Tag: privacy

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/3/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

So Facebook has simplified the way in which users can select their privacy settings. What has the reaction been from Facebook privacy critics? Kudos all around – for a good first step but, say critics, much more needs to be done. Here’s the story.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/29/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Location based services – neat things that happen when service providers like Yahoo or Google or Foursquare know where you are at any given moment – can be very cool and convenient. But as a new web site called “Please Rob Me” (http://pleaserobme.com) points out, they can also tell very undesirable characters that you’re not home. This is only one example of how privacy is changing in our digital world, a good topic of conversation during the first national  Choose Privacy Week (www.privacyrevolution.org) sponsored by the American Library Association. It’s happening May 2-8, and may be happening at your local library. If privacy, or its demise, concerns you, join in the conversation.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/14/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Goggle recently announced that it is now “personalizing” the search results it delivers to users. Is this a good idea? Could it follow in the footsteps of cable and the Internet and simply contribute to the fragmentation of our culture? See what you think.
And, on another note, are the full body scanners about to be deployed in airports incapable of storing the nude images they generate of passengers as former Homeland Security Secretary asserted in a recent op-ed piece?
Apparently not. Ooops.
For more information on Google personalization:
http://searchengineland.com/googles-personalized-results-the-new-normal-3129
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http://searchengineland.com/google-now-personalizes-everyones-search-results
-31195
To disable Google personalization:
http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=54048
For more information on full body scanner image storage capabilities:
http://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatter/

Goggle recently announced that it is now “personalizing” the search results it delivers to users. Is this a good idea? Could it follow in the footsteps of cable and the Internet and simply contribute to the fragmentation of our culture? See what you think.
And, on another note, are the full body scanners about to be deployed in airports incapable of storing the nude images they generate of passengers as former Homeland Security Secretary asserted in a recent op-ed piece?Apparently not. Ooops.
For more information on Google personalization:
http://searchengineland.com/googles-personalized-results-the-new-normal-31290http://searchengineland.com/google-now-personalizes-everyones-search-results-31195
To disable Google personalization:http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=54048
For more information on full body scanner image storage capabilities:http://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatter/

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/28/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

According to Hitlist, 98% of web users use just four search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSNLive, and ask.com. What about those other 2% of search engines available on the web? Today, we look at a few that might be just the ticket for some kinds of searches. Take a look at:
ixQuick – www.ixQuick.com – if privacy is important to you Hakia – www.hakia.com – which promises not only accurate but reliable results Indeed – www.indeed.com – focused only on job openings JobsInMaine – www.jobsinme.com – listing Maine job openings

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/14/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
A little spring catch-up today: a court case that may change your relationship with web site owners you patronize, and the unsurprising news that the supposedly secure cordless phone you’ve been using is not so secure after all.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/26/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Having our electronic gadgets able to bring us location-based information can be a great convenience but it’s important for us to know just how those gadgets manage that trick, and what implications they have for our personal privacy.

This is WERU’s 20th anniversary year so every once in a while, we go back to see how the information in old Electronic Cottage editions has stood the test of time. This edition was first broadcast in 2002, and it’s just as appropriate today – or even more so – as it was back then.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/19/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Just some odds and ends today that might be of interest. Here are the web addresses mentioned in the program:

www.freezeframe.ac.uk – 20,000+ images from the Scott Polar Research Institute, some dating from 1845

www.ipy.org – site of the 2007 International Polar Year

https://ssd.eff.org – the Self-Defense Surveillance site. Info on what you can do to keep your information secure in this age of ubiquitous surveillance

www.freeebase.com – “an open database of the world’s information”

www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps – a great site for determining what kind of digital television reception you are likely to get over the air at your house.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/05/09

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Airline travel is often not a pleasant experience these days with reduced schedules, fuel surcharges and the like. What may be even more unpleasant is the information airlines and other travel services amass about you, your work, your lifestyle, and even your religion.