The One Minute Week – Email Privacy, Meta Data and Netflix in April

one minute week

A Week in Online Privacy and Internet Security

Dan Gilmor of The Guardian asks whether recent Government reforms regarding the long term storage of phone meta data go as far as they should. In an age where we check into FourSquare, upload hundreds of GPS tagged photos to Facebook and Google+, store files in the cloud and communicate constantly via social media, Skype and Intant Messenger, are we still merely creatures of meta data? Perhaps not., and Dan’s argument holds water.

The strange case of the NSA media kit. In a somewhat misguided and clumsy attempt to repair its battered image, the NSA decided to send out a batch of slick media kits designed to help “educate” news organizations and provide a little insight into why it does what it does. The problem? The way it does what it does. It was not well received.

If you’re concerned about your online privacy, you’ve probably asked yourself how private your email is. If you’re using a free service such as Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail, probably not very private at all. Russel Brandom of The Verge delves into Microsoft’s Privacy Policy  for Hotmail to reveal that the company (as well as most other free email providers) reserve the right to read through your email if/when they deem it necessary. Brandom states that we’ve always known this was a possibility, but the fact that it actually happens means that there’s a breach of trust.

A Week in Streaming Media

What’s coming to Netflix Instant in April 2014? It just might be Netflix’s best month ever… if you’re into classic action and sci-fi! Braveheart, Chinatown, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Fifth Element, Gattaca, Rocky 1-V, The Running Man and The Terminator all grace the service, but that’s just a few of the titles coming. You’ll also get Amistad, Dragonslayer, Jumanji, Mean Girls, Wild Things 2 and lots more. You can unblock Netflix using IronSocket’s DNS Proxy and VPN Services.

If you’re reading this post as it goes live, you have just enough time to watch about a season of 24 before it gets pulled out of Netflix rotation. Make it a good season!

Felicia Day, Bryan Singer and Ashley Johnson are bringing a new supernatural comedy called Spooked to YouTube and Hulu starting April 16th. Felicia Day is funny, smart, and decidedly indie, a partnership with (also smart, but less funny) Singer is unusual, so we’re intrigued to see how this turns out.

About IronSocket

Our staff has been involved with computers since the early days of dial up modems. We have combined experiences spanning decades working on a multitude of internet based projects. One of our goals is to make a conscience effort to inform others about staying safe on the internet. If you ever need to reach us, leave a comment, put in a ticket, or contact us using our website's contact us form.