Zombie Cookies
For the past year, Adobe Flash has been reinstalling cookies that have been deleted by users through its popular viewing application. Known as ‘Zombie Cookies,’ these are secret cookies that, without consent, are re-activated after users have disabled them. [linebreak] Cookies are used to track unique web searches and store bits of information that allow […]
The “Panic” Button has arrived
Along with a whole slew of simplified privacy settings, Facebook has added another safety-made-simple feature: the panic button. The button is an application that is available to those whose age on their FB profile says they are a minor. [linebreak] The button links youth directly to a reporting and resource agency where they can enquire […]
Are we as connected as we think?
A great article appeared on the BBC website this past week discussing the most recent TED talks in which Harvard academic, Ethan Zuckerman, said that the Internet is not living up to its ‘promise.’ His argument is an interesting one. [linebreak] Highlighting social behavior on the net, Zuckerman said the social world of internet users […]
The rise of on-line cheating
A recent story by the Vancouver Sun said that on-line based acts 0f academic dishonesty have tripled in the past five years at Canadian universities. Using data from the University of Waterloo, plagiarism was highlighted as the most common form of cheating. The revelation is certainly a shock, but it shouldn’t be that much of […]
Fired for Tweet
Hold that thought. No really. Hold that thought. We all have opinions. At the water cooler an opinion is between you, the person beside you, and the hearsay network of the person who cares enough to repeat your ranting. Twitter, however, is not a person, it is a broadcast network, something people often forget when […]
Anonymity tested – Wikileaks under fire
Gone are the days of uncontested truth. Hegel’s thesis – antithesis – synthesis is unfolding in front of our eyes as the continued evolution of the information society unfolds. If we consider media conglomeration and state surveillance as the thesis stage of a new era of social organization, Wikileaks just might be its antithesis for […]
Editing the controversial – Wikipedia taking new steps
Wikipedia announced recently that it will make it possible for a broader swath of users to edit controversial subjects on the site whose pages are locked due to abuse and political manipulation. Generally, any reader can edit a page, but there are certain people and topics that the Wiki masterminds do not allow ‘editing’ of […]
Street View accused of collecting private data
Google has been up in arms in recent months over unscrupulous monitoring and hacking of its search engine by the Mainland Chinese government. Today, however, Google finds itself at the other end of the finger pointing, accused by Internet watchdogs of infringing on privacy. The saga gas been going on for weeks, and today the […]
Canada attempts new copyright law
The Canadian government is about to enter round three of amending its outdated copyright legislation after two prior attempts, Bill C-60 and Bill C-61, died on the parliamentary floor. [linebreak] It is difficult to wade through the jingo of the proposed on-line copyright changes, but in a nutshell the bill legalizes existing practices like personal […]
Facebook Privacy in one click
The new one button, one page, one click, approach to Facebook privacy has arrived. [linebreak] Yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be simplifying its revamped privacy settings so that users no longer have to wade through the nearly 200 individualized options in order to secure the information they post is not distributed without their […]
People said…