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Are you an advertiser looking to target mothers online with children under 12 who are concerned about obesity to promote a healthy snack food? Or people that don't support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge but support offshore drilling generally? If so, Resonate Networks -- a new ad network geared to nonprofit, political and corporate advertisers -- promises to serve up just the right audience based on highly targeted, if anonymous, profile data focused on political views and attitudes. "It's really drilling down to people's beliefs and where they stand on issues," said Bryan Gernert, CEO of Alexandria, Va.-based Resonate, a non-partisan company launched by former Republican and Democratic political strategists including Harold Ickes, Bill Clinton's former deputy chief of staff and one of Resonate's investors. Unlike traditional ad networks that target advertising based on a site content or audience demographics, Resonate combines survey information, online and offline databases and proprietary algorithms to match Web users' political leanings and levels of activism with sites they tend to visit most often. "You can identify Web sites that have a preponderance of people who support certain issues," that go beyond obvious issue-oriented or political sites, said Gernert. He added that Resonate is already working with 500 of about 2,500 sites that correlate strongly with particular issues or audiences with high levels of engagement or influence.

Behavioral targeting is not bad as a concept but advertisers would have the public opt-in by default without knowing what is being collected and what it is being used for. On the other hand not many in the public seem very concerned about this subject.

The Internet contributes about US$300 billion a year to the U.S. economy, and U.S. lawmakers should be careful about tinkering with the advertising-supported Internet content model in the name of privacy, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) said. An IAB-commissioned study by two Harvard University professors, released Wednesday, found that 1.2 million U.S. residents are directly employed in Internet-related jobs, and another 1.9 million U.S. jobs support those Internet workers. IAB released the study Wednesday, as 30 publishers of small Web sites converged on Washington, D.C., to urge U.S. lawmakers to avoid passing legislation that would harm their ad-supported business models. Chief among those publishers' concern was talk in the U.S. Congress about requiring Web sites to gain opt-in permission from users before tracking their Web habits as a way to deliver personalized advertising to them. Many users wouldn't give the permission, and without offering targeted advertising, many small Web sites could fold, some small publishers said. Small Web publishers and sellers "are the face of small business" in the U.S. in recent years, said Susan Martin, publisher of Ikeafans.com, a home improvement site.

I. INTRODUCTION The globalization revolution is undeniably well underway. Some of the primary leaders of the revolution are the off-shoring outsourcers of the world in search of readily available talent at prices below what is available in the traditional geographical outsourcing centers. Certainly, U.S. companies seeking information technology resources--as well as those looking for human resources to support the ever-growing customer care requirements of their business--are at the forefront of the movement. Some of those companies are seeking their own solutions, but many have turned to business process outsourcing companies for assistance. Business process outsourcing is, generally speaking, the contracting of a specific business task to a third party service provider. Processes that are best suited to be outsourced are those that a company requires but does not depend upon to maintain its position in the marketplace. There are two primary categories of business process outsourcing. One category is commonly referred to as "back office outsourcing" which includes internal business functions such as billing or purchasing. The other category is commonly referred to as "front office outsourcing" which includes customer-related services such as marketing, customer contact management, and technical support. The globalization of business in general has resulted in the need for companies to be able to provide support to their customers in many different languages. At the same time, developments in technology have provided the ability for business process outsourcers to provide a cost effective global delivery platform. The convergence of the need for a portfolio of services to be sourced globally with the ability of business process outsourcers to do so on a cost effective basis has driven the outsourcers to geographic locations previously ignored by most business sectors. By many estimates, there are currently off-shore outsourcing vendors in more than 175 different

"The ubiquity of online advertising is a product of its importance to the internet economy, said a group of consumer advocates Wednesday during a debate on the future of online advertising. But the impact of new targeted advertising methods on consumer privacy and its potential to manipulate online experiences was the subject of heated argument at the event, sponsored by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Privacy does not mean the same thing to all consumers in all situations, said Progress and Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Berin Szoka. Advertisements are attempts to capture user attention - the "great currency of the Internet" - and when successful support a wide range of valuable content, he said. But in online life, "consumers have many values," Szoka added. "Privacy is one of them," he said, but it is not an absolute. Consumers must sometimes trade privacy for content, he said. "There is no free lunch." As more information and entertainment migrates to the internet, Szoka said it is "critical…that we find a way to support this media." Targeted advertising can fit the bill, he suggested - especially if technology gives users more control over their own preferences. Most consumers don't understand that advertising is a necessity for today's internet, he said. New technologies like targeting need to be given a try, he said, so content providers can recoup the value of their advertising - down 25 percent since 2000, he noted. Center for Digital Democracy founder Jeff Chester said Szoka's ideas about advertising's future represented a "false dichotomy." The real debate should be over the rules that regulate advertiser content, he said. Chester warned of a "Targeting 2.0″ system in which neuroscience combined with massive databases not only serve ads, but target content to users. "It's about influencing our behavior without our consent," he said. Chester pointed to the subprime lending cr

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The French parliament on Thursday voted down an Internet piracy law, which had largely been expected to pass. The "Creation and Internet" law, which won the preliminary approval of the parliament last week, would compel Internet service providers to take graduated actions against customers accused of illegally downloading copyrighted material. After warning a customer against such actions for a third time, an ISP could suspend the person's Internet access for up to a year. Because the bill was expected to pass, few members of parliament were present for the final vote on the bill, according to the Associated Press. Opponents of the legislation, led by the Socialist party, rejected the measure by a vote of 21 to 15. The legislation had the support of the ruling UMP party, to which President Nicolas Sarkozy belongs, as well as the support of the Recording Industry Association of America. Backers of the bill intend to re-introduce an amended version within the coming weeks, according to reports. The entertainment industry has suggested to the United States' Congress that it should consider adopting European methods of combating copyright infringement. The United States, members of the European Union, and other countries may also consider making ISPs liable for infringement through international treaties.

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Google, Microsoft, Yahoo support self-regulation in the UK AOL, Google, Microsoft, NebuAd, Phorm, and Yahoo promise to behave. All of these companies - along with a few others - have volunteered to honor the Internet Advertising Bureau's just-announced set of Good Practice Principles. So on to the guts of the agreement. First, companies are supposed to tell users whenever they're collecting data for the sake of behavioral advertising. They're also expected to make sure users understand what the procedure entails. Then comes the key part: users should get the chance to opt out of the collection process. Ad companies are probably hoping that users will either be too lazy to take action or will actually prefer better-targeted ads. If so, the companies will continue to make money and improve their public image. But since privacy advocates may still complain that data collection isn't an opt-in matter, the issue isn't likely to go away. Mark Howe, the country sales director of Google UK, sidestepped the mess, simply stating, "Google believes in two core principles of transparency and choice when it comes to user privacy. That is why we are supportive of these new, self-regulatory principles for online advertising which will enable consumers to increase their understanding of their web surfing options." IAB described the Principles as "the UK's first self-regulatory guidelines to set good practice for companies that collect and use data for online behavioural advertising purposes." The Principles have been approved by the Information Commissioner's Office, which reports directly to Parliament.

The dark figure of fraud drove the development of best practices at Memolink. I harnessed the fear of the unknown and used basic change management to gather support internally. I knew the approach would indefinitely change how we did business and alter our company's culture. Like many dot coms, my company has an entrepreneurial spirit, and like not-so-many dot coms, we have been in business for 15 years. The culture is well established and the work we do is exciting and fun. Would a company with an innovative and "don't-box-me-in" mentality openly receive a new set of standards and expectations? The implementation of the Best Practice approach required two important change management tactics: consistent messaging and constant and varied communication. It was not enough to tell associates that the proposed transition, which included separating processes that traditionally had been managed by a sales team, would benefit the company in the long term. The main component of the message had to be the "What's in it for me?" value proposition. At the time, the sales associates had nothing to gain, and, in fact, they would lose commission. For example, when my department rolled out the Best Practice approach to partner vetting, fewer partners would meet the standard and be accepted, which meant incremental commission loss for the sales team. Money matters create major stress and tension, so it was important that this conflict be addressed early in the implementation process. Management responded by restructuring commissions so that employee motivations were aligned with business goals. This move also made the adoption period for other processes and procedures shorter and less chaotic. In essence, align the money motivators and people will buy in more quickly. Associates were not reeling about their payment structure, but were they and other stakeholders, who were originally unaffected by the commission structure, truly behind the idea? In order to gain the

Should responsibility for defending against cyberattacks be moved from the Dept. of Homeland Security to the military? Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton suggested as much at a Congressional hearing where he warned of U.S. vulnerability to cyberwarfar "across the spectrum." Such attacks "potentially threaten not only our military networks, but also our critical national networks," Chilton told a House Armed Services subcommittee, the Washington Post reported. As head of Strategic Command, the general isn't responsibel for defending civilian networks, just government computers. [Stratcom's responsibility is] "to operate and defend the military networks only and be prepared to attack in cyberspace when directed. I think the broader question is, who should best do this for the other parts of America, where we worry about defending power grids, our financial institutions, our telecommunications, our transportation networks, the networks that support them." Well, that's where the 60-day interagency overview of cybersecurity comes in. At the end of that, Chilton said, responsibility for protecting private sector networks may well fit under Stratcom's duties. So what impact in having the military at the center of cybersecurity? Importantly, it brings offensive ops into the defense game. And where the military is involved, can NSA be far behind? No. Operational control over both [offensive and defensive ops], Chilton said, has been delegated to Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, the head of the National Security Agency. … NSA, according to Chilton, already has a role in information security, and the agency's support "has been instrumental in our efforts to operate and particularly to defend our networks," he said. Combining oversight of cyber defense and offense made sense, Chilton said, "because they're so interconnected. . . . As you consider offensive operations, you want to make sure your defense are up."

The federal government would subsidize up to 65% of COBRA health insurance payments for many individuals who have lost their jobs since Sept. 1, 2008, under an $825 billion stimulus package unveiled by House Democrats. COBRA provisions are supported by health insurance groups, including America''s Health Insurance Plans and the National Business Group on Health. However, AHIP said other parts of the plan tying increased investment in health information technology to stricter scrutiny of how health IT records are handled would make it more difficult for plans to coordinate care and streamline administrative costs. Dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the House bill allocates $39 billion to aid individuals attempting to continue paying health insurance premiums through the 23-year-old Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act program. COBRA allows employees who are terminated or leave their jobs voluntarily to remain in their former employer''s group health plan for up to 18 months, which can be extended to 36 months for those with extenuating life circumstances. However, because COBRA enrollees can be charged up to 102% of the full cost of coverage, many find the plans prohibitively expensive and, according to Hewitt Associates Inc., only about 20% enroll. A recent report by the consumer group Families USA found monthly COBRA premiums for family coverage were $1,069, or 83.6% of the average monthly unemployment insurance benefit of $1,278. In nine states, average COBRA payments exceeded unemployment benefits, the group found. Health groups have been largely supportive of the proposal, with AHIP President Karen Ignagni writing in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the group believes the move would "help ensure continuity of coverage and serve as an important lifeline for many workers who do not qualify for Medicaid, but still need help paying their health insurance premiums."

Travelers arriving at U.S. borders may soon be confronted with their laptops, PDAs, and other digital devices being searched , copied and even held by customs agents -- all without need to show suspicion for cause. Notices are being proposed by the Privacy Office at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which last week released a report approving the suspicionless searches of electronic devices at U.S. borders. The 51-page Privacy Impact Assessment also supported the right of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to copy, download, retain or seize any content from these devices, or the devices themselves, without assigning any specific reason for doing so. Also, while in many cases searches would be done with the knowledge of the traveler in some situations, the report says, "it is not practicable for law enforcement reasons to inform the traveler that his electronic device has been searched." In arriving at the assessment, the Privacy Office argued that such searches of electronic devices were really no different from searches of briefcases and backpacks. They are needed to interdict and investigate violations of federal law at U.S. borders and have been supported by courts in the past, the assessment said.

The Internet Advertising Bureau U.K. has today launched a good practice principles guide for firms that collect and use data for online advertising. The goal is to promote self-regulation of the practice and quell privacy concerns surrounding it. Companies that support the principles include Google, Microsoft Advertising, Platform-A, Yahoo, Specific Media, Audience Science, NebuAd, and Phorm, all of which have been involved in the formation of the principles as members of the IAB's behavioral advertising task force. To complement the guide, the IAB has also launched a consumer-facing site, youronlinechoices.co.uk, designed to educate consumers on how and why their data is being used, and to provide information on how they can opt out of the process if they wish.

The Government Accountability Office issued another scathing report saying that federal agencies still don't do enough to secure government IT assets. "Persistent weaknesses in information security policies and practices continue to threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical information and information systems used to support the operations, assets and personnel of most federal agencies," Gregory Wilshusen, GAO director of information security issues, wrote in a 66-page report issued Friday. "Recently reported incidents at federal agencies have placed sensitive data at risk, including the theft, loss, or improper disclosure of personally identifiable information of Americans, thereby exposing them to loss of privacy and identity theft." In a written response accompanying the report, federal CIO Vivek Kundra said OMB is committed to the vision of a secure federal government, and are taking steps to make that vision a reality. OMB, he said, has initiated a review of the language in the current reporting instructions to identify and clarify confusion in the annual reporting. OMB also is working with the CIO Council and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to improve guidance to agencies. The GAO report also said that nearly all of the 24 major federal agencies last year had weaknesses in information security controls. "An underlying reason for these weaknesses is that agencies have not fully implemented their information security programs," Wilshusen said. "As a result, agencies have limited assurance that controls are in place and operating as intended to protect their information resources, thereby leaving them vulnerable to attack or compromise."

1. You get what you pay for. 2. Americans do not take information or security as seriously as they do their love for profit & cost savings. If one does not value what they are trying to protect accurately, the investment one is prepared to make will always be insufficient. Then there are hindsight and rationalization (a.k.a. politicians) - Karl The Government Accountability Office issued another scathing report saying that federal agencies still don't do enough to secure government IT assets. "Persistent weaknesses in information security policies and practices continue to threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical information and information systems used to support the operations, assets and personnel of most federal agencies," Gregory Wilshusen, GAO director of information security issues, wrote in a 66-page report issued Friday. "Recently reported incidents at federal agencies have placed sensitive data at risk, including the theft, loss, or improper disclosure of personally identifiable information of Americans, thereby exposing them to loss of privacy and identity theft." In a written response accompanying the report, federal CIO Vivek Kundra said OMB is committed to the vision of a secure federal government, and are taking steps to make that vision a reality. OMB, he said, has initiated a review of the language in the current reporting instructions to identify and clarify confusion in the annual reporting. OMB also is working with the CIO Council and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to improve guidance to agencies. The GAO report also said that nearly all of the 24 major federal agencies last year had weaknesses in information security controls. "An underlying reason for these weaknesses is that agencies have not fully implemented their information security programs," Wilshusen said. "As a result, agencies have limited assurance that controls are in place and operating as intended to protect their inf

"Although physicians support the use of electronic health records, concerns about potential privacy breaches remain an issue, according to two research articles published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Informatics Association (JAMIA), in its premiere issue as one of 30 specialty titles published by the BMJ (British Medical Journal) Group, UK. "

"Disaster recovery and business continuity planning are processes that help organizations prepare for disruptive events-whether an event might be a hurricane or simply a power outage caused by a backhoe in the parking lot. Management's involvement in this process can range from overseeing the plan, to providing input and support, to putting the plan into action during an emergency. This primer (compiled from articles in CSO magazine) explains the basic concepts of business continuity planning and also directs you to more CSO magazine resources on the topic."

"The Federal Trade Commission will host a series of day-long public roundtable discussions to explore the privacy challenges posed by the vast array of 21st century technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. Such practices include social networking, cloud computing, online behavioral advertising, mobile marketing, and the collection and use of information by retailers, data brokers, third-party applications, and other diverse businesses. The goal of the roundtables is to determine how best to protect consumer privacy while supporting beneficial uses of the information and technological innovation."

"SACRAMENTO, Calif.-The state Assembly passed a bill Monday that would allow video recorders to be installed on vehicles' dashboards, raising concern about drivers' privacy. Currently, state law prohibits dashboard devices that may obstruct a driver's view. The bill is supported by companies that hire teams of drivers. They want to ensure their employees are driving safely and use the cameras to help determine fault in an accident. The bill's author, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, says companies that use the recorders in other states have reduced their accident claims by 80 percent."

Will your car have to testify against you in court?

The European Commission threatened Britain with sanctions on Tuesday for allowing an Internet service provider to use a new advertising technology to track the Web movements of customers. The European telecommunications commissioner, Viviane Reding, said that use of a tracking tool created by Phorm violated European privacy laws. The country's largest service provider, BT, acknowledged last April that it used the tool without customers' consent in 2006 and 2007, Ms. Reding said. "European privacy rules are crystal clear: a person's information can only be used with their prior consent," Ms. Reding said. The case could become a test for the limits of ads that aim at online behavior. Supporters of the practice say it has the potential to transform advertising by allowing marketers to show Internet users only ads that are considered relevant to them, based on their surfing habits.

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