privacy

Another day, another privacy concern. This time (in basic terms), Google (and other companies) were able to bypass the iPhone and iPad's privacy settings in order to track which websites you visit on Safari. This isn't limited to Google sites — any site you visit is trackable.

Whether or not Google meant to track your browsing history is moot. They have since reworked the bypass and have stopped tracking web browsing on iDevices completely. But there are two very easy steps you can take in order to ensure that no one tracks your browsing history ever. Learn how below.

1. Head to your iPhone or iPad's General Settings. Scroll down to your Safari app, then find the area marked "Private Browsing." If it's not already, switch that to "On."
2. Then click on the "Accept Cookies" section and switch it to "Never."

These steps will ensure that Safari will not store browsing data, log-in details, or cookies.

Everyone wants to be on Facebook, especially Generation Z. In fact, the site bans 20,000 children a day for trying to set up an account and being under 13.

But it only catches the kids who tell the truth (yes, some obviously do!), and in reality, many parents don't mind letting their children lie about their age in order to set up a Facebook page. After all, it's an easy way for parents to have a window into their child's social world and otherwise keep tabs on the increasingly complex lives of the preteen set.

In a time where most children have a parent-sanctioned online persona by age 2, is it odd that Facebook sets an age limit? While I can see why moms and dads see no harm in letting their kids set up an account — you can easily change settings so that only friends have access to personal information as well as set if a child's picture can be tagged — worries over Facebook's ever-changing privacy policies and the amount of personal information children can potentially include in their profiles would make me think twice if I were a parent of a preteen.

Do you think there should be a ban on "underage" Facebooking?

Instead of creating its own user base, a just-launched online dating site took information from Facebook profiles to create a 250,000-user strong profile list. The site categorized unknowing "users" into categories like "easy going" or "sly" based on results of a facial recognition algorithm.

Find out what went down (and why) after the break.

As a tech-literate consumer, I'm fairly liberal when it comes to sharing information on the Internet. I generally trust sites to respect my privacy (the larger ones, at least), and I rarely put sensitive information online . . . just in case. But now a new Facebook privacy practice may finally make me reconsider my liberal stance. Facebook is giving third-party developers API access to your address and phone number. Find out more after the break.

In October, Facebook announced an improved privacy dashboard, and now users can access the same information and controls on mobile devices, too. That way, you can update and manage information, no matter where you are.

In addition to privacy controls, which have been available via mobile, users can see all of the information you've shared with various applications. Detailed information shows exactly what information the user has shared with each app and what information must be shared with each app in order for it to work, and allows the user to make changes to who can access your basic profile information, photos, videos, friends' information, and more.

While privacy issues on Facebook have been mostly out of the news recently, any change that gives users more control over and understanding their personal information is positive. The changes will be rolled out to m.facebook.com/privacy over the next few weeks.

You're about to purchase that lovely dress you've been eyeing online, but when you're checking out, you face a dilemma — should you pay by credit, debit, or PayPal? It's the age-old question of online shopping, and the worry of having your identity stolen can eat at you. Turns out, if someone has used your account illegally, you're more like to get your money back with a credit card, because it offers the best legal protection for shoppers. The New York Times says:

“The strongest protections are when you pay by credit card,” says Carole Reynolds, a senior lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission. Under the Truth in Lending Act, consumers’ maximum liability for unauthorized use of their credit card is only $50, and when a card is used online, it’s zero.

The catch is, the refund of your money will go smoothly for all three if you report it immediately. In the case of debit cards, there's a law that protects consumers against identity theft, but the protection wanes off after a while. There are set deadlines of reporting fraud for debit cards, and if you miss it, you'll encounter a huge tangle when you're trying to get your money back. The same goes for PayPal, and according to the New York Times article, you'll have the hardest time getting your money back from PayPal. The lesson to learn in this is to always be on top of things during money transactions and carefully monitor any suspicious behavior. I'm curious, which method of payment do you prefer, and why?

It should be common knowledge that what you say on Facebook and Twitter is available for almost anyone to see. Trashing your boss, lamenting about how lame your job is, and even ranting about co-workers aren't the smartest things to post on Facebook, not only because they could potentially get back to the people in question, but also because no one really wants to hear about your crappy work situation. Let's face it — being a Debbie Downer could lead to unfriending.

Need some Facebook work-life pointers? Follow along with these tips that should help you from getting fired . . . well, at least because of your Facebook posts — I unfortunately can't help you with your bad attitude. Find out what they are after the break.

Looks like even pilots are uncomfortable with naked body scanners. Last week, a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, Michael Roberts, refused a full-body scan and a pat down at the Memphis International Airport, calling it an "assault" on his person, CNN reports. Apparently he had never been subjected to a request to go through the body scanners at an airport before and described pat downs as "misleading," saying that "they concentrate on the area between . . . the upper thighs and torso, and they're not just patting people's arms and legs, they're grabbing and groping and prodding pretty aggressively."

His move is bold, but is not in line with the Transportation Security Administration's regulations. If you opt out of the body scan, you must go through a pat down or you won't be allowed to fly, the TSA said. Michael stood up for what he believed in, but his refusal may have cost him his job. Was it a good move on his part?