Posted 12:22 PM by Melissa
Internet Privacy: Overview and Regulation . This article talks alot about the elements surrounding the privacy issue. He talks about this software called spyware that people can buy or it can come with your computer and you won't even know it's there. It keeps records of all your activities as well as every key stroke you make, including things like you password that doesn't show up on the screen. The software periodically relays the information bacl to the software manufacturer or marketing company.

Another concern is the extent to which email exchanges or visits to websites mey be monitored by the law enforcement agencies or emploters. The basis of all this searchignis as we all know because of the tragic September 11, but to some exten the governtment has definitley gone too far. Since then they have passed more laws to monitor internet activites.

A greater law has been passed lowering the "threshold of rwehn ISP's may divulge the content of communications, ant to whom." All they have to say is that had a feeling they really don't need anything too concrete to intercept someone's email or private information. "Allowing such information so be disclosed to any governmental entity not onlyposes increased risk to personal privacy, but also is a poor security strategy; and that the language does not provide for judicial oversight of the use of these procedures."

Of course another concern is how far employers can go into employees email. The public concern isn't whether or not htey should do it, I think that as a boss/owner they have some right to monitor what's going on in their business. The concern is whether or not they should notify their employees of that monitoring.

Posted 12:03 PM by Melissa
This next article is from the Electronic Privacy Information Center Douglas Wood's article Protecting Online Privacy: Government Regulation or Free Market Initiatives talks about the ins and outs of this whole privacy debate. He says how many privacy advocates fail to realize that collecting information online benefits both the consumer and the marketer. Since technology is so advacnced this helps to send detailed messages to consumers about their interests and allows them to respond immediately.

He seems to be concerned with who has the right to retgulate the pruvacy issue. Technology is growing so fast that the government probably couldn't even keep up wiht maintaing it. Without all these advertisements and solictors the internet wouldn't essentially be free. Is this fair, I mean do we have to be invaded to get somethign that really isn't free. I guess we pay for the service and don't have to pay to access sites, well some sites at least.

"Consumer advocates and reguulators have voiced concernes that online marketing practices such as monitiing surfing patterns, restricting access to Web sties unless the user provides personal information in the dialog box, and spamming consumers' in-boxes, invade consumer privacy." There have been many cases againse websites who misrepresent what they are really using consumers inforamtion for. Well I guess this is with any advertising compnay you can never be positive as to where your inforamtion is really going.

Posted 3:22 PM by Melissa
Again from Wired Magazine, Who's Winning Privacy Tug of War?
. There is much debate going on about whether government and businesses have the right to not view but share consumers private information. Businesses are fighting to keep their right to access credit information of consumers. But is this really their right? The Fair Credit Reporting Act is set to expire in January 2004, if it does, states will set their own laws on how they want information to be share or whatever they do with it. This will cause alot of chaos for businesses.

I think I understand why these businesses want to continue to get consumsers information, its because they can see what the consumer is used to buying online and send them junk mail pertaining to them. I didn't know that's how it went until I read this article. By allowing businesses to track consumers credit information they are able to send solicitations to consumers on products that they usually buy.

Businesses are afraid that allowing state's to choose their own laws on this topic htey will implement "opt-in laws that would require businesses to get consumers' permission before sharing any information." That would be great, because no matter how helpful solicitors think they are being by sending me ads for things I buy, they are truly a pain. It's a shame how businesses are fighting over somethign that isn't even theirs. They are fighting over who has dibs on personal information of consumers.

"Despite overwhelming public support for tougher rules governing financial privacy, the legislature has repeatedly failed to protect consumers," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. "This initiative will ensure that consumers -- not banks and insurance companies -- will decide who has access to their personal financial information." Now I see why so many peopel avoid shopping and giving personal infromation online. there is always someone waiting to get you. Well, we know how to get at you invading business people, by using fake names and wrong addreses. :-)

Posted 3:08 PM by Melissa
In an article from wired magazine, Big Brother Is Watching You Shop, they talk about how
government investigators are using "commercial databases to track down and isolate possible hijackers and suicide bombers before they strike." I think that it is great that they are looking for possible terrorists but in an effort to do that, private citizens privacy are also being invaded.

Since the enemy's that they are looking for blend in with citizens they are looking fro "pattern recognition". But this could lead to the government surveillence on law abiding citizens whenever they feel. There are restrictions on certain programs to prevent the goverment from monitoring citizens even more than now, in businesses for these extremists. "Law-enforcement agencies must get court approval before monitoring phone conversations or e-mail messages." It seems that they are always getting the approval but what can citizens do about it. I guess if you try to fight it they might think you have something to hide and you become a part of their list.

But the same doesn't apply to the private sector, there are less restrictions. There are incentives for people who allow for their shopping activites to be tracked, they can get coupons and discounts. But I am thinking if they are willingly allowing their purchases to be tracked then why would they be a terrorist. They gather records from peopel and some people who aren't suspects get caught in this search, is that fair?

I am wondering just how effective this method is. Can the government really track a terrorist by his shopping online. Truthfully I don't htink that these terrorists are that dumb, they probably used an alias name and probably don't purchase online since they can be followed. It's just sad that everyone has to suffer in the government's hunt for the bad guys.

Law enforcement agents can subpeona people's email messages or whatever they want. How strong does the government's case have to be to get someone's records. Do they ask they person for they records first or just start keeping a track on them.

Posted 12:24 PM by Melissa
I've decided to go with my first exploratory on online privacy and protection. I was a little more excited about my first topic in essay 1. Hopefully I will become more intersted as I do research which is what I think is what is goign to happen. There is so much that we allshould know about our online security, yet I don't knwo too much. Like who is really watching us out there, and why do they care about our online activities.

I think this topic deals with many keypoints that can open the floor to other things. Since it's sort of a broad topic I can answer other questions pertaining to security. htis will be helpful with my hypertext. I'm kind of excited about the hypertext but don't knwo how it will all come together. It seems like it will be harder writing this paper since we ave to do so much more. Linking to other information , mostly written my me is a key part of the hypertxt. I think that there is alot that can branch off from this topic to so I am lookign forward to it.

Does the government have the right to access our files and view on our online activities? This is a much tighter focus than just online privacy and security. I want to talk about ways we can help protect ourselves. I also want to talk about how secure it is to send information via the web, like credit card number when shopping. I am also wondering if ISPs have the right to track people's activities online, and why do they need to know who's been where. I think that privacy and protection isn't all that private, we are fooling oursleves to believe that it is. I

Posted 9:02 PM by Melissa
Lauren's blog on online addiction was very interesting, since it affects so many people. I think the internet has just made life easier and that is why so many people love to use it. As she mentioned so many htings can be done from the comfort of your home which has caused people to rely very heavily on the computer. But what really makes someone "addicted", would I be considered "addicted". I am always online, during my breaks in between classes I go to the computer lab, when I get home from school I boot my computer up. There just seems like so much to do online. For the most part I think people are just loving hte computer as they did the television, like she says, when it first came out. Another thing people who play vidoe games online or on game consoles are going to be addicted no matter what.

The next blog I read was Kent's. I'm assuming the main focus was on hackers but he ties it in with the war very well. It seems that hackers are cracking codes of mid-eastern web sites and posting American flags and other things. Even though these peopel are our enemies since we're fighting them in a war, we should fight fair. I don't htink that it is right what we are doign to their site, but then again i don't know the whole thing. Hacking from what I understand, has its pros and cons. Hackers who go into sites and ruin them are becoming greater in number. I guess they love the challenge, like a robber who breaks into a bank. I wish that hte bad hackers would use it for good.

The final blog I read was about distantce education, by Jenny from the Blog. I never really thought about how helpful distance education was until hearing it so much in this class. It allows people to take classes and earn credit towards a college degree. You can be anywhere in the world and have distance education here at FSU, isn't it great? I've really seen how it works by seeign Charlie's online class.
It's just odd not going to class because everything is online. I think it's great for those that are disabled and online classes are much easier for them. I agree with Jenny because she says that she doesn't think that distance ed should be used for all ages. I love the convieniece of doing everything from home, but I would have regretted not participating in high school activities. I don't know what I would have done without that interaction. I think as college students we can handle it, but in some cases they are even using it in elementary schools. I say we stick to the old methods at least until high school.

Posted 12:17 AM by Melissa
Internet Filtering Software

We all come in contact with software that prevents us from visiting certain sites online, mainly in public places. The world of cyberspace can truly take you anywhere you want to be, but can also take you places that you do not want to be. Internet Filtering Software is very helpful in preventing certain sites to be accessed from computers. It serves as a sheild in email, by preventing junk mail to get in your inboxes. All of these things are done through special software for the internet.

Ever wonder how junk mail can get in your mail boxes and keep coming. well as with any great inverntion there is some downfall. The internet is great and people use it to advertise which is why we receive so many junk letters in our mail boxes, it's funny how that happens in real life too. Many email providers are providing better internet filterign to prevent unwanted messages from entering the mail box. From what I see, the filter in my email allows for junk mail to go to a seperate folder titled just that, junk mail. Well thanks to the filtering software I don't have to deal with as much as I used to but it is still present.

With most of these filters in the email, they are are able to seperate messages that aren't from senders in your address book which solves the problem most times. But what about a friend with a new email address, the message will automatically go into that pile. Sometimes if you don't look through the junk mail you are liable to miss important messages.

Filtering also covers the aspect of not allowing internte users to use certain sites, that are blocked by the filters. In many public places this is taking place. i think there is a need for filtering in places like libraries and schools. There are certain things that are just too easily accessible that children, especially, don't need to get a hold of. Which is why parents are happy to have special parental controls that most internet service providers offer. They can regulate what and what can not be done on their computer.

I think of it as the pressures and problems that we face as teens in real life, online as well as in real life there is so much lurking out there. In real life our parents try to protect us from it and that is what the internet filtering software can do, serve like online parents, well sort of. :-)

I have experienced the many blocks on websites while in high school. They would compose the filters so that it blocked game sites and music sites. I guess they really wanted us to only use it for "eduactional purposes", but sometimes we need a little fun. Another place where filtering software is used is at many public libraries. I think that there is a great need for that in the library, since there are so many children usually at libraries.

Not only is the software great for keeping inquisitive children away from sites like porn sites, but it also serves to keep adults from thinking that it is ok to view such material in a library. I think that if adults want to view those type of sites then they should do so in the privacy of their homes, but not in a library that would be like having pornography on regular tv stations.

Internet filtering software is a great help to keep out the things that we don't want to come into our homes through the computer.