In the spirit of Halloween...

The other day while killing time on Facebook, my roommate sent me a chat message that contained no words, but rather a single URL link. I responded back asking what the link was, but when I didn't get a reply I figured I would check it out for myself. The link read "takethislollipop.com," which I found to be a rather curious name, and when I clicked it I was brought to a webpage that had no pictures or words other than a big, blue lollipop in the middle of the page with the words "I DARE YOU" written across it. When I clicked the lollipop, a new browser popped up asking my persmission to access my Facebook information. Though this would normally raise a red flag, my roommate and the website reassured me that none of my information would be saved for any reason. I proceeded to click "accept," and a new browser containing a fullscreen video showed up on my screen. What happened next was absolutely horrifying.

No, this wasn't the kind of video that tries to scare you by playing loud music as a scary image pops up on screen. Nor was it the kind that superimposes ghosts and monsters onto real video footage to lead you to believe that they exist. It was far more terrifying than that. This video was my own personal horror story which began in a dimly lit hallway, the kind that would be seen in a scary movie. As the video plays on, you are introduced to a very creepy, dirty (literally) older man sitting at his computer in a large, open room. With his face pressed up against the screen and his eyes frantically darting back and forth, he clicks the mouse a few times and suddenly his face lights up with delight. After a couple of seconds pass, the video finally reveals the reason for this disturbing man's excitement; he is looking at none other than a picture of... ME.

I do not want to spoil the rest of the video for anyone willing to try it out (which I highly encourage). As said before, the website WILL NOT keep any of your information, but if you still do not feel comfortable allowing access to your Facebook (though I think it makes the story depicted in the video more realistic), here is the video using someone else's information:


Though I'm assuming that this video was created more for entertainment purposes, I could honestly see it being a PSA type of video as well. The hypothetical cyber-stalker depicted in this video was creeping on my actual photos and wall posts, and as the video continues, he even looks up the city in which I currently reside. The scariest aspect about this video is that all of the information the video used was accessed directly from my Facebook. All of the information that was available to this gruesome, hypothetical creep is also available to anyone online, cyber-stalker or not. The scenes and images portrayed in this video would make anyone think twice about the information they put on their online profiles.

So, in the spirit of Halloween, try it out using your own information. I DARE YOU.

Sources:
http://www.takethislollipop.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96xcOtniys&feature=related

Even if you don't have a Facebook, you have a Facebook

While surfing the Internet, I came across an article titled "Facebook Building 'Shadow Profiles' of Non-Members, Experts Allege," found on foxnews.com. It centers on the claim made by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner that accuses Facebook of building "shadow profiles" of non-users who have not even signed up to join Facebook. Though Facebook denies this accusation, international privacy watchdogs claim that Facebook creates these profiles by taking the information of non-users from the profiles of actual users. Ciara O'Sullivan, a spokeswoman for Ireland's Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, stated that this completely violates privacy laws in Europe, and that the commission plans to do a complete audit of Facebook.

In rebuttal to Ireland's accusation, Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for Facebook, claimed the "allegations are false" and that "the assertion that Facebook is doing some sort of nefarious profiling is simply wrong." But was this simply an "assertion" or was there viable evidence that supported Ireland's claim? According to the article, Facebook claims that no information received from its users is used for ads or sold to third parties, but Ireland believes they are doing just that. They claim to have evidence that Facebook is "gathering excessive amounts of information about data subjects without notice or consent by the data subject" and the subject matter "might also constitute sensitive data such as political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation and so forth." This possible privacy violation could mean a big penalty towards Facebook, since it potentially violates Europe's strict privacy laws.

Though the claim of Facebook's "shadow profiles" has yet to be proven, this is just one of many accusations against the privacy policies of Facebook and other social networking sites. Kelly Kubasta, who heads the Dallas law firm Klemchuk Kubasta’s social media division, stated that "regardless of what Facebook is doing, many websites collect and propagate personally identifiable information about individuals who have not entered into any agreement with the website." If proven true, these "shadow profiles" could stir up a lot of controversy over privacy violation. Until then, Kubasta agrees that Facebook, and other social networking sites alike, could do a lot more to effectively protect personal data.

Sources:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/21/facebook-building-shadow-profiles-non-members-experts-allege/

Advertisement companies using personal information is bad...or no big deal?

Today, I will be comparing two blogs. The first is a blog titled "Kim Cameron's Identity Weblog" that talks specifically about identity on the Internet, though sometimes brushes the topic of privacy. The second is a blog post written by Paul Goodhead found on the site bit-tech.net.

Both blogs do a good job appealing to ethos in their choice of words, but they differ greatly on their viewpoints. Kim Cameron's latest blog post talks about the website Linked In, and how it leaks the information of its users to third party advertising companies in order to match the user with appropriate advertisements. The author has a strong viewpoint against this activity, accusing it of virtually stripping the privacy and identity of it's users. The author conveys her viewpoint through the use of a sarcastic tone, mixed in with short, strong, and opinionated statements. She concludes her post by saying, "as a community of professionals...we need a network that respects the rights of the people in it." The fact that she refers to herself and her audience as "professionals" may mean that the author is a businesswoman who knows what she's talking about, and thus contributes to logos.

The blog post on bit-tech takes a different standpoint on the same subject. The author of this blog uses a somewhat sarcastic tone throughout the post, almost mocking the concerns that many people have about Internet privacy and advertising companies stealing personal information. He refers to anyone with this viewpoint as "alarmist and arguably ignorant...of how the Internet works." The author claims that uploading drunken pictures of yourself is no different from an advertising company using one of your listed interests as a key word for advertisements. Obviously this author has strong opinions on the subject, and makes it clear through strong word choice and one-sided commentary.

Though the opinions and viewpoints of these bloggers differ greatly, their overall tone and blog appearance were very similar. Both blogs had visuals that not only conveyed the subject matter of their blogs, but also contributed greatly to logos. The blogs also used a similar sarcastic tone when writing about their topics, which was successful in engaging the reader. If you are looking for different viewpoints on the subject of advertising companies and Internet privacy, I would recommend these blogs for good arguments from both sides.

Sources:
http://www.identityblog.com/
http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2011/03/22/on-privacy-in-facebook/

Do you know who's watching you?

Many social networking sites, like Facebook, have privacy settings that put most of the control in the hands of the user, and most users will say they keep their personal profiles relatively private. But how much of our privacy do we really control? About a month ago, Facebook once again changed its privacy settings without informing the users. When logged onto Facebook, take a look at the URL box at the top of your window. If it reads "http" instead of "https," you are not browsing with a secured connection. Though this can be changed by the user (if you would like to do so, I have directions at the end of the post), Facebook has it automatically set to the non-secure setting. Changes like these happen so frequently that they often go unnoticed by even the most secure and private users. So then, how secure are we? In the scroll box below, I have embedded a chart from wordstream.com that reveals some shocking and interesting statistics about the privacy of Google and Facebook users.

With scary statistics like the ones shown above, why do so many people continue providing personal information to social networking sites? Why do these social networking sites, like Facebook, make their privacy settings automatically unsecured? The answer to these and many other questions may never truly be answered. But one thing is for sure, most loyal Internet users will trust the Internet until they are given a reason not to, and by then the consequences may be too substantial to overcome.

How to secure your Facebook connection:
1. Go to "Account Settings"
2. Click "Security" on the left top corner
3. Click "Edit" next to "Secure Browsing"
4. Check the box, then click "Save".

Sources:
http://www.wordstream.com/articles/google-privacy-internet-privacy

The true meaning of "Face"book

We all have one. Some of us are one. Most of us ignore them, but some of us follow them. We can "like" them, or we can hide them. They can be stalked, or they can be blocked. Either way, we all know about them. Fellow social networkers, I'm talking about the Facebook Status Junkie.

Before the age of the Internet, privacy was an important and respected issue. People kept their private lives, well, private. Today, with sites like Twitter and Facebook, which averages over 800 million users to date, it's all about what you're doing, when you're doing it, and who you're doing it with. Some people join these social networking sites to get in touch with old friends, some to learn about new friends, but most utilize it to update their friends on the movie they just saw, how much studying they have to do, or the vacation they just took. Why do these "Facebook Status Junkies," as mentioned before, expose so much of their private lives to the ever-expanding Internet world? Every Twitter post or Facebook status we enter, every photo we upload, and every online conversation we have is shaping who we are on the other side of the computer screen, as depicted in the picture above. This illustration emphasizes the whole idea of privacy and how every virtual piece of information we put onto the Internet reflects a strip of who we really are offline; what we look like, who we hang out with, what we like to do, and so on. It evokes a sense of loss of self, and provokes Internet users to think about what they post on the Internet as a factor defining who they are in the real world. The way the strips of flesh peel back into bits of personal information floating into the computer screen really iterates the severity of how what we post online tears away at our privacy. It could also be perceived from the opposite direction, in that the strips of information coming from the computer screen shape every bit of who we are. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "Face"book, doesn't it?

For now, Facebook Status Junkies will continue to write statuses, avid social networkers will continue updating their profiles, and bloggers will continue blogging. But it is only a matter of time before the privacy of every Internet user is virtually nonexistent and nothing is hidden from the vast world that is sucking in bits of your personal identity from the other side of the screen.

Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
http://www.maclife.com/article/feature/internet_privacy_101_your_safety_guide_social_networking

Will that be cash or credit?

Having worked at a grocery store for more than 3 years, I feel like it is safe to say that I have rung up what seems like more than 1 million transactions. Most modern shoppers pay in the form of a debit or credit card, but every so often a costumer will whip out the old school checkbook, ask to borrow a pen, and take the time to fill out all the information a check requires, all while receiving impatient and disgruntled looks from the customers waiting behind them. Though these stuck-in-the-past check-writers are rare, I had an experience with one customer that changed my perspective on the use of checks. She declared to me that she was writing checks, and checks only, for the rest of her life - and for good reason. Her credit card information had been stolen online from a website that claimed to be "secure" and thousands of dollars had been charged to her account.

Traumatizing events like these are not uncommon. They happen everyday to people who put their trust in the internet by supplying their personal information to websites they believe will protect them. From the online shopper, to the online blogger, even to the online social networker, there isn't a user today who isn't accessing a website that doesn't require, or at least attempt to acquire, some form of personal information. Most retailers often have online stores that make accessing and purchasing their merchandise fairly simple, but most require a credit card number and mailing address. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace don't require such personal information, but have blanks for the user to fill in varying information such as their age, a personal description, and even their location, if desired.

Why do so many people (myself included) trust in such sites to disclose personal information? This blog will discuss the topics of identity, privacy, and safety and how they apply to the internet and other modern technologies our world has come to trust and rely on.

Hope you enjoyed reading!