Technology Laws, Your Freedom

I personally love technology, especially my cell phone, and what it allows me to do. I can have immediate communication with friends and family,  I can have immediate entertainment with music, games, internet,  and social media sites.  My cell phone has become my lifeline. But with this technology and all it allows me to do, do I have the right to privacy anymore? What has happened?

In 2001, attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon passed a new law called USA Patriot Act which stands for Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. It expands the government’s ability to monitor foreign and domestic financial transactions and people they deem as terrorists. It undermines patriotism and is about freeing the gathering of intelligence by the government within the United States. The Patriot Act was signed into law by then President George W. Bush, and extended in 2011 by President Obama to include an extension including roving wiretaps and individuals not linked to terrorist groups. This can include anybody they identify as a threat. This was to be a temporary program put in place because of the attacks on American soil, but the government took it upon themselves to continue this program for ‘national security’. This is a direct threat to the United States Constitution and Americans privacy.

Another secret program that has been exposed code-named PRISM, which is a mass data-collection program. The government claims the need for this data mining in the name of ‘national security’ to keep the United States borders and citizens safe, they claim to have thwarted over fifty-two terrorist attacks because of these methods. With the technology today, there are other ways to track these criminals and terrorists groups without violating every citizen’s privacy or obtain a warrant and disclose this information. Americans’ deserve to know what is happening, and the laws being passed by our elected officials. If it is infringing on innocent people’s privacy, how can they pass a secret program without the approval of American citizens?

             

There are those who say if you are not doing anything wrong, why does it matter? Let’s look at this analogy differently; if a peeping tom is looking at you through a window and you are not doing anything wrong, does it matter? Pretty creepy! It is not the collection of the information that is a problem; it is what’s done with that information, and how it is interpreted. All citizens in America deserve to be safe, but law abiding citizens should be able to know, the information they provide companies, stays private. 

With new technology and different methods of obtaining information on civilians, the means of interpreting these aging laws are left in the hands of the courts. The laws need reforms reflecting the new technology to eliminate inconsistency in interpretation. Laws need to reflect changes in technology and eliminate differences in how they are interpreted and hold lawmakers responsible. If lawmakers can’t provide protection of privacy for all, we need to vote for representatives that will.

The technology is there for tracking people with cell phones and collecting data on everybody that has one. It is being used all of the time, mostly for the right reasons, but laws need to be addressed to clarify specifics for the courts to determine whether a certain digital surveillance method invokes Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and our right to privacy. Why should everyone that uses new technology have to worry who might be watching their every move? 

Technological advances today have brought convenience to people’s lives, but we are slowly losing our freedom of privacy. This would be a great time to start paying attention to the laws that our state and federal representatives are trying to pass. It is the responsibility as a U.S. citizen to be educated about the interpretations of laws surrounding accessibility that law enforcement and government officials have, which enable them to infringe on the privacy of citizens without their knowledge. 

If these technologies are to be enjoyed the way they are intended, our representatives at the state and federal levels, controlling privacy, need to review proposals presented to them in a timely manner and make sure they are written to protect all American citizens’ privacy. As the technological world advances, government and criminals need to be stopped from invading our privacy. If the decisions being made do not protect privacy of Americans and the Constitution, then it is time ‘We the People’ take back control of our privacy, and demand the government uphold our Constitution and the Fourth Amendment.

Posted By: Jeff Trangsrud

Should you be “Linked-In”?

Networking. Networking. Networking. Today’s world is all about who you know. Does it matter if you make your connections in person or online? The professional networking website LinkedIn has become an increasingly popular way for professionals to make connections without even leaving their homes. Could creating a profile really be that beneficial to your career? I interviewed some professionals to find out.  

What is it? LinkedIn is a social networking site, also available in a smart phone app, designed to help connect the world’s professionals.  You start by making a profile, basically an e-resume. Here you can upload a headshot and list your education, work experience and professional skills. Your full profile is visible to only those you connect with but anyone can search for you and access parts of your profile. You get notifications when people want to make a “connection” with you, or when they simply view your profile. LinkedIn also allows people to endorse each other’s skills. Companies can also make pages where they post information about who they are and what they do. Users can “follow” different business on LinkedIn to keep up with their current news. Often job postings are posted to these company pages and those who follow the business page can be some of the first people to see new postings.

How are people using the site? I visited with a business owner, a professor, a director of human resources, and a project manager to find out how they use LinkedIn. The main response was networking. Many of them said it was a way to connect with old friends in a way they would have never done previous to having a LinkedIn. They liked being able to see where friends or old co-workers were currently employed.  Many also used the site for job searching and hiring.  One business owner said she recently hired someone she found on linked in, and could not be happier with the outcome.  The director of human resources said she is about to make some hires and will most likely be checking LinkedIn for prospects.

Are their any negatives to signing up for a professional networking site? The only complaints from the professionals I spoke with, it that it is another site that demands their attention. To get the full benefit your profile needs to be maintained and checked regularly.

So what is it that persuaded people to put their resume info into electronic form? Some said mainly for networking, some made a profile incase they wanted to search for new employment, some said they signed up because someone they respected suggested it, and some learned about it at a conference or other professional event and were told it would be an asset.

When used correctly, professional social networking sites like LinkedIn can be used to make connections, find qualified employees, or even find employment yourself. It is becoming a staple in the business world.  The convenience of being able to make connections with other professionals using the Internet has changed the networking game forever. When asked if LinkedIn was a tool they would recommend to young business professionals just starting their career, everyone I interview said definitely yes.

Jessa

Smoke and Mirrors -- Thin Clients

So you think the computer that you're sitting at right now has everything it needs right there at your desk?  Think again because there may be something more behind the scenes.  Did you ever think that the computer that you're running may not be sitting at your desk at all? Or anywhere close to you for that matter?  If you're sitting at a university network computer... maybe at work.... or using a Chromebook, you may be using something called a thin client.

A thin client, also commonly referred to as a lean, zero or slim client is a computer or a computer program that depends mostly on another computer to do its processing.  This is opposite of the traditional fat client, which most of us think of when we think of a home computer.  A fat client has everything it needs, on board, to be fully functional.

Thin clients can be very secure in the fact that security need be focused more on the servers and not necessarily on each machine running on the network.  On the other side of this is the risk that these networks take by having this single point of failure.  If the server does get breached, essentially the entire network will go down.

There are also some arguments for thin clients’ cost savings.  Generally, the clients on a network can be fairly inexpensive as long as there is a good server running the network. This tends to be a total wash though, due to the cost savings being offset by the high cost of the server.

In my personal opinion, if the cost can be a wash, and you can centralize security and most of your maintenance efforts, I don't know why an organization wouldn't use the thin client infrastructure. Before you decide for yourself, here are three different ways that thin clients are used.  While reading, try to think of examples of each method.

The first is shared services.  Using shared terminal services software users on the network all share the same operating system and applications.  Users each get their own desktop, but are limited to running the pre-prescribed applications and doing simple tasks like creating folders or shortcuts.  The user has no power to change settings or download other applications to the server.

The second way that thin clients can be used is desktop virtualization.  Basically what this means is that each users’ desktop acts like its own separate machine on the network.  Each client sits in its very own partition on the server.  The big advantage to this is the higher level of freedom that is presented to users. Each user is given their own machine, but everything that it runs actually resides in the remote server.  Machines that are using desktop virtualization are thin clients that act as though they’re fat clients.

The first two ways that we’ve discussed thin clients being used are as processors of the user interface.  The third way however is browser based.  Browser based data processing is cool because you can run it from any fat client computer without using any of your own storage.  Yes, your machine is responsible for the data processing, but all storage is cloud based.  Sometimes the software that downloads is stored locally, but it is only there while you’re running your current session.  My personal favorite example of this method is the Google family of web based applications like Gmail™ and Google Drive™.  I am a prolific user of Google tools.

It’s exciting to think about where else the use of thin clients can go as we progressively move farther and farther into the use of cloud based computing. Hopefully you enjoyed this week’s blog and you start to think more about how thin clients are used in your school, place of employment and at home. 

Cell Phones and Privacy

Society today has made cell phones something a person cannot live without.  The younger generation was born into this technology and baby boomers have adapted it into their lives.  Gone are the days of searching for information in the library or using a telephone book to find a phone number, also gone is stopping by a friend’s house to see if they are home.  Banking is done on-line; you can buy groceries, clothes, and cars, just about anything can be purchased online now.  You can use your phone as a GPS to get where you are going, play games alone or with friends, and take pictures and videos. Although technology has afforded us to conveniently simplify daily tasks and do what were unimaginable decades ago, it has also caused a big concern in how dependent society has become on this new technology.  Everyone wants the newest, latest, and greatest products which are being produced faster than ever.  What users are not aware of is how the laws protecting their privacy have not changed to keep up with technology.  There are companies, and even the government, that are using the lack of laws to infringe on citizens’ privacy.  New technology has aided government and law enforcement officials in tracking down criminals and terrorists, yet our government is dragging its feet in approving new laws created to protect American citizens who shouldn’t have to sacrifice their privacy to use new technology.  The current laws created to protect the privacy of American citizens are outdated and need to be addressed or amended to reflect today’s new technology.
Posted by Jeff Trangsrud

             

About Us - ITMatters

Hello, we are ITMatters, a group of management information system students whose goal is to provide insight into current information technology topics and convince you that IT matters.  Please share your insight and knowledge back with us. Collaboration is key to success in our profession.  Our team consists of three members: Eric Sitzmann, Jeff Transgrud, and Jessa Veenstra.

Jessa Veenstra is a senior at the University of Northern Iowa double majoring in Management Information Systems and Accounting. She plans to finish up both degrees next year and sit for the CPA exam. She has most of her experience in accounting, but is passionate about using technology as an asset in the business world.

Jeff Trangsrud is a senior majoring in Management of Information Systems at the University of Northern Iowa and graduating next year. He has over 21 years experience in Management and Supervisory roles with over 15 years in Computer diagnostics, installation, and repair.

Eric Sitzmann is also a Senior majoring in Management Information Systems at the University of Northern Iowa.  Eric is a Marine Corps Veteran who will be graduating this upcoming December.  Eric has always loved technology and hopes to use his knowledge to help businesses run more efficiently and to make better decisions through more accurate use of information.