The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age

Running head: The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age 1 The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age Tara Brooks Professor Bristow, J. D. Law, Ethics and Corporate Governance, LEG 500 4 May 2012 Abstract How many of us have paused during conversation in the past several years, suddenly aware that you might be eavesdropped on? Probably it was a phone conversation, although maybe it was an e-mail or instant-message exchange or a conversation in a public place.Maybe the topic was terrorism, or politics, or your church service. You pause suddenly, momentarily afraid that your words might be taken out of context, and then you laugh at your paranoia and go on. But your demeanor has changed, and your words are subtly altered. Privacy is a growing concern in the United States and around the world. As we increasingly use the Internet and the seemingly boundary less options for collecting, saving, sharing, and comparing information trigger consumerâ€℠¢s worries.Online practices of business and government agencies may present new ways to compromise privacy, and e-commerce and technologies that make a wide range of personal information available to anyone with a Web browser only begin to hint at the possibilities for inappropriate or unwarranted intrusion into our personal lives. Privacy is very important-especially on the Internet. It is amazing how many websites are designed to reveal private details about people—actually it is a little scary. In this paper, I will be discussing different topics on the value of digital privacy. Keywords: privacy, personal information, digital privacy . List and describe at least three (3) technologies that allow an individual to research citizens’ private data. The three technologies that allow an individual to research citizens’ private data are Bluetooth, GPS, and Google (Internet). The first technology I will discuss is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has several ways it can be hack ed. Some ways are blue jacking, blue snarfing, and blue bugging. In blue jacking, someone might send unsolicited messages to the victim in the form of a business card or a mobile contact with a text that may look intimidating to read. In many cases, someone may also send sounds like a ring tone.The victim’s mobile could then be infiltrated and he/she might never know what has happened. Blue jacking messages can also be viewed as spam messages with emails. There have also been reports about people getting hacked by Trojan Horses which could mean a serious compromise. Blue snarfing is considered a serious compromise in the category of Bluetooth hacking especially if the information vulnerable, is quite critical, as such attacks can allow someone access to victim’s contact list, text messages, emails and even private photos and videos. In blue bugging, someone uses sophisticated attacks to gain control of victim’s mobile.It works just like Trojan horses, where some one can manipulate the user’s phone the way he/she desires by executing commands on the victim’s phone. The hacker could forward mobile calls from the victim’s mobile to his own device and can even manipulate the mobile to follow a Bluetooth headset instructions like; receive call, send messages etc. (Hubs by Hassam, 2011) The second technology is GPS. A GPS tracking unit enables you to determine the precise location of person, vehicle or other object. GPS (Global Positioning System) is the only functional system, which can record the position of an object at regular intervals.A GPS tracking unit is so helpful that it can store the recorded location data within the tracking unit. Satellite transmits signals that can be intercepted by GPS receivers to find the precise location of any object you are searching for. Aside from making driving easier, the on-board electronics revolution has given some people a new direction in their lives. Unfortunately, it could take them right into your bedroom or living room. These people are GPS thieves. When they steal your device, they sometimes get more than just an electronics item they can sell for $100 or more on the street. They get your home address.With the push of a button, one common navigational feature, the home setting, fully automates the process of directing you to your home — a convenience that burglars and stalkers are sure to appreciate. It's enough to turn your free-floating anxiety about data theft into full-blown paranoia about home invasion. About two years ago, thieves stole a number of Acura cars from a corporation's garage in Atlanta, and, in three cases, they used the GPS units in the cars to find and then burglarize employees' homes. (Gary Thomas, â€Å"Thieves Target GPS Devices to Find Out Where You Live†, December 2009)The final technology is Google. Our class exchanged names with one another. We went to the lab to find information on the person that we were given . It is amazing and scary to see how much information can be discovered from Google. Some information is phone numbers, addresses, and where someone actually lives. I can simply type in the name of the person or business, preferably with quotation marks around the name, and if the phone number has been entered somewhere on the Web, than it will come up in my search results. I can also find all sorts of useful information with Google Maps, simply by typing in an address.In fact, I can use Google Maps to view an entire neighborhood. 2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of public access to this information, both for the researchers and those who are being â€Å"investigated. † One main advantage and disadvantage of blue tooth is that I am in Control: From a researcher’s view, I’m able to exchange data across my cell phone, I’m still have the ability to keep my information private. In order to make a transfer or allow someone to access the files on the phone, I would have to give them access by accepting or rejecting the request through my phone.As someone being investigated, I need to ensure if I have the Bluetooth feature enabled on the phone and not disabled while using it, others that I may not even know request to send me a file. Implementing security, even for these types of device pairings, can prevent an unauthorized user from using the headset. As someone that is â€Å"investigated†, I would definitely want to keep my information such as contacts, addresses and other information private and safe. Some of the advantages of GPS are that it can track lost items and it can track people.As a researcher, I realize that the crime rate keeps on increasing in every part of the world and a lot of highly valuable objects have been, and will, be stolen. It doesn’t matter how irrelevant you think an object or equipment is to others if it is something that is very expensive you should make sure you install a GPS tracking system on it. As a researcher, I can found my item or child quickly. Many phones have GPS capabilities that young children and teens may not know about; this is a great access if a child goes missing.As a person that is â€Å"investigated†, the disadvantage of GPS technology that can save lives can also provide a framework for invasion of privacy. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, locational privacy â€Å"is the ability of an individual to move in public space with the expectation that under normal circumstances their location will not be systematically and secretly recorded for later use. † (Peyton Brookes, Advantages ; Disadvantages of Mobile Tracking, 2012) As a researcher, information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers.Internet is a virtual treasure highway of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. The re is a huge amount of information available on the Internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is endless. Also as a researcher, Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services I can now perform all my transactions online.I can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc. , from my computer. Some travel websites even plan an Itinerary as per my preferences and take care of airline tickets, hotel reservations etc. As someone that is â€Å"investigated†, if I use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, I may risk a theft to my personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. Evil people can access this information through unsecured connections or by planting software and then use my personal details for their benefit. Needless to say, this ma y land me in serious trouble.Google stores enormous amounts of data to power its Web search and advertising engines, and many privacy advocates have repeatedly raised concerns over the amount of personal information Google has the ability to access. 3. Determine what measures citizens can take to protect private information or information they do not want to be disclosed. Some measures that citizens can take to protect private information are use different passwords for every account. It is easy to use the same password for each account that you have, but it is not safe or wise. Hackers have tools specifically designed to crack into accounts.A strong password contains letters, numbers, different cases, and symbols. Another way, if you have old online accounts that are not being used, closes them. Hackers could use them to infiltrate your more important accounts. Get rid of them. If you can't remember where you have old accounts search your email inbox with queries like â€Å"regist ered†, â€Å"confirm† or â€Å"your account† to find email records of old accounts. Another measure to do is go paperless. Bank and credit card statements can contain social security or account information. Check with these agencies to see if you can go paperless, and use a secure online portal for your transactions. . Discuss a federal law that grants the federal government the legal right to make private information on U. S. citizens available to the public, and whether or not you agree with this law. to fire for any reasons that are not unlawful, such as discrimination, etc. Since she did not obey company policies, she will be terminated. Human Resources will inform her if she will be receiving benefits or compensation from the company. 5. Determine whether there are â€Å"electronic privacy laws† that can prevent others from having access to â€Å"private information† as well as how effective they are. . . FEATURES- Internet – DNS Securit y 610 -8References Halbert, T. , & Ingulli, E. (2012). Law & ethics in the business environment (7th ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning http://autos. aol. com/article/gps-thief-home-invasion/ http://www. ehow. com/list_6068148_bluetooth-advantages-disadvantages. html#ixzz1u3e6jVDc http://hassam. hubpages. com/hub/Types-Of-Bluetooth-Hacks-And-Its-Security-Issues http://techgyo. com/index. php/3-major-advantages-gps-tracking-system/#ixzz1u44hGdujsOME