Online hacking and malicious software aside, the 'cyberazzi' are the new threats to internet users of all age groups, according to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Liebowitz, as expressed in his keynote.
(prHWY.com) November 7, 2011 - Taipei, Hong Kong -- Online hacking and malicious software aside, the 'cyberazzi' are the new threats to internet users of all age groups, according to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Liebowitz, as expressed in his keynote at the National Press Club in Washington DC. The term was used to denote the as of now unchecked and uncontrolled online intrusions into consumer surfing behavior by various online applications and websites. Concerns were expressed not only over the moral implications of the practice but also that sensitive information thus gathered may be compromised by a third-party for online hacking purposes. These points were expressed as part of a larger address by Mr. Liebowitz with the agenda of introducing his agency's "privacy by design" model of online information sharing.
Mr. Liebowitz particularly stressed on the dangers of impressionable youngsters being exposed to "invisible cyberazzi" who "follow us as we browse, reporting every action to marketing firms". Apparently, online hacking is a lesser risk as it certain precautions can save you from online hacking.
Also, to put things in perspective, online hacking for illegal purposes is outlaw behavior that is punishable by law. The concern here is that unlike online hacking, cyberazzi practices are fast becoming standard business practices, albeit questionable ones, for online ad targeting and consumer behavior monitoring, and there are no laws to tell what's acceptable and what's not.
On that note, he further elaborated that he wasn't training his guns at online marketing practices in any way, but only remarking about "surreptitiously placed software" that gathers information without regard as to privacy of users, ultimately turning it into a commodity that is well beyond user control, and is even more dangerous than online hacking.
Further, Mr. Liebowitz also stressed the need for companies and brands to adopt a "do not track" policy warning, while suggesting that failure to voluntarily comply could result in it being made mandatory by the Congress as part of the larger campaign against online hacking and problematic online behavior.
The address also established FTC's position as being in line with that of the legislators as far as moves to investigate Facebook are concerned; Liebowitz was, however, careful not to directly name the social networking giant. Congressmen representing the states of Texas and Massachusetts had earlier called upon FTC to take a closer look at Facebook and its alleged practice of tracking user behavior after they've logged out--something Facebook claims is inadvertent. They've also demanded an investigation on supercookies.
Mr. Liebowitz emphasized that the commission's campaign is against the software technologies and network protocols that make inadvertent data compromise or lowered data security possible. The commission's long campaign and recent victory against peer-to-peer software maker Frostwire was cited as a case in point: it was observed that the software was exposing sensitive personal files to direct internet access, and possibly to the dangers on online hacking. Following the lengthy battle, Frostwire is now barred from making use of the earlier settings that endangered the data, and are required to provide free updates to those using the older versions with the faulty sharing issue.
The FTC's fight is for better data security and stricter control of inadvertent online information sharing. They'd be only too happy, though, if their efforts lead to changes that make online hacking tougher.
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