Assignment 8

1.) Sven Kamphuis, Dutchman Reportedly Behind Biggest DDoS Attack Ever, Had A 'Bunker' In Spain

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/28/sven-kamphuis-spamhaus_n_3173303.html

On April 28, 2013, a Dutch citizen was arrested for suspicion of launching the biggest cyberattack in Internet history. The citizen is identified as his initials S.K, and he was accused of attacking a group named Spamhaus with a peak at approximately 300 billion bits per second. Spanish police were warned about denial of service attacks that were being launched were affecting internet servers in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. 

This article very clearly represents the bad of the Internet. It showed how much damage one can cause from using technology. If someone really wanted to cause some damage in society, it is no longer a challenge. One person can just use a computer to attack thousands or even millions of people on the internet. 

2.) Social and Digital Media Revolution Statistics 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slb5x5fixk4

The video shows the most recent statistics of social media, E-commerce, videos, mobile, and more. 

Every second, 684,478 items are shared on Facebook, which shows that people are sharing and connecting with others. Online revenue forecast to increase 8.6% per year for the next 5 years, showing that people are evolving to doing more activities online, such as shopping. There was 103% growth in website traffic in smartphones from 2011-2012, shows that more people are using their phones more and more, and will eventually evolve to portable devices being more dominant. 

This videos shows the good side of Internet. It shows how much people has changed throughout the years. It shows eye opening statistics about technology, the internet, and how it has benefited everyone through convenience and entertainment. 

3.) MWC 2013. Hackers vs Kaspersky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPulBphYhXE

The video shows how the hackers today dislike antivirus softwares such as Kaspersky. The video was slightly entertaining, and seemed more of a comedy than a news report. But it represented the idea of how hackers are starting to aim for mobile phones, and that hacking through personal information is their job where they make money. 

The video represents the bad of the internet because it shows how hackers can access your information, including bank accounts. Hackers are also trying to hack into mobile phones now, which shows how people now need to be more careful with their portable devices. 

Should Prepaid Phones get Banned?

     Prepaid phones are very convenient for people who just want to use their cell phones to call people or if they are traveling abroad and such. For the people who can’t afford expensive plans from the carriers, prepaid phones are great because they are a lot cheaper and they will only have to pay for the amount they need to use. Many grandparents and older generations like prepaid phones because they are simple and easy to use. Prepaid phones definitely have its advantages and benefits for the society. I do not think we should ban prepaid phones but I do think the laws enforced on it should be a little stricter. The idea of registering the cell phone users is a very good idea. Just by showing their IDs will eliminate the problems of terrorist. By adding the registrations, people won’t be able to avoid any law enforcement agencies because they’ll be easier to trace. Prepaid cell phones are great for many things, we shouldn't ruin it’s convenience just because of a few criminals. Instead, we should enhance the laws and regulations on it so it'll be harder for people to take advantage of the phones. 

GPS Implants

I do not support the idea of inserting tracking chips in children. It not only limits their freedom but also violates their privacy rights. It discourages the children and students from their rights to assemble and association. The tracking chips may give the parents a sense of security for their children, but it can also be beyond dangerous if the technology was hacked. Murderers and criminals can figure out the exact location of the child, making it even more dangerous than before. Tracking younger children might be a good idea due to the fact that they don’t have the full ability to protect themselves yet, and knowing the location of your kids does give the parents a sense of security. However, those kids are going to have to learn how to stand up for themselves, and the parents are going to have to learn to let go, and trust their children. Children who have gotten murdered or kidnapped are rare and extreme cases, there’s no need to insert a tracking chip in every single child for a few accidents. The risks of the tracking program getting hacked, and the impact in the child’s development definitely outweighs the benefits. I’ll admit that parents do have the right to decide whether or not their child should have the implant because the child is their responsibility until they turn 18. But it might not be the best idea for every child out there. Their teenage children might develop the urge to rebel, and many might be unhappy. I would not support the bill because I don’t think children should be raised that way, even from 5 years old. The process of inserting and removing the chips will not only be expensive, but also could be dangerous to the child’s health. Their bodies and brains are still developing and they are still learning, birth to the age of 5 is very important, and I don’t think we should risk damaging their development with something that’s not needed. I do support in tracking older patients who have Alzheimer’s. They become forgetful and confused, which can become dangerous to not only themselves, but also the public. Many Alzheimer’s patients forget where they live, by having the tracking devices implanted on them will not only protect them, but it won’t affect any important developments like it will in children. I think GPS shoes are a much better idea than implantation.  If the parents were worried about their kids for a specific event or some personal reason, they can let the children wear those shoes for those specific days. It won’t affect any developments or increase chances of cancer with the implants, but it will still give the parents a sense of security. 

CS408 Assignment 3a

It is scary to think about how much people can find out about us just by searching on the internet. It's even scarier to think about how people can track your every move, which Dunkin Donuts you went to get your coffee coolatta from your credit card, or the amount of times you watched "how to moon walk" on YouTube because you made a bet with a friend that you could.
But for some reason, I am not as upset as I thought I would be when I found out how much was actually being tracked of me. I think deep down, we all knew the world was like this. We've heard many stories about privacy on the news, and we've learned about online tracking and hacking issues from our classes. I still think it's a big deal that all of our personal information is accessible by strangers anywhere in the world. But because I did grow up with the idea of sharing my information online and using online banking with credit cards, I am not as against or shocked about this as the older generation.