John Healy's Tech Blog

Tag: Privacy

  • Creepy aspects of Windows 10’s privacy settings — more from PC World

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    Windows 10 is a “winner” in most ways, especially for those moving from older Windows versions (and who invest the time to prep and complete a successful upgrade). However, as I’ve noted in prior posts, news about its “out-of-the-box” settings persists. And that’s a good thing. For many people, those settings may pose privacy issues.

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  • Ad blocking — Heinlein, Friedman redux

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    Well, the game’s afoot. Are you using ad blocking? PC World’s “The price of free: how Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google sell you to advertisers” article summaries how four major companies handle collection of personal data when you use their products and services. Because the latest version of Windows is always asking for information in

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  • Apple’s updated privacy policy — plainly different than others’ policies?

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    As noted in previous posts, the privacy policies of major tech companies, especially those with products and services that we interact with on a daily basis using our mobile devices, are getting a lot of media attention. And rightfully so. What’s moot? What’s not? Just because “it can be collected” begs the question of whether

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  • Security vs. convenience — who wins?

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    I’ve discussed this topic with many of my clients, especially those who complain about remembering or keeping track of passwords — the trade-off between security and convenience for consumer products and services. We recognize this trade-off everyday with different keys for physical locks and passwords for different digital services. Password managers can help with “one

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  • Free app’s — where’s the profit? AVG kicks the hornets’ nest

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    The “freemium” model for products and services dominates the digital landscape. Many companies use a free version (freeware) to promote their paid-for full version (and in some cases as a goodwill gesture to promote some public good). “Try before buy” is quite useful and these companies sometimes also provide free trial versions (user licenses for

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