tagged w/ Personal Data
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As far as I'm concerned, this is yet another reason to stay away from Twitter, Facebook, and all those other sites that sell your personal data. Just do what I did - don't sign up! Be a rebel! Limit your online time-wasting activities to shit that actually MATTERS to you! And here's a bonus: Think of all the free time you'll suddenly have to interact with live humans...
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Many people wonder who is interested in reading tweets about what people had for breakfast. Well, here’s one answer: cereal makers like Kellogg’s and Quaker Oats.
Advertisers are starting to target ads to you based on what you say on Twitter. And if you tweet something nice about a product, you might even see your blurb in bold type on an ad, just like a Jeffrey Lyons movie review. So says Seth Goldstein, the chief executive of SocialMedia, a company that has created advertising formats for Facebook, MySpace, and now Twitter.
Of course, Twitter itself doesn’t put ads on its Web site and doesn’t include ads in the streams of tweets from users. But SocialMedia has found other ways to help advertisers bind their messages to Twitter users. One, called Twitter Sparq, places ads on some Twitter applications, including PowerTwitter (a Firefox plugin) and TwitterFon (an iPhone application).
Twitter Sparq is designed to be an automated auction of text ads, much like Google’s AdWords. But while ads on Google relate to what you are searching for, Twitter Sparq ads are shown to people based on “the list of historical keywords that the user has tweeted in the past,” the company’s site explains.
Is that an invasion of your privacy? It’s not like advertisers are sneaking around watching where you surf without telling you. They are listening to what you have chosen to shout to the whole world.
How do they know what you’ve tweeted about in the past? To use any of the tools that help you manage your Twitter account, you need to enter your Twitter username. That username, of course, is also the key to every corn flake and crunchy twig you’ve ever tweeted about.
Just as interesting as the targeting method is the format of the ads themselves. There is a headline and a bit of text, as in a Google ad. But under it are two links, “Tweet now” and “learn more.” The later link jumps to the advertiser’s Web site. The former creates a draft tweet that the user can edit and send to his or her followers. Advertiser can fish for compliments, ask questions related to how their products are used, or even encourage people to criticize rivals.
“It’s hard to get someone to say something good about Comcast, but it’s easy to get people to complain about DSL,” Mr. Goldstein said.
Indeed, Mr.Golstein sees the act of encouraging people to tweet about products as so central to his concept that advertisers will pay for every tweet the ads generate. Right now, the service is offering a free trial for advertisers, but he ultimately expects the auction to lead to a price of $1 to $10 per customer tweet.
“You’re getting real people to say real things about your brands,” he said.
SocialMedia also has technology it calls Twitter Pulse that creates ads that can appear anywhere on the Web that consist of tweets selected about the advertiser’s product or any other topic of interest. The tweets can simply be set to automatically appear if they match certain keywords, or the advertiser can approve which tweets to put in the ads.
As with the Twitter Sparq ads, these ads also offer a button that allows Twitter members to add their own tweets to the subject. One such ad for Juicy Juice tried to spur conversations by asking questions like “How do you stimulate your child’s mind?” and “How important are vitamin-enhanced foods to you?”
For Twitter users, all this is a reminder that privacy and Twitter don’t mix. Not only is what you tweet there for anyone to read, it is there for anyone to take, copy and exploit. Twitter’s terms of service, unlike those on most other user-generated sites, assert no claim to the users’ tweets or place no restrictions on how others use them.
In other words, don’t tweet anything that you aren’t willing to see on a billboard in Times Square or broadcast on the Super Bowl.
The terms do say, “We encourage users to contribute their creations to the public domain or consider progressive licensing terms.” But there is no way currently for Twitter users to assert rights over their tweets or simply to request that their comments not be used for commercial purposes.
For advertisers, all of this is another step into very uncomfortable territory. They are going to pay to encourage conversations about their products, but they aren’t going to be in full control of what people say.
That may lead to a new version of the old adage: “It doesn’t matter what they say so long as they tweet my name right.”
http://zoominfoblogger.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/twitter-bird-pic.jpgAs far as I'm concerned, this is yet another reason to stay away from Twitter,... more
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Google was born on the Web and is increasingly giving Microsoft fits by forcing the decades-old software giant to compete on Google's terms. Like open source. Like cloud computing.
Microsoft may shore up its fortunes in the short term with a successful Windows 7 launch. But in the long term, its very success with outdated "desktop" products threaten to cede the market to Google.
We'll have all of it, please
It's not really fair to Microsoft. Microsoft is a victim of its own success, needing to cater to its existing clientele with each new release, in true "Innovator's Dilemma" fashion. Hence, Microsoft continues to make a lot of money, but its last two quarters have seen traditional strengths like Windows become a drag on earnings as enterprises spend more money with Google, Red Hat, and others...Google was born on the Web and is increasingly giving Microsoft fits by forcing the... more
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Understanding the market potential and knowing what the entrepreneur and his team may be able to bring to the table, or what they may be hiding, is important to the development of sound investing strategies. This is not to say you should assume entrepreneurs are stealthy individuals bent on tricking you into investing, but it’s essential to gather this inside knowledge as part of the process.Understanding the market potential and knowing what the entrepreneur and his team may... more
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Open ID is now being used by Facebook, Yahoo, Flickr, Paypal, Google, Microsoft, AOL, MySpace, IBM, LiveJournal and VeriSign, among many others.
OpenID is a distributed single sign on solution that allows people to sign into different services with the same login credentials.
Simply put, one cracked OpenID site (by hackers, the government, parents, etc) could result in total profile information access and/or one's identity being abused over several other OpenID sites.
The creator of OpenID currently works at Google.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenID#Security_and_phishingOpen ID is now being used by Facebook, Yahoo, Flickr, Paypal, Google, Microsoft, AOL,... more
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- Tech and gadgets - MSNBC.com
"zero-day" vulnerability ie browser attack
Microsoft Corp. is taking the unusual step of issuing an emergency fix for a security hole in its Internet Explorer software that has exposed millions of users to having their computers taken over by hackers.
The "zero-day" vulnerability, which came to light last week, allows criminals to take over victims' machines simply by steering them to infected Web sites; users don't have to download anything for their computers to get infected, which makes the flaw in Internet Explorer's programming code so dangerous. Internet Explorer is the world's most widely used Web browser.
Microsoft said it plans to ship a security update, rated "critical," for the browser on Wednesday. People with the Windows Update feature activated on their computers will get the patch automatically.
Thousands of Web sites already have been compromised by criminals looking to exploit the flaw. The bad guys have loaded malicious code onto those sites that automatically infect visitors' machines if they're using Internet Explorer and haven't employed a complicated series of workarounds that Microsoft has suggested.
Microsoft said it has seen attacks targeting the flaw only in Internet Explorer 7, the most widely used version, but has cautioned that all other current editions of the browser are vulnerable.
Microsoft rarely issues security fixes for its software outside of its regular monthly updates. The company last did it in October, and a year and half before that.- Tech and gadgets - MSNBC.com
"zero-day" vulnerability ie browser... more
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Users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer have been warned of a flaw that could let hackers gain access to their computers and steal personal data, and told them to swap to a rival browser.
The flaw was spotted last week when hackers started attacking users of IE 7. The flaw, however, has also been found in earlier versions of Microsoft's browser, IE 5 and IE 6.
Because IE is used by seven out of every ten computers in the world, the flaw is potentially very serious. So far, however, it only seems to have been used to steal computer game code from rival gamers.
Microsoft is trying to put together a patch, but in the meantime computer users have been advised to update their security settings or switch to unaffected browsers such as Firefox or Opera.
The flaw in IE allows criminals to gain control of computers that have visited a website infected with malicious code designed to exploit it. While restricting web surfing to trusted sites should reduce the risk of infection, the malicious code can be injected into any website. Users do not have to click or download anything to become infected, merely visiting an infected website is sufficient.
It is known as a "zero-day" attack because it exploits a security vulnerability on the same day that the vulnerability became generally known.
Please follow link on suggestions for IE users: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/16/internetUsers of Microsoft's Internet Explorer have been warned of a flaw that could let... more
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Ministers have been forced to order an emergency shutdown of a key Government computer system to protect millions of people's private details.
The action was taken after a memory stick was found in a pub car park containing confidential passcodes to the online Government Gateway system, which covers everything from tax returns to parking tickets.
An urgent investigation is now under way into how the stick, belonging to the company which runs the flagship system, came to be lost.
The Department for Work and Pensions insisted that the system's security has not been breached, but a computer expert told The Mail on Sunday that in the wrong hands the data on the memory stick could enable hackers to access personal details of the 12million people who have registered on the system, including their passwords.
Users trying to log on to the site yesterday were met by the message: 'The Government Gateway is temporarily offline. We apologise for any inconvenience. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.'
The Government also closed down access to self-assessment tax applications via the Revenue and Customs website.
For the past six years, the £18million Gateway system has enabled members of the public and businesses to gain access to hundreds of services from 50 Whitehall departments, including self-assessment tax returns, VAT returns, pension entitlements and child benefit.
This year alone, 1.8million people have submitted their tax returns on the system.
Members of the public registering for the service have to provide their personal details, which can include names, addresses, wages, National Insurance numbers and credit card details.
The lost memory stick was found two weeks ago outside a Brewers Fayre chain pub in Cannock, Staffordshire, but the Department of Work and Pensions, which owns the Government Gateway, was made aware of its loss only last week when the 2in device was passed to this newspaper.
An expert who examined it for The Mail on Sunday said it contained confidential passwords, security software and the technical blueprint to the system known as the 'source code'. The memory stick is now in the hands of the police.
Concerns have been raised before about the concentration of personal information on the system, but Ministers have repeatedly assured taxpayers that the system was secure.Ministers have been forced to order an emergency shutdown of a key Government computer... more
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The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is set to announce the design for the controversial new identity cards set to be introduced in the coming months.
Containing a picture and a data-chip which holds name, DOB, fingerprints and other biometric data, the cards will be given to foreign nationals from this November, followed by airport staff and other high security jobs early next year.
There's been a lot of controversy over the cards with minister claiming they will improve national security, tackle identity fraud, prevent illegal working and improve border controls.
Whereas those in opposition have branded the cards are unnecessary, costly and a breach of personal liberty.
I'm hoping for a nice light blue colour so it brings out my eyes in the picture...The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is set to announce the design for the controversial... more
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legistorm.com lived up to their name when they publicly disclosed information about Congressional salaries, trips...as well as personal data like home addresses and bank account info. The government makes the documents available, but did legistorm step over the line when they published them? Some angry House aides think so.legistorm.com lived up to their name when they publicly disclosed information about... more
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“Hey, I got a new Facebook account. I’m going to delete this one, so add my new profile,” take a second, third, and maybe a fourth look at the page that follows such a message on Facebook else you run the risk of getting scammed!
If some hapless user already got fooled by this one, they would’ve been led to a URL on view-facebookprofiles.com, a domain registered (and whois-protected) on Namecheap and hosted at Softlayer that looks identical to the Facebook login. And if they’ve also entered their user details, all their contacts would have ended up getting similar messages — the scam spreading like a virus. This isn’t the first attack on Facebook; but it’s the most coordinated one yet. Another attack earlier this year (which was reported as the first attack on Facebook) had users receiving a message: “lol I can’t believe these pics got posted… its going to be BADDDD when her boyfriend sees these- http://www.facebook.com.profile.php.id.371233.cn”. Obviously, users got so carried away with the message that they didn’t stop to see the fake-looking last part of the URL.
Facebook has been a soft target for many ‘Phishing’ attacks (cases where identical-looking fake pages got loaded to extract user names and passwords). The perpetrators of such scams have often used user information to spread the scam to accounts linked to the hacked accounts or simply spread nauseous content. Recently, some hackers used Phishing attacks to spread pictures of children being tortured on the Funwall of users’ Facebook profiles.“Hey, I got a new Facebook account. I’m going to delete this one, so add... more
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I doubt it, but anything's worth trying after the recent 'trend' in losing the personal data of a large chunk of the British public.
USB pen drives have gone all 'Space Age' on us, I bring to you the fingerprint recognising USB stick. It looks cool, seems cool, and, could've saved the UK Government a fair bit of negative press coverage for repeatedly being stupid enough to lose a variety of UK resident's personal data.
Hopefully we'll be seeing:
"Thank you for your bulk buy of fingerprint recognising USB sticks, we do have a problem though, we haven't got any details on file for a Mr. Gordon Brown...."
Oh, the irony of it.
I doubt it, but anything's worth trying after the recent 'trend' in... more
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I've just noticed this handy little feature. If you ever want to sell yourself to the devil and don't know where to find your most personal data, just head over to Google.com/history where you'll find everything precious to you stored neatly and efficiently.
Google know every single search query you've ever pumped into their magical little box, and the information they have is identifiable to you personally. I for example have been "on record" since January 2006 when I signed away my life for a gmail account. During that time Google have learned more about me than I have.
They know when I surf the most, what time of day is peak surfing time, what day of the week is peak surf time, they know what my favorite sites are, they know what my favorite search queries are, they know it all! More over its even posted on a nice neat little graph, including "Top Sites" "Top Clicks" and "Top Queries".
http://www.google.com/history/trends
I have to admit that upon my discovery of this "feature" I immediately felt a little naked, as if I'd just been mugged in the street for the clothes I stand up in and even my soul (in a digital .xls format).
Anyone else a little concerned by this?I've just noticed this handy little feature. If you ever want to sell yourself to... more
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's prime minister apologized Wednesday for the government's loss of two computer discs containing the personal data of 25 million people, saying there was no excuse and promising a review of data procedures.
The two discs contained the department's entire database relating to the payment of child benefits -- a tax-free monthly payment available to everyone with children -- Treasury chief Alistair Darling said.
The data on 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families, includes names, addresses, dates of birth, national insurance numbers, and, in some cases, bank account details.LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's prime minister apologized Wednesday for the... more
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