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1-Page Summary of Future Crimes

Overview

Spam Nation reveals how a handful of spammers and cybercriminals have created an illegal industry that’s hugely profitable. Some people worry about the spam, but there are deeper concerns as well, like individuals being put at risk by scams.

People look at their smartphones and social media accounts much more than they think. The influence of the Internet on society is massive, mostly in positive ways.

However, there is a dark side to that. Cybercrime has increased and it’s made possible by the Internet. It isn’t just hackers who pose a threat, but also companies like Google and Facebook. To protect ourselves we need to read more about those issues in order to be aware of them.

In this article, you will learn about Angry Birds and how they collect data on their users. You will also learn why writing your novel in Google Docs might not be a good idea, as well as why the city’s sewer department should not be connected to the Internet.

Big Idea #1: By merging the online and offline worlds, we have created a new frontier. Now that we’ve merged those two worlds, can we safely log out?

Today, we have computers that are much more powerful than those used during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. However, technology is not just about machines and gadgets; it’s also an essential part of our lives. In fact, most people check their phones within a few minutes of waking up in the morning and keep them close by at all times.

Our attachment to our phones can be quite emotional. It’s not uncommon for people to feel anxious if they forget their phone at home. Similarly, it’s not rare that we spend more than five hours online every day! We book doctor appointments, check bank statements and health insurance bills online, and browse Facebook and Amazon without considering the digital footprint we’re leaving behind.

Technology is great, but we often forget that it can also be dangerous. It’s not just computers and cell phones that are at risk of being hacked: cars, medical devices, even our homes have become vulnerable to cyber attacks. This may be due in part to the fact that many people continue using weak passwords such as “123456” or “password”.

To improve security, many companies have begun implementing multifactor authentication methods (e.g., using your password and a one-time code sent to you via SMS) for their customers. However, regardless of this new technology, people should still change their passwords regularly. They should also create long passwords that contain numbers, symbols and spaces. Most importantly, they shouldn’t use the same password for all of their online accounts because 50 percent of people do that.

Big Idea #2: There are many smart devices, but what about people? Are we using our intelligence to the fullest potential?

Smartphones are everywhere. We take them to the bathroom, gym and even bed. As a result, we have plenty of data about our habits and relationships stored on those devices. However, it turns out that third parties can access information on your phone without your permission.

Mobile phones can be used in a variety of ways. For example, Google has developed technology that enables it to access calls made on your Android device and use the conversation as well as surrounding sounds to create targeted ads. If you called someone while listening to Usher’s music, next time you googled something related to him or his upcoming concert, an ad about his next show might pop up.

We’re unaware of how our apps collect data about us, and they use that information to decide what we buy. A study done by Carnegie Mellon revealed that only 5% of Angry Birds’ users knew it was collecting their location data, which advertisers then used to predict their future behavior. McAfee also found that 82% of Android apps check your online activities and 80% collect your location without asking for permission.