.

US Search Agrees to Stop Selling Private Credit Data New York wrests agreement, $250,000 settlement from data broker.

Class Action Alleges Deceptive Marketing by Lifelock Lifelock's CEO is himself a multiple identity theft victim, suit charges.

IRS Faulted for Lax Identity Theft Protection Efforts Taxpayer advocate wants improvement; Agency promises more action.

Class Actions Challenge LifeLock Identity protection guarantee 'meaningless,' suits argue.

Junk Mail Relief How to get your name off marketers mailing lists.

Hannaford Bros. Faces Class Action Over Data Breach Hacker broke into grocery chain's system.

'Permission Marketing' Can Empower Consumers Marketing guru helps companies avoid 'interruption marketing'.

No Easy Remedy for Imposter Postings on Social Networking Sites Like grafitti, phony postings are offensive but hard to control.

North Carolina Asks Candidates to Respect 'Do Not Call' List Congress exempted politicians and charities from the law.

Lexis-Nexis Parent To Buy ChoicePoint $4.1 billion deal would create massive new information brokerage.

Data Thieves Hit Georgetown University Students, Faculty Stolen hard drive contains data on 38,000 individuals.

ChoicePoint Settles Data Breach Lawsuit Will pay $10 million to settle class action.

650,000 Retail Customers Exposed In Data Breach Lost data storage tape contains info from JC Penney, others.

Keeping Teens Safe Online Navigating the treacherous streets of MySpace.

MySpace Agrees To Toughen Security For Young Users Abuse-reporting to be made easier; age verification tools studied.

TSA Site Left Passenger Data Exposed To ID Theft Poor design, inadequate oversight, led to information breach.

MySpace Harassment Case Takes Odd Turn Localities looking at 'cyber-harassment' laws.

TJX Settles with Banks over Data Breach Nearly 100 million consumers may have been affected.

Video Professor Drops Subpoena, Goes After Wikipedia Users Comcast protects its customers, Wikipedia surrenders.

TJX Settles Visa Suit over Data Breach Nearly 100 million consumers may have been affected.

Attorneys General Oppose TJX Data Breach Settlement Special sale said to help stores more than victims.

Verizon Overrides Internet Searches With Its Own Results Web search "tinkering" raises net neutrality concerns.

TJX Data Breach Victims Reach 94 Million Numbers just keep climbing as court filings reveal extent of the theft.

HR Firm Administaff Loses Laptop Data on 159,000 employees missing.

Verizon Wireless Changes Data Policy Will provide calling data to affiliates unless customers opt out.

Verizon Gave Customer Data To Government Without Court Orders AT&T, Qwest mum on their actions.

AT&T Changes Terms Of Service After Outcry Company adds 'freedom of expression' language.

House Democrats Probe Warrantless Surveillance Letters sent to telecoms wanting information on wiretapping program.

Facebook Has 'A Long Way to Go,' Investigators Say States probing social networking site's safety and security measures.

Cuomo Charges Facebook Ignores Sexual Predators New York investigation could cool Microsoft's ardor

Two Credit Bureaus Offer Consumers Credit Freeze in 50 States Trans Union, Equifax reverse policy; Experian undecided.

Quechup Spills Spam Into Email Boxes Social network hijacks user accounts to send unauthorized invites.

Data Breaches Endanger NY, CA Retirees Consultant's bungling, printer's errors put retirees at risk.

Pfizer Hit With Second Data Breach In Two Months Contractors lose laptops containing personal data.

Stolen Laptop Leads To Data Breach At VeriSign Employee data was not encrypted, company concedes.

Universal Sues Over Background Music In Toddler Video Universal's lawyers go ape over use of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" in home video.

Contractor Mishandles Private Data on 580,000 Military Personnel SAIC transmitted personal health care data without encrypting it.

Pfizer Keeps Data Breach Quiet Six-week delay in notifying employees called "problematic."

FBI Uses Data Brokers, "Risk Scores" To Hunt Terrorists Data mining raises risk that inaccurate information will find its way into individual profiles.

Data Theft Leads To Breach of 2.3 Million Records Fidelity National employee allegedly stole and resold data on 2.3 million customers.

Privasafe, SurfSafe Settle Washington Charges Settlement may cost companies more than $1 million.

More ChoicePoint Identity Theft Victims Identified FTC: More victims may be eligible for reimbursement.

FBI Finds 1 Million PCs Have Been Hijacked Most users don't have a clue their machine's been taken over.

GAO: "Critical" Weaknesses In FBI Security Network FBI's network increasingly vulnerable to attacks, report warns.

House Passes New Anti-Spyware Bill Bill prohibits consumers from suing spyware distributors.

IBM Contractor Loses Employee Data Incidents mars IBM's roll-out of new security and compliance services.

REAL ID Revolt Spreads to 33 States Too expensive, too many privacy concerns, states complain.

Texas Sues Pawn Shops for Privacy Violations Customers' personal data dumped in trash cans, suit charges.

Wireless Hackers Suspected In TJ Maxx Breach Investigators think "drive-by" hackers snatched customer data from stores.

How Safe Is That Free Wi-Fi Connection? "Hotspots" at airports, hotels and restaurants are handy -- but are they safe?

Gonzales Issues New Identity Theft Plan "Prosecutor purge" overshadows federal plan that would weaken existing state laws.

Congress May Outlaw Spyware House committee considers Spy Act, which would outlaw malicious spyware programs.

Best Buy Sued Over "Shower Cam" Geek Squad technician allegedly planted camera in bathroom.

Georgia Agency Loses Data on 2.9 Million Residents Contractor loses CD containing data on 2.9 million Georgia residents enrolled in Medicare and a child health program.

IRS Loses Nearly 500 Computers Over Three Years Taxpayer data at risk, Treasury Department report warns.

Texas Cites RadioShack for Exposing Customers to Identity Theft Texas store left customer documents unprotected in trash cans, state charges.

GAO: IRS Still Not Doing Enough to Secure Data Agency needs to do more to safeguard taxpayers' personal data, government report finds.

TJX Data Breach Called "Biggest Ever" Company says 46 million customers' data exposed to identity thieves.

Businesses Back Off RFID Consumer backlash discourages spy chip promoters.

Identity Theft Supports a Vast Underground Economy Study finds cybercriminals taking a much more professional approach to their "business."

AT&T Blocks Calls To Competing Conference Call Service Giant telecoms, with friends in high places, use their power to block competing services from their networks.

Insurer Unlawfully Poached Consumers' Credit Reports New York insurance company accessed credit reports unlawfully, agrees to pay restitution.

Spam E-mail Increases Worldwide Russia, China, U.S. are major sources of spam.

REAL ID Guidelines Issued, But Implementation Delayed States will have more time to meet new standards for drivers' licenses.

Arrests Made In Stop & Shop Data Breach Thieves tampered with credit/debit-card terminals to swipe data.

Mysterious Computer Theft Hits Mystery Shopping Company Company takes its time telling workers their personal data was taken.

Data Thieves Hit Stop & Shop Crooks tamper with card readers, swipe PIN numbers.

The Amphetamine Connection How meth is driving the identity theft pandemic and what you can do to protect yourself.

Veterans Administration Loses Data on 1.8 Million Hard drive disappears from Alabama hospital.

FTC Findings Undercut Industry Claims that Identity Theft Is Declining More than one-third of all complaints to FTC last year concerned identity theft.

GAO Cites Medical Privacy Issues HHS pushing health data-sharing plan without adequate privacy protection, report warns.

Sony BMG Settles FTC "Rootkit" Charges Consumers whose computers were damaged eligible for up to $150.

Data Breach Hits Canada's Club Monaco High-end retailer learned of possible data theft last year but didn't tell anyone.

TJX Sued for Loss of Consumer Data Banks report wave of fraudulent transactions following data breach.

Illinois Sues Text-Message Spammers Federal lawsuit seeks nationwide injunction against time-share resellers accused of flooding cell phones with spam.

Nationwide, Aetna Customer Data Stolen Thieves take computer backup tapes containing customer data and medical records.

Consumers Must Act Fast in Data Theft Cases Notification of a data breach is just the beginning.

Hackers Hit T.J.Maxx, Marshalls Customer data stolen in major security breach.

New MySpace Security Measures May Be Too Late Lawsuits and legal challenges pile up as teens are molested on Rupert Murdoch's site.

"National Security Letters" Used To Examine Americans' Financial Records White House defends the practice but critics call it illegal.

Zombie Computers Clog the Web with Spam Wonder where all that spam comes from? It may be coming from you.

Congress Takes On Data Security Critics say bills don't do enough to hold careless businesses and government agencies accountable.

Emory Healthcare Laptop Stolen Thieves get data on 38,000 patients.

Bush Gives Himself Authority to Search the Mail "Signing statement" added to mundane bill gives White House unprecedented new powers.

Rep. Frank Promises Hearings On Credit Bureaus Frank vows action on problems consumers encounter in trying to correct and update their credit records.

Wisconsin Mails Tax Forms With Exposed Social Security Numbers 170,000 taxpayers may be affected by state's blunder.

Massive Data Breach At UCLA Personal data on more than 800,000 students and faculty exposed in long-term intrusion.

FTC Finally Sets Up Redress For ChoicePoint Victims Agency collected a $5 million settlement but has been slow to disburse funds to victims.

Kaiser Permanente Laptop Stolen Personal data on 38,000 members missing. Theft was kept secret since early October.

GPS Tracking Adds Layer of Security to Laptops Security programs can track lost laptops, automatically delete sensitive data.

Michigan Credit Card Mystery Deepens Is it the next "worst hack ever?"

ZabaSearch Continues To Bedevil Privacy Seekers Consumers outraged at finding their personal data readily available on the Web.

New Congress Faces Technology, Privacy Issues Net neutrality, cramming, privacy, domestic surveillance issues await action.

Consumerists Want FTC Probe of Online Advertising Too much data being collected on users, groups charge.

Sen. Clinton Targets Child Identity Theft Theft of children's identity a growing problem, Clinton notes.

Pittsburgh Man Arrested in MySpace Sex Case Suspect allegedly propositioned a 14-year-old girl.

Firefox/Google Team Up To Fight Phishing Some privacy advocates worried by the data collection process.

ChoicePoint Names a "Consumer Advocate" Latest attempt to recover from disastrous data breach.

Government Data Losses Widespread, Report Finds Every government agency and department has lost private citizens' data, Congressional report finds.

Congress Bans Internet Gaming ... Or Does It? GOP bill is full of holes, say Vegas oddsmakers.

Schwarzenegger Terminates Spychip Bill Measure would have put limits on use of RFID chips.

GE Loses Laptop Left in Hotel Room Data on 50,000 current and retired employees at risk.

Federal Identity Theft Task Force Recommendations Panel to issue final recommendations to President Bush in November.

Capital One Blitzes Credit Reports Looking For New Prey What's in your wallet? Capital One already knows.

For Sale: Your Health Care Records Report warns of privacy gaps as medical records are computerized.

Hackers Make Off With "Second Life" Data Personal data on 600,000 members exposed to hackers.

Chase Trashes Tapes Containing Circuit City Customers' Data Missing tapes contained personal data on 2.6 million consumers.

TSA Sends Employee Data to the Wrong Addresses Accenture gets employee data bollixed up. No explanation or apology offered.

Health Care Agencies Violate Patients' Privacy Forty percent of insurers, agencies have lost patient data.

MySpace Glitch Gives Hackers Teen Data Blogosphere explodes with reports of successful data hacks.

AT&T Web Site Hacked; Customer Data Exposed Hackers broke into site used to sell DSL equipment, company reports.

Mental Health Clinic Loses Laptop Bearing Patient Data Compass Health lost private data on its patients in June, finally issuing an alert this week.

Department of Education Site Exposes Data on 21,000 Users Software upgrade includes a glitch that leaves personal data exposed.

U.S. Military To Be Tagged With Spychips? Verichip wants to get under the skin of the military.

Stolen Chevron Laptop Contains Data On Thousands Of Workers Independent auditor loses laptop, exposing employes to identity theft.

Government Scrambles To Secure Data After Breaches Agencies embarrassed by stolen data and lost computers insist they are moving quickly to plug the gaps.

Special Agent's Laptop Stolen, Data on Pilots Missing Agent was investigating whether bogus licenses had been issued.

HSBC Security Flaw Exposes Millions Of Customers' Data More than three million customers' records exposed, researchers find.

"Angel" Warns Job Seekers of Identity Theft Risk Specialized search engine warns job seekers who disclose too much information.

VA Contractor Loses Computer Containing Personal Data Unisys loses desktop containing information on as many as 38,000 veterans.

New IRS Online Payment System Raises Privacy Fears Consumer advocates fear scam artists will take advantage of the system.

Judge Rules Against Government in NSA/AT&T Wiretapping Case Judge denied the government's motion to dismiss the case based on the "state secrets" privilege.

ChoicePoint Gets a Makeover If the first thing your company name brings to mind is "identity theft," there's a lot of public relations housecleaning to do.

Consultant Hacks FBI's Computer System Getting information through proper channels supposedly took too long.

FTC "Concerned" About MySpace & Other Networking Sites More safety features to protect children from predators needed, agency tells Congress.

Survey: Employees Are Biggest Threat To Data Security Employee error implicated in more than half of cases studied.

Oklahoma Settles with Consumer Benefits Group Company claims to sell identity theft protection devices.

AT&T Declares Consumers' Personal Data "Corporate Property" Company decrees that customers' calling records and Internet viewing records are its property.

Texas Teen Sues MySpace for $30 Million Fourteen-year-old says she was assaulted by someone she met through the site.

TransUnion Gets Into Tenant Screening Business It's part of a broader effort to identify and rate "thin-client" consumers.

"Blacklist" Helps Merchants Spot Assertive Consumers Chargeback Bureau tracks consumers who dispute credit card charges for fraudulent or defective merchandise.

"Worst Data Bill Ever" Inches Forward in Congress Lobbyists conspire to short-circuit state laws protecting consumers.

Countrywide Data Breach Still A Mystery One year later, consumers have few answers to just what happened to their personal data.

Student Loan Company Loses Borrower Data Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation loses data on 10 percent of its borrowers.

Survey: Feds Must Do More to Safeguard Consumer Privacy Current law requires destruction of credit-related documents only.

Investigators Kept VA Data Theft Secret for Three Weeks In a vain attempt to catch the crooks, government didn't inform veterans their identities had been stolen.

Court Approves Sony BMG CD Settlement Music fans will finally get the music they bought without illicit spyware.

VA Loses Data on 26 Million Veterans Employee says laptop was stolen from his residence.

ChoicePoint-FBI Deal Raises New Privacy Questions "Poster child for lax security" gets $12 million contract.

Ohio University: Data Breach Central? In latest data disaster, hackers get access to medical data on thousands of students.

FTC: Businesses Need To Better Protect Social Security Numbers Agency tells Congress businesses need to tighten up their security procedures.

Aetna Loses Laptop Containing Customer Data Laptop with information on 38,000 customers stolen from employee's car.

Vermont Loses Laptop Loaded with Student & Faculty Data Faculty member finds "free" fraud alert is neither alert nor free.

Spychipped Levi's Hit the U.S. Levi Strauss & Co. is ignoring a moratorium on item-level RFID by spychipping its clothing in a secret test location.

Class Action Challenges AT&T/NSA Surveillance AT&T diverting Internet traffic into hands of NSA in violation of the Constitution, suit charges.

Yahoo Implicated in Spyware "Click Fraud" Spyware and false "clicks" may be contributing to Yahoo's bottom line, report finds.

Laptop Thefts: The Latest Form Of Identity Theft Sloppy handling of corporate and personal laptops leads to loss of crucial data.

Small Businesses Urged to Lock Down Vital Data Better Business Bureau launches drive to educate smaller businesses about privacy, data security.

New York Accuses Gratis Internet of Largest Deliberate Privacy Breach Ever Firm allegedly sold hundreds of millions of email addresses it promised to keep confidential.

TrustedID: New Data Protection Or Just More of the Same? TrustedID claims to prevent identity theft ... for a price.

Congress Considers "Worst Data Bill Ever" Existing laws provide better protection, critics argue.

The "Worst Hack Ever:" Debit Card Security Crisis Continues Banks cancel cards en masse with no public explanation.

Citibank's Cards Mysteriously Shut Down Latest bank card shutdown adds to fears of a massive security breach.

Hackers Steal D.C. Residents' Data Personal information was hosted on Georgetown University server.

What's Inside MySpace.com? Murdoch's latest media marvel may be his biggest yet.

Three States Consider Limits on Black Boxes Insurers, police increasingly see cars' black boxes as evidence.

Homeland Security Looking at RFID Technology to Track Individuals Privacy advocates say DHS threatens to become "Big Brother on Steroids."

More privacy notes ...

• Boston Globe Distributes Customers' Credit Card Data
• ID Theft at The Pump
• Texas Probes Cell Phone Calling Record Sales, Missouri Files Suit
• GAO: Feds Not Guarding Social Security Numbers Handled by Contractors
• MovieLand Denies It Pipes Spyware Onto Users' Computers
• Outcry Over Sale of Cell Phone Calling Records
• iTunes Includes "iSpy" Feature
• Symantec Hides Rootkits In Software
• All Eyes On You: How Spy Chips Are Quietly Reshaping Privacy
• Loyalty Cards: Reward or Threat?
• Alternatives to Loyalty Cards
• CVS Customers' Purchases Exposed on Company Website
• Banks Attack Tough California Privacy Law