Can you decide what happens to your Profile Page after your Death? Facebook can!

While rolling out its latest update on Thursday, Facebook announced that it has now decided about what to do with your Facebook profile page after you die. You will be remembered!

The process is simple. You need to choose a “legacy contact” who will manage your account when you pass away or alternately will inform Facebook to delete your account permanently.

However, your legacy contact won’t be allowed to login and view your private conversations but they will be able to perform the following tasks:

• Post something at the top of your remembered Timeline (for sharing a special message or to announce a memorial service)


• Respond to friend requests


• Change your profile picture and/or the cover picture


• Download the photos, profile information and posts archive, which you shared on Facebook (this will require special permission)

In its blogpost, Facebook explains:

“Until now, when someone passed away, we offered a basic memorialized account which was viewable, but could not be managed by anyone. By talking to people who have experienced loss, we realized there is more we can do to support those who are grieving and those who want a say in what happens to their account after death.”

How to choose your “Legacy Contact”?

Open “Settings” and then select “Security” option. At the bottom of the page there will be a “Legacy Contact” button. Click on it to choose the contact.

The memorialized profiles on Facebook have also been redesigned and “Remembering” will now appear above the names.

These changes will be rolled out in the US first and afterwards, Facebook plans to expand this new service to other regions.

The social network’s face-recognition software has been sued again and to add salt to their wounds, privacy groups also have issued warnings.

It does sound hilarious and somewhat exaggerated, but it is true that a class-action lawsuit has been filed by Illinois residents against Facebook Inc., for the fourth time this year.

The bone of contention happens to be the social network’s creepy face-recognition software. The residents believe that this software violates the Biometric Information Privacy Act of the state. The latest complaint was filed on Monday.

Currently, federal regulations for “biometric data” are non-existent; however, states like Texas and Illinois have regulated laws that govern the gathering of facial data. For instance, the Biometric Information Privacy Act was passed by Illinois way before most tech firms, that is, in 2008.

Illinois’ ACLU legislative director Mary Dixon said that

“I think we were ahead of the curve; I think it’d be hard to pass similar initiatives now given the intense lobby against some of the protections we were able to advance.”

Facebook has massive following with around 1.5billion active users from around the world and this means Facebook has the world’s largest “faceprints” database as well. Faceprints are basically digital scans containing the unique geometric patterns of the users’ faces.

According to the social network spokesperson, this software is used to automatically recommend photo tags whenever a user uploads their new photo on Facebook. What happens is that a numeric value is calculated by an algorithm, which is based on the unique facial features of a user.

If Facebook sources are to be believed, this feature only helps in expanding the connectivity level of its users. However, civil rights advocates and privacy groups think otherwise. They state that face-recognition technology generates uniquely sensitive data and this, requires exclusive safeguards so that it doesn’t end up in the hands of private firms.

The founding executive of Georgetown University’s Center on Privacy & Technology, Alvaro M. Bedoya, stated:

“You can’t turn off your face. Yes, it’s 2015, and yes, we’re tracked in a million different ways, but for most of those forms of tracking, I can still turn it off if I want to.”

Facebook and it’s privacy issues:

Facebook has a history of news stories where organisations, citizens and privacy advocates have sued the social media giant for invading their privacy. These lawsuits and privacy invasions are not limited to the United States but also in Europe.

The social media giant was taken to court by Belgium’s Privacy Commission (BPC) where it was slammed for spying on non-users and the tracking system that was being utilised by the company.

How Good Is Facebook’s Facial Recognition?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4Rn38_vrLQ?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0]

In April 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the company, claiming  that the Facebook’s data-collection program titled automatic face-tagging feature has helped Facebook create “the largest privately held stash of biometric face-recognition data in the world.”

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During the recent IFA global press conference 2015 held in Berlin where a well-known security firm Kaspersky Lab micro chipped a volunteer’s hand live in front of the audience and demonstrated that how an RFID chip can be inserted into humans, filling a gap between humans and computers.

But before implementation, the firm did not emphasize over the privacy and security concerns that could be faced by the human beings once they are biohacked.

However, these biochips are highly innovative and could completely transform the way you interact with your mobile devices and other technology enabled computer systems. Out of many features, this chip would allow you to connect with the bank account, your vehicle, your residential door locking system, and virtually any other compatible device. And could even be used to store highly personal data like passwords.

Kaspersky Labs has teamed up with BioNyfiken, which is a Sweden-based chartered non-profit bio-hacking organisation whose objective is to be a driving force in the development of the dynamic and creative tech-activist, for a press conference to spread awareness about the early usage and possibilities of RFID chips on human beings.

It is well-known that implementation of RFID chips on living creatures is not something completely new because we have seen individuals implementing RFID chips into their pet animals for past several years now. But this happened recently that these chips, having a fairly accurate size of a grain of rice, are now being adopted/injected into the humans.

“The next logical step is not to stop at wearables such as smartwatches but go under the skin to enable more functionalities,” said Marcus Preuss, Director of Kaspersky Labs’ global research team in Europe. He further added, “At the moment, it’s quite limited.”

These state-of-the-art implants, once implemented into a human, unleashes a new set of possibilities like making a bank payments, unlocking and accessing devices like mobile phone and laptop, with just a wave of the hand.

These chips are easy to find and can be bought from the online stores for around $150. Buyers can insert this chip into their hand either by themselves using a sizeable needle or by asking a professional piercer.

Early adopters and interested individuals are curious about this new technology and getting themselves enrolled into the early implementation list. But little did they know about the privacy and security issues this might bring which could be exploited or hacked in a very similar way as computer systems are being hacked.

Here’s the demo:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcepSnKgfjc?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0]

One of the most apparent threat for most of the bio-hacked people is that they could be wirelessly tracked by agencies. But we are already surrounded by many traceable devices that most would simply ignore this threat.

However, hacking into a biochip could be possible in the near future once these chips are adopted and closely researched or inspected by the group of hackers. But since it is an RFID chip so any intruder must have to be very close to your hand to hack into the data stored into the chip.

“Personally, I’d rather not be chipped,” said Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and Chief Executive of Kaspersky Labs. He further added,

“I do however understand that technological progress cannot be hindered and there will be innovators who are ready to accept the risk and test the limits of technology by experimenting on their own bodies.”

Currently, these chips are highly insecure because they are using basic and simple four-digit pin code. So to further secure the chip from the hacking attempts, a team of security researchers over at Kaspersky Labs are actively working on finding ways it could be exploited in an attempt to make it secure.

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Facebook users with a large number of friends having different characteristics could be at risk of being harmed psychologically, emotionally and even physically, a recent study by a social sciences student of Nottingham Trent University reveals.

The study further reveals that people having accounts on various social networks and have a large number of connections are more likely to be victimized for data privacy breaches, harassment, exposure to incongruous content.

The reason behind harm is quite obvious. Facebook or any other social media user with a lot of friends would not be able to manage the influx of information and content being shared by the friends as compared to those who have a smaller number of connections.

“Unless these networks are effectively managed and filtered, people are leaving themselves open to a whole host of potential online vulnerabilities which may lead to negative consequences for their psychological, reputational and even physical wellbeing.” — Sarah Buglass

Furthermore, people have a tendency to forget about the background of the audience they are currently in connection with so it causes them to be exposed to data breaches and unwanted content that is unsuitable for them. Potentially, all of these events lead to damaging the overall reputation of the user.

The research was conducted by Sarah Buglass, a student of Nottingham Trent University’s Social Sciences department, who presented the study at The British Psychological Society annual conference, held at the Palace Hotel, Manchester.

Study shows that those users who are being exposed to the inappropriate material while using social networks could also become the cause behind psychological harm to the user.

“Offline people tend to compartmentalize the individuals they encounter in day to day life. Friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances are in many cases kept quite separate, enabling people to effectively manage their personas with each,” Buglass said. “However, on sites such as Facebook, these often diverse connections are allowed to digitally mingle. Social boundaries are collapsed, with information in many cases being shared to all.”

The study was based on 177 UK-based Facebook users, which revealed that over 89 percent of the users have their profile’s privacy settings set to “Friends only” and have not used any specific privacy options to filter the content being shared with the followers and friends.

Whereas on the other hand, about 22 percent of the users reported that they are using personalized privacy settings in order to filter out the content and manage which of their friends are seeing their content. They are also targeting different content to the different audience through custom lists and privacy settings. All of this results in an improved safety and security of their online presence on Facebook.

“As network size increases, the ability to remember who, or in the case of misclassified profiles, what you are connected to, becomes increasingly more difficult, and the management of these networks more complex.”

Even though most of the social media networks today are providing users with customized privacy options and listings to further divide and sort the connections into groups, but not everyone is benefiting from these custom-tailored settings and remain at the risk of being victimized.

“As a result, people are leaving themselves open to online vulnerability as the information they share may not be suitable for all of their connections – risking damage not only to their reputations or potential harassment from disgruntled parties, but also increasing the potential for falling victim to data misuse.”

The researcher also divided the data of 177 users and compared those having a large number of friends with those having a smaller number of friends, close to 150. The results concluded that users with smaller connections were able to manage their privacy and content flow in better ways because they are aware of most of their connections.

So in order to remain stress-free and safe from the psychological harm, it is recommended by the researcher that social media users should be wary about who they are adding into their friend list as well as what content are being shared by those friends.

Nowadays, every individual who uses the internet is well aware of IP and MAC addresses but for those who don’t, MAC address is a specific alpha-numeric number assigned to every electronic gadget.

So every smartphone, every desktop computer or laptop has a specific MAC address which makes you easily traceable.

Speaking of which, an online teenager hacker group called “VandaSec” has claimed that they have found IS (previously ISIL/ISIS) twitter accounts back to Britain’s department of Works and Pensions.

Hackers have said that they were able to trace back three of the ISIS sympathizer accounts directly to the DWP office in London. These accounts were traced from the MAC address of devices from which they were originated. The origin of these accounts was Saudi Arabia, but further research showed that these accounts link back to London.

The hackers told Mirror that,

“Don’t you think that’s strange? We traced these accounts back to London, the home of the British intelligence services.”

This allegation made a serious impression on people leaving them thinking if MI5 really made these accounts as a deception to trap the terrorists or if there is really someone in DWP who has sympathy for IS.

In a tweet the hackers claimed that:

After some research and investigation on this matter, it was observed that there was a list of unpublicized transactions which further revealed that the Department of Works and Pensions London sold IP addresses to two Saudi companies which were firstly denied but later acknowledged. The DWP London representative admitted that a large number of unused IP addresses were sold to a Saudi Telecom company. The spokesman of the cabinet said:

“The government owns millions of unused IP addresses which we are selling to get a good return for the hardworking taxpayer. We have sold a number of these addresses to telecoms companies both in the UK and internationally to allow their customers to connect to the internet. We think carefully about which companies we sell addresses to, but how their customers use this internet connection is beyond our control.”

After some of the serious massacre carried out by so-called Islamic State, people have started to think about the origin and creation of IS and some even doubt and link its creation upon Western countries which somehow seems legit by this and other such events.

Most of the Western countries have been involved in carrying out or supporting the invasion and wars against Iraq and other Muslim countries which led to the death of thousands of innocent people, dethroning of its leadership and destroyed their infrastructure which ultimately has made room for terrorist organizations like IS to flourish and grow.

Experts Discover the Dangers of Using apps like ‘Be Like Bill’ Facebook Meme Generator

The immensely popular Be Like Facebook Meme generator app isn’t as harmless as it appears to be and if necessary, precautions aren’t undertaken while trying to create a meme, you could expose yourself to possible dangers.

For some while, security experts have warned meme fans about the dangers associated with internet memes but the “Be Like Bill” app has raised eyebrows more ferociously than ever before. Internet memes have always remained close to the heart of web users for numerous reasons.

The first, its meteoric popularity, which was akin to the fame garnered by Grumpy Cat few years back. Then the well-established culture of memes on the internet and easy access to meme generators such as the Blobla.com service, which is a Vietnam based web portal and happens to be quite popular among social media fans. However, not many know that Blobla was also identified to be a risky tool for the privacy breach that it conducted.

Reportedly, when this particular website received acceptance from users, the website immediately changed its privacy terms to state:

“You will allow us to use, edit your content with our service permanently, no limit and no recover.”

The US BBB (better business bureau) responded quickly and started investigating the service’s practices, as per the report from USAToday.Though the reaction was quite exaggerated considering the site only asked people to enter their first name and gender but eventually the site did agree to delete that specific term from its privacy regulations.

However, the problem wasn’t fixed on Blobla’s website in particular and internet memes in general. Therefore, security experts have asked users to be cautious while using any kind of meme generator app if it requires collecting your private information.

To remove an app or game that you have added to your Facebook account:

1. 
   Click in the top right-hand corner of Facebook and select Settings
   


2. Click Apps in the left menu


3. Hover over the app or game you’d like to remove and click x

There are hundreds of such meme generators and Facebook apps that breach your privacy and aren’t as shy as the Blobla service was while asking for your private information. Such apps or websites might need Facebook credentials and thus, the custom meme gets shared quickly on your Facebook account.

In other instances, scammers lead Facebook users to websites where they are prompted to download fake applications laced with malware.

This method might appear harmless to many and quite useful to all but do you know that this is all part of a scam and people behind this campaign only need to gather as much user data as possible under the name of meme sharing.

Therefore, as per security experts, users must avoid Be Like Bill meme generator and other such services that require entering your name and/or gender. Also, avoid downloading desktop software or mobile apps that generate this kind of meme(s) because it is highly likely that the installer is loaded with adware, Trojans, PUPS or even the mighty ransomware.

Need Secure Web Access Everywhere without Getting Identified? Avira’s Phantom VPN may help!

Avira is known for developing the very popular, award-winning software Avira Antivirus and it seems the company has been striving to provide web users a secure environment over the web space so that their privacy is not violated nor are their computers.

The latest news is that the company has launched the Avira Phantom VPN, which will allow Android and Windows users a completely secure, encrypted and anonymous access to the internet even if connected through an unsecured, public WiFi hotspot.

The USP (unique selling point) of Avira Phantom VPN is that it can easily encrypt virtually all communications between an Android smartphone or Windows PC and the internet. This helps in preventing malicious actors and cyber-criminals from listening to your private conversations and/or stealing your data.

Avira Phantom VPN is now available for free. #Security for your every #online connection: https://t.co/yZInwxvtYe

— Avira (@Avira) March 30, 2016

Through Phantom VPN, users receive new IP addresses, which is how they are able to browse anonymously. Users can also choose the country they want to appear logging from so that they could unlock geo-restricted sites.

For both registered and unregistered users, Phantom VPN is available for free. Therefore, you can easily download it on any Android or Windows platform. It is compatible with Windows 7 and above versions while in Android OS it is compatible with devices running on version 4.0.3 and above. However, unregistered users will receive data range of up to 500MB while registered users will receive 1GB limit. Unlimited data traffic will be offered to users who subscribe to its PRO version.

So try and share your experience with us!

What was unheard of almost a decade ago is currently in practice at large_ spying on mobiles. Starting with Atir Raihan’s brainchild, FlexiSpy in 2003 that he deliberately designed to expose the adultery of his girlfriend, many companies have followed suit and today the market is teeming with duplicate applications, all built with a common purpose in mind_ remote mobile monitoring.

When it comes to the possibilities of what we can do with such applications, they are numerous and are being improved with every new, booster dose of features injected into these apps regularly. Likewise, there is no denying the usefulness of such cutting edge products but when it comes to ethics, people have different, often conflicting opinions over the use of such technology.

Let’s explore how these applications work and how they can be positively recruited for various purposes, leaving the question of ethics to be dealt at the end.

Possibilities:

Unlike spyware that can be installed remotely, these monitoring software require physical access to the device itself. These applications are normally compatible with different operating systems including Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, Nokia’s Symbian, BlackBerry and Windows. This means that you can monitor mobiles as well as tablets.

On purchasing the application, the company sends you a welcome email that contains a download link and the credentials you would be needing to sign in to your online control panel. In order to install the application on the target device, you first need to download it. For this, you open up your inbox on the cell phone or the tablet. (Make sure your internet is working properly or you might get into trouble for any delay). Click on the download link provided and the app will automatically be downloaded and installed before disappearing into THE BACKGROUND. Nearly all these tracking software work in complete stealth mode and leave behind no trace to be detected.

Once successfully installed, you are all set to steer your way through the target device. All you need to do is to sign into the online user account, using the username and password provided to you by the company. All the data from the target set flows to the company server from where it is routed to your personal account that you can access at any time and from any place, provided you have a working system and a stable internet connection.

On the Menu on the user dashboard, you will see a list of items that you can choose from and view details for their activity. Here are a few of them. Let’s explore what each of these can do for you.

1. Call logs:

This gives you a complete record of all incoming, outgoing and missed calls with the name of each sender and receiver as well as the date, time and duration of each call.

2. SMS logs:

If you are interested in finding out the messages sent and received on the target device, this is for you. You can not only look into the names and numbers of senders and recipients but also read complete messages, each stamped with the date and time at which it took place. Some advanced features include retrieving old and deleted messages but are only provided by a few.

3. Call Recording:

Call logs give you a general overview of who the target connects with. It reveals the identity and number of each caller and receiver, as well as the duration, date and time for each call. However, this info is not very helpful when it comes to settling your doubts or listening to the telephonic conversation itself. At such times, call recording comes in quite handy. If you want to record and download the calls for a future reference, the call recording feature lets you do that too. Additionally, some spy apps allow for blocking calls from certain numbers remotely, directly from the control panel.

4. Live call interception:

What if you want to catch someone red handed or save your child from a confrontation in the nick of time? A lot of apps have solved this problem by introducing the live call interception feature. Unlike call recording that gives you past records only, this feature not only gives you the real-time news but also records the conversation and send it down to your control panel.

5. Internet Browsing history:

Whether you are a worried parent or a concerned employee, this feature will help you take a sneak peek at the browsing habits of your kids and employees respectively. Look into the list of visited websites by checking out the internet history. You can also view the duration for which each website was accessed as well as the frequency of visit. What’s more? You can also go through the checked bookmarks to gauge what sort of stuff interests the subject the most. You can block certain websites on account of parental restriction, view Wi-Fi access points, the location from where the Wi-Fi was accessed and the type of connection that was used.

6. E-mails:

E-mails are more detailed and are used mainly for official purposes only. So if you want to know what kind of electronic mails is being exchanged right under your nose, a spy app can fulfill your wish. Monitor all incoming and outgoing emails badged with complete details of the senders, recipients, time and day for each mail. Maybe now you can finally take a breath of relief on finding out that your company secrets are safe and protected. In case otherwise, get ready for some serious action!

7. Applications:

Smartphone and tablet owners are very fond of downloading dozens of applications on their devices. Applications can be a lot of fun but at the same time, some of them can be disguised malware and a gateway for hackers. With this innovative feature, you can remotely control what apps reside on the target phone or device. You can start, pause and stop applications, even delete them at your discretion.

8. Contacts:

With Spy apps, finding your way into the phone’s address book is no longer a figment of your imagination. Scroll through the contact list to not only retrieve name and numbers alone but any kind of information fed on the phone, pertaining to any or all users. Moreover, you can modify the contact list by adding or deleting contact numbers.

9. Reminders and calendar entries:

Want to see what plans the subject has in mind? What is he/she up to? Then dive into the Reminder and Calendar section to find that out. Browsing through the ‘Reminder’ section tells you what important tasks the person intends to perform in the future and the calendar entries tell you about the pre-decided stuff such as any scheduled meetings or appointments. This can give you a good idea of the person’s whereabouts and social activity to look for any signs of suspicion.

10. GPS Location:

With Geo Positioning Satellites always on the watch, tracing locations no longer remain far-fetched, especially when there is an in-built GPS tracker on the spy app that you just installed on your phone or tablet. It enables you to find out the target’s current position as well as a complete record of previously visited places. Point to point surveillance is made possible by recording the routes taken, which are represented on the Google’s map for better understanding and representation. Some apps also allow you to practice ‘Geo-fencing’. This means that you can separate ‘allowed’ from ‘forbidden’ zones by sketching out an invisible boundary line on the map. Once up and running, this feature makes sure that you are always notified when the target surpasses the drawn lines.

11. Instant messaging:

Chat rooms are out, instant messaging applications are in! It is difficult to keep count of the numerous IM applications that have clogged the market in the past decade or so. Just imagine the difficulty of monitoring each and every app, given that they are mostly free and always exist as multiples on any person’s list of applications. Thanks to these monitoring apps, you can smoothly sail through multiple IM services simultaneously, without going through the hassle of cracking passwords and the fear of being caught. Spy on IM’s from WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat, Viber and more. For IM services that allow for free internet calls, you can also view details of those free voice calls.

12. Photos and videos:

If you are worried about confidential information being leaked out or inappropriate content being watched, this is for you. Steer through multimedia files including photos, MMS, audios and video content on the target phone or device.

13. Camera and mic bug:

This is a highly advanced feature rolled out by certain spy-app companies such as TheOneSpy. This takes your monitoring experience to a newer level, where you can directly activate the camera and microphone on the device. By doing so, you can capture images of the target’s background and listen to ambient sounds.

14. Wipe-up data:

In the case of loss or theft, you can use this feature to wipe out all data on your device. This saves you from the potential danger of your personal data being misused.

Uses:

The uses of mobile spying applications are as diverse and numerous as is your imagination and the cause for which it is used. Although most apps proclaim to be designed solely for the purpose of child and employee monitoring, their usefulness extends way beyond that. Just make sure that if you intend to use any of these apps, it is legal to use them in your area. Be careful not to use them to snoop around on people for no good reason.

Having said this, let’s analyze a number of situations in which you might find them useful:

1. Child monitoring:

What kind of friends does my child have in school or college? What are their most favorite topics of discussion? Which places do they like to visit? What activities they pursue when they are together?

These and other questions of the same kind are a constant source of stress and anxiety for the parental community.

If you are a cautious parent who spends sleepless nights, worrying about your child, who craves for independence and time out, you will finally be able to take a breath of relief. You can secretly monitor your child at every level, without the need to bring up confrontations. You can bring out the lies and save your child from any potential harm by using the different features of these applications. Use the location tracker to discover the whereabouts of your child and confirm if your son/daughter is really at the place where he/she claims to be. Activate the camera and microphone bug to see for yourself who your child hangs out with and what kind of language they use in their conversations. Check out the address book on their phones to look for any new and unknown contacts. Read their instant messages to find out what kind of ideas and private details are being exchanged and whether or not a potential online predator may be reaching out to your child. Browse through their multimedia files to search for any inappropriate content that your kid might be viewing. Open up their browsing history to look out for any signs of internet misuse. Go through their call and message logs to watch out for strange calls and texts. In short, Spy apps facilitate you to take a more rounded view of monitoring child’s personal and social life. As a parent, you can also pin down any dangerous and suspicious elements closing in on your child. After all these years of concern and doubt, you would finally be able to sleep soundly.

2. Employee tracking:

Are you a business owner who does not believe in hovering over your employees all the time but still wants to make sure that they are doing their job well? Do you as an entrepreneur fear that loss of company time in personal pursuits may cause a decline in profits? Are you suspicious that some of your employees may be stabbing you behind your back and leaking out company secrets or business formulas to your competitors?

Is so, there is no better solution to your concerns than monitoring your employees BYOD on the devices given by the company. After all, you own the devices and the company time for which you pay your employees. No law can stop you from checking on your staff, as long as they know that they are being checked upon.

It is commonly observed that employees engage in futile activities such as random net surfing and roaming around on social media websites during office hours. What is even more surprising is that a large percentage of online shopping also occurs from 9 to 5. It is not objectionable if a person turns to such activities for a short while, so as to refresh his/her mind. But regular diversions from work can seriously affect efficiency and results in a loss of productivity and company time. Studies show that a regular person may take at least 20-25 minutes to return back to work after a habitual trip to a social media website such as Facebook. Irresponsible use of internet and downloads may also open up the company’s computers to hacking and malware. If a group of employees is going about harassing others, you as an employer should know about it so as to avoid legal consequences in the future. These and a multitude of other reasons makes it imperative for you to keep an eye on the activities of all workers as you will be ultimately responsible for their actions.

According to a survey, nearly 45 percent of companies monitor their employees’ e-mail. Of those that do, 73 percent use technology tools that automatically check e-mail content, and 40 percent hire people to manually read employee e-mail. Another 45 percent monitor phone calls and nearly half of respondents use video monitoring to counter theft, violence, and sabotage. Less than 10 percent of employers use video surveillance to track on-the-job performance. A single spy app can do all of that without going through any hassle at all. All you have to do is to install the app on the company phones before handing them over to your employees. Then sit back in your office or any place else and get a bird’s-eye view of everything going around.

Read their e-mails to see if any important company document files are being exported to a third party. Use the GPS location tracker to check out the movements of your employees on the road, especially if they have a field job and make sure that they spend the company time doing their duty not chatting away with acquaintances or dropping their kids off at school. Look for any snapshots of office files intended to be misused and vulgar multimedia files downloaded, watched and circulated amongst colleagues. Peep into the reminders and appointments to watch out for any planned hookups with your competitors. Activate the geofencing to set intangible boundaries for your employees during office hours and location tracker to see for any mysterious or unlawful activity on the road. Keep thinking and I’m sure you would come up with cleverer ways to use these applications.

3. Spouse monitoring:

Have you been feeling that your spouse has been withdrawing from the family for the last couple of months? Does he often come late with unexplained lapses of time? And mysterious warning signs that he/she might be cheating on you? Are the business trips becoming longer and more frequent? Has the workload suddenly increased and makes him/her work late into the night? Do you feel a change in his/her social and calling habits?

If so is the situation, you definitely need to take the matter into your own hands and carry out an investigation. But how? How can you find out the reasons without asking or letting him know. By calling his colleagues? Or by following him around? That would neither be feasible nor affordable. Why not download and install a spy app on your spouse’s mobile and free your mind of worries but be careful, some dating apps are stealing data.

Trace his locations to see whether he really is out of town on business or staying at a local hotel. Watch out for his/her web surfing habits and check out his conversations over social media and instant messengers. Use the camera and microphone bug to see what is he/she up to and much more.

By doing so, two of the following could possibly happen. Either your suspicions would be verified and with evidence in your hand, you would be in a better position to confront your partner or your doubts would be dissolved if your partner comes out clean and your relationship would be strengthened. It’s a win-win situation both ways.

4. Boyfriend/ girlfriend monitoring:

Do you suspect that your boyfriend or girlfriend may be cheating on you? Where the forward march of technology makes it easier for people to get their hands in nasty flirtations, it has also made it easier for your girl or boyfriend to catch you red handed. The easiest way to do it by using any of the spy apps readily available. Look out for any recently added contacts under fake names. Trace their real-time locations to check if your friend might be lying to you about his whereabouts. Check his incoming and outgoing call and message logs as well as complete details of his internet use, to smell a newly built affair.

5. Loss/Theft:

Have you been robbed of your phone? Is your phone stolen? Do you think that you lost your phone at your office?

If so, what would become of the personal data on the phone? Do you fear it may be misused by the robbers? Do you want to trace the location of the robbers in the hope of getting your phone back?

Modern spy apps can help you achieve that all in one go. You can remotely wipe off all data from your device so that your loss may be minimized to the phone itself. You can trace the location of the phone if you have misplaced it, at home or at work. In case it has been stolen, the location tracker may help you trace the location of the thief itself. You can use the call and message logs to identify any accomplice and potentially help the law enforcement agencies catch the entire gang of criminals.

6. Backup for your phone’s data:

Are you confronted with an issue that needs your phone to be factory reset? Do you plan to sell your device and want to create a backup for your phone’s data? Why waste your energies in transferring your data to a remote system, when it can be done without making any effort?

Spy apps automatically shift data, in a periodic fashion, to the online account that the company gives you. In case you need to reset your device, just do it with your eyes closed as your data is completely protected and easily accessible from your company account, anytime and anywhere.

7. Legal value:

Do you suspect that any of your employees is involved in the viewing and distribution of pornographic content, meant to threaten or harass female co-workers? Do you think that your child is being targeted by a cyber bully? Have your suspicions finally been proved correct that your husband or girlfriend is involved in another relation?

Where Mobile spying can save you from a potential lawsuit, it can also assist you in reproducing evidential proof, if and when the need arises. Spy apps can save telephonic and conversation records. They can capture multimedia content meant to be used for wrong purposes. It is interesting that where the legal value of such applications itself remain cloudy and vague, they can help the law discern between the guilty and the innocent. They can produce content needed to prove an attempt of cyberbullying or an act of infidelity. They can help the police close in on the criminals and are therefore of much legal value.

Ethics:

Ever wondered why mobile spying app are proliferating so rapidly? Because the selling of this software in most countries is legal. Most of the spyware companies absolve themselves of any legal responsibilities by resting the entire responsibility of the use of spyware on the buyer. For example, an excerpt from the disclaimer of a spy company reads as follows:

“It is a federal and state offense in most countries to install monitoring/surveillance software onto a phone which you do not own or have proper authorization to install. It may also be an offense in your jurisdiction to monitor the activities of other individuals. Check all state, federal and local laws before installing any Cell Phone Spy software such as Mobile Spy. You must always notify a person they are being monitored if they are over age 18. Federal or local law governs the use of some types of software; it is the responsibility of the user to follow such laws.”

This implies that if the user complies with the laws and uses the software responsibly, it could save him/her from paying the legal cost. There would be nothing that could stop him/her to use these apps. But stop for a moment and think… If something is permissible in the eyes of the law, does it entail that it is ethical too? Not necessarily.

Ethics and Legality are two separate terms and cannot be used interchangeably. Something that is legal may not be ethical and vice versa. It may be legal for parents to spy on their kids as they are the legal guardians and can in no condition see their child in danger and distress, but is it ethical to monitor them without their consent. If you are doing something of this sort, you are probably closing the door to two-way communication with your child and planting the seed of mistrust. But if you take your child in confidence on the reasons for your monitoring and involve his/her will, then it’s a completely different story.

Obviously, it won’t be possible for you to tell your spouse or your boyfriend that you intend to spy on them or to seek their consent, but it won’t be a good idea to plan it in the first place. Everything has a day of disclosure, so why put your relation in jeopardy for the sake of satisfying your suspicions. Why to let your relation trail off to the point where you are left with no other option. Better nip the evil in the bud. There is no better way to let go of your doubts then to initiate an honest, friendly and fair conversation with your partner. Only if your partner is willing to reciprocate. Believe it or not, if it works, there is nothing more relieving. However, if you think your partner is a scumbag of lies, talking to him/her won’t solve problems at all. In such dire circumstances, ethics can be kept aside for a while. After all, everything is fair in love and war.

When it comes to tracking your employees, it is completely legal as far as they know they are being monitored. But ethics speak a slightly different language. Every grown-up has a certain expectation of privacy, even at the workplace. Nothing can stop you from declaring that all their data will be scrutinized and doing so may actually boost productivity for a while, but that may not necessarily win you the trust and respect of your workers. The ethical code of conduct teaches us how to win hearts and that can be only done if you step down to the level of your employees and show them that you trust them and how you expect them as your team, to work for the betterment of the company. It is a time-tested theory that no surveillance works better than self-surveillance. When you let their conscience take the charge and make each of them responsible for their own work, the chances of engaging in unproductive activities would automatically reduce.

Having said this, the use of spy apps is not only about being-the-bad-guy and has actually yielded benefits to the society. As far as the monitored party knows about the watching, it never hurts to modify the definition of ‘ethics’ once in a while.

Author Bio:

Brooke fills in as tech and digital parenting expert. She mostly covers latest technology tip, tricks, and reviews of mobile spying apps, social media norms, parental control. She manages content for TheOneSpy cell phone spy app. Follow her on twitter @brookechloe78.

Anonabox devices blend Tor and VPN together to provide users with utmost anonymity on the Internet

Anonabox, a hardware company focused on providing internet security and privacy for users has announced the launch of an array of innovative, small-sized new devices, which have been designed primarily to help internet users remain anonymous while surfing the net. These devices have been produced by Sochule, which recently acquired Anonabox.

These tiny devices can easily fit into the palm of your hand. We can call them miniature routers too because these devices route the traffic of the devices that are connected with it via Tor anonymizing network or through a VPN to a VPN provider.

These Anonabox devices may be tiny but these are highly effective. When the user connects to a website using them, his or her identity will remain hidden and anyone would find it difficult to determine the user’s identity or location even.

The launch of Anonabox devices was plagued with controversy and security concerns. However, Sochule fixed these concerns in the premiere offering and also improved the suite with three distinct variants offering varying degrees of security and functionality.

Initial testing revealed that this is basically a plug-and-play Wi-Fi access point that is combined with Tor router and needs to be wired Ethernet or WiFi to function. So, when a device is connected to the access point of Anonabox through Wi-Fi, its traffic is redirected to the internet route via Tor. This makes identifying the user or his/her location on the internet difficult.

The Anonabox pro is also available and is much speedy and compatible with a variety of devices than the preliminary version. Anonabox pro can be connected to the internet through wireless network whereas the previous version relies upon wired Ethernet. Pro version accepts VPN capabilities along with Tor and also supports setting up a Tor-based file sharing and server.

Although you can conveniently configure Anonabox device but remember that you need to shut off the Wi-Fi connection of the device to the internet prior to powering it off. If you don’t do so, chances are that you will be unable to connect to Wi-Fi when the next time you turn it on. In that case, you will have to rely upon wired Ethernet.

A key benefit of Anonabox’s pro version, apart from retaining anonymity, is that it protects its users from getting identified on a public WiFi network as well as let people to connect various devices to a public wifi network but continue to appear as single on the network.

The drawback is that routing every packet via Tor makes the process time consuming and this somewhat affects the internet connection’s speed and performance. When the device was tested for accessing YouTube, it turned out that smaller sized video could be accessed without any speed issues. Speed tests revealed that it offers ranges from 1megabit per second for download/upload to 5.7-download and 4.7-upload.

One of the devices in the Anonabox series has a model that is named after the infamous Guy Fawkes mask, which is the symbol of hacktivists collective Anonymous. The model is called Fawkes and offers all the features of the original Anonabox device with some new add-ons like administrative interface. The last model is called Tunneler. It is only VPN dedicated and isn’t compatible with Tor.

It must be noted that using Anonabox doesn’t make you completely untraceable because when someone uses Tor while allowing websites to install and check cookies, this makes a person easily traceable. Thus, using Anonabox’s series of devices doesn’t necessarily make you anonymous unless you try to be cautious about it. User behavior does affect its functioning.

That being said, we cannot overlook the benefits of Anonabox over software-based implementations. The most important advantage being that users can offload Tor-based processing from the devices they are using to communicate such as smartphones, which have limited storage and processing power. Also, one Anonabox device can handle multiple Tor processes simultaneously for various computers, tablets, and smartphones.

The price range of these devices is between $79.99 and $119.99.

HackRead had a pleasure of asking some important users’ privacy-related questions from the CEO of Sochule Mr. Marc Preston. Here they are: 

Q: Can the Hackers, FBI or other such agencies breach the security of your product?

A: Our products come embedded with the Tor network and VPN capabilities in order to provide the customer a robust layer of anonymity, privacy and with the VPN option encryption online. How the customer uses the tool properly or improperly for their privacy needs is up to them. Let me give you an example about how a user could expose themselves to hackers, the FBI or other agencies. FYI, this example is not just limited to our product and is also applicable to users who download the Tor browser or use VPNs in general.

Let’s imagine that a journalist purchases an Anonabox (or downloads the Tor browser, etc.) with the intent of sending a “private email” to reveal a top news story that they want to report privately and not have anyone know who leaked the information. In order to send the private email with the most privacy and anonymity, the journalist could do the following things to help protect themselves.