Protecting your information online

Many people are unaware of how truly dangerous it is for one to put their personal information on the Internet. In the article that we read, it talks about this very subject. The dangers of putting your information online are serious and can depict ones lifestyles in a very true way. Criminals know more than one way to hack into someone's online accounts without them ever knowing until information has been leaked into the hands of the wrong people.

When using certain websites such as bank websites, and when purchasing things online it is very important to know that the information that you are putting on there is secure. Generally websites will make sure you are aware that the information that you are using is secure and say that your information is not accessible to people.

But are these warnings really reliable? If people are aware of these dangers, most wouldn't use the Internet for things that are not as important as their own safety. Overall, internet safety knowledge is so important and all should be aware. we all should project ourselves from giving out information we do not want others to have access to.

Online Password Security

The most pressing concern for each online user is the password. You can have passwords for many things such as a gaming website all the way up to your online banking. Password security is very important to each person since much private information is stored online for a lot of people, also taking in the fact that cloud computing is taking over people will be putting a lot of critical company files online no matter if they are encrypted, if the criminal gets their hands on that encryption password then all that information may become public.

Going online and just searching you can find many tips on how to secure your passwords and what to keep as a password and what not to keep as one. We found a comprehensive site on this matter, which is Mac based, but it covers the worries of everyone: http://macmost.com/online-password-security.html. Essentially what is happening these days is people are creating programs that will keep on trying to break through you security barrier by continually trying common password types.

Maybe the top 100 easy passwords such as abc123, which no one should keep as this is the easiest guess. 

The biggest mistake you can make is keeping the password for all your web accounts the same as this is potentially the key to everything. Once one password is discovered go and plug in to each website and voila you have this persons email accounts, Facebook, Amazon, write what you like and buy what you like it was all given to you on a golden tray. Do not use dictionary words or pet/family member names these are very easily guessed if someone is personally attacking you. When given the security question option make your own question rather than using a default as your mother’s maiden name may be easily guessed.

Change your password often and don’t keep it simple it may be hard to remember at first but if you use a desktop or a laptop you always keep on hand store it on a protected password file on your computer as this will not be easily accessible to a hacker. I have discovered a mix of letters and numbers maybe the best password with differentiating between capital and lower case letters, which at first is hard to remember but with repetition you can memorize it.  A good example for a password would be something difficult like this: Ng42tH6L8, but it may not be possible for even you to remember this so keep it meaningful to you and at the same time don’t make it if you’re a 49ers fan something like your email address is big49erfan@gmail.com your password shouldn’t be fanof49er. So keep it simple enough you will remember but others wont be able to guess it.

Sexual Predators Online: Protecting Our Youth.

The Internet this day and age has changed to appeal to many new demographics. Children of all ages are able to access the Internet and communicate with outside sources. It is necessary that parents exercise caution when  deciding what sites to allow there children on. Internet is a huge danger to children's safety and we will discuss how to monitor this usage for their protection against sexual predators online.

The main three ways that children  are contacted by predators are by chat room, email, and instant messaging. On the website, http://www.protectkids.com/dangers/onlinepred.htm, there are some frightful percentages that every parent should know. There are over 13 million children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old that use chat rooms and instant messaging. 1 out of every 5 of these children have likely been contacted by a sexual predator. Also, 89% of solicitation occurs on instant messaging. For these sole reasons it is necessary for the parent to monitor their children's activity, and here are some tips to do so.

Under the section IM/Chatroom tips, it outlines some helpful tips for parents to monitor chat room use. here are some of the most helpful tips. Set your computer in a room where you can watch your child's activities. Block instant messages from people you and your child don't know. The biggest tip is to realize that chat rooms and instant messaging are the playgrounds for sexual predators. it gives them the security that no one knows their true identity, which is a scary thing. So parents, be cautious and protect our youth.

Ethical Issues for Internet Service Providers

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are companies that connect their customers to the Internet.  ISPs include companies such as AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Widestream, Verizon, and several others.  ISPs use wireless or fiber-optic means for transmitting the communication on the internet to both individuals and businesses.  Each computer has an Internet Protocol (IP) address that allows you to access the Internet.  The ISP in which a customer uses knows that person's specific IP address.  Although ISPs are providing individuals with the opportunity to access the Internet, some companies actually observe their customers behaviors in order to get a better understanding of how to market towards them.  With this being said, problems have arose from this.  Many people argue that this is a complete breach of privacy.  This allows for other individuals and companies to discover information about a particular person that he or she may not want others to know about.

For the most part, ISPs collect only enough information on their customers in order to complete transactions for billing and service, but when the information is sold to third party companies, people believe their Internet privacy has been completely disregarded.  Also, another major issue that some believe to be a problem is government institutions being able to access an individual's personal information without that persons consent.  These institutions are able to access the information with the Provider's consent.  Does this mean they are able to access the information regarding a criminal activity without a warrant?  According to Martha Arias, Immigration and Internet Law Attorney, in the article, "Can EU Internet Service Providers Provide Information Regarding Copyright Infringers," she writes, "It is also clear that privacy laws in the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU) protect personal identifiable information found in databases, and that Internet Service Providers (ISP), specifically, can only reveal this information to public authorities conducting criminal investigations or for national security purposes" (http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=2246).  She then explains that in the 2007 Spanish case Productores de Musica de Espana (Promusicae) v. Telefonica de Espana SAU, there was an argument over whether intellectual property owners were able to work with ISPs in order to seek out those people who had committed copyright infringement.  It was ruled that individual companies could not use personal information stored by ISPs to seek out those who committed infringement.  "The facts of this case show that IPS in Spain were required to store certain data about individual users so this data could be used by criminal authorities or for public security and national defense."  Although, this case ruled that only government authorities could access that information, some people still disagree with this idea.  Some believe that the government is constantly watching over them, ultimately disregarding the idea of privacy.


In conclusion, with technology increasing at such a rapid pace, the abilities one has with the Internet to perform a variety of activities, whether legal or not, are increasing as well.  There are both legal and ethical issues that come into account when using the Internet.  As users, people need to make sure that they understand the privacy statements associated with certain websites, and ISPs need to ensure their customers that they only use the information gathered specifically related to what is required for Internet service, such as IP addresses and billing information.  

What is The Balance Between Network Information Shared ( To Authorities) and Personal Privacy.

With criminal acts on the internet on a the rise, most law abiding citizens are happy to find criminals caught online through computer forensics. The underlying question that arises with it is at what cost? The Internet is a well sought after place to get away with crime thanks to the anonymity of its use. To counter this government, F.B.I, and police are seeking ways to improve, trace, and identify the criminals. Although it is good for tracking criminals, many people also feel it encroaches on their privacy.  Rather so, it is a slippery slope on one hand helps to protect society from malicious criminals, on the other privacy goes down and user information is now available for theft.

Many of us have seen forensic shows, and other programs of criminals being caught in action over the Internet and by tracing their computer via of computer forensics. I found an article, that deals with this issue. The article is called "Privacy Preserving Network Forensics" The article deals with the problems associated with Network forensics, and what is going to far on the the regulatory side of network forensics and how to find a balance.  They believe for regulatory purposes physical computing devices should be named and registered, the system should stay intact, so if a case comes later evidence will still remain. Also they wish the that such evidence would not be seen as dismissive in  court, and held as prima-facia. For the Privacy side they believe that the information should be stored and encrypted securely so that it may not be stolen, they also believe that when their digital fingerprint is to be required they be fore-warned, and shown the name their print is attributed to.
 GEOFFREY M. VOELK ER, et al. "Privacy-Preserving Network Forensics." Communications of the ACM 54.5 (2011): 78-87. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

We all know that network attribution and privacy are both needed in balance, much as many other things in life. The question to the readers is, in your personal opinion what is the balance needed in this topic? Also how much information would you be willing to share to help keep society safe ? Last is the privacy trade off worth the loss anonymity given to stop criminals?

Social Networking: How public should we make ourselves.

The Internet and social networking are quickly integrating into a "if you have one you need the other" type of thing. Nearly everybody uses some sort of social networking platform to display themselves either to friends or in a professional manner, trying to keep both worlds separate so those Saturday night wild party pictures don't end up in the bosses' inbox. There are numerous articles all over the net about people mostly celebrities whose accounts were hacked and not so friendly statements were made which could ultimately lead to a downfall or a loss of revenue. Also on the same level many people lose jobs because their company has some policy against conduct which could tarnish the company name or either photos or videos of their private networking profiles become somehow public material and this leads to firings or demotions in the workplace because these photos or comments go against company policy or are just improper in nature.

When using social networking usually some basics of net usage have to be revisited, such as don't give out credit card and social security numbers, bank account info because people who may be your friends or maybe seem to be so may use this easily acquired information for their benefit and it will only be your fault. One big mistake people make time and time again is when they leave home for a vacation they leave their home empty and constantly write on their Facebook walls "gone for the week with the family to Madrid" or something to the effect telling people you are gone and my house is empty please come rob it. Especially if you haven't set up any sort of controls on you social network pages such as a common mistake many Facebook user's make your page is accessible to the whole world including your prying neighbors who may just fancy your 54' Hi-Def TV enough to break in and take it with them for no one to find out and only yourself to blame, for telling the whole world I am not home make yourself comfortable with my possessions. Also with the advance of smart phones you can tweet or update your status anywhere, but beware of leaving you accounts open on your phone as if it falls into the wrong hands things maybe said which you would never fathom to utter leading to embarrassing situations, or even worse if your account is hacked all your information can be stolen pictures published without your permission. As technology advances so do the problems which accompany it so we must make sure we are protecting ourselves and our loved ones by taking the proper security measures and cautions as needed on the net to maintain privacy.

The main reason people use Social Networking is to connect with friends family and co-workers to keep in touch etc. in the case many people share private information. these companies have policies which you should check to make sure your information is not being sold to the highest bidder or if the controls prevent you from having your pictures copied by someone you don't know.  There are many internal applications on websites such as Facebook which ask you before you opt in that we will access your personal information from your page and may use it in the future to provide you with future improvements or something you may be interested in. This essentially means that we may send ads to you use your picture and information for our project usage, if you think the company is trustable and has a good reputation use it otherwise nobody knows where your information will end up. So on a Social networking site make sure you dont put soemthing on their you may regret in the future or may jeopardize your career ladder.
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1331

Online Banking Privacy

The days of going to the bank to complete transactions are beginning to be a thing of the past.  In today's society, people are turning to the Internet for banking. With this being said, it is important that people take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their account from fraud.  There have been countless occasions where an individual using online banking becomes the victim of identity theft.  Identity theft is seemingly becoming the newest, safest way to rob a bank.  According to Jared Thorne and Andy Segal in the CNN article, "Identity Theft: The New Way to Rob a Bank," identity theft losses to financial institutions account for $47 billion, as where the traditional bank robberies in the United States account for around $77 million (http://articles.cnn.com/2006-05-18/us/identity.theft_1_identity-theft-bank-employee-bank-heist?_s=PM:US).  As one can see, identity theft is a major issue when it comes to Internet banking.  People are scared that Internet hackers will be able to break into the systems and steal their money.  Before people completely forget the idea of banking online, they should look for ways in which banks are increasing their privacy protections for online users. 

Banks today realize the importance of providing a safe and secure way for their customers to bank online.  As a result, they go through great lengths in order to protect one's security and make sure his or her financial information is secure.  For example, banks will time your sessions online.  At Bank of America, if one leaves his or her bank account on for a certain amount of time without using it, the session will automatically be logged out.  Personally, I use Bank of America, and they use a SiteKey for identification purposes.  This is a photo that is shown before I log in to my bank account online.  Only the bank and myself know this photo.  Other banks use this feature as well.  For example, in order to protect individuals online, Nationwide Bank uses password-controlled entry, SafeKeys, multiple levels of firewalls, Security Sockets Layer, and additional security measures (http://www.nationwide.com/secure-online-banking.jsp).  All of these provisions have helped enhance the privacy and security of online banking.

Although the individual banks work to protect the privacy of their customers, it is also important for the clients to take the necessary precautions to protect their own identity as well.  Nationwide gives a list of tips that customers can use themselves, along with the banks security settings, that will help secure their identity (http://www.nationwide.com/protection-from-identity-theft.jsp).  Some precautions that individuals can take themselves include securely disposing printed account statements, not leaving personal information where others can see them, not giving personal information out over the phone, and most importantly, keep and list and monitor your financial transactions.  Taking part in the precautionary steps, along with the security settings by the banks, will help ensure privacy while partaking in online banking.

How safe do you feel on the Internet?

In today's technological and global society, the Internet plays an ever increasing role in everyones daily lives.  Every facet of one's life is affected by different aspects of the Internet.  People use the Internet for social networking, online retail, personal information management, entertainment, research, paying bills, banking, and other personal needs.  Since most people use at least one of these utilities on the Internet, most people would find this topic pertinent to their personal security.  With that being said, people tend to take a naive approach to their security.  For example, as we have seen in the past, with social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, people's personal information has been compromised. 

There are constantly stories of where individuals have their personal security breached when using the Internet.  There are several issues that are being faced today that need to be improved upon.  The problems with the Internet vary in their level of sophistication, anywhere from a simple stalker on a social networking site to an extremely serious issue such as identity theft.  As Internet users, we need to be more aware of these types of issues and take the necessary steps in order to improve upon them.

To all of the readers, how important is Internet privacy in your daily lives?  What are some stories that you have heard about or has any type of breach of security happened to you on the Internet?  Also, what are some ways in which privacy on the Internet can be improved?  In this technological age, certain precautions have to be taken in order to ensure privacy, but the level in which the measures taken to improve security for the individual citizen is often times up for debate.