Spontaneous get-togethers are now more possible than ever with Facebook's new Nearby Friends feature. You'd think parents could use it to see if their kids got where they said they were going, but Nearby Friends is only available to Facebook users aged 18+. And then it's "opt-in" – not on by default – so sharing location has to be a conscious for adults who use it, and they can only share with … [Read more...] about Facebook’s new friend-tracking tool
geolocation
Companies competing to protect our privacy?
It'd be an exaggeration to say that tech companies are falling over themselves to protect our privacy, but you might say that it's becoming a "social norm" for US businesses. At least, that's what the New York Times reports, and that must be at least a sign that it's true because it's far from normative for newspapers to report good news. As evidence, the Times cites a Microsoft executive saying … [Read more...] about Companies competing to protect our privacy?
Teens’ tech getting very mobile: New study
Ninety-five percent of US 12-to-17-year-olds use the Internet, 93% have access to a computer at home and 71% of teens with that computer at home share it with other family members, according to a study released today – the biggest explanation, most probably, for why teens' Net use has gotten so mobile. It allows them to keep their connectivity personal. "The nature of teens' Internet use has … [Read more...] about Teens’ tech getting very mobile: New study
A parent’s-eye-view of Facebook’s new ‘Graph Search’
Facebook unveiled its new, updated search tool today, TechCrunch and a massive number of other news outlets reported. Its name "Graph" is from CEO Mark Zuckerberg's term "social graph," which means it's Facebook's version of social-network search – search personalized by algorithms to users' own social circles. Yes, it competes with Google's personalized search results that appear on the top of … [Read more...] about A parent’s-eye-view of Facebook’s new ‘Graph Search’
The new, revised COPPA
The US Federal Trade Commission's revisions to the COPPA Rule announced today (12/19/12), are aimed at syncing up a rule mandated by a 1998 law with today's technology and with "the way children use the Internet, mobile devices and social networking," the FTC says in its press release. For example, the personal information that services cannot collect from children under 13 without parental … [Read more...] about The new, revised COPPA