Is the internet safe anymore?

[Topaz]

I just read were social web had been hit and after read the comments at the bottom , it seems, Yahoo is going to become another site to read your e-mail and so we lose more freedom on the web. The comment mention at Yahoo is free and so Yahoo can do whatever it wants with the information on it site and so, I'm wondering is there ANY site that consumers can go and not have to worry about our freedoms being invaded? I've notice just lately, that Yahoo has tons of spam, as soon as one gets online and my e-mails were hacked. Thoughts? http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/livingsocial-says-cyber-attack-affects-millions-customers-205938910.html

[Michael Hardner]

Nothing is free. You have to give something in order to get something, whether it's mouse clicks, attention span, or cash.

If you don't want to give anything, don't take anything.

[Guest American Woman]

I just read were social web had been hit and after read the comments at the bottom , it seems, Yahoo is going to become another site to read your e-mail and so we lose more freedom on the web. The comment mention at Yahoo is free and so Yahoo can do whatever it wants with the information on it site and so, I'm wondering is there ANY site that consumers can go and not have to worry about our freedoms being invaded? I've notice just lately, that Yahoo has tons of spam, as soon as one gets online and my e-mails were hacked. Thoughts? http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/livingsocial-says-cyber-attack-affects-millions-customers-205938910.html

Yahoo is going to become "another site?" What other sites "read emails? But for clarification purposes, yahoo isn't going to "read emails;" yahoo has "automated content scanning and analyzing of your communications content, which Yahoo! uses to deliver product features, relevant advertising, and abuse protection." You can, btw, choose to opt out of "interest-based and contextual-based advertising resulting from your scanned and analyzed communications content."

Yahoo is a business, not a non-profit. You lose absolutely no freedoms by this. Don't like it? Don't use yahoo for your email account. That's your freedom.

Edited to add: The "anymore" in your question implies that the internet was, at one time, safe from such cyber attacks - which it wasn't.

Edited April 28, 2013 by American Woman

[GostHacked]

Yahoo is going to become "another site?" What other sites "read emails? But for clarification purposes, yahoo isn't going to "read emails;" yahoo has "automated content scanning and analyzing of your communications content, which Yahoo! uses to deliver product features, relevant advertising, and abuse protection." You can, btw, choose to opt out of "interest-based and contextual-based advertising resulting from your scanned and analyzed communications content."

You need to understand how this technology works. Which most people really are clueless about. Even for me having used Internet based technology communications for about 17 years.

The automated content scanning is equivalent to reading your email. You mention cars in your email and guess what, you get an ad for cars. Also the bots/algorithms can give you customized ads based on your IP address. Does a quick lookup to know you are in the USA and can even nail it down to your city that you live in.

It's the same as someone intercepting and reading your snail mail in order to send you advertisements. It's all about ad revenue and your private emails are their gold mine.

The other thing is that email never gets deleted off the servers. Ever. You think you hit delete on your end, but on the back end, the email is kept archived.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/sky-swamped-with-complaints-after-yahoo-email-switch-50010861/

Sky switched from Google to Yahoo, but it's been far from a smooth transition, the BBC reports. Sky customers have been receiving old and deleted messages again and again, meaning hours of wasted time clearing out inboxes. Now Sky has offered a solution, but you're not going to like it.

Sky promised to have a fix sorted by 5pm yesterday, but it missed that deadline. It has posted a step-by-step guide to fixing your inbox, but it basically consists of 'delete any emails you don't want'. Which is exactly what many customers have been doing, and what had them up in arms in the first place.

Over on the support forums, one customer complained of having to sift through 17,000 unwanted emails.

So how confident that your email is 1 - secure, 2 - private, and 3 - is really deleted when you deleted it.

Yahoo is a business, not a non-profit. You lose absolutely no freedoms by this. Don't like it? Don't use yahoo for your email account. That's your freedom.

Have you ever read an End User License Agreement, or EULA? Your email is their commodity.

Edited to add: The "anymore" in your question implies that the internet was, at one time, safe from such cyber attacks - which it wasn't.

It may not have been safe, but it was safer.

[Guest Kenneth]

Recently watched "Inside the Mind of Google" and it was disturbing to say the least. It seems to me that Orwell conditioned people to believe that an absolute loss of privacy and freedom would have tell-tale sinister features. But when one looks at google it's filled with seemingly everyday people, dressed casually, playing and having fun in a bright, colorful environment. Geez, what could be so bad about an organization that has a rainbow-colored logo and isn't run by the state?

[Michael Hardner]

Again, nothing comes for free. Watching TV means surrendering your mind to a non-stop parade of propaganda for businesses. Even movies place products prominently in them - there's no escape.

Make your own entertainment, I say.

[Sleipnir]

"Is the internet safe anymore?"

Since when was it ever safe?

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Edit: missing a word.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Sleipnir

[Bonam]

Since when was anything ever safe anywhere? You make your own safety.

[Guest Kenneth]

Again, nothing comes for free. Watching TV means surrendering your mind to a non-stop parade of propaganda for businesses. Even movies place products prominently in them - there's no escape.

Make your own entertainment, I say.

Your response is completely irrelevant to what is being discussed.

[Michael Hardner]

Your response is completely irrelevant to what is being discussed.

No it's not. Maybe you don't understand that Google, Facebook, Yahoo are all profit-making entities. They are not giving you their software as a present for you, because you are their friend. So, you have to provide them something of value. They will track your clicks and run algorithms that psychoanalyze you, then sell the data about what you are reading in order to make their profits.

[Guest Kenneth]

You see, you're doing it again.

[Michael Hardner]

You see, you're doing it again.

I don't know what you're talking about here. Try to be clearer, and please back up your statements.

[GostHacked]

No it's not. Maybe you don't understand that Google, Facebook, Yahoo are all profit-making entities. They are not giving you their software as a present for you, because you are their friend.

They sure want to make me think I am their friend!

So, you have to provide them something of value. They will track your clicks and run algorithms that psychoanalyze you, then sell the data about what you are reading in order to make their profits.

One should really read the EULA to know the extent that they are not your friend. I loathe face book and don't have an account. Their track record of privacy blunders has been staggering. Even Zuckerberg early on had hacked into Harvard's school servers to get pics to go with 'the face book' at that time. He is one unethical mofo right from the outset.

Your information is their revenue. But most people do not understand that because of the way it's all packaged and presented.