Mdulo 3: O Mundo Tecnolgico Staying safe in a digitized world: Danger of technology

IN OUR !D "T#O$S"SS"D society% the daily use of technology has &eco'e second nature( Seeing )eo)le listening to 'usic% te*ting% or u)dating their +ace&oo, status while wal,ing down the street is co''on)lace( The &enefits of li-ing in a technologically ad-anced world are a&undant% &ut there are also dangers associated with e-eryone.s fa-orite electronic toys and social networ,ing sites( The +ulcru' sat down with students% )rofessors% the )olice% and a self#defence instructor staying safe while )lugged in(

Social networking danger

Since its creation% +ace&oo, has a'assed o-er /00 'illion acti-e users% 'any of who' fre1uently )ost their )ersonal infor'ation on their )rofiles( See'ingly nothing is off li'its as users u)date their +ace&oo, )ages to include their current location% class schedules% )hone nu'&ers% and )laces of wor,( !lthough )osting this infor'ation to +ace&oo, 'ay see' li,e a fun and har'less way to connect with friends% how can anyone &e sure their )ersonal details don.t fall into the wrong hands2 In 3ales in 4005% $rian 6ewis allegedly strangled his )artner to death after she changed her relationshi) status to single on +ace&oo,( 7raig !llen $ailey% a Michigan 'an% was recently arrested for sending o&scene )hotos to 'inors -ia te*t% which he did after finding their cell)hone nu'&ers through +ace&oo,(

In recent years% there ha-e &een 'ulti)le re)orted instances of online -icti'ization( Social networ,ing sites ha-e &een held )artially res)onsi&le for 'any different sca's% stal,ing and harass'ent% and 'urder% yet 'any social 'edia networ,ers continue to )ost )ersonal infor'ation online( Marc Soucy% an Ottawa )olice officer assigned to the 'edia relations office% e*)lains the )heno'enon of online harass'ent( 8Threats online% through different 'ediu's li,e +ace&oo,% Twitter% or 9ust general e'ail% are one of the 'ost co''on )ro&le's we get in schools%: he said( 8;ow 'any <)eo)le= ha-e 'ore than >00 friends <on +ace&oo,% Twitter% etc=2 It.s i')ossi&le to ,now all 400 )eo)le -ery well% so the &est way to )rotect yourself is to &e careful as to who you s)ea, to and who you &efriend on those social networ,ing 'ediu's(:

The gender game

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Mdulo 3: O Mundo Tecnolgico

The Ottawa ?olice Ser-ice we&site warns wo'en in )articular e*)erience a high degree of harass'ent online% and encourages citizens to 8consider changing <their userna'e= to a gender#neutral na'e or e-en a 'ale#ty)e na'e(: Michael Strangelo-e% a co''unications )rofessor at the Uni-ersity of Ottawa% also &elie-es wo'en e*)erience 'ore harass'ent online than 'en( 8?hone nu'&ers are -ery du'& <to )ost online=% )articularly for young wo'en or wo'en of any age%: he said( 8There.s huge nu'&ers of )eo)le that are trolling +ace&oo, 9ust loo,ing for )ersonal infor'ation so they can run all sorts of sca's on you( This co'&ination of infor'ation: This is where I li-e and <I.'= going to 'y friend.s this wee,end@now I ,now you.re not in your house(: Inter-iews with 'ale and fe'ale students showed a )erson.s gender affects how they )resent the'sel-es online( 8I a' definitely concerned with )osting )ersonal infor'ation on social networ,ing sites%: ad'itted Diana Snow% a fourth#year health sciences student at the Uni-ersity of Ottawa( 8I thin, )rotecting 'y )ersonal infor'ation and 'y identity are -ery i')ortant &ecause you ne-er ,now who can see what on the Internet( Once so'ething is )osted A it can ne-er &e fully deleted% which is definitely a scary thing for 'e(: Male student Ro&ert $rodie% a third#year co''unications student at the U of O% e*)lains he is far less cautious with his online )resence( 8I ad'ittedly don.t ta,e that 'any )recautions%: he said( 8I do generally stay to )urchasing fro' well#,nown we&sites A and I sign in through +ace&oo, whene-er I can to a-oid creating <'ulti)le online= accounts% &ut I really don.t hide anything@I always gi-e out 'y real na'e(

The privacy illusion

Many +ace&oo, users thin, 'onitoring )ri-acy settings and restricting access to their )rofiles 'eans their infor'ation is safe( 8On Twitter% I )rotect 'y tweets% 'eaning that no one can -iew 'y tweets unless they follow 'e% which they ha-e to re1uest to do%: e*)lained Snow( 8I ha-e the choice of allowing or denying the' access(: Strangelo-e has a different )ers)ecti-e on online )ri-acy( ;e does not &elie-e it is )ossi&le to ,ee) anything )ri-ate after it has &een )osted on +ace&oo, or any other social networ,ing site( 8The )erce)tion of )ri-acy is a false )erce)tion%: he said( 8<Mar,= Buc,er&erg.s idea is radical trans)arency( ;e.s not radically trans)arent% the cor)oration isn.t radically trans)arent% &ut he.s as,ing the consu'er to &e radically trans)arent so they can create
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Mdulo 3: O Mundo Tecnolgico these 'assi-e data&ases that they can sell to ad-ertisers and allow go-ern'ents to access(: Strangelo-e urged students to acce)t what he &elie-es to &e the cold% hard truth a&out the Internet( 8If it.s online% you ha-e to realize that cor)orations ha-e it% go-ern'ents ha-e access to it% and cri'inals will get access to it if they want to%: he said( 8!cce)t that and don.t )ut anything online that.s econo'ically or )ersonally sensiti-e A +unda'entally% if you want to ,ee) it secret% don.t say it(: In our Internet#de)endent society% )ast 'ista,es can easily &eco'e a thing of the future% regardless of whether a )erson tries to 'a,e the infor'ation )ri-ate( !s dis)layed on the Ottawa ?olice Ser-ice.s 7ri'e ?re-ention we&site% 8Much of what you do% say% or )ost on the we& is out there for e-eryone to see( Much of it is recorded in a data&ase so'ewhere and can &e used &y &oth scru)ulous and unscru)ulous indi-iduals(: !ccording to Strangelo-e% )osting )otentially co')ro'ising )hotos and infor'ation@ e-en 8)ri-ately:@is e*actly how )eo)le wind u) in )ersonal and )rofessional trou&le( 87or)orations are e*tre'ely sensiti-e to how )eo)le )resent the'sel-es on +ace&oo,%: he e*)lained( 8It can &e 9ust one )icture% &ut if the wrong co')any% wrong hu'an resources de)art'ent% see<s= you with that &ottle of &eer@a )erfectly legiti'ate acti-ity @it can &e e*ceedingly hurtful(:

Students should re'e'&er anything they )ost online could co'e &ac, to haunt the'(

8<?osting )ersonal )hotos= can really destroy your future career )ossi&ilities%: said Strangelo-e( 87hances are it.s not going to hurt you% &ut if it does there.s no second chance(: Heading home

O-er#sharing on the Internet isn.t the only way technology can co'e &ac, to &ite us( Using )ersonal de-ices or cell)hones while wal,ing ho'e can also &e )otentially har'ful( Culie Star,% a Dra- Maga self#defence instructor in 3aterloo% Ont(% e')hasizes tal,ing on cell)hones or listening to i?ods can lea-e students o)en to attac, &ecause they aren.t )aying attention to their surroundings( 8Te*ting <can &e dangerous=%: said Star,( 8?eo)le around here ha-e e-en &een seen wal,ing into )ar,ed cars while te*ting(: !ccording to ;olly Cohnson% cri'inology )rofessor at the Uni-ersity of Ottawa% 'any of the safety ti)s co''only offered to wo'en@li,e wal,ing ho'e with a friend or a-oiding secluded areas@are inade1uate(
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Mdulo 3: O Mundo Tecnolgico 8If you.re distracted in so'e way or if you don.t loo, confident@all of these <o&ser-ations= are true%: she said( 8That.s what we.-e &een telling wo'en fore-er( My o&9ection to that is we are once again )utting the onus on wo'en to )re-ent their own -icti'ization as o))osed to focusing on <the assailants=(: Cohnson noted al'ost /00%000 wo'en a year in 7anada are se*ually assaulted% and only a&out >0 )er cent of these cases are e-er re)orted( 83o'en are trying to 'anage their safety fro' 'en who harass the' on the street on a )retty regular &asis%: she said( 8My reaction to the training a&out cell)hones and i?ods is yeah% that.s o&-ious( Eou shouldn.t &e wearing loud 'usic on your head as you.re crossing the street( Eou 'ight 'iss a &us co'ing% you ,now2 It.s co''on sense A The fact of the 'atter is that 'en )rey on -ulnera&le wo'en and that increases your -ulnera&ility(:

3hen as,ed if tal,ing on a cell)hone while wal,ing alone deters an attac,% Soucy e*)lained he feels it is unli,ely to 'a,e any difference in cases where the -icti' ,nows the assailant(

8If it.s so'eone who ,nows you who is going to assault you% then <cell)hone usage= has no effect%: he e*)lained( 8$ut if it.s a co')lete stranger and it.s a rando' attac,% these )eo)le don.t want witnesses% and if you.re on the )hone% you ha-e a )otential witness(: Many students )ercei-e cell)hone use to &e an ade1uate safety 'easure while wal,ing at night(

8I find that using technology 'a,es 'e feel 'ore safe% &ecause I a' unaware of 'y surroundings%: Snow said( 8Ironically% te*ting and listening to 'usic lea-e 'e distracted and )ro&a&ly loo,ing li,e an easy target(:

Final words

!nyone )osting )ersonal infor'ation online or wal,ing ho'e alone should ta,e the necessary )recautions( Use ser-ices li,e +oot ?atrol or the &uddy syste'% and contact the )olice if you e*)erience any threatening or -iolent &eha-iour on or offline(

Technology has &eco'e an integral )art of our e-eryday li-es% and is certainly ad-antageous to societyF howe-er% the dangers of technology arise when users are not cautious(

Mdulo 3: O Mundo Tecnolgico 8<Technology use is= &eco'ing second nature to the whole generation%: said Strangelo-e( 8The -ast 'a9ority will not &e hurt &y these )ractices% &ut so'e will and so'e will &e hurt -ery &adly( So% you.re rolling the dice(: