Misuse of personal information

FOR THE SILENT VICTIMS OF ONLINE EXPLOITATION.

Forms of data Misuse

Surveillance - Using hidden microphones and/or cameras to gain unauthorized information from conversation.

Electronic eavesdropping - Intercepting email and/or messages during the process of reaching it's designated receiver.

Propaganda - Is information distributed to encourage or force a particular opinion on a particular entity.

Inaccurate information - Entering and storing of inaccurate information due to human error or deliberately altering correct information.

How this Data can be treated.

People who gain data and use this data in the wrong way usually do it in the form of –

Industrial espionage Software piracy Computer fraud Credit card fraud Identify theft

Software piracy Software piracy is the unauthorized copying of software. Most retail

programs are licensed for use at just one computer site or for use by only one user at any time. By buying the software, you become a licensed user rather than an owner You are allowed to make copies of the program for backup purposes, but it is against the law to give copies to friends and colleagues. There have been many cases in which other companies have shared these programs in order to work off of them as a stepping stone, but it is illegal.

There is a shopping center called the Golden Arcade where dozens of shops sell hundreds of CD-ROM titles for as little as US$10 each. They appear legitimate. However, they are actually counterfeits.

Computer fraud

Computer fraud is any technique aimed at manipulating information within a computer system for the purpose of illicit, usually financial gain. This can have serious outcomes as the embezzler has full control of what he/she is trying to achieve.

A bank clerk/ electronics expert are being prosecuted in China's biggest computer fraud case, the People's Daily said Friday. Bank computer operator Xie Wenzhong, and technology company worker Li Qiusheng, are accused of setting up a bank account in the name of a non-existent firm to obtain $205,000, the paper said. These situations can cause large issues for the

Credit card fraud

Credit card fraud is identity theft in its most common form. Someone can even apply for a credit card in your name if they have the right information. You won't know a thing about it until the credit card company tracks you down and demands payment for the purchases "you" have a racked up.

A thief might go through the trash to find discarded billing statements and then use your account information to buy things. A retail or bank website might get hacked, and your card number could be stolen and shared.

Identity theft

Can occur when a thief steals your personal information, such as your full name or social security number, to commit fraud. The identity thief can use your information to fraudulently apply for credit, file taxes, or get medical services. These acts can damage your credit status, and cost you time and money to restore your good name.

Unfortunately identity theft has become a common proceeding as it is in fact a business often of people bidding for identities with access to their bank accounts, medical accounts and even your social security number. Identity theft is usually very closely related to credit card fraud.

How it happens

A thief might go through the trash to find discarded billing statements and then use your account information to buy things. From low tech dumpster diving to high tech hacking. A retail or bank website might get hacked, and your card number could be stolen and shared. Perhaps a dishonest clerk or waiter takes a photo of your credit card and uses your account to buy items or create another account. Or maybe you get a call offering a free trip or discounted travel package. But to be eligible, you have to join a club and give your account number, say, to guarantee your place. The next thing you know, charges you didn’t make are on your bill, and the trip promoters who called you are nowhere to be found.

How it happens to companies

Unauthorized application use: 70 percent of IT professionals believe the use of unauthorized programs resulted in as many as half of their companies' data loss incidents

Misuse of corporate computers: 44 percent of employees share work devices with others without supervision.

Remote worker security: 46 percent of employees admitted to transferring files between work and personal computers when working from home.

Misuse of passwords: 18 percent of employees share passwords with co-workers. That rate jumps to 25 percent in China, India, and Italy.

How we can avoid it

To reduce data leakage, businesses must integrate security into the corporate culture and consistently evaluate the risks of every interaction with networks, devices, applications, data, and of course, other users.

Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information (your name, birthdate, social security number, or bank account number) by phone, mail, or online.

Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.

Shred receipts, credit offers, account statements, and expired cards, to prevent “dumpster divers” from getting your personal information.

How misuse of Data can affect the individual

The false statistics trap can be quite damaging to the quest for knowledge. For example, in medical science, correcting a falsehood may take decades and cost lives.

Someone who has shared content with a recipient over the internet or by face to face might not want that recipient to release that content with anyone let alone on the internet with an almost eternal audience.

Information of ones criminal record being released without consent can cause others to not interact with the individual the same way as they would have prior to absorbing the information.

Isn't a big deal?

“Why does this matter… no one is “looking” at your data… there is so much data no one can look at it all… everybody shares data these days… today’s kids are not bothered… what harm can it do… it’s illegal to misuse data… there must only be only a few isolated cases where data is lost or misused… you are paranoid…” ----------Complacent man

Besides the obvious loss and subsequent misuse of data through illegal activities such as theft and losses of data through human error, process flaws and casual mistakes, there are many documented cases of “secure” systems being targeted and the data of millions of individuals made available to third parties, criminals and agencies who find that data useful.

Statistics

Rates of varying types of misuses of data.

Denouement

This is a pressing topic as we integrate ourselves into technology more and more each day and of coarse people will always find a way to leech off of and annoy other people, often even bankrupting them and leaving them in serious debt for stuff they never got or did.

It wont get any better as technology advances but hopefully security systems can advance and keep up to date with all of the software and cleverness hackers and thief's posses.

Sourcing/Bibliography

www.pitmans.com blog.inf.ed.ac.uk www.usatoday.com policies.iu.edu www.cisco.com www.consumer.ftc.gov

Thanks-ZEV AIDIKOFF