Privacy

====**__Privacy__ ** ==== Privacy is a topic that is the main concern in disputes about the Internet. Many people feel that their information is not safe when they post it on the Internet. Alot of internet users believe that there are not enough laws to protect their personal information, like their bank account number, from hackers and online predators. This topic has been around for a while, but it has been the main focus of Internet users for the last couple years. These so call privacy laws have been known to hurt us more than help us, at a time that we need them the most. If you are one of the people that are worried about the safety of your information. I highly recommend that you read this page and follow the links to other helpful sources, that will hopefully help you know that their is some action taking place to insure your privacy, however you always need to be careful.-Jerry Orlando & Juan Martinez  There is still hope for these people who are worried that the government does not take enough action. Recently in an [|article] I read Government officials and privacy advocates are pushing President Obama to create a special committe to monitor online activity.If you wish to view this article you must log on to [|Moodle] and go into McShain Library and look for the username for Student resource center. These privacy advocates call for new laws and better law enforcement for cybercrimes. These new laws also call for websites to use more strict policies for identifying people who are using their websites and protection of information not just dealing with the military(Gage "Rising"). In the article Rising Threat, Gage shows that there has been some progress made in the area of enforcement of more strict and reliable Privacy laws. However Gage also says that there are some people who do not want these laws to be created. These are the same people who do not want a group created just to handle cybercrimes and to deal with Privacy policies. These people are the Department of Homeland Security. They do not want these new laws and groups because it makes it seem as if they are not doing their jobs and need someoenels to come and fix the problems they created. According to Gage the previous statement is correct, no matter what the people in the department want to believe. The department only cared about Privacy problems that occured, that dealt with military Privacy, when they should have been monitoring all the Privacy discrepencies that occured throughout the web. Gage also provides ways that the Government can tighten Internet security. These ways include using everything in their power to protect information on the Internet, establishing a new office that soley deals with Internet security, and support strong identification of a person using the Internet(Gage "Rising Threat"). Another [|article] I read about government involvement in protecting privacy of online users talks of the governments targeting of a certain type of advertisement. This advertising is Behavioral targeting. This allows organizations to take information oftheir users and use it for advertising without their consent. Many advertisers and pub lishers agree with this advertising how ever, Privacy advocates are not happy that unknown people have pocession of their personal data and are using it without their consent(Hosford "Behavorial Targeting"). I fell the same as these advocates. I fell that a person should be able to keep their information private, unless they are willing to share it. Big bussiness should not be able to take the personal information of their users and use it for advertising purposes without the consent of the person. The government is however, taking action. Congress is investigating the topic and trying to determine if there are laws needed to restrict this type of advertising. Congress has started an investigation into how the major Internet browsers obtain their information. It is possible that there may be new laws protecting the information of online users and preventing bussinesses from taking this information without permission(Hosford "Behavorial Targeting"). I believe that the government does take action when dealing with Privacy issues and are improving on their techniques to prevent Privacy infringment. However, their is more work to be done to insure the information of internet users. I believe that the government acts too late. When there is a threat to privacy, the government should act as soon as possible. In most cases they ignore a threat and wait till its too late to act on this threat. I also believe that the Government must update the laws so that they are as evolved as technology. Technology has evolved faster and much more that the laws. There are ways to get around laws because of the new technologies that have arisen. The government must create new laws that prevent the use of these new technologies for inappropriate causes.- Jerry Orlando & Juan Martinez

Safety is a form of privacy, seeing how you are safe if your activities online are private. Unfortunately, privacy is not something one gains from common knowledge. However, steps are being taken to improve the knowledge necessary to become a safe Internet user. “... a yearlong public service and education campaign to help parents and caregivers become aware of the // dangers // the Internet poses to children” (Landrigan "Ayotte"). Identity theft is not the only risk you face while online. Cyber bullying is a major danger that exists online. It is such a danger, that Comcast agreed to play $100,000 worth of cyber bullying commercials claims Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. You have to be extremely cautious of what you post online. One picture of one night at one crazy party could end up costing you a job or important position later on in life. Kids are constantly putting themselves in dangerous situations without even realizing it. Seventy percent of teens have online profiles on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va (Giffen "Online Privacey). i-Safe discovered that 73 prcent of high school students reveal their real first names online, 30 percent identify their schools, and 53 percent post their own photos.

-Tim Browne Giffen, Maria. "Online Privacy." __Current Health 2__ 34.7 (Mar. 2008): 8-11. __MasterFILE Premier__. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 10 Mar. 2009 [].

"Study Finds Both Students and Teachers Lack Basic Cyber Security Education." //US Newswire.// (Nov 18, 2008): NA. //Student Resource Center -////Silver//. Gale. Saint Joseph Preparatory School. 8 Apr. 2009 [source=gale&srcprod=SRCC&userGroupName=phil72249&version=1.0].

Works Cited

Now a days there is no privacy online at all. There are many different ways that people can find out who you are and what you’re doing online. An article I found on line states that people can find information on you accidentally or purposely. (Sullivan, “Online Privacy”) This article even states that website sell your social security numbers online. It is very dangerous putting information about yourself online like your phone number or address because criminals could see it and could possibly kill you. The Net was born as an open research tool, and thus was never designed to allow privacy or security. (Sullivan, “Online Privacy”). Without being careful online, you could lose money, personal information or even your life.

-Stephen Pergolin [|works cited/Privacy]

As technology evolves more and more people have begun to believe that whatever they do online is private. They are wrong. Nothing you post online is private. Even things you do not post online are no longer. While surfing the internet you run the risk of having your computer hacked and a stranger possibly on the other side of the world having your information. Anything you post online can be seen by the whole world. People seemed horrified at this idea but at the same time they make it easy for people to see their information. Social-networking sites give their users the ability to make their accounts private and though most take advantage of this setting there are those who don't. Recently Facebook attempted to change its terms of service, without telling anyone. They had wanted to make it so that when a user deactivated their account it would become the property of Facebook. So even people who want privacy are at risk. The government has acknowledged the lack of privacy online and has recently attempted to pass a law in order to help internet users but it was dismissed. -Juan Martinez