Digital Divide

Digital Divide

By reading this post, you must have a laptop or a PC with a significant internet connection. Think of all the technological features you've been gifted with. Do they seem useful & comfortable? What about those who have not been gifted with such features? One thing for sure, there's a gap between you and them. This gab is referred to as the "digital divide". In other words we can say that:-

Digital Divide relates to the gap between those people who ar able to make effective use of ICT and those who are not.

The digital divide has obvious effects on both individuals and nations. So first, let's take a look at the effects on individuals:-

Health Services-

Medical websites have been published onto the world wide web not so long ago. People with ICT resources & skills can gain access to these sites and utilize their features. These people can be called as online patients. Online patients can run online diagnosis on their systems using the software provided by the online medical site to find a suitable treatment. If the case is a bit or more serious, then the website would recommend visiting a nearby hospital or clinic. Online patients can also look up medicine names and purchase them online. 

Those who are unfortunate cannot access these features and will have to carry everything the manual way where they visit a hospital, book an appointment, wait and then get a proper treatment (if "the proper" treatment is available in these areas).

Employment Opportunities

ICT skills are now of great importance in one's CV/resume. Almost every job now-a-days requires a level of ICT skills. The more you're skilled, the more likely you'll be recruited and vice versa. Think of the schools in poor and rural areas. Normally, they won't be having the necessary ICT hardware & software to be efficient. They can hardly get their hands on a working modem therefore it's very difficult for them to provide students with the necessary ICT skills. Richer schools are the 180 degrees opposite. They have access to most of the necessary facilities and make use of them for the greater good. 

Another thing is the online recruitment. Many jobs can be searched and applied for online. The unfortunate individuals with no access to the internet are less likely to be recruited in these jobs.

As mentioned, not only individuals are affected by this gap. Nations are affected as well. The term used to describe the effect of digital divide on nations is referred to as the "global digital divide".

There's a large gap between the Third-World countries who strive for more and the so-called "First-World" countries. These developed countries have taken the lead economically beyond the developing & undeveloped countries. This has reflected on ICT (obviously). Think of the ICT in UK & that of Oman. A great difference can be seen. Countries with widespread access to the internet can access world wide markets far more easily than those who don't. This then, by its turn, reflect on the economy of these countries.

Bridging the Digital Divide Gap

Now that you've seen the effect of digital divide both individually and nationally, what are steps to be taken to bridge this gap? There have been numerous charity organizations who dedicated their job in helping those who need it the most in providing them with sufficient and reliable hardware & software besides training them on how to use them. "TGH: Tech Goes Home" is one of these many organizations whose main focus are mainly families, schools & small businesses. It has been founded in 2000 and is situated in Boston, USA. Its activities aid children, the disabled, non-English speakers, those with low-income, and challenged neighborhoods.

According to TGH's recent statistics:-

* After one year of its imitative, 92% of families now have internet access, an increase of 52%!

* For 70% of TGH families, it is the first time the parent or caregiver has entered school

* In the last 2 years, TGH has graduated more than 10,000 participants.

 

References:-

Applied ICT Textbook

http://www.techgoeshome.org/give?gclid=CL6K_ZiD0b0CFQkUwwodLR8Aaw

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Online Shopping (Research)

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How Did Online Banking Affect My Life Savings

My Savings Are Gone!

How it started...

So, I woke up one morning during the weekend. I thought of checking my online account and pay my bills. To my shock, I found $138,500 missing from my account! What has happened, has the bank withdrawn some money from my account? I mean online banking is supposed to be secure, right? 

What did I do...

After this tremendous shock, I quickly notified the bank about it but they've refused to give me a refund because, according to them, I didn't notify them on time. It appears that my account has been ransacked several days before I checked my online account. I was also lucky to find out that my OWN HOUSE which could've been taken from me as well was not! But come on, not notifying the bank about what appears to be fraud early enough is not an excuse. If the bank wants us to "home bank" then it is their responsibility to make it safe & secure.

Online Fraud & Banking 

I must say, I headed for consultation from an IT professor who told me that he personally doesn't trust online banking because online fraud is hitting hard and the banks are not taking the essential action. They're trying to avoid responsibility by placing installed funds in their customers' laps.

How it is Going to End

After a long and tough negotiation with the bank, they've promised me a refund after investigation and proving that the case was indeed a fraud and not some misplaced transactions of my own. I just want my money back. It's as simple as that.

References:-

onlinebankingfraud account from youtube

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Online Services and Health & Safety

Online Services and Health & Safety

Let's talk about health issues first starting with RSI. RSI stands for Repetitive Strain Injury. These types of injuries usually emerge from the use of computers, laptops as well as other electronic devices. There're two common syndromes experienced by computer users:-

* Carpal tunnel syndrome: The name given to a condition causing pain in the forearm and wrist.

* Cubital tunnel syndrome: Another name given to a, yet, another condition causing pain in the elbow. This happens usually because the elbow is kept bent during phone calls.

When talking about vision and posture problems, they can be summarized as follows:-

Next, we have some safety issues which we should look deeper into. Things such as electrocution, fire, etc... can occur at certain occasions and are proved dangerous. Here are some causes of many of these problems and ways to prevent them from happening:-

References:-
Applied ICT textbook by Brian Sargent & Graham Brown

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Online Services & Security and Privacy of Data

Online Services & Security and Privacy of Data

Need to Protect Confidentiality of Data:-

When we speak about data confidentiality, personal data has to be kept secret and should not be exposed to the public. In order to do that, encryption is used where data is being scrambled with some sort of code which cannot be interpreted. Any illegal security breach would be in vain because the encrypted data cannot be read. To read the encrypted data, a secret key or password is required to enable the reader to decrypt it. If this key is stolen by an illegal figure them, well, nuff said.

Unencrypted data is called plain text while the encrypted ones are referred to as a cipher text. 

Shop Security 

This would include extreme security, aka. public keys & private keys are used. Public key systems are used to encrypt information that is transmitted using the internet for payment purposes. Provided that you know an individual's public key, you can use it to encrypt a message a message to send to them. A private key is used by certain/specific personnel to decrypt the information.

 

Online Banking

Of course, online services such as online banking do use heavy encryption but encryption alone doesn't pay off in these situations. Online banking services use additional methods of security. (1) One of these are known as transaction numbers (TAN)s. They are basically temporary passwords which are only used once. The bank will send you these numbers and they'll be available for several minutes, thereby narrowing the hackers opportunities to intercept. (2) Another method is that the bank asks you to type in only a part of your password like input your third, fourth & fifth characters of your password. If a hacker was able to intercept, he/she will only be able to identify that part of the password which won't do them any good. (3) Yet, another method involves using a handheld chip & PIN device which is capable of generating single-use passwords (this is called 'two-factor authentication'). Once the customer have inserted their card into the device and enterd their PIN number, they will will be issued with an eight-digit code. This is the password they use to log in to pay somebody and it changes each time the information is entered. 

Online Shopping

Almost, the same encryption techniques are used for data transmission as are used by banks. Most sites use the "https" prefix rather than the more common "http" to ensure customers that they're using a safe, secure website. In addition to that, online shopping services now use 'Secure Socket Layer (SSL)' and/or 'Transport Layer Security (TLS)' protocols. Both protocols are used in the encryption of message between a client computer and a server, although TLS is now taking over SSL.. Customer should read the privacy police carefully. If the privacy policy is missing in a website or is difficult to understand, customers should consider buying from another website. 

 

 References:-

Applied ICT textbook by Brian Sargent & Graham Brown

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Data Security and Legal Issues

Data Security & Legal Issues

Online services, as we know, have raised concerns regarding security and privacy. Your personal data are at risk of being stolen and exposed (if those data included bank details, then you may be done for!). This is why security measures have been taken to ensure people's data security. First, we'll go through legal issues associated with data security. 

* Data Protection Act: An Act to make new provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information.

* Information Commissioner: The role of Information Commissioner differs from nation to nation. Most commonly it is a title given to a government regulator in the fields of freedom of information and the protection of personal data in the widest sense. The office often functions as a specialist ombudsman service. 

* Data Controller: A data controller is the person who determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any personal data is, or is likely to be, processed.

* Data subject: The Data Subject is a living individual to whom personal data relates.

* Data Users: People who use the information

* Personal Data: Personal Data is data that relates to a living individual who can be identified:-

• a) From those data, or
• b) From those data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of the Data Controller.

This includes business data if there is a named contact. 

Okay, what about computer misuse act? The Computer Misuse Act 1990 was designed to protect the integrity of computer systems by deterring the activities of hackers. Here's a brief of the main principles associated with the act:-

1) If you collect data about people for one reason, you can not use it for a different reason

2) You can not give people's data to other people or organizations unless they agree

3) People have the right to look at data that any organizations store about them

4) You can not keep the data for longer than you need to and it must be kept up to date

5) Most organizations that store data about people have to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office

6) If you store data about people you must make sure that it is secure and well protected

7) If an organization has data about you that is wrong, then you have a right to ask them to change it

8) You cannot send the data to places outside of the European Economic Area.


references:-
en.wikipedia.com 

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Online Services

Online Services

What are "Online Services"?

Those are the services that are provided to a variety of people from normal customers to tycoon businessmen over the internet which do not include much of physical activity.

These services include online shopping, online booking, online banking, etc... . You might remember how people used to shop traditionally by going to the retail shop and making their purchases and others who had to stand in long queues just to make a deposit, withdraw or even make small transactions. Well those days are over, or shall I say nearly over. 

How do "Online Services" affect society?

These services have affected the society positively. Thanks to the online services, people can now shop, book, pay bills, etc… from the comfort of their living room. Things have become much easier and faster as well. A salesman who used to travel in order to obtain goods and then sell them on to other regions can now order those goods from his own country/region and even sell them without stepping a foot out. But at what cost? Online services has raised concerns regarding personal data security. Names, addresses, bank details, etc… can be hacked & stolen leaving online customers as victims.

With these security concerns, would you think that people are still encouraged to take advantage of the online services? If your answer is no, then you should think again. There are no thieves without authorities taking them down hence security measures are considered and taken. For more about online security, refer to "Data Security and Legal Issues" post.

 

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Online Shopping

Online Shopping

So you found this iPhone in one of the retail shops but you couldn't afford it. So you thought of buying it later but by that time it has gone out of stock. What to do? No worries, let's look elsewhere easy and effective. How about going online? Sounds good, right? First, let's take a look at what "online shopping" means.

* Online Shopping: An electronic commerce (e-commerce) application that business can use with each other or they can offer services or goods directly to the customer.

As a customer, can you think of how beneficial is this online service. I'd say 'very' beneficial. Just think of it: sitting down comfortably and ordering your stuff from your living room. Take a look:-
* You can shop anytime and from anywhere that suits you
* Saves time by not needing to go from one place to another
* You can purchase items from shops which you cannot access normally; like the ones not available in your country
* It allows easy comparison between prices from different shops & sellers
* No need to queue; go figure
* Those who experience difficulties in transportation needn't to worry
* You can even get a discount.
Sorry to bearer of bad news, but there are drawbacks which are not going to make you very happy:-
* There's no way to tell the actual quality of the item you're buying
* Some security concerns are still swarming
* Sometimes, you might not receive what you've ordered
* In case it doesn't arrive, you'll still be charged unless you contact the website
* Heavy charges may be imposed due to handling & shipment
* There's a chance your order will get damaged on its way to you
* Some people think that you lose some of your social life. That's what they think.

 If we try to look at this from the entrepreneur's point of view, we'll find that the story is quite different. When a business is dealing with online shopping it, there are some matters the business has to consider and these matters causes some disadvantages to the business such as:-
* Great deal of money has to be paid for the web designer who will design the website professionally.
* Staff needed to keep the website updated
* If the website crashed, then the entire operations would be in jeopardy
* Security issues are there. If the business cannot protect its customers from online thieves, then the customers would tend not to use their website or simply sue the business.
* The website has to be hosted on reliable server
But there is more to it! Despite what you've read earlier. There are benefits to the business from online shopping. Like:-
* Costs regarding the finance for retail premises and running them are not needed
* Online shopping requires less staff when compared with traditional retail shopping
* The products can be accessed and viewed globally
* It allows easy tracking of competitors
* "Customers who bought this also bought..." line is quite catchy and encourages customers to buy even more

How to buy something online? Simple. First of all, log in to the trusted website you're using. Make sure that the website is genuine i.e. check for the "s" in "https" and the padlock icon which will be located either at the bottom or at the top of the browser. Next, search for the items you want and add them to your virtual cart. Once you're done proceed to checkout. There, you need to type in your personal data such as your name, address, zip code, etc... . After that, you'll need to select the method of payment. I'd recommend using services such as PayPal as they're more secure. The card number will be stored in your account, so you won't need to reenter it when you decide to buy items next time. However, the security code is a different story. You'll need to reenter that code every time you make an online purchase. Last but not the least, choose the shipping method (if you're ordering items from outside the country). Note that the shipment & handling fees are very high. Therefore, registering with a company such as Aramex.com would be a wise decision. Once you register with them, they'll give you a list of addresses. put their address on the address bar when entering your personal data. Your order will be delivered to them with the minimum fee possible. Then they will ship it to you with a small fee. Life is Good.

When it comes to security, concerns would be rising. Since online shopping involves money, then it'll definitely involve online thieves. Hacking used to be the big problem but now it is rarely seen. These thieves have found another way of tricking users. They use what is termed as "scam" which involves phishing, pharming, etc... . A mediocre computer user would not recognize these scams. Basically, those thieves will send you a fake message claiming that they're a company with something like special offers and will provide you with a link. This link will take you to a fabricated website of their own where you'll enter your personal data and "whoops", they're sent to them. Now they can access your bank account or amazon account and wreak havoc. 
So to avoid these issues, here are some things you might be looking for:-
* Encryption: This means that critical data such credit card numbers are scrambled by a secret code that only the shop computer can unscramble it. Anyone trying to steal these data will probably fail.
* Secure Site: Check for the URL of the website you're using. It has to contain the "s" as in "https//amazon.com". This  means that this site is using encryption to your personal data. You'll also find a padlock at the bottom or the top of the screen depending on your browser. This confirms that the site is genuine.
* PASSWORD: Keep it safe. I'd recommend you to change your password every now & then. I know it may sound like a pain but its much less pain than the one you'll get if your account is ransacked. I'd also suggest you to keep different passwords for different websites and don't use a something so obvious as a password. "Fido" for instance is not a good one. Having something like "D*LyM" is quite strong and more preferred.

References:
www.teachict.com

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