LiveSide - News blog : privacy

Quickly find your privacy settings on Windows Live

damaster — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:48:44 GMT

Since Windows Live got updated to Wave 3, we saw Microsoft expanding into the field of Social Networking. It introduced the concept of “Profiles”, where you are able to show off what you want to show to others, and also the “What’s New” feed which shows you what others want to show you. Every user using Windows Live, including all Hotmail and Messenger users (who may or may not be aware of the new social networking side of Windows Live Wave 3), now has a Profile. Although this is an exciting update for some, this update also caused some concern about privacy and user permissions – what if you don’t want to show everyone else what you’ve been doing online?

Previously, to turn on/off what you’d like to show others about yourself, there were a handful of places you had to go through to edit the permission settings, with each permission setting buried deep in each of the many services Windows Live provides (just to name a few, you have Windows Live Accounts, the Edit Profile page, the What’s New settings page, your Spaces communication preferences, the SkyDrive/Photos comments settings page, and many more!). We know that the privacy and permission settings are all there, but to find them is another story. Talk about confusion!

Thankfully, Microsoft had listened to our feedbacks, and today they have consolidated one single page for you to edit all your permissions settings on Windows Live. You can locate this page by simply visiting http://profile.live.com/permissions

Upon first visit to your Profile page today you’ll also see a notification for you to manage these permissions:

And just a friendly reminder, when you visit your Profile, you will see your view of your Profile - which will always include all of the information you've entered about yourself, and all of your activities. To see what the public will see on your Profile, simple go to your Profile page, and click “Sign out” (if you haven’t done so already). The subsequent page showing will be what everyone else sees on your Profile page.

Well done Microsoft for getting the acts quickly and listening to our concerns and feedbacks!

Hotmail Lead Program Manager's email compromised

Kip Kniskern — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:28:10 GMT

Wow don't really know what to say about this. Omar Shahine, a Lead Program Manager for Hotmail, who we've interviewed and had numerous conversations with about Hotmail, has apparently had his email account hijacked. Omar posted this tonight:

What do you do when some one:

hacks into your account

changes your password

changes your secret question

changes your "alternate email address"

changes all your profile information

sets up mail forwarding to another account

Turn on the exclusive junk filter (deleting all your email)

Deletes your life (email, contacts etc)

That is what I found this evening. I believe that some one managed to issue a password reset command to my account and then somehow logged in and reset my password essentially owning my data.

Don't really know what to say about this one, other than "sorry, Omar". Ouch.

Microsoft and Ask.com call for search privacy protection

Kip Kniskern — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:38:00 GMT

Microsoft announced Sunday evening a "commitment to call on the industry to develop global privacy principles for data collection, use and protection related to searching and online advertising." According to the press release:

"Microsoft and Ask.com are proposing that leading search providers, online advertising companies and privacy advocates convene to engage in an active dialogue to discuss privacy considerations posed by the proliferation of online advertising and search. The goal of the dialogue is to determine ways that the industry can work cooperatively to define privacy principles that take these new considerations into account. The companies will provide an update on their progress in September."

Ask.com recently announced the AskEraser, a privacy settings option that ensures that no search records will be retained by the company, a first of its kind in the industry. Google has announced privacy policy changes too, although it's unclear how much the new policy really helps in the area of privacy.

Privacy policy - what private information search companies gather, how long they keep it, and what they do with it - is shaping up to be a major battleground. Google has built an empire on mining information to help refine search, but Microsoft and Ask.com, among others, may see this as an opportunity to force Google's hand.