Online privacy

Posted on November 19th, 2009 by Admin

It is very important to maintain online privacy. Now a day, more and more people are online and they use internet daily. Many people share their information via internet and provide information their personal information to many website. In this age of modernism each and every work is done with the help of internet. There are many things, which are done with the help of computers like internet banking, corporations, internet product selling and many more such things.

It self in the United States of America, more then eighty percent of people use internet in their daily life. There are many people, who are in the business of hacking. They hack the information of private users and they use this information for their private use. These hackers can be termed as thieves, they hack the personal information via internet. These hackers hack personal information with the help of internet. So take care that, you are safe while working on internet. There are many ways to maintain your online privacy. There are many cyber laws which are amend by the government. But because of some loopholes in the cyber laws, hackers take the advantage.

There are software’s available in the market, which can help you maintaining your online privacy. It is highly recommendable to use these software’s, so that you are safe on the internet. Many hackers try to hack via internet; this software’s will protect you from these hackers. This software’s are designed in such a way that no hacker can penetrate your privacy.

There are many things, which you should take about so that, you are safe working on the internet. Firstly do not share your personal information with the stranger. Sharing personal information with the stranger can be very fatal. Take care that you do not share information with some unknown website. Unknown website cab misuse your private information for their personal benefit. It is very important to maintain online privacy if you spend lot of time online.

If you are not a computer then you can take help from the computer experts. Computer experts can give his personal and expert advice that how to be safe on the internet. For more information you can search on the World Wide Web. You will come across many website which provides information on online privacy. In fact there are many website from where you can download software’s which can help you maintaining online privacy. Sometimes, you can download these software’s for free. Take care that you download from a reliable website and see that you are not cheated.

Tags: hack personal information, online hacking, online privacy, personal information, privacy online, private information | Category Uncategorized

Privacy on Myspace, protect yourself online.

Posted on November 17th, 2009 by Admin

Is there a privacy policy or other privacy related security on MySpace? This question and other related privacy questions are difficult to answer. There can be a certain degree of security and privacy available on MySpace but as with any online community there is also the potential for unsafe situations and violations of privacy. However, there are a couple of ways MySpace members can ensure they are receiving the highest levels of security and privacy possible. This includes being familiar with the terms of service, taking active measures to protect yourself and making use of the privacy features included in the software.

Read the Terms of Service Carefully
Reading the terms of service carefully can give users an understanding of the amount of security and privacy available on MySpace. These terms of service provide members with useful information for the types of activities or content which are prohibited on MySpace. Understanding these regulations will help members to understand whether their actions or the actions of other members are in violation of the terms of service. While the MySpace administrators do not have a policy of policing the community for content violations, they will respond to allegations by other members of violations and will take appropriate actions if the members are in fact found to be in violation of the terms of service. These actions may include deleting the members account and taking appropriate legal actions.

The MySpace privacy policy is referenced within the terms of service and this reference incorporates the entirety of the privacy policy into the terms of service. As a result members who join the MySpace community and agree to the terms of services are also, by default, agreeing to the privacy policy. Therefore, members should carefully review the privacy policy and familiarize themselves with the terms of this policy.

Protect Yourself on MySpace
Members of MySpace do have a small degree of protection afforded by the administrators of MySpace but they can provide themselves with a great deal of additional protection by being aware of how the Internet works and using common sense. Generic safety tips for protecting oneself on the Internet also apply to the MySpace community. Just like it is not wise to give out sensitive information such as your address or social security number on online discussion boards, it is not wise to list this type of information on a MySpace profile either.

MySpace members may think the information they post on their profile is only being viewed by their friends and the members of their extended network but this is not true. There can be many individuals on MySpace who are lurking and viewing members’ websites all the time. Some of these lurkers may be completely innocent but others may be harvesting information.

Making Profiles Private
MySpace does have some features which can give members an increased amount of protection. The ability to make a profile private is one of these features. Most MySpace profiles are public and are viewable by both members of the community and nonmembers. However, those who wish to keep their website private can make it only available to those on their friends list.

Members of MySpace also have the ability to remove members from their friends list or block other members from sending them emails or instant messages. Only members in your friends list can post comments on your website so if there are members who are leaving malicious comments, you can remove them from your friends list to avoid future problems. Also, if you are receiving harassing emails or messages you can block users to prevent them from contacting you in the future.

Tags: myspace privacy, myspace security, online privacy, online security, privacy online, Privacy policy, terms of service | Category Uncategorized

Do We Need Internet Privacy Protection ?

Posted on October 28th, 2009 by Admin

Should we be worried about the protection of our privacy on the internet. Are there really thousands of people trying to spy on us, watching our every move. Well perhaps this article will give you a little knowledge of some of the most important issues involved in Internet privacy protection.

So who are all these spies and why are they spying?

Remember internet crime is extremely big, we don’t have any exact totals but be assured they are truly astronomical figures in billions of dollars worldwide. Many cyber based crimes are not reported, listed or recorded and sometimes not even noticed. We can only deal in estimates and approximation

All over the internet major crime syndicates are moving or expanding into cyber crime. In places like Brazil, China and Eastern Europe, sophisticated criminal networks have an enormous amount of infratructure in place to support their cyber crime. Engaging in crime on the internet has a couple of huge advantages, very big rewards and very low risk.

Computer hackers or identity thieves will often target the average internet surfer. The professional and sophisticated gangs will also be very careful about HOW they steal from you. Once they have your information, your details then there are literally hundreds of ways to use this. The mad spending spree on a debit card or bank account is easily detectable but how about credit applied for in your name, how about the inoffensive looking direct debit for $30 which is removed every month.

Some of these criminals have gone to incredible lengths to steal your data and information. I have seen a copy of Windows XP from Eastern Europe that looked 100% legitimate, shrink wrapped, certificate of authenticity all included, the only problem was this version of XP was preloaded with trojans, viruses and keyloggers ready to start stealing your details from the first install. As soon as you connected to the internet your passwords and accounts would be mailed to a server on the internet…ouch.

So just as you would lock your doors at home, many are beginning to do the same online. I personally want internet privacy protection because I use the internet to pay bills, do my banking, and lots of other activities which involve both my financial and personal details. Do I really want all these details logged on the internet, and at my ISP for example, well no not really.

You see it’s not exactly hard to steal these personal details online. Yes a gang of cyber criminals based in Rio de Janerio can steal from you, even though you’ve never been to Brazil. When you discover your bank account emptied, what can you do? In reality very little but attempt to get yoru money refunded from your bank or credit card company, either way the criminal himself is very unlikely to pay for his crimes.

Tags: cyber privacy, internet privacy, online privacy, privacy online, privacy protection | Category Privacy policy, Uncategorized

Guarding Your Online Privacy While Shopping on the Internet

Posted on October 28th, 2009 by Admin

You can take a few simple precautions that can help you guard your online privacy. Because few laws reach into this area, you’ll have to take the initiative.

Privacy Policies.
Many companies will prominently post their privacy policies, where they state that they don’t share your information with others. If a company Web site does not make mention of this kind of secure online shopping, avoid providing them with your personal information. There’s no guarantee that a company with a privacy policy will honor it, but you stand a better shot of safeguarding your info with one that claims to.

Online Promotions.
Dozens of surveys, promotions, contests and opinion polls ask you to sign up online at any given point, but think twice about distributing your personal information to such businesses. Most of these are set up primarily to retrieve your contact information. To avoid having your information in the hands of companies you don’t even know, resist the urge to complete the forms.

Security Measures.
Look for symbols on the Web site that ensure security for your payment information. While they are never 100 percent secure, a strong payment security system makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access your financial information, such as credit card numbers and bank accounts. Consider using a payment service, such as PayPal, where you transfer money into the online payment service from your bank account. The online retailer gets only your PayPal information, not the bank info.

E-Mail Addresses.
Avoid making it easy for spammers to get your e-mail address. Clever programs scour the Web searching for valid e-mail addresses, so don’t put your actual e-mail address in your e-mail signature. Also, change the address just enough when posting on a forum or message board so that it’s easy for readers to e-mail you, but the harvesting programs will be confused.

Online Communities.
With message boards, community profiles and personal pages such as MySpace and Facebook, you can reveal as much or as little about yourself as you want. Err on the side of caution and keep relevant and identifying information private. Avoid listing such seemingly innocent information such as your phone number, address, school or work name, hobbies and even the names of family members.

Tags: internet privacy, online privacy, privacy online, Privacy policy, shopping privacy | Category Privacy policy, Privacy terms, Terms and conditions

Background Checks – Ethics and Privacy Issues

Posted on October 28th, 2009 by Admin

Did you know it’s illegal to refuse tenancy or a job offer to an individual if the decision was based on a purchased background check report and the landlord employer did not have consent from the applicant.

There are many rules and laws that govern the fair and appropriate use of public record information. This was not always the case; with the increase of online searching about individuals, the appropriate usage and privacy regulations regarding the use and sale of public record data was previously very poorly defined.

Here are some of the bodies and legislation that have had a significant impact on the background check industry.

IRSG
IN 1997 a voluntary and self-regulating group of companies came together to form the Individual References Services Group (IRSG). Their pledge (they were all industry insiders) was to define and adopt a set of self-regulatory principles that governed the dissemination of private or personal data.

Eleven principles were defined; these included Education, Accuracy, Limitations on distributing Non-Public information, Privacy and Protection for Minors.

The IRSG disbanded in 2001 as stricter enforceable legislation was enacted.

FCRA
While the IRSG, were a self-governing and organization, The Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) is legislation that has very specific language about the use of public record information for making decisions about employment or tenancy. The FCRA defines a background check report (and a credit report for that matter) as a “consumer report” and places a number of limitations on the aging and usage of public record data. Here’s a good reference for more information on the FCRA legislation surrounding employment background checks.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley

On November 12, 1999 congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act. While this broad bill covered many other issues it also created very specific legislation about the usage of Financial Privacy Data. The reason this is relevant is that much of the public record data distributed in the form of a background check was sourced from the data obtained from credit bureaus such as Trams Union, Equifax and Experian.

Tags: job offer privacy, privacy at work, privacy issue, privacy issues | Category Privacy policy, Privacy terms

Get Sued By Competitors for Lying On Your Privacy Policy

Posted on October 28th, 2009 by Admin

Many sites put up privacy policies without giving them much thought. Once up, they are often forgotten about even if the policy is later changed. This can lead to disaster as one recent case showed.

You probably are not surprised to learn that lying in your privacy policy can get you into trouble. You will definitely be surprised to learn, however, that your competitors could be the parties suing you. Even worse, they could sue you for millions and win! How could this be? It all boils down to competition. In this case, claims of unfair competition.

The Lanham Act is a federal law that established rules related to unfair competition. Part of the language of the Act prohibits businesses from using false statements that a consumer may use in deciding to use the business instead of a competitor. This can include your privacy policy. If you state in your privacy policy that you do not share visitor information with third parties, but then do so, you are making the false statement called for in the Lanham Act.

For this to get you in trouble, however, the false statement must give you an advantage over competitors, to wit, your competitors admit they give visitor information to others. Making the determination in court is a question of fact, which means a jury will decide. Regardless, it is a risky proposition.

Getting rid of the technical legal jargon, the use of the Lanham Act in relation to privacy policies on sites is all about privacy. Between phishing, email and other online scams, many people are nervous about providing their personal information to sites. Along with this heightened public awareness comes a new unique selling position for sites � assuring privacy! Simply put, more people are likely to use a site that does not share their information with third parties than one that admits it does. If false assurances are given, the advantage is gained without merit, which is where a claim under the Lanham Act comes in.

Ultimately, you need to have a privacy policy on your site. Make sure it is accurate and updated as required so that you do not run into a situation where a competitor actually sues you.

| Category Privacy policy, Privacy terms

Website Terms of Use Templates and Agreements

Posted on October 28th, 2009 by Admin

I’ve drafted and revised a few Terms of Use Templates / Agreements in my day and so I thought it would be useful to put some thoughts about what goes into these documents here in this blog. Be careful, however, when relying solely on other website’s Terms of Use Templates as they may be tailored to the specific jurisdiction and business requirements of that specific website.

The bottom line is that the Terms of Use Agreement is a contract that your website users agree to by visiting and using your website. In addition to a Terms of Use Agreement, a typical website should also have a Privacy Policy and a Disclaimer. In this blog, I’ll be discussing some of the more obvious things that will be contained in a Terms of Use Template / Agreement.

Introduction

First, the Terms of Use Agreement should specify that the user’s use of the website is governed by the Terms of Use Agreement, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and any other relevant terms and conditions, policies, and notices which apply to the website or a specific section or module of the website. You may also want to identify the website and the party which owns/operates the website. Make these terms defined so that you can refer to them throughout the rest of your Terms of Use Agreement.

Accepting the Terms of Use

Second, the Terms of Use Agreement should specify that, by using the website, the user is agreeing to the Terms of Use (and if they don’t, they should not be using the website anymore).

Revisions

Third, there should be some acknowledgment that users agree to any and all modifications, alterations, and updates of the Terms of Use (which become effective upon being posted on the website).

Trademark/Copyright

Fourth, if there are logos/designs which have been trademarked, there should be a provision in the Terms of Use agreement which makes note of this and warns of unauthorized uses. Same goes for copyright.

Website Use/Restrictions

Fifth, the user will acknowledge that they are responsible to protect their IDs and passwords (if applicable) and also that any compromises should be reported immediately. With respect to restrictions, users are generally prohibited from doing things like: posting or transmitting harmful or illegal content, interfering with the website’s operation, trying to hack into pass-word protected areas, and taking actions that will create an unreasonably large load on the web site’s infrastructure.

Depending on what your website does (e.g. does it have a forum? does it allow users to e-mail other users? does it allow users to post comments on blogs? does it allow users to submit content through articles? etc.), your restrictions on terms of use will need to take into account these specifics. That’s where a standard terms of use template may not be sufficient. It may not anticipate everything you and your website need to be protected.

General

Finally, comes the general terms that typically are part of most contracts. These terms will include things like:

(1) The governing law for the interpretation, application, and enforcement of the Terms of Use is the jurisdiction of XXX,

(2) This is the entire agreement in respect of this subject matter,

(3) If any provision is severed, the rest of the Terms of Use Agreement survives, and

(4) The effective date.

Please note that the information provided herein is not legal advice and is provided for informational and educational purposes only (and is current to te time this article was written). If you need legal advice with respect to drafting from a Terms of Use Template, you should seek professional assistance.

Tags: Privacy policy, privacy policy template, Terms and conditions, Terms of use, terms template | Category Privacy policy, Terms of use