Guest Post - Michael Senatore

Fortalice® Intern:  Michael Senatore
Topic:  Cookies


Title
Since the creation of the internet, “cookies” have been used to monitor the activities of consumers on the web, but what exactly is the need for cookies and how do they work?


Internship Outline:  #3
Version 1.0
Date:  09 April 2011


Summary
Cookies were first introduced to the internet as a method for web pages to remember a visitor.  They were used to store things such as passwords, user names, or the contents of an online shopping cart after a browser leaves a certain page.  So when a browser returned to a page, they would not have to re-enter their password or refill their shopping cart.  Through the use of cookies, the web page would remember their previous visit and it would be like they never left the page in the first place.  However, as the internet has continued to develop so have cookies.  Now they are shared amongst linked web pages to help profile users and track their movements over the world wide web.

Background
Cookies are best described as a piece of text stored on a user’s computer by their web browser.  When Lou Montulli, a well known web browser producer, first introduced cookies to the internet in 1994, they were originally intended to make the web browsing experience easier for the user by implementing a virtual shopping cart.  With the ability of a website to remember specific visitors through cookies, the site could store and remember what the visitor was shopping for.  Even after leaving the site, the user could return and pick up right where they had left off, making the internet shopping experience much more user friendly.
As cookies progressed and developed further, they began to take on new tasks, such as remembering the user names and passwords of users, making signing into websites much easier.  However, as the general public became more aware of cookies throughout the late 1990’s, their downside began to surface.  In 1996, cookies began to receive media attention due to their potential privacy issues.  If web sites can store information about specific users, what else are they capable of keeping tabs on?  And furthermore, in what other ways is this information being used?

Strategic Planning Assumptions
-For personal use, people using the internet will have to decide what is more important to them, simplicity or privacy?
-In the near future, companies will undoubtedly make their employees use an internet browser that disables cookies.  For a business, not protecting a customers personal information could lead to major legal problems.  This possibility can be eliminated by disabling cookies.
-If restrictions to cookies become common place on the internet, the Internet Advertising Bureau will be forced to make major changes to the way they obtain information about internet users.  This could potentially alter the entire structure of internet advertising as we know it today.

Analysis
Throughout the development and advancement of cookies they have continued to take on more tasks and responsibilities.  Where they were originally intended to make the web browsing experience easier, many would now question their impact on privacy.  With the different types of cookies being used by web browsers on the internet today, an individual’s personal preferences are now not only being stored, but also being shared amongst different websites.  For instance, third party cookies are now something that all internet users should be aware.  Third party cookies have introduced the idea of behavioral targeting, by allowing different sites to share the stored information from cookies.  For instance, when users are researching Barrack Obama on one site, and then they visit another site and an ad pops up selling a Barrack Obama biography, they have been the victim of a third party cookie.

The easiest way to get rid of cookies and prevent behavioral targeting is to delete the cookies currently on your personal computer.  Cookies are essentially just a text file that is stored so deleting them is pretty simple.  They do not have the same properties as viruses so they do not replicate themselves, however some new types of cookies do have the ability to fight against being deleted.  Flash cookies for instance, have the ability to spawn new cookies once deleted without the user ever knowing.  Ultimately, the most effective way to minimize cookies on your personal computer is through the settings in your internet browser.  By selecting the option to “disable cookies completely,” a person can rid their personal computer of cookies.  However, this also eliminates the positives of cookies, such as remembering user names and passwords.

Implications
-Enabling cookies makes surfing the web much easier and provides a more satisfying user experience.  Cookies help to eliminate the process of repeatedly inputting information to websites that a user frequently visits.

-At the same time these cookies are monitoring the activities and interests of individual users.  Also, personal information such as an address or phone number can be stored and shared through cookies.

-Restrictions on cookies have not gone unchallenged.  The Internet Advertising Bureau, which generated ad spending of about $20.12 billion in 2010, contends that they would not survive with a prior consent rule set in place.

-Other websites such as facebook.com, google.com, and amazon.com contend that a prior consent rule would be costly and disruptive “to the detriment of website users.”

Key Findings
-Cookies are continuously being developed and altered to more effectively track the activities of individual internet users.  Flash cookies make deleting cookies off your computer more difficult while third party cookies are shared amongst different advertising websites to more effectively appeal to a person’s interests.

-Currently cookies are a hot button issue.  Most of the major web browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer are in the process of developing a regulated “do not track” tool.

-The European Union is also working on a mandate that would force web browsers to obtain consent before tracking users through cookies.  This however is currently still in the court systems due to different countries interpreting the laws differently.  The debate is over whether internet users should have to opt in (agree to cookies) or opt out (deny them.)

Recommendations
-Enable the “disable cookies completely” option for your web browser.  Doing so will eliminate cookies from your personal computer and keep your personal information private.  This will require you to repeatedly enter user names and passwords, but ultimately those extra few seconds are not as important as keeping your personal information private.

-Educate yourself with the current state of cookies.  Currently the issue of cookies and internet privacy is up for debate amongst all of the major web browsers.  By staying up to date you can ensure that you will not fall victim to the latest version of cookies.

-Know your web browser.  Get familiar with its options and capabilities.  Apple’s newest web browser, Lion, which will be released this summer will have a “do not track” privacy tool.  Internet Explorer and Firefox on the other hand, are still implementing a similar option.


SOURCES

“Apple Adds Do Not Track Tool To New Browser.”  Nick Wingfield.  Wallstreetjournal.com.  April 14, 2011

“EU Chews On Web Cookies.”  Paul Sonne and John W. Miller.  Wallstreetjournal.com.  November 22, 2010.

“A Guide To Cookies.”  Christina Tsuei.  Wallstreetjournal.com.  July 30, 2010.

“Cookies Cause Bitter Backlash.”  Jennifer Valentino-Devries and Emily Steel.  Wallstreetjournal.com.  September 19, 2010.

Do You Ever Get The Feeling Like Somebody Is Watching You?

Do you think that R&B singers, Rockwell, Michael and Jermaine Jackson could have predicted that Geico commercials and today's surveillance age would make their song, "Somebody's Watching Me" such a popular ditty well after it's release in 1984?

If you went to the airport, bank, or a store today, you probably expected to be watched and maybe even tracked, while on premises.

But those are the old school ways of being watched.  Now, the smartphone in your pocket could watch you or your laptop webcam can watch you.

Having an emotional reaction?  There's a wristband monitor for that.

Have a lot of old photos that you need to categorize?  Google and Picassa offer a helpful feature, photo tagging, where they auto suggest who your friends might be and potential names of people in photos based on previously tagged photos.  Helpful?  Yes, and a little spooky too.

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft and Intel showed attendees an in-store digital billboard that memorizes faces.  The memorization helps track products you like.  That is quite a step up from my grocery store loyalty program.

What happens when technology advances fuse the photos your friends tagged you in, with the grocery store digital billboard, and other information?

All of this data collection can be helpful and put to very good use.  Monitors can alert law enforcement of a potential bad guy's whereabouts.  Monitors could help avert a major health issue for example.

However, there are concerns about privacy:
1.  Who is allowed to collect data via sensors?
2.  Should they have permission first or do they need to disclose that sensors are in use?
3.  Are they allowed to bundle that with other information to create individual profiles?
4.  If you are tagged in a photo by a friend, who else can use that tag?  Is that available for searching by anyone that takes a photo of you and wants to profile and track you?
5.  Employers use Facebook and other online searches now to look up candidates - this will transform information available about you


Sources:
"Hello, Big Brother: Digital sensors are watching us", USA Today, January 27, 2011.

Photo Posted Not Privacy Protected - See Judge's Opinion

According to the quote noted on the Technology and Marketing Law Blog, a Kansas City Judge said:

"[P]hotos are taken to be viewed. When [nursing student supervisor] Delphia granted permission to take the photos, it was unreasonable to assume that they would not be viewed...By giving the students permission to take the photos, which Delphia admitted, it was reasonable to anticipate that the photos would be shown to others..."

This particular case centers around nursing students who took pictures of a patient's placenta and then posted a picture on Facebook of the human placenta.  The nursing students were expelled from nursing school.  The students went to court and won a ruling to go back to nursing school.

The Judge saw all the facts of the case so I do not want to question his ruling.  I do want to put people on alert that if this ruling becomes precedent, you may have problems with bringing forward complaints or lawsuits on ANY future photos of you or loved ones, that are posted without your permission,

Sending racy photos of yourself to your spouse?  If it gets into the wrong hands and this Judge's ruling is applied, I guess you should remember that it is "..reasonable to anticipate that the photos would be shown to others..."

Snap and store photos and videos with great care.

Sources:
"Judge Says It’s Reasonable For Any Photo Taken To Go Viral. A Dangerous Precedent?", Kashmir Hill, The Not So Private Parts Blog.Forbes.com, January 27, 2011.


"Nursing School Can't Expel Students for Posting Photo to Facebook--Byrnes v. Johnson County CC", Eric Goldman, Technology & Marketing Law Blog, January 26, 2011.

Facebook Updates Reveal Your Info - In the words of SNL's Church Lady "How Convenient"

Before you read further, please remove or mask your home address and phone numbers on personal Facebook pages, please.

Dana Carvey's Church Chat and Church Lady, vintage 1986-1990, always made me laugh.  One of Church Lady's favorite phrases when her guests were crossing the line of morality into immorality was "How Con-veeen-I-ent!".  In case you want to get familiar with Church Lady or take a walk down memory lane, check out some Church Chats at YouTube.

When I read the latest privacy and security alert from Sophos and saw that Facebook was once again making enhancements that would expose email addresses and home phone numbers, I thought, "How Convenient!"

Facebook, when asked about the latest change and if they were concerned about the safety of their customers, they responded they were intending to maximize convenience for its users.

In a recent change to settings, sites like Farmville and other games and applications you interact with when you are on Facebook can access your address and phone number.

Sophos and others vocally pushed this issue with Facebook and they have pulled this enhancement back, for now.

Sources:

"Facebook Update Exposes User Contact Info, Security Expert Says', FoxNews.com, January 17, 2011.


"Rogue Facebook apps can now access your home address and mobile phone number", Graham Cluley, Sophos, January 16, 2011.

DUI Mug Shots on Facebook?

Privacy vs. Policing.  Where do you stand on this issue?

A City Councilman in Huntington Beach, California has proposed that the town post mug shots of anyone arrested, more than once, for DUI.  The mug shot and names for repeat offenders would be posted on Facebook.  He believes this approach would create a wall of shame that might deter the number of DUIs and save lives.

The California town had 195 people injured or killed due to DUIs in 2009.

The Police Department is hesitant believing it violates the accused person's rights to privacy.

Honolulu and a township in NJ tried a similar program and were reported to have backed away from their programs to post mug shots of DUIs.

Oconee County in Georgia actually uses a Facebook page to highlight criminals and suspects, for example a suspected child molester.

Sources:
"California City May Put DUI Mug Shots on Facebook", Associated Press, January 18, 2011.

A Hacker Reads Women's Facebook Profiles And Steals Suggestive Photos

Before you read this awful story, please stop and do 3 quick things:
1.  Make sure you have a strong password on your accounts
2.  Review your Facebook profile to see how much information you share about yourself that could be used to impersonate you (high school attended, pet's name, favorite color, etc)
3.  Photos of you on your email account could be fair game to a hacker - please snap those photos and shoot and store videos wisely

A man in California has admitted that he used Facebook profiles to collect information and hack into the email accounts of women.  Once inside their accounts, he would search around their email account and if he found nude or compromising pictures or videos, he sent those out to any addresses he found in their contact book.

Just to add to this heartbreaking story, he actually coerced one victim into sending him explicit photos of her under threat that he would distribute the pictures he stole from her account.

One victim had sent photos of herself to her husband.  The hacker posted them on her Facebook account and a friend notified her.

A quote from the National Cyber Security article that tugged at my heart for this poor woman:
“I have a network of like 1,500 people, so they all saw my pictures. So my graduating class of 2007 saw that. I’m in the military, so all my army friends saw that,” Piscak said.

How did he do this?
1.  He would scan facebook
2.  If women posted their email addresses (newsflash - most of you do), he would study their profile intently so he would have the answers to security questions
3.  He would email the email service provider using the information he learned about them to convince the email providers that he was them
4.  Where possible, he would take over their Facebook account as well using the information he found in their profile to guess at security questions or at their password

Victim Locations?
17 States, Washington DC and England.


Sources:
"Hacker Assaulted Women on Facebook", National Cyber Security, January 15, 2011.

An Internet ID for Americans

The Obama Administration is reviewing a plan called the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace.  This would essentially mean crating Internet IDs for all Americans.  An early draft of the plan indicates that the implementation would be handled via the U.S. Commerce Department and not Department of Homeland Security or the National Security Agency.  Experts feel this may be in a nod to privacy concerns.


CBS News quoted the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, Howard Schmidt, "I don't have to get a credential if I don't want to."  Schmidt has also said there would not be a centralized database and they are counting on the private sector to lead how this is implemented.


U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, was also quoted as saying at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, "We are not talking about a national ID card. We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities."


Some potential Pros and Cons based on what we know so far:


Pros:
1.  Child  safety experts have long felt that an internet identity system is critical to protecting kids
2.  Trusted identities could be used as another layer of authentication before accessing your personal information online, such as your bank account balance
3.  There might be a way to create an economical, digital certificate that belongs to you, think of it as a password passport so you can have one digital identity vs. many passwords to access information 


Cons:
1.  Large collections of userid/password or other identifying parts of information are targets for cybercriminals
2.  Who do you trust to be the agent that holds your internet identity?
3.  It is not clear what information is part of your identity or follows your internet identity around.  Is it just who you are or what you like to do on the internet?
4.   If this is "optional" and led by the private sector as suggested, we may be creating bureaucracy within the Commerce Department that cannot actually manage this or may not be needed


I did an informal poll and asked people what their thoughts were.  The responses were surprisingly consistent.   Here is a summary:


Overall many had mixed feelings: 
1.  Many respondents feel there is so much anonymity that it allows cybercreeps and cybercriminals to prey on others, however,


2.  Respondents have followed the data privacy breaches that come with centralized ids/passwords both in the private and the public sector and they feel this could create new forms of identity theft.


Bottom line:  Not one person answered and said we must have IDs for All Americans without saying in the next sentence they were concerned about privacy, security, and governance.  


I would love to know your opinion.    Do you see additional pros that I did not mention?  


Sources:


"Obama Wants Internet ID for All Americans", Kevin Parrish, Tom's Guide, January 12, 2011.



"No more passwords? Obama considers Internet ID for Americans in bid to boost web security", David Gardner, Daily Mail Online UK, January 10, 2011.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1345576/Obama-considers-Internet-ID-Americans-bid-boost-web-security.html#ixzz1B0T2xQyx



"Obama Administration Reportedly Plans to Create Internet ID for All Americans", Fox News, January 8, 2011.

"Who Watches The Watchmen?" When Computers Watch Us Who Watches Them?

When security guards walk their watch and use surveillance TVs they apply acumen, logic, intuition and skill.  When computers man the watch they use face recognition software and behavior patterns.

Recently various prisons sent their correctional officers to West Virginia for a training exercise that was different than previous exercises.  The difference was a new set of watchmen - computers.

This has far reaching opportunities to improve lives but potentially at the cost of your privacy.  That does not mean I am opposed to it.  I want to see open and vigorous debate on the pros and cons of computer surveillance and the safeguards needed to insure the government ,or the cyberbad guys, cannot abuse the technology.

I pulled this quote from a New York Times article written by Steve Lohr:
“Machines will definitely be able to observe us and understand us better,” said Hartmut Neven, a computer scientist and vision expert at Google. “Where that leads is uncertain.”

This is a vision expert from Google admitting that where this leads is uncertain.

Google is the company with the fabulous feature rich Google Maps that also had citizens concerned for their personal privacy.  The same company that has an app called "Goggles" where you can snap a photo on your smartphone and then Goggles will search the internet for matches.  Goggles purposely omitted facial recognition software due to privacy concerns.

If you have Kinect and love it, you are benefitting from the same technology.  As a player, you can wave your hand and the computer sees you through sensors and a digital camera.

There are many wonderful ways to use this technology - preventing theft or assault; searching for bad guys; checking on employees; and proactive protection and detection services.

But, it's hard to know where technology could lead us.  Using geocoding to check in at your favorite spots around town - was that on your radar before you had a smart phone?  The first time you had a videoconference at work did you think to yourself, "Oh no!  Now some kid is going to create Chatroulette?"

One more quote from the New York Times article that drives home the sensitivity and planning that needs to be considered.  When asked why they did not include facial recognition software into Goggles Eric Schmidt said, "“It was just too sensitive, and we didn’t want to go there. You want to avoid enabling stalker behavior.”

Who Watches The Watchmen?

Sources:
"Computers that see you and keep watch over you", Steve Lohr, New York Times, January 1, 2011

Maybe He'll Think Twice Before He Cheats - Song has new meaning in China

The economy in China is booming and reports indicate that the culture is facing challenges.  One challenge is the spike in marital infidelity, including taking a 2nd wife!

The Chinese government is not taking this lightly so they have a solution.  They are putting marriage records online so anyone in China can look up a name and see if they are lying about their marital status.

So, what's your opinion?  I can look at what my neighbor paid for their house.  Should I be able to easily look at everyone's and anyone's marital status?

Sources:
"Checking Cheats:  China Plans Online Marriage Database", Associated Press, January 5, 2011

E.T. Phone Home...Coming Soon, Your iPhone May Be Phoning Home to the Apple HQ

Remember the saying, "E.T. Phone Home!" back in the 80s?  An iconic movie.  At one point during the movie, E.T. exclaims he must phone home.  The young boy modifies a Speak and Spell toy so E.T. can phone home.

Well now your iPhone might be the next modified Speak and Spell!  Apple has filed a patent so your phone can phone home in the event that it is lost or it's human owner is lost.

When a professional criminal steals a phone, they typically pull the sim chip out and / or jailbreak the phone.

What is a jailbreak?  Jailbreaking is a techie term for basically breaking into an operating system to make it do things that are usually locked down.  It is often done by the actual owner.  For example, past jailbreaks on iPhones allowed people in foreign countries to use them before iPhone officially made them available in foreign countries.  Apple considers jailbreaking to be a breach of service warranty and highly discourages it.

Apple filed this patent because they feel this next step in technology is necessary to locating stolen phones. In the patent they mention they want to help customers better protect their sensitive information.

Among other things, the patent would allow the device to:

-record the voice of the device's user

-take a photo of the device's users's current location

-detect and record the heartbeat of the device's user

-scan the face of the owner

Some privacy advocates don't agree.  They believe this is another way for companies to collect information, in this case some is biometric, that can be used to track you.  There are some valid points:
1.  What if Apple is hacked and the hackers take your data?
2.  Does Apple have another purpose such as finding customers that have made their warranty invalid by tampering with their phone?

What's your opinion?  A great new advance in safety to assist with kidnapping and finding lost people?  Or, Big Brother's watching?

So what do you worry about more?  Steve Jobs checking in on you or the ability to protect yourself against a professional criminal that wants to tap into your mobile and digital life by stealing your phone?

Sources:

"Steve Jobs Is Watching You: Apple Seeking to Patent Spyware", Julie Samuels, August 23, 2010.


"New iPhone Security Patent App: User Protection or 1984 iSpy?", Brian X. Chen, Wired, August 23, 2010.


"Apple Patent is for Push-Based Location Update", MacTech Blog, December 23, 2010.

2010 Dark Side & The Force Side...Trends to Watch for 2011!

2010 brought new and interesting things to do on the internet like the free game sensation “Angry Birds”…Wondering what 2011 might bring on the internet?

2010 - 5 Headlines from the "Dark Side" of the Internet
1.  Snooping:  We kicked off the 2010 year with an attack on Google labeled Operation Aurora where it appeared that email accounts of Chinese dissidents had been snooped through

2.  Traffic Jam?  Accidental hijacking of 15% of the world's internet traffic through servers in China

3.  Critical Infrastructure:  Stuxnet worm hits industrial control systems

4.  Wikileaks

5.  Devastating Consequences:  A young man is "outed" at college after being secretly videotaped and commits suicide


2010 - 5 Headlines from the "Force Side" of the Internet


1.  Saving Lives:  American Dan Woolley of Colorado Springs said his iPhone saved his life when he was caught in the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince afer the Haiti Earthquake.  He used the iPhone to treat his injuries and to take steps to avoid going into shock.  He also mapped his surroundings and moved to a safer spot while awaiting rescue.  (See Mashable's story by Barb Dybwad called "Haiti Earthquake Survivor:  'My iPhone Saved My Life' ").

2.  Entertainment:  Angry Birds becomes the top dowloaded game.

3.  Voices Heard:  A man has his jail sentence commuted when his legally purchased guns were not properly registered when he moved to NJ.  His girlfriend launches a major campaign via Facebook telling his side of the story and it gets attention and he goes free.

4.  Shoppers unite! - crowdsourcing and free applications come together to put the power of competitive shopping, researching, and rankings in the palm of your hand, your smartphone, when you hit the stores.  Apps like RedLaser and TheFind give the consumer the shopping edge.

5.  Charity Hits Social Media:  Jumo, Causes, and Crowdrise provide a great platform for fundraising, connecting with others that have similar charity interests, and allows anyone from individuals to non profits to raise money for good causes.

The top trends for next year -- highlighting the fun side and some tips to stay safe from those pesky cybercreeps and cybercriminals.

Expect to see more of this:  SMISHING.   

We’re all used the term Phishing – Phishing is when cybercreeps send you an email trying to get you to click on bad links or open documents which install malicious software on your computer.  

"Smishing" is a mashup of phishing with the SMS feature on your phone.  Examples of recent smishing scams:  a bogus message on a smart phone that makes it look like it came from your bank, or store, or the phone company.  The message typically asks you to click on a link or asks you to call into a number.   If  you see a message like this, look up the number first before calling to make sure you are not a victim of smishing.  

1. Email declines, Messaging increases and Leetspeak, those short text messages, will be more mainstream   

The Death of Email has been predicted but according to my inbox, it is still going strong.  Statistics do show that email has "peaked" in popularity.  Visitors to Yahoo and Hotmail mail sites peaked in 2009 and are declining.  Gmail traffic is up.

Fun side:  Young people are adopting online chats and text messages.  Facebook offers instant messaging and is dabbling in email like services.  Leetspeak:  it’s hip, it’s quick, it’s easy to use and saves your fingers from typing.
a. What is Leetspeak?  Leetspeak, or text messages, are those abbreviated messages you may use when you are texting someone.  Most people use  them on Facebook, in emails, Twitter, and other places online.  Examples:   “IMHO” In my humble opinion or “LOL” Laugh out loud.
b.  Want to translate it?  Go to NoSlang.com

Dark side:  But there is a dark side, when kids and young adults using texting terms  or even sexting terms to keep you from knowing what they are up to.  

a. How to Protect Yourself:  Talk to your kids.  Ask them what their texting means if you do not know or look it up by typing it into a search engine.  Example:  The top status check or phrase used in for Facebook in 2010?  It was “HMU”!  As in Hit Me Up.  Parents need to be aware!  It could just mean give me a call but it could hold additional meanings.  HMU even beat out phrases like “World Cup” “iPad” and “Justin Bieber”.

2. Location, Location, Location  

Fun side:  This is the year that we can all know where each other is at any point in time, and down to our specific satellite coordinates.
a. How?  The location information, or geocoding, is captured in your digital videos, digital photos, check in software, and more.  This is a fun way to “bump” into people and keep up with friends and family.

Dark side:  People know where you or your kids are…as well as where they are not.
a. Example:  Facebook has a new feature that can automatically check faces, compare them to previously tagged faces, and suggest the name of the person in the photo.  Handy tool?  Yes, and no.
b. How to Protect Yourself:  If you have young children and adults on Facebook, be careful about using names with their pictures.  You would not want pictures to be out of your control, posted on other people’s pages, with your kids names on them

3. Smart Phones become Mobile Life  

Fun Side:  With new features and new apps you have an amazing tool that fits in your pocket – your smart phone!
a. You will be able to leave your wallet at home and pay for things with it; you can play games on it; you can message and network with others; and you will be able to link all your social networking accounts together so you can keep up with everyone.

Dark Side:  Your mobile life is a target.  Criminals go where the action is and your phone is a popular target for cybersnooping, scams, and theft.
b. How to Protect Your Smart Phone & Your Mobile Life:
1) Know your WiFi:  Avoid free WiFi on your phone when possible.  Many people will use free WiFi when using their phone for surfing or browsing – meaning you are leaving your mobile life open for everyone to peek in!
2) Lock it:  Password lock and protect your phone.
3) Update it:  Treat your phone like a computer because it is one!  Keep the operating system up to date.
4) Bogus App Alert:  Stay away from downloading apps unless you know it is legitimate
5) Phone Locator Software:  Ask your vendor if they have a locator service that allows you to track your phone and pinpoint it if lost and perhaps even wipe the device using a command from your home computer



Three Simple Rules to have fun but also be safe:
1. STOP:  Don’t broadcast your location to strangers – assume your phone and camera always are unless you turn that feature off
2. LOOK:  Don’t click on email links or call a number provided to you in an email without on any device you own without looking at another source first
3. LISTEN:  The common sense you apply to the physical world still applies to the internet – if you would not do something offline because of safety, you shouldn’t do it online



WEB RESOURCES:
For Locator Apps to be able to find your lost or stolen Smart Phone, talk to your vendor BEFORE you phone is lost or stolen.   You will need to register it and test settings.

Want to know what was hot in 2010?  Here is a sample of some trends that were tracked on the internet.

Top Searches for 2010 Highlighted by Google:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2010/ 

Top Searches for 2010 Highlighted by Bing:
http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2010/11/29/the-top-bing-searches-for-2010-the-year-of-the-celebrities.aspx 

Top Trends for Phrases and Status on Facebook from 2010:
http://mashable.com/2010/12/14/facebook-top-status-trends-2010/

Top Trends for Twitter from 2010:
http://yearinreview.twitter.com/trends/ 

The Top 100 FREE Smart Phone Apps By PC Magazine:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2366292,00.asp 

Apple’s Top 10 Paid For Apps in 2010 By Area Cell Phone:
http://areacellphone.com/2010/12/iphone-top-10-paid-apps-2010-certified-by-apple/ 

A CyberHamburgler Hits McDonalds!

A Hamburgler hit McDonald's asking "Where's the beef?!" and found it.  Only this Hamburgler is clearly a data-tarian, he stole email addresses and birth dates of customers that signed up for deals and discounts.  Thankfully, social security card numbers were not part of the breach.  The data management is outsourced and no word yet on how this happened.

Keep in mind these breaches happen from time to time.

Walgreens recently had customer email addresses breached.




Sources:


"Real Hamburglar Hacks McDonald's Database, Steals Tasty Info", Fox News - Reuters, December 14, 2010.

Worried Whether You Say Too Much on Facebook? Now You Can Check...

There is a new site that can help you see just how much you and others might be oversharing.

The site is http://reasonstohate.com/ .

I warn you that you will be astonished by what people post, the pictures they provide, and their comments are out in the wide open.

Type into the search box:  "Divorce" and people are chronicling their messy ends to their messages.  You see their name and their profile picture.

Take some time to type in the names of your loved ones to make sure there are not any issues that you were not aware of.

From the makers of the site, here are the goals posted:


What’s the goal?

1. Raise awareness regarding the dangers of Facebook, and public online identities

2. Entertain myself and others

The makers of the site also explain their perspective on "Privacy" in this statement:

I’m not exposing anything that isn’t already public, searchable, and index elsewhere… I just put a different User interface on it and made it a little more search-friendly for the previously stated purposes.


Sources:


"Site Exposes Facebook Overshares", Phil Villarreal, The Consumerist, December 15, 2010.

Productivity Tool or Privacy Buster? You Decide.

Facebook photos are very popular.  Facebook photo usage rivals the dedicated photo sharing sites.  Facebook announced this week that it will make it easier than ever to identify friends in photos uploaded to  Facebook by using facial recognition software to suggest people to tag.

Sounds like a much easier way to inventory photos.  However, if you don't want YOUR name suggested on other profiles when they upload photos, you have to turn YOUR privacy settings for this feature off.

Otherwise, pictures of you at the neighbor's costume party might be tagged with your name for your co-workers to see!  

Consumer Bill of Rights for Internet Data Collection

The Commerce Department announced that it wants to see a consumer bill of rights on internet data collection.

The proposal draft said it would be voluntary.  The private sector could choose whether or not they would participate.  If you do participate, enforcement of the "bill of rights" would be overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

This is a follow on to the discussion about calling for a "do not track" option.  The adjusted approach addresses the concern that the Federal Government not create a mandate that could put some companies out of business before they can even launch because they cannot adhere to the regulations.

The Commerce Department also proposed creating a "Privacy Policy Office" within Commerce to help with privacy issues on the internet.

According to the Commerce Department, almost 2/3 of American adults have changed their privacy settings on social networking profiles to manage what they share online.

Sources:

"Commerce Department calls for consumer bill of rights on Internet data collection", Washington AP, December 1, 2010.

"Obama administration calls for online privacy bill of rights", David Goldman, CNN Mony, December 16, 2010.

Microsoft Announces More Privacy Controls

Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer 9 addresses the privacy concerns of its customers.  The feature is called "Tracking Protection".

Consumers will be able to list websites that they want to limit what can be tracked about them when they visit.  The product will show them a list of sites and customers can click to choose what is okay to track and what is not or block a site from tracking altogether.

The browser will not come pre-loaded with any lists but Microsoft says they will provide a forum for consumers to share lists with each other of sites they have noted for turning tracking protection on.
The beta version of IE9 is expected early next year.

You have features you can use today if you are concerned about your privacy.

Many browsers offer "opt out cookies"

Google offers an option under their ads where you can opt out of their tracking

It will be interesting to see what the advertising and marketing firms will need to do to stay relevant as various privacy schemes go into place.



Sources:
"Providing Windows Customers with More Choice and Control of Their Privacy Online with Internet Explorer 9", Microsoft's website, December 7, 2010.

"Microsoft Builds Online Tracking Blocking Feature Into IE9", Ryan Singel, Wired, December 7, 2010.

1 in 4 of you over 50 use social networking!

Move over net generation, you are not the only ones on social networking.

It's been shown in studies that people over 50 that can use a computer and access the internet appear to be less depressed then peers their age and it may also help with ongoing mental health because of the social access and ability to read information about events, hobbies and interests that might otherwise not be available.

AARP did a recent report of the 50+ set and found that this age group is increasingly embracing social-networking sites.  According to a polly released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project said usage has grown to almost 42% of this age group uses the internet with 1 in 4 engaging in social networking.

23% are using Facebook.

17% of this group said they are "extremely comfortable" with the internet and 23% are "very comfortable", only 9% said "not very comfortable" and 13% said "not at all".

This is all great news but it also leaves this group vulnerable to spam and scams.

In general, the "old school" rules still apply:
1.  Don't talk to strangers
2.  If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is
3.  You don't take candy from strangers so don't open files or links sent to you by strangers

Top 3 scams to worry about for the 50+?
1-Opening "greeting cards", clicking on links, or opening files that are really spam or filled with viruses

2-Emails about sweepstakes and winning the lottery
 
3-Clicking on pop up windows that say the computer is not protected and by clicking the notification it will be

Protections for the 50+:
1.  Never click on links or open files, even if you know the sender, without asking them about it first
2.  Up to date virus protection, browser software, and operating software
3.  If you don't remember entering a sweepstakes or lottery, you probably did not
4.  Never send bank account information via email or social networking sites
5.  Consider an internet class at your local library or community college
6.  Ignore pop ups and set your browser settings to block pop ups will eliminate most of these pesky ads and scareware

Resources:
The Senior's Guide to Computers

Sources:


"Older Folks Get Into Social Media - An AARP survey of 50-plusers finds more than one in four using online social networking", Mark Dolliver, AdWeek, June 15, 2010.

"Social Media Use for Older Adults Continues to Rise", Roy Wells, SocialMediaToday.com, August 30, 2010.

Facebook Launches New Look and Features

If you missed the show on 60 Minutes, no worries, with the internet, you are just a click away.  I've added a link to "Part 1" of the Interview with Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook in less than 7 years is a global phenom.

In their offices they have the word "Hack" prominently displayed.  Keep in mind that "hacking" something in the computer engineering community is a compliment.  The word has been hijacked by bad guys and their dastardly deeds on the internet.

Interesting way they approach their staff to create and launch new features:
a.  Facebook engineers stay up all night, with their CEO Zuckerberg, doing "hackathons" to practice their craft and come up with new ideas within that time frame.

b.  Another way, the engineers get tasks assigned, go to a war room, and then they get a time limit to complete everything.

Mr. Zuckerberg has launched a new layout for profiles:
1.  Old way:  you see everything posted pretty much in date/time order
     New way:  you put your bio up at the top of the page

2.  Old way:  photos could be a tab or in posts
     New way:  scrolling photos right away under your bio

3.  New:  You can list the important people in your life on the left hand side of the page

4.  New:  History of your relationship with any of your Facebook friends

5.  New:  Graphics of what is important to you

6.  New:  Sports section of the teams you like to follow

Want to update your Facebook account to the new profile look now?  Go to:
Link to upgrade to the new profile

Facebook founder, Zuckerberg, said they will not share this information with advertisers.
They do have a large inventory of interests.  However, applications on Facebook have been found to share this information.  Zuckerberg said they shut down those applications when they find out about it.

60 minutes questions how Facebook exists if it cannot invade your privacy...it's really about transparency.

The FTC is looking into it, private Privacy Groups, and the Hill are looking into it.  Facebook has hired their own lobbyist to help them with policies.

Facebook said over 200 million of their users access the application via mobile devices.

Newest product:  take your text messages, emails, and instant messages...what do you call it?  Facebook calls it "Messages" and considers it a virtual switchboard.  It is considered to be a potential email killer.

Example used in 60 Minutes:
Type "Prius" on Google and you get public information.  Type "Prius" on Facebook and you see what your friends have to say about it.

I used it to check into opinions on lego sets and other toys.

Facebook has been poaching from Google's talent base - 10% of the staff are former Google employees.





Watch the show on 60 minutes at this link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7120522n&tag=contentMain;contentAux

Google Admits Trespassing and Pays a Settlement

Google Streetview collected photos in Pittsburgh.  Normally this involves the Google car driving past your house snapping photos.  One Pittsburgh couple says, they literally crossed the line.  Aaron and Chrstine Boring sued because their house is not on a public street but on a private road.  Their lawsuit said the Google car could only have taken the photos is they traveled to their house via a private road that was marked with a "No Trespassing" sign.

Google's defense was that the Boring home could ask for it to be removed AND the county real estate tax site had a similar photo.

Globally, Google Street View has fans and detractors.  English countryside villagers formed a human chain to block the Google car.  Germany demanded that citizens have the right to fuzz out their house or ask in advance to not have their house image included at all.

The settlement to the Borings?  $1.

Sources:
"Google admits trespassing in Pa., pays couple $1", Joe Mandak, AP, December 1, 2010.

An Internet Curfew for South Koreans May Be Enacted

South Korea says it is worried about their youngsters becoming internet addicts.  Their answer?  Create a ban that makes it ILLEGAL for internet service providers to provide online gaming access to users under the age of 16 between 12 midnight and 6 am.

Many South Korean students are in school until midnight due to the demands of the school day, studying, and extracurricular activities.  So, essentially, this bans game playing.

They are also considering parental tools to help parents set limits on the maximum number of hours young users are allowed online each day.

The bill will be reviewed by their Parliament this month.

What are your thoughts?


Sources:
"South Korea to Set Internet Curfew", FoxNews.com, December 2, 2010.