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Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Is It Even Legal For Websites To Gather And Sell User's Data? 4

dryriver writes: Lets say that I follow a person named John D. around for days without permission, make note of what John D. does and buys where with timestamps accurate to the second without John D. knowing it is happening, analyze what kind of personality traits John D. has, enter that data into an electronic database where it is stored forever, and also make the data purchaseable to any 3rd party who is interested. Would I be breaking the law if John D. has not given me explicit permission to do this? Very likely. If this is the case for "meatspace data gathering", how can websites justify gathering information about visitors, and selling that information to 3rd parties? I don't see any websites opening with a "caution — we track everything you do here and sell what we learn about you to 3rd parties" warning message.
The Internet

Woman's Nude Pics End Up Online After Call To Tech Support 197

Tara Fitzgerald couldn't find the nude pictures she planned on sending to her boyfriend, but instead of just taking more, she decided to see if a Dell tech support call could fix her problem. Apparently the tech support guy found them. Unfortunately, he then put them up on a site called "bitchtara."
Government

EU Plans to Require Biometrics for Visitors 238

bushwhacker2000 writes to tell us that the EU may soon be requiring travelers to provide biometric data before crossing into Europe. They are trying to soften the blow by offering "streamlined" services for frequent travelers but the end result seems the same. "The proposals, contained in draft documents examined by the International Herald Tribune and scheduled to go to the European Commission on Wednesday, were designed to bring the EU visa regime into line with a new era in which passports include biometric data. The commission, the EU executive, argues that migratory pressure, organized crime and terrorism are obvious challenges to the Union and that the bloc's border and visa policy needs to be brought up to date."

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