October 2006

In This issue:
:: Net Neutrality: Stop Internet Censorship Now
:: Fraud Alert: Vishing, a New Twist on Phishing
:: Design for the New Millennia

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Net Neutrality: Stop Internet Censorship Now
- Christianna Connell

Sign the Petition!Imagine typing in the URL of your neighborhood bank, and some other bank comes up instead. Your first reaction might be to think you typed the wrong URL, but it could just be that the other bank paid your broadband carrier millions of dollars to show their site instead. It’s a scenario that is worse than frustrating - It’s a violation of first amendment rights!

This is not science fiction; this is exactly the battle that proponents for net neutrality are fighting right now. And though the battle is far from over, some large corporations aren't waiting for the court's decision to censor your internet searches.

Those who favor neutrality believe that the internet is, and should remain, a bastion of freedom. However, ISPs and multi-million dollar corporations see things differently. For these companies, controlling the content you see on your browser is a potent marketing scheme with the ability to earn them billions of dollars in extra revenue.

“Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.”
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html

Net Neutrality not only affects the web surfer, but it can also have devastating affects on internet businesses. Savetheinternet.com lists these potential scenarios if Net Neutrality goes by the wayside:

  • Ipod listeners—A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.
  • Political groups—Political organizing could be slowed by a handful of dominant Internet providers who ask advocacy groups to pay "protection money" for their websites and online features to work correctly.
  • Nonprofits—A charity's website could open at snail-speed, and online contributions could grind to a halt if nonprofits can't pay dominant Internet providers for access to "the fast lane" of Internet service.
  • Online purchasers—Companies could pay Internet providers to guarantee their online sales processes faster than competitors with lower prices—distorting your choices as a consumer.

Rights have already been violated

What can you do?
Net Neutrality is an unfortunate reality, and it will soon become a crisis if no action is taken. We urge you to visit Savetheinternet.com where you can sign the petition, send letters to your senator and download information to circulate and more. http://www.savetheinternet.com/=act

Please pass this information along to your friends, colleagues and family. Let’s keep the Net Neutral!

More information
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality_letter.html
http://news.com.com/Net+neutrality+showdown/2009-1028_3-6055133.html

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Fraud Alert: Vishing, a New Twist on Phishing
- Christianna Connell

Just as consumers have gotten wise to clicking on links from “phishing” emails, now they are faced with a new threat called “vishing.” Like phishing, vishing exposes consumers to all kinds of potential security threats. Instead of asking consumers to click on a link to go to a spoofed login page, vishing involves phone communication complete with caller ID.

How it works:

  • Vishing schemes involve using automation software that calls consumers to alert them of fraudulent activity.
  • These calls are made using a “spoofed” caller ID that shows the financial institution’s name.
  • The message or email will ask the consumer to call the 800 number for more information.
  • The number given is a VoIP (Voice over IP) generated number meaning it does not belong to a brick and mortar building, but instead dials into a computer.
  • These computers have key capturing software that collect your account number, password, social security number and anything else you might be asked to enter.

What you can do to protect yourself

  • Don’t trust any phone numbers given by automated messages or received in unsolicited emails.
  • Use the number on the back of your credit card or your statements to contact the company in question.
  • Don’t trust a human caller who may give you the correct account number. Ask them for number to call back then check it against your statement, their web site, or your credit card. Then hang up, and call back.
  • Don’t trust any email asking you to login from a link.

More information:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2006-07-12-vishing-scam_x.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishing

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Design for the New Millennia
- Jeune Ortiz

One of the most obvious reasons to give your site a new look is to keep it looking current. Just as clothing styles change, so do design preferences and technologies. If your site was on the cutting edge in the 80’s it probably takes up very little screen real estate, and has mostly text with very few images. The 90’s saw the web into the multimedia age. Midi music and splash pages ruled.

The new millennium has ushered in the savvy web user. Today’s surfer wants their information delivered on tap without having to jump through hoops. Navigation must be clear (gone are the days of “mystery meat” navigation), and content must be concise and relevant to the user’s search. Enter the new web.

Web 2.0 is the new generation of internet. More than just new technology and standards, Web 2.0 has a distinct style too: heavy on white-space, and short on glitz. The new sites being built are all about serving the user information, not dazzling them with sounds and dancing logos. Generally, navigation has become larger, and so has body copy and headlines. Web 2.0 is the current design trend and you may love the clean design or you may hate it, but you can expect to see it more and more.
Here are some perfect examples:
http://asoboo.com/
http://www.wallestates.ie/
http://dictionary.reference.com/

If your site has not had a facelift in the past 5 years, you should definitely consider these benefits of a redesign.

  1. Faster loading – Optimization software has come a long way. Images can be squeezed down from their original size without losing as much quality.
  2. Search engine friendly –  Much of the code to display a site exists only to make it look nice. Web 2.0 takes the design out of the content, making it faster and easier for search engines to find out what your site is about.
  3. Surfer friendly – Accessibility is a driving force behind the new 2.0 design. Large, clear navigation, and careful labeling help visually impaired and handicapped surfers enjoy the benefits of the web.
  4. Updated style – Just as platform shoes can represent a point in time, so can the colors, navigation style, and multimedia on your site. While it maybe be important to convey that your site has longevity, relying on aesthetics is not the best option and could turn potential customers away

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