My Way News - Paying your pals with digital options from Venmo to Facebook
My Way News reports: "Cash is passe, say digital mavens. If you really want to pay your friends back for that pizza party, use an app to shoot money to their mobile-phone number — or their Facebook account. Such technology-enabled peer-to-peer payments are growing quickly. Forrester Research predicts mobile peer-to-peer payments will hit $17 billion by 2019, growing an average of 26 percent annually. That compares with expectations of total U.S. mobile payments of $142 billion by that year."

FCC: We Can't Force Google and Facebook to Stop Tracking You Online - NBC News
NBC News reports: "The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it can't force Internet companies like Google, Facebook and ad providers from tracking users online. The commission had been petitioned by the privacy advocacy group Consumer Watchdog to make the "Do Not Track" setting in many browsers illegal to ignore."

My Way News - Britain seeks greater access to citizens' online activity
My Way News reports: "The British government plans to make telecommunications firms keep records of customers' Web histories and help spies hack into computers and phones under a new cyber-snooping law unveiled Wednesday. [...] If approved by Parliament, the bill will let police and spies access Internet connection records — a list of websites, apps and messaging services someone has visited, though not the individual pages they looked at or the messages they sent."

My Way News - Cybersecurity: Senate takes initial step to bill's passage
My Way News reports: "The Senate is set to pass a bill aimed at improving cybersecurity by encouraging the sharing of threat information among companies and the U.S. government. An 83-14 procedural vote Thursday represented a healthy endorsement of a bill opposed by companies such as Apple and Dropbox, who said it lacks key privacy protections and may result in personal information ending up in the government's hands. [...] The Senate's vote on final passage is expected next week. The House passed its version of the bill earlier this year with strong bipartisan support. If the Senate were to pass the bill on Tuesday, the two versions would need to be reconciled before being sent to the White House for the president's signature."

My Way News - New California law extends privacy rights to electronic data
My Way News reports: "California will require police to get a court order before they can search messages, photos and other digital data stored on phones or company servers in the nation's most-populous state. [...] Advocates have tried to pass legislation at the national level for years without any success. The Email Privacy Act, a proposed update to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, has 300 sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, but its future remains unclear."

My Way News - New federal requirements on cellphone surveillance
My Way News reports: "Federal law enforcement officials will be routinely required to get a search warrant before using secretive and intrusive cellphone-tracking technology under a new Justice Department policy announced Thursday. [...] It comes amid concerns from privacy groups and lawmakers that the technology, which is now widely used by local police departments, is infringing on privacy rights and is being used without proper accountability."

My Way News - More ID, bag checks on Europe's trains after foiled attack
My Way News reports: "European countries will increase identity checks and baggage controls on trains after American passengers thwarted an attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris, France's interior minister said Saturday. [...] The security officials said there's no way to monitor each passenger and bag without choking the continental train system, which Europeans rely upon heavily. [...] EU officials were expected to press for the increased use of closed circuit cameras in trains and stations and more metal detectors at entrances. The European Commission was also to raise the idea of using full-body scanners for people who try to board at the last minute."

My Way News - Q&A: A look at Samsung Pay, other mobile payments
My Way News reports: "Samsung Pay will debut in South Korea on Aug. 20. It will start in the U.S. on Sept. 28, with a test period beginning Aug. 25. Samsung plans to expand to the U.K., Spain and China as well. Android Pay will come out later this year in the U.S., while Apple Pay launched in the U.S. last October and expanded to the U.K. last month."

My Way News - FBI, Justice Dept. take encryption concerns to Congress
My Way News reports: "Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests. [...] But they face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies who say encryption safeguards customers' privacy rights and offers protections from hackers, corporate spies and other breaches. The companies in recent months have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to argue for the value of strong encryption."

CNN - MasterCard will approve purchases by scanning your face
CNN reports: "This fall, MasterCard will start experimenting with a new program: approving online purchases with a facial scan. At checkout, you'll be asked to hold up your phone and snap a photo. MasterCard's thinking? It's easier than remembering a password."

Comment: This is an interesting convergence of biometrics and purchase approval, it will be interesting to see if this catches on.