Archive for September, 2010
Facebook security and privacy hardening guide
Sep 27th
By default, Facebook assumes that when you sign up, you want to share a certain amount of data, establish connections and be found by others.
Claudiu Popa
This makes some sense, since it is after all a social network and it didn’t get to be the world’s largest such community by encouraging users to be paranoid about their online activities.
But over the years, Facebook has demonstrated that their definition of privacy, perception of security and their own priorities have changed significantly.
As such, many people are now preferring to manage their own accounts and control their information in a specific way: by deciding what gets shared and what doesn’t on an individual basis, rather than by accepting Facebook’s arbitrary defaults which err on the side of openness.
To make matters worse, Facebook’s application platform allows developers to access information on users and their friends in ways that are both direct and indirect (i.e. by aggregating data), leaving people to wonder exactly how risky it is to use Facebook when daily headlines describe increasing numbers of data breaches perpetrated on the system by morally corrupt individuals. Read the rest of this entry »
Sneak Peek: Thought Controlled Computing with InteraXon
Sep 23rd
When I was first introduced to InteraXon, a device was placed on my head and I was told that if I focused my thoughts, I’d be able to control the images I was looking at on a screen.
Krista Napier
And I did.
No, this is not an episode of Star Trek – its everyday business at InteraXon, where the company is positioning itself to help companies integrate thought controlled computing into their existing products and business plans.
Dating scams on the rise
Sep 22nd
Dating scams are a common spam email problem. Spam relating to sex or dating currently accounts for approximately 4 per cent of global spam.
In a typical scam, a recipient (male or female) would receive an email from a stranger and the email might say something along the lines of: “I found your information on a website. I think you are my true love…write back to me soon”. Read the rest of this entry »
ISPs would be ineffective, privacy-invasive copyright enforcers
Sep 20th
Do you want the company maintaining your connection to the Internet to keep tabs on the content you’re browsing?
A group of software vendors thinks that’s a good idea.
The Autumnal Equinox is upon us and soon even politicians must give up touring community barbeques and sitting in Muskoka chairs perched on docks in cottage country, and return to work in Ottawa.
Brian Jackson
There will be many items on the Parliamentary agenda as the tumultuous minority government situation embarks on a new session. One of them will be the newest attempt to reform Canada’s Copyright Act with Bill C-32. It’s become a running joke that this country hasn’t updated its copyright laws since a time that pre-dates the iPod, but the serious debate over how to best craft copyright in the digital age is no laughing matter.
Video Blog: Windows Phone 7 vs Google Android vs Apple iOS
Sep 16th
Although Windows Phone 7 (WP7) is yet to launch, the videos below are an excellent side-by-side comparison of the user experience on your – soon to be – WP7 device, the Apple iPhone 4 running iOS and Google’s Nexus One running Android. 
We look at the main operating system first and everything from answering calls to receiving text messages and pictures on the WP7, to a browser comparison video of the three platforms, followed by an early look at WP7’s email client and how it compares to Android and iOS.
Read the rest of this entry »
SEO lessons from the ‘ground zero mosque’
Sep 14th
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock it would not have been easy to escape the controversy over the proposed construction of a “mosque” at Ground Zero in New York City. The words “mosque” and “ground zero” proved to be a volatile mix that ignited a clash of cultures and ideas between those arguing religious freedom and those calling the planned construction an insult to the memory of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Nestor Arellano
The words also make for one hell of a good SEO (search engine optimization) device. It didn’t matter that: 1) the building in question is not a mosque but an Islamic centre that includes a swimming pool, community rooms and offices; and 2) it is not in Ground Zero but actually two blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood. Nearly every printed, televised, blogged, or Twitter message an posted account of the topic used the terms “mosque” and “ground zero.”
I think this illustrates the powerful impact that SEO and search engines have not only over marketing goods and services over the Internet but also on our world view. Read the rest of this entry »
Ambassadors are meeting today’s privacy challenges, head-on
Sep 11th
I recently appeared on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper with an alarming prediction. “World is losing grip on privacy says watchdog – Next decade will be crucial in protecting privacy” rang out the headline.
Ann Cavoukian
I was speaking at the International Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust at the University of Ottawa, and my message was that we need to reframe and look at privacy through a new lens, if we expect to enjoy privacy as we know it, into the next decade.
In my two decades as a privacy professional, I would say that the biggest impact on how we think about privacy has come from the explosive growth of information and communications technologies – more specifically, the rise of online social networking and the growing reliance on wireless transmission and mobile devices such as laptops, cell phones, PDA’s and USB keys. The IT revolution not only brought about a myriad of advancements, resulting in everyday benefits to society, but it also gave birth to an entirely new catalogue of privacy concerns. Read the rest of this entry »
Google Instant alphabet results herald beginning of ‘key letters’
Sep 8th
Google has started rolling out its newest innovation in search – Google Instant.
Users signed in to their accounts will be the first to notice the new feature, basically an auto-complete on steroids. Rather than just suggest what search query you might be typing, Google now just cuts to the chase and actually starts returning results as you type.
Beware of tricks used by spammers
Sep 8th
It is well known that spammers use many different tactics to add legitimacy to their emails.
Two techniques that are popular include personalizing emails and using images to try to fool the recipient into being scammed.
Spammers will often add text to email that specifically mentions the recipient. This is a technique used in legitimate marketing campaigns where a well known company has access to the users’ personal information because the user has signed up to receive their newsletter or is a previous customer. However for a spammer, obtaining personal information is not so simple. An easy way for them to get a similar effect though, is to simply use the email address to which they are sending. While this is not a name, it can have the same effect by making the email appear it was sent in accordance with a legitimate mailing list, rather than spamming at random. This can be a fairly effective tactic as a lot of websites now use email addresses as usernames.
How professional service firms can become more valuable
Sep 7th
What is your firm’s value proposition? To effectively answer this question, begin by identifying where your firm falls on your industry’s value chain. To understand the changing dynamics of the value chain concept, observe what’s happened to the music business.
Tim Williams
Consumers are still spending roughly the same amount of money on music, but the money isn’t going to the record companies and music stores; it’s going to iTunes. The money in the music business value chain is still there—it just moved.
The same is happening in other rapidly evolving industries. Companies are spending, but they’re spending in new and different areas of the value chain.
