Email latest victim of privacy breach

Customer email exposure is the latest of a plethora of privacy breaches by companies and highlights the need for increased protection.

CNET News staff

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CNET News staff

Jan. 2, 2002 4:43 p.m. PT

2 min read

roundup

A plethora of privacy breaches by companies big and small highlights the need for increased consumer protection. Email exposure provides the latest examples.

"If there isn't a strong means of redress for consumers whose privacy is violated, then companies will not spend the money to engineer and oversee their information systems to minimize these errors."

- Jason Catlett, Junkbusters president

AT&T reveals 1,800 email addresses
In a goof similar to Nissan's earlier gaffe, the telecom giant pastes hundreds of addresses into a mass-mailing's "to" field.

Nissan privacy goof exposes email addresses
Net users interested in a new sport utility vehicle received something extra in their email: a list of more than 24,000 email addresses of potential buyers.

Privacy holes signal need for standards
news analysis A spate of industry-wide privacy problems underscores the need for the United States to beef up its protections against privacy abuses.

Bug hits Communicator, anonymizers
update A recently discovered hole in services that let users surf anonymously leads to a confusing round of finger-pointing as the players assess the risk to users.

U.S. privacy policy trailing behind
news analysis Privacy protections worldwide come in different shapes and sizes, but one thing was abundantly clear at the close of this year's Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference: The United States needs a good tailor.

Hong Kong privacy chief blasts U.S. policy
Q&A The paradox is not lost on Stephen Lau Ka-men, Hong Kong's chief privacy watchdog: that part of China, never known for its sensitivity to human rights issues, is at the forefront of protecting personal information.

Yahoo plugs security breach
In what one expert calls a "violation of one of the basic principles of privacy," Yahoo reveals the addresses and order information of customers of one of its e-commerce partners.

Lawmaker prepares data privacy bill
update Rep. Edward Markey says he will soon introduce legislation to give Web surfers broad rights to limit collection and use of their personal data over the Internet.

Conference monitors privacy concerns
The message at this year's Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference has a familiar Orwellian ring: Civil rights should be strengthened because digital technology sharpens that "big eye in the sky."