BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Internet privacy has always been a paradox ever since people first went online. Privacy issues have often put Internet companies under the spotlight.
Recently Facebook and Google have been criticized by both legal professionals and lawmakers over their violations of users' privacy, and new laws and regulations are being created to protect online information.
But there are still some who argue that too tight controls will hinder the development of Internet technology, and that more openness is needed. How can the balance between innovation and privacy be best sustained?
Global Times (GT) reporter Li Yanjie talked with Alessandro Acquisti (Acquisti), associate professor of information technology and public policy at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), on privacy and the Internet. He is also a member of the CMU Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory, Privacy Technology Center, and Cylab.
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| Alessandro Acquisti (Photo: Global Times) |
GT: It's not the first time that Facebook and Google have generated disputes on Internet privacy. Why do they keep trying to push the limits even they've faced strong criticism in the past? Do you think Facebook's remedial measures are sufficient?
Acquisti: Facebook exposed its users' personal files again, by changing the default settings, while Google has admitted it recorded some personal communications sent over unsecured Wi-Fi data networks in homes and offices in some 30 countries and regions. Google's new social tool, Google Buzz, has been under fire for automatically assigning users a network of "followers" from among people with whom they corresponded most often on Gmail.
