Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Blog #4: Online Security
Online privacy is an important issue within the realm of the Internet. Some people have stronger feelings then others but personally I am concerned. Infringements of online privacy can happen multiple ways. Many websites will install cookies into your computer that will track some of your actions on the net and even off of the net. In some cases these cookies take information that many people aren’t aware of. These cookies take names, addresses, bank statements, pretty much you name it and it is done. Some websites sell your information to data companies who then sell it to other companies.
A lot of the time people are un-knowingly agreeing to allow websites and companies to install cookies or claim the rights to the information or pictures they upload. Facebook sort of indirectly claims the rights to your photos as you can see by reading their terms, “By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.” They also note that if you delete your account the above statement will expire but Facebook will still have archived data from you. Facebook does give its users the option to make their profiles private so that only their friends can view their info.
Sears has been under much scrutiny from the public and anti-spyware eye. A little while back in 2008 they encouraged online users to join the “Sears Holdings Community”. When joining the community they are asked to install software that is really spyware. This spyware monitors their Internet usage including logging onto bank accounts (Vamosi, 2008). The one thing the people failed to notice when check the “accept the terms” box was that they were actually agreeing to this. I can’t believe that in today’s society large companies like Sears Holding Corp. would try to undermine their customers in such a way. The customers are the most important thing to the company so why lose their trust like that? Sears settled charges brought upon them by federal authorities for being found guilty of being deceiving and not making it clear enough that they were in fact installing spyware on your computer. Ben Edelman, a Harvard University Professor who is a frequent critic of spyware companies said, "Sears to their credit fixed many of the most egregious problems after public concern” (Goodin, 2009).
Ken Denmead said he feels as if younger groups seem to care less and less about online privacy, however a new study on behavioral advertising states that it is exactly this age group (18-24) who care the most (Denmead, 2009). There is such thing as the Fair Information Practices (FIP) which is regulated by the FTC. This is meant to protect online users from getting their information stolen. It touches on subjects such as users being able to find out what info is being kept, information not being used improperly, info not being kept secret and info not being misused (Denmead, 2009).
I think online security is very important. I feel like the situation is getting increasingly worse with the amount of spam and phishing occurring through e-mail. Phishing as explained on webopedia is “The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.” I think the FTC really needs to crack down on online privacy and help keep unsuspected users safe.
Works Cited
Denmead, Ken. "Is Online Privacy a Generational Issue? GeekDad Wired.com." Wired News. 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009..
Goodin, Dan. "US mega retailer settles spyware charges • The Register." The Register: Sci/Tech News for the World. 4 June 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009..
Vamosi, Robert. "Spyware found in Sears online community installation News Blog - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. 3 Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.
A lot of the time people are un-knowingly agreeing to allow websites and companies to install cookies or claim the rights to the information or pictures they upload. Facebook sort of indirectly claims the rights to your photos as you can see by reading their terms, “By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.” They also note that if you delete your account the above statement will expire but Facebook will still have archived data from you. Facebook does give its users the option to make their profiles private so that only their friends can view their info.
Sears has been under much scrutiny from the public and anti-spyware eye. A little while back in 2008 they encouraged online users to join the “Sears Holdings Community”. When joining the community they are asked to install software that is really spyware. This spyware monitors their Internet usage including logging onto bank accounts (Vamosi, 2008). The one thing the people failed to notice when check the “accept the terms” box was that they were actually agreeing to this. I can’t believe that in today’s society large companies like Sears Holding Corp. would try to undermine their customers in such a way. The customers are the most important thing to the company so why lose their trust like that? Sears settled charges brought upon them by federal authorities for being found guilty of being deceiving and not making it clear enough that they were in fact installing spyware on your computer. Ben Edelman, a Harvard University Professor who is a frequent critic of spyware companies said, "Sears to their credit fixed many of the most egregious problems after public concern” (Goodin, 2009).
Ken Denmead said he feels as if younger groups seem to care less and less about online privacy, however a new study on behavioral advertising states that it is exactly this age group (18-24) who care the most (Denmead, 2009). There is such thing as the Fair Information Practices (FIP) which is regulated by the FTC. This is meant to protect online users from getting their information stolen. It touches on subjects such as users being able to find out what info is being kept, information not being used improperly, info not being kept secret and info not being misused (Denmead, 2009).
I think online security is very important. I feel like the situation is getting increasingly worse with the amount of spam and phishing occurring through e-mail. Phishing as explained on webopedia is “The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.” I think the FTC really needs to crack down on online privacy and help keep unsuspected users safe.
Works Cited
Denmead, Ken. "Is Online Privacy a Generational Issue? GeekDad Wired.com." Wired News. 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.
Goodin, Dan. "US mega retailer settles spyware charges • The Register." The Register: Sci/Tech News for the World. 4 June 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.
Vamosi, Robert. "Spyware found in Sears online community installation News Blog - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. 3 Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Blog #3: Conflict in the Digital Age
Here is a video from the National Cyber Security Alliance whose goal is to "goal is to reach all users with education and awareness messages about cyber security."
Cyber war is conducting warfare in cyberspace by means of computers and Internet. Somewhere between the last decade or two people have found that the Internet can be a very powerful weapon. There is so much valuable information kept on it. Expert hackers have the ability to attack critical infrastructure such as transportation services, electricity and water. When you think about the opportunities a hacker with experience has it is mind boggling and frightening. It goes deeper than hacking websites for personal information or to damage infrastructure. Countries will try to steal secrets and classified information from other countries. This could be extremely detrimental to a country; for example if China hacking into a computer that had the ability to shut down missile defenses. All of these threats are very real. Many people expect the next war to begin over computers through use of the Internet rather than traditional techniques. According to an article by Graham Messick of CBS Interactive, "some people are already saying that the next big war is less likely to begin with a bang than a blackout"(Messick).
"It is now clear this cyber threat is one [of] the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation," President Obama said during a speech (Messick). One of the biggest worries is our adversaries shutting down a power grid, which they are fully capable of doing. Admiral Mike McConnell, former chief of national intelligence, who oversaw the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, claims that the United States is not prepared for this sort of attack (Messick).
The conflict in the Digital Age isn't confined just to hacking computers. Something more familiar to everyone is malicious software, things such as mal-ware, trojan horses and spyware. In the scheme of things these are much less threatening than having a power grid shut down but on a smaller scale they can ruin computers. One of my biggest concerns personally is that my identificartion or private information, such as banking information, would be stolen over the Internet. I have a lot of information, mostly scattered, throughout various sources.
The next decade will hold very interesting events regarding the Internet being used as a weapon. I do think that the next war will begin from an attack over the Internet, whether it may be shutting down power or stealing critical information will be up the attacker. I do think it is very interesting that Obama has put this at the top of his priority list. This makes it evident that it is becoming a more and more serious issue.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Blog #2: The Digital Divide
The digital divide is a slowly closing gap. Many people are helping to make an effort to connect communities and people nationally and globally. The digital divide is the gap between those people with access to digital info technology and those who do not have access. The digital divide may be classified based on gender, income, race groups and locations. It is then broken into two sections, the global divide and the social divide. The global divide is concerned with the absolute divide of telecommunication access and includes imbalance and ability to use technology. The social divide is the actual gap, within a nation, between those who have it and those who don't.
There are efforts being made worldwide to close this gap. Many non-profit groups such as One Laptop per Child and Room to Read seem to be doing a great job. One Laptop per Child seems to be one of the better ideas. The way it works is you buy a laptop for around $188 and once there is enough for each child in the class they will give them to impoverished children. This not only bridges the global divide but also the social divide. This way there won't be one child within the group who doesn't have as much technological access as the other. Countries that don't have access to the internet cannot be competitive in the global economy. I read an article which touched on Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone establishing computer labs with 3G internet in under-served communities in Nepal and Vietnam (Qualcomm). Each would include enough computers to serve as many as 50 students during a class. I think this is a very positive thing for not only Nepal and Vietnam but for the world. Such small things can have such large impact. This will help give these children a better chance at becoming as successful in life as any other children in the developed world. Access to online resources and educational materials can have a life-changing impact on students. "Not only will they have connectivity that enables access to learning materials and communities for the first time, but they will also have the opportunity to gain specialized skills and training," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm.
Somewhere around 75% of all American's have access to the internet. This is a high percentage compared to the 5% to 13% found in most of Africa. I read an article about a brother and sister, aged 8 and 10, who live in inner city Dublin (Donnelly). The brother's school was selected to receive money to buy and upgrade computers and technology while his sisters school, which is 5 meters away, was not. This has created a social divide between the two. Many people within the community are complaining about how the scheme was devised. I think this is an issue because it is putting the sister at a disadvantage. This is a perfect example of how detrimental the digital divide can be. This is quite a different situation than the impoverished communities in Africa where the children have no access to computers or the internet whatsoever.
The digital divide affects us in many ways. It seems that most Americans are unaware of the lack of internet access in most of the world. We take it for granted here and don't realize that many people have less opportunities and education as us. I think it's very important that we do our best to close the digital divide because there is no telling what advancements society could have from someone who is given the right resources.
"Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone Establish Computer Labs With 3G Internet Connectivity in Rural Communities :-- 3G to Benefit Underserved Communities in Nepal and Vietnam --. " PR Newswire 26 October 2009 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Katherine Donnelly, and Grainne Cunningham. "BROTHERS and sisters in two schools in inner city Dublin have found themselves separated by the digital divide :National. " Irish Independent 20 Oct. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
There are efforts being made worldwide to close this gap. Many non-profit groups such as One Laptop per Child and Room to Read seem to be doing a great job. One Laptop per Child seems to be one of the better ideas. The way it works is you buy a laptop for around $188 and once there is enough for each child in the class they will give them to impoverished children. This not only bridges the global divide but also the social divide. This way there won't be one child within the group who doesn't have as much technological access as the other. Countries that don't have access to the internet cannot be competitive in the global economy. I read an article which touched on Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone establishing computer labs with 3G internet in under-served communities in Nepal and Vietnam (Qualcomm). Each would include enough computers to serve as many as 50 students during a class. I think this is a very positive thing for not only Nepal and Vietnam but for the world. Such small things can have such large impact. This will help give these children a better chance at becoming as successful in life as any other children in the developed world. Access to online resources and educational materials can have a life-changing impact on students. "Not only will they have connectivity that enables access to learning materials and communities for the first time, but they will also have the opportunity to gain specialized skills and training," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm.
Somewhere around 75% of all American's have access to the internet. This is a high percentage compared to the 5% to 13% found in most of Africa. I read an article about a brother and sister, aged 8 and 10, who live in inner city Dublin (Donnelly). The brother's school was selected to receive money to buy and upgrade computers and technology while his sisters school, which is 5 meters away, was not. This has created a social divide between the two. Many people within the community are complaining about how the scheme was devised. I think this is an issue because it is putting the sister at a disadvantage. This is a perfect example of how detrimental the digital divide can be. This is quite a different situation than the impoverished communities in Africa where the children have no access to computers or the internet whatsoever.
The digital divide affects us in many ways. It seems that most Americans are unaware of the lack of internet access in most of the world. We take it for granted here and don't realize that many people have less opportunities and education as us. I think it's very important that we do our best to close the digital divide because there is no telling what advancements society could have from someone who is given the right resources.
"Qualcomm, Room to Read, Nepal Telecom and S-Fone Establish Computer Labs With 3G Internet Connectivity in Rural Communities :-- 3G to Benefit Underserved Communities in Nepal and Vietnam --. " PR Newswire 26 October 2009 ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Katherine Donnelly, and Grainne Cunningham. "BROTHERS and sisters in two schools in inner city Dublin have found themselves separated by the digital divide :National. " Irish Independent 20 Oct. 2009, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Online Identity:Virtual Identity
I will admit I have caught myself making comments on youtube videos saying things that I wouldn't say to the individuals face. I'm pretty sure everyone has done things like this before. While thinking about the topic of "online identity" I began to wonder, at least as far as flaming goes, is this just more honest than real life? It's pretty interesting to think about it this way. This thought process can be applied to the idea of ones virtual identity. Is somebody's virtual identity who they truly are on the inside?
I do believe that someone's virtual identity is who they truly are but to some extent for example we talked about gay people hiding it in real life but not over the internet. Some people take their virtual identity's to extremes though. We also spoke about online dating sites in class. There have been many horror stories about people meeting over the internet and being murdered and what not. A recent survey was conducted and it was found that "over 80% of online daters have suspected that the profile images being used online are fakes and over a third have actually discovered that a person's identity does not match that of their online persona."*
I read an article which was about a program created by a man named Ben Way called Checked Profile. It is free for women and $1.99 for the basic package for men. You upload a picture of yourself get a unique code then upload a picture of you holding the code and they will give you a unique stamp you can upload that verifies you are legitimate. This is mainly aimed at dating sites but can be used on any social networking site like facebook, twitter, or myspace etc. I think that online dating sites are resourceful and Dr. Wysocki made me a little less skeptical of them. However due to the phenomena of virtual identity I think that online dating sites are overall an unreliable place to meet someone.
It is pretty creepy that the internet has made it so easy for people to change their identity. Virtual identity isn't the only identity formation. A problem society faces with the use of social networking sites is peoples sense of self being altered. This is their reflexive identity. It seems that people will base their social status upon the amount of facebook or myspace friends they have. I think people have become too interested in the personal lives of others. Sites like twitter where users will be constantly updating that they are doing or is on their mind is ridiculous.
Sometimes I wonder how my parents were able to get dates or keep in touch with their friends without social networking sites or dating sites. Having the opportunity to re-invent yourself is nice but unnecessary.
*Over 80% of Online Daters Suspect Profile Pictures on Dating Sites are Fake According to New Photo Verification Site, CheckedProfile.com. (20 August). U.S. Newswire. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1837907611).
I do believe that someone's virtual identity is who they truly are but to some extent for example we talked about gay people hiding it in real life but not over the internet. Some people take their virtual identity's to extremes though. We also spoke about online dating sites in class. There have been many horror stories about people meeting over the internet and being murdered and what not. A recent survey was conducted and it was found that "over 80% of online daters have suspected that the profile images being used online are fakes and over a third have actually discovered that a person's identity does not match that of their online persona."*
I read an article which was about a program created by a man named Ben Way called Checked Profile. It is free for women and $1.99 for the basic package for men. You upload a picture of yourself get a unique code then upload a picture of you holding the code and they will give you a unique stamp you can upload that verifies you are legitimate. This is mainly aimed at dating sites but can be used on any social networking site like facebook, twitter, or myspace etc. I think that online dating sites are resourceful and Dr. Wysocki made me a little less skeptical of them. However due to the phenomena of virtual identity I think that online dating sites are overall an unreliable place to meet someone.
It is pretty creepy that the internet has made it so easy for people to change their identity. Virtual identity isn't the only identity formation. A problem society faces with the use of social networking sites is peoples sense of self being altered. This is their reflexive identity. It seems that people will base their social status upon the amount of facebook or myspace friends they have. I think people have become too interested in the personal lives of others. Sites like twitter where users will be constantly updating that they are doing or is on their mind is ridiculous.
Sometimes I wonder how my parents were able to get dates or keep in touch with their friends without social networking sites or dating sites. Having the opportunity to re-invent yourself is nice but unnecessary.
*Over 80% of Online Daters Suspect Profile Pictures on Dating Sites are Fake According to New Photo Verification Site, CheckedProfile.com. (20 August). U.S. Newswire. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1837907611).
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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