I’ve said numerous times that there’s too much trust in the Facebook world. People have entirely dropped their sense of cynicism when logged on. Apparently, they see no reason to distrust. Generally, your “friends” are people who you “know, like and trust.” In this world, your guard is as down as it will ever be.…
The term “spy” conjures ideas about “foreign operatives,” “moles” and James Bond. You might envision forged IDs, fake passports and fraudulently issued government sponsored papers. When spies were recently exposed and caught in the United States, it was kind of surreal for me, since some of them lived right here in Boston. Back in the…
In New Jersey, a condo board president was instrumental in launching a neighbor watch program which has received the attention of city officials. The condo association has taken the extra steps of installing home security cameras too. The local police approved on the idea of using camera security and agree that every layer of protection…
Imagine you’ve lived at your home for a number of years, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. Home invasions change all that. It used to be a place that was comforting and soothing; a place of security where you didn’t have to “worry.” Not anymore. There are few crimes as horrific as a home…
Numerous privacy groups are urging the FTC to update its Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. The primary goal of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, is to give parents control over what information is collected from their children online and how such information may be used. Jeff Chester, Executive Director of…
I see plenty of articles disclaiming any form of identity theft protection and the related expenses. They have titles like, “Identity Theft Protection Doesn’t Work,” or, “Poor Man’s Guide to Identity Theft Protection.” Most of these articles have some degree of merit, but they usually miss the point. The fact is, you can’t protect yourself…
When you think “honeypot,” images of that lovable furry bear, Winnie the Pooh, may come to mind. Pooh loved him some honey. And whenever he stumbled upon a pot of honey, he gorged himself on that sugary goodness until he passed out. Yum. But in technology terms, a honeypot is a trap set to detect,…
“Contactless,” in this context, refers to the use of a wireless device. A payment is contactless when, instead of inserting your credit or debit card, you hold your card or keychain device within a few inches of the terminal, and your payment information is sent and processed wirelessly. Contactless payments offer a faster and more…
Spyware is sold legally in the United States. This software records chats, emails, websites visited, usernames and passwords, and basically everything a person does on that PC. Some spyware programs can record everything in a video file that can then be accessed remotely. This is all perfectly legal as long as the PC’s owner is…
I make a portion of my living speaking professionally. That means I get on a platform and present in front of an audience on issues revolving around personal security and identity theft. So when I got this email, I was so happy to see I was being invited to England to speak to the esteemed…
