I know, it’s an odd title for a post: “Cell Phone Creepiness”.  But when you read this article in BusinessWeek, I guarantee that you will be creep-ed out too.

We all know that cell phones can be tracked geographically.  There are even applications for that.  A reasonable use might be to track where your child is by their cell phone, although your child might not think it’s reasonable.  But consider this, the cell phone company knows who you are.  Couple that with the positioning, and they can determine where you are.  Maybe not so bad yet???

Now consider this.  According to the article, a group of researchers have been able to determine your approximate income, your likes and dislikes and even if you just got fired, all from the locations that you frequent.  They do this by using aggregate data on millions of users to determine patterns.  Depending upon your pattern, or if you break your pattern, they can deduce a lot about you.  Now that’s just creepy.  Add that to the fact that the cell phone provider knows who you are and your privacy is gone.  You might as well walk around naked with sign showing your net worth.

Think I’m exaggerating?  Read the article for yourself on BusinessWeek.

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Around the globe, the US has men and women serving in the army. These brave soldiers are defending our country under what can be very harsh conditions. While it can be argued that they chose to serve in the military freely, we still owe them our thanks. It’s up to us to make certain they have everything they need to be safe when deployed. Safety however, is not just making sure they have the military equipment, it also demands that we provide a way to let off steam. The USO does a great job at this with shows right at the front line. Remember, a soldier’s best weapon is his or her mind. If they are well cared for, they will be better prepared. Years ago, all the military had was R & R, letters from home and the USO. Now soldiers on the front line also have access to other entertainment via the Internet.

So what would a soldier want to access on the Internet. Believe it or not, one of the things they do is watch TV online. They can catch their favorite programs or watch sports. Most of the TV networks put their some of their newest episodes online. For others, they can access media sites that aggregate content. Another source for media is the online newspapers like the New York Times. Or maybe they want to read their home town paper online. Today most, if not all papers, have an online version. So between TV, sports, and newspapers, they can catch up on the latest US media and news.

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A recent PC World article highlights the problem of Privacy, or the lack of it, online.  According the article, the Federal Trade Commission will start looking at enforcing rules for websites.

The issue here is that most people do not even know what information they are giving up when they go to a website.  Tracking cookies, browser information and location are only part of the problem.  Users also enter in information into online forms without knowing where that information is going and how it might be used.  Typically reading a site’s privacy policy is a good first start.  Unfortunately many of these are vague and / or can be updated without notice.

A good rule is to not enter private information online unless you absolutely have to.  Even “good” companies might do bad things.  The article references how Sears was using information online.  They weren’t being evil or malicious, they just did not understand the big privacy picture.

To read the full article, please visit PC World.  However when you read the article, keep in mind this applies to the United States only.   Other countries around the world also have to implement these types of guidelines.  So if you visit a website hosted somewhere outside of the United States, then they have to abide by their country’s rules, not ours.

As we always warn people, do not take your privacy for granted.  It is up to you to protect it.  Privacy may be a right, but it’s not always one that is protected.

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We all get it.  We all hate it.  What is it?  Spam, of course.  The question is how did we get it.  And the answer is that we usually did something stupid.

Wait, did I just call you stupid?  Unfortunately, yes.  And for the record, I do stupid things too.  For example, I’ve entered my e-mail address into sites to sign up for a white paper or free download.  Now they have my e-mail.  In some cases, this is not a big deal.  In other cases it is absolutely a nightmare.  I’ve been inundated with all sorts of offers ranging from ways to grow my private parts to offers of sharing in millions of dollars.  It gets downright annoying.  But you know what, it’s my fault.

However I have a couple of simple tips to eliminate spam.  First, set up a second e-mail address.  Use this e-mail for any website or offer that you sign up for.  Over time if it’s a legitimate offer, move it to a third e-mail address.  Use the third address for newsletters and valid offers.  Notice that I did not suggest that you move it to your primary e-mail address.

Only use your primary e-mail for it’s intended purpose.  If it’s a work e-mail, use it for work.  If it’s a personal e-mail use it for friends and family.  Do not ever, ever, ever put it into a form.  This includes putting it into forms for companies that you trust, such as Disney or Microsoft or Dell.  I am not suggesting that these companies will spam you, but you will get e-mail from them, and potentially from companies they partner with.

So now that you have a new second “spam” e-mail address.  Sign up wherever you want.  You only have to check it right after you sign up for something in case they want you to verify your e-mail address.  Over time, if there’s enough spam in it, throw it away and get another e-mail address.

If you are already being hit with a ton of spam and you can’t change your e-mail address, then you can try a third party program like spamarrest.  They are a demand e-mail system where senders have to verify that they are human and not spam bots.  This can be somewhat annoying to some people who send you e-mail, but so what?  You’re the one with the inbox filled with junk.

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Excellent reporting on CNN about the Internet and Privacy.  This is a must watch video.  It’s a little less than 4 minutes long.

This video reinforces what we’ve been saying for awhile.  Be very careful what you post and where you post.  Protecting your privacy is your responsibility.

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It seems that the European Union has taken the government of the United Kingdom to task over its handling of behavioral advertising.  The EU is suing the UK.  That’s right, suing.

This all started with Phorm, the behavioral advertising company that allowed Internet Service Providers to snoop on their subscribers.  Phorm and the ISP’s did not consider this snooping; they consider it better customer service and a better user experience.  The concept was that if the user was searching for Cats, they would be a better candidate to see advertising based on cats, such as cat litter.  On one hand, this is not an unreasonable assumption.  The problem was the the ISPs did not inform their subscribers that they were doing this.

An article titled “UK taken to court over web “secret surveillance” outlines the entire affair.  It’s well worth a look.

Our opinion is that there is nothing wrong with this type of technology.  The problem lies in the subscribers not knowing it was there.  If they had the option to turn it on or off, then it might actually be useful.

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Nearly everyone is on some social networking site these days. While this is good in the sense that everyone can stay connected, there are some detrimental effects as well. People need to be better about delineating what is good information to post, and what is bad information to post. Teachers and their scandalous web pages consorting with students are all over headlines these days, and not in a good way. The problem may be the people for the most part and their indiscretion, but the companies may be at fault as well.

Recently, Canadians have had a bone to pick with social networking giant FaceBook. Although the website lays out all sorts of privacy guidelines and other protections to be granted towards the consumer, the Canadian Privacy Agency accuses them of being all talk. Canadians represent about twelve million of their two-hundred and fifty million users.

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The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and the U.S. Government have been working on ways to us safe. Throughout the years, they have come up with many procedures and innovations that have forever changed the way we fly, and how safe we are. They introduced the metal detector, a truly pioneering technology that stopped many a criminal from sneaking in with a gun or bomb. Over time though, after no one tried that anymore, things got a little more lax around the security department. Suddenly, the 911 attacks occurred. This was a big slap in the face for the government; someone got through their supposedly unbreakable shields, and a terrorist nonetheless. After this tragedy, airports and any places of aviation are much more secure than they ever were before, and anyone who has sat in a security line forever or been patted down meticulously would agree. They needed something better though, and their answer came in a surprising, futuristic form.

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These days, everyone is conscious of their security. It is a natural instinct of humans, inset into us when our species first roamed the Earth with dinosaurs. Back then it was all about survival, now it is simply an issue of safety. Regardless, people are concerned with security, and after the advent of the Information Generation, concerned with their online security. It makes sense, online security is tied to all other securities in life. Consider someone worried about a criminal finding out where their home is, and attacking them, stealing from them, or kidnapping them or their children; how do you think the criminal found out where the house is? Criminals have enjoyed technological increases as well; instead of the old stalk and follow procedures, they can simply track an open IP address.

It is not just the United States who are advanced technologically enough to be worried about these things; Europeans are currently undergoing an Orwellian crisis. A new law that proposes that local authorities will be able to monitor all activity that occurs on the Internet completely unchecked has nearly ten thousand protesters lined up to fight against this movement happening. It seems ironic; these laws are in place to help the people and to track criminals, monitor child pornographers, etc. People are suspicious though, as is our nature. The government has done too many strange things and hurt too many people all over for the people to completely trust them.

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Remember the much anticipated Green Dam software that was to be installed on every computer in China? This software was supposed to have all sorts of blocking technology that would censor pornographic content from every computer, regardless of age or consent. With this installed, no Chinese citizen could access these sites. While it is quite an un-American notion to block someone from viewing something, it is acceptable to think that the government may be blocking content that they don’t qualify for age-wise, it seems they may have some ulterior motives. Consider the fact that along with pornography, they block all sorts of sites pertaining to anti-communist, or any banned spiritual movements. The banned movement of Falun Gong is always under fire by the Chinese for influencing their citizens, and because of this they have censored him in pretty much every medium.

The proposal initially was slated to have the software released on every computer in China, yet the public revolted against this. The software was to be mandatory installation on every computer, and the computer manufacturers were expected to incur these costs themselves. They didn’t like this, because they had to spend more money employing people to download it, while they charged the citizens the same amount, and therefore, were losing money. The citizens didn’t like it because through this, no matter what their age, they were blocked from the content. While the intention of blocking kids from pornographic content is a good and noble idea, blocking adults who are well over the required age is not. There are many holes in their plan as well. They did not consider that the people wouldn’t just roll over and endure this injustice, and they certainly did not. They fought and fought and almost boycotted the buying of computers until the software was deactivated. Turns out, they won their battle.

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