Financial transactions have been made easier and readily available with internet technology. Businessmen have discovered how to make use of the internet in their work. They are no longer limited to being in their offices to talk with clients. On top of this, they can complete their financial transactions even during travels or while on vacations. They do not have to make repeated visits to the bank or have face-to-face meetings with their associates.

Businesses used to complete most of these transactions using desktop computers. With laptops and notebooks, transactions were made even more handy and simpler. It is very easy for them to keep track of their financial records regardless of their location. Today, businessmen are using smart phones because of their portability and ease of use. They discovered that these gadgets can be used for purposes other than social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

It was discovered in a survey that a good number of people are using their smart phones to transmit personal and financial information. They do so in order to provide information for online banking, shopping or social networking. There are about 17% of smart phone owners who use their device for financial transactions. This statistic has also attracted the attention of online criminals. They use this knowledge to take advantage of people and make money at the risk of others.

Social networking sites never stop offering new features and services. Each of them hopes to give better online experiences to their users. Several times, some of these sites have been plagued with privacy issues that, in general, have always been resolved. The more widely known sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+1 were created to accommodate users of all ages. There are no strict restrictions as to who can become friends with whom, in terms of age.

There is a social networking site that is now gaining widespread popularity among teens. It is called MyYearbook, and it was created specifically for teens ages 13 and up, who want to meet new friends online. It was initially created by siblings David and Catherine Cook in 2005, when they were high school students. The two asked the help of their older brother, Geoff to invest in their project. This site was activated at Montgomery High School, where they attended.

But now, it seems that the site is no longer just for teens who want to connect with friends. A parent has alleged that his 12-year old daughter, who uses the site, is in danger. He said that his daughter told him that she was receiving some messages from men that contained lewd language. It was then that he got the suspicion that the site is being used by older men who were looking for sex. According to him, just as younger children could fake their age, older men can do the same so that they can register to the site.

There is a plan to update the U.S. online privacy rule for children to include teenagers, aged 13 to 17. This proposition ignited debates during hearings in Congress as members did not have a common stand on whether or not to include teenagers. At present, the law gives the parents of children under the age of 13 the right to decide what information about their children can be collected by websites and other providers. If this rule would be revised, the parents of teenagers would also be able to decide what information can be collected from this age group.

Those who support the revisions say that there is really a need to approve them. According to supporters, teenagers are not mature enough to judge, or even be aware of the dark side of the internet. They observe that children have grown more and more technologically savvy, which enables them to easily cope with the fast changing technology. However, their ability to self-regulate cannot keep in pace with these changes. This can result in privacy problems, thus the need to extend the age bracket for online children privacy laws.

Websites and other providers must obtain verifiable consent from parents before they can collect information from children. This means that consent must really be given by parents. In the new consent procedures, more sophisticated verification methods would be put into place. Two of these would be video-conferencing and electronic scans of consent forms signed by parents. Without one of these, no website can collect, use, or disclose the personal information of children.

Social networking is number one among the busiest places on the internet. Among these many sites are the three giants – Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. These three have become well-liked with their sharing buttons, “Like”, “Follow” and “+1”, respectively. Users can find these sharing buttons on all of the pages, and all they have to do is click on these buttons to show acceptance. The problem is that users can be tracked on every page that contains these buttons, even if they do not click on them. Consequently, users become targets of advertisements, and worse than that, they could lose a lot of their privacy.

Without the user’s knowledge, this unwanted tracking is happening. Information sharing technology has advanced to the limits that codes can be attached to every page. This is most familiar among social networking companies. These file sharing buttons are placed in a web page and they are just waiting to be clicked. As if having its own mind, the code works as the user visits a page, recording the individual’s “presence” and compiling a profile of his or her preferences. After a while, the user becomes a target of advertisements based on what products he or she shows an interest in.

The European Union (EU) has ordered its member states to implement the cookie law. In an effort to address internet privacy, this law was approved in November 2009. From that time on, websites have been required to provide user opt-in before they could install cookies on anyone’s computer.

One problem still remains after two years of its implementation. Until today, the specific requirement for cookie opt-out has yet to be clarified. Those who have implemented this directive do not have a clear understanding of what really would constitute an opt-out requirement. Group members of the EU met in an attempt to spell out things. There are those who say that the user’s decision to enter the website is in itself a suggestion that he or she agrees with the website’s practices. Others, who are directly involved in implementing the policy, think that there should be a clear opt-in process.

The major basis as to why some do not buy into the idea of the directive is that it will cause a bit of a disruption to users. Nowadays, websites have advertisers that unknowingly store cookies on users’ computer. When the order is implemented, pop-up windows would persistently appear on the user’s screen. These would contain opt-in instructions about storing cookies. What is troublesome is when a website has nine companies that advertise on it. There would then be nine pop-up windows that would all pertain to the same question. This would happen as a user moves from one website to another.

Once again, a breach committed against patients’ hospital records stirred up privacy concerns. As a result, thousands of emergency room patients’ personal information was posted on an internet site. A New York Times report said that Stanford Hospital in California confirmed that the data belonged to them, however, they do not know yet how that data was stolen or who stole it.

The breach was discovered only last month, but the data has been on a commercial website for almost a year. A hospital spokesperson said that the data first appeared on that website on September 9, 2010. This makes it difficult for hospital officials to identify exactly who committed the crime because there are many third parties who can actually gain access to hospital information.

There are a number of regulations that pertain to compelling companies to publicly disclose data breaches. Heavy fines are also imposed just to give strength to such legislation. However, experts on medical security blame the incident on the presence of too many outside contractors that can gain access to private hospital data.

The recent issues regarding “supercookies” have prompted MSN to reassess its use of this tracking tool. The company announced that it has discontinued its secret tracking of users’ browsing habits. Microsoft’s Associate General Counsel made public that the company investigated the code without delay, after researchers brought the matter to its attention.

It could be remembered that some time ago, researchers at Stanford University identified a “supercookie” that is capable of resurrecting users’ cookies after they were deleted. In other words, the cookies persist even after a user purposely deletes them. Because of this, users’ browsing habits can still be monitored without their knowledge. They think that everything is “safe” because they deleted the cookies, but that is not true.

MSN was quick to respond to the users’ protests by disabling the code. Its remedial measures extended to giving reassurance to users about the company’s commitment to upholding users’ privacy. It made clear that whatever information was gathered by using the code was never shared with other companies or organizations.

Today, most schools offer some amount of internet access to students as part of the curriculum. To make sure that children are properly guided, each school issues an Internet Acceptable Use Policy. Parents and students are required to sign this document, usually at the beginning of each school year. It contains and explains the school’s guidelines for internet use. It also spells out the rules regarding online behavior and the corresponding consequences for each violation.

In this Policy, some schools include the rights of staff members and students when it comes to using the school’s internet facilities. In general, every Acceptable Use Policy recognizes the rights of students to benefit from the internet and guards them from harm. To strengthen its implementation, parents need to play an important part. They should know what their children are learning in school and how they are going to use the internet to help in their lessons. More importantly, they should know that children are using it in a safe manner.

At home, parents should discuss the Policy with their children. At their age, students might not fully grasp the meaning of these rules. Parents should particularly explain those that might seem harmless but are actually not allowed in the schools. Does the school allow emails for personal use? What does the school mean by harassment? Can students visit file-sharing sites or download music? What are the penalties involved for cyber-bullying while using the school’s computers? They should compare how their children typically use the internet at home and the things that are prohibited at school.

Many parents have the tendency to separate their children from the internet. Some of them say that the amount of information contained therein is so vast that it makes it difficult to control. Others reason that the internet widens the communication gap among all members of the family. Still others assert that it endangers children to online “friends” who are, in fact, cyber criminals.

Their reasons are partly true, but technology is here to stay despite the fact that some people may run away from it. It has become a storehouse of unlimited resources of useful information. As parents, alienating children from that source of information is sure to do more harm than good. Children are not only being deprived of the chance to gain from the internet’s benefits; they are also becoming dangerously inquisitive.

Children’s online experiences can be as rewarding as any offline activity if done with parental control and guidance. What makes the internet dangerous to children’s privacy is the absence of well-defined rules that have been agreed upon by both parents and children. This is aggravated by those parents who need to educate themselves more about the internet.

It is important that home and school online safety rules are synchronized. Children should feel that rules in school reinforce or complement those at home. This is important because nowadays, schools are taking a more active role in the enforcement of rules concerning online behavior. As children enter school, they should have been prepared by their parents for the new environment.

Children who are not used to following internet rules at home will find it difficult to obey those of the school. It is best for parents to institute policies of their own at home so that children do not feel awkward or intimidated. Of course, not all school internet rules are the same, but giving children the feeling of “familiarity” will help them to become more agreeable.

From time to time, schools will change their policies for several reasons. One could be the reactions of parents, which could range from being too lax or too strict. Another could be the general behavior of the children in a particular school. This is greatly determined by the socio-economic circumstances of the family to which these children belong. In general, schools have to go by the generally accepted norms of online behavior. There are schools, though, that lay down internet rules that are non-negotiable and are never compromised.