Privacy discussions have been going on for a long time and will remain as technology develops. The discussion topics center mostly on the handling of private information. Another task assigned to internet companies is how to minimize users’ risks. Because of this, it is foreseen that organizations will implement stronger privacy policies. There will be an increasing demand for encryption, web filtering and other forms of risk management.

Both consumers and corporations are now working together on handling privacy and confidentiality of location-based information. As GPS technology becomes more advanced, companies have to deal with protection of personally identifiable information. Providing real-time information that is location-based is also becoming important. There is also a conflict in providing real-time information, especially that which are location-based. Then, there is also a pressing need to locate where people are during a given time.

A survey result revealed that nearly one-fourth of total time spent online goes to social networking. It is during this time that social networks gather a host of personal information. Users have the tendency to unmindfully provide their data without fear of its consequences. As the amount of data accumulates, so does the danger of breach. There is a potential risk of exposing these millions of data that contains identifiable personal information.

There are many social networking platforms available today to share your public self. But where do you go to privately and safely share your personal, day-to-day thoughts and experiences? Flink12 was created as a safe and secure way to share your private life. It is playful, safe, extremely private and easy to use. A unique way of sharing and communicating, Flink12 allows you to share your life in a meaningful way with the people you know and care about the most.

“Privacy first” is the highest priority at Flink12. This approach ensures that your personal information will remain completely secure. With no privacy settings to manage, your information is automatically safe. Personal information will not indexed on the web by search engines. You decide when, where and how much of your life you want to share and with whom. Check out this video to learn more about Flink12:

You can find out more at http://www.flink12.com

After all those bad experiences with unwanted ads, many users feel some fear whenever they go online. They feel that they are making themselves victims of advertising companies that they do not even know. Unceasing consumer education, though, has effectively raised users’ consciousness. Many of them are now aware that there are tools against tracking activities. All they need to know more about is how to make use of these available protection tools.

For the sake of online safety, some laws and regulations were proposed and implemented. Some companies understand that they have to give protection to consumers. As a result, users are now given the option whether to allow tracking of their activities. In the end, they can still continue to enjoy the benefits of being connected to the internet.

Who tracks users and how do they do it? Basically, advertising networks are the ones doing this. This is so because advertisement is the lifeblood of the internet. By tracking user activities, they get a picture of which sites users visit frequently and which ads they respond to. They will then customize the advertisements that they will “send” to a particular user.

As children grow more mature, parents need to give them privacy as to their time and space. The household is the place where children first learn the values of trust and responsibility. As such, children need to live with parents who are themselves trustworthy and responsible. And this all begins with giving them the privacy that they need.

Parents sometimes get upset when they realize that their child wants his or her own private time. When dealt with in a wrong way, children will find it difficult to learn to develop trust and responsibility. The best way for parents to handle this kind of situation is to talk with their child. They should ask why he or she needs to be alone.

It is very important for parents to know why he or she needs some private time and space. Then, they should discern whether their child is telling the truth. It is also important that they make certain that the reason given is a part of growing up, and not for hiding something. A child who needs to be alone too often is not normal and it could be a sign that he or she needs counseling.

People of all ages would probably choose a dog for their pet. Some dog owners keep a single breed while others prefer to have several kinds. The common denominator among dog owners is that they would always give their pets the best of everything. They not only give them their basic needs. As far as their budget would allow, owners would give them an extra package of tender loving care. After all, they say that dogs are man’s best friend. Many dog owners have found the following pet gadgets useful and practical.

The One-of-a-Kind Inflatable Dog Shower

Of course, you do not want to see your dog walking around looking messy. Unlike cats, dogs do not clean themselves – you have to do it for them. To help you with this job, there is an inflatable dog shower. This gadget can be folded when not in use, so you can save on storage space. When folded, it measures only as small as 24” x 14”. It takes just 5 minutes to inflate, giving you a shower space that is large enough to handle your dog. Water emission can be controlled at 7 different levels. Level 1 gives you a gentle stream, while level 7 is strong enough to remove your pet’s dead skin cells. Its wall height of 21” prevents water from spilling. Plus, you can reach all areas of your pet by using the shower’s 52” hose. The gadget is absolutely durable because it comes in a puncture resistant PVC and nylon.

With the increasing need for connection through the internet, people casually share their personal information. Be it on a social networking site or a “buy and sell” site, some amount of personal information needs to be shared. Because of this, many users are no longer aware of what will happen to the information that they upload to different sites.

Concerns about privacy issues have piled up for a number of years. Many of these have something to do with how some websites use the information that they gather from different sources. There are websites that need only the user’s name and a computer in order to gather data about that person. After putting this information together, much more information about that person can be generated.

However, not all websites that do such things have deceitful motives. There are sites that do this for honest reasons. One example is Spokeo, a website that gathers information about people. This could include addresses, pictures of people’s homes, marital status, hobbies, and others. The site specializes in providing information about people through its database of aggregated information.

The EFF, or Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1990. It is based in San Francisco, California and is known as consumers’ first line of defense of their digital rights. Even before its formal founding, its activities have centered on digital rights advocacy, and on protecting consumers against repression of their personal freedom and rights. Individual donations are its main source of funds, and litigation makes up the bulk of its expenditures. It is known for being a “winner” in digital rights cases.

John Perry Barlow and Mitch Kapor started out as strangers to each other and ended up as founders of the EFF. Barlow had a disgusting experience about the unfamiliarity of a law enforcer regarding the new forms of online communication. He then thought about how he can protect consumers’ rights, which are at risk. Barlow then posted his experience on an online community. Through this, Mitch Kapor, who had a similar experience, was able to contact him. That was the start of the good stories told about them and their advocacy.

Funding for legal fees was initially provided by Kapor. Soon after, five New York attorneys were working with them. Additional funding came in as John Gilmore and Steve Wozniak heard of their initial successes. The EFF was formally founded in July 1990 with initial funding by Kapor, Wozniak and an anonymous benefactor.

A new development in protecting personal information has just been announced by Google and Mozilla. The two tech companies are giving users more freedom in opting out of tracking cookies. Google said that it will present an add-on for its Chrome browser. With this add-on users do not have to worry about tracking cookies that monitor their movement and online behavior. This is a positive step taken by this company in order to create a balance between revenue generation and individual privacy.

For quite a long time, the online advertising industry has favored self-regulation. The various proposals made in line with protecting personal information did not achieve positive results. Debates and discussions have been conducted, but no concrete plans were implemented. This action by Google and Mozilla will start a new chapter in gaining more control over user privacy.

Many users just give out their personal information without being aware of the possible consequences. They have not made it a point to read and understand the site’s privacy policies. Others find it troublesome to go through the litany of legal terms, so they just accept the terms as they are presented. They only start to realize their mistake once unsolicited advertisements start to pop up on their screen.

Not knowing how to protect one’s own privacy can expose the user to undue risks. One of the newest technologies is the GPS, and it is now being used in cell phones and cameras. This has enabled people to locate unfamiliar places and establishments. However, privacy concerns have been raised because of the undefined limits on the use of this tracking technology. New models of cameras and phones are now equipped with GPS. Users enjoy its capabilities from simple photo taking to uploading on the internet.

Critics presented their main point of concern as to the risk involved. Anybody can have access to the user’s location from cell phone data. Technology has enabled many phones to store detailed records of where a person has been. Using this data with Google maps, the phone owner’s location data can be easily traced, including how long he or she stayed in there.

Exchangeable Image File, or EXIF, is used in GPS-enabled phones or cameras to store photos. This is now commonly used by almost all new models of digital cameras. Stored photos will include data regarding shutter speed, F number, exposure compensation, ISO number, date and time the image was taken, etc. These are all information about characteristics of the stored data and do not pose problems on privacy. It is the capability of cameras to store GPS information that stirs privacy concern because anybody can easily locate where the picture was taken.

The use of Data Extraction Devices (DEDs) by the Michigan State Police (MSP) is under inquiry as to its lawful use. This kind of device is capable of extracting all cell phone information. These could include contact lists, photos, and yes, even those deleted messages. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is asking for an explanation of how these devices are used.

It is known that DEDs are manufactured by CelleBrite. The company said that among its clients are Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and some other major carriers. Specifically, the technology is used to transfer data when a phone is upgraded. It has also said on its website how powerful the device is. Once plugged in, it can retrieve even deleted and hidden data, and can capture contact lists, photos and text messages.

The problem is not with the device itself, but how the police force is using it. The concerned groups are in doubt whether the device is lawfully used. The ACLU particularly would like to know if there is a violation of privacy among those people that are searched. It said that it has been urging the state police to release information as to how the device is being used. The ACLU also presented its concern about the tool being used unlawfully just to obtain information even from innocent people.