Chat Roulette Puts Teens Face To Face With Strangers, Pornography - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston
I thought after our discussion in class about voyeurism on the internet, it was funny that my mom sent me a link to a story that she saw on the news the night before about ChatRoulette.
The site was created by a Russian high school student about four months ago and has become very popular among college kids. Some argue that it is just fun, but many people worry about the content that is on the site. Even though the site asks for an age verification it does not insure that you are actually above the age of 16.
I kind of related this website to that of many other social networking sites in that you can meet people randomly and if you really don't like them you can press the next button to see who comes up next. The scariest thing about this website is that many people use it for their own sick pleasures. Men pleasuring themselves via web cam is very popular. There is really no regulation for the site and even though these people could potentially be committing a sex crime they will rarely see punishment.
It is a sex crime when children are involved and this is where the biggest problem is. Like Ive talked about a few times, the law and the internet have not caught up with each other. I was interested to see if there was anyone out there who enjoys site like this or if anyone has had experience with ChatRoulette. Have you guys encountered explicit content via this website? Is this type of technology making it easier to snoop into others lives? Are people just interested in making friends or do sites like this turn into pornography?
Below is a video from rocketboom.com showing people how to use ChatRoulette.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Skype Tapping
As I learned in Media 321, the government has had such a difficult time keeping laws up to date with the ever changing world of the media. We all know that there are stringent rules for police when intercepting phone conversations but when it comes to the Internet the government has not kept up with the fast changes.
Terrorists, and other shady organizations are using the Internet as a safer communication space for their criminal behaviors. According to an article on MacWorld.com, Skype Calls' Immunity to Police Phone Tapping Threatened, the European law enforcement is attempting to gain access to the Skype network. "Police officers in Milan say organized crime, arms and drugs traffickers, and prostitution rings are turning to Skype and other systems of VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) telephony in order to frustrate investigators," as stated in the article.
http://www.macworld.com/article/138936/2009/02/skypeimmunity.html
One major issue that governments are having is actually gaining access to the VOIP networks. The old school days of putting a bug in a phone are long gone. In order to gain access to these networks much work must be done to actually figure out a way to get into them.
Eurojust is the organization dedicated to organizing and correlating this issue across all of the 27 countries that make up Europe. Below is the Eurojust website if anyone wants to know about their organization.
http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/
As technology increases when where the governments be able to keep up? Technology has changed so much, just within the last few decades, and the pace becomes faster and faster, and because of this governments across the world are having severe issues keeping up with the changes. Catching terrorists, drug dealers, and prostitution rings would be a great step preventing their next steps. Unfortunately, right now law makers can not keep up with the fast changing Internet. Personally, I find it disturbing that police are not even allowed to get a warrant to intercept criminal activities facilitated through VOIP networks. Then again, the ability to access them is difficult to figure out in the first place.
Terrorists, and other shady organizations are using the Internet as a safer communication space for their criminal behaviors. According to an article on MacWorld.com, Skype Calls' Immunity to Police Phone Tapping Threatened, the European law enforcement is attempting to gain access to the Skype network. "Police officers in Milan say organized crime, arms and drugs traffickers, and prostitution rings are turning to Skype and other systems of VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) telephony in order to frustrate investigators," as stated in the article.
http://www.macworld.com/article/138936/2009/02/skypeimmunity.html
One major issue that governments are having is actually gaining access to the VOIP networks. The old school days of putting a bug in a phone are long gone. In order to gain access to these networks much work must be done to actually figure out a way to get into them.
Eurojust is the organization dedicated to organizing and correlating this issue across all of the 27 countries that make up Europe. Below is the Eurojust website if anyone wants to know about their organization.
http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/
As technology increases when where the governments be able to keep up? Technology has changed so much, just within the last few decades, and the pace becomes faster and faster, and because of this governments across the world are having severe issues keeping up with the changes. Catching terrorists, drug dealers, and prostitution rings would be a great step preventing their next steps. Unfortunately, right now law makers can not keep up with the fast changing Internet. Personally, I find it disturbing that police are not even allowed to get a warrant to intercept criminal activities facilitated through VOIP networks. Then again, the ability to access them is difficult to figure out in the first place.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Self Diagnosis on the Internet
Since I have a few friends and family that use websites such as WebMd to self diagnosis problems they think they have. After reading an article Why You Shouldn't Try Self Diagnosis: Using the Internet to Determine Health Problems on "associatedcontent.com," I learned that attempting to determine ones own health problems can be more detrimental to people than we may consider it.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/197947/why_you_shouldnt_try_selfdiagnosis_pg2.html?cat=5
The article talks about how not all websites are run by board certified physicians, and therefore anyone could telling you that you have a headache when you could potentially have a neurological problem.
The article mentions that sometimes with self diagnosis with the Internet can lead to panic. Someone could be suffering from something as simple as a head cold but the Internet may tell them that they have something more severe which would cause a person to panic. This is something that could easily be avoided with a routine doctors visit.
Also, some websites may have the best intentions in mind but they are trying to push certain drugs. Pharmaceutical companies want their products promoted so even though their product may not be the best you may find yourself purchasing it with little improvement.
The website recommends that if you are going to self diagnosis yourself that you use the information along with a future doctors appointment. Even if the information could be legitimate, taking the further step of seeing a doctor is always the right thing to do. Self diagnosis should not replace a doctor.
Even though the Internet is a great tool for information it should not replace the traditional medical practices that have been around forever. Always remember that you never know who you are going to be getting your information from.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/197947/why_you_shouldnt_try_selfdiagnosis_pg2.html?cat=5
The article talks about how not all websites are run by board certified physicians, and therefore anyone could telling you that you have a headache when you could potentially have a neurological problem.
The article mentions that sometimes with self diagnosis with the Internet can lead to panic. Someone could be suffering from something as simple as a head cold but the Internet may tell them that they have something more severe which would cause a person to panic. This is something that could easily be avoided with a routine doctors visit.
Also, some websites may have the best intentions in mind but they are trying to push certain drugs. Pharmaceutical companies want their products promoted so even though their product may not be the best you may find yourself purchasing it with little improvement.
The website recommends that if you are going to self diagnosis yourself that you use the information along with a future doctors appointment. Even if the information could be legitimate, taking the further step of seeing a doctor is always the right thing to do. Self diagnosis should not replace a doctor.
Even though the Internet is a great tool for information it should not replace the traditional medical practices that have been around forever. Always remember that you never know who you are going to be getting your information from.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The darker side of Second Life
After discussing Second Life on Tuesday I wanted to take a deeper look into this alternate world. I found an article published in time about the problems that Second Life deals with. The list of problems that Second Life offers are more than we saw in the video during class. According to this article from Time, the FBI had to shut down the site for a bit due to their illegal gambling as well as issues with child pornography.
I find these issues more than appalling so I took a deeper look into the alternate sex life that Second Life offers to its users. I found this video on Youtube that the Early Show did about this interesting, to say the least, way that people have found to engage in questionable acts.
People use Second Life to engage in sexual behaviors and even purchase sex. Prostitution is very common in Second Life. A mom of two reveals that she is, for lack of a better work, a pimp on Second Life, and the most disturbing thing about this woman is that she is also on the PTA, and doesn't care enough that people could trace her back to her house, not even for the security of her own children.
Sex in Second Life is quite desirable. After reading this article and watching this video I thought about all of the scary issues that surround Second Life. Someone could potentially design their avatar to look younger than 18 for older, child rapists, to engage in sex with. I remember discussing digitally created child pornography in Media 321. A judge ruled that since digitally created children for child pornography did not have a victim, and also due to free speech and expression, and therefore could not be deemed child porn. To me it seems that courts are having difficulty keeping up with the internet and new technology. Second Life may be an outlet for rapists and sexual perverts to express themselves, all of this is just extremely frightening to me.
I find these issues more than appalling so I took a deeper look into the alternate sex life that Second Life offers to its users. I found this video on Youtube that the Early Show did about this interesting, to say the least, way that people have found to engage in questionable acts.
People use Second Life to engage in sexual behaviors and even purchase sex. Prostitution is very common in Second Life. A mom of two reveals that she is, for lack of a better work, a pimp on Second Life, and the most disturbing thing about this woman is that she is also on the PTA, and doesn't care enough that people could trace her back to her house, not even for the security of her own children.
Sex in Second Life is quite desirable. After reading this article and watching this video I thought about all of the scary issues that surround Second Life. Someone could potentially design their avatar to look younger than 18 for older, child rapists, to engage in sex with. I remember discussing digitally created child pornography in Media 321. A judge ruled that since digitally created children for child pornography did not have a victim, and also due to free speech and expression, and therefore could not be deemed child porn. To me it seems that courts are having difficulty keeping up with the internet and new technology. Second Life may be an outlet for rapists and sexual perverts to express themselves, all of this is just extremely frightening to me.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Group Formation
After class on Thursday I was thinking about all of the different groups that I have joined on facebook. I do not have a twitter or anything else so I took a closer look at the groups that I have joined over the past four years of my facebook user-ship. Honestly, I have no idea why I joined some, and the scary fact is that these people now have access to my page. I guess I was not as aware as I thought about joining groups on faceook.
When I googled, "how to make a facebook group" pages upon pages popped up instructing me, even video's on youtube came up visually showing me how to make such a group. Since it seems so easy to create groups on facebook I wondered what else was out there.
I found google groups and yahoo groups.
Anyone can join these groups. People with common interests can come together, whether it be scrap-booking or race car driving, there is a group for everyone out there. There are both positives and negatives that are associated with online groups. Networking is more than a positive, but the major negative is the lack of privacy and know-how of who can get your information. Next time I accept a facebook group invitation, I will think hard about whether or not to accept it.
When I googled, "how to make a facebook group" pages upon pages popped up instructing me, even video's on youtube came up visually showing me how to make such a group. Since it seems so easy to create groups on facebook I wondered what else was out there.
I found google groups and yahoo groups.
Anyone can join these groups. People with common interests can come together, whether it be scrap-booking or race car driving, there is a group for everyone out there. There are both positives and negatives that are associated with online groups. Networking is more than a positive, but the major negative is the lack of privacy and know-how of who can get your information. Next time I accept a facebook group invitation, I will think hard about whether or not to accept it.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Laptops in the Classroom: Good or Bad
After watching the section on the documentary in class about the school in New York that assigns a laptop to each kid for their own personal use, made me think about the necessity of laptops in the classroom. They have claimed that since the children have had personal access to their own computer their grades have been better and daily school attendance has also increased. Ever since I saw how the students were using the computers when they were supposed to be doing school work I thought it would be interesting to look around at other students in my classes, not in a creepy way, to see what they were really doing during their class time. I noticed that for the most part people were using them to take notes but I also noticed that kids were checking email and other sites. In my own opinion I think that it is the students responsibility to pay attention in class and if they need laptops to take notes, then so be it, and web surfing and email checking is going to happen, as long as students do not abuse this right, I think that laptops in class are a great idea.
I wanted to see what other people were saying about this laptop debacle and I found a blog from "The Wall Street Journal: Law Blog" that has also taken an interest in this growing debate.
Thehttp://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/06/14/laptops-in-the-classroom-debate-rages-on/tab/article/
The blog states states that another newspaper has reported that Harvard Law School is debating whether or not to keep laptops in their classroom for the temptations to steer from note taking and class participation. Even though the university has not officially banned laptops from class some professors have already jumped on the band wagon and forbid their students from using laptops. There is also a third point they make, that students have laptop accessibility but there Internet be cut out. It kind of feels that even though these students are adults they are treating them like children.
People have also commented on the article, and for the most part people agree that laptops in class are a good idea, some do agree that the Internet should be cut off to prevent temptation but others like the Internet because they can look up articles and readings during class that can further their ability to comprehend what they are learning. Either way you put it some people are going to like laptops in class and some people aren't. Technology really isn't going anywhere but it is interesting to see how people would react if laptops were banned from classrooms.
I wanted to see what other people were saying about this laptop debacle and I found a blog from "The Wall Street Journal: Law Blog" that has also taken an interest in this growing debate.
Thehttp://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/06/14/laptops-in-the-classroom-debate-rages-on/tab/article/
The blog states states that another newspaper has reported that Harvard Law School is debating whether or not to keep laptops in their classroom for the temptations to steer from note taking and class participation. Even though the university has not officially banned laptops from class some professors have already jumped on the band wagon and forbid their students from using laptops. There is also a third point they make, that students have laptop accessibility but there Internet be cut out. It kind of feels that even though these students are adults they are treating them like children.
People have also commented on the article, and for the most part people agree that laptops in class are a good idea, some do agree that the Internet should be cut off to prevent temptation but others like the Internet because they can look up articles and readings during class that can further their ability to comprehend what they are learning. Either way you put it some people are going to like laptops in class and some people aren't. Technology really isn't going anywhere but it is interesting to see how people would react if laptops were banned from classrooms.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Digital Addiction
After watching the PBS Dateline documentary, “Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier,” and witnessing the growing issue of Internet addiction in China, I thought it would be interesting to see what programs and information were available for this addiction in America. Before this documentary I never really considered Internet addiction a serious problem, but after observing the amount of time my friends and I spend on the Internet, it does consume a large amount of time.
I found an article on “Psychology Today” titled “Do you have a digital addiction?” which addresses the issues of digital addiction first acknowledging the problem facing China and now considering the problem Americans share with them. This article is short and addresses the fact that before digital technology people would have to manually compose things such as letters when today in a matter of minutes, we can email anyone, with the same amount of satisfaction that we would receive from the old school version.
There is a link to another site, “Restart: Internet Addiction Recovery Program,” where anyone can participate in a survey to figure out whether or not they are addicted to the digital technology. After completing the survey, I am happy to find out that I am not addicted to digital devices but I also do not think that I could necessarily live without, quit cold turkey. “Restart” is also a site for information and help for those struggling with the addiction.
Even though having an addiction is hard to admit to, it is interesting to take a step back and really look at our lives without technology. Could we just take an afternoon off without checking our smart phones, emails, and laptops? It isn’t a bad idea to leave the phones and laptops at home and take an afternoon to absorb life without digital technology.
Links to both of these websites are available below.
I found an article on “Psychology Today” titled “Do you have a digital addiction?” which addresses the issues of digital addiction first acknowledging the problem facing China and now considering the problem Americans share with them. This article is short and addresses the fact that before digital technology people would have to manually compose things such as letters when today in a matter of minutes, we can email anyone, with the same amount of satisfaction that we would receive from the old school version.
There is a link to another site, “Restart: Internet Addiction Recovery Program,” where anyone can participate in a survey to figure out whether or not they are addicted to the digital technology. After completing the survey, I am happy to find out that I am not addicted to digital devices but I also do not think that I could necessarily live without, quit cold turkey. “Restart” is also a site for information and help for those struggling with the addiction.
Even though having an addiction is hard to admit to, it is interesting to take a step back and really look at our lives without technology. Could we just take an afternoon off without checking our smart phones, emails, and laptops? It isn’t a bad idea to leave the phones and laptops at home and take an afternoon to absorb life without digital technology.
Links to both of these websites are available below.
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