Google has taken steps toward protecting is users from malware and phishing attacks by alerting webmasters of malicious content and bad URLs.

Now Google offers a service for Network Administartors that allows system owners to receive early notifications for malicious content on their network. Its called “Google Safe Browsing Alerts“. As an example of how powerful this can be, imagine an Internet Service Provider have such a service.

I can already hear the “nayers of google” crying, “what about the privacy of the networks and your users?” To this I say, “SHUT THE HELL UP!” Google loves you. Google died for your sins. Repent, for the kingdom of Google is at hand.
http://safebrowsingalerts.googlelabs.com/

That is all.

http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2010/09/safe-browsing-alerts-for-network.html

How and Why is it Possible to Locate Someone by Mobile Phone?
The FCC mandated the implementation of enhanced 911, E911, for wireless services (Dec 2005). This regulation required that all cell phone carriers provide the capability to trace cell phone calls to within 100 meters or less of their location. Cell phone carriers place GPS technology into the handsets of the cell phone. Most cell phones do not allow direct access to the GPS network; you have to go through the cell phone carrier, another tracking service, or as a result of a 911 call or other emergency. Thanks to the E911 FCC regulations, the authorities can track someone who does not have a GPS enabled cell phone and subscription to the GPS data via their cell phone carrier

How Can You Locate Someone By Mobile Phone?
prerequisites: (unless you have access to 911 emergency systems) the mobile phone you are trying to locate must be GPS enabled and be subscribed to a GPS data plan
Register the GPS subscribed phone with a location based services (LBS). These are carrier or website services that will give you an interface to locate the mobile phone.

Location Based Services:

AccuTracking.com
themobiletracker.com
Mapquest Find Me (Sprint/Nextel)
Sprint’s Mobile Locator
Wherifone (for tracking your kid by their mobile phone)

FREE LBS:
Mologogo

Do more with LBS: http://www.lbszone.com/

Privacy Concerns:
So basically, you can be tracked at all times if you have a cell phone. This raises serious privacy concerns especially since the potential for abuse of LBS is huge. What if someone does not wish to be found? There are also some security/safety concerns to consider: What if someone was recently placed on a witness protection program? Allowing such easy access to their currently location could get them killed. Consider some of the “crazies” out there that want to stalk and/or exact some sort of sick plan on a specific person. Furthermore, can we trust a government (ANY government) to protect each citizens rights to privacy?

Before you attempt locate someone vie their mobile phone you should consider their privacy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location-based_service

There maybe parts of your life you want to share with family that you don’t want co-workers on your friends list to see.

With Facebook you can manage all the content that you post by creating Lists. Once the list is created you can control who has access to what you post and upload.

How to Create Facebook Friends Lists:
1) Login and go to Account | Edit Friends
2) Click on “Create New List” and make a name for your new list
3) Once you have your new list you can add people to that list

Limiting Access to Content:
Anytime you post content you will be given the option of permitting or deny certain lists of friends (or even individuals) to what you are posting. At the bottom of every post near the “Share” button, there is a lock with an arrow to a drop down featuring: Everyone, Friends of Friends, Friends, and Custom. If you click Custom, it will allow you to choose the new list you created or even specific individuals.

With this built in access control feature you have pretty good control over your privacy.

Enter the Facebook Imposter Scam:
The Facebook Imposter Scam is the same exploit that hit myspace. Users accounts are hacked using phishing techniques. Basically, users are lured into clicking on what looks like a legitimate link, they are scammed into giving out their username and password (sometimes with a phishing site that looks like “facebook” a “facebook imposter”). Once the user enters the username password, the criminal has there information and can do whatever they want. What they typically do is use the account to advertise a product, service or scam to EVERY friend on the victims list. The facebook imposter will even use the victim’s account to scam others.

This scam earned its way on the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

The best way to avoid falling prey to this imposter scam, is to watch out for outbound links. Always hover over alink and look at the bottom right-hand corner of the browser to see where it is actually going. Type in the supposed link into the address bar rather than clicking on outboud links. Pay attention to phishing warnings that myspace, search engines, browsers and facebook give you.

I love Google, but it conflicts with my finely honed skill of not trusting. I use Google for just about everything knowing they have a dangerous amount of information about me and everything else readily available in a search friendly little package.

Google showed up as the most conspicuous tracker on third-party sites. Google Analytics, a free product that allows online publishers to gather statistics about visitors to their sites, was used on 81 of the top 100 sites. Cookies from the advertising company DoubleClick, which is owned by Google, were present on 70 of those sites. When combining trackers from those two services, Google had a presence on 92 of the top 100 sites. Others weren’t far behind. Cookies from Atlas, Microsoft’s DoubleClick rival, appeared on 60 sites, and trackers from two other analytics companies, Quantcast and Omniture, showed up on 54 sites.

– Ny time

I still love Google and I still believe, perhaps foolishly, that they are not evil. Even so, one day I think Google will turn evil, not unlike any empire that has become too powerful. The culture of the company will change in a generation and a new dynasty will reign using personal information as a weapon rather than a useful tool for making better searching. I hope I am very, very wrong.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s has been pretty lax with other people privacy. Since he determines our nation’s laws his comments and intensions on such matters are very important. The silly thing about all this is that he doesn’t agree with HIS privacy being exploited.

Professor Reindenberg of Fordham University challenged his students to find all public information on Scalia. Than this appearently pissed him off.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/6/721853/-Scalia-Owned-by-Students,-Flips-Out!

We love convenience so how can we go without our Google, Yahoo, MSN searches and our access to the Internet. Never mind the fact that all of these entities track or even record (and send to the government) every thing we do online.

Our nature places privacy last on the list, and convenience and comfort in the top five. I’m not looking down my nose at you. I’m guilty of all of the above privacy sins. I’m not judging your search engine usage or saying you should switch to anonymizers and clusty.com or go phone using an untraceable credit card.. I’ve got my tin foil hat in storage next to my year supply of MRE’s and shot guns.

I’m just pointing out the facts. We give our privacy away, to companies, the government and other organizations.

What is a bit bothersome to me are laws that allow the abuse of what we are willing to give in trust. The protection of the data we entrust to companies, federal, state and local government should not be allowed to be misused neither by

Violations of the 4th Amendment (use of your online history without probable cause) nor by criminal hackers and/or companies selling your information to the highest bidder.

Fair laws that are in favor of the buyer adherence to the 4th Amendment. I don’t think this is a reasonable request. I think the CIO’s who implement opt-out letters sent to clients expect some amount of respect for the information they put out.

Would be pissed if his financial information was stolen.

Dangers of the Internet are relative to the perspective of those accessing it. That is to say, on the Internet “dangers” are completely dependent on who is accessing what data from where and what their intentions are for accessing it. For example, researching a list of poisons could be a considered “dangers to the Internet” if a seriously disturbed person intends to kill his or her spouse. On the other hand, if a parent is just wondering what house hold products are poisonous with the intention of protecting her children, can that be considered a danger?

So protection from dangers on the Internet should be proactive and involve human judgment at some level. Policies must be written, planned and implemented in advanced or ad hoc to suit the environment and the users accessing the Internet. Children at a school with access from the classroom will more than likely be different from employees at a skating rink.

Even the items commonly considered dangers on the Internet relate directly to how much access individuals and organizations allow to and from the web. Common “dangers” may include (but should not be limited to) the following:

Accessibility to personal – applies to educating users on the dangers of putting personal information on the Internet and protecting organizational data bases

Sensitive data – For a school sensitive data is likely linked to the grades and personal information of staff and student, but for a business sensitive information could include proprietary information that would hurt the bottom line if it were leaked to competition.

Financial fraud & criminal hackers/scammers- This applies to educating users about criminal hacker techniques such as malware, social engineering, email and website phishing

The access of impressionable and/or psychologically disturbed individuals to potentially harmful and destructive information – This is rather subjective however it should be a concern to schools from elementary – colleges, rehabilitation facilities and mental institutions. There are ways to block certain obvious material with web-blocker type applications, but no one can stop them all. Monitoring is a must if this danger is to be handled seriously.

The risks and damage of these dangers are dependent on the environment & the users involved. It is up to the system owners to ensure that the policies are properly planned, implemented and maintained as exposure to any Internet danger can disrupt the safety, mission and/or values of an organization or individual.

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 01, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 02, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 03, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 04, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 05, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 06, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 07, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 08, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 10, with Steve Rambam

PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT Pt 11, with Steve Rambam

All ‘PRIVACY IS DEAD – GET OVER IT with Steve Rambam’ Lectures