NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Report: Privacy Invasive Sharing of Contact Data by Microsoft Windows Live
Report: Privacy Invasive Sharing of Contact Data by Microsoft Windows Live http://bit.ly/9vxcTs (Windows Secrets) If this story is completely accurate (more info would be appreciated), it suggests that Microsoft has placed Windows Live seriously in competition for Facebook's Zuckerberg Privacy Obfuscation Award. As the author notes, these kinds of leakages -- whether caused by overly complex and confusing privacy controls, unreasonably lax defaults, or broken functionalities, can potentially have very serious consequences for individuals. And yes -- it's not a stretch -- even lethal ones. It's one thing to err in such a design and quickly improve the system when the potential problems are pointed out. That's usually forgiveable, though more proactive testing to reveal such issues before launch is always to be recommended. But it's something else again to insist -- as Microsoft seems to be doing -- that such a design is the right way of doing things. That's a recipe for serious trouble. Again, more information on this reported behavior from Windows Live (which I do not routinely use) would be useful. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator