Advertising - Instant Ads Set the Pace on the Web: Via NYTimes.com .

Now, companies like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft let advertisers buy ads in the milliseconds between the time someone enters a site’s Web address and the moment the page appears. The technology, called real-time bidding, allows advertisers to examine site visitors one by one and bid to serve them ads almost instantly.

For example, say a man just searched for golf clubs on eBay (which has been testing a system from a company called AppNexus for more than a year). EBay can essentially follow that person’s activities in real time, deciding when and where to show him near-personalized ads for golf clubs throughout the Web.

If eBay finds out that he bought a driver at another site, it can update the ad immediately to start showing him tees, golf balls or a package vacation to St. Andrew’s, Scotland, often called the home of golf. If a woman was shopping, eBay could change the ad’s color or presentation. [ Read more ... ]

EFF Fights for Anonymity for Online Critic in Friday Hearing: Via EFF.org Updates.

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked a federal judge in San Francisco to quash a baseless subpoena aimed at outing an anonymous online critic of a Pennsylvania company called USA Technologies. A hearing in the case is set for Friday.

Earlier this year, EFF's client -- Yahoo! user "stokklerk" -- posted to the Yahoo! message board dedicated to the company, criticizing USA Technologies and its CEO George Jensen, Jr., for plummeting stock prices, high compensation rates for executives, and consistent lack of profitability. Another anonymous poster had similar complaints. In response, USA Technologies filed suit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleging that the statements violated federal securities regulations because they were part of a "scheme" for the authors to "enrich themselves through undisclosed manipulative trading tactics." USA Technologies also alleged that the online posts were defamatory. As part of that lawsuit, USA Technologies issued a subpoena out of the Northern District of California to Yahoo! asking for the critics' identities. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo Issues Takedown Notice for Spying Price List: Via Threat Level.

Yahoo isn’t happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides law enforcement agencies has leaked onto the web.

Shortly after Threat Level reported this week that Yahoo had blocked the FOIA release of its law enforcement and intelligence price list, someone provided a copy of the company’s spying guide to the whistleblower site Cryptome.

The 17-page guide describes Yahoo’s data retention policies and the surveillance capabilities it can provide law enforcement, with a pricing list for these services. Cryptome also published lawful data-interception guides for Cox Communications, SBC, Cingular, Nextel, GTE and other telecoms and service providers. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo, Verizon: Our Spy Capabilities Would ‘Shock’, ‘Confuse’ Consumers: Via Threat Level.

Want to know how much phone companies and internet service providers charge to funnel your private communications or records to U.S. law enforcement and spy agencies?

That’s the question muckraker and Indiana University graduate student Christopher Soghoian asked all agencies within the Department of Justice, under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed a few months ago. But before the agencies could provide the data, Verizon and Yahoo intervened and filed an objection on grounds that, among other things, they would be ridiculed and publicly shamed were their surveillance price sheets made public.

Yahoo writes in its 12-page objection letter (.pdf), that if its pricing information were disclosed to Soghoian, he would use it “to ’shame’ Yahoo! and other companies — and to ’shock’ their customers.” [ Read more ... ]

OpenID Pilot Program to be Announced by US Government: Via ReadWriteWeb Hat Tip to LauraS .

Ten private companies, a number of US Government Federal Agencies primarily in the Health sector and the OpenID and Information Card Foundations will announce this morning in Washington DC the launch of a pilot program to allow members of the public to log in to participating government websites with their credentials from approved independent websites.

That's right - someday soon you'll be able to log in to the websites of the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Insititute of Health and other government agencies with your accounts from Google, Yahoo and similar services. Below we discuss the privacy protection steps being taken, the usability issues and the ultimate significance of this announcement. [ Read more ... ]

More Privacy, Bit by Bit - Via Freedom to Tinker:

Before the Holidays, Yahoo got a flurry of good press for the announcement that it would (as the LA Times puts it) "purge user data after 90 days." My eagle-eyed friend Julian Sanchez noticed that the "purge" was less complete than privacy advocates might have hoped. It turns out that Yahoo won't be deleting the contents of its search logs. Rather, it will merely be zeroing out the last 8 bits of users' IP addresses. Julian is not impressed: [ Read more ... ]

FairPoint ready for final switch from Verizon: Via Rutland Herald Online

FairPoint spokeswoman Beth Fastiggi said Friday that Internet customers will keep their existing user names and passwords but will use a different domain: myfairpoint.net. [ Read more ... ]

Argentine Judges Disappear Celebrities From Internet: Via Slashdot: Your Rights Online

An anonymous reader writes "Since 2006, Internet users in Argentina have been blocked from searching for information about some of the country's most notable individuals. Over 100 people have successfully secured temporary restraining orders that direct Google and Yahoo! Argentina to scrub the results of search queries. The list of censorship-seeking celebrities includes judges, public officials, models and actors, as well as the world-cup soccer star and national team head coach Diego Maradona. Try it yourself — compare the results for a Yahoo! Argentina search for Diego Maradona (0 results) to a search at Yahoo! Mexico and Google Argentina (both with millions of results)."

Read Original Article (Via Slashdot: Your Rights Online.)

Human Rights and Internet Companies: Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Agree to Principles - Via EFF.org Updates:

For almost two years, EFF has been a participant in negotiations between human rights groups, investors, academics and Internet companies -- including Yahoo!, Google, and Microsoft -- aimed at improving how those businesses deal with free expression and privacy issues around the world. [ Read more ... ]

Online giants unveil new code of conduct for Net censorship - Via Ars Technica :

Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google have finally announced their long-anticipated code of conduct for doing business in China and other countries that have restrictive Internet policies. The set of guidelines, titled the Global Network Initiative (the website goes live tomorrow, October 29), aims to provide Internet companies operating overseas with a set of steps to follow before bowing to requests of foreign law enforcement that might conflict with human rights principles or free speech.

According to Yahoo, the goal is to "help guide information and communications technology companies in protecting and advancing freedom of expression and privacy across the globe when they encounter laws and policies that interfere with these fundamental human rights." For example, as part of the guidelines, participating companies must now get law enforcement requests—like demands for identifying information of an anonymous blogger—in writing along with the name of the officer involved. Additionally, a forum will be established so that the companies can jointly discuss and resist demands for censorship, and there will be an independent organization that will regularly review each company's practices. The companies will also strive for greater transparency and will provide employee training programs to help everyone get up to speed. [ Read more ... ]

Palin's email breached through weak Yahoo password recovery mechanism - Via Freedom to Tinker:

This week's breach of Sarah Palin's Yahoo Mail account has been much discussed. One aspect that has gotten less attention is how the breach occurred, and what it tells us about security and online behavior.

(My understanding of the facts is based on press stories, and on reading a forum post written by somebody claiming to be the perpetrator. I'm assuming the accuracy of the forum post, so take this with an appropriate grain of salt.)

The attacker apparently got access to the account by using Yahoo's password reset mechanism, that is, by following the same steps Palin would have followed had she forgotten her own password.

Yahoo's password reset mechanism is surprisingly weak and easily attacked. To simulate the attack on Palin, I performed the same "attack" on a friend's account (with the friend's permission, of course). As far as I know, I followed the same steps that the Palin attacker did. [ Read more ... ]

Doubts On Yahoo's Human Rights Code of Conduct - Via Slashdot: Your Rights Online:

Ian Lamont writes "The US Senate has been pushing American technology companies to work with rights groups to develop a human rights code of conduct, which would help to guide their overseas activities. Yahoo now claims that it has established the 'core components' of a global code of conduct, and a more complete version will be ready this fall. However, the Industry Standard notes that there's a fundamental flaw with such efforts: US law is not world law. Following the local laws is a requirement of doing business in any country, and conflicts between corporate ethics and the law of the land in which these corporations do business are inevitable. The US Senate's push for such a code was prompted by a number of incidents, including Yahoo's complicity in the arrest of Chinese dissidents and a Chinese journalist."

(Read Original Article - Via Slashdot: Your Rights Online.)

Yahoo to Allow Users To Skip Targeted Ads - Via Threat Level:

Yahoo! users can soon tell the internet giant to stop creating profiles about them based on their searches and reading habits in order to serve them more targeted ads on Yahoo.com, the company told Congress on Friday.

Yahoo announced the expansion of users' privacy options in its response to its copy of a letter that leaders of the House Commerce sent last Friday to 33 internet service providers and large internet companies. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo! Offers Refunds to Customers Who Bought DRM-Crippled Tunes - Via EFF.org Updates:

Last week, Yahoo! faced a predictable backlash when they announced that they would be ending support for the DRM that came with music sold through it's Yahoo Music service. EFF and others criticized the decision, saying Yahoo should either continue to support the DRM or compensate their customers with refunds and/or replacement mp3s. Now, Yahoo has happily chosen to do right by their customers and provide full refunds for any music sold through Yahoo Music that came wrapped in what its soon-to-be obsolete copy protection.

As many commentators have noted, this is not the first such DRM kerfuffle, and it won't be the last. [ Read more ... ]

Here We Go Again: Yahoo! Music Throws Away the DRM Keys - Via EFF.org Updates:

Just over a month after consumer backlash caused MSN Music to rescind its decision to deactivate the digital rights management ("DRM") servers that allowed MSN Music purchasers to "reauthorize" music files after upgrading operating systems or buying new computers, Yahoo! Music has decided to deactivate its own DRM servers.

The ironically named Yahoo! Music Unlimited Store will shut its virtual doors in September, and, as of October 1, will no longer provide license keys for music purchased from the store, nor will it authorize song playback on additional computers. That means Yahoo! Music customers will not be able to transfer songs to “unauthorized computers” or access the songs after changing operating systems. Yahoo! advises customers to back up their music to a CD if they want to be able to access it in the future. In other words, Yahoo! wants its customers to invest more time, labor and money in order to continue to enjoy the music for which they have already paid. In fact, the more music they bought, the more work they'll have to do. What is worse, this suggestion could put customers at legal risk, as they may not have documentation of purchase. Furthermore, there is no certainty that all relevant copyright owners would agree that making such backup copies without permission is lawful. [ Read more ... ]

Plenty of Blame to Go Around in Yahoo Music Shutdown - Via Freedom to Tinker:

People have been heaping blame on Yahoo after it announced plans to shut down its Yahoo Music Store DRM servers on September 30. The practical effect of the shutdown is to make music purchased at the store unusable after a while.

Though savvy customers tended to avoid buying music in forms like this, where a company had to keep some distant servers running to keep the purchased music alive, those customers who did buy — taking reassurances from Yahoo and music industry at face value — are rightly angry. In the face of similar anger, Microsoft backtracked on plans to shutter its DRM servers. It looks like Yahoo will stay the course. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo! Music Going Dark, Taking the DRM Keys With It via Slashdot

iminplaya writes with a link to an excellent article at Ars Technica, extracting from it a few choice nuggets: "The bad dream of DRM continues. Yahoo e-mailed its Yahoo! Music Store customers yesterday, telling them it will be closing for good — and the company will take its DRM license key servers offline on September 30, 2008. Sure, it's bad news and yet another example of the sheer lobotomized brain-deadness that has characterized music DRM, but the reaction of most music fans will be: 'Yahoo had an online music store?'... DRM makes things harder for legal users; it creates hassles that illegal users won't deal with; it (often) prevents cross-platform compatibility and movement between devices. In what possible world was that a good strategy for building up the nascent digital download market? The only possible rationales could be 1) to control piracy (which, obviously, it has had no effect on, thanks to the CD and the fact that most DRM is broken) or 2) to nickel-and-dime consumers into accepting a new pay-for-use regime that sees moving tracks from CD to computer to MP3 player as a 'privilege' to be monetized."

Yahoo! Human Rights Program - Via CDT - PolicyBeta:

Earlier this month Yahoo! launched a new Business & Human Rights Program, intended to formalize its commitment to human rights, starting with full-fledged support at the highest levels of the company. The program also aims to build a culture within the company to identify and manage human rights risk associated with delivery of its services in difficult markets.

Yahoo! learned the hard way that inattention to human rights can have devasting consequences. While some may see the new program as no more than an effort to restore the company’s reputation, we strongly applaud this new effort. Companies have an obligation to respect human rights and rigorous due diligence and risk assessment are the right place to start. Recently, John Ruggie, the U.N. Special Reporter on Business and Human Rights released a proposed framework for Business and Human Rights which strongly endorses this approach. [ Read more ... ]

Online Photos Not as Private As District Mother Assumed - Via washingtonpost.com - Technology:

Be careful what photographs you post online.

About four months ago Meredith Massey uploaded three pictures of her children skinny-dipping, along with more than 50 other photos, to the online photo site Flickr. She marked those untitled and unclothed pictures "private" for her parents' eyes only. But a couple of weeks ago, the District woman discovered the selected snapshots had been viewed thousands of times, while other photos had about 20 hits. She immediately removed the pictures and contacted Flickr.

"Are creepy people searching through thousands of pictures looking for random naked ones?" Massey said, baffled at how viewers got around the privacy settings. "I don't know." [ Read more ... ]

Thoughts on the Microsoft-Yahoo Deal - Via CDT - PolicyBeta:

CDT is still considering the policy implications of Microsoft’s unsolicited takeover offer for Yahoo. Clearly, this would have a major impact on the Internet.

Our colleague, and CDT Fellow, Peter Swire has a detailed summary that he posted to the Center for American Progress Web site. [ Read more ... ]

PC World - Privacy Groups Oppose Microsoft-Yahoo Deal - Via PC World:

Regulatory agencies in both the U.S. and Europe must approved the proposed acquisition, which is already drawing ire.

Privacy groups are promising a fight before U.S. regulatory agencies if Microsoft 's offer to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion is accepted, and the deal could face significant hurdles in Europe as well.

Microsoft announced that it sent an offer to Yahoo' s board of directors on Thursday, going public with the news Friday morning. Immediately, the executive directors of the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said the acquisition would raise serious privacy concerns. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo to Support OpenID Single Sign-On - Via NYT > Technology:

People with a Yahoo user name and password will be able to use that ID information to access non-Yahoo Web sites that support the OpenID 2.0 digital identity framework, reducing the amount of different log-in information people need to create, remember and enter online.

Already, almost 10,000 Web sites support OpenID, an open framework available for free to end users and Web site operators alike, according to the OpenID Foundation.

Yahoo's move will triple the number of OpenID accounts to 368 million by adding its 248 million active registered users to the rolls, the company said Thursday. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo Betrays Free Speech - New York Times - Via New York Times Opinion :

For a company that ostensibly believes in the Internet’s liberating power, Yahoo has a gallingly backward understanding of the value of free expression.

The company helped Beijing’s state police uncover the Internet identities of two Chinese journalists, who were handed 10 years in prison for disseminating pro-democracy writings. Testifying before Congress last year about one case, Yahoo’s legal counsel said the company was unaware of the nature of the investigation. Did he miss the language about providing “state secrets to foreign entities” — a red flag for a political prosecution? [ Read more ... ]

Undermining Freedoms in China: Yahoo! Learns the Cost of Facilitating Human Rights Abuses: "

Yesterday, Yahoo! settled a US lawsuit with Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning, two of the Chinese journalists who were imprisoned and tortured after their identities were handed over by Yahoo! to the Chinese authorities.

'It was clear to me what we had to do to make this right for them', said Jerry Yang in a statement today.

The terms of the settlement are secret, but the drubbing Yahoo! has received over this case has been excruciatingly public for the company. Few CEOs want to be described as representative of 'moral pygmies' in a Congressional committee room. [ Read more ... ]

Yahoo Settles with Chinese Writers:

Yahoo on Tuesday settled a lawsuit filed in the United States by two mainland Chinese writers who were imprisoned after the technology company handed over their private account information to Chinese law enforcement authorities.

Terms of the settlement weren't disclosed. But a source at Yahoo said the company has been 'working with the families, and we're working with them to provide them with financial, humanitarian and legal assistance.'

Yahoo has also agreed to establish a global human rights fund to provide 'humanitarian relief' to support dissidents and their families. The source said that details still have to be worked out. [ Read more ... ]