Thursday, April 20, 2017

Takeaways for Week No. 15


Recent Developments for 4/17/17
  • Burger King Ad hacked the Google Home Assistant (when the commercial was listened to, it triggered the Home Assistant to read off the ingredients in a Whopper Burger); Helped reinforce the issue that smart devices can be hacked
Ephemeral Messaging
  • Messages that don't persist, kind of like how a face-to-face conversation where no hard copy of communications is kept
  • More and more ephemeral messaging platforms are being developed, like Instagram Direct and Facebook Messenger's Secret Messages.
  • Benefits: sender has greater control over who sees the message, there is an increased level of privacy, there is increased security of information, there is greater control over distribution and life-time of messages, etc.
  • As ephemeral messaging becomes more popular, what are some concerns about people using this technology?
    • Drawbacks of ephemeral messaging: people can be less civil/ethical (in a sense, there is less accountability), there is no backup history of what was messaged/nothing to look back on
    • Concerns from a business perspective: there are often reasons/laws where a company will need a permanent copy of messaging/communications, there are concerns of messaging being used for sexual harassment or discrimination
    • Concerns from a government use perspective: there is a need for transparency/accountability
Ways to Protect Personal Privacy
  • Practice Good Password hygiene, practice self-censorship and restraint, be careful with social networks and apps, use confidential communications, practice good data security, etc.
  • What is the right amount of caution for a person to take?
    • It honestly probably depends on the person, although certain, basic measures should be taken by everyone.

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