By building privacy into your products from the beginning and giving your users the information and tools to protect and control their own personal information, you not only help avoid consequences ranging from scathing media coverage to class action lawsuits, you also make users feel truly invested in your product and build invaluable trust and loyalty.

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The key to developing outstanding privacy practices is to proactively identify and address potential privacy risks before they happen.
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MAKE YOUR PRIVACY PRACTICES STAND OUT

Microsoft in Hot Water After Search of Hotmail Account

Microsoft was roundly criticized for broadly interpreting its own privacy policy to justify searching a Hotmail account for the company’s benefit . As part of a search for an insider who had leaked company information, Microsoft scoured the Hotmail...Read more >

Samsung’s “Orwellian” Privacy Policy Invites Spying Allegations

Samsung faced an FTC complaint as well as a congressional inquiry after reports questioned whether its voice-activated Smart TVs might be eavesdropping on users . Users and the press were outraged after noticing that Samsung’s “Orwellian” privacy...Read more >

Verizon’s “Supercookie" a “Privacy-Killing Machine”

Verizon faced the wrath of consumers, privacy advocates , and the United States Senate for using “supercookies” to track the Internet activity of more than 100 million customers without their knowledge or consent. Described as “privacy-killing...Read more >

Etsy Suffers Privacy “DIY-saster”

In early 2011, online marketplace Etsy suffered a “ social media DIY-saster ” after making shoppers’ feedback posts, purchases, and, in some cases, real names publicly visible and searchable without adequately notifying users. Because the company...Read more >

DuckDuckGo Rewarded for Keeping Privacy Simple

Search engine DuckDuckGo reaped the benefits of having clear and privacy-friendly policies written in understandable English. Its privacy policy starts with a clear statement that “DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information,” followed...Read more >

Sony Slammed for “Half-Baked Response” to Security Breach

Sony “ will have a long road ahead to win back the trust of gamers ” after a security breach that shut down its PlayStation Network in spring 2011 turned into a major privacy fiasco. The company waited five days before revealing that user data,...Read more >

Uber Hit with Lawsuit for Delayed Notice of Breach

App-based car service Uber was hit with a class action lawsuit after accidentally posting the personal information of about 50,000 drivers and waiting nearly five months to disclose the incident . When Uber did not offer an explanation for the delay...Read more >

LinkedIn's Security Practices Criticized After Breach

LinkedIn was heavily criticized after hackers obtained nearly 6.5 million passwords and posted them on the web. Even though LinkedIn immediately acknowledged the leak and attempted to patch up its security, the company was criticized for its...Read more >

Target Sued After Massive Data Breach

Target was hit with a class action lawsuit and widely criticized for its inadequate security practices after hackers stole credit card and sensitive personal information about tens of millions of customers. Target failed to heed several warnings...Read more >

Citibank Hacked Using “Remarkably Simple Technique”

Citibank suffered a major security breach in 2011 and then faced a second wave of criticism for both its lack of preparation and its response to the incident. The company waited three weeks before notifying the 210,000 customers whose data were...Read more >