Your Technology

By Anita Hamilton

FTC BACKS ONLINE PRIVACY

One of the Web's most popular sites, GeoCities, last week settled a privacy-violation complaint by the FTC. The agency said the site misled members by soliciting personal data, such as income and age, and, without full permission, distributing it to marketers. While denying any wrongdoing, GeoCities agreed to post an explicit account of its use of personal data.

OPEN HEART ON THE WEB

In June, Webheads got to watch a live birth online. This Wednesday, the American Health Network is again testing the limits of public acceptance, by broadcasting an open-heart operation live on its website, www.ahn.com In the name of educating the country about heart disease, the cable channel will let viewers observe surgeons operate at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston at 2 p.m. E.T. Not for the faint of heart.

SEE-THROUGH CAMCORDER

The nightshot feature in Sony's HandyCam camcorders was supposed to let parents film their kids in the dark. Then some folks noticed that using NightShot in bright daylight could make fully clothed people look almost naked. That's because NightShot's infrared technology senses heat emitted from the body. Sony has disabled daytime use of NightShot in new models, but with thousands of the HandyCams already sold, you might want to wear some foil.

--By Anita Hamilton