An insightful infographic by HostGator depicts the state of privacy in 2013. The infographic draws attention to the similarity of current privacy to the totalitarian state of privacy described in George Orwell’s classic, 1984, which was published in 1949. Orwell portrays a society in which an oppressive government monitors and controls every aspect of human life. In 1984, Big Brother […]
Recent cyberbullying-related suicides led to several powerful online discussions about effective ways to protect children and teens. (see one introduction below) We discussed ways to teach children to be respectful, responsible and compassionate and we shared ideas to reduce bullying. We debated parenting styles and teaching skills and we brainstormed about effective school policies. Surprisingly, […]
Protecting our children’s privacy on social networks is an ongoing challenge that begins at a young age and continues after they leave home for college or work. Let’s face it, many kids know more about social networks and technology than their parents and unless parents are with them 24/7, it’s practically impossible to control kids’ […]
One would think that someone who writes and talks about Cyber Privacy and Cyber Safety would be immune to online predators, right? Nope. Wrong! Online predators extend beyond the stereotypical dangerous ones who want to steal private information or meet with young children or innocent women to take advantage of them. Let me explain … […]
A friend asked me if I could explain how a Facebook post in his name appeared in his wife’s news feed when he had no recollection of typing it. My guess was that he likely gave an app permission to post on his behalf and either forgot about it or didn’t realize he was doing […]
A few days ago I warned readers about phishing scams and today, I became a victim. How utterly embarrassing! Take a quick look at this email. If you’re a regular Facebook user, would you question it as a legitimate Facebook notification? At a quick glance, it looked legitimate to me and with the latest changes […]
Phishing emails are usually easy to spot but that does not mean an intelligent (or busy) individual is safe from becoming a victim of a phishing scam. (Forgive me for using “fool” in the title – it fit nicely with the “f” pronunciation of “phishing!”) Please glance at the fraudulent email below. The logo, colors and headline […]
As we surf the Web, our browsing habits and personal data are tracked by third parties, often without our knowledge or our permission. As consumers, we want it all. We want products and services that meet our needs and solve our problems, but we also want our privacy. Collusion is a tool that allows us […]
With increasing popularity of tablets and more than 1 billion smartphone users in the world, access and storage of sensitive data and information via mobile devices has increased dramatically. Simultaneously, mobile attacks including device theft, viruses and malicious apps are on the rise and it’s important to treat mobile devices with the same precautions as […]
Condominium hotline discussions can result in loads of emails and I had to laugh when I got batches about dog poop in common areas of our condominium complex. But what was funny at first soon became annoying as email after email cluttered up my mailbox. How much debate can one take about DNA testing poop […]
Google Alerts provide an easy way to monitor the web for content that is of interest to us. These alerts can tell us what information is appearing on the Internet about our business, ourselves, our children, our family members and even our competition. At the very least, we should all have an alert set up […]
A reader’s question on my last article, Who Sees Your Personal Facebook Posts, made me realize I’d left out a simple tip. Her question was, “When someone is looking for my personal page they can see all of my cover page pictures. How do I block them from seeing any pics or personal information?” I’m […]
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