Social Networking for Neighborhoods

I think the ning.com social network could work for our neighborhood and is a possibility for others. A friend had ask me to set-up a website for their Homeowners Association, but I think this would work better.

Presentation Research

I have researched the audio aspect of the presentation assignment. SnapKast tools can work for the audio with Power Point. The Football security research required an interview with my son and husband.

Convenience vs. Privacy ITEC 620 Research Paper

Picture by Nick Crain
____________________________
Convenience vs. Privacy

Kay A. Wilson
UMUC – ITEC 620
November 12, 2007
Abstract

“In our digital world, it may be impossible to protect personal information.
Is Anything Private Anymore?” From Parade.com (By Sean Flynn,Published: September 16, 2007). Flynn asks my question “So how do you live in a digital world and still maintain a semblance of privacy?” Experts say it’s crucial to recognize that those bits of data are permanent—a trail of electronic crumbs that is never swept away, available to anyone with the skills and inclination to sniff it out (By Sean Flynn,Published: September 16, 2007). This research paper will evaluate the simplest ways to protect your personal (analog and digital) privacy in a digital world.


“The power of corporate tera mining creepily suggests the opening lines of Psalm 139:
You have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. (Ayres, 2007).”
No one will dispute the value of information today. Information is mined and sold in terabyte quantities. “Google has about four petabytes {ie. 4X1,024 terabytes} of storage which it is constantly crunching (Ayres, 2007).” Current reporting states “this year alone, the security of nearly 77 million Americans’ has been breached, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, nearly a fourfold increase over 2006 (Caruso, 2007).” These breaches of security account for business losses in the billions of dollars and are having an impact on American society. This research will review the societal choices and suggest available solutions to maintaining some semblance of personal privacy in a digital world.
Sources of the Data
“Type the word privacy into your favorite search engine. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Chances are you’ll get more than 5.3 billion returns. That’s with a “b.” On that basis, there are nearly as many opinions about privacy as there are people on the planet. As Americans, we are of at least two minds when it comes to personal privacy. Professor Charles Davis of the University of Missouri summed it up nicely in 2005 when he told a newspaper reporter that we were the people who will sign up for a credit card at a football game to get the free T-shirt, but complain later about the loss of privacy.
In other words, we want convenience and privacy – often in that order.
Advances in technology are having such a profound effect on our lives – and how we view privacy - that we often change our daily routines because of some new technology that adds a new level of convenience or reduces a layer of complexity to some common transaction. If you need proof, Harris Interactive projects more people will pay their bills online this year than by writing a check for the first time ever.
Yet, these new technologies and the solutions they support pose nearly as many opportunities for mischief as they do for improving lives. It’s at this intersection of risk and reward that consumers, business leaders and policy-makers need to linger awhile to discuss ways to ensure the benefits of technologies do not become burdens.
For most of recorded history, communicating with someone across town or country involved travel. You had to talk face to face or send a message with someone else. Today, communication that once required days or weeks is now instant, no matter where you are on the Earth because of new technology.
Like the rest of society, technology has helped the concept of personal privacy to evolve over time, too. Privacy used to mean a good nightshade over your window. It was the 19th century when legal scholars began to discuss a right of privacy, and the 1920s when the concept was first articulated in a U.S. Supreme Court opinion. In the 1960s states began to pass so-called sunshine laws that guaranteed any citizen the right to inspect and copy government documents with very few exceptions.
Fast forward to today. Technology has made those government documents instantly accessible. The court case where Justice Brandeis first wrote that privacy is the “right to be let alone” is now itself available online for all to read (Curling, 2007).”
“As long as we are willing to relinquish some personal data, Web applications have long allowed us to create virtual identities that can conduct most of the social and financial transactions that typify life in the real world.
But the newest generation of these services is starting to collect and store far more than just the standard suite of identity data — name and address, phone, Social Security or credit-card numbers — that populates the databases of banks and credit-card processors. They increasingly store information, generated by us, that is directly linked to those virtual identities.
And users are loving them (Caruso,2007).”
“Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret (Sullivan, 2007).”
The Lament
“The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.” When pollsters ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. An MSNBC.com survey, which will be covered in detail on Tuesday, found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.
People do and don't care. People say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans – 7 percent, according to a recent survey by The Ponemon Institute – change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at toll booths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Carnegie Mellon privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a measly 50-cents-off coupon.
But woe to the organization that loses a laptop computer containing personal information. Perhaps a more important question, Acquisti says, is how do consumers measure the consequences of their privacy choices? If a company offers $1 off a gallon of milk in exchange for a name, address, and phone number, how is the privacy equation calculated? The benefit of surrendering the data is clear, but what is the cost? It might be nothing. It might be an increase in junk mail. It might be identity theft if a hacker steals the data. Or it might end up being the turning point in a divorce case. Did you buy milk for your lactose-intolerant child? Perhaps you’re an unfit mother or father.
Assessing the Costs and Benefits
“People realize there could be future costs, but they decide not to focus on those costs (Sullivan, 2007).” Research indicates that there are at least two aspects of personal privacy that society is willingly sharing information today, those being convenience in everyday life and in medical records.
In medical records “streamlined electronic medical records would make health care safer and more efficient (Flynn, 2007).”
The award winning research company Harris Interactive reports on February 8th, 2007 “ The potential benefits of electronic medical records (EMRs) sounds appealing to most people, but when the issue of privacy is raised, many people become concerned about the potential for privacy abuses in EMR systems. However, most have read or heard nothing about EMRs, so public opinion is waiting to be formed.
These are some of the findings of three different surveys, each of which contained some relevant questions on EMRs, which were conducted by Harris Interactive® in 2006 and 2005. Two of these surveys were conducted with Dr. Alan F. Westin, Professor of Public Law & Government Emeritus at Columbia University and one of the world’s leading authorities on privacy issues in health care and other business and government settings.
In reviewing these results, Dr. Westin commented "Personal medical records have always been rated as highly sensitive by the American public. As programs to automate and interconnect patient medical records across the U.S. health care system proceed, it will be vital to track how patients see this affecting not only the quality and costs of health care, but also the confidentiality, privacy and security of their personal health information.
Public attitudes toward electronic medical records
Many people know virtually nothing about the current campaign to adopt EMRs throughout the U.S. health care system. Only 29 percent claim to have read or heard anything about them. Therefore, it is important to point out that mass public opinion about EMR systems does not yet exist. How public opinion develops, as public knowledge and awareness of EMRs grow, will depend therefore on reports in the media on the advantages and disadvantages they offer.
From the Harris Interactive Poll February 8, 2007:
TABLE 2
Attitudes Toward Electronic Medical Records
"How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?"
Base: All adults who are online (September 5 to 7, 2006)
Agree Strongly / Somewhat Agree Strongly
The use of electronic medical records can significantly decrease the frequency of medical errors % 55 20
The use of electronic medical records can significantly reduce healthcare costs % 60 25
The use of electronic medical records makes it more difficult to ensure patients’ privacy % 62 24
The use of electronic medical records can improve the quality of care patients received by reducing the number of redundant or unnecessary tests and procedures they receive % 68 30
Most people want to use many of the services to be provided by health information technology

While very few people (4% of all adults or less) currently use services to be provided by health information technology, substantial majorities of the public say they would like to be able to:
• Receive reminders to revisit their doctors online (77%)
• Communicate with their doctors by email (74%)
• Schedule appointments online (75%)
• Receive the results of diagnostic tests via email (67%)
• Use home monitoring devices, like blood pressure readings or blood tests, and send results to their doctors’ offices by telephone or email (57%)
Overall, a 64 percent majority say, when asked, that they would like to have "an electronic medical record to capture medical information."
TABLE 5
Benefits and Risks of electronic Medical Records
"Supporters of the new patient electronic record system say that strong privacy and data security regulations will be applied. Critics worry that these will not be applied or will not be sufficient. Overall, do you feel that the expected benefits to patients and society of this patient electronic medical record system outweigh potential risks to privacy, or do you feel that the privacy risks outweigh the expected benefits?"
Base: All adults (September 7 to 13, 2006)
%
Expected benefits outweigh potential risks 29
Privacy risks outweigh expected benefits 42
Not sure 29

Although, the above survey indicates the risks outweigh the benefits. “In the 30-question survey developed in consultation with researcher Larry Ponemon of The Ponemon Institute (although, not be considered scientific). More than 6,500 MSNBC.com users voluntarily took the survey by last week, when the results were analyzed. The survey reflects a self-selected group that likely is more interested in privacy-related issues than the general population. Nevertheless, the results are generally consistent with numerous surveys Ponemon and other privacy researchers have conducted.
• About 40 percent of respondents said they would willingly submit to voluntary fingerprinting at their local police station.
• 60 percent said they would carry a high-tech driver's license with an embedded ID chip or biometric device.

Amazingly!
• Nearly 20 percent said they would have a tiny microchip implanted under their skin that could be used to identify them and access their medical histories (Sullivan, 2007).”
For Convenience in Everyday life the Benefits are far-reaching
“Technology allows us to drink our morning coffee at the corner deli while we use wi-fi to surf the Web. We pick our doctors from Web sites without ever meeting the physician before the first office visit. We apply for a job at a store kiosk and never see the person who is reviewing the application.
We shop on-line, obtain mortgages from the comfort of our living rooms, watch videos of people dropping candy into sodas bottles on a laptop computer, and file our taxes electronically.
We walk into big-box retailers and walk out with big-screen televisions 15 minutes later. Insurance rates are lower today because home and auto carriers can tailor their premiums to you. It’s more difficult for registered sex offenders to volunteer to work with children because of background checks that take hours not weeks.
College students and young adults create whole communities of users on social networking sites where they bare their souls and occasionally more. There are already more than 50 million blogs where people can voice their opinion -- even though they may be the only person listening – and most intimate details of their lives.
This doesn’t count the number of times we look up our friends, neighbors and dates through search engines. Or seek Professor Davis’ hypothetical T-shirts.
We do all these things seemingly without hesitation or thought about the privacy implication. (Curling, 2007).”
“How To Protect Your Privacy - No one is going to protect your privacy for you. Here are some ways to take control;

• Be stingy with personal information. Don’t readily give a cashier your address, phone number or Social Security number. Always ask how the information will be used.
• Be vigilant in cyberspace. A basic firewall is a must for your home computer. Never give any personal information in response to an e-mail.
• Practice anonymity. Want the benefits of the grocery store’s discount card without leaving a record of every Twinkie you buy? Ask to sign up as A. Nonymous.(Flynn, 2007).”
Suggested Solutions for financial transactions could include the following:
“The start-up Mint.com won this year’s TechCrunch award for its Swiss Army knife approach to personal financial management. In exchange for customers uploading their account information and allowing sponsors to offer them specialized services, Mint will connect nightly to their credit-card providers, banks and credit unions. Then it automatically updates transactions and accounts, balances their checkbooks, categorizes their transactions, compares cash with debt and, based on their personal spending habits, shops for better rates on new accounts and credit cards. (Caruso,2007) .”
“A product offering from RSA called a SecurID® Token with two-factor authentication is based on something you know (a password or PIN) and something you have (an authenticator)—providing a much more reliable level of user authentication than reusable passwords. The token is the only solution that automatically changes your password every 60 seconds.
RSA offers enterprises a wide range of user authentication options to help positively identify users before they interact with mission-critical data and applications through: VPNs & WLANs, E-mail, Intranets & extranets, Microsoft® Windows® desktops, Web servers and Other network resources.

E*TRADE refers to the Digital Security ID program as a 21st Century “padlock” for a customer’s E*TRADE accounts. With the device, the Company aims to build confidence by providing an extra layer of password authentication to its customers. Offered to qualified customers as an optional service that works through the existing etrade.com customer logon, the token provides a unique six-digit code that changes every 60 seconds. The customer must enter this code along with his/her existing user ID and password in order to access account information and transact in their E*TRADE accounts. The randomly changing code makes it virtually impossible for an unintended or unauthorized person to log into an account, making phishing and key-logging viruses difficult to perpetrate.

E*TRADE FINANCIAL makes the service and token easy to order and activate, offering it free to customers with over $50,000 in assets, or hose who trade at least 10 times or more a month. All other customers can choose to enroll in the program for a one-time charge of $25. During the first six months of the program nearly 20,000 E*TRADE customers signed up for and activated their Digital Security ID.
A customer testimonial on the RSA web-site states; “Use of the token offers assurance that only I have access to my E*TRADE account. Although I change my password regularly, I found this extra security measure worthwhile. The device was easy to use, worked flawlessly, and only took a few extra seconds to apply.” –Timothy H.(RSA, 2007).”

Recommendations for business
“To protect data effectively and efficiently, it’s essential to know what the data is that you need to protect. Without visibility into what data you’re storing, transmitting, and processing, any encryption technology deployment is likely to result in an over-engineered solution or unprotected data. So a data classification initiative will probably need to go hand-in-hand with any expansion of your encryption program (Forrester Consulting, 2007).”

Summary and Implications

My purpose in the paper was to reflect the current American societal approach to personal privacy in a digital world and to evaluate and suggest the simplest ways to maintain some semblance of privacy protection. The studies reported here provide strong support for the general contention that society embraces new technology without immediate regard for their personal privacy.

The newspaper headlines shout about the risks of losing your identity raising concerns and call for debate. The loss of the digital identity is only reflected to have an impact on behaviors if it would have a negative effect on the lifestyle.

I embrace the convenience of applying for a mortgage online. This application requires input of the digital identity and causes concerns for exposure. To get a new house mortgage or refinance to get cash would be a positive effect on my lifestyle. If the digital identity is stolen and the thief uses the information to make credit purchases as reported to the credit bureau the new mortgage would not be approved and have a negative impact on lifestyle.

Medical technology offers applications requiring my personal digital information and I would participate without reservation to better my health care and would still have concerns if the information was just to be used to reduce paperwork. Although the applications go hand-in-hand because reducing errors equates to better overall health care.

The risk of identity loss having a personal impact is real and a concern. It is a personal responsibility to take reasonable steps to safe-guard the information. New products and solutions are being released daily to be used as tools for more security.


References


Ayres, I. (2007). All the World’s a Mine. In I. Ayres (Ed.), Super Crunchers: How Thinking by Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart( pp 33-39). New York, NY: Bantam Dell.

Caruso, D. (2007). RE:Framing: Securing very important data: your own.
Bright Ideas, The New York Times, Sunday, October &, 2007; (page 4).

Curling, D. (2007). President, COO of Choicepoint, Striking a balance between privacy, convenience. Special to MSNBC.com, updated 5:06 a.m. ET, Mon., Oct. 16, 2006 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15200503/

Flynn, S. (2007). Is Anything Private Anymore?,Parade,(pp. 4-6).
http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_09-16-2007/APrivacy

Harris Interactive, Inc. (2007), The Benefits of Electronic Medical Records Sound Good, but Privacy Could Become a Difficult Issue, http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1174

Ponemon Institute Research, (2007),http://www.ponemon.org/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221100/

RSA, the Security Division of EMC (2007), The State Of Data Security In

North America, RSA, the Security Division of EMC, http://www.rsa.com/products/consumer/studies/ETRAD_CP_0506.pdf

Sullivan, B (2007), Privacy under attack, but does anybody care? It's vanishing, but there's no consensus on what it is or what should be done.
MSNBC.com, updated 4:14 p.m. ET, Tues., Oct. 17, 2006.


Sullivan, B (2007), On privacy, talk and actions are poles apart. MSNBC.com, updated 11:18 a.m. ET, Thurs., Oct. 19, 2006. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221100/

CRM and emotional sales

I have started working in an emotional sales environment "one-call-close". The CRM I am currently working with is basically non-existent, and I am seeing incredible opportunity for CRM and technology to apply and improve this opportunity.
I also see an application for e-commerce in the near future.

Fasinating Technology Application

I was researching vacationing in Las Vegas for my new job when I found this informaiton about technology applications using RFID.




On 192 acres, Wynn Las Vegas holds more than 2,700 guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and a 110,000 square foot casino with several gambling areas. Players at table games are issued RFID [radio frequency identification]-equipped betting chips, making it easier for Wynn Las Vegas to identify counterfeit chips, keep track of markers, rate players for comps, and deter casino cheats.

http://honeymoons.about.com/od/lasvegashotels/a/Wynn_Las_Vegas.htm

Net Neutrality Interesting

I find the issue of Net Neutrality Interesting and am going to research further the positions. I am also starting with the Zoho.com for the project presentation. I am in training this week for a new position, and moving from the house we have been in for 5 years. Two huge changes in my life.

Infomation Security

My main concern is information security and human error. An error or breach in informaiton security can be catastrophic. My research this week indicates it is worse than I imagined.

ITEC 610 Virtual Classroom

I have the opportunity to envision the virtual high school class room and the Smart Home. I have concerns for security with the IPv6 implementation and I love the VOIP.

Information security concerns

I have started with a new company and spent yesterday learning the new software. This is a bank and I have real concerns about the security. This is all web-based access...no vpn, just a password. They freely loaded the software on my personal computer... another concern. I will update when I learn what security measures they are using.

Learning New Technology

I have started with a new company, the orientation was yesterday. I spent 6 hours learning the new software. I am so impressed with the advances in the last 2.5 years, it is amazing. I enjoy learning.

Technology and the Presidential Election

I am following the influence of technology on the Presidential election. I am going to read this book as research.
From:The Way We Live Now
Back-Room Choices
"In a new book, “Real Change,” Gingrich argues that both parties are mired in a pre-Internet mind-set. “What really has to happen,” he told me, “is that someone has to come along who intuits the necessary requirements for success in this generation and who articulates it with the language and technology of this generation.”
By MATT BAI
Published: February 3, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/magazine/03wwln-lede-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=back-room%20choices&st=nyt&scp=1

Super Tuesday Post

This is a Super Tuesday and I am updating by blog as assigned in my ITEC610 class.
I will post again tomorrow after the primary election results.

First Timer

This is my first blog posting as an assignment in my ITEC610 classes. I expect this experience will be usefull in my class and in business.