Senators Introduce Bill to Temporarily Ban Law Enforcement Facial Recognition

The proposed bill (PDF) comes in the wake of revelations that law enforcement agencies across the country have been using Clearview AI’s software.

Facebook Said To Be Readying Anonymity App

Facebook is said to be preparing a new standalone app that will enable users to communicate with one another anonymously, apparently not unlike apps of the moment Whisper and Secret. This comes from The New York Times, which cites two…

Google Abandons Real Name Policy for Google+, Apologizes for the Confusion

After years of complaints from users, Google has finally caved and dropped the real name policy that governed Google+, which in turn affected many other Google entities. In an apologetic post, Google admits that their name policy has “been unclear”…

Facebook Wins Battle in Germany Over Real Names Policy

Facebook has won a court challenge in Germany that will see its real names policy upheld in the country. Back in December, Germany’s data protection office Unabhaengiges Landeszentrum fuer Datenschutz (ULD) issued a ruling against Facebook’s real names policy, claiming…

Facebook Is Asking Users If Their Friends Are Using Their Real Names

Facebook doesn’t allow users to use fake names. Sure, people use them all the time, but technically, it’s against Facebook’s terms, and the company appears to have a new strategy in going after those who are in violation (or at…

YouTube Now Blurs Faces For Maximum Anonymity

If you want to upload a video to YouTube, but you fear what may happen if anyone identifies its subjects, things just got a bit easier. Today, YouTube announced that they’ve added face blurring to their set of video enhancements.…

Tor Researchers Create OONI To Monitor Censorship

If you are familiar with Tor, you know it to be the anonymous Web utility and browser that allows people to get around censorship and communicate without being spied on. It was essential for communication during the Arab Spring protest…

Should Content Providers Stop Allowing Anonymous Comments?

Facebook product design manager Julie Zhuo contributed an op-ed piece to the New York Times, which calls for content providers to stop allowing for anonymous comments on their content, in an effort to maintain accountability for what is said. 

This is not a new subject, nor an easy one, and despite Zhuo taking a clear stance on it, she does present both sides of the debate: accountability vs. privacy and freedom of expression.