Protect your online privacy-2

1. Protect Your Online Privacy-2
Dr. Varun Kumar
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 1 / 9

2. Outlines
1 Beware of Fake Websites
2 No Reply to Spammers
3 Be Conscious of Web Security
4 Be Conscious of Home Computer Security
5 Examine Privacy Policies and Seals
6 Decide Information Type that to Reveal, when, why, and to whom
7 Use Encryption
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 2 / 9

3. Beware of Fake Websites
Characteristics of Fake Website:
⇒ Offer some sort of reward or prize.
⇒ Website demand your contact or other personal information.
⇒ Ranking in internet world is very low.
High probability that they are gathering this information for direct
marketing purposes.
Such website has no strong data protection policy.
Such website exchange these information to third party for making
money.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 3 / 9

4. No Reply to Spammers
⇒ If you get a spammed advertisement
Don’t bother replying with ”REMOVE” in the subject line.
This simply confirms that your address is being read by a real person.
If you open the message, watch your outgoing mail queue to make sure
that a ”return receipt” message was not generated, to be sent back to
the spammer automatically.
It is best to queue your mail and send manually, rather than send
immediately, so that you can see what’s about to go out before it’s
actually sent.
You may be able to forward copies of spam e-mail to the system
administrators → ISP.
know a lot about mail headers and DNS tools.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 4 / 9

5. Be Conscious of Web Security
⇒ Never submit a credit card number or other highly sensitive personal
information without first making sure your connection is secure.
⇒ Use “https://” instead of “http://” in url.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 5 / 9

6. Be Conscious of Home Computer Security
⇒ Turn your computer off when you are not using it.
ADSL line, Modem or Phone Line Connection
⇒ Home PCs have poor security compared to the Unix workstations that
power most commercial Web sites.
⇒ System crackers search for vulnerable, unattended ADSL connected
home computers
Invade them with surprising ease
Search confidential file, sensitive data
Credit/Debit card number
⇒ They can even take over the computer and quietly using it for their
own purposes.
False allegation due to attack by other computer.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 6 / 9

7. Examine Privacy Policies and Seals
Whether or not to do business with a Website.
⇒ Does the site provide off-line contact information, including a postal
address?
⇒ Have you ever heard of this company?
⇒ Does the site have a prominently posted privacy policy?
If so, what does it say?
Many are little more than disclaimers saying that you have no privacy.
Are they backing up their privacy statement with a seal program
http://www.truste.org
http:// www.bbbonline.org
Check the seal, Is it real or not ?
⇒ Look out for auto re-billing scams and hidden fees.
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8. Decide Information Type that to Reveal, when, why, and to whom
⇒ Don’t give out personally identifiable information too easily.
⇒ You do have to give accurate billing information if you are buying
something.
⇒ But if you are registering with a free site then, there is no law against
providing them with pseudonymous information.
Use fake address instead of actual address.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 8 / 9

9. Use encryption
⇒ Some of the threats that include
Industrial espionage
Government surveillance
Identity theft
Disgruntled former associates
System crackers
⇒ Use e-mail and file encryption software
http://www.pgpi.org
⇒ Paid services can also be utilized for encryption purposes.
⇒ Some ISPs are beginning to offer secure, encrypted dial up accounts
and other security features.
Dr. Varun Kumar (IIIT Surat) Lecture-18 9 / 9