Illegal Downloading

Illegal Downloading or copying copyrighted music is the same as stealing, which is illegal. Music piracy is what it is called and it is any form of unauthorized duplication of downloading music, burning CDs, or even file sharing. It is illegal which means if you get caught doing this you can possibly go to jail or even get fined, this is not accepted anywhere in the United States. It is effecting the music industry and us individuals as well because it creates many viruses for your computer that could potentially blow up your computer which is not good. 

Taking someone else's work is stealing and when you download a copyrighted song that a musician created you are basically stealing from that person. There are other ways to get your music, buy CD's from the store like the old days or buy songs off of iTunes. Downloading illegal music is not worth 5 years in prison or $250,000 worth of fines. Limewire and Frostwire are the main softwares that young people use to download their music. 

- Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA). Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cmta.com/brochure.htm>.

- "Big Issues." Reviews and Ratings for Family Movies, TV Shows, Websites, Video Games, Books and Music. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/illegal-downloads-when-sharing-becomes-stealing>.

Social Networking

Social Networking nowadays has become unbelievably popular that is actually impacting peoples lives and could also be very unsafe. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are used for young teens and even adults to communicate with each other over the computer and see what is going on all the time. It helps build friendships with people all around the world over the computer that you may or may not know, which could potentially be dangerous if you do not take precautions. Social Networking distracts human beings from their everyday life, it IS addicting.

When using Facebook and Twitter some precautions to take are to never accept a friend request, or follow anyone you do not know. There are many pedophiles out there on the computer just waiting for a nice young girl or boy to talk to them. You also need to be careful about putting information on your webpage because anyone unless you set your page to private can access that information. Social networking was a great way to connect with people who share common interests but it could be dangerous so know your precautions.

- "Social Networking Service." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service>.

Wireless Networking Precautions

Wireless Networking is pretty much used for  every laptop around the world, but there are precautions when using this wireless networking. Going wireless means you are able to use the internet on your computer without having wires attached and the connection you are receiving is through the air it is not connected to anything. As every computer in the house can access the digital wireless signals, so can those outside the house and those who might be using it for the wrong reasons and they can easily hack into your wireless connection if you do not take the proper precautions. 


It is a shared system so it is not really recommended to download streaming videos because it is illegal and people around you may be able to see. Your computer is now exposed to more security risks when connecting to a wireless network. Certain things are available that you can do to protect yourself, you can use a wireless base station like Linksys for example that provides security and a firewall. Also, you can use WEP which also helps protect your computer by having a key or code to encode all networking traffic before transmitting it over the airwaves. 


- "Wireless Networking Precautions." Garrett Wyndolyn. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://garrettwyndolyn.blogspot.com/2009/10/wireless-networking-precautions.html>.
- "Secure Your Wireless Network." Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.pool-king.com/secure-wireless-network.php>.

Strong Password (how to create and use them)

Strong passwords are always important to be able to create especially when you have a password that is used for something very valuable like your safe for example. Using strong passwords lowers your risk of being hacked or someone guessing your password and getting information about you. Increasing the number of possible symbols from which random passwords are chosen will increase the strength of generated passwords of any given length. Passwords that are too difficult to remember may be forgotten which means they would probably be written down somewhere which is a security risk of someone seeing it. Choosing good passwords are designed so that it is hard for someone to guess it even if they are intelligent. 

Some guidelines for choosing good strong passwords are as followed: 


- minimum password length of 12-14 characters 
- include numbers, and symbols if allowed
- avoid using the same password for different things, always choose different passwords, and you choose whether or not you should write them down. 


Some people say to write down your passwords, and other say not to because if you lose that piece of paper you wrote it on you could be in lots of trouble. If you do write your password down, be sure to keep it somewhere safe where no one else can take it. 
                                                      

               Weak Passwords include: 

                                                 - dictionary words that are easy to guess

                                                 - common sequences from the keyboard, and identifiers are what not to use 

-"Password Strength." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_strength>. 

Internet Filters and Parental Control Software

Internet filters and parental control software is very important when parents have children that use the computer often. These filters and software basically give you the ability to control and monitor what your child is looking at on the computer at all times. There are many of them out there so I suggest in looking into one if you are a parent that has children that tend to use the computer a lot. These filters and software can prevent inappropriate pop ups that may come up on the computer as well as viruses.

Some popular parental control softwares are Chronager 3.5 which gives you complete control over your child while they are on the computer, it even allows you to set times as to when your child could use the internet, and when they can't like if they are doing homework. Another popular software is 1st Clicks 1.3 which replaces the desktop and lets you pick what you want your child to see on the screen like adding a few games and websites that are safe for them. All of these are great ideas for such young children so that they aren't seeing inappropriate things on the internet.

- The Best Parental Control and Porn Blocker Software. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.softforyou.com/>.
- "Free Internet Filtering Parental Control Software We-Blocker Safe Families." Free Internet Filtering and Parental Control Software - Pornography and Sex Addiction Recovery & Christian Accountability - Online Safety. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.safefamilies.org/download.php>.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Radio Frequency Identification also known as RFID, is a part of technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic tag called RFID label, attached to an object, through a reader for the purpose of finding out and tracking the object. These RFID tags can be read from several meters away. It is all stored electronically. The tag does not use batteries to run, they use radio energy transmitted by the reader for its energy source.

RFID can be used in many ways and applications. A tag can be put onto any object and used to track and manage inventory and people as an example. For instance, they can also be put onto cars, books, and cell phones. The Health Care industry has even used RFID's. The most important part is that it is a system that involves certain hardware that is called interrogators, and tags.


- "HowStuffWorks "How RFID Works"" HowStuffWorks "Electronics" Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htm>.
- "Radio-frequency Identification." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification>.

Digital Image Steganography

Digital Steganography refers to concealing a message in a digital format. Basically it is a way of writing hidden messages so that no one except you and the recipient know that the message exists.The main purpose of this is to create a message that defies detection. Messages may appear as articles, shopping lists, or some other covertext. They have been used all over during World War II, the Cold War etc. 




It makes use of the fact that in many file formats, data might be put in twice or some data may not be important, and the hidden message does not cause noticeable changes to the file. It is also used by people who are being censored by government agencies for criminal reasons. Digital steganography is also related to hidden digital watermarking which is pretty much the same thing but it may be visible or invisible. A good thing to know is that some steganography software is better then others when it comes to concealing messages effectively.


- "Steganography." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography>.
- "Digital Image Steganography: Survey and Analysis of Current Methods (Abbas Cheddad) - Academia.edu." University - Academia.edu. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://umu.academia.edu/AbbasCheddad/Papers/224250/Digital_Image_Steganography_Survey_and_Analysis_of_Current_Methods>.