In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the effectiveness of Internet tracking opt-out tools, an embarrassing Google glitch for Mitt Romney, and a pro athlete’s (mildly) scandalous tweets.

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Usability Issues Make Opt-Out Tools Ineffective

Opt-out buttons and other tools designed to help people stop Internet tracking may not be effective according to a new study. Quoting the Wall Street Journal, “instead of helping consumers limit websites, advertisers and others from collecting information about their web browsing behavior, the Carnegie Mellon University study found that the tools were more likely to cause confusion and, at times, accomplish the opposite of what the user intended.”

Google Glitch Says “Romney Can’t Win” 2012 Election

Everyone knows that Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has a pretty bad Google problem, but it looks like Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has a Google issue of his own. According to CBS News, “when a Google user types the phrase ‘Romney can win’ into the search engine, its spell check function responds with the message, ‘Did you mean: Romney can’t win?’” The glitch is related to Google’s auotmatic spellcheck function, which the company says it is always improving.

New England Patriots Receiver Apologizes for Twitter Snapshots with Porn Star

New England Patriots Tightend Rob Gronkowski apologized to the Patriots organization recently after snapping a few photos for Twitter with an adult film star. In a statement Gronkowski said “I didn’t intend anything to hurt the reputation of anyone on the New England Patriots or on behalf of Robert Kraft.” Truthfully, the incident was pretty mild. The pictures weren’t inappropriate or explicit in anyway and the relationship didn’t extend beyond the snapshots. Nevertheless, the incident shows how pro athletes must always be mindful of their online reputations.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about toddlers on Facebook, Facebook’s new “trusted friends” security feature, and how some healthcare workers are violating patient privacy by posting information on social networking sites.

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Is Facebook Profile for Your Toddler Too Much?

Psychologist Andrea Bonior has an interesting article on the Huffington Post about the downside of creating a Facebook profile for your toddler. Bonior argues that there are privacy concerns, issues about the child’s lack of consent, and the potential for future resentment. The article is a great read for any new parents who want to create social media accounts for their kids.

Facebook Introduces Trusted Friend Feature

Facebook just introduced an interesting new security feature. TIME’s Techland blog explains: “Facebook just announced a new feature called Trusted Friends, which uses—surprise, surprise—your social network to log you back in if you forget your password. This is how it works: First, you pick five Facebook friends you trust. If you get locked out, you can arrange it so those friends get a code. Afterwards, call them, collect three of the codes, enter them, and voila—you’re back in business. Facebook likens it “to giving a house key to your friends when you go on vacation.”

Healthcare Workers Violating Patient Privacy via Social Media

A new UK report reveals that “private records belonging to ill and vulnerable patients were breached more than 800 times over the last five years by nurses, doctors and administrative staff at 152 NHS trusts and hospitals.” In many cases, these breaches came via social media, where workers posted information about patients and sometimes photos.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Facebook affecting students from getting jobs, a potential privacy flaw in Skype, and info from Google’s biannual transparency report.

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Students Fear Facebook Posts Will Affect Employment Opportunities

According to a new report from the Information Commissioners Office, “four out of 10 students (42 per cent) are worried that personal details they have shared on social networking sites, such as Facebook, as well as elsewhere online, could blight their chances of getting a job… The ICO study has been released to coincide with the launch of its new ‘Student Brand Ambassador’ campaign – a nationwide project aimed at raising young people’s awareness of information rights.”

Google Reveals 70% Rise in Government Takedown Requests

According to Google’s biannual transparency report, the company has seen a sharp rise in takedown requests from police and other government agencies. The Guardian reports that these demands “formed part of a 70% rise in takedown requests from the US government or police.” The report also revealed that the “US demanded private information about more than 11,000 Google users between January and June this year.”

Privacy Flaw Discovered in Skype

According to Keith Ross, a professor of computer science at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Skype’s default settings leave users open to having their IP addresses tracked. According to Ross, “if you have Skype running in your laptop, then I or any other attacker can inconspicuously call you, obtain your current IP address and your current location without you ever knowing about it.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a new social start-up, why oversharing and privacy don’t go hand-in-hand, the ongoing investigation into Facebook’s alleged “shadow profiles,” and how one Austrian law student’s efforts to access his Facebook data have created international press coverage.

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Internet Start-up Wants to be the Anti-Facebook

A new Internet company hopes to take on Facebook and Google+ by painting the companies as corporate giants interested only in snatching user data. Quoting CNN, the website, called Upthink, hopes “to capitalize on frustrations with the social networking giant, not to mention some of the anti-corporate sentiment bubbling up on Wall Street and beyond.” The start-up is similar to Diaspora, a self-proclaimed privacy-centric alternative to Facebook that launched to much fanfare last year.

Choosing Between Twitter and Privacy

In an op-ed for NJ.com, Carl Golden writes that the way people overshare online is at odds with a society that desires personal privacy. Quoting the op-ed: “In the electronic communication world in which we live, nothing remains confidential for very long and only the foolhardy believe it is. A secret, as has been said, remains a secret only for as long as it takes one person to tell another. And, in the case of social media, once it’s exposed, it’s out there forever no matter how many times or how frantically someone hits the delete button.”

Privacy Groups Investigate Facebook’s Irish Offices

Fox News reports that “privacy watchdogs began an on-site investigation Tuesday of Facebook’s regional office in Ireland, following sensational accusations that the company is creating extensive ‘shadow profiles’ of non-users.” Facebook has denied the claims and is cooperating with the investigation.

Austrian Law Student Takes on Facebook Over Privacy

The AP has an interesting report on one Austrian law student’s efforts to show how much data Facebook collects and stores about users online. Quoting the article, “Max Schrems wasn’t sure what he would get when he asked Facebook to send him a record of his personal data from three years of using the site.  What the 24-year-old Austrian law student didn’t expect, though, was 1,222 pages of data on a CD. It included chats he had deleted more than a year ago, ‘pokes dating back to 2008, invitations to which he had never responded, let alone attended, and hundreds of other details.”

In today’s Quick Hits, the FTC wraps up its settlement against Google for the company’s ill-fated Buzz service. Also, we talk about online tracking, Facebook’s stance on search, and how to look good on LinkedIn.

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FTC Finalizes Googly Buzz Privacy Settlement

Chloe Albanesius at PCMag.com writes that “the Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement with Google over its Buzz social-networking feature, which requires the search giant to implement privacy safeguards and submit to regular audits.” As Google continues to push its new social network Google+ into competition with Facebook, the company would be smart to look back to the mistakes of Buzz.

Someone is Always Tracking You Online

This article from the Calgary Herald discusses how advanced Internet tracking technology makes it difficult for Internet users to avoid being tracked, even when they’re offline. The author suggests that the only solution to this problem is privacy tools for consumers. Quoting the article, “It seems the tools to control our digital privacy and protect valuable personal data are not in our hands.  Whether we use such tools or not is another matter, but the idea of designing privacy controls into digital products or online services is at the very least an appropriate consideration.”

Facebook Exec Criticizes Google for Getting Search Wrong

Ethan Beard, the director of the Facebook Platform, recently criticized Google and other search engines for getting search wrong. According to the Telegraph, Beard “said that search needed to go social so that people could get really good product recommendations from their most trusted sources, their friends, as well links to sites where they can buy the items.” This is part of Facebook’s search strategy, as seen in the company’s recent shift to add streaming content from third-party apps into user profiles.

LinkedIn Etiquette Tips

LinkedIn can be a great personal branding and networking tool, but only if it’s used correctly. This article from InformationWeek offers nine tips from hiring managers and executives on how to use LinkedIn effectively.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the ECPA, Facebook privacy, and using Facebook for recruiting.

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Electronic Communications Privacy Act Turns 25

Twenty-five years ago Friday, President Reagan signed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act into law. Since then, the bill has remained relatively unchanged despite tremendous advances in digital technology. This article from Wired.com discusses the ECPA and how the language in the law allows police to access e-mail data without a warrant if its at least six months old. Moreover, because of the wording of the law, the ECPA allows access to any content in “the cloud” if it’s six months old via a government subpoena.

Thousands of Users Download Facebook Privacy App

A portion of Facebook users are becoming concerned about their privacy online and are turning to third-party apps to protect their information. According to the Daily Mail, “Facebook Disconnect – a browser extension which prevents Facebook ‘seeing’ which other sites you visit online – has been downloaded 152,000 times.  The software works in Google’s Chrome browser and automatically blocks web traffic between other sites and Facebook, so the social network can no longer ‘look at’ your browsing history.”

Facebook Glitch Sends Unwanted Friend Requests

Some Facebook users are complaining that a glitch in the site is sending out unwanted friend requests, but  the more likely scenario is that they downloaded a rogue Facebook app that is using their account to try and spread spam messages. This safety issue underlies why it’s important to only download trustworthy third-party apps.

Developers Use Facebook to Launch Networking and Recruiting Tools

This article from the Wall Street Journal discusses how independent developers are tapping into Facebook to build networking and recruiting tools. While Facebook hasn’t been a direct competitor with professional networking website LinkedIn, independent apps like BranchOut demonstrate how the site could become a powerful tool for recruiters looking to connect with the ideal job candidate. Conversely, there are privacy concerns among users who believe that their profiles shouldn’t be accessible to recruiters.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about allegations that Facebook is creating “shadow profiles,” a New Jersey politician’s ill-advised tweets, a new survey on cyberbullying, and a look at TrueRep from Intelius.

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Irish Data Protection Commissioner Claims Facebook Creating “Shadow Profiles”

According to Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, Facebook “is now building profiles of non-users who haven’t even signed up.” The claim, which Facebook categorically denied, is the latest problem for Facebook in Europe, where privacy laws are much stronger. According to Fox News, the Data Protection Commissioner “will be commencing a comprehensive audit of Facebook Ireland before the end of the month.”

New Jersey Senate Candidate Apologizes for Sexist Twitter Update

A New Jersey Senate Candidate has apologized for a sexist Twitter update directed at women saying, “Women, you increase your odds of keeping your men by being faithful, a lady in the living room and a whore in the bedroom.” The adage, which was paraphrased from a famous quote by Mick Jagger’s ex-wife, was labeled offensive by both political parties.

Survey Shows Parents and Students Want Action on Bullying

According to a new report from the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, more than three-quarters of students want schools to be involved in bullying prevention. The report also reveals that 84% of parents think schools should step in in the case of cyberbullying. This report reflects a growing awareness of bullying issues among students and parents.

Dan Tynan Reviews TrueRep

In an article for IT World, Dan Tynan writes about TrueRep, the new reputation management service from people-search and online background check company Intelius. Tynan’s review isn’t flattering: “Say you have a fresh water well on your land. The water is all the data available about you in the public record. Though the water is technically yours, other people can also drink from the well, and you still have to pump it out yourself when you get thirsty. Companies like Intelius take the water, bottle it, and sell it back to you at a profit.  And that’s what TrueRep is: your own water in a fancy plastic bottle.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Facebook and Google privacy, and why debt collectors aren’t allowed to contact debtors online.

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Majority of Facebook Users Hate Redesign

Facebook is in the midst of rolling out a major redesign, and users aren’t happy about it. According to the New York Times, “a poll run by the social media news blog Mashable found that 75 percent of Facebook fans ‘hate’ the redesign. The new Facebook fared even worse on the poll site Sodahead, where 86 percent gave the changes a thumbs down.”

Debt Collectors Banned from Social Media in UK

The Daily Mail writes that “debt collectors are to be banned from hounding people through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a consumer watchdog said today. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has updated its Debt Collection Guidance to reflect new methods of communication, to prevent people suffering the ‘stress and embarrassment’ of having their money troubles made public.”

Facebook Says Privacy Settings Are Easy to Use

At the San Francisco Web 2.0 Summit, Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer Bret Taylor said that Facebook’s privacy settings are easy to use. According to The Los Angeles Times, Taylor bases his statement on the fact that “the majority of people on Facebook have modified their privacy settings.”

Google Change Promises Privacy, but Boosts Profit

The Telegraph writes that Google’s new policy for Google Analytics is a means of making more profit, not protecting user privacy. Quoting the article, ”[Google] has enraged digital marketers by announcing it will no longer be passing search-query data to websites when users are logged into Google accounts such as Gmail, unless you pay them via their Adwords marketing platform. From now on, when logged in, users who perform a search on Google.com do securely, using a protocol that encrypts their data, so that the owners of the websites they visit can no longer see what search terms led them there.” This change is being billed as a privacy protection for consumers but the fact that the info is still available if an advertiser pays for it demonstrates how Google really feels about personal data.

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Sean Parker Defends ‘Creepy’ Facebook

Sean Parker, the outspoken former president of Facebook made famous by Justin Timberlake in the film The Social Network, recently took to the stage of the Web 2.0 Summit to defend his old company’s lax attitude toward privacy. According to the Huffington Post, Parker said “there is good creepy and there’s bad creepy” and that “today’s creepy is tomorrow’s necessity.” The only problem Parker had with Facebook was that the company didn’t make it easy for “power users” to filter the massive amount of information on the site.

Facebook Isn’t Really Free

There’s a misconception that the because you don’t have to pay for it, Facebook is free. It isn’t. As Ira Winkler explains in a well-written Computerworld editorial, “Facebook is not free. While you don’t have to pay to join the site, you nonetheless give Facebook two things that are much more valuable: your time and your intellectual property. Facebook gives you access to its system for free because it is in Facebook’s interest that you spend time on the system and click links. So, what is your time worth?” As Facebook prepares for another large-scale profile redesign, that last question will certainly ring with users who have shown frustration with the site in the past.

Man’s Facebook Revenge Story Leads to Drug Arrest

A Chicago-area man was arrested on drug possession after police were called to his home to investigate kidnapping claims on Facebook. The man, who posted updates on Facebook talking about kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, claimed that it was a creative writing exercise, but one Facebook friend was concerned and alerted police. When they arrived, he granted them permission to search his house, where they found heroin, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Viral Website Creates Horror Movie with Your Personal Facebook Account

TV and music director Jason Zada recently launched a viral app on Facebook that challenges our perception of personal privacy. According to the New New York Times, “the mysterious site is called Take This Lollipop. After you give the site permission to connect to your Facebook account, it begins playing a video featuring a sweaty, twitchy man, sitting in a darkened room, using a computer to nose around Facebook. But he’s not browsing through just any random page — he’s looking at your account and getting increasingly agitated by what he’s seeing.“

Zada explains that the horror-themed project is intended to make people feel uncomfortable about sharing their personal data: “When you see your personal information in an environment where you normally wouldn’t, it creates a strong emotional response. It’s tied into the fears about privacy and personal info that we have now that we live online.”

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Facebook, Facebook, and some more Facebook.

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Visual History of Facebook Faux-Pas

While Facebook’s meteoric rise to success is nothing short of amazing, over the company’s eight year history, Facebook has made a number of high-profile missteps. This infographic charts some of the biggest mistakes Facebook has made, including its many problems with protecting user privacy.

Frequent Facebook Users Less Concerned About Privacy

The more often you use Facebook, the less likely you are to care about privacy according to a new survey. Quoting PCMag, “Despite Facebook’s reputation for raising privacy concerns as it adds new ways to share information online, most users aren’t very worried, according to a new poll by USA Today and Gallup.  The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that 26 percent of respondents who use Facebook daily are ‘very concerned’ about privacy, compared with 35 percent for weekly Facebook users and 39 percent for people who use Facebook less often.”

4Chan Founder Criticizes Google and Facebook on Privacy

4Chan founder Chris Poole, known as “moot” on the controversial hacker website, recently spoke out about the importance of online anonymity at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Poole criticized Google and Facebook for their real name identity policies, saying “Google and Facebook would have you believe identity is like a mirror” when in reality it’s more like a diamond “where you see a different image depending on your angle, all parts in a whole.” The forced real name policy has been criticized by many Internet activists who believe that, while limiting anonymous bullying and harassment, it is harmful personal privacy.

Are Facebook Users Ready for Timeline?

Talking about Facebook’s new Timeline profile design, CNET’s Nathan Bransford writes that “The world, or at least its 800 million Facebook users, is about to have its ‘This is Your Life’ moment.” The comparison to the popular old TV show is apt. When Timeline rolls out, user profiles will suddenly reveal information about users that is up to seven years old. There’s a big difference between how a person acts as an 18-year-old and as a 25-year-old, but suddenly those two lives will be mushed into one. As Bransford writes, “What if you want the past to stay in the past?” With Timeline, it might not be an option.