L13: THE PROCESS OF INTERNET FILTERING

INTERNET FILTERING

It is our responsibility to ensure that the teenagers are protected from these corruptions of the mind by filtering access to the Internet.Internet filtering is a process that prevents or blocks access to certain materials on the Internet.

It is our responsibility to ensure that the teenagers are protected from these corruptions of the mind by filtering access to the Internet.

What is Internet filtering?

Internet filtering is a process that prevents or blocks access to certain materials on the Internet. Filtering is most commonly used to prevent children from accessing inappropriate material and to keep employees productive on the Internet.

CONTROLLING ACCESS TO THE INTERNET

The current preferred method of choice to limit access on the Internet is to filter content either by:

· keyword blocking

· site blocking

· web rating systems

These methods require software to be installed at a client of server level.

KEYWORD BLOCKING

One of the strategies is by using the keyword blocking method. This method uses a list of banned words or objectionable terms.

As the page is downloading, the filter searches for any of these words. If found, it will block the page completely, stop downloading the page, block the banned words and even shut down the browser.

SITE BLOCKING

• software company maintains a list of ‘dubious Internet sites’
• the software prevents access to any sites on this list
• ‘denial lists’ regularly updated
• some software provides control over what categories of information you block
• Who decides what goes on the ‘denial list’ and what criteria are they using?
• can you keep track of the whole of the Internet?
• filters can use both site blocking and word blocking

WEB RATING SYSTEMS

Web sites are rated in terms of nudity, sex, violence and language. The Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSACI) is responsible for the rating of the websites on the content on the internet.

· ratings done either by the web page author or by the independent bureau.

· browsers set to only accept pages with certain levels of ratings.

L12: CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT

CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT
A controversial content is information that causes disagreement in opinions and may cause the disruption of peace because different people or culture will have different views

ISSUES ON CONTROVERSIAL CONTENTS
The issues on controversial contents are always focusing on pornography and slander. Malaysia considers pornography and slander as illegal.

Pornography Creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire.

Slander Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.
A false and malicious statement or report about someone.

DEFINITION OF PORNOGRAPHY
The definition of pornography is any form of media or material (like books or photographs) that depicts erotic behaviour and is intended to cause sexual excitement.

Pornography tends to exploit men, women and children in a distasteful manner.

SLANDER
Slander is another example of controversial content.

Slander is a legal term for false and malicious statement (meaning knowing that it is false, or “reckless disregard” that it was false) about someone.

Examples :
You wrote an e-mail that a fellow classmate was having an affair with a teacher, even though it was not true. You then sent it to five other friends.


IMPACTS ON MALAYSIAN SOCIETY

Pornography
• can lead to criminal acts such as exploitation of women and children
• can lead to sexual addiction or perversion
• can develop low moral value towards other men, women or children
• can erode good religious, cultural and social beliefs and behaviour

Slander
• can develop into a society that disregards honesty and truth
• can develop bad habit of spreading untruths and rumours
• can lead to unnecessary argument
• can cause people to have negative attitudes towards another person

L11: VERIFICATIONS

VERIFICATION
Verification is the act of proving or disproving the correctness of a system with respect to a certain formal specification.

METHODS OF VERIFICATION
There are two methods commonly used in verification, which are user identification and processed object.

User identification refers to the process of validating the user.

Processed object refers to something the user has such as identification card, security token and cell phone.

USER IDENTIFICATION
The examples of validating process using the user identification are:
• Key in the user name to log-in to a system and the system will verify whether the user is valid or invalid user
• Show the exam slip to verify that you are the valid candidate for the exam.
• show a passport before departure.

L10: AUTHENTICATIONS

AUTHENTICATIONS

Authentication is a process where users verify that they are who they say they are. The user who attempts to perform functions in a system is in fact the user who is authorised to do so.

For Example : When you use an ATM card, the machine will verify the validation of the card then the machine will request for a pin number. This is where the authentication process takes place.

METHODS OF AUTHENTICATION

There are two commonly used authentication methods, which are biometric device and callback system.

Biometric device is a device that translates personal characteristics into a digital code that is compared with a digital code stored in the database.

Callback system refers to the checking system that authenticates the user.

BIOMETRIC DEVICES

Fingerprint Recognition

In order to prevent fake fingers from being used, many biometrics fingerprint systems also measure blood flow, or check for correctly arrayed ridges at the edges of the fingers.

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition analyses the characteristics of an individual's face images captured Through a digital video camera. Facial recognition is widely used, touted as a fantastic system for recognizing potential threats

(whether terrorists, scam artists, or known criminals).

Hand Geometry Scanning

Hand scanning involves the measurement and analysis of the shape of one's hand.

Unlike fingerprints, the human hand isn't unique. Individual hand features are not descriptive enough for identification.

It is possible to devise a method by combining various individual features and measurements of fingers and hands for verification purposes.

Iris Scanning

Iris scanning analyses the features that exist in the colored tissues surrounding the pupil which has more than 200 points that can be used for comparison, including rings, furrows and freckles.

The scans use a regular video camera and can be done from further away than a retinal scan. It will work perfectly fine through glasses and in fact has the ability to create an accurate enough measurement that it can be used for identification purposes.

The accuracy of this method is excellent while the cost involved is high.

Retinal Scanning

Retinal biometrics involves the scanning of retina and analyzing the layer of blood vessels at the back of the eye.

Retinal scanning involves using a low-intensity light source and an optical coupler and can read the patterns at a great level of accuracy.

Retina scanning requires the user to remove glasses, place their eye close to the device, and focus on a certain point. Whether the accuracy can outweigh the public discomfort is yet to be seen.

The accuracy in retinal scanning is very good and the cost involved is fair.

Voice Recognition

Voice recognition system compares a person’s live speech with their stored voice pattern.

Voice recognition biometrics requires user to speak into a microphone. What he speaks can be his password or an access phrase.

Verification time is approximately 5 seconds. To prevent recorded voice

use, most voice recognition devices require the high and low frequencies of the sound to match, which is difficult for many recording instruments to recreate well. Also, some devices generate random number of sequences for verification.

The accuracy in voice recognition is fair and the cost involved is very reasonable.

Signature Verification System

Signature verification system uses special pen and tablet. After pre-processing the signature, several features are extracted.

The authenticity of a writer is determined by comparing an input signature to a stored reference set (template) consisting of three signatures.

The similarity between an input signature and the reference set is computed using string matching and the similarity value is compared to a threshold.

The accuracy in signature verification system is fair and the cost involved is excellent.

CALLBACK SYSTEM

The callback system is commonly used in the bank operation and business transaction.

For example, when you book for the taxi service, the operator will ask you to hang up and she will call you back to confirm for the service required.

WHY IS AUTHENTICATION IMPORTANT?

Authentication is important in order to safeguard against the unauthorized access and use.

L9: PRIVACY IN COMPUTER USAGE

WHAT IS PRIVACY?

Privacy in IT refers to data and information privacy.

Data refers to a collection of raw unprocessed facts, figures and symbols. Then, computer is used to process data into information. In general, data include texts, numbers, sounds, images and video.

Information privacy is described as the rights of individuals and companies to deny or restrict the collection and use of information about them.

WAYS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THREATEN OUR PRIVACY

Every time you click on an advertisement or register a software product online, your Information is entered into a database. Computer technology can also threaten privacy through spam. Do you know what spam is? Spam is unsolicited e-mail messages, advertisements or newsgroup postings sent to many recipients at once.

How does computer technology threaten the privacy of our data? It is done through:

• Cookies

• Electronic profile

• Spy ware

Computer technology threatens our privacy through electronic profiling. For example, when we fill out a form such as a magazine subscription, purchasing products or contest entry form on the Internet, this data is kept in the database. It will include age, address, marital status and other personal details.

Cookies

• are used to identify users by web casting, e-commerce and other web applications

• contain user information and are saved in the computer hard disk

• are used by some websites to store passwords and track how regularly we visit a website, that’s how we become potential targets for web advertisers

• enable web sites to collect information about your online activities and store them for future use, then the collected details will be sold to any company that requests for it.

Electronic profile

• electronic profile is the combining of data in a database that can be sold to the Internet by the company to the interested parties.

• this database is in a form such as magazine subscription or product warranty cards that had been filled by online subscribers.

• the information in electronic profile includes personal details such as your age, address and marital status.

Spyware

• refers to a program that collects user information without the user’s knowledge.

• can enter computers, sneaking in like a virus.

• is a result of installing new programs.

• communicates information it collects to some outside source while we are online.

WHY DO WE NEED PRIVACY?

We need privacy for anonymity. For example, the Internet creates an elaborate trail of data detailing a person surfing on the Web because all information is stored inside cookies. We do not want our trail to be detected.

We also need privacy for confidentiality. For example, online information generated in the course of a business transaction is routinely used for a variety of other purposes without the individual’s knowledge or consent.

We do not want our private lives and habits exposed to third parties.

CAN PRIVACY BE PROTECTED?

Privacy can be protected by:

(a) Privacy law

The privacy laws in Malaysia emphasizes on the following:

• Security Services to review the security policy

• Security Management to protect the resources

• Security Mechanism to implement the required security services

• Security Objects, the important entities within the system environment

(b) Utilities software

Example: anti-spam program, firewall, anti-spyware and antivirus.

L8: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

DEFINITION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Intellectual Property refers to works created by inventors, authors and artists. These works are unique and have value in the market place. In our daily lives, we are surrounded by things that are protected by IP. Your school bags, your shoes and even your socks are protected by Intellectual Property rights. Nike, Bata or Adidas, for example, are all protected by a group of legal rights.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW

Intellectual Property laws cover ideas, inventions, literary creations, unique names, business models, industrial processes, computer program codes and more.

INVENTIONS PROTECTED BY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS

As businesses continue to expand globally, business owners must realise the importance of getting professional advice on how to establish and safeguard their intellectual property rights. These include :

• Trademarks

• Service marks

• Trade/company names

• Domain names

• Geographical indications

• Copyrights

• Patents

Example : Protected by property law.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

There are four types of Intellectual Property protection. They are patents for invention, trademarks for brand identity, designs for product appearance and copyright for material.

• Patents for inventions

• Trademarks for brand identity

• Design for product appearance

• Copyright for material

Patents for inventions

Utility, design or plant patents that protect inventions and improvements to

existing inventions

Trademarks for brand identity

Words, names, symbols, devices and images that represent products, goods or services.

Design for product appearance

Literary and artistic material, music, films, sound recordings and road casts,

including software and multimedia.

Copyright for material

The features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colors, shape, texture or material of the product itself or its ornamentation.

L7: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ETHICS AND LAW

DEFINITION OF ETHICS

In general, ethics is a moral philosophy where a person makes a specific moral choice and sticks to it. On the other hand, ethics in computing means moral guidelines to refer to when using the computer and computer networks. This includes the Internet.

DEFINITION OF LAW

Law is a legal system comprising of rules and principles that govern the affairs of a community and controlled by a political authority. Law differs from one country to another. In the era of technology, computer law is needed to clarify goods or actions that fall under the computer law. Computer law refers to all areas in law that requires an understanding of computer technology such as hardware, software and Internet. Examples of laws of computing in Malaysia include the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Act, the Computer Crime Act 1997 and the Telemedicine Act 1997.

WHY DO WE NEED ETHICS AND LAW IN COMPUTING?

• Respecting Ownership

• Respecting Privacy

• Respecting Property

RESPECTING OWNERSHIP

We must respect ownership by not stealing other people’s work either by duplicating or distributing it. Duplicating and distributing copies of audio tapes, video tapes and computer programs without permission and authorization from the individual or company that created the program are immoral and illegal.

RESPECTING PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

We should respect other people's privacy and confidentiality by refraining ourselves from reading their mails or files without their permission. If we do so, it is considered as violating an individual’s rights to privacy and confidentiality.

RESPECTING PROPERTY

Property here means ownership. Since an individual data and information are considered as property, therefore, an act of tampering and changing electronic information is considered as vandalism and disrespect for other people’s property.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ETHICS AND LAW

Both ethics and law are complimentary to each other and are made:

• to guide user from misusing computers

• to create a healthy computer society, so that computers are used to contribute to a better life

• to prevent any crime

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ETHICS AND LAWS

ETHICS

GUIDELINE - As a guideline to computer users.

MORAL STANDARDS - Ethical behavior is judged by moral standards.

FREE TO FOLLOW - Computer users are free to follow or ignore the code of ethics.

NO PUNISHMENTS - No punishment for anyone who violates ethics.

UNIVERSALS - Universal, can be applied anywhere, all over the world.

PRODUCE ETHICAL COMPUTER USERS - To produce ethical computer users.

IMMORAL - Not honoring computer ethics means ignoring the moral elements (immoral).

LAW

CONTROL - As a rule to control computer users.

JUDICIAL STANDARDS - Law is judged by judicial standards.

MUST FOLLOW - Computer users must follow the regulations and law.

PENALTIES, IMPRISONMENTS AND OTHER PUNISHMENTS - Penalties, imprisonments and other punishments for those who break the law.

DEPENDS ON COUNTRY - Depends on country and state where the crime is committed.

PREVENT MISUSING OF COMPUTERS - To prevent misuse of computers.

CRIME - Not honoring the law means committing a crime.

UNETHICAL VS. LAW BREAKING CONDUCTS

Unethical:

• using the office computer to do personal things

• reading your friend’s e-mail without his or her permission

• plagiarising and using materials from the Internet for your class assignment without giving credit to the original author.

Law breaking:

• sending a computer virus via e-mail

• hacking into your school’s database to change your examination results.

• selling pirated software in a night market