The dream of hack-proof communication just got a little closer to reality. On August 16, 2016, China launched the world’s first “quantum satellite,” a project the Chinese government hopes will enable it to build a communication system incapable of being hacked. Such a system, if perfected, would allow for encrypted communications between any two devices with absolute certainty that the encryption could not be broken, and with a built-in mechanism for alerting the sender/receiver if someone tried.
Spyware
FTC Settlement Bars Marketing of Spyware for Illegal Uses
By Proskauer Rose on
The Federal Trade Commission scored a victory over spyware with a recent settlement with a company that will prohibit it from marketing its keylogging software as a “100 percent undetectable” way to “Spy on Anyone, From Anywhere.”
FTC Tells Sears That Consumer Disclosures Must be More Conspicuous
By Kristen J. Mathews on
Over the course of the last decade, many companies have become accustomed to notifying consumers of their data collection practices in their online privacy policy. However, in a recent proposed settlement, the FTC indicated that, at least under the facts before them, disclosures that were “buried” in a privacy policy were not sufficient.
On June 4, the FTC reported a proposed settlement with Sears Holding Management Corporation of a complaint that Sears had failed to meaningfully disclose to customers the extent of the information it was collecting through its online market research software. The FTC claimed that this failure to disclose constituted an “unfair or deceptive act” under the Federal Trade Commission Act.