Today I Stumbled upon an article in the Dutch news website Nu.nl (http://www.nu.nl/internet/4335433/oplichter-maakte-honderden-slachtoffers-via-achterdeurtje-in-webshops.html). For the non-dutch readers; the article is about a man who build several websites. When building this website, he added special software to intercept usernames and passwords. This data was later on used to break in on these victims social media accounts. The ‘website developer’ is arrested for identity theft, fraude and hacking.

This article got me to think about privacy issues in our everyday internet use. The victims where people like you and I, just buying someting online and assuming it is safe to enter the private information. What do you guys think about this issue and what do you consider a plausible solution?

I’m thinking about a quality label which can be put on websites who are developed by developers who are proven to be trustworthy and have joint some sort of association. This way, customers have more certainty that their privacy is guaranteed and businesses who needs a website, can choose developers who have joint this association to have a more trustworthy online shop.

Today I stumbled upon a newspaper article on nu.nl which I found very disturbing ( http://www.nu.nl/internet/4329372/australisch-techbedrijf-heeft-telefoongesprekken-nederlanders-in-handen.html). For all the non-dutchies; the article is about a former employee of an Australian company, Appen, who claims that the company holds private phone- and chatconversations from dutch people dating from 2010/2011. According to the Dutch forensic research bureau, the conversations were tapped by the Britisch security service, which Appen would work together with. It is not known how they got the conversations or why they would have interest in it in the first place. I did some research about the company, Appen, and it is a global leader in speech and search technology services.

I did some research about the company, Appen, and it is a global leader in speech and search technology services. My question here is why either Appen or the Britisch security service would want Dutch phone records and , considering the fact that privacy is such a hot item the last couple of years, how come it took 6 years to discover this? Maybe an even more important question is how many other companies have, unnoticed, private records in hands of normal citizen like you and me..