How To Wipe Yourself Off The Internet
August 3, 2015 | Technology
Could you wipe yourself from the web?
A New Zealand researcher has, together with researchers from Germany, developed software that could, within seconds, allow Google and service providers alike to remove someone's personal information on the internet.
The technology could have a clear benefit for European citizens, who, thanks to a landmark court ruling, are now free to ask Google to take down reputation-damaging material about them on the search engine's European indexes.
Unfortunately for Kiwis who would rather they didn't exist…
How To Make Anonymous Credit Card Payments Online
July 29, 2015 | Technology
Back in the old days (when I say “old” I mean a few years ago), making anonymous payments was pretty easy. Dealing in cash is about as anonymous as it comes.
You could also get a money order or a bank check and mail it to whomever you needed to and it couldn’t be traced back to you. In those transactions, when money exchanged hands, the transaction was not recorded or linked to anyone.
Easy enough.
In today’s online world, where credit card transactions are the norm, it’s not as simple. Your credit card is linked to you, as are other…
Home Drone Security Systems Launching Soon
July 28, 2015 | Technology
If you thought that your wireless home security system is about as good as it gets, prepare for the next innovation in Security Products – The Home Drone.
The same technology that has made wireless alarm systems so popular will soon allow home owners to have their own private drone that will activate when an unauthorized entry is made, either automatically, or if you prefer, when you give the launch signal.
Here’s How The Home Drones are Envisioned to Work
In the case of a single family home, the drone will dock on a rooftop station …
Find Out If Your Spouse Was On Ashley Madison
July 26, 2015 | Technology
The phone is ringing, and they already know that whoever is calling is feeling suspicious.
"This is Kelly," the intern answers in a soothing voice. In her three days on the job, she's learned that she'll be listening to people's problems every time she answers the phone at Trustify - a Washington-based start-up that uses an app to connect customers to low-cost private investigators.
But sometimes they still prefer to call on the phone instead of coming through the app. Will it be a mother looking for her estranged son? An employer tr…
SIS Monitoring TradeMe For Illegal Activity
July 23, 2015 | Technology
Information from Trade Me is being given to police and spies at a growing rate.
Figures released to Fairfax by the auction site showed the Security Intelligence Service increased the number of inquiries to Trade Me by 50 per cent in the year to June, while police inquiries were up 11 per cent.
The SIS made 41 inquiries with Trade Me, up from 28, and police made 1840 inquiries, up from 1663.
The nature of the inquiries would not be released for privacy reasons.
Fairfax reported police mainly approached Trade Me for stolen goods, dru…
Ashley Madison In Meltdown After Hack
July 22, 2015 | Technology
Extramarital dating site Ashley Madison is in disarray with its customer service centre telling users their accounts are secure despite the company admitting its user records have been stolen.
More than 2,500 customer records have been released to the public by attackers who claim to have stolen the total database of the site, which claims to have more than 33 million members in 46 countries.
A Guardian journalist, who had previously signed up for an account when investigating the site, called Ashley Madison to discover how to delete…
Hacking Team Gets Hacked
July 9, 2015 | Technology
A company that sells software allowing governments to hack into computers has itself been hacked, and files posted late Sunday indicate it sold surveillance technology to dozens of countries, including Sudan, Egypt, Russia and the U.S.
The Italian company, Hacking Team, or HT S.r.l., is among a handful of companies that offer such surveillance tools to law enforcement around the world. The company’s techniques are similar to those used in “malware” by criminals trying to steal computer users’ personal information.
The market for off-…
Uber Crackdown: Australian Private Investigators To Target Rideshare Service
July 8, 2015 | Technology
The Western Australian Government plans to use private investigators to help it crack down on ride sharing service Uber, tender documents reveal.
It comes after Transport Minister Dean Nalder revealed in October Uber was avoiding prosecution by banning Department of Transport compliance officers from using its service.
Uber, which launched in Perth last year, allows passengers to request a car to pick them up using the company's smart phone application. Under the system passengers sign up through the app by providing personal informa…
Spare Smartphone And Free App Catch Intruder
July 1, 2015 | Technology
Melissa Rodrigues’ Kapiti property was violated three nights in a row. Her three-year-old son told her that he heard an intruder. The first time she didn’t believe him.
The second time, he showed her the proof – footprints in the mud. The third time the intruder appeared, Melissa and her husband caught him by using the free app, Salient Eye (www.salient-eye.com), which allowed her to transform an old smartphone into a camera and motion detector.
Here is the link to the images she captured: http://ws.salient-eye.com/EventReport/mel-ro…
Online Dating Personal Safety Tips
June 25, 2015 | Technology
There are certain steps that every person should follow while dating — both online and offline. Take a few minutes to read these tips and require that you follow them.
Online Safety Tips
Protect your finances
Ignore any request to send money, especially overseas or by wire transfer, and report it to the site immediately – even if the person claims to be in an emergency. Wiring money is like sending cash: the sender has no protections against loss and it's nearly impossible to reverse the transaction or trace the money.
Never give fi…