Privacy discussions will never cease as long as technology enables the development of new ways of doing things on the internet. This includes those discussions that center on the most common topic of handling private information. Today, internet companies are tasked of minimizing users’ risks. This will somehow drive them to create stronger privacy policies. Along with this is the mainstreaming of encryption, web filtering and other forms of risk management.

The privacy and confidentiality of location-based information has become the concern of both consumers and corporations. As GPS allows for more sophistication, companies have to ensure protection of personally identifiable information of both employees and customers. The capability to tell location in real time poses a vulnerability issue. However, there is also an urgent need to provide services regarding the whereabouts of people at a given time.

Of the total time spent online, a survey result revealed that almost one-fourth is spent on social networking. It is here where users unmindfully provide their personal information online. This information is being stored in the database of social networks. At any time, one of these companies will experience breach. Once this happens, there is a danger of exposing this information.

Do you like social networks but also want to guard your privacy? Flink12 is the new social network that was created as a safe and secure way to share your private life. It is playful, safe, extremely private and easy to use. A unique way of sharing and communicating, Flink12 allows you to share your life in a meaningful way with the people you know and care about the most. “Privacy first” is the highest priority at Flink12. This approach ensures that your personal information will remain completely secure. With no privacy settings to manage, your information is automatically safe. Personal information will not indexed on the web by search engines. You decide when, where and how much of your life you want to share and with whom. Check out this video to see what it’s all about:

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Today, deciding to browse the Web entails some degree of hesitation on the part of the users. It seems that they are making themselves vulnerable to a host of companies that watch their every move. But because of continuous information drive, many users are becoming aware that their online activities can be tracked, analyzed, and sold. That is why more and more users are looking for ways to protect themselves.

Because of internet safety, some laws and regulations were proposed and implemented. There were companies that voluntarily offered privacy protection to consumers. Users can make use of these available tools in order to maintain some amount of privacy, while continuing to enjoy the benefits of being connected to the internet.

For those users who do not yet know how they are tracked, here is some basic information. Most of the tracking activities are done by advertising networks. They need to do this so that they will know which sites you visit frequently and which ads you respond to. They will then have an idea of what specific ads they will target for you.

As internet service became available to users, they have discovered that it can be used in a hundred and more ways. Then they became less mindful about uploading their personal information to various websites. After some time, their shared information became public and they wondered how that came about. They wanted know where it originated but they could no longer pinpoint which specific website started it.

There is a growing need for users to regain some degree of their privacy. Privacy problems date back to the day people started to share personal information online. They did it without second thought, even without reading any of the websites’ privacy agreements. Many of them did not want to go through the litany of text and alien legal terms. Sometimes, they freely gave their information to sites that were unknown.

Most websites openly present their privacy terms and agreement to users. They give details of what data users need to share and how this will be treated. However, a majority of users do not bother to fully understand its contents. Understandably, they thought these things were not important, only to find out otherwise. They failed to realize that they compromised their privacy by casually sharing their information. Since most of what they share is public domain, they should not wonder how it spread so rapidly.

Dogs are probably the most common pet among people of all ages. They come in different breeds and different sizes. Whatever your dog’s breed or size may be, you always want the best for him or her. Many times you would go out of your way to provide your pet not only with the basic needs. Sometimes, you will buy something that would give him or her an added measure of tender loving care. After all, your dog is your best friend. Here are some pet gadgets that will surely make your dog feel loved and cared for.

The Amazing Inflatable Dog Shower

Of course, you always want your dog to be clean all day long. Since they do not clean themselves (unlike your pet cat), you have to give him or her a bath. For this purpose, there is an inflatable dog shower that is just right for you and for your dog. This is suited for those who like to save on storage space. This gadget can be folded to as small as 24” x 14”, small enough to fit into just about any space. It inflates in 5 minutes, ready to emit seven levels of spray, from gentle to one that’s strong enough to remove dead skin cells. Its wall is 21” high to prevent water from spilling, which can be messy at times. It has a 52” hose to allow you to reach all of your pet’s areas. The gadget is made of puncture resistant PVC and nylon.

Families need to check if their computers or TVs are stealing the quality time that they should be spending with other family members. There is a growing concern about the increased amount of time that families spend surfing the net or watching television. Many American family members are spending less time with other household members as revealed in a survey. The figures show that an internet user spends an average of 3 hours online every day, while viewers spend an average of 1.7 hours daily in watching TV.

The emergence of social networking technology slowly changes the meaning of “friendship”. Instead of family members paying attention to one another, they are engrossed with their online friends. This results in families whose members are ignoring one another. Future leaders and responsible citizens are brought up in the home. The home is where children learn the values of trust, support, kindness, and how to handle anger, loss, embarrassment, etc. Here, adults give children emotional support and act as good role models.

No other social institution can serve as an emotional cradle. Many teenagers of today show that they are smart, but they are lacking in emotional intelligence. They are not well-prepared to “read” other people – not even their own selves. The ability of an individual to understand, read and manage his or her own emotions is measured by emotional intelligence. An individual can only learn this when he or she is given the time to live, work, and play with real people.

The EFF, or Electronic Frontier Foundation, acts as consumers’ first line of defense for their digital rights. It is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1990 and is presently based in San Francisco, California. Most of its activities center on digital rights advocacy, and on protecting consumers against the suppression of their personal freedom and rights. The EFF’s funds come mainly from individual donations, and litigation makes up the biggest bulk of its expenditures. It has established a name in battling and winning digital rights cases.

Starting out as strangers to each other, John Perry Barlow and Mitch Kapor ended up as founders of the EFF. It all started with Barlow’s dismal experience about the unfamiliarity of a law enforcer regarding the emerging forms of online communication. He thought that this would soon put consumers’ rights at risk. With Barlow’s experience posted in an online community, Mitch Kapor, who had a similar experience, was able to contact him. That was the start of their successful partnership in defense of consumers’ rights.

The initial funding for legal fees was provided by Kapor and later, they were able to get the services of five New York attorneys. Additional funding was put in by John Gilmore and Steve Wozniak, who knew of their initial successes. Finally, the EFF was formally founded in July 1990 with Kapor, Wozniak and an anonymous benefactor providing the initial funding of the foundation.

There is a growing awareness among users about online privacy. Unlike in the past, they have become more conscious of online crime and fraud. Present-day users recognize the need for setting privacy limits whenever they go surfing. They want to be informed about how their shared information will be handled. Users are now demanding that online retailers give them the protection that they need.

A recent survey among users found a new, emerging trend in fraud consciousness. A privacy research firm and a fraud prevention provider joined efforts in the survey. In their report, the survey found out that 85% of users today worry about becoming an online fraud victim. Compared with 80% in the last similar survey that they conducted, this new figure posted a significant increase. The survey asked the respondents about identity theft, credit card scams, spam, phishing, and others.

The results also tell that users want web retailers to intensify their efforts in combating online fraud. Furthermore, they urge retailers to do their best to stop online criminals from stealing consumer information. They even said that they are willing to be identified online by trusted sites. They suggested the use of computer serial number, ISP, computer type and make for authentication purposes. This will replace the usual personally identifiable information like telephone number and date of birth, which are relatively not safe.

Sometimes, people put their privacy at risk just because they do not know how to protect it. The use of GPS technology has greatly helped people to find places and locations more easily. When driving through an unfamiliar place, finding a restaurant or an ATM in town, GPS is needed. Recently, various concerns have been raised regarding privacy issues in the use of tracking technology. Many phones and cameras are now equipped with GPS, and users enjoy its capabilities from simple photo taking to uploading on the internet.

The main point of the issue raised is the risk involved with anybody being able to access the user’s location from cell phone data. Basically, many phones can keep detailed records of where a person has been. Using this data with Google maps, the phone owner’s location data can be easily mapped showing where he or she had been for any period of time.

GPS-enabled phones or cameras store photos using EXIF data which means Exchangeable Image File. The EXIF annotation is used in almost all new models of digital cameras. This enables storage of photos to include shutter speed, F number, exposure compensation, ISO number, date and time the image was taken, etc. The foregoing does not pose problems on privacy, but are just information about characteristics of the stored data. What stirs concern is that some cameras are capable of storing GPS information on the photo so that one can easily pinpoint where it was taken.