Privacy Issues

Computer Club Looks at Privacy Issues

   There is a lot in the press about the danger of cyber attacks on the country from abroad as well as the hacking of individual accounts. For the user of a personal computer, the question is this. What can be done to protect a person’s online privacy?

   Here are some of the steps recommended by Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a nonprofit Internet safety organization. Magid writes often in the Contra Costa Times. The nonprofit’s website is at www.ConnectSafely.org.

   Magid argues that a strong password is the first line of defense. Don’t give it to anyone except the executor of the estate and a spouse – not even a best friend.

   Make the password at least eight characters long. Magid suggests the following as an example. Take the first letter of a phrase easy to remember: “We were married in 1952 in Richmond, California”. The password becomes “WWMi1952iRC”. This is eleven characters long and the suggestion is that the longer the password, the better the protection. Also, it’s easy to remember.

   Magid continues by asking that numbers, letters (both upper and lower case) be included along with symbols like & or %. Don’t use dictionary words because they make guessing far easier.

   Where should a person keep these passwords? Incredibly, some write them on a sticky note and place it on the monitor or computer. Obviously, this is very convenient, but it’s a really bad idea. How about hiding it where only a spouse or executor of the estate can find it?

   Always be certain not only that an antivirus program is installed and working, but that it is used regularly to scan for viruses. Be aware, too, that the operating system is being kept up-to-date.  

   The club has another idea that may not appeal to some in the nerdy (and amazingly brilliant) computer world. Keep hard copies of important data in a safe place. There are undoubtedly clouds where this information could be stored and accessed from another functioning PC, but who knows what happens in case of a cyber attack? Also, lots of data could be placed on an external drive or a portable flash drive, but when immediate access is required, the hard copy in hand is very comforting.

   Thanks, again, to Gloria Crabbe for suggesting this topic to the club. If you would like to share any information on this topic, please comment using the directions to the right of this page.

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Computer Club Talks About this Blog

   The Computer Club of Rossmoor has had this blog for over a year and it has largely gone unnoticed. The club wonders why and looks to the readers (and, of course, to itself) for some answers.

   Easy access is available by placing an icon on the desktop in the following manner: Go to the desktop and right click; place the cursor on ‘New” > move it to “Shortcut” and left click > type in the Internet address appearing above > left click “Next” > type in “Computer Club Blog” and left click “Close”.

   One look at this blog will provide a visual description of what it is. This is a site where opinions can be expressed by anyone. It’s the club’s blog made available for freewheeling discussions, the posing of questions, readers’ comments and more.

   At this writing here is a list of the topics already posted: “Let’s Talk EBooks”; “Shopping Online”:”Winter Class Schedule”; “Honoring Our Volunteers”; “Computer Club Discusses Cookies”; and “Operating Room of the Future”. The latter topic is a fascinating short video of the future of medicine with the help of technology as described by an Israeli firm.

   Future postings will include a list of helpful websites. For example, wouldn’t it be helpful to everyone to post the location of the lowest gasoline prices in various areas? Expect, too, to find the club’s article on personal computers found weekly in the Rossmoor News. There is one coming soon discussing a person’s “Digital Estate”.

   Jan Barnes created the blog and also manages it. Jan wants people to feel welcome to offer any suggestions by e-mailing her at janmbar@comcast.net.

   The club looks at its blog as a special place to discuss and even present information. Have a question? Ask it on the blog. Found a site that could be of particular interest? Post it on the blog.

   Be proactive in a club working hard to help everyone, member or not, enjoy the journey of computer literacy.

  You can post comments to any article by following the directions to the right of this screen.

Before you fill up that gas tank, take a few minutes to check the following sites for the best gas price in your area.

Each site works by using your zip code to locate stations and prices in your area.

http://www.lowestgasstationprices.com - click Find Lowest Price and enter zip code.

this is the one that worked best for me.

http://www.gasbuddy.com - pick California and enter zip code.

http://gasprices.mapquest.com/

After you have tried these or if you have another web page to suggest please post a comment below (see directions to the right) to let us know how they worked for you.

Computer Club Looks at Protecting Residents’ Digital Estate

   Before the introduction of computers, personal assets were easily identified as real property, money, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, autos, etc. Now, however, there are assets in the cyberworld worth considering.

   These are identified as the digital estate and could be assets of considerable value both in both monetary and sentimental terms.

   What are they? How about online financial accounts with banks, brokerage accounts and PayPal balances, just to name a few. Some residents hold airline miles. Others pay some bills online. Accessing these via the Internet could be important.

   There may be websites or blogs owned and operated by the deceased. What about digital photo albums, e-mail accounts and some social media accounts? The ability to access these could be valuable depending on the content.

   The same applies to a collection of e-books. Downloaded digital music and movies fall into the same category. What about prepaid apps? Does the family know they exist? Suppose the family is not aware or can’t access a book being written?

   The point is this. Rossmoor has an abundant supply of talented people in all disciplines. There is likely to be value in the computers. If there is a question about accessing this information, now is the time to get the answer.

   Unless the assets in a digital estate are identified, the heirs may miss them completely.  Further, passwords must be made available to the executor of the estate.

   Then there is the matter of how different companies might deal with access availability.  The law seems to have not fully dealt with clear access to the assets in a digital estate. Here is an example.

   Yahoo refused to grant full access to the e-mails of the family of a Marine killed in Iraq until the family got a probate judge to grand access. The soldier had intended to use the e-mails to complete a scrapbook of wartime experiences and the family wanted to complete the project in his honor.

   In an article written by Naomi “R. Cahn, Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School, Professor Cahn suggests contacting all financial institutions holding any money, stocks, bonds, etc. and finding out whether a power of attorney will be honored so the executor can access an account.

   What’s required, too, is up-to-date record keeping. Here are some suggestions. Place all the information relative to the estate in a safe-deposit box. Let the executor of the estate know where the key is located. Then give this same person a copy of that information.

   There is an abundance of information on the Internet on this subject. The club recommends reading it. A final suggestion is to prepare a personal financial statement divided between personal assets and investment assets and keep it current. Do it quarterly, placing a copy in the safe-deposit box and giving another copy to the executor.

   Thanks to volunteer Gloria Crabbe for bringing this matter to the club’s attention by providing a copy of the January issue of Bottom Line.

Operating Room of the Future

Take a look at the video on the link below:

Then tell us what you think by commenting on this post

commenting instructions are on the right of this screen

 

Israel develops the Next Generation Operating Room

 --- Published on Jan 21, 2013

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IfJemqkby_0#