The Kindle Fire is a very popular tablet due to its price, size and its brand recognition. However, many users have found the experience on the Kindle Fire to be lacking. Many reviews of the product point out the jerky nature of the user interface and its complete lack of privacy.There have also been reports of spotty Wi-Fi connectivity as well. If you’re experiencing these problems and are ready to give the Kindle Fire the boot, hold out for a couple more weeks. Amazon will release an update that is designed to fix the worst problems customers are having with the Kindle Fire.

The past week or so has been partially dedicated to finding out how far Carrier IQ’s reach goes. The software is embedded in millions of Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones. Carriers such as T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T have all admitted to using Carrier IQ, but only to make improvements to things such as reception and device performance. However, Carrier IQ is not present on Verizon or U.S. Cellular devices.

This situation with Carrier IQ went from non-existent to an international media phenomenon in a matter of days. Various governments as well as customers want to know if Carrier IQ’s software really is keeping track of their every keystroke and spying on their personal messages. T-Mobile has already started damage control by informing customers that it does not use Carrier IQ for any other purpose other than “to troubleshoot device and network performance with the goal of enhancing network reliability and our customers’ experience.” Sprint is now telling its employees how to address any Carrier IQ questions that may come up during the course of the work day.

The privacy of your music habits is more secure than ever with Rdio. A few days ago, the company added a couple privacy options that relate to Facebook and Last.fm. On the Facebook side, you can now choose to opt out of automatically sharing everything you listen to on Rdio with Facebook (if those accounts are linked). You can also disable Last.fm scrobbling. Scrobbling basically means the songs you listen to on Rdio are added to your Last.fm profile. This new privacy option helps to keep everything separated.

Google is making an effort to better secure the search activity of its users that are signed in to their respective accounts. This is especially important since we now have the option to +1 sites on the search results page. Features such as this makes regular searches a more personalized experience, and no one would be comfortable with a third party sneaking peeks at their Google searches. Over the next few weeks, Google will start to automatically encrypt searches.

Spotify was recently rid of a bug that kept users signed in to Facebook even after they chose to disconnect their Facebook accounts from Spotify. Even though Spotify users may not have noticed, the music they were listening to may have been posted in the Facebook live News Ticker without their permission. This kind of oversight does not bode well for Facebook’s idea of frictionless sharing which automatically posts what a person is listening to or reading on Facebook at all times. Privacy groups are already skeptical about how easy it is for Facebook user data to be made public, and this situation won’t help to win them over.

Facebook is in the hot seat again regarding privacy concerns. Last week, we told you how Facebook may have taken the liberty of resetting your privacy options without your explicit consent. Today, a report has surfaced that accuses Facebook of obtaining data from users when they aren’t logged in to Facebook.

Facebook is getting ready to launch new features this week that will remind a lot of people of the most unique features of Google+. Beginning this Thursday, Facebook will let users decide who they want to direct status messages to. Facebook users can choose to post statuses to the public, friends or to a customizable list.This update will also be coming to Facebook-developed mobile applications.

Who would have thought a little button could cause so much animosity? Facebook’s “like” button, something that can be found on just about any website you visit, is no longer allowed in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. A German data protection center employee named Thilo Weichert says the button violates privacy laws of Germany and the European Union as a whole.

Even though Facebook hasn’t been the poster company for privacy, it’s still an important issue. It’s so important, Facebook is willing to pay good money to anyone who points out crucial security flaws that could jeopardize user privacy. Each credible find is worth at least $500.