Google gets rid of 60 privacy policies

•As new policy takes off today

Leading global Internet Service Provider (ISP), Google Incorporated, has gotten rid of some 60 privacy policies scattered over the Internet with the introduction of new policy.

Google also said that the new policies were rewritten from top to bottom to be simpler and more readable.

“The new policy replaces more than 60 existing product-specific privacy documents,” part of the Google notice on the new policy made available to ITRealms Online revealed, stressing that this all should make it easier for users to learn about what data Google collect and how they use it.

The second value proposition of the new policy, Google said, is reflected in the efforts to create one beautifully simple, intuitive user experience across Google, adding that it makes clear that, “if you have a Google Account and are signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we can treat you as a single user across all our products.”

On what is the different about the new Google terms of service, officials noted that they have rewritten the policies, too, to make them more readable and to reduce the repetition and legalese.

The latest terms, ITRealms Online said, explained more simply the legal terms associated with the use of Google services, including how the firm treats content that users submit.

“We’ve also consolidated many of our terms, with most products now using the Google Terms of Service and dozens fewer products than before using additional or separate terms,” part of the policy notice stated.

In addition, Google said that what is staying in its approach to privacy comprised of the goal which has remained to provide users with as much transparency and choice as possible, as well as privacy principles remain unchanged.

“That’s why we support products like Google Dashboard, Ads Preferences Manager, and other tools that help you understand and manage your data. Moreover, we never sell personal information or share it without your permission; other than in rare circumstances like valid legal requests.

Therefore, Google said that the new privacy policy depicts one policy, one Google experience, thus getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read.

Google pointed out that its new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting the desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

Maintaining that this stuff matters, hence Google officials urged users to ensure that they take a few minutes to read the updated Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service because these changes are expected to take effect from today, Wednesday, March 1, 2012.

They insisted that the latest privacy policies made it easier for users to work across Google, stressing that the new policy reflects Google’s desire to create a simple product experience that does what customers need, when you want it to.

“Whether you’re reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease,” the notice stated.

Remmy Nweke

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Fuel subsidy protest & rampaging hactivists

The recently ended week-long strike and protests brought to the fore, various forms of agitations by Nigerians yearning for good governance, including hacking of websites, reports REMMY NWEKE.

Most Nigerians woke up on Sunday, January 1, 2012 to behold what has been largely tagged as President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s alleged ‘greek-gift’ of fuel subsidy removal, which from Monday, January 2, have kept the nation tensed up with one protest or another over the fuel pump price increase from N65 to N141 per litre.

It follows that on Wednesday, January 4, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) to take a position, while various civil society groups continued protests; both coordinated and uncoordinated. And at the end of the NLC meeting, it was resolved that since the Federal Government decided to inflict pains on Nigeria as her New Year gift, Nigerians under the Labour and Coalition of Civil Society Organisations would equally embark on literally total strike, which eventually commenced on Monday, January 9, this year.

Between January, Monday 9 and Monday 16, when the strike was called off after the two-day stay at home order by NLC and CSO groups; to enable Nigerians restock, the week-long strike left the nation counting losses of millions of Naira, which according to Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria lost about N300bn based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate, that is, before President Jonathan reduced the pump price early Monday morning from N141 per litre to N97.

Although, the strike created some brisk businesses for some too, others used the opportunity to express themselves, mostly on lack of good governance that has eluded the country since independence in 1960 till date; including lack of social amenities like pump-borne water, electricity, good roads, and healthcare to name a few.

One thing that surfaced during the strike-week was the unveiling of some talented Nigerians such as the release of ‘Hear The Voice’ by new entrant Aduke, who could not but qualify as a youth-activist among others.

Equally of note was the fact that some Nigerians under the aegis of NaijaCyberHactivists joined forces to literally bring down some notable websites in the country, especially those belonging to the Federal Government ministries, namely the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC); in effort to occupy Nigeria institutions online, while those protesting occupy their vicinities and streets.

Technologically speaking, a hacker refers to a contentious term used in computing for several types of persons, while computer security experts see those hackers as crackers, who access a computer system by circumventing its security system, even as some described them as hobbyist who make innovative customizations or combinations of retail electronic and computer equipment, yet there are those who know them as ‘programmer subculture,’ who share an anti-authoritarian approach to software development now associated with the free software movement.

Also, Webopedia, an online encyclopedia described a hacker as a term used for a computer enthusiast, that is, a person who enjoys learning programming languages and computer systems and could often be considered an expert on the subject(s). Among professional programmers, depending on how it’s used, the term could be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation than complimentary.

Equally, word experts at Webopedia, noted that the pejorative sense of hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular press has co-opted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorized access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data. While hackers, themselves maintained that the proper term for such individuals remain crackers and not hackers.

Investigations carried out by ITRealms Online during the week-long fuel pump price protests showed that hackers were on rampage by occupying Nigerian businesses, especially Federal Government institutions websites online and even some private media stations, in sympathy of the populace following the sudden removal of fuel subsidy by President Jonathan.

Although, ITRealms Online gathered that by the week-ending January 13, 2012, NAFDAC website, http://www.nafdac.gov.ng/ was restored, while that of EFCC, www.efccnigeria.org remained inaccessible for a little longer. Whereas, additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an Error Document to handle the request being displayed on the website ever since last Friday when the EFCC website went live with the news that the likes of telecom business mogul, Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola and others were allegedly arrested.

Also, ITRealms Online gathered that sooner than it was hacked, officials of EFCC denied the arrest of these businessmen, alleging that its website was hacked.

Further investigations by ITRealms Online revealed that on Thursday, January 13, 2012, NaijaCyberHactivists had stated through social media, Twitter; that EFCC would be occupied for unwillingness to give the Nigerian people justice. The call to occupy EFCC was for not bringing the suspected cabals among the oil importers and corrupt politicians in the country to book, which was a popular demand online and throughout the protest across the country.

“The AYES have it. EFCC’s website goes down officially at exactly 2pm tomorrow with an #OccupyEFCC chatbox on it,” the NaijaCyberHactivists wrote in one of their Tweet handles.

In what started with a question from NaijaCyberHactivists on a motion: Should EFCC’s website be occupied for mis-information & lack of will to prosecute the cabals? Aye or Nay? The majority of followers on NaijaCyberHactivists affirmed to the temporary occupation of EFCC website.

ITRealms Online recalled that the hackers lived up to promise by occupying EFCC site with that notice, following the alleged announcement by the Commission for arresting and detained some 21 executive directors of oil-chip firms for defrauding the nation over fuel subsidy.

The former Head, Media & Publicity Unit, EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi was purportedly reported as saying in a press statement dated January 13, 2012 that those arrested were in response to fuel subsidy scam.

He also alleged to have said that operatives of EFFC had detained at the weekend the managing director of CONOil, Otunba Mike Adenuga, who also is the executive chairman, Globacom and three others.

These comprised of his counterparts at African Petroleum (AP), Mr. Femi Otedola, MRS Oil, Mr. Sayyi Dantata and Mr. Adewale Tinubu who is the Group Chief Executive of Oando plc  to name a few.

Equally, Babafemi was reported to have disclosed that some senior officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), “who defrauded the nation several billions of Naira” were also in EFCC net.

He was further alleged to have said that in total, “21 executive directors have been detained in all and at the moment being interrogated over fresh information that they allegedly stole fuel subsidy funds,” even as he promised to release more information later.

This was further strengthened by the fact that some media organizations who rushed to the press with the phoney story, especially online medium to announce the arrest have since yanked the announcement off their websites.

Although it was rumoured that the said Mr. Babafemi Babalola, may have resigned from the employ of EFCC as at January 12, 2012. However, EFCC since Friday denied the reported arrest of Adenuga and co.

Speaking on this development, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Emeka JP Obegolu told ITRealms Online that as much as Nigerians are entitled to peaceful protest within the law, hacking of website is a cybercrime and legitimate protesters are not welcome, advising those hackers to avoid criminality as a way of protest.

For the Vice President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mr. Sunday Folayan, hacking is simply cyber-terrorism, wondering if those websites were professionally done. He insisted that in a matter like this, “Never negotiate with terrorists, in whatever sphere.”

Reacting to the development, the group chief executive of Teledom International Group, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem lamented the fact that hacking is a cybercrime and Nigeria is still yet to conclude on her cyber security law.

Ekuwem, who was the immediate past president of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), also decried that certain Critical National Information Infrastructure have not been classified, describing these state as sad, even as he noted that without adequate law in place it would be difficult to criminalize hacking of any website in the country, let alone those belonging to the Federal Government.

“Do we have a cybercrime and cyber security law in place? No! Sad! Have we designated our Critical National Information Infrastructure? No! Sad! There is no law yet that criminalizes the hacking of FG or any web sites. Pity!” he lamented.

And for the chief operating officer, NIRA, Mr. Ope Odusan, who urged online business owners in the country to take time out to know their web hosting companies.

“I recommend that website owners adopt a Know Your Hosting (KYH) company and demand their security programme for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack,” he advised, explaining that DDoS is an attack where multiple compromised systems, which are usually infected with a Trojan; are used to target a single system causing a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

But trying to justify the hacking of MDAs, one of the protesting Nigerian youth who gave his name as Hareem, said the hacking of government institutions website was a very good way of communicating protesters’ message loud and clear to the government. Mostly “if they don’t still understand what is going on.”

The bottom-line is that as much as protest is a fundamental right where it is allowed, there are some criminal activities that could emerge in the cause of such a protest which may not be justifiable in the face of law, especially cyber law, where one exists.

With this development, it’s imperative for Nigeria through the Ministry of Communications Technology to invest in this by getting the cyberlaw for the country, at least within the tenure of this current minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and Jonathan-led presidency before 2015.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Digital natives ignore IT policies @ workplace – Cisco report

The latest Cisco Connected World Technology Report, has revealed that the youths, otherwise refer to as ‘digital natives’ have been ignoring Information Technology (IT) policies mostly at the work place.

According to the report an extract of which was made available to ITRealms Online stated that Seven out of 10 young employees frequently ignore IT policies, and one in four is a victim of identity theft before the age of 30.

The study also revealed startling attitudes toward IT policies and growing security threats posed by the next generation of employees entering the workforce; a demographic that grew up with the Internet and has an increasingly on-demand lifestyle that mixes personal and business activity in the workplace.

In addition, the Cisco report stated that the desire for on-demand access to information is so ingrained in the incoming generation of employees that many young professionals take extreme measures to access the Internet, even if it compromises their company or their own security.

Such behavior, the study stated include secretly using neighbours’ wireless connections, sitting in front of businesses to access free Wi-Fi networks, and borrowing other people’s devices without supervision.

The study further stated that considering that at least one of every three employees, that is 36 per cent responded negatively when asked if they respect their IT departments, balancing IT policy compliance with young employees’ desires for more flexible access to social media, devices, and remote access is testing the limits of traditional corporate cultures.

At the same time, these employee demands, the study said, are placing greater pressure on recruiters, hiring managers, IT departments, and corporate cultures to allow more flexibility in the hope the next wave of talent could provide an edge over competitors.

ITRealms Online also discovered that the Cisco’s Global Adversary Resource Market Share (ARMS) Race Index, was designed to track the overall level of compromised resources worldwide and, over time, to provide a better picture of the online criminal community’s rate of success at compromising enterprise and individual users.

As showed by the data collected for the year’s 2011 index, the aggregate number that represents the level of compromised resources at the end of 2011 is 6.5 per cent, down slightly from the December 2010 level of 6.8.

While the Cisco Global ARMS Race Index debuted in the Cisco 2009 Annual Security Report, the aggregate number was 7.2, which meant enterprise networks at the time were experiencing persistent infections, and consumer systems were infected at levels capable of producing consistent and alarming levels of service abuse.

However, the 2011 Cisco Cybercrime Showcase, the third annual in the series presented two awards for 2011; one acknowledging the outstanding contributions of an organization in takedowns of some of the world’s worst botnets, that is, the “Good,” Microsoft and the other recognizing the growing influence of a loosely organized group of Black Hats associated with collaborative, international hacktivism known as the “Bad,” Anonymous.

Remmy Nweke
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Microsoft insists on case against Kelihos

 

Microsoft has reiterated its determination to campaign against the Kelihos botnet, which has seen the company file a lawsuit against the Russian man it now believes to be responsible for its operations, reports TechWorld.

In a filing to a Virginia court, Microsoft alleged that Andrey N. Sabelnikov from St. Petersburg contributed code for the malware that set up the bot, registering 3,700 Czech .cz subdomains to aid its operation.

The company’s campaign against Kelihos dates back to last September when it launched a similar court action against a Czech-based domain provider, the dotFREE Group and its owner Dominique Piatti, who were accused of hosting the domains that made Kelihos possible.

Both were later exonerated after they agreed to aid Microsoft’s Kelihos investigation, but the accused Kelihos botmaster’s former employer, were reportedly ‘angered’ at revelation, hence the Kelihos botnet domain provider promises to make amends.

The report has it that Microsoft has passed the Rustock botnet case on to the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) for further actions.

According to the report, researchers discovered 4.5 million-strong super-botnet under the company also named “John Does 1-22” as being involved in Kelihos, one of whom must have included Sabelnikov himself.

Kelihos was always a pretty modest botnet, the report added, but the number of infected hosts is not thought to have gone above 45,000, but Microsoft sees disrupting every botnet using legal means as strategically important.

“Microsoft is committed to following the evidence wherever it leads us through the investigation in order to hold Kelihos’ operators accountable for their actions,” the company said in a new blog post on the case.

Further, Microsoft said it believes this is important both because of the harm caused by Kelihos and because all botnet operators should understand that there are risks and consequences for engaging in malicious activity.

The case bears a superficial resemblance to last week’s naming of the Russians alleged by Facebook and other security companies to have been involved in the Koobface worm that assaulted users of various social networks between 2008 and 2010.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D