New Technology Reviews!.: Privacy

iOS 5 deprecates UDID as identifier for developers, but it's not the end of the world

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="259" mce_src="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7821/screenshot20110606at141.jpg" src="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7821/screenshot20110606at141.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; height: 259px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 8px; max-width: 640px; width: 247px;" width="247" />Reading the headlines today, you'll see the usual exaggeration of half-understood factoids bubble out from today's iOS 5 beta 6 release. Thank goodness for that NDA, huh?</div>
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As reported by our sister site TechCrunch, Apple is deprecating the use of UDIDs as unique identifiers for developers, thereby severing one of the most common ties between physical devices and the apps that need to know which specific iOS gadget they're on. It's the end of the world as we know it! Well, no, actually. Let's get to the real story here, brought to you by feedback from some iOS developers with real-world knowledge of what the implications of this change will be.</div>
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First off, let's clear up what it means for Apple to 'deprecate' this identifier. A deprecated function or software component is notyanked out immediately; it's simply been flagged by the developer of the platform (or app, command line tool, what have you) as something that will be going away in the future, eventually. While the feature remains in place for the sake of backwards compatibility, deprecation is a clear sign to all the programmers in town that they will have to move away from using this feature in the long run.</div>
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To the average person, this deprecation of developer access to UDIDs means little more than one step towards better privacy. UDIDs are far from the only way a developer could ensure "your" iPhone is, in fact, your iPhone. Using the identifier has always been a relatively easy way for developers to do this, however, and so many used it, some abused it, and the average user was never the wiser.</div>
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From the beginning, Apple has always uniquely identified its devices via UDIDs or other means, and the iPhone is no exception. There is a class called "UIDdevice" which describes the things on the iPhone, i.e., the features unique to that device. Until today, developers could have access to a users' UDIDs, and they've used them as identifiers for a lot of gaming, user info persistence and subscription systems (including some of our favorite apps). The downside of UDIDs in the past is because they're related to devices and not accounts, sometimes it's hard to have the device identifiers talk to each other. Some developers have grabbed or scraped these without user permission for marketing and other less than reputable purposes -- hence the privacy concern behind broadcasting UDIDs to third-party developers.</div>
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The utility of developers having access to the UDID is far lower than the potential for abusing it. The UIdevice class does things like telling you the battery state, system name, OS version, phone model, and so forth -- it identifies the device and the features on it. It's been helpful in terms of letting developers determine which devices run certain features better -- knowing the difference in performance between an iPhone 3G and an iPhone 4 is certainly important, especially to game developers -- but other than that, there's not much utility there.</div>
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So why isn't losing access to the UDID a big deal, at all? Any developer can always roll their own unique identifier. Apple provides a way to randomly generate one, so you never really hadto use the UDID. People have been using UDIDs for various reasons -- not all of them good -- and there's not a lot of positives to UDID use other than ad-hoc app distribution (i.e., for beta testing).</div>
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Apple's deprecation of UDID access is something that's been expected for some time. MacStories' take on it aligns with our own; privacy concerns over UDID sharing have been in the news for a long time, so it's not a shocker that Apple's now contemplating denying third-party access to them. From a user's perspective, this is a Good Thing. From a scrupulous developer's position, this may complicate your life for a while, but that's all. Unscrupulousdevelopers who've been abusing UDIDs for marketing or other purposes are the ones that will get hit hardest by this change, but as far as I'm concerned, they can wither up and die with no tears shed.</div>
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Some have speculated that iCloud account information might be substituted for UDIDs, but developers don't really have access to user account information from iCloud -- and they shouldn't. That would be an even bigger security hole than UDIDs.</div>
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Apple seems to be taking a "none of your business" approach to user IDs where developers are concerned. We speculate that's the motivation behind removing the UDID API. Meanwhile, try not to buy into widespread reports of dogs and cats living together/mass hysteria, because it's just not that big of a deal in the long run.</div>
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iOS 5 deprecates UDID as identifier for developers, but it's not the end of the world

Reading the headlines today, you'll see the usual exaggeration of half-understood factoids bubble out from today's iOS 5 beta 6 ...

Google+, kindly meet privacy issues

<img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-79260 aligncenter" height="50" src="http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2580/gplus.jpg" title="gplus" width="234" />There’s a snafu with the recently released Google+, where potential problems have already been spotted concerning the issue of privacy. Google’s latest attempt at social networking allows you to categorize people you know into different circles, letting you share with friends what you do not want your family to know – however, there is a feature which allows you to reshare what someone else has posted. Logically speaking, the resharing ability allows the original post to go beyond the “circle of trust”, as Gaylord Focker would put it. The loophole was first spotted by the eagle eyed folks over at the Financial Times, but it is nice to know that such a loophole was discovered so early into the game, considering Google+ is still in limited trial, with users finding some rough edges in the process. Google stated that “we’re actively listening to feedback from our testers. Prior to launching the product, we may make adjustments to the system in response to this feedback.” <div><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=fGR0bJvk4Ro:_m-NaY1kd4M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7178/15694658.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=fGR0bJvk4Ro:_m-NaY1kd4M:qj6IDK7rITs"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8466/14821600.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=fGR0bJvk4Ro:_m-NaY1kd4M:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5941/28852514.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=fGR0bJvk4Ro:_m-NaY1kd4M:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3420/47455817.gif" /></a></div>

Google+, kindly meet privacy issues

There’s a snafu with the recently released Google+, where potential problems have already been spotted concerning the issue of privacy. Goog...

Wall Street Journal says apps may violate privacy, fingers MySpace and Pandora

<img alt="" src="/ip4main.jpg">You might have heard how careless some third-party apps can be with your personal data, but it may not yet have hit home -- offenders can include must-have programs like MySpace and Pandora, too. The Wall Street Journal tested 101 popular apps for iPhone and Android and discovered that over half transmitted unique device identifiers (UDID) to a flock of advertisers without so much as a prompt, and that some (including Pandora) even transmitted a user's age, gender and location to better target their marks. Now, before you boycott your favorite music apps, you might want to hear the other side of the story, which is that all this data is typically processed in batches and anonymized so that advertisers can't necessarily separate you from the crowd. However, the worry is that there may be little stopping nefarious individuals from creating a database that links your UDID to all this other data you send out. It's a juicy proposition for targeted advertising, sure, but also potentially real-world crime, so we doubt this will be the last we hear of UDID privacy scares.

Wall Street Journal says apps may violate privacy, fingers MySpace and Pandora

You might have heard how careless some third-party apps can be with your personal data, but it may not yet have hit home -- offenders can in...

iPhone Hacks and Threats to Personal Privacy

We’ve been amazed by it since its introduction. Who can’t remember the address given by Steve Jobs of Apple when he introduced the revolutionary iPhone? Who wasn’t amazed at the device that was capable of surfing the web, taking pictures, listening to music and of course receiving and placing calls?Nothing new, right?Just as the iPhone was released, hackers around North America started to dig into what makes this tick. The primary reason was to unlock the phone so that you didn’t have to sign-up with AT&T but with any carrier that supported the technology. But could there me more nefarious reasons to hack the iPhone?Skilled hackers could now take their phone onto any carrier, but more importantly they could create and enable custom ring tones (without having to pay for buying ring tones), enable custom wallpapers and more.In process of hacking into the iPhone, several tidbits were gleaned - such as the fact that the software on the iPhone runs as "root" - in the Unix world this basically gives you full and complete access to the machine. You could bring down entire servers and even chains of servers if you have ROOT access to a Unix machine.So how does this impact you, the average user of the Apple iPhone that isn’t planning on hacking into their phone? Well someone may want to hack into your phone and they now have the blueprint to do it.While Apple is working hard to try and prevent hacking by playing cat and mouse game, it will always be a cat and mouse game. If you happen to surf into a questionable website that happens to download software to your iPhone you could end up in a whole heap of trouble.In an article in the New York Times Technology section from July 23, 2007, an iPhone flaw was found to let hackers take over the iPhone. Remember that most people store entire lives on their digital assistants (whether this is a Smart Phone, the iPhone or even a PDA). They keep names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses on them. Not to mention passwords, banking information (such as bank account numbers) and even digital images taken by the built-in camera.Now imagine if a hacker has access to all this data.The security firm, Independent Security Advisors found that through common flaws (and without even hacking into the phone) they were able to gain unauthorized access to the contents of the phone through a WiFi connection or by tricking users into visiting websites that insert malicious code onto the phone.The hack enabled the firm to gain a wealth of personal information that the phone contained.Dr. Miller, who was a former employee of the National Security Agency also demonstrated the hack by visiting a website of his own design, inserting some malicious code onto the phone and then proceeding to have the phone transmit data to the attacking computer. He went on to say that the attack could be used to program the phone to make calls thereby running up the phone bill of the user not to mention the phone could be used to spy on the individual by turning it into a portable bugging device - remember, it does have a built-in camera.How can you protect yourself? As with any device, common sense should prevail. Don’t open e-mails from people you don’t know - if you open them, and there are attachments avoid opening the attachments or visiting the websites in question.Since the Apple iPhone has automatic updates, always ensure your iPhone has the latest updates by visiting the manufacturer’s site.If you are very concerned about threats to your iPhone you may also want to visit the website [http://www.exploitingphone.com/], which is run by Independent Security Evaluators to stay on top of hacks and threats to your personal data on the iPhone.Even doing simple searches in Yahoo, Google, or MSN with 'iPhone hacking threats' will give you a wealth of information.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Copyright © Mohammed BhimjiGet more information about adware, spyware, malware and viruses plus information on wireless wifi theft and securing your wireless connection [http://www.free-adware-spyware-virus-removal.com] at [http://www.free-adware-spyware-virus-removal.com]

iPhone Hacks and Threats to Personal Privacy

We’ve been amazed by it since its introduction. Who can’t remember the address given by Steve Jobs of Apple when he introduced the revolu...

How to Increase Your Internet Security and Privacy

Are you concerned about your Internet security and privacy? Worried about Trojan Horses, computer viruses, keystroke loggers, spyware, and other malicious software? Malicious software can actually lead you to becoming a victim of identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and the USA. In fact, according to a recent study by Panda Security, one percent of PC users are infected with malware designed to steal bank, investment, and other financial information from your PC. Wondering how to make your computer more secure? There are some steps that you can take to dramatically increase your online security and privacy, while at the same time enhancing your computer's performance, speed, and reliability.First of all, ensure that you have anti-virus software installed on your computer. It is good to know that there is free anti-virus software available for download on the Internet. Remember that anti-virus software is only as good as the last update. Internet security experts are constantly playing a cat and mouse game to keep up with the newest viruses and other malware. This is because new viruses and other malicious software are created everyday.Have anti-spyware software installed on your computer and keep it up to date. Most spyware, but not all, is detected and removed by anti-virus software. You need to have anti-spyware software installed on your computer to help protect yourself from spyware. Besides slowing down your computer, as spyware is not designed to run efficiently, it can jeapardise your Internet security. Spyware can lead you to becoming the next victim of identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and the USA. Some Internet security experts actually recommend that you have Spybot Search & Destroy as well as two other anti-spyware programs , installed on your computer. Anti-spyware software, including Spybot Search & Destroy, can be downloaded for free on the Internet. Windows Vista, actually includes Windows Defender, a free anti-spyware program.Have a firewall installed on your computer. Many software firewalls can be downloaded online for free. Windows Vista and XP includes a firewall. Ensure that it is activated.It is crucial if you have a wireless Internet connection, that you make sure that the connection is secure. Be sure to encrypt your Wi-Fi network, using the strongest form of encryption supported by your network. Otherwise, anyone as far as ten miles away using a Wi-Fi antenna that is created with a Pringles can, is able to at the very least steal your bandwidth. A hacker in fact could use your Internet connection to commit illegal acts, such as accessing child pornography. They could even install malicious software, such as a keystroke logger, onto your computer, enabling them to record every single keystroke you make. This could result in you becoming yet another victim of identity theft.Simply turn off your modem and router when not in use for an extended period of time. It is impossible to hack into a computer Network, if the modem and/or router are disconnected.Finally, make sure that your operating system is updated and that you have downloaded the latest security patches.While there is no way to guarantee your Internet security and privacy 100%, besides disconnecting your Internet connection forever, by using a little common sense and following these steps you'll greatly increase your Internet security and privacy.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Chris Hecker is the owner and writer of <a href="http://www.internetsecurity101.com" target="_new">Internet Security 101</a>, a site and blog with free internet security and privacy articles, tutorials, and tips.

How to Increase Your Internet Security and Privacy

Are you concerned about your Internet security and privacy? Worried about Trojan Horses, computer viruses, keystroke loggers, spyware, an...

Internet Security Tips - Save Your Computer From Privacy Theft, Hackers & Phishers

If you are using a computer that is not within the confines of your home, you should be really careful. The open boundaries of Internet has transformed communication on Internet in a big way, it has brought computer users globally together and are able to send messages and data at the click of mouse. This openness of unguarded communication has also created security threat for computer users. The hackers and criminals are always lookout for unguarded computers, which can be hacked and used as zombies to launch attack on other computer or networks.This is because using these computers compromises your security and make you extremely vulnerable to any type of malware attack, especially spyware. Of course, there are some things that you can do to ensure your security whenever you are using these computers.First of all, you should never access your bank account or use a credit card on a public computer, like those that you will find in a coffee shop, airport or library. This is because the security risks in doing such activities are just too high. It is best to approach these computers as though they have a "key logger." This is a type of spyware software that is actually able to record every keystroke that you make on the computer that is affected with this form of spyware. As such, putting personal information into these computers will give "hackers" easy access to your accounts and other such sensitive data.As a smart computer user you need to implement following procedures to safe guard your privacy and valuable data.Install Anti-Virus softwareInstall any good anti-virus software on your system. This software will ensure no unauthorized software is downloaded on your system, stops attack from virus and computer worms. This virus scanner will help in detecting and removing the viruses and worms. It is recommended to scan your computer full at least once a week. You can also schedule your weekly scan and put it on auto method.Install Firewall softwareAs name sounds it is a security ring around your data and application residing on your system. The firewall puts additional security ring around your system to block unauthorized access to your computer for data or personal theft. In case you have DSL, Broadband or wireless system at home it becomes very important to install firewall to guard from hackers. Equally important is to install firewall with full features and with password protected Internet access, ensuring no one other than you can tap to Internet access through your computer.Do not open E-mail Attachments The Hackers and Viruses makers often use e-mail attachment to spread viruses in computers and computer networks. Once you open an e-mail attachment infected with virus, it will start taking over your system and hijack your e-mail contact address. The virus program will use your e-mail contacts to spread it other computers. This information also can be used by Internet advertisers for sales promotions.Avoid opening e-mail attachments received from unauthorized source. Use virus scanner to scan for any virus or worm trace, if found delete the mail from your system and put senders address in block list.Back up computer data.It is always good practice to take daily or weekly backup of your computer data. In case of damaged computer or corrupted data, you can always restore your last saved copy to resume work. Make this practice daily to be on top of your work. Together with anti-virus and firewall in place you will be one step ahead of Internet crooks and hackers.Protect Your Password.Create your password with the combination of characters and numbers. Do not keep password based on your name, last name, nickname or date of birth, because these are very easy for someone to figure your password. Change your passwords frequently and keep your different passwords for credit card or bank account. This will stop you from getting profiled by hackers and saves your identity.Live Software Updates.The makers of operating software, application software or anti-virus software often find holes in their software. In order to block these bugs in software they release software updates for their users. These updates are important, one it tighten the security for software and also they update known list of viruses in your system. Always keep live update option open for your operating software and anti-virus software.Free Software Download.Nothing is free, avoid visiting website, which give free software. The free software always comes with adware program to pay for their development cost. Once you have downloaded free software, either it will start showing ads in the form pop-up or it will record your Internet interest in terms of what you like and where you shop. This will help Internet advertisers to send you right set of ads.Above all be proactive in safeguarding your privacy. This will not only help you in safeguarding your computer but also other computers connected to open boundaries of Internet. Do not share your passwords with other computer users. Do not share your personal- information in chat room with strangers. Do not download free software unless it is from trusted source. Avoid public computers for accessing your financial institution such as banks and credit card companies. Do not respond to mails asking you to provide your personal information, where sender is pretending to be one from your bank or credit card company. Do not respond to mails claiming you have won jackpot, golden rule if you didn't buy lottery ticket then you didn't win any lottery. 	 	 		 			 				 					 						<a href="http://www.spywareantivirus.info" target="_new">http://www.spywareantivirus.info</a>

Internet Security Tips - Save Your Computer From Privacy Theft, Hackers & Phishers

If you are using a computer that is not within the confines of your home, you should be really careful. The open boundaries of Internet h...

How to Maintain Privacy and Security on the Internet

It is very important to maintain privacy and security on the internet by installing programs like firewall, anti-spyware and anti-virus on your computer because if you don't do so your computer can become easy victim to virus and spyware attacks.Maintaining privacy and security on the internet is a matter of concern for every individual as all of us use internet for various purposes like online banking, online shopping, etc. There are reports of online scams happening all over the world. Hackers are able to successfully hack into accounts of people and mess up their profile, particularly financial portfolio. These hackers are also carry out identity thefts within seconds which is one of the biggest problems in the cyber world. Under such circumstances it becomes important to keep your data safe.The following paragraphs educate you about these hazardous scams and explains you some basic measures to avoid these online scams. First of all, while signing up or entering some important information on a website, you must make sure to read the privacy policy of that web portal. If you find the login page of a website to be suspicious, it is advisable to not to enter any details. Avoid clicking on flashy advertisements that states that you are a lucky winner or you have won a lottery. Most of these sites are scam sites in which you can find links that may either allow a virus to enter your computer or a spyware that can hack your personal information or banking details. Do not keep easy passwords for you accounts, especially on websites where you do financial transactions.Always have a firewall installed on your computer and make sure it is activated to maintain privacy and security on the internet. You must also install anti-virus and anti-spyware on your computer system. If you come across any doubtful pop-ups ignore it and do not click on it. Avoid downloading files that are irrelevant and doubtful. You might have heard about 'swine flu computer virus' which has been all over the internet in the present times. It was a mail which contained an infected file as an email attachment, which would infect you computer with virus when accessed or downloaded. Hence it is important to be alert and avoid doubtful or irrelevant links. These easy steps can help you in maintaining privacy and security on the internet.	 	 		 			 				 					 						The author of this article, Silki Garg, has written many high rated articles on Online Security, how to <a href="http://webtoolsandtips.com/spyware/" target="_new">remove spyware</a> and blogs regularly on <a href="http://thepcsecurity.com/prevent-malware-and-phishing-with-long-url-please-firefox-security-addon/" target="_new">malware detection and removal</a>.

How to Maintain Privacy and Security on the Internet

It is very important to maintain privacy and security on the internet by installing programs like firewall, anti-spyware and anti-virus o...

Tutorial: 10 tips to protect your online privacy

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Plus/PCP%20300/PCP300.feat1privacy.privacy-200-200.jpg" /> 
Protecting your online privacy should be top of any serious PC user's list of concerns. 
Here's our guide to how the bad guys steal personal data, and tips revealing how to foil even the most devious villains. 
1. Be careful what you put online 
First, the obvious one. Once you've released something onto the internet, it's never, ever coming back. That doesn't mean you need to become an online hermit, but it does mean that everything you put out either under your own name or a constant pseudonym can come back to haunt you. 
2. Check yourself out online 
After Googling yourself, check out a site such as 192.com, where you'll be able to find your details from the Electoral Roll. The good news is that you can have yourself removed by sending in a form at <a href="http://www.192.com/help/help-home/">www.192.com/help/help-home</a>. Repeat this process on similar sites to make yourself completely ex-directory and you should be clear from at least opportunistic searchers. 
Another thing that people often miss is that if you register a website address, by default your name and address are listed in the Whois database. Non-commercial users can opt out of this on .co.uk addresses, making them a good one to register for personal sites. 
For other domains, many registrars offer an anonymity service, which really means claiming the domain belongs to a third party, but forwarding any information that comes in. This usually costs a few pounds per year. 
3. Watch out for scams 
Always be on the lookout for phishing sites pretending to be your bank, favourite game's homepage, social media service or similar pages. Never visit one through a link – always type the address in directly. 
Most phishing attempts are woeful, but occasionally a convincing one slips through. Whatever you do, make sure you never enter any payment or other critical information onto a site with no padlock icon. This means the connection is secure. 
Without it, anyone could be eavesdropping on the data you send. Many services, such as Gmail and Backpack, also let you use these 'SSL' connections while you're using their service. It slows them down slightly, but not to the extent that you'll notice. 
4. Don't trust the padlock 
Even if a page does have the padlock icon, don't trust it fully. All it means is that technologically speaking, your data is safe, not that the company will treat it properly. 
As boring and over-padded as they are, it's always worth checking sites' privacy policies to see what they let their employees do. As an example, does that backup site encrypt your data so they can't see it, or do you just have to take their word that they won't sneak a peek? 
At the very least, you'll be able to seek better restitution if they're caught with their fingers in the till. 
5. Only use networks you trust 
Remember that there's no better way for someone to get your information than by controlling the computer you enter it on. Never use email, banking or similar services from a public terminal, such as at a cybercafe or in an airport, or over a non-trusted Wi-Fi connection. 
Just because it says 'Free airport Wi-Fi' doesn't mean it's not actually controlled by the man two seats away. At the same time, you're not safe just because you're at home. 
Regular malware sweeps are essential to make sure you're the only one with the keys to your trusty PC, and that your data's staying put. 
6. Check your privacy options 
Originally, everything on Facebook was locked down. Now things have changed and almost everything is public. Visit <a href="http://bit.ly/fbk-privacy">http://bit.ly/fbk-privacy</a> to customise your settings and switch off anything you don't want the whole internet to see. 
7. Stick to Friends Only 
Anything you do want to make available, switch it to Friends Only. Friends of Friends opens you up to spammers getting into your network through friends who add everyone who asks. It's best not to play the numbers game and only add people you actually know and trust. 
8. Separate your friends 
Facebook lets you categorise Friends by group, separating work colleagues from friends or family. It's well worth doing this. Remember, it's not just what you post – if one of your friends tags you dancing on a table at a drunken party, that'll appear in your feed too. 
9. Check your permissions 
Facebook now plugs into many websites, which can also get their hands on your data. You should regularly check that you've given them all permission in 'Applications Settings'. If it's a website or application you don't recognise, cancel its access. 
10. Stay alert to changes 
Keep a close eye on any changes to Facebook's privacy options. It's made it clear that it wants people to live more open lives, if only because the more we do, the more it can do with our data. That doesn't mean you have to let it. Keep using it, but remember to stay vigilant.

Tutorial: 10 tips to protect your online privacy

Protecting your online privacy should be top of any serious PC user's list of concerns. Here's our guide to how the bad guys stea...

Safeguard Your Privacy With Spyware Killer

Sitting in the safety of your home and working on your computer, you might think only you are accessing some information on your computer all alone in your room. Well, you might be wrong. A spyware can keep tracking you wherever you go, which means if you open one website, the hacker is travelling with you. Spyware killers become an urgency this time, it not only remove all the malicious programs and files from your pc but also improves its efficiency. To remove spyware from your computer, you can download or buy anti-spyware software and install it on your system. The software will then efficiently tracks and kill the spyware and adware.Users need to remember that no matter how hard you try to keep information confidential there are computer hackers out there who can access this very easily. For them it's a challenge to hack into someone's hard protected website to steal information. So a spyware killer can protect your privacy by safe guarding your firewall. People who use wi-fi at home or office are at high risk. There will be neighbours who can easily tap into your band width and access internet at their home. This means they are easily using your internet connection for free and it is even easier to follow you where you go. Spyware removal is advised to such users often.Spyware can be very intimidating if you work in high profile corporate offices and have famous personalities as clients. This kind of information will be very inviting to hackers. Not knowing you were not at fault, people might get into legal battles and accuse you of selling personal information freely on the internet. You can install a spyware detector and spend a little money and time to protect your company as well as integrity. Once the spyware killer has done the complete scan and removal of spyware, you can be sure your computer is not at harm. It is advisable to keep hard copies of such information to avoid major break downs.A research shows that since 1980 the kind and number of viruses and infections have risen at a sharp graph rise, and is still on the rise. Newer technology seems to be the reason though hardly a fault. Though anti-virus software is needed for the computer, it is not as powerful as spyware killer programs. Anti-virus neither installs itself on the system nor examines the computer registry closely as the anti-spyware programs do.	 	 		 			 				 					 						<a href="http://www.spyware-removal-online.org" target="_new">Spyware Removal Online</a> is an online resource, providing in-depth information about <a href="http://www.spyware-removal-online.org/Anti-spyware.htm" target="_new">Anti Spyware</a> software, which is an essential tool to keep your system free of dangerous spywares, protecting your privacy and your PC. Here you will get vast technical information to <a href="http://www.spyware-removal-online.org/Remove-spyware.htm" target="_new">remove spyware</a>.

Safeguard Your Privacy With Spyware Killer

Sitting in the safety of your home and working on your computer, you might think only you are accessing some information on your computer...

How Safe Are You In The Cyberspace? Get To Know About Online Privacy

One of the hottest computer topics that attract public interest is privacy. The ease and efficiency with which computers and internet are used to gather, store, search, compare, retrieve and share personal information make computer technology especially threatening to anyone who wishes to keep various kinds of "sensitive" information out of the public domain or out of the hands of those who are perceived as potential threats. During the past decade, commercialization and rapid growth of the internet; the rise of the world-wide-web; increasing "user-friendliness" and processing power of computers; and decreasing costs of computer technology have led to new privacy issues.Many people have been tricked my e-mail scams, claiming that they will make you a millionaire. It is the same sort of pyramid scheme that exists over the SMS or e-mail, but no laws covered it for a while. Also, many e-mail chain letters have allowed urban legends to spread at an accelerated rate and created alarm over hoaxes concerning many food and drug products. These e-mails only bog down e-mail systems and servers, but do not seem to be ending. Some advertisers also e-mail unsolicited ads to e-mail users, in a practice known as spamming.Let us now look at the most concerning aspects of privacy online:o	Protecting you: Online stalking has been a problem, with people harassing new 'friends' online and sometimes even threatening them, or confronting them.o	Protecting your data: This comes not from the fear of physical, but financial harm. Strangers may hack sensitive data such as your credit card number or sometimes any confidential information or site maps or photographs that are being mailed.A recent survey states that 93% of commercial Internet sites collect some sort of data that may be used to identify you (this may be your home address, you e-mail address, name, etc.) and 57% collect demographics. Over one third of these sites did not post any information that they were collecting data and/or what it would be used for. The report concluded that only 10% of the commercial web sites that collected personal or demographic information followed fair information practices in respect to notice, choice, access, security and contact information.Though there are laws to protect such kind of activity, seldom they are investigated. The Communication Decency Act stated that telecommunications, meaning the internet, e-mail, chat and chat programs (including IRC, AIM, and ICQ) should not be used to purposely harass or intimidate. You cannot e-mail bomb people.The Online Privacy Alliance, made up of prominent companies in communications and technology is trying to help the internet industry self-regulate privacy topics. This may favor industries. Still, this leaves out individual consumers and others whose privacy is actually what is being debated. The Online Privacy Alliance suggests that consumers should look for privacy policies and be careful where they post their information. Bad guys will always try to steal your credit card number, telemarketers will always pay someone for your phone number, and companies will always try to collect data for advertising purposes. Such is the way of the world.But certainly, there are always ways to prevent than cure.Tips to protect you and your data.1. Always look out for privacy policies. Web sites can collect a lot of information about your visit -- what computer you use, what type of hardware and software you have, what Web sites you have visited. Web sites that ask you to provide even a small amount of personal information can tie the data you provide to your browsing habits. Never give your e-mail id to unauthorized third party web sites.2. Always have separate personal e-mail account.Often, online users do not realize that e-mail sent from their work accounts is likely to be an open book to their employers. Even if you send an e-mail from your home, a copy is often stored on your employer's main computer server. Your employer has a legal right to read any and all correspondence in this account.Getting a separate account for personal use allows you to check your personal messages without using your office e-mail server.3. Always remember to clean your computer's memory after browsing.When you browse the Web, copies of all accessed pages and images are saved on your computer's memory. Though this helps in visiting the same web page next time faster, the browsing record it maintains intervenes your privacy; Particularly, if you share a computer at the work spot. You can delete most of your online trail by simply going to the "Preferences" folder in your browser and clicking on the "Empty Cache" button. Sometimes this option is in the "Advanced" menu of the browser preferences. In Internet Explorer, go to "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu and click on "Clear History".4. Always watch out when you fill online forms. Online forms may be digitally transported in ways that leave them vulnerable to undesired access. Alternatively, online forms may be encrypted so that only the intended recipients can readily translate the information.You should ensure that your information is stored and transferred in secure ways. Many browser companies have realized the importance of data security; newer browsers are designed to indicate whether the accessed page allows encrypted transfers. The commonly used graphics are a key, which is broken if the page is insecure, and a lock -- locked is secure and unlocked is not secure. The graphic appears in the corner of the browser screen; clicking on the lock or the key will inform you of additional security information about the page. You should not provide sensitive personal information about yourself (such as credit card number) on Web pages that are not secure.5. Always discard needless Cookies These Cookies are not palatable. Cookie is a piece of data that a web site collects about you when you visit it. The data varies with the web site - a commercial web site will collect demographics (that is, sex, age, and other advertising information) to learn more about you, while an e-mail service may collect identifying or personal (name, mailing address) information to recognize you. If you have ever checked a box saying "Remember My Password", you have set a cookie. Cookies inform site operators if you have visited the site and, if you have obtained a username and password, cookies remember that information for you. Many of the "personalized" search engines use cookies to deliver news topics that users select; sites often use these same preferences to target advertisement. Furthermore, cookies can be used to track you online and enable creation of a profile without you realizing it.How to get rid of cookies? You can search your hard drive for a file with the word "cookie" in it (i.e., cookies.txt or MagicCookie) to view the cookies that have been attached to your computer. Newer browsers allow you to recognize sites that send you cookies and reject them outright by accessing the "Advanced" screen of the "Preferences" menu. In Internet Explorer, delete cookies by clicking on the "Delete Files" button in the "General" icon of "Tools"' "Internet Options" menu.6. Always use encryption to keep your e-mail privateE-mail is not as secure a medium as many believe. The internet is really no more or less secured than the Postal Service. Most people, including your mail carriers, have no real desire to read your personal letters or open your checks. If you send a postcard, people will probably turn it over and read it if they have the chance. The human species is naturally curious. The number of hackers out there specifically interested in your mail or e-commerce is very small. Presently, there exist technologies that allow you to encrypt your messages in order to protect their privacy. Some e-mail programs (i.e., Internet Explorer Outlook and Netscape Messenger) have encryption.7. Use "anonymous remailers" for e-mails and anonymize yourself while browsing when privacy is essential.Anonymity is essential to privacy and free speech. It helps people to discuss on controversial subjects and enable one to publish without a forwarding address. The e-mail technology creates problems for the right to anonymous communication since the sender of a message can be traced back through digital paths. But, "anonymous remailers" presently allow you to send anonymous e-mail messages. From the moment you type in a Web address, a log is kept with information about your visit. Every day, most of us walk down the street without being recognized or tracked. While anonymity is often taken for granted in the physical world, such luxury is not available online by default. But tools that strip out user information, thus preserving anonymity, have been created and are readily available on the net.8. Let your kids know about the hazards of giving away personal information to strangers online Tell your children that they should ask your permission before they can give out their name, address or other information about themselves or the family to a web site. A number of Web sites encourage children to give information about themselves or their family; some even attract kids with games and free gifts. Make children understand that, giving away valuable information on the web is like giving information to strangers.9. Don't disclose your passwords or credit card numbers with your friends.Privacy should be maintained at your level also. Never disclose your passwords even with your closest friend. Human beings are never the same. Your close friend today may turn out to be your enemy tomorrow. It is better to always conceal certain things to maintain privacy. Never disclose passwords or credit card numbers, whatever the situation may be. If you have revealed it by chance, then change the password immediately.10. Always be alertUse common sense, ask questions and seek out resources. Would you give your credit card number to a street vendor? Would you open a mail from an unknown person? How much information does the magazine realistically need to process a subscription? Will you be subjected to a ton of unsolicited mail and e-mail bomb if you disclose your physical or e-mail address? These questions that you ask yourself will certainly restrain you from giving unwanted information.Follow all these tips, you can be a fearless Web user of course; you must realize, however, that people in cyberspace are the same people you encounter every day in the physical reality: your neighbors, your colleagues.The Internet is a new medium, as was the telephone more than a century ago. If used wisely, it can connect you to a world of people, ideas and information.Happy surfing!	 	 		 			 				 					 						I'm Mrs. J.Hannah Monisha, I'm working as a Lecturer and Head, Department of computer science,Indira Gandhi college of arts and science,Govt. of Pondicherry, India. I've completed my Masters Degree in both Computer Science and Information Technology. I have a total teaching experience of 10 years.I'm a Member of the curriculum design board of the Pondicherry University, India. I've published an article on ?Copyrights, Legal issues and Intellectual property?, in the proceedings of the National level seminar on Intellectual property rights. I'm a member of the ACM, CSTA

How Safe Are You In The Cyberspace? Get To Know About Online Privacy

One of the hottest computer topics that attract public interest is privacy. The ease and efficiency with which computers and internet are...