Digital Smarts Blog

In an interesting blog entry, futurist Dominic Basulto writes about how privacy is becoming a passing value and outlines his ideas on why he believes that is a good thing. While many people think of privacy as a right, he asks the reader to consider that it may not even be a social norm anymore. He believes that privacy is a “net drag on innovation” and that “open, networked connected societies tend to develop faster.” He further hypothesizes that passing more privacy laws will not be effective, reminding us that in the analog era, privacy intrusions happened rarely, if ever; in the digital era, they happen daily and in many different iterations. That means that legal remedies for privacy invasion are always going to lag behind the invasions themselves and the sheer number of intrusions may make enforcement impossible. While you may not agree with all that Basulto says in his piece, it is worth reading because we live in an era when hackings are a common occurrence, government surveillance is real, and our personal records have the potential to end up in the wrong hands. This all could mean that a collective redefinition of the concept of privacy may soon be coming.

In an interesting blog entry, futurist Dominic Basulto writes about how privacy is becoming a passing value and outlines his ideas on why he believes that is a good thing. While many people think of privacy as a right, he asks the reader to consider that it may not even be a social norm anymore. He believes that privacy is a “net drag on innovation” and that “open, networked connected societies tend to develop faster.” He further hypothesizes that passing more privacy laws will not be effective, reminding us that in the analog era, privacy intrusions happened rarely, if ever; in the digital era, they happen daily and in many different iterations. That means that legal remedies for privacy invasion are always going to lag behind the invasions themselves and the sheer number of intrusions may make enforcement impossible. While you may not agree with all that Basulto says in his piece, it is worth reading because we live in an era when hackings are a common occurrence, government surveillance is real, and our personal records have the potential to end up in the wrong hands. This all could mean that a collective redefinition of the concept of privacy may soon be coming.

Getting older or not, we all can use a little help sometimes reading tiny print or microscopic part numbers on various devices. Of course there is an app for that!

Two of the best (and free) are Magnifying Glass with Light for Apple gadgets and Magnificent Magnifier HD for Android users. Each magnifying app uses your smartphone’s camera to enlarge wherever you point. It can also fire up your phone camera's flash/flashlight, which can help if you are trying to read in a poorly lit area. Kids will also love these apps for looking at insects, rocks and other objects in nature.

Getting older or not, we all can use a little help sometimes reading tiny print or microscopic part numbers on various devices. Of course there is an app for that!

Two of the best (and free) are Magnifying Glass with Light for Apple gadgets and Magnificent Magnifier HD for Android users. Each magnifying app uses your smartphone’s camera to enlarge wherever you point. It can also fire up your phone camera's flash/flashlight, which can help if you are trying to read in a poorly lit area. Kids will also love these apps for looking at insects, rocks and other objects in nature.

There are a large number of digital apps that allow the developer access to the phone or tablet's photos, GPS location, microphone, contacts and more. While some apps do need to be granted specific access, many don't. That means a simple flashlight or wallpaper app might be sending your personal data back to the developer. Once your data is there, it can end up anywhere. Fortunately, there are tools available that can easily scan major apps to tell you which have access to your personal information. The MyPermissions - Online Privacy Shield app (available for iOS and Android) is an example of a tool that scans major apps like Facebook, Twitter, and games to tell you not only which apps have access to personal information on your device, but also shows you what they are sharing on your behalf. You can then use tools that are part of the app to shut off or neutralize access.

There are a large number of digital apps that allow the developer access to the phone or tablet's photos, GPS location, microphone, contacts and more. While some apps do need to be granted specific access, many don't. That means a simple flashlight or wallpaper app might be sending your personal data back to the developer. Once your data is there, it can end up anywhere. Fortunately, there are tools available that can easily scan major apps to tell you which have access to your personal information. The MyPermissions - Online Privacy Shield app (available for iOS and Android) is an example of a tool that scans major apps like Facebook, Twitter, and games to tell you not only which apps have access to personal information on your device, but also shows you what they are sharing on your behalf. You can then use tools that are part of the app to shut off or neutralize access.

A new service called Picattoo allows Instagram users to “share” their photos in a real-world way. For $14.99, you can get 12 of your Instagram photos turned into temporary tattoos and shipped anywhere in the world. Shipping is free, and the tattoos can each last well over a week if properly cared for. The service is fairly straightforward. You log in with either your Instagram or Facebook account (both photo streams are compatible) and select the images you want to convert into tattoos. Once you've selected 12 images and completed the payment, your tattoos will be sent straight to your front door. It’s one more thing for parents to be aware of as our online and real world lives continue to intertwine and occasionally collide.

A new service called Picattoo allows Instagram users to “share” their photos in a real-world way. For $14.99, you can get 12 of your Instagram photos turned into temporary tattoos and shipped anywhere in the world. Shipping is free, and the tattoos can each last well over a week if properly cared for. The service is fairly straightforward. You log in with either your Instagram or Facebook account (both photo streams are compatible) and select the images you want to convert into tattoos. Once you've selected 12 images and completed the payment, your tattoos will be sent straight to your front door. It’s one more thing for parents to be aware of as our online and real world lives continue to intertwine and occasionally collide.

Security researcher Mark Burnett posted a database of 10 million usernames and passwords in early February 2015 that were gathered over the past 5 years. His aim was to aid those working on strengthening computer security by giving them a robust but safe set of data to experiment on. Privacy advocates note that his actions are perfectly legal today, but there are proposed changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act being pushed by the Obama administration that would hold him liable for up to 10 years in prison. Burnett's posting, and the response to it, are an indication of the tensions swirling around online security.

Should you be worried? The ID/password combos he released were old, weak and already available on multiple forums. He also removed the domain part of e-mail addresses. If you are still using one password for all sites, or weak passwords like “123456”, releases like this are a healthy reminder that you need to do a better job protecting your privacy online.

Security researcher Mark Burnett posted a database of 10 million usernames and passwords in early February 2015 that were gathered over the past 5 years. His aim was to aid those working on strengthening computer security by giving them a robust but safe set of data to experiment on. Privacy advocates note that his actions are perfectly legal today, but there are proposed changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act being pushed by the Obama administration that would hold him liable for up to 10 years in prison. Burnett's posting, and the response to it, are an indication of the tensions swirling around online security.

Should you be worried? The ID/password combos he released were old, weak and already available on multiple forums. He also removed the domain part of e-mail addresses. If you are still using one password for all sites, or weak passwords like “123456”, releases like this are a healthy reminder that you need to do a better job protecting your privacy online.

More and more K-12 school districts are moving towards an online component of schooling for students, including programs for accelerated students, for those at-risk, or for those who need to make up credits to graduate on time. Despite the popularity, questions continue to arise about the lack of consistency and quality of these programs. If your child is being offered this option, you may want to read the National Public Radio Blog entry on the subject entitled Virtual Schools Bring Real Concerns About Quality. Some of the online programs are doing a good job, but an independent report found last year that two-thirds are rated academically "unacceptable”, with graduation rates less than half the average of all public schools. As a parent, investigating the quality of the program your child is being offered is a smart idea before signing up.

More and more K-12 school districts are moving towards an online component of schooling for students, including programs for accelerated students, for those at-risk, or for those who need to make up credits to graduate on time. Despite the popularity, questions continue to arise about the lack of consistency and quality of these programs. If your child is being offered this option, you may want to read the National Public Radio Blog entry on the subject entitled Virtual Schools Bring Real Concerns About Quality. Some of the online programs are doing a good job, but an independent report found last year that two-thirds are rated academically "unacceptable”, with graduation rates less than half the average of all public schools. As a parent, investigating the quality of the program your child is being offered is a smart idea before signing up.

As your digital devices begin to become outdated, you may consider gifting, donating or selling them. Any gadget you sell or get rid of, whether it be your phone, computer or tablet, should always be wiped so the next owner does not stumble on any sensitive personal information. Fortunately, wiping an iPhone is simple. All you need to do is go to Settings>General>Reset and select "Erase All Content and Settings." Tap the red button and wait for it to finish. What about other devices? Take a look at this feature from tech columnist Kim Komando on the steps you need to take to wipe clean your Android or Windows phones as well as PC or Mac computers.

As your digital devices begin to become outdated, you may consider gifting, donating or selling them. Any gadget you sell or get rid of, whether it be your phone, computer or tablet, should always be wiped so the next owner does not stumble on any sensitive personal information. Fortunately, wiping an iPhone is simple. All you need to do is go to Settings>General>Reset and select "Erase All Content and Settings." Tap the red button and wait for it to finish. What about other devices? Take a look at this feature from tech columnist Kim Komando on the steps you need to take to wipe clean your Android or Windows phones as well as PC or Mac computers.

Web-connected security cameras and baby monitors are devices found in many households. What most people do not realize is that they are incredibly easy to hack into when the camera's default or built-in password is not changed. A simple online search yields the default password for most camera makes and models, giving peeping toms easy access to look inside your home. Check out the steps you can take to make sure your cameras and webcams are locked down.

Web-connected security cameras and baby monitors are devices found in many households. What most people do not realize is that they are incredibly easy to hack into when the camera's default or built-in password is not changed. A simple online search yields the default password for most camera makes and models, giving peeping toms easy access to look inside your home. Check out the steps you can take to make sure your cameras and webcams are locked down.

Despite all the warnings about password security, SplashData research firm has reported that "123456" was the most commonly used password in 2014. The company's worst passwords list finds "123456" and "password" have remained the top two most popular passwords since they started tracking in 2011. The list was compiled from more than 3.3 million passwords leaked during the year. Shooting up to third is another numeric password, "12345," followed by "12345678" and "qwerty." Overall, five of the top 10 worst passwords featured were numeric.

"Passwords based on simple patterns on your keyboard remain popular despite how weak they are," said Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, in a statement. "Any password using numbers alone should be avoided, especially sequences." New to the list were common words including "baseball," "dragon" and "football," all of which finished in the top 10.

Despite all the warnings about password security, SplashData research firm has reported that "123456" was the most commonly used password in 2014. The company's worst passwords list finds "123456" and "password" have remained the top two most popular passwords since they started tracking in 2011. The list was compiled from more than 3.3 million passwords leaked during the year. Shooting up to third is another numeric password, "12345," followed by "12345678" and "qwerty." Overall, five of the top 10 worst passwords featured were numeric.

"Passwords based on simple patterns on your keyboard remain popular despite how weak they are," said Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, in a statement. "Any password using numbers alone should be avoided, especially sequences." New to the list were common words including "baseball," "dragon" and "football," all of which finished in the top 10.

Does it seem that more and more people are constantly looking at their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings? In an Edutopia blog post entitled The Insanity of the New Humanity: Put Away the Phone and Be There, Vicki Davis makes a comparison between Ireland, where it is the norm for people to put away their phones when in public places, and the United States, where we seem to always have our cell phones out and at the ready. Her wish for 2015: “Let's use all of our wonderful technology to improve our lives. Let's not allow it to keep us from living our lives.” It is something to think about the next time you are with family and friends and feel the urge to pull out your phone.

Does it seem that more and more people are constantly looking at their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings? In an Edutopia blog post entitled The Insanity of the New Humanity: Put Away the Phone and Be There, Vicki Davis makes a comparison between Ireland, where it is the norm for people to put away their phones when in public places, and the United States, where we seem to always have our cell phones out and at the ready. Her wish for 2015: “Let's use all of our wonderful technology to improve our lives. Let's not allow it to keep us from living our lives.” It is something to think about the next time you are with family and friends and feel the urge to pull out your phone.