Every since Google, Face-book, and Microsoft became embroiled in counter-flying accusations concerning privacy and lack-of-trustworthiness, every commentator from a digital goddess to round table discussions on Public Radio have been called upon to comment on the frey. Worries other than privacy ranged from a call for government intervention, pro & con; spotlight scrutiny of Apple, Twitter, Amazon, and thousands of Web companies; and, as though this doesn”t looks ominous enough, the questionable working reality of an important inter-net protocol, called ‘P3P’, your computer may rely upon.
Add to that the March First deadline to set privacy before changes take place that would allegedly jeopardize what privacy was already there and, oh by the way, Face-book’s new emergence as a financial powerhouse based on its ability to wheel-&-deal personal data that largely took the world by surprise and you get the idea that Mayan calendar doom is taking place in cyberspace. Especially March First. Well, it’s after the First. In fact, it’s after March. So let’s take a fresh look.
On April 3, USA TODAY featured a debate that was, in a nutshell:
USA TODAY:Privacy settings should be easier than Google has made them.
Google: Start with a query for ‘Google privacy tools” and remember, the net is so complex, we’re doing the best we can.
Here it’s time to note that, as usual, the generations will view all this differently. It’s older folk that will marvel how the young simply ignore this and other threats to privacy and largely embrace it. Do they not see what is happening? Meanwhile, the young inside this world forge ahead with the public world of their own and may miss something students and corporate leaders know called, Self-branding. (Google that.)
The genius of self branding is that it should be possible, sans a criminal history, to add enough info to back the image you pick for yourself based on who you really are and want the world to see; to reinvent yourself assuming your not happy with the image others paint of you. (If you are now, someone will paint one you won’t like.) This is not to miss the importance of privacy. After all there is name migration in which your key data could waft into a pile of such info jeopardizing your ability to keep your I. D. out of the wrong hands. This is the main point of privacy besides the cruelty of bullying which–popular as the issue is–is really privacy related. But it’s also brand related. Those still unfamiliar with this are more than-likely old enough to have plenty of their life to regret. And for them, plenty in the recent headlines to hate. I believe there is an emerging need for experts in the related fields of privacy–including settings–and brand. In the meantime, here are some tips:
- Kim Komando on the subject of Internet privacy suggests: Index.dat Suite. She says that this will delete files about you you don”t need.
- Concern often comes up about what the government will find out. The PBS website Nova has quoted NSA expert, James Bamford, as saying ” Based on my research, it appears that the NSA has gained access to most of the data communications entering, leaving, and within the U.S. Those communications, such as e-mail messages, are filtered through NSA equipment that scans them for key words, names, addresses, and other criteria.” That was a couple of years ago. I sincerely doubt the US government can learn from any engine but their own now.
- In case your online reputation is confused with someone else’s identification, Brandyourself.com is supposed to provide free online search results.
- In the meantime, for your most protected info, everyone agrees, there is always encryption as the best plan for computers. The latest device here is SurfEasy powered by Mozilla of FireFox. It features 2GB of encription w/one time purchase(premium at $5 monthly). Simple USB drive browse privately from anyone else”s PC or Mac without a record when finished. Remember that doesn’t mean no one else is watching their own computer, much less Uncle Sam.
But, as of April, the new issue is cellphones. They are without protection of passwords, texts, emails, histories, and conversations around the mic. without indication this is going on. Experts consider this the new potential crime frontier. If phones are insecure– needless to say– they aren’t private, they’re something to pray about.