3/27/2017 8 Comments Blog #9"Sexism in the Tech World..." Women have been in the tech world for decades, and even more have been entering in recent years. Technology is available to just about everyone, so it only makes sense that women are getting more interested in coding and computer science than ever before. I notice more and more at school how many women are in these classes. Sure, there still aren’t as many as men in the computer science classes, but at least there are there and will work just as hard.
According to this article by Kimberly Weisul there are rumors that woman are being treated the same as men and are making their way up in tech companies just as easy as men, but this isn’t true. Sexism is still as prevalent, in Silicon Valley especially, than ever. One woman was attending a tech conference with her male coworkers and afterward they all (not her) decided to strip down to their undies and jump into the lake. She was not very happy and, understandably, uncomfortable. 60% of women in Silicon Valley admit to have been sexually harassed in the work place, usually from their boss, and sometimes even male clients. This is pretty scary since I am in the tech world, and at my internship I am the only woman. If I were put in a situation like that I would simply quit and report the company to the labor board. But I can’t help but think this is only because it’s an internship and I am only profiting by experience. If I had a high up tech job, paying me the big bucks would I have the guts to quit? Or would I just put up with it, like these women are encouraged to do to save their livelihood? It’s tough. And with stats backing up the sexism in the tech world, it makes it even tougher. With women being 33% more likely to be sexually harassed in some way in the tech world, do you think mothers should encourage their daughters to learn coding and computer science? I think so. I think coding an amazing skill and more women should know how to do it. There is an organization called Girls Who Code. They are a group of extremely smart females who encourage and empower each other in a safe place. I would encourage my daughter to look into that and find other girls who share her passion for tech. This can help with the feeling of being excluded from social gatherings and conferences that 89% of women in the tech world have reported. If they are strong together, it will help them rise higher without worrying about men’s attitudes towards them. Of course women alone can’t change sexism, we need everyone’s help. Men with sexism attitudes need to stop and understand that their words and actions can be inappropriate and their advances are not welcomed in a professional environment. Unless a woman reciprocates the action, leave her alone. Another solution is to teach our sons to always respect women. I think sexism is a learned way of thinking, and if we don’t teach our kids to think that way it could help a lot. They will have outside influences, but if the teachings at home a properly implemented I think the child will make the right decisions. We should also teach our daughters so be strong and confident and to never let a man disrespect them. The more little girls who think this way will bring us closer to equal working environment.
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"These fake fingerprint stickers let you access a protected phone whole wearing gloves..." Taps, a new kickstarter, has development a touchscreen sticker that adheres to gloves you already own. Currently, there are gloves that will allow you to still use your phone but they are special ones you have to buy. This way, you can just stick it on any of your favorite gloves and activate the print. Also, these stickers use the phone fingerprint recognition to unlock your phone unlike other touch screen gloves. TAPS is made with extremely adhesive conductive material so it will not easily fall off, and is guaranteed to work on all touchscreen devices.
I chose this article because I wanted to find something different then everything that happened with the election. I did a lot of searching until I found this article. I myself know how annoying it is to be wearing gloves while snowboarding or just in general, and not being able to unlock your iPhone for a quick picture or to text someone back. It's inconvenient for me to take off my gloves for something that is meant to be quick. It turns into a tedious task. I have gloves that I am able to use my touch screen with, but they do not work with the fingerprint function. I am uneasy about a fingerprint that is essentially a sticker that can easily be misplaced or stolen. I have a lot on my phone, such as my banking, phone numbers, social accounts, etc. I would not want someone being able to have access to my phone. Personal values at stake are the fake that someone can steal another person's gloves to get into their phone or other devices. Is it ethical to create a fingerprint sticker that can be stuck on anything? Does this make it easier for people to get information from personal devices? The first thing that comes to mind is how easy is it to get ahold of other peoples' prints. If someone loses their gloves and it gets into the wrong hands then your phone can be unlocked. This type of technology was made merely for convenience, but I don’t know if it’s something I would personally buy or support because of the risks of someone else getting ahold of the gloves. We all already jeopardize our sensitive information on a daily basis, and I feel like this is just another way to give our information away. Of course if someone got ahold of these gloves it would be difficult to figure out who’s fingerprint it was and how to use it, but if they were to fall into the wrong hands, then I’d be worried. I have always like the fingerprint recognition technology, but at the same time it is one of the most unique ways to identity each and every one of us, so the fingerprint is also a very strong source of information. There are ways for people to get copies of your fingerprints and then it’s only a matter of time before they can figure out everything about you. "$100 store-bought kit can help anyone hack into Iphone Passcodes..." The FBI paid about $1.3 million for software to break into the iPhone of a gunman. It turns out that a computer scientist, Sergei Skorobogatov, found a store bought kit worth less than $100 to bypass the limit on password retry attempts. This allows someone to enter in multiple combinations until the phone is unlocked, when typically it only lets you enter it wrong up to six times. This would only take about two days to cycle through all the possible passcodes to break into an iPhone. According to the article the kit can be bought online from eBay, Amazon, or Alibaba for about $100. A similar technique can also be implemented on the newer devices, iPhone 6s and 7, it would just require "more sophisticated hardware". Skorobogatov was able to do what the FBI thought was impossible, what the FBI had to pay a lot more than $100 for.
I chose this because it is shocking that the FBI wanted to get into the gunman's phone so badly, they were willing to do whatever it took. When there was such a simple route they could have taken. It also relates to class and ethical issues. We actually talked about a similar if not the same topic in class recently as we did our presentations. There was a potential “terrorist” who the FBI wanted information on which they claimed to belong on his phone. The FBI asked Apple if they could have access to this information on the user's phone, but Apple refused. The FBI didn’t take no for an answer of course so they found someone who was capable of hacking into the person’s phone anyways. Apple was not happy to hear they went behind their backs and hacked into their system and demanded to know how they managed to pull it off. Of course, the FBI refused to give away their “secrets” for how they hacked into the user’s phone. I can understand why Apple wouldn’t want to allow the FBI hack into the user’s phone because of privacy agreements, etc, but if there is a case that is threatening other people’s lives then there should be a way for them to give the FBI the information needed. I do not however agree that the FBI should just be allowed to access whatever information they want from Apple and any other company on that aspect. When the FBI wanted access to the San Bernardino gunman, apple wouldn't allow it because they were worried that it would require weakening the security of all iPhones. This led the US government to find another way to get into the phone. They forced the tech company into getting access to the phone, a whopping $1.3 million later, Comey said it was "worth it". The FBI has been saying that we should create a bill to make it easier to access encrypted communications, however that will only make us less secure. We should change the way law enforcements handles these encryptions and devices. 3/2/2017 0 Comments Blog #6"Everyone you know will be able to rate you on the terrifying 'Yelp for People' -- whether you want them to or not..." Yelp allows people to review businesses based on a one to five star rating and it also allows you to leave comments. According to the article, Peeple is an idea for an app that does the same thing, except with fellow people. Anyone can add a person to the app as long as they have their phone number, a Facebook account and the person adding them must classify their relationship to the person as either personal, professional or romantic. People are able to review anyone, their ex, their best friend, even their neighbor who they have had little to no conversation with. You are not able to remove yourself from the app once your name is in the system unless you violate the site's terms of service and you also can't delete any reviews. One of the co-creators is a woman named Julia Cordray who claims there is no reason you shouldn't want to "showcase your character". The other creator is a woman named Nicole McCullough comes at it from a different viewpoint saying she wants it to help her know who to trust with her kids.
This is such a clear outlet for online bullying that I don't understand why someone would even think this is a good idea. A lot of people are outraged by this app and I think it is completely justifiable. There is already such a huge problem with online bullying. People become very brave when they are behind a screen and sometimes lose sense of their humanity. I’ve seen people say some of the cruelest, ugliest things over the internet and this gives those types of people more of a reason to unleash their evil. I might not be coming from an ethical stance, but this type of idea is just something I can’t wrap my head around. As if we didn’t have enough sites to tear people apart. Is it ethical to allow people to say whatever they want about a person online without their consent or even permission to add themselves? If we want to see the positives, this might have it could help people if there are a lot of positive reviews. It could also help in the professional setting as to whether a person should be hired or if that person is right for the company. I do not think any of these positive outweigh the negatives. Negatives include online bullying and inaccurate reviews because of people who just dislike someone and write a bad review. "Consumer Reports, a major source for gadget and appliance reviews in the U.S., plans to start rating products on data security and privacy..." Consumer Reports announced that they will now be rating products on data security and privacy. This is huge, and super important. Privacy has always been a huge issue but as the new president has settled in, security, and our privacy rights are becoming more apparent that we don't have any. Consumer Reports said "The goal is to help consumers understand which digital products do the most to protect their privacy and security, and give them the most control over their personal data.." To develop the standards, the publication collaborated with three digital consumer protection groups including one led by a well-known cybersecurity expert Peiter "Mudge" Zatko. Zatko is the director at the Cyber Independent Testing Lab, a nonprofit that has come up with a rating system to test software for security problems. "You cannot tell people everything's on fire, and then not have anything positive for consumers to do," Zatko said in a statement. Consumer Reports has already made its testing standard available on GitHub, and it's looking for feedback. The publication is also hoping that industry vendors will use the standard when developing new tech products. Although Consumer Reports didn't give a date, it will "eventually" use the new standards to test and rate products. In doing so, the publication can expose which vendors are failing to protect their consumers, and the information can help inform the public about the products they should buy.
2/13/2017 0 Comments Blog #4"FTC Files Privacy Concern Suit over Hi-Tech Doll..." Thanks to a built-in microphone and Bluetooth connection, the My Friend Cayla doll can talk with a child – answer questions, tell stories, and be a "real friend." The 18-inch tall doll won the Gadget of the Year award at the 2014 London Toy Fair. But German regulators see this doll as a threat to child safety. On Friday, the country’s Federal Network Agency banned the device and urged parents to disable it, stating that it was an unacceptable threat to children’s privacy. Basically, children can ask the doll questions and it will search for an answer, uniquely combining traditional a toy with the future of consumer information technology. But once you get passed that initial excitement over what this toy can actually do you might also start to have concerns over what this doll might be able to do without you knowing. This is certainly the case with the My Friend Cayla doll as the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a complaint that the doll could pose a potential privacy risk after the Norwegian Consumer Council announced that the doll’s wireless connection might actually be vulnerable to hackers. This is important, of course, as kid’s products need to adhere to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998. In the FTC Complaint Electronic Privacy Information Center’s Claire T. Gartland argues, “With the growing Internet of Things, American consumers face unprecedented levels of surveillance in their most private spaces, and young children are uniquely vulnerable to these invasive practices.” She goes on to say, “The FTC has an obligation here to step in and safeguard the privacy of young children against toys that spy and companies that exploit their very voices for corporate gain.” Effectively, the My Friend Cayla doll works similar to the Amazon Echo or the Apple iPhone’s voice features. More ear than brain, the microphone function simply takes in audio data and sends it to the main server for the actual crunching of the numbers, so to speak, in order to provide an answer. It sounds simple enough (and children are already learning to use the iPhone, for example, to answer questions from the web) so what is the big deal? Well, consumer watchdog groups suspect that there is a bit more to these innocent audio files than search query entries. For example, Stanford University Center for Internet and Society’s director of privacy, Albert Gidari, notes, “The cost of the device is not the ultimate revenue for these companies. Advertising and personal information are what’s at the end of the rainbow for them.” In Cayla’s case, then, these groups exert that the audio files she records get put in a database maintained by Nuance Communications, a technology partner of Genesis Toys. This company also, conveniently, develops voice-recognition programs for the military and domestic law enforcement
Sources 1 2/12/2017 0 Comments Blog #3"These companies would have free rein and track our data..." New Rules Intended to Protect Your Online Privacy Are Already Under Threat
In our always-connected world of mass amount data, consumer privacy continues to be a topic that is talked about a lot in Washington and across the country. Internet users want/deserve to know that our sensitive and private information is safe and secure, regardless of which company, app, service, or public institution handles that information. The Obama Administration unveiled a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” as part of a comprehensive plan to protect individual privacy rights and give users more control over how their information is handled. This initiative seeks to protect all Americans from having their information misused by giving users new legal and technical tools to safeguard their privacy. This plan will guide efforts to protect privacy and assure continued innovation in the Internet economy by providing flexible implementation mechanisms to ensure privacy rules keep up with ever-changing technologies. As a world leader in the Internet marketplace, the Administration believes the United States has a special responsibility to develop privacy practices that meet global standards and establish effective online consumer protection. This area of overwhelming feeling of knowing that your data is being monitored, internet users should have a right to know data is being collected, and where its being used. But with the new white house administration these rights that we currently have could be under fire...With Trump now in the white house and congressional republicans this leaves our privacy at risk. This is particularly concerning given the growing range of devices we connect on our bodies and in our homes to the internet. Recent research has shown that even when these devices are encrypted, it is relatively easy to infer our behavior inside our homes based on traffic patterns and data flow. Some argue that the FCC’s rules are unfair to internet service providers because platforms and websites are not under the same rules. The FTC is prepared to step in to stop unfair tracking. Every consumer visit billions of different destinations on the internet through a multitude of devices, and broadband providers potentially have access to all of the data, and for broadband providers to control the data speed, or where our data is stored and sold is not for them to choose. Consumer protection is very serious, and our livelihood should not be sold to the highest bidder. There is to much at stake for the consumer to have this data controlled by our internet providers. Sources 1 2 3 4 1/31/2017 3 Comments BLOG #2"Net Neutrality"What happens if Net Neutrality goes away...? An Open Internet means consumers can go where they want, when they want. This principle is often referred to as Net Neutrality. It means innovators can develop products and services without asking for permission. It means consumers will demand more and better broadband as they enjoy new lawful Internet services, applications and content, and broadband providers cannot block, throttle, or create special "fast lanes" for that content. The FCC's Open Internet rules protect and maintain open, uninhibited access to legal online content without broadband Internet access providers being allowed to block, impair, or establish fast/slow lanes to lawful content.
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai was elevated to Chairman by the Trump administration. Pai, an FCC commissioner since 2012, was a harsh critic of the agency’s “Open Internet Order,” which it passed in 2015 via a 3-2 party line vote. It bans Internet service providers from blocking or throttling legal content. It also prohibits them from engaging in business arrangements in which companies pay ISPs a premium to have their traffic prioritized, and gives the FCC the authority to police other practices it deems unfair or harmful to consumers on a case-by-case basis. I think that Net Neutrality is key principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, and that big companies like AT&T, Comcast, or Verizon should not have control. There have only been a couple of level playing fields in American life, and the Internet has always remained as an open, free, and fair source. The internet has allowed amazing ideas to be created whether those ideas were from a CEO at a large company, or to a student that is studying late nights in their dorm room. The idea of equality is at the very center of net neutrality. We must preserve our net neutrality. A tiered Internet would be only beneficial to the telecommunications companies, and terrible for entrepreneurs. Sources 1 2 3 "TECH COMPANIES FIGHT TRUMPS IMMIGRATION ORDER""Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship. Our employees represent the finest talent in the world, and our team hails from every corner of the globe." Last Friday Trump signed an executive Immigration Order, that would place a ban on 7 countries from being able to enter the united states. In that order it also state members who ever had green cards, and visas would also be affected by this ban. As the weekend went on, detainees were held at airports around the country. This sparked protests at all the major International Airports such as San Fransisco, Seattle, New York, Los Angles, and Houston. Tech companies started speaking up immediately, companies such as a Apple. Where Tim Cook sent out a company wide letter stating...
"Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship. Our employees represent the finest talent in the world, and our team hails from every corner of the globe." A quick flashback to just a few months ago, where a lot of tech companies were meeting with Donald Trump and talking about the future, and how they can create jobs and innovation. Where they talked about post campaigning, and moving forward with the new administration. But here we are almost through January, and all the companies that once met with Trump on that day in December, are standing up loud and proud against President Donald Trump's executive order to bar people of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. In the same statement from Tim Cook, in the Apple company email to its employees, he said... "I've heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the executive order issued yesterday restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. I share your concerns. It is not a policy we support. There are employees at Apple who are directly affected by yesterday's immigration order. Our HR, Legal and Security teams are in contact with them, and Apple will do everything we can to support them. We’re providing resources on AppleWeb for anyone with questions or concerns about immigration policies. And we have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company. As I've said many times, diversity makes our team stronger. And if there’s one thing I know about the people at Apple, it’s the depth of our empathy and support for one another. It’s as important now as it’s ever been, and it will not weaken one bit. I know I can count on all of you to make sure everyone at Apple feels welcome, respected and valued." I feel strongly about these companies standing up, and supporting the diversity in the technology community. We have laws in place to not discriminate against age, gender, race, or religion in the work place. It is ethically wrong to put this ban on our country. Employees that are having to worry about whether or not they can travel outside the US is an issue. What if the companies top employees are from the countries that are banned, and they have to travel for business. This ban could ruin the innovation of these companies, and potentially hurt their business. It makes sense that Amazon and Expedia are stepping up, and made declarations supporting a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration in federal court Monday night in Seattle by Washington State’s attorney general. The lawsuit, is part of a growing wave of legal challenges to the immigration ban across the country, asked the court to declare key parts of the executive order unconstitutional. Sources -- 1 2 3 |
Author: Jenn schopferHi my name is Jenn, I'm a Senior at CSUMB. Studying Communication Design with an emphasis in Web Design. And this is my blog! Enjoy! Archives
March 2017
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