"What does privacy mean in an age of ongoing privacy breaches? With new privacy law coming online in Australia on March 12, our Privacy in Practice series explores the practical challenges facing Australian business and consumers in a world rethinking privacy."
"Last November, a young man was ordered by a NSW court to pay A$105,000 in damages for defaming a teacher at his former school on Twitter. The decision, which only came to light earlier this week, should serve as a reminder to all users of the legal risks involved in using social media."
"Common Sense Media's K-12 Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum is now available in the iBooks Store. Download our interactive, multimedia Teacher Editions and Student Workbooks today!"
"SNAPCHAT users may be in for a not-so-pleasant surprise this Christmas.
Hackers could gain access to the phone numbers and names of the app's users because of a loophole in its coding and API (application programming interface), a new report from online security firm Gibson Security has revealed."
"Parents often fear technology. They worry that their children might be exposed to inappropriate pornographic or violent content online, or be negatively influenced or explicitly hurt by a stranger through social media. After hearing news coverage of horrific events, parents also fret that their kids might be bullied or bully someone else using digital tools."
"Storing information in the cloud is great, but sometimes it's nice to have your personal data right on your hard drive. There's a way to export your personal information from your various Google accounts, and now you can on Facebook, too. If you'd like to download a copy of your Facebook data, there's an easy way to do it. That way you can keep all your personal information - videos and pictures from your wall, for example - on your computer, without worrying about ever losing your stuff, should your account get hacked. Here's how:"
"There are days I just hate technology. Just when I think I'm ahead of my kids, up pops another ridiculously stupid app like Yik Yak. The latest app to make news, Yik Yak allows users to comment anonymously-because you know, who needs to take responsibility for their words, right? I've read a couple of blogs about it, too-great takes from Portrait of an Adoption, Baby Sideburns and Tween Us. And then there's the schools, at least locally, trying to get the app disabled. Good luck with that. Because here's the thing. The app developers only care about one thing-and it's not your kid."
"Mobile phone tracking techniques are becoming more commonplace. Waste bins target ads. Shopping centres follow customers. Spooks follow airport passengers. Will the Privacy Act's new definition of personal information provide enhanced protections against mobile phone tracking? Not really. Here's why."
"Whether you realize it or not, dozens - if not hundreds - of apps and services have access to your social accounts and can see everything you're doing online. Tweets, Likes, your location, are all there for the taking. What's worse, there's a pretty good chance you unwittingly gave them permission."
"It was 25 years ago today that Tim Berners-Lee suggested the creation of the world wide web. As the creator speaks to the Guardian about his hopes for its future, we look at the triumphs of accessibility and challenges to openness that mark the history of the web"
"It's not a search engine, it's not an encyclopedia, and it's not a calculator, but it's a little bit of all of that. It's really the only member of its field.
Originally developed as an online version of Stephen Wolfram's Mathematica software, its basic functionality is that of a maths equation solver. Over the years, however, it's grown substantially, and has really matured as a site to become one of the coolest and most informative sites online. Here are some of the coolest things you can do with it. "
ToS;DR is still very new (started in mid-2012) so the number of sites that have report cards are limited, but it is an excellent example of the positive change that can occur through global connectivity and collaboration, and the project is actively growing. This is a grassroots project, created by citizens and volunteers who take their responsibilities very seriously; they engage in a peer-reviewed process of rating and analysing to create each rating, and they are committed to Creative Commons and Free Software licensing. While this site does not take the place of legal advice, it does help users make some sense of the pages and pages of fine print before we click, and ultimately that offers us the chance to make better online choices.
"The folks in Common Sense Media have designed this beautiful poster for you to print and use in your classroom. The poster is an excellent guide for students to help them make the right informed decisions when it comes to photo sharing."
"Protecting kids online is no easy job, especially since the best way to keep them safe is to lessen the protectionist urge and empower them to explore at will."
"We might not worry concerning identity theft the maximum amount as property theft as a result of it isn't as shivery and face to face as an actual theft, however it's a digital theft, fraud may be life damaging. I even have an exponent whose family had been saving up for years to travel to film producer World. This perceived to have all of the correct precautions required to avoid fraud or hackers. However somehow a hole was found and $6,000 was taken out of their savings. No film producer World for his or her family. However perhaps the hacker had a pleasant trip instead? We will solely hope.
Read Where You'll Get Hacked Infographic "