Privacy – what do they know about you?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Skills: none

IT concepts: logging, privacy, proxy server

Where does this topic fit?

• Internet concepts– Applications– Technology (communication)– Implications

• Internet skills– Application development– Content creation

Background survey log

Logged without the user’s knowledge

Some uses for log information

• Start and end dates and times – Used to grade the assignment

• Linked-from URL– Useful as market research

• IP address – Find your approximate location– Clue as to your identity (time plus IP address)

Sites can offer “opt in” or “opt out” privacy – would you opt to share your background survey responses?

Location for 155.135.1.1 (CSUDH)from Geobytes.com

Localization is approximate – we are in Carson, not Torrance. It uses databases which in some cases are inaccurate.

Spoofing your IP address with a proxy server

Withproxy

Normal connection

Localization can be defeated by a proxy server, which can be in any nation or location.

Storage is cheap and getting cheaper

• Every response to every survey is logged• Search engines like Google log every search• Localization is used to target ads and rank

search results• Log information is used in applications like spell

checking and speech recognition (1-800-GOOG-411 )

Google mines logs for spell checking

When I correct “Presss” to “Press” it learns this is a common misspelling and correction, improving future accuracy.

Google mines logs for speech recognition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN0q8SvlQAk

Google knows which words are likely to be used together in general as well as things about you like what words you have used and your location. They also have a “yellow pages” database.

Dial 1-800-goog411 to reach Google’s voice driven business telephone directory or watch a demonstration at:

Google mines logs for “statistical” translation

Translation remains imperfect

A few questions

• What is Google’s motivation in logging your searches?• Does Google offer you the option of opting out of their

logs?• Are you worried by the fact that search engines track

your online activity?• Which services other than search engines track your

online activity?• Are there any advantages to you to have Google track

your searches?• Are there any applications for proxy servers beside

covering up shady activity?• Do we need laws to limit logging?

Privacy – what do they know about you?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Skills: none

IT concepts: logging, privacy, proxy server