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PRIVACY

and

Other Social Issues

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WHAT IS PRIVACY?

Freedom from observation, intrusion, or attention of others

Society’s needs sometimes trump individual privacy

Privacy rights are not absolute Balance needed

Individual rights Society’s need

Privacy and “due process”

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PRIVACY AND THE LAW

No constitutional right to privacy The word “privacy” is not in the Constitution Congress has passed numerous laws

Not particularly effective Issue is pace of change

Privacy is a function of culture Privacy means different things in different

countries and regions Serious problem on global Internet

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SOME U.S. PRIVACY LAWS.

   

Year Title Intent

1970 Fair Credit Reporting Act

Limits the distribution of credit reports to those who need to know.

1974 Privacy Act Establishes the right to be informed about personal information on government databases.

1978 Right to Financial Privacy Act

Prohibits the federal government from examining personal financial accounts without due cause.

1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act

Prohibits the federal government from monitoring personal e-mail without a subpoena.

1988 Video Privacy Protection Act

Prohibits disclosing video rental records without customer consent or a court order.

2001 Patriot Act Streamlines federal surveillance guidelines to simplify tracking possible terrorists.

 

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Collecting Personal Information (e.g., your email address => email spam)

Notice/awareness You must be told when and why

Choice/consent Opt-in or opt-out

Access/participation You can access and suggest corrections

Integrity/security Collecting party is responsible

Enforcement/redress You can seek legal remedies

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AMAZON.COM’S PRIVACY POLICY.

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DELL DISPLAYS THE BBB SEAL.

Seal of approval BBB TRUSTe WebTrust

Enhances Web site’s credibility

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COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION

Often voluntary Filling out a form Registering for a prize Supermarket “Rewards” cards

Legal, involuntary sources Demographics Change of address Various directories Government records

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ONLINE PERSONAL INFORMATION.

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COMPLETING THE PICTURE

Aggregation Combining data from multiple sources Complete dossier Demographics

Finding missing pieces Browser supplied data – TCP/IP Public forums – monitoring Samurai

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CAPTURING CLICKSTREAM DATA

Record of individual’s Internet activity Web sites and newsgroups visited Incoming and outgoing e-mail addresses

Tracking Secretly collecting clickstream data ISP in perfect position to track you

All transactions go through ISP

Using cookies Using Web bugs

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TRACKING WITH COOKIES.

1. Client requests Acme page

2. Acme returns page

3. Client requests embedded banner from Gotcha

4. Gotcha returns banner and cookie

Cookies

Clientbrowser

Acme'sWeb server

Gotcha'sWeb server

Web page

Gotcha'sdatabase

Gotcha'scookies

Gotcha's<IMG>

1

2

3

4

Request page

Return page

Request bannerReturn cookies

Return bannerReturn another cookie

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TRACKING WITH WEB “PIXEL SPYWARE”

Web pixel spyware – single-pixel clear GIF Image reference buried in HTML Browser requests image Server returns bug plus cookie Request provides clickstream data Difficult to spot a Web pixel spyware

Web pixel spyware in HTML formatted e-mail Secret return receipt

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A DEMONSTRATION WEB SPYWARE.

This Web bug is designed to be seen

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A WEB PIXEL SPYWARE BURIED IN AN E-MAIL MESSAGE.

Again, this one is designed to be seen

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SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING

Surveillance Continual observation Tampa – facial scanning at Super Bowl Packet sniffing

Monitoring The act of watching someone or something E-mail Web bugs Workplace monitoring is legal

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SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING TOOLS

Spyware Sends collected data over back channel

Snoopware Records target’s online activities Retrieved later

Screen shots, logs, keystrokes Other surveillance/monitoring sources

OnStar and GPS tracking E-ZPass systems (road toll system in USA) Phone calls and credit card purchases

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SPAM

Electronic junk mail Spammers use anonymous remailers Mailing list sources

Online personal information services Dictionary attack software

Do not respond in any way!

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ANONYMOUS REMAILERS

Some good FAQs http://www.andrebacard.com/remail.html

An example http://www.anonymizer.com

What they know about you Not an endorsement

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THIS BANNER AD MIMICS A DIALOG BOX. DO NOT CLICK “OK”.

Fake banner ads like this one are very annoying Spawner – spawns its own pop-up ads Mouse-trapper

Turns off browser’s Back button Disable pop-ups ad’s close button No way to close ad – must reboot

Spam is a source of spawners and mouse-trappers

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FRAUD

The crime of obtaining money or some other benefit by deliberate deception.

Most common forms of IT fraud Identity theft Credit card fraud Scammers and con artists Financial swindles

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PROTECTING YOUR ONLINE PRIVACY

Implement appropriate security measures Get a copy of your credit report Use:

Junk e-mail account Anonymous remailer Stealth surfing service Common sense

Deal with recognized, trusted e-retailers Keep important numbers and passwords secret Use good passwords If your computer acts strangely, find out why

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How to build a parking ticket