Cyber Space can be a Scary World if Parents Don't Take Action of Their Childrens' Privacy Online

During 2010, there were an estimated 7.5 million users under the age of 13 and 5 million under the age of ten that used Facebook.  In addition, there were 20 million active users under the age of 18. This statistic is important because minors are a vulnerable segment of society.  Cyber-bullying causes children to develop anxiety. Also, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, recently warned that "8 percent of the ID theft complaints in 2010 involved children", which partially results from online information sharing.  Moreover, rapists and child molesters use the Internet to contact and learn about potential victims. Due to the vulnerability of children, it is essential to protect the information that a minor shares with any interested third party.

I. Who is responsible for protecting information?
This inevitably raises the question of whom or what entity is responsible for policing the information that a minor shares on social networking websites. According to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, a federal law effective April 21, 2000, a website operator must "include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online". As a result, a parent possesses legal rights in regard to the information that his or her child shares online.The responsibilities of the website operator and the legal rights of the parents will be examined in-depth. These rights also will be explored in conjunction with Facebook's official policy.

II. A parent may protect information through providing parental consent.
Primarily, a website operator must obtain verifiable parental consent prior to collecting information relating to children under the age of 13. An operator must make a reasonable effort to notify the parent that information will be collected and obtained permission from the parent.
A parent should also know that if information is transmitted to third parties, then the FTC expects the website operator to make a better effort to obtain verifiable parental consent. A better effort means that a website operator must obtain the consent through the following methods: (1) getting a signed form from the parent vial postal mail or facsimile; (2) accepting and verifying a credit card number in connection with a transaction; (3) taking calls from the parents, through a toll-free telephone number staffed by a trained professional; or (4) an email accompanied by a digital signature. A parent should also recognize that these methods of contact are not binding, rather they are meant to advise the website operator on what constitutes a better effort to establish contact with a parent.

III. A parent has the right to review the information and revoke consent at any time. 
Also, a parent possesses the legal right to review the information that the website operator collects. A parent may review the types of information that a website collects, e.g., name, address, telephone number, etc. In addition, a parent may revoke the consent and refuse to allow the website operator to continue to use or collect the child's information.
 It is also important that a parent recognizes that certain types of common websites are not required to obtain parental consent. This includes monitored chat rooms, where information is stripped from postings before made public, and the operator deletes the information prior to storing it. Other exceptions include online activities for kids, contests, online newsletters, homework help, etc.

IV.How Facebook Applies to Children Under Age 13 In regard to Facebook, children under the age of 13 are not allowed to use the service.  The website's official statement of rights and responsibilities explicitly states that, "You will not use Facebook if you are under age 13." A parent should, however, recognize that Facebook cannot prevent a child from falsifying information concerning his or her age during the sign-up process. For example, a child age 12 could mark that he or she is age 19 by selecting the corresponding year of birth; i.e., a child age 12 would select his or her birth year as 1992 to register as a 19 year old person with Facebook.

This YouTube video provides an excellent public message educating parents about children signing up with Facebook, Get Your Children Off Facebook

V. Is your child affected?
The following chart detailing internet usage among children between the ages five to eight:

Computer Use Among 5-8 Year Old: Percent who use a computer:

Never                                       10%

Several times a day                10% 

Once a day                              12%

Several times a week              29%

Once a week                            17%

Less than once a week          22%

 According to this chart, over 20% between the ages of five and eight are using the computer every single day. When this statistic is compared to the information mentioned in the introduction, it is possible that some extremely young, vulnerable children use Facebook to share information several times per day.  The Pew Research Center also reports that 80% of children between the ages of 12 to 17 years old use social media sites. (source is cited at the end)
This information becomes troubling, when cyber-bullying is considered. The Pew Research Center indicates that 80% of social networking website users between the ages of 12 and 17 have defended a victim of meanness and cruelty. As a result, it is highly likely that Natalie Forzaneh is not an isolated example, and children or interested third parties use the information posted on social networking websites to harass a targeted child.
It is equally troubling in light of the fact that "users have to opt out of sharing activities on other sites, ranging from what movies they've seen to where they shopped online", as well as the "Share Where You Are" and "Timeline" features. Consequently, a child's information about his or her schedule is available to interested parties. It is also likely available on the Internet to any interested person because the option to protect information is not the default setting.

VI.  Food for thought
The information discussed demonstrates that a social networking website can reveal sensitive information to an interested third party. Furthermore, it has discussed the problem as it relates to children, and what legal rights a parent has in regard to protecting his or her child's information. However, Facebook does not subject itself to the restrictions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule because it explicitly forbids children under the age of 13 access to its website. Lastly, data indicating that children likely use social networking websites and the consequences of that use were divulged.

In light of this discussion, a parent should take several steps to limit his or her child's exposure to online information sharing through social networking websites. First and foremost, a parent should monitor the Internet usage of his or her child. By using parental controls through a content barrier filter, such as the one shown in this video below: 

Content barrier filters allow a parent to control the websites that his or her child visits, as well as limit the dates and times that the child accesses the Internet. In this way, the child can be monitored for potential social networking website usage. A parent should also consider discussing the importance of respecting age requirements within social networking websites. A child should not simply disregard the user agreement with a website because it is an inconvenience; rather, a child should learn that disregarding this type of notice is both morally wrong and criminal. A child should also learn to respect age requirements in general and learn the importance of them, i.e., a child does not have the maturity required to view content on social networking websites.
A third recommendation to a parent of a child using or contemplating using a social networking website is to sign your child up for an age appropriate social networking website. These websites, such as Club Penguin, are designed for children and work to protect your child's identity. One way that Club Penguin provides this function is that it does not feature profile pictures, but instead allows a child to create a penguin avatar to interact with other users. In this way, it maintains anonymity and protects sensitive information.

Social networking websites are here to stay for the adult population. Online sharing of information is a natural consequence of these websites that encourage a user to share his or her life. However, it does not mean that a parent must accept that his or her child's information needs to be at risk. By understanding a parent's legal rights and what steps he or she can take to ensure his or her child's safety, social networking websites can be free from criticism concerning the exposure of a child's sensitive information to an interested third party.

Other References:

Shields, M. Sharing, Not Scaring. MediaWeek.Vol.20. Issue 21. " http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail?sid=1b9a265a-2449-4054-ac4f-912768a40298%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=50876313

The Creation of The Department of Homeland Security. What Had to Take Place in Order to be Established

On September 11, 2011, The United States of America recently commemorated the ten year anniversary of the Al- Qaeda suicide attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the crash of the fourth jet into a field in Pennsylvania. After the 9/11 attacks, lives were changed forever. Many people lived in fear, airport security regulations changed, a new federal agency was formed and most importantly, the war on terror begun, one that we are still currently fighting today. There is much unaccounted information that people are not aware of in regards to the history of terrorism. Listen below to former CIA counter narcotics agent Edward Macias comment on a Osama Bin Laden fact that can be taken back to the Clinton administration.

listen to ‘Osama Fact’ on Audioboo

"Back in the 1990's, the word terrorists was not used and these men were instead called insurgents until 9/11" ~ Edward Macias

 Many people just think about the September 11 attacks but terrorism has been an ongoing fight amongst countries in the world, particularly with Al-Qaeda. Before the 9/11 attacks, the United States fell victim in 1993 with the World Trade Center bombing which was led by Ramzi Yousef, whom had spent time at Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan before planning the attacks within the US. Note: Yousef's uncle, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Ali Fadden was considered the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks. He was arrested in Pakistan  on March 1, 2003. On October 12, 2000; there was the USS Cole bombing that occurred in Yemen. Al-Qaeda also claimed responsibility for the attack on the Navy fleet. Al- Qaeda has also targeted other countries including Spain and England with the 2004 Madrid train bombings and in 2005, targeting public transportation methods in London with bombing their underground trains and a double decker bus.

Former President George W. Bush declared war on terror on September 20, 2001.  The war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001 when the United States and allies including Australia, the UK, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban Regime. On March 19, 2003 President Bush launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and its support of terrorism. 10 years later, U.S. troops are still overseas fighting which has expanded into Pakistan. The main goal was to destroy Al-Qaeda and to find its founder and leader Osama Bin Laden, who was eventually captured and killed on May 2, 2011 by U.S. Navy Seals and CIA operatives in a covert operation ordered by President Barack Obama.

On September 20, 2001 President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress in response to the 9/11 attacks proposing a new office of Homeland Security. One day after U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan, establishes the Office of Homeland Security in the Executive office of the President and appointed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge as Director. On November 25, 2002, President Bush signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, establishing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It was created in efforts to respond to the 9/11 attacks. Its responsibilities consists of protecting the territory of the United States, man-made accidents, and natural disasters. According to the DHS website, their mission is: "to secure the nation from the many threats we face." Mr. Macias, also Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Everest College and professor who teaches Department of Homeland Security course explain the national strategy of DHS.

 

 In addition to what Mr. Macias was able to share, prior to the 9/11 attacks, The Department of Homeland Security existed as a patchwork of efforts undertaken by disparate departments and agencies across all levels of government. When 9/11 happened, none of the agencies were cooperating with one another and important information was not being transferred which caused even more chaos then what was going on already.  They lacked a unifying vision and a cohesive strategic approach which now DHS makes up. All in all, The Department of Homeland Security developed a national strategy to better secure the United States. According to the 2002 DHS National Strategy, it includes applying a comprehensive approach to risk management, building a culture of preparedness, developing a comprehensive Homeland Security Management System, improving incident management, better utilizing science and technology, and leveraging all instruments of national power and influence. The Department of Homeland Security can be synonymous to an umbrella. Under its umbrella, it harbors the many different agencies that provides the safeguarding. These agencies include Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and The U.S. Secret Service (USSS).

Since its formation, progress has ensued. According to the National Strategy for Homeland Security, it has greatly increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts since September 11, which has constrained the ability of al-Qaida to attack the Homeland and has led terrorist groups to find that the homeland is a harder target to strike. These measures have helped disrupt multiple potentially deadly plots against the United States since September 11.

Victimization of Sexual Violence On College Campuses

“1 in 4 women will be raped during their lifetime and that number raises to 1 in 5 women on college campuses.” 

College Campuses have become hot spots for criminal activity. Most recently, a student fell victim to an armed robbery on UMD campus. According to WJLA news, there were reports of sexual assaults that occurred in three separate incidents on and off-campus in College Park in early September. As scary as it may sound, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20-25% of college women in the United States experience attempted or completed rape during while in college. Sexual Assault is widely considered to be the most underreported violent crime in America. Another troubling fact, most sexual assaults on campus are committed by an acquaintance of the victim which may be a factor in why it is the most underreported crime.

As a female and a student in college, this is very scary to know.

Nonetheless, these unfortunate situations do arise and it is better to have a sense of awareness and knowledge of how and where to get help. So I took this opportunity to speak with my Victimology (CCJS360, for anyone interested) professor Cortney L. Fisher and asked her to provide some information about sexual violence on college campuses and if one falls victim, what options are there?

   

As quickly mentioned in the video, I think it is important to shed some light on The Clery Act, short for The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security and Campus Crimes Statistics Act. It is a federal statute that requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. This act came into place and was named after Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh University student who was raped and murdered by another student in her campus residence hall in 1986.

Last but not least, Professor Fisher briefly touched on victim centered prevention and education programs. The University Health Center at the University of Maryland College Park campus provides help to victims through the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program (SARPP). The SARPP office provides free and confidential resources, assistance and support to anyone of the UMD community impacted by any type of sexual violence. An advocate may be easily reached through their 24 our advocate crisis cell phone, email and office number. For more information, please click on the following link: SARPP.

Amplitude Modulation, Frequency Modulation? Yeah, No Wonder everyone just says AM and FM.

Today I was sitting in a friends' car on the way to school when he says to me, "Take a look at this, every time I switch the radio from FM to AM, it will only play in the right front speaker but when in FM, it goes back to normal!" I replied "Lucky for me, today I will be able to find out why that is."

Kayla Sortor, a student studying Communications at The University of Maryland, was able to clarify a more definite understanding about the differences between AM and FM radio. In order for the interview to begin, we couldn't move any further without answering what everyone is probably wondering right now, "what does AM and FM stand for?"

listen to ‘AM and FM’ on Audioboo

Amplitude, Frequency, kilohertz and megahertz... okay, what?

Simply stated in "AM,FM Radio Waves and Sounds," AM radio works by changing the amplitude of the carrier wave and FM radio works by changing the frequency of the carrier wave. Kilohertz or in other words, thousands of cycles per second of electromagnetic energy ranges from 535 to 1705kHz which is none other as Kayla stated, "its just a fancy way of saying there are over 5,000 different AM radio stations on only 117 different frequencies." Unlike kilohertz, megahertz ranges from 88 to 108MHz, or in other words, millions of cycles per second. 

 Evidence shows that FM radio stations rule the radio world. On Kayla's blog, Kcsorter, you can see a graph depicting the grand scheme of things proving FM is widely favored over AM radio. As a blogger myself; I've blogged about radio, specifically satellite radio, but never have I used it and probably will not because why pay if I can listen to FM radio for free. As for AM, free or not, I wouldn't listen to it either way.

Interested in Federal Law Enforcement? Here are some tips straight from the Expert!

As a student majoring in Criminology/ Criminal Justice, I've had countless conversations with fellow classmates about career plans after college. The most trending career I've noticed is that many students in the Criminal Justice field aspire to become federal agents. I recently had the honor to interview the former Deputy Assistant Director of the United States Secret Service, Mr. Anthony Triplett, who has over 23 years of experience working in the federal government. I took the opportunity to ask him about what these federal law enforcement agencies are looking for when hiring?

listen to ‘Want to work for the Secret Service?’ on Audioboo

Not only should you have a clean record, but you must have obtained a four year degree or have previous criminal investigative experience. Like any job, there are always pros and cons. Mr. Triplett mentioned that with these type of jobs, they require sacrifice that other occupations do not. Depending on what agency you go into, some require more of your time than other and travel is a big part so you have to take into consideration that it may possibly affect your spouse, family, etc. "Mobility clause" is also very important to understand, it means it is a clause in a contract which provides that an employee should move location of employment when requested.

The Secret Service is mostly noted as the Presidents protection team but actually the Secret Service was founded to suppress counterfeit money which now has extended to investigating credit card and different types of fraud. An interesting fact Mr. Triplett shared with me was that back then when the Secret Service was starting, 1/3 of all bills were found to be counterfeit.

While serving with the Secret Service, Mr. Anthony Triplett worked ten years at the White House and five years on the Presidents Detail. He worked under George H.W. Bush for one year and both presidential terms with Bill Clinton. Mr. Triplett had over 23 years worth of stories to share but shared one particular story about a President in danger.

listen to ‘Hanging with the President’ on Audioboo

Oh and when he retired from USSS, the president threw him his farewell party on Air Force 1!!!!

So stay out of trouble and get good grades and hopefully you'll get to have a party on Air Force 1 one day too!

Satellite Radio- A Never Ending Source of Everything at Anytime!

Satellite Radio is a digital radio signal that can be broadcasted through different satellites allowing the radio signal to reach farther areas in comparison to normal radio signals such as AM and FM. Martine Rothblatt is responsible for launching several communications satellite companies, including Sirius Satellite Radio in 1990, the first non geostationary satellite to car broadcasting system. In 1997, Rothblatt parted with Sirius to pursue other projects. Wikipedia states, " satellite radio uses the 2.3 GHz S band in North America and generally shares the 1.4 GHz L band with local digital audio broadcasting stations elsewhere. "In an article I came across an article titled "How Satellite Radio Works," the author compared satellite radio to regular terrestrial FM and AM radio. He stated, "most radio signals can only travel about 30 to 40 miles from their source… Now imagine a radio station that can broadcast its signal from more than 22,000 miles away and then come through on your car radio with complete clarity."

Yeah, thats satellite radio for you more specifically, SiriusXM.

The two most popular satellite radio companies, Sirius and XM; their headquarters is based in New York City, which merged into a single company in 2007 offer uninterrupted (no commercials) music without the signal fading out no matter where you are, but these offers do not come for free and are subscription based. You can find on the SiriusXM website what satellite radio offers more than 140+ stations that include commercial free music, sports, exclusive talk and entertainment (Howard Stern, if interested), comedy, news, traffic and weather but of course with a price tag. Satellite radio requires a monthly subscription fee that varies, depending on which service you choose and how many stations you want to receive. Their best deal, $199/ annual plan for XM all access. Their other options include:

XM Premier (Over 140+ stations) $16.99/ month

XM Select (Over 130 stations) $12.95/ month

Sirius XM Internet Radio (Internet Listening) $12.95/ month

and they also offer specialty packages including:

XM News, Sports, and Talk

XM Mostly Music

XM Family-Friendly

Sirius XM All-In-One

Sirius A La Carte

There are nine satellites in orbit, five XM and four Sirius satellites. The FCC has strict regulations for radio and broadcast that do not apply to SiriusXM because they are subscription based. You can also find SiriusXM in your car, many car companies offer new and pre-owned vehicles that come equipped with SiriusXM ranging from 2004 to present day. In another article, I read that SiriusXM had announced a new deal with Nissan and Infiniti dealerships, giving new customers a three month subscription when they purchase any preowned vehicle from the satellite radio equipped inventory of participating dealers. Before that, they had also announced the same deal with 1,000 GM customers. Satellite Radio has also provided great service to businesses, including retail stores, hotels, and restaurants by providing non source of background music. SiriusXM has a revenue of $2.817 billion as of 2010, a operating income of $465.4 billion, a net income of $43.06 million and total assets of $7.383 billion. Sirius XM had a total of 1,749 employees in 2010. As of November 2010, Sirius XM has claimed to have over 20 million subscribers.

A Man of Dreams

“Hearst” I said to myself, I’ve seen that name before, plenty of times, but where? That is the question I asked myself before I came to learn about the man responsible for acquiring his own legacy by turning around the newspaper business. Oh yeah, of course a few seconds into my research, I realize I have subscriptions to five Hearst magazines including Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire, House Beautiful and last but not least Seventeen. Yeah, I must say I’m a big Hearst fan and (financial contributor!) without even knowing it!

William Randolph Hearst was born in San Francisco on April 29, 1863. He was an only child of his father George Hearst who became a millionaire by developing mines and mother Phoebe Apperson Hearst, a philanthropist. William Hearst attended college at Harvard University. It was there where Hearst became interested in newspapers. He was an apprentice under Joseph Pulitzer who would later become his competitor. But that soon came to an end once Hearst was expelled from Harvard because he played a joke on a professor. At the tender age of 23, William Hearst was given control of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper; previously owned by his father whom had won the newspaper as repayment for a poker debt. History was in the making!

Soon after, Hearst quickly got to work. He worked long hours and put all his energy and dedication into his newspaper. He renamed it “The Monarch of the Dailies.” Its been said, Hearst employed the best of the best writers and reporters that he could find and paid them the highest wages. According to Hearst Corporation Timeline, Hearst also improved the appearance of his newspaper by buying the most advanced printing equipment of his day to dramatically revise the newspapers appearance. His motto was to do whatever it took to get readers. Hearst Corporation timeline states, Hearst invigorated the newspaper with energetic, exciting news stories, editorials worded with force and conviction and dramatic illustrations that enlivened the once drab oceans of tiny type. Stories were written to shock readers while other stories were written to affect readers emotionally. A few years later, the newspaper was an inevitable success.

This was just the beginning, Hearst was just warming up. In 1895, Hearst purchased his second newspaper, The New York Journal. This led him to become a direct competitor with Joseph Pulitzer, one time his mentor and his newspaper The New York World. Their bitter battle led to yellow journalism, in other words “yellow press.” After pulling some research, Wikipedia states that yellow journalism is defined as a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. In the encyclopedia of World biographies, the author stated that one American in every four read a Hearst newspaper. He was dominating the newspaper industry from coast to coast! While on honeymoon trip through Europe in automobile with wife Millicent Wilson, Hearst Corporation Timeline states “Mr. Hearst had the idea of creating a publication for people he felt certain would be fascinated by this new mode of transportation.” Later that year, Motor Magazine was introduced and that was the start of Hearst magazine business. He conquered the magazine business and expanded into radio and movies. In 1929, Hearst Metrotone News was created, which was a production company that thrilled moviegoers with news footage shot from around the world as stated in Hearst Corporation Timeline. Shortly thereafter in 1948, Hearst became owner of one of the first television stations in the country, WBAL-TV in Baltimore.

William Randolph Hearst died at the age of 88 in 1951 leaving behind his widely flourishing empire and most importantly a legacy never to be forgotten. Today, the lucrative Hearst Corporation is the world’s largest monthly publisher of magazines including the ever so popular Cosmopolitan, The Oprah Magazine and Country Living. Hearst Business Media produces a wide variety of publications, books, databases, and catalogs that serve the professional interest of several industries. William Hearst changed journalism on a grand scale through his business endeavors and his passion in journalism.