U.S. Government Is Threatening Your Privacy

                 A recent court case in which the U.S. Government ordered a former email provider to hand over its SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Key could have a profound effect on privacy all across the Web. Many websites use SSL Keys to lock away encrypted data. Sites such as Bank of America, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are some of the few. If the Government is allowed the SSL Key for one email provider in the current case, that verdict would make it easier for the Government to gain access to the Keys of other major websites, and in turn would have access to vast amounts of personal information.

                Why would the Government want the SSL Key of a former email provider? Because it was email provider of choice for Edward Snowden called Lavabit, which served not only Snowden but 400,000 other users. Like some other email providers, Lavabit encrypted all of its communications between users, and that information is still encrypted to this day even though the site was shut down. Snowden, who infamously leaked NSA mass surveillance programs to the world, released his Lavabit email address soon after he arrived in Russia. Snowden's email address could have a large amount of important information. But with access to Snowdens account the Government could also read through any of Lavabits other accounts.

                The Problem lies in that the Government gaining access to all of Lavabits encrypted accounts violates the 4^th amendment of the US Constitution, and the Government would be able to view private information of over 400,000 people. EFF, an organization that supports digital rights, was alarmed at the potential possibilities of allowing the US Government access to the private information not only on Lavabit but other major sites. An EFF spokesperson stated "Facebook has a single private key that protects the communications of over 1.26 billion users. In the case of Facebook, having the private key used by the company would give unfettered access to the personal information of almost 20 percent of all of the human beings on the planet obtained through the Facebook site for three years." Hopefully our Privacy won't potentially be compromised because of one court case. Do you think the Government should have a right to access encrypted information?

 Kirk, Jeremy. "Lavabit Encryption Key Ruling Threatens Internet Privacy." Computerworld. International Data Group Inc., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

 http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9243525/Lavabit_encryption_key_ruling_threatens_Internet_privacy

Teen Privacy on Facebook

                 It is no shock that Facebook has been ridiculed about its privacy policy. Facebook has been scrutinized by many users, businesses, court cases, and now parents of teens sharing too much information on Facebook. Teenagers, ages thirteen to seventeen, were only allowed to share videos, pictures, and status updates with their friends or friends of friends. This age group was not allowed to host a public account according to Facebook’s Privacy Policy. An announcement was made on October 16, 2013 that these teenagers are now able to hold a public user account.

An analyst with ZK Research, Zeus Kerravala, seems to think that Facebook’s move is all about advertising. Kerravala stated, “When Facebook is allowing more people to see teenagers’ information, they’re also allowing advertisers to see more info. Marketers can get better knowledge of what is hot with teens. Teens also tend to be very loud and public in what they want to buy.”

There is a big debate on whether Facebook should have made this change to its Privacy Policy. Many think that teenagers of this age should be treated no different, after all anyone can lie about their age when signing up for an account. Others say this age level is too young to be sharing their information with the world. At some point isn’t it the responsibility of these teens parents or guardians to educate their teens on privacy and safety on the Internet?

What do you think? Do you think Facebook made a bad decision by allowing teen’s public access?

Gaudin, Sharon. "Facebook Loosens Its Rules on Teen Privacy." Computerworld. N.p., 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct.2013. <http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9243270/Facebook_loosens_its_rules_on_teen_privacy_?source=rss_latest_content>.

Five Things You Should Never Click

           Lately, Internet scams, viruses, and hackers have been prevalent.  They have gotten a lot more creative in the ways that they try and lure somebody to give them information or money. According to Adam Levine of huffingtonpost.com, there are five things you should never click on if you want better Internet security. These are mobile apps, remote access, pornography, authority scams and drug scams.

            The amount of mobile app scams has risen over 200% since 2011. They are mostly on the android platform because it is easier to gain access to this marketplace. These scams come from every angle. They range from fake banking apps to games that you pay for.  The worst sounding one turns a legitimate app into an app that tracks your location and the information you put into your phone. To prevent this from happening all you have to do is a little research. Make sure the app you are about to download is legitimate. Look online at reviews and reviews that are on the marketplace. Somebody will warn everybody before you download the scam app.

            Remote access is when somebody poses as a representative for a company. The example that Adam used is con men that acted as Microsoft support. They will contact you and tell you that your computer has a virus and if you let them have access, they will install harmful software that hacks into your personal information. To prevent this, do not freak out and think your computer will crash. A person’s first reaction is to give them all required information to fix it. The big hint that it’s a scam is that they contacted you first. Why would Microsoft or another company contact you and say you have a virus. How could they tell if you do or don’t. Do not answer anything that involves somebody contacting you first about a problem on your personal belongings.

            Pornography sights have been known for scams for a very long time. By simply just clicking on the wrong ad, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble. It could lead to illegal content, which could lead to getting in trouble with the government or a virus on your computer. To avoid this, don’t click on random links from scam emails or random popup ads. Try and avoid it at all costs.

            Authority scams are similar to remote access. A fake company contacts you about something like your credit cards or something that can get you in trouble real easily. The initial response of a person is to provide all information that you need to identify themselves. These companies or scammers now have access to your personal credit or bank statements and can steal money. To avoid this you have to resist the urge. Check whatever they contacted you about personally to see if its true.

            Drug scams have been around from the beginning of scams. Usually the drugs are associated with email scams. MacAfee’s research team has found that 20% of all scam emails have drug reference in them. With this staggering statistic it’s no wonder why its something not to click on. To prevent this from happening try not clicking on the link. If (I am not say it’s a good idea) you need to buy drugs (which is illegal) do not buy it from a blind dealer. Do not let somebody get a hold of your bank account.

            By not giving into a lot of online stuff, you can prevent yourself from getting in trouble or your identity stolen. If you feel like something is fishy and not right, it probably means that illegal business is going on and you should not continue. Do not fall prey to online predators because you and your bank account may get hurt.

Levin, Adam. "The 5 Deadly Clicks: The Links You Should Never Touch." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Want to hide your internet past? Move to California

There have always been suspicions of the US government spying on its own citizens along with everyone else in the world, but with the recent news regarding Edward Snowden and the NSA, we know it is no longer a suspicion.  Because of this, several countries including China, Brazil and others in Europe are wanting to move away from the US internet systems and servers.  So what is the US government going to do to intervene with this big mess? Jerry Brown, California Governor, and California Senate have signed a bill into law that, starting in 2015, will require online companies to delete any material from public viewing that a minor has posted upon their request.

A law in California already requires every website to let their visitors know what information they are gathering and who it will be shared with. The new law called, SB568, requires companies to go even further and state whether they honor do-not-follow requests of their users.  A big concern from myself, and I’m sure of more people, is what information of yours are companies tracking, taking and using?  Between pre-existing laws and SB568, California residents will have all of their questions answered.

There are some areas that this law does not give a user, especially a minor, protection from however.  If a third party posted a picture or made a comment concerning a given minor, the website does not have to honor that minor’s request to remove the material.  This is not too big of a deal however, because all that minor has to do is ask their friend to request that post be removed. The law also does not entitle someone who is older than 18 to request a company to delete something that they posted as a minor.  None the less, this new law will greatly impact the future of online privacy for the younger generations to come because of the new standards set forth by the state of California.

 

As previously stated, the privacy of US citizens has always been concerned with how private their information truly is from the government and companies.  This new law in California is a big step in terms of allowing citizens to know exactly what information companies are accessing and what they are doing with it.  It will be interesting to see what other states do in the near future regarding this matter along with what the US government will do.  I am interested to hear opinions on this law and whether you agree it is good or not.

 

References: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New-law-lets-teens-delete-digital-skeletons-4837309.php

 

Google is Reading your Emails

            "Free", I assumed using Google's email service (Gmail) was free. After learning about the facts of the recent Gmail privacy lawsuit, I now realize the payment for using Gmail is not nickels and dimes, but the content of emails. Google is using an electronic program to scan all emails that are processed by Gmail, and in turn could do anything with this information.

            The only reason Google admits to using the information for, is to help target its advertising. The electronic program can find commonalities between emails and then target advertising based on the information it found. Not only are emails scanned from Gmail accounts, but also emails sent to Gmail accounts from non-Gmail users. The topic of the emails does not matter, whether they are about hobbies, work, family or school, every word can be used to target you. Also Google is attempting to link information about users from all its services, not just email, but Google search, and the Chrome Internet Browser.

            Does Google respect personal Privacy? No, Google feels they have a right to read emails and take information. However some disagree and are suing Google. Sean Rommel, part of a team of attorneys suing Google stated, "This company reads, on a daily basis, every email that's submitted, and when I say read, I mean looking at every word to determine meaning." In response Whitty Somvichian, an attorney for Google, stated "Users, while they're using their Google Gmail account, have given Google the ability to use the emails they send and receive for providing that service." A trial date could be set within the next 12 months, and the verdict from this case could affect the outcome of other similar cases. Till the verdict is decided, I would be careful about what you send and receive using Gmail because Google will read every word, whether you do or not.

Mendoza, Martha. "Google Seeks to Dismiss Gmail Privacy Lawsuit, Says It Has Right to Scan Correspondence." Yahoo Finance Canada. The Associated Press, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-seeks-dismiss-gmail-privacy-lawsuit-says-scan-083931002--finance.html