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In this presentation Brielle talked about internet cookies, their purpose and how people feel about them. Cookies are pieces of information that a web server can store on user's machine. They contain the name of the site that issued them and the location of the site. They aren't programs and can't gather personal information, instead they are mostly used for marketing research and information collection. Cookies can be persistent (remain in the system after leaving the site) or non-persistent (disappear after leaving the site). Cookies are used by website owners and advertisers to track personal preferences in order to target content towards a user based on those preferences. Some people think that cookies are bad and that they invade people's privacy and some think that they are fine. I personally don't mind them as long as they are used for marketing research purposes. There were several tips that the presenter gave us on how to avoid cookies:-Set browser to "read only" and Purchase software that will reject or manage cookies.
Second presentation was about theB invasion of privacy and how we often disclose personal information without even knowing it.B Companies sell all this information to each other and that's how we receive all that unwanted mail that we never signed up for.B The presenterB told class about the "Smart Card" that has been popular in London. It is used as an automatic pass for subway but it also lets advertisers and marketers know where you go and when. He showed an episode from the movie "Enemy of The State" where they showed how many devices can be used to track people and it explained why invasion of privacy has become such an issue recently.
This presentation was about the Patriot Act that was signed into law six weeks after September 11, 2001. The act diminished Privacy Protection of the Fourth Amendment and it includes ability to track email and Internet usage, use wiretapsB andB obtain sensitive personal information. A lot of the items covered by the Act can expire and it will be up to the Congress to vote for them again. The main goal of the act is toB prevent potential terrorist activities. The act has caused a lot of controversy and has especially has had an impact on communication service providers that now have to disclose a lot of information about their subscribers. I guess, personally, I see how this can be a substantial invasion on people's privacy, but since I have nothing to hide I guess I don't really care if anyone listens to my phone conversations or searches my computer. I do agree, though, that since the act was approved so soon after September 11, it might have a lot of flaws and issues that need have more research put into them.
Topic: Privacy Presentation 1: Internet Cookies ~ Cookies are a piece of information that is on your computer put there by web servers. It creates an identification number for the computer/user and tracks the sites you visit; it can also in some cases gain access to your passwords. ~ There are two forms of cookies persistent and non persistent, persistent stays in the computer for long periods of time non persistent gives the gathered info to the site immediately and does not stay in the computer long. ~ These cookies are used by web sites and advertisers, web sites find out what sites the user goes to and what they are interested in then sells their information to advertisers and other companies which use the info to direct their ads towards that person. ~ Positives of cookies are makes web use easier and more tailored to the users interests. ~ Negatives are some believe it invades on ones privacy also problems with the concept of selling of personal profiles. ~ To remove cookies from you hard drive by following the steps to have it deleted from your computer or you can by software that will block it for you. Presentation 2: Personal privacy ~ Credit card companies, store discount cards warranty surveys, contests these are all ways in which companies gain your personal information and then are able to sell it to other companies. ~ Employers can watch and track what an employee is doing on the computer while at work. They track what emails you write and what sites you visit. One reason employers do this is because they can be held liable if you do illegal things during work time on work equipment. ~ There are no formal agencies that watch over the government to make sure they do not infringe on personal privacy. However there are privacy coalition and other non-governmental groups that watch over these issues. ~ We have to balance the right to privacy with the desire for convenience and safety. We want our privacy but we also want to be kept safe from terror attacks and we also out of convenience give out our information to easily. Presentation 3: USA PATRIOT Act ~ Stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, signed into law October 26, 2001 ~ Diminishes privacy protections of the 4th Amendment by allowing officials to conduct searches or track emails and internet usage under a less criteria of probable cause. ~ This has increased leeway on the obtaining search warrants for many things including sneak and peak searches without notification, wiretaps, pen registers etc. ~ Many think that this bill was passed to quickly and in fear after 9/11 that congress did not realize what an invasion on privacy it can lead to.
Cookies: Pieces of info a web server can store on the user's machine 2000 Received attention due to privacy concerns Creates an user ID # for each visitor Tracks the sites you previously visited
What a cookie contains the name of he website that issued them. There are misconceptions about cookies. They are not programs and they can't gather personal information. There are two kinds, which can be in your computer, a persistent or a non persistent. The persistent is where is can be in your computer for a long time and remains in the system after you leave. Non-persistent is short and not there when you turn it off. There are positive and negative aspects of the Internet cookies. Some of the positives are that is easier to navigate and get more accurate information. The negative aspects are that it is an invasion of privacy, stores in users computer without consumers knowledge, profiles can be sold to other commercial interest and unknown location of where the cookies coming from. There are plenty ways of combating Internet cookies. Some of the ways are to purchase software or set up your computer to delete the cookie files when you start you browser. General agreement in the class is that most people felt that they were not concerned about cookies.
Presentation Two was on Privacy.
With privacy there is a big issue on credit card companies and the
ways they are able to get our personal information, which we let them
get very easily. The ways that they are able to get the personal
information is through stores that we make purchases at, contests that
we sign up for, through schools, through cell phone companies, steal
the info., and websites. These are just some of the ways that they can
get our information. With privacy is the issue of how much our
employers get to know. Since they are liable for our actions, they get
to know if we are doing anything illegal. With the government there is
no formal agencies that monitor. The privacy collation will monitor
the government and will legislate. To get the importance of if
privacy is more important than connivance and safety, there was a clip
from Enemy of the State, which the government was conspiring against a
man for doing the right thing.
Presentation Three was on the Patriot Act.
This was a very interesting topic to me for I never really heard of the
Patriot Act before. This was put in place after Sept. 11 bombing and
was hurriedly passed without everything being read. There is a lot of
confusion about what all is in the document. There are certain laws
that give the right to law agencies to have easier access to things
without going through a large process. Some of these laws are going to
be up in 2005 while others can never be eliminated. The one that I
think I like the best or most interested in was the Sneak and Peak
searches. Law enforcement is able to conduct a search in a patron's
home with out warning. They don't even have to tell you for up to 6
months if they don't want to. What happens if they get the wrong house
or the wrong person, what happens then? This is something that was not
thought about. It is a breech on the innocent person's privacy. There
are many others that are covered in here like voicemail, wiretaps, pen
registers, and roving wiretaps.
Presentation # 1 Internet Cookies What is? Pieces of information that a web server can store on the user's machine Creates user ID # for each visitor Tracks the sites you previously visited Cookies Contain Name Location Passwords What Cookies Aren't Programs Can't gather information on their own 2 Forms Persistent Non-Persistent Presentation # 2 Talked about when you fill out an application for a credit card, that your information is sold to marketers and advertisers. He mentioned a smart card that is used in London, in which this card is used to scan through transportation places and subtracts the money from your card. Privacy Coalition: Monitors government What is more important safety or convenience? Watched part of Enemy of the State movie Presentation # 3 Patriot Act Uniting and strengthening America by providing tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism act. Signed into law on October 26, 2001 Diminished privacy protections of the 4th Amendment Includes the ability to conduct covert searches, obtain sensitive personal records, track emails, and Internet usage