A U.S. Postal Service spokesman said our Tuesday story and subheadline spotlighting potential privacy implications of an electronic feature called "Informed Delivery" (see 1704030028) is "alarmist and misleading." He said the USPS feature's subscribers have their mailing addresses authenticated through a third party, payment transaction history or an in-person presentation of credentials. All such emails originate from a USPS address, and are branded with official agency graphics, images and logos, and also include an unsubscribe option, he said. Customers can use the feature via app on MyUSPS.com or dashboard on USPS.com, he added. "While there is always the possibility -- as there is with any email from any source -- that some phishers may attempt to take advantage, the Postal Service protects its brand and unbranded emails should be recognizable as spam." USPS, he said, takes the privacy of customers' mail "very seriously" as well as its cybersecurity responsibilities. It "adheres to the privacy requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, which controls when and how the USPS shares personal information and limits the conditions in which that information can be disclosed externally to outside parties," he added.

Twitter dropped a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection after a summons seeking to unmask an account user critical of the government was withdrawn, the company said in a Friday filing. Twitter lodged the complaint the previous day with U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, citing constitutional free speech protections (see 1704060070) in protecting the identity of user @ALT_uscis. In the Friday filing (in Pacer), Twitter said DOJ informed the company that CBP withdrew the summons. DHS didn't comment. In a statement, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Esha Bhandari, who represents @ALT_uscis, said the "speed with which the government buckled shows just how blatantly unconstitutional its demand was in the first place." She said the anonymity the First Amendment guarantees is vital when people criticize government. In a tweet, @ALT_uscis thanked Twitter and the ACLU "for standing up for the right of free anonymous speech."

TRUSTe will pay a $100,000 settlement and will adopt steps to strengthen privacy assessments after failing to adequately prevent illegal tracking technology on popular children's websites, said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) in a Thursday news release. The AG's office said TRUSTe failed to assess its customers' websites, including those of Hasbro and Roblox, leaving children vulnerable to tracking, which is prohibited by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Though TRUSTe did electronic scans of customers' websites for third-party tracking technology, the organization "omitted most or all of its customers' children's webpages from its scans" and couldn't determine if such tracking was there, said the office. The AG also said TRUSTe didn't provide customers with relevant results from the scans and also accepted customers' representations that tracking tech found on their websites didn't violate COPPA rather than independently verifying it. Under the settlement, experienced TRUSTe employees must conduct and verify scans of a large part of customers' websites aimed at children, identify and disclose tracking technology to customers and obtain and review information about tracking tech provided by customers. CEO Chris Babel said in a blog post the settlement "relates solely to the operational practices of our Children's Certification program." He said it's also working with the FTC to update the program. In September, Schneiderman announced settlements with Hasbro, JumpStart Games, Mattel and Viacom for allowing illegal online tracking of children (see 1609130029).

The Online Trust Alliance will operate as an initiative within the Internet Society (ISOC) starting May 1, said OTA President Craig Spiezle in a Wednesday blog post. "Not unlike the threat of global warming we must collectively work together to help preserve the trust and resiliency of the Internet and embrace change today before we encounter a trust meltdown." Spiezle founded OTA 13 years ago and will be strategic executive adviser to ISOC. He said ISOC has more than 100 organizational members and more than 95,000 individual members in more than 120 chapters around the world.

Twitter is suing the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which are trying to force the company to reveal the identity of Twitter user @ALT_USCIS that criticized departmental officials and the Trump administration, the company said in a Thursday complaint filed with U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. "The rights of free speech afforded Twitter's users and Twitter itself under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution include a right to disseminate such anonymous or pseudonymous political speech," Twitter's complaint said. It said DHS and CBP shouldn't compel the company to reveal the user's identity "without first demonstrating that some criminal or civil offense has been committed." The company said CBP delivered a March 17 administrative summons, demanding the firm unmask the account. Twitter wants the court to declare the summons "unlawful and unenforceable." A DHS spokeswoman emailed that it doesn't comment on pending litigation.

Flattr, which lets users send microdonations to online content creators, was acquired by Adblock Plus parent eyeo, Adblock said in a Wednesday news release and blog post. It's seen as the next step after the two companies last year collaborated on overhauling Flattr's micropayment service, allowing users to pay for content with a single account. Sweden-based Flattr said it paid 30,000 online content creators and publishers since it was created in 2010. "Constructive ad blocking and Flattr complete eyeo’s vision of putting users in control of an internet that is fair and still profitable,” said eyeo founder Till Faida. "This allows us to go that extra mile and finalize our vision of enabling hundreds of millions of users to choose how they want to pay for the content they consume." Eyeo, based in Germany, was heavily criticized by the marketing industry and others claiming they have to pay Adblock Plus to white list ads, amounting to a shakedown (see 1605260040, 1605270001 and 1609090057).

Facebook has introduced ways to help users report their intimate images posted without permission -- “revenge porn” -- and prevent the images from being shared on Messenger and Instagram, the social media company said in a Wednesday blog post. Antigone Davis, head of global safety, wrote that users who see an intimate image shared without permission can click a "Report" link that appears when they tap on a downward arrow next to the post. Trained Facebook representatives will then review the image and remove it if it violates standards and also disable the account that shared the image, though that account user can appeal, said Davis. She said photo-matching technology will be used to prevent sharing of the image and if someone does try to share it, the company will block that sharing and alert that user.

Entertainment and music are the top uses for Amazon Echo and Google Home, said an Argus Insights blog post Monday based on consumer reviews of the devices Nov. 1-March 31. Entertainment was mentioned by well over 30 percent of voice assistant users, followed by music, with nearly 35 percent of Alexa users using Echo devices for music and just over 25 percent of Google Home users summoning music on the device. Weather reports came in third.

BSA|The Software Alliance launched a research organization to help policymakers and the public better understand the impact of software, the association said in a Tuesday news release. BSA said Software.org: BSA Foundation will issue reports with governments and others on emerging technology including artificial intelligence, blockchain and IoT, and issue a study on software's U.S. economic impact. "The foundation aims to bridge that gap -- to connect the dots between software and society so that we can continue to grow the economy and positively impact people’s lives,” said Chris Hopfensperger, the foundation's executive director. The organization's board includes representatives from Adobe, Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, Siemens and Workday.

CA Technologies completed the acquisition of Veracode, which secures web, mobile and third-party applications, said CA in a Monday news release. The FTC approved the deal last week (see 1703310074). Former Veracode CEO Bob Brennan is general manager of the Veracode business.