Thursday, April 28, 2011

The plastic cards by Jane Matar

I think most of you had heard about credit cards, which are important things in our life, it is known as

plastic card which is a way to purchase goods and services through the bank, it’s business to business and business to consumer process. Through debit and credit. This card provides the buyer carry money in his pocket. The buyer gives the credit to the seller and passes the card in the machine and the process of payment to the seller through the bank. This service Tofferaly people carries money with them.

This mechanism works through an agreement between the bank and the person concerned, and by selecting a certain amount gives the Bank on this basis the card. When the owner of the card buy something, he gives this card to the owner of the shop and the passing it through the machine own, And this deducted from his account of the bank immediately to the owner of the shop. As for the amount agreed to be repaid to the Bank during the period specified by the parties. When you want to work your own credit card, you must give the bank or company-specific data about you to enable them to work this credit card for you and to protect you in case your card is stolen. Like: First name, Last name, Address. Also you must known about the advantages and disadvantages for it. Advantages of credit card are, Give you protection if the thing you bought was stolen or damaged or lost, the existence of this card with you properly in many of the useful things when you submit a job or take your loan from the bank and other, also Credit cards can be useful in times of emergency. Some credit cards offer additional benefits, such as discounts, bonuses, and special insurances. However, it’s disadvantages are, drive people to spend a huge amount of money which can not be owned at this time. The bank puts interest on money withdrawn as a debit at the end of each month. Besides that, this card can be stolen by people or by telephone or website. Credit card is a type of loan where you get a certain amount of money to spend appointed by you, and there is interest every month. Takes to insert a credit card machine and make sure their own as a legitimate and enough money in just a few seconds. and the information required to perform this verification is obtained from the magnetic strip on the back of the card, or via the silicon microchip embedded in the card.

For the company, if it wants to operate a credit card, they contracted with a private bank or private companies that provide this service, for the convenience of its customers make purchases, especially in companies that deal with foreigners. However, this service requires from the company many several factors to help them to get these services, like: Phone line, Internet service, Par code (computerized).The most important thing a bank account The Company defines a certain amount of it in agreement with the bank to customize it to the credit card; the company shouldn’t have debt and financial matters.
In conclusion, Credit cards are a way to help people and companies to facilitate the process of procurement and financial transactions. However, credit cards can provide convenience but they can also leave you in debt through risky choices. In order to defeat the risks of credit card use, avoid accumulating too may and pay the debt off on time, be carful to avoid deception.
References:

Aleksandar, 2010, what is credit card <http://www.hackpconline.com/2010/07/how-to-hack-credit-card.html>

2009, (How Credit Cards Work) available from < http://www.plastiq.co.za/tips-and-tricks-article.asp?ssID=170>

Analiza paulino, 2008, Advantages and Disadvantages of Credit cards , available from < http://is.gd/UjR7kO> February 24, 2008

Electronic Customer Relationship Management By Amira Janinah

By: Amera Janeneh Electronic Customer Relationship Management 14.4.2011

(E-CRM)

According to the development of technologies, internet, and the large number of competitors form a big challenge for marketers. They do not need only attract new customers but also retain existing customers. For that reason, marketers search for new solutions to attract new customers and retain the existing customers. One of those solutions is the Electronic Customer Relationship Management (E-CRM).

E-CRM is software provides profiles and historical data of each interaction the organization has with its customers, making it an important tool for all small and medium businesses. E-CRM, or electronic Customer Relationship Management," is an integrated online sales, marketing and service strategy that are used to identify, attract and retain an organization’s customers". It describes improved and increased communication between an organization and its clients by creating and enhancing customer interaction through innovative technology.

E-CRM starts with data. This data comes from, in essence, existing customers." The data consists of things like when a product was bought, what its value was, whether it was bought following a sequence of events, or driven by a promotion, or facilitated by a third party". That kind of observed behavioral and motivational data can be layered with information about the customer herself – family size, age, location, whether others they know are also customers, whether they belong to this, that or the other social group. Integrating and analyzing this data often shows up connections and trends.

We may find for example that a customer is likely to use e-banking of the AL-Ahli Bank (ahlionline.com.ps) that facilitate financial transactions, enable customers to account convertibility, check accounts, send feedback…etc . clients only need to get their username and password from their bank, and then the website will be valid. this site enables marketers to be more ineractive with their customers, and also enable them from understandingtheir needs in the other hand clients do not waste time and wait for a long time and wait for a long time to get their turn.

E-CRM uses a lot of methods or means to interact with cuctomers like email, SMS, web touch points, pop ups, call centers,field,partners.... .The E-CRM is there to help companies to reduce cost of marketing, improve accuracy and customer’s satisfaction, increase customer retention and frequency, order size, customer response, competiveness through differentiation, and increase profitability.

We can derive the benefits of E-CRM as: faster and more informed decision making, improved accuracy and customer service, faster product to market realization, and migration from product to customer focus.

In the age of social media, E-CRM is the key for businesses and associations to succeed is to build better relationships with customers. E-CRM do it the right way by using these trends & maybe more, these trends are : personalization and customization, branding, value is the new black, and customer experience.

Nowadays, customers are the center of attention and marketers try to increase their satisfaction. Marketerscan relyand utilize E-CRM systems to harness customer data and deliver customized products and services will more efficiently attract and retain customers than

the traditional mass marketers. It’s pretty logical, and it’s entirely oriented towards increasing a customer’s value.

Resources:

E-CRM.Available from:http://www.ecrm.marketgate.com/default.aspx

Albert Einstein,Imagination is more important than knowledge: Top 5 CRM Trends for 2011.Available from: http://crmtrends.com/crm.html

Raed Juha, credit officer at AL-Ahli Bank,2011.Electronic Customer Relationship Manegement. interviewd by Amira Janinah.10-4-2011.

Internet Privacy By Nadine Abu Thrideh

When we surf the internet we often reveal a lot of information about ourselves. Nowadays, there are a lot of ways in which personal information can be obtained without your permission and knowledge. So from these factors, internet privacy came into account which means concerns and strategies that people must use to protect their information that are meant to be private. Some of these ways that are used to collect information are Cookies, Web browsers, Search engines etc. However my focus in this report is mainly on social networking sites and privacy.

Being in the 21^st century, social networking has acquired the greatest popularity and people using these networks are increasing dramatically .Such websites are used for sharing information, getting your idea out to the world and many more. Nowadays, “information is being spread faster through social network sites than real life network” (Rip , S 2008 ). Facebook , twitter, myspace, blooger are examples of these Social network sites and they are now among the most visited websites globally. Despite the advantages that you could gain through these networks such as staying in touch with people and building a network of contacts, on the other hand there are many disadvantages that must be taken into consideration because social networks are easy to access and the users are not aware of the nature and the size of the people accessing their profiles. This can result in some privacy threats for the members and their personal information that they upload to these social networks that can be used by people for illegal activities. Moreover, many people pretend to be someone else and use other people’s personal information. people can use it to stalk and harass others that’s why we must be careful and take some procedures that keeps you on the safe track. “Most users are not aware that they can modify their privacy settings and unless they modify them their information is open to the public”..(Guo . M 2011 ) When registering to the social network site there are some tips that you should take into consideration, this can be done by keeping in mind that some information should be kept private, you should understand what information can harm you and what details you choose to share on your profile. Beware of providing personal information and always remember to read the privacy policy provided by the websites before agreeing as sometimes such policies might mislead people and mention basic stuff that they might not be responsible about as their main aim is to inform customers. As an example Facebook’s privacy policy considered that “Although we allow you to set privacy options that limit access to your information, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of other users with whom you share your information. We cannot guarantee that only authorized persons will view your information. We cannot ensure that information you share on Facebook will not become publicly available. We are not responsible for third party circumvention of privacy setting or security measures on Facebook “(fb website). Furthermore, because the social network sites have marketers that obtain more information about the users and give this information to these partners whom they use in their marketing strategies, and these users are not in a position to bargain about the terms at which they disclose their information so they leave the users vulnerable to harms.

Social networks offer new opportunities for communication but also lead to new privacy concerns. While it is a great tool for keeping in touch with others, you need to use it properly and that is by raising awareness of privacy and adjust your privacy setting before you become member of these social networks or don`t join until you feel ready to do so, also remember that internet is a public network, if you are connected protect yourself.

References

Cheever, J , 2011 , Dangers of Social Networking Sites.

http://www.life123.com/technology/internet/online-social-networking/dangers-of-social-networking-sites.shtml

Rip, D , S 2008 , Privacy in Social Network sites. http://privacyinsocialnetworksites.wordpress.com/

Elizabeth, M , what is internet privacy . http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-internet-privacy.htm

J 1995 , Online Privacy:Using the internet safely. http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm

Internet Security By Jamileh Shokeh

Recently, computers and internet has become the spirit of life. No one can facilitate his or her affairs efficiently and professionally without using internet. We also started making deals via the internet. But we shouldn’t forget the security view because internet is insecure channel for exchanging information.

By increasing the numbers of online businesses and the entry of e-commerce, the security issue has become a necessity to be taken into account for the success of the business. Many consumers refrain from making deals online because they fear from stealing their information such as their credit or debit card numbers, login details and payable details. This adversely affects online businesses and leads to falling back. To overcome these obstacles many protection systems have been developed such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer), TLS (Transport Layer Security) and others. These are cryptographic protocols uses two keys to encrypt data (public and private keys) that provide communication security over the internet. According to Johnny Papa “SSL is the security method used to transmit sensitive information like credit card numbers and online banking data over the Internet. SSL is the technology used to encrypt and decrypt messages sent between the browser and server. By encrypting the data, you protect messages from being read while they are transferred across the Internet. SSL encrypts a message from the browser, and then sends it to the server. When the message is received by the server, SSL decrypts it and verifies that it came from the correct sender (a process known as authentication).” (Microsoft 2011). The encryption of data, prevent “bad guys” from stealing information for malicious intent. The URL requires SSL connection start with https instead of http and there is a padlock icon at the page of the website or in the address bar (QuinStreet Inc 2011). There are vendors provide certificates for such systems one of these is VeriSign. It provides SSL certificate since 1995 and it still interested in the needs of consumers for secure websites in order to make transaction online (Symantec Corporation 2011). By having SSL certificate you and your customers will benefit from it. Your Customers feel safe; trust you and your website. When they see secure icons on the website they know that they can make transaction without anxiety or fear. They have the willingness to communicate and exchange information because you provide them with private communication feature (Donkey Internet Ltd 2010). As online business that is success depend on electronic transactions and e-commerce. Now you can secure your website and protect your business. This in fact is protection for your customers and keeps them loyal for you! Moreover, the visitors will favor your website over other competitors and you will have a competitive advantage among others. People will know you as a reputable and safe online business.

As a conclusion, consumers constantly are seeking for secure online transactions. So for each business wants to spread online and have success e-commerce should secure its website and the information transmission between the client and the server.

References:

Microsoft 2011. Available from: <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc301946.aspx>. [ April 2001]
QuinStreet Inc 2011. Available from: < (http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2005/ssl.asp>. [1 Sept 2010]
Symantec Corporation 2011. Available from: <http://www.verisign.com/ssl/>.

4.Donkey Internet Ltd 2010. Available from: <http://sslguide.org/ssl-articles/benefits-of-ssl>.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Cloud computing companies By: Amira Abu Mohor.

People all over the world are using cloud computing systems nowadays without even realizing it like in our studies and work through Gmail, Facebook, Google documents, etc.. In this report I’ll explain what cloud computing is, Where the term “cloud computing” comes from, reasons and benefits, advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing along with examples.

“Anthony T.Velte, Toby J.Velte &Robert elsenpeter, 2010”Cloud computing is a term that applies to applications and data storage that are delivered over the Internet. The individual user's device like computer provides an interface to interact with the computer programs and data. The programs are run on the service provider's computers and the data is stored where ever the provider deems necessary. This way the applications are available where ever you have a connection to the Internet or wireless network.

The term cloud computing originally comes from the visual image of cloud in the sky but this cloud is a cloud full data that floats out on the internet and that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection on any computing device which developed from web _hosted applications.

Fortunately, through cloud computing they can share software, servers and data and other devices instead of developing their own networks and servers. In short, cloud computing is the things we do with our computers like office tasks and files storing, except that it’s done online.

“What is Cloud Computing, video recording” Cloud offers several advantages to small and medium size business in terms of reduced costs. You pay for what you use, in other words that individuals who have good business ideas but don’t have enough money and have limited funding and budgets for office space and private servers, networks, storage space and teams of experts so don’t have a chance to even start working as its expensive to finance these ideas.

“Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing” Cloud computing like anything else has its advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages can be summarized with several points. First, reducing Costs; it helps to reduce both capital and operating costs, through economies of scale. To use an analogy, it is like replacing the electricity generator in your home by plugging into an electricity supply. Because you need only a computer and to be connected to the Internet costs are significantly reduced. Another example is like when a vendor supports a hundred customers with his bank of servers and support staff, the cost for each individual customer goes down. Second, increased Storage; organizations can store more data than on private computer systems, as their data and information is stored online. Third, highly Automated; no longer the It personnel need do to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues, as software and other applications are automatically updated , this allows the IT staff to concentrate on innovation and creativity to improve services and outputs. Finally, flexibility and mobility; cloud computing offers much more flexibility than past computing methods. Because this information can be accessed wherever they are, rather than having to remain at their desks in the office.

As for disadvantages. First, additional cost of data transfer fees. Second, one does not have control over the remote servers, the software, or security. Finally, one’s data is at the mercy of a third-party company so better make sure they earn your trust.

With the growing demand for IT cloud computing presents itself as an all-in-one solution, being able to satisfy the growing IT needs while, at the same time, reducing energy usage at an affordable price.

References:

Anthony T.Velte, Toby J.Velte &Robert elsenpeter, 2010, Cloud computing a practical approach, USA Cloud news desk, Six Advantages of Cloud Computing. Available from: < http://web2.sys-con.com/node/640237 >. [3 November 2008]

Benefits of cloud computing. Available from <http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1084688657&site=181&type=RESOURCE>

Salesforce.com: What is Cloud Computing? <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms>

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing .available from

<http://www.serverschool.com/cloud-computing/benefits-and-disadvantages-of-cloud-computing/>. (June 16th, 2010)

Internet Security By:Afteem Salameh

There are lots of discussions nowadays about computer security as more people are using email and more services such as banking, mail orders and subscriptions through the Internet. In this report I’ll explain the definition of Internet security, its objective, methods, importance, examples, and benefits.

Internet security is the ability to browse the web peacefully, knowing that no one is looking over your shoulders whereas others see it to be the ability to conduct financial and commercial transactions safely.

(2011 Best Internet Security Suites Software)

Its objective is to establish rules and measures to use against attacks over the internet and many different methods are used to protect the transfer of data.

Internet security is important for internet users for it increases the e-commerce and online business which happens using cryptographic methods and protocols developed for securing communications on the Internet. These protocols include SSL and TLS for web traffic, PGPforemail, and IPSec for the network layer security. (August 05, 2009, Grass Roots Design)

What are SSL Certificates?

The SSL is a protocol created by Netscape and to which is a short form for secure socket layer certificate. This technology is used widely in the Internet transactions to make them secure. The protocol works in the following manner. First, web browser requests a secure page from the client side. Second, if the website already has it, certificate will be sent along with its public key by the web server. After receiving it; client’s side web browser checks for the validity of the certificate. If it is still valid and if it’s been issued by a trusted party ( normally tested through a Certificate Authority (CA)). If it fails on any of the checks the browser will display a warning to the end user to let them know. Then; the web browser uses its public key to encrypt the data and sends it to the web server with the encrypted URL required and any other encrypted http data. Decryption of the symmetric encrypted key will take place at the web server by the web server using its private key and the symmetric key to decrypt the URL and http data. Next, the web server sends back the requested html document and http data in the encrypted form; the web browser at the client side decrypts them and displays the information.

Normally a SSL certificate contains the company name, domain name, address with country, state, and city along with the details of your CA and your SSL certificate expiration date. (SSL Certificates HOWTO, September 2010)

Network layer security

TCP/IP can be made secure with the help of cryptographic methods and protocols that have been developed for securing communications on the Internet. These protocols include SSL and TLS for web traffic, PGP for email, and IPSec for the network layer security.

IPSec security protocol is designed to protect communication in a secure manner using TCP/IP. It supports network-level peer authentication, data origin authentication, data integrity, data confidentiality (encryption), and replay protection by providing security and authentication at the IP layer by using cryptography. To protect the content, the data is transformed using encryption techniques. There are many types of transformation that form the basis of IPSec; the Authentication Header (AH), encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards. (6 November 2005, Network Layer Security – Structure and Challenges)

Examples on websites using this protocol to obtain confidential user information are paypal, shipwire, regionalone, etc…

Computer security is a vast topic that is becoming more important because the world is becoming highly interconnected, with networks being used to carry out critical transactions. The environment in which machines must survive has changed radically since the popularization of the Internet.

References :

Internet Security Suites Available

http://internet-security-suite-review.toptenreviews.com/

IPSec, 2011, available from:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/bb531150.

IPSec

http://www.grassrootsdesign.com/intro/security.php

Network Layer Security – Structure and Challenges

https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb/talks/netsec-dimacs/index.htm

E-CRM By Violet Handal

In seeking new opportunities such as the Internet, many companies nowadays are trying to compete in the global electronic marketplaces. A business’ greatest asset is the customer, and the most important thing is to keep your existing customers satisfied and make them long-term or lifetime customers. Therefore, one way to communicate with the customers efficiently is through “Electronic Customer Relationship Management” or “E-CRM”.

E-CRM means the activities that identify, attract, and retain the organization’s customers by using electronic ways like the internet, web browsers or others. In addition, it provides the employees with the information they need to know about customer’s needs and wants, therefore provide them with products and services customized to their needs. So, E-CRM manages and increases interactions between the organization and its customers and the most important thing improves their satisfaction. (State of Victoria, 2004)

There are three different levels of E-CRM:

1. Foundational Services: these contain the minimum most important services. For instance, web site effectiveness and responsiveness, also order satisfaction.

2. Customer-Centered Services: these contain order following, product shape and customization as well as security or trust.

3. Value-Added Services: These are additional services such as online sales and online training and education.

(M.Phil. Scholar, 2009)

Business Benefits of E-CRM:

1. Increase customer loyalty: an effective E-CRM provides all the employees in a company with the same history and information about the customer. And if the company has multiple electronic lines of business that interact with the same customers, by using E-CRM it will be enable to do business with them anytime through any channel and make them feel like they are dealing with a single company that follows them every step. The company then can identify the “Best” profitable customers and focuses its time and resources on them.

2. More effective marketing: with the detailed customer information the company has; it can forecast the kind of products that a customer is likely to buy and the timing of the purchases. So this will help the company to create effective sales or marketing campaigns targeted to attract the profitable customers. In addition, this will help the company to segment the customers with similar needs by grouping them, and this will allow it to market specific products to the targeted groups effectively.

3. Improve customer service and support: this will help reduce or eliminate customer’s frustrating and time-consuming, because E-CRM helps the company to serve customers’ needs quickly and efficiently. Also it enables the company to provide the customers with the services they deserve through any channel, and search for proven solution and best practices.

4. Greater efficiency and cost reduction: data mining that analysis the data to explore the possible relationships between sets of data can reduce costs.

(Shannon Scullin, 2002)

There are three dimensions in E-CRM:

1. Acquisition (increase number of new customers).

2. Expansion (increase profits and earnings by encouraging customers to purchase more products & services).

3. Retention (increase the amount of time customers stay as customers).

(An insight into e-crm, 2009)

E-CRM creates a central repository that stores all kind of customer data allowing all the employees contact to this information any time. The more the data stored, the more services the company can provide to the customer, such as “cookies” that the company uses on it’s website to collect information and to know the behavior of the customer. In addition, the design of the website can influence the level of trust of the customers and their enthusiasm to do a transaction or give personal information. (State of Victoria, 2004)

To conclude, E-CRM is the solution to manage and strengthens the relations with customers and satisfying them. Also it can be a competitive advantage by serving and satisfying its customers.

References:

M.Phil. Scholar, E-CRM, 2009, available from:

<http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/ecrm-1016306.html>

[18/4/2011]

Shannon Scullin, Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 2002, available from:

< http://web.njit.edu/~jerry/Research/Scullin-ISOneWorld-2002.pdf>

[18/4/2011]

State of Victoria, ecustomer Relationship Management, 2004, available from:

<http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/Assets/219/1/ElectronicCustomerRelationshipManagement.pdf>

[17/4/2011]

An Insight Into e-CRM, 2009, available from:

<http://www.slideshare.net/guest87f145/an-insight-into-ecrm>

[18/4/2011]

Credit card prepared by may shaer

A card issued by a financial company giving the holder an option to borrow funds, and pay/purchase for as much amount as they want. Credit cards charge interest and are primarily used for short-term financing. Interest usually begins one month after a purchase is made and borrowing limits are pre-set according to the individual's credit rating.
The roles and importance of credit cards nowadays are clearly significant. The credit card users can spend future’s money today. It allows the users to be flexible and increases ability to spend for shoppers. In addition, installment plan gives more times for paying back the amounts used in later periods. There are no barriers for the users to spend in any currency since shops and stores only concern whether the cards are visa or master cards, usable worldwide.( Goyal, A. 2009)
Bank credit card is one of today's most ubiquitous financial instruments For bank management perspectives, identifying the appropriate market for the credit card, interpreting consumers’ needs for the product and developing business strategies are crucial to cope with fierce competition in the credit card market. (Wolters, 2009).
credit cards came with important technology to help facilitate several financial transactions for consumers, but the cards have capacity to support consumers in their everyday life activities without much concerning about cash in hands (Bernthal, Crockett, and Rose(2008).
such borrowing came with high interest rates which might appear irrational, but low transactions costs can make credit cards attractive relative to bank loans. In addition, credit cards offer liquidity services by helping consumers to avoid some of the opportunity costs of holding money .(Brito and Hartley 2005)
service products, such as credit cards, being intangible and experiential in nature are different to evaluate prior to purchase and consumption. Information regarding supplementary services can help consumers make pre-purchase evaluation of credit cards. In addition to pre-purchase evaluation, the impact of supplementary services is studied towards post-purchase evaluation of credit card services.(seminar report 2007).
Credit Card Fraud - Like cash, sometimes credit cards can be stolen. They may be physically stolen (if you lose your wallet) or someone may steal your credit card number (from a receipt, over the phone, or from a Web site) and use your card to rack up debts. The good news is that, unlike cash, if you realize your credit card or number has been stolen and you report it to your credit card company immediately, you will not be charged for any purchases that someone else has made. Even if you don't realize your credit card number has been stolen (sometimes you might not know until you receive your monthly statement), most credit card companies don't charge you or only charge a small fee, like $25 or $50, even if the thief has charged thousands of dollars to your card.( Cargill, T. F., & Wendel, 2006).
Most often credit cards can provide convenience but they can also land you in debt through unwise choices or through no fault of your own. In order to overcome the risks of credit card use, avoid accumulating too may and pay the debt off on time, read terms and conditions carefully and take measures to avoid fraud.

References:
*Bernthal, Crockett, and Rose 2008, Monitoring the Behaviour of Credit Card Holders .available from <http://www.creditcards.com/> .
*From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .available from< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card>
* Wolters, Carry your credit in your pocket", 2009.<http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditcard.asp
* Cargill, T. F., & Wendel org, 2006, An analysis of main and subsidiary credit card holding and spending available from <http://www.creditcards.com/> .

Monday, April 25, 2011

Internet Privacy Done by: Andrea Rofa

We all realize the importance and benefit that we as internet users receive when using the World Wide Web. And it’s no secret that the things we do and say online leave behind trails of personal information. But many people are not clear just how systematically their online behaviors are being tracked and recorded by modern advertising networks, and the governments. We believe that our information is available for all to see and benefit. Our intimate feelings and actions are being recorded by certain parties to profile our personality for future use. Therefore, in this essay we will be discussing the meaning of internet privacy; in addition to dealing with some important aspects of the privacy issue, and how can we protect ourselves from being violated by others.

Internet privacy refers to privacy over the media of the Internet; the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information. Many people use the term to mean universal Internet privacy: every user of the Internet possessing Internet privacy.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union “Many people ask themselves about the reason of the existence of tracking companies; what they don’t know is that information gathered by those parties are valuable to advertising agencies and the government. There is a lot of money to be made from watching what consumers do online, and what it says about who they are, and there are plenty of companies that will pay big for this information.”1

According to the Wall Street Journal “Technologies such as cookies, flash cookies and beacons allow online advertising networks to paint an alarmingly detailed portrait about an individual’s online activity by linking together visits to various web pages and other online activities. For example, it is possible to know that a person who read a newspaper article on one site is the same person who bought some music on another site, and posted a comment at a third site. For advertisers, this information is extremely valuable. As targeted ads become increasingly profitable, behavioral marketers are growing more ambitious and seeking to form an even more complete picture of unsuspecting citizens. In fact, a study by the Wall Street Journal found that the nation’s 50 top websites installed an average of 64 pieces of tracking technology on user’s computers, usually with no warning. While any one particular website may have little information about an individual, it is possible for a large number of these “data points” to be aggregated over time in an extremely detailed fashion, painting a shockingly detailed mosaic about an individual based on online activity alone. One tracking company, for example, tells advertisers it can predict a user's age, zip code, and gender, as well as an estimate of a user’s income, marital status, family status and home ownership status.”2

Protection from this illegal action must be at the core importance for each person who takes his or her private life as something of great value; but after reading this report, we come to certain realizations that whatever one does, whatever antivirus software one have to protect one internet privacy identity, the other party will always find a way to hack your privacy at all costs. I personally believe that our internet privacy is given for granted by a lot of people, and if the right actions have been taken maybe in the near future, our information on the net may become private and not for all see.

References:

1. American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU). http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/understanding-risk

2. Wall Street Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/02/11/lawmaker-introduces-new-privacy-bill/?KEYWORDS=internet+privacy

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Radio Frequency Identification

By: Felisa Guerra Fernandez

RFID is a technology that uses communication through the use of radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking. This technology has been used since the 1970s. “RFID is a machine that reads tags and those tags give the reader all the information of the person, the product, the car, the animal etc. While it is not necessary to show the tag as with a bar code, it can read hundreds at a time and can be read through clothes, case, box, containers etc… even several meters away from the machine. Is a machine that consists in a tiny ship computer with an antenna.” (Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre, Summer 2002)

The RFID’s purpose is to make it possible that each product or each item in a shop has its own identifying number, the same with people and cars, each one has their own and unique license or ID. RFID has two types, one is called: “FIXED RFID and the other MOBILE RFID. The fixed are those tags that are stationary like the things that don’t move, and the mobile tags can be used with the stationary tags which help the reader communicate with the mobile tag. Examples of mobile tags are: vehicle, humans, animals, passports, transports payment detectors, inventory control etc. All objects of which are in motion, which is why it’s more difficult to detect the information given by mobile tags, than in the case where the object is stationary.” Recently the RFID is working and developing very fast for the implants of tags for the human, the main reason for this is because of all the kidnappings around the world. These tags are implanted under the skin. Also they are making them for the prisoners so they can’t escape from jail. In the casinos they have a RFID machine that scans the face and eyes of everyone that goes inside and helps them recognize when someone is on the black list, the only place where the machines can’t be placed yet is in restrooms. (Minho Jo, Hee Yong Youn, February 2009)

Advantages: “It’s a very efficient and effective way for the companies to track their products. RFID tags contain information on the product that is easy to read, and more importantly it helps the companies in reducing labor costs, human errors and time spent checking in products.” (AIM North America, Thursday March 17, 2011)

Disadvantages: “The most important is the privacy issue. People have been complaining about the RFID because they don’t have anymore privacy, every time they enter a place, the RFID machine scans all the information they have with them. There is another huge problem they want to start putting these tags on new clothing and that’s even worse because these tags theoretically could track a person around the world, if there were readers in specific locations throughout the world, personal information may also be embedded in these tags.”I found more issues such as technological imperfections, cost of the technology and no proven way to set up an RFID system for a company. (AIM North America, Thursday March 17, 2011)

The government and corporations are the two groups that offer the most concern for privacy issues. Hidden tags and readers threaten to take away human mystery, offering a world where people see, feel and hear only

what the government and large corporation want people to.

References: