Tag: privacy

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What does Google know about me?

You may know that Google is tracking you, but most people don’t realize the extent of it. Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to dramatically reduce Google’s tracking.

But first, what exactly are they tracking? When you search on Google, they keep your search history forever. That means they know every search you’ve ever done on Google. That alone is pretty scary, but it’s just the shallow end of the very deep pool of data that they try to collect on people.

What most people don’t realize is that even if you don’t use any Google products directly, they’re still trying to discover as much as they can about you. Google trackers have been found on 75% of the top million websites. This means they’re also trying to track most everywhere you go on the internet, trying to slurp up your browsing history!

Most people also don’t know that Google runs most of the ads you see across the internet and in apps — you know those ones that follow you around everywhere? Yup, that’s Google, too. They aren’t really a search company anymore — they’re a tracking company. They are tracking as much as they can for these annoying and intrusive ads, including recording every time you see them, where you saw them, if you clicked on them, etc.

But even that’s not all”¦

If You Use Google Products

If you do use Google products, they track you even more. In addition to tracking everything you’ve ever searched for on Google (e.g. “weird rash”), Google also tracks every video you’ve ever watched on YouTube. Many people actually don’t know that Google owns YouTube; now you know.

And if you use Android (yeah, Google owns that too), then Google is also usually tracking:

If you use Gmail, they of course also have all your emails and contacts. If you use Google Calendar, they know schedule. There’s a pattern here: For all Google products (Hangouts, Music, Drive, etc.), you can expect the same level of tracking; that is, pretty much anything they can track, they will.

Oh, and if you use Google Home, they also store a live recording of every command you (or anyone else) has ever said to your device! Yes, you heard that right (err”¦ they heard it) — you can check out all the recordings on your Google activity page.

Essentially, if you don’t tell them not to, they’ll track pretty close to, well, everything you do on the internet. In fact, even if you tell them to stop tracking you, Google has been known to not really listen, for example with location history.

You Become the Product

Why does Google want all of your information anyway? Simple: as stated, Google isn’t a search company anymore, they’re a tracking company. All of these data points allow Google to build a pretty robust profile about you. In some ways, by keeping such close tabs on everything you do, they may know you better than you know yourself!

The result of all that tracking is that Google uses your personal profile to sell ads, not only on their search engine, but also on over three million other websites and apps. Every time you visit one of these sites or apps, Google is following you around with hyper-targeted ads, trying to influence your behavior.

It’s exploitative. By allowing Google and other social media giants like Facebook to collect all this info, you are allowing hundreds of thousands of advertisers to bid on serving you ads based on your sensitive personal data. Everyone involved is profiting from your information, except you. You are the product.

It doesn’t have to be this way. It is entirely possible for a web-based business to be profitable without making you the product — since 2014, DuckDuckGo has been profitable without storing or sharing any personal information on people at all. You can read more about Gabriel Weinberg, CEO & Founder, DuckDuckGo and their business model here.

The Myth of “Nothing to Hide”

Some may argue that they have “nothing to hide,” so they are not concerned with the amount of information Google has collected and stored on them, but that argument is fundamentally flawed for many reasons.

Everyone has information they want to keep private: Do you close the door when you go to the bathroom, or cover your windows when it gets dark? Privacy is about control over our personal information. We don’t want it in the hands of everyone, and certainly don’t want people profiting on it without our consent or participation.

In addition, privacy is essential to democratic institutions like voting and everyday situations such as getting medical care and performing financial transactions. Without it, there can be significant harms.

On an individual level, lack of privacy leads to putting people into a filter bubble, getting manipulated by ads, discrimination, fraud, and identity theft. On a societal level, it can lead to deepened polarization and societal manipulation as we’ve unfortunately been seeing multiply in recent years.

You Can Live Google Free

Basically, Google tries to track too much. It’s creepy and simply just more information than one company should have on anyone.

Thankfully, there are many good ways to reduce your Google footprint, even close to zero! It might feel like you are trapped in the Google-verse, but it is possible to break free.

Lets start with Social Networks.

Societal is a free facebook and twitter alternative that does not use adverts or sell your data. “societal is part of a federated network. That means there is no one single entity that is in complete control. The basic idea is you join one instance and you can subscribe to people on your instance and to people in other instances. This develops into a large network of different communities all linked together into a huge distributed network of social connections which gives you a lot of freedom over your data.” Click here to Join

Secondly, just switching the search engine for all your searches goes a long way. After all, you share your most intimate questions with your search engine; at the very least, shouldn’t those be kept private? If you switch to the

If you’re unfamiliar with DuckDuckGo, they are the leading provider of privacy protection tools to help you seamlessly take back control of your personal information online.

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What Does #MeToo: Stories of Sexual Abuse, Harassment Have to Do with You?

How to cope with a mis-sold job

There is a concept that some in the field of neuroscience call “increased integration.” Apparently, when someone tells his or her story and is truly heard and understood they feel a greater sense of emotional and relational connection, decreased anxiety, and a greater awareness of and compassion for others’ suffering.

In recent months the #MeToo  has spread virally as a two-word hashtag used on social media in October 2017  by women around the world who shared their experiences of sexual harassment and assault on social media.

The allegations of sexual assault and rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein also saw tens of thousands of people taking to social media to share their stories using the hashtag, ‘#MeToo’. Additionally, an assertion that being “touched upon the metro” should be a “non-event” also provoked fury.

“There is a line, obviously, between [sexual] desire and realization, and some cross it and some don’t.”

Thanks to women coming forward to tell their stories about being raped, fondled or harassed by men, we can now see the prevalence of this practice.

The tweets show that people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and sexual orientations are vulnerable to sexual violence.  The perpetrators also ranged in age, background, and ethnicity.

So what could possibly be fueling this upsurge in harassment?

Perhaps the breakdown of morality, lack of a spiritual life and old-fashioned selfishness. But is that all there is? There have been men who exhibit high morals who have harassed women. There have also been Pastors who have done the same.

So what is the common denominator?

Pornography!

The Internet is really really great”¦ FOR PORN!
I’ve got a fast connection so I don’t have to wait”¦ FOR PORN!
There’s always some new site”¦ FOR PORN!
I browse all day and night”¦ FOR PORN!
It’s like I’m surfing at the speed of light”¦ FOR PORN!
The Internet is for porn!
The Internet is for porn!
Why you think the net was born?
Porn! Porn! PORN!

In 2003, these lyrics were heard on the Broadway stage courtesy of Jeff Marx, Robert Lopez and the puppets of musical show  Avenue Q. It would quickly become a famous Internet meme and catchphrase. But why?

In the last 30 years, pornography has grown to be a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Today’s children live in a digital world that has embraced sexuality. Images of sex abound on the internet, and are freely accessible to children with the simple click of a computer button, or by downloading an image on a cell phone.

Pornography is not just something a few men view in the late hours in the privacy of their homes.

According to recent statistics at least 70 percent of porn is downloaded during work hours (9 am to 5 pm).

The wages of sin are enormous when pornography is involved.

“The societal costs of pornography are staggering. The financial cost to business productivity in the U.S. alone is estimated at $16.9 Billion annually ; but the human toll, particularly among our youth and in our families, is far greater.”

I heard from a young woman the other day who didn’t get why I was anti-porn. “It’s a great way for my fianc, to meet his needs when I’m not in the mood. I don’t want him to keep bugging me if I’m not into it that night. And he shouldn’t just have to ‘deal’ with frustration, either.”  

So What’s Not to Love About Porn?

Well, Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D, psychologist and former Deputy Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary research states that pornography hurts adults, children, couples, families, and society. It also states that among adolescents, pornography hinders the development of a healthy sexuality, and among adults, it distorts sexual attitudes and social realities. In families, pornography use leads to marital dissatisfaction, infidelity, separation, and divorce.

The average age when a man is first exposed to pornography is at 11 years of age and the largest consumers of porn are 12 to 17-year old’s. Victor Cline, a psychologist, documented how men become addicted to pornographic materials, then begin to desire more explicit or deviant material, and finally act out what they have seen.

He maintained “that memories of experiences that occurred at times of emotional arousal (which could include sexual arousal) are imprinted on the brain by epinephrine, an adrenal gland hormone, and are difficult to erase. This may partly explain pornography’s addicting effect.”

The next step is escalation. Previous sexual highs become more difficult to attain; therefore users of pornography begin to look for more exotic forms of sexual behavior to bring them stimulation and so on.

A Biblical Perspective?

God created men and women in His image (Gen. 1:27) as sexual beings. But because of sin in the world (Rom. 3:23), sex has been misused and abused (Rom. 1:24-25). The act of sex was originally meant to bring a husband and wife into a close, intimate relationship that only they could share. Pornography attacks the dignity of men and women created in the image of God. Pornography also distorts God’s gift of sex which should be shared only within the bounds of marriage (1 Cor. 7:2-3). After years of watching it, consciences become  smeared and he or she can no longer see what is right and wrong. – Timothy 4:2

Are You Addicted?

Some of you reading this may have already developed an addiction to porn. If you see any of the patterns I’ve described above in your life, you need to put the brakes on right now. Is porn beginning to control your life? You can’t put it down — you keep going back for more? Perhaps you find yourself needing to see increasingly graphic pornography. You’re starting to take risks or act out physically for sexual thrills.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”¦” Romans 12:2

The Bible also warns against the misuse of sex. Premarital and extramarital sex is condemned (1 Cor. 6:13-18; 1 Thess. 4:3). Even thoughts of sexual immorality (often fed by pornographic material) are condemned (Matt. 5:27-28). Christians, therefore, must do two things. First, they must work to keep themselves pure by fleeing immorality (1 Cor. 6:18) and thinking on those things which are pure (Phil. 4:8).

General pornography stats

  • Every second 28,258 users are watching pornography on the internet
  • Every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography on the internet
  • Every second 372 people are typing the word “adult” into search engines
  • 40 million American people regularly visit porn sites
  • 35% of all internet downloads are related to pornography
  • 25% of all search engine queries are related to pornography, or about 68 million search queries a day
  • One-third of porn viewers are women
  • Search engines get 116,000 queries every day related to child pornography
  • 34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to pornographic content through ads, pop up ads, misdirected links or emails
  • 2.5 billion emails sent or received every day contain porn
  • Every 39 minutes a new pornography video is being created in the United States
  • About 200,000 Americans are “porn addicts”

Valerie Hughes co-wrote this post and is the founder of Sufficient Grace Ministries offering hope and healing to women who have been involved with a porn addiction. Her current book “When Porn Takes the Place of Love” tells of her journey of healing and includes a 10-part Bible Study.  

Disclaimer:  Fighting the stigma faced by sexual violence survivors is a crucial step in forcing the change referenced by Tamblyn. The “#MeToo” hashtag shows that more and more people are ready to share their stories and change the dialogue surrounding sexual violence.  The article attempts to shed light on one of the overlooked influences that help develop a man’s mindset on how they treat women.

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Transformation House: Former Granada Cinema, 58 St Johns Hill

Former Granada Cinema, 58 St Johns Hill

Off-site manufacture of housing is  not without its opponents,  particularly in the traditional masonry  sector who lobby hard for a site based  approach which is low in  capitalisation and highly responsive  to the changes in economic  circumstances.  Prefabrication, they argue, is given  unfair prominence through  government support and is not the  answer to the typical homeowner’s  desired property. More precisely they  argue that prefabricated homes are  lightweight and therefore lack  solidity and thermal mass and are  unproven in their durability.

Transformation House: Former Granada Cinema, 58 St Johns Hill

The Grade II Star Listed Conference Centre formally the Granada Cinema has been sympathetically refurbished to portray the splendour and stunning architectural features of the original building.

Site history: Former Granada Cinema
Architect: Assael
Site area: 0.25
Gross internal area: 8,830
Number of dwellings: 59
Density: 236
Plot ratio: 1:3.5
Construction value:  15,000,000

Many attempts were  made  to revive this Grade II* listed building,  which  was  on the English Heritage  Buildings at Risk register. It has been  vacant since 1997. All previous  proposals included intrusive  modifications to the magnificent listed  interior.

This final proposal by Assael was  based on the  premise that it should allow for new  construction without affecting the  internal spaces. The solution was to  suspend lightweight prefabricated  modular residential units from full  arches over the auditorium. In so  doing, the auditorium would remain  untouched by intrusive columns  required by other more traditional  construction methods. The listed  ceiling would also be retained.  Materials used would be glass, timber  and steel. In addition, the design  would ensure a total physical and  acoustic separation of the uses.  Within the development all  residential units would have access  to a terrace or balcony. Winter  gardens, sun rooms and terraces  have been staggered to prevent  overlooking, whilst the planting  between arches acts as privacy  screens.

The auditorium is 34, 600 sq ft, and has the capacity for 2,500 attendees.  Transformation House is surrounded by a lively mix of bars, restaurants, cafes and shops on Battersea rise, St Johns Hill, Lavender Hill and Northcote Road.

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Playing God: Swedish Train operator uses Big Data to ‘avoid train delays that haven’t happened yet’

In a sign of things to come, a Swedish train operator is using new technology that employs big data to predict the entire commuter train system two hours into the future.

Welcome to the world of “Big Data.” We have more information at our fingertips than any generation in history. We live in the world of “Big Data.” That is the new way people are trying to describe this sea of digital facts, figures, products, books, music, video, and much more. Twitter, apps, Facebook–they’re each giving science new ways to look at what people do and why.

“Hopes, fears, and ethical concerns relating to technology are as old as technology itself.”

We actually welcome some aspect of Big Data. These mysterious data successes (or accidental successes) are easy to see as a kind of Big Brother future, where technology can track your every move and report back to ”¦ someone. However, StockholmstÃ¥g, the train operator is using new technology that employs big data to predict train delays before they happen.

“The Commuter Prognosis –  A Social Scientist’s Dream Come True.”

The mathematic algorithm, called “The commuter prognosis” was  developed in Stockholm, Sweden.

When a train is not on time the algorithm forecasts disruptions in the entire network by using historic big data  to  prevent the ripple effects that actually causes most delays.
Wilhelm Landerholm the mathematician who has developed the algorithm said:

“We have built a prediction model, using big data, that lets us visualize the entire commuter train system two hours into the future. We can now forecast disruptions in our service and our traffic control center can prevent the ripple effects that actually cause most delays.”

The algorithm has been tested but is not currently being  used by traffic controllers.

How  does it work?

The key to the model is a large  amount of historical data. The model works similar to a seismograph, an instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes, such as force and duration, but instead identifies late train arrivals. When this happens, the system  uses historical data from previous occurrences to forecast the likely  impact on the entire train network.

Real-time public transportation information is already used around the globe, however, traffic control centers still typically assess  delays manually to try and prevent further problems in a network. The commuter prognosis system, on the other hand, will forecast these delay effects instantaneously  and provide a prediction of how a single or multiple  disturbance might  affect  the whole  train network. The  commuter prognosis system could change how traffic control centers operate all over the world.

“The Effects of One Delayed Train Can Quickly Multiply Within a Train Network”

Imagine that “The commuter prognosis” forecasts that a train will be 10 minutes late to station C in two hours. To deal with this the traffic control center issues a new train from station A that will arrive on time at station C. As soon as the new train has been put in motion the algorithm re-calculates and gives the traffic control center a new forecast for the entire train network within minutes.”

The most important benefit of “The commuter prognosis” is that it  provides for a more punctual public transportation.

“The commuter prognosis” will be available in a smartphone app based on the original model. The app will integrate with other transportation big data to make commuting easier and  will indicate which coaches are more or less crowded.

Big Data, Ethics, and Religion

These stories remind us that even though companies and governments are doing amazing things with data, it’s at best imperfect. The algorithms and programs they use to filter and respond to data are at least as fallible as the human beings who designed them.  We can also see its complexity and failures as evidence of the amazing omnipotence of our God – who doesn’t make errors and who knows right where to find us, even inside a great fish or the depths of hell.

The arrival of big data has already brought with it numerous questions that have yet to be properly addressed. These questions are methodological, epistemological, and ethical, and they concern (inter alia) the ways in which data is collected, stored, interpreted, represented, and traded.  A further complication is a speed with which data science is advancing, which means that (for example) the application of legal and ethical restrictions to the practice of that science will always risk being several steps behind the point that it has currently reached. There are indications that we are currently sleepwalking towards a situation in which the commercial exploitation of big data routinely increases social division, and renders privacy a thing of the past.

Ket factors

  • A mathematical model interprets big data to forecasts for each train in the train network.
  • The commuter prognosis can warn about delays two hours before the departure or arrival actually takes place.
  • The commuter prognosis calculates how the delay affects other trains in the system.
  • The purpose of “the commuter prognosis” is to make life easier for traffic control centers and to give passengers  a better service.
  • In the future, the algorithm will be potentially adaptable for more types of public transportations and cities.
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The Ideal Home Exhibition: Live-in Quarters

The Ideal Home exhibition has not always been the first place to look for cutting edge housing design in recent years. But in 2002 two ground-breaking apartments were demonstrated – the Live-in Quarters concept house and the Space over keyworkers prototype. Over 10,000 visitors to the exhibition registered their interest in gaining further information when construction started, thus proving the enormous demand for high-quality accommodation of this kind.

Live-in Quarters (LQ) is both developer and manufacturer waiting to supply the London market. It has produced a family of concept houses for low-cost accommodation designed to suit single people and key workers. It has been set up specifically to deal with the problems of London and anticipates high rise schemes of six to 12 stories built in a galvanized lightweight steel frame. LQ propose to have their own factory located in East London. LQ customers are seen as those who wish to get on to the first rung on the property ladder, frequently key workers and single people earning less than £30,000 a year. They took a brief from Keep London Working, the result of which was the 26m2 flat exhibited at the Ideal Home Exhibition which provided total privacy and security with individual showers, WC, and kitchens. They also exhibited a two-story unit where the first floor contained an executive 33m2 studio. In addition to the normal options for mortgage purchase, shared equity and rent, they are planning to offer a new form of tenure called equity rent. In simple form, this enables residents to convert their rent into a percentage of the equity depending on the period of time they stay in the property without any risk of negative equity.

Architect: The Design Buro, Levitt Bernstein

 

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