Looks like Tim O’reilly has brought some awareness to an interesting privacy issue judging by the RT activity his post has received on Twitter. Tim cites the efforts of some recent research findings that has indicated that a person’s privacy can be compromised by searching out 3 common demographic variables, these include ZIP code, Date of birth, and gender. What this means is that 87% (216 million of 248 million) of the population in the United States had reported characteristics that likely made them unique based only on 5-digit ZIP, gender, date of birth, furthermore, half of the U.S. population (132 million of 248 million or 53%) are likely to be uniquely identified by only place, gender, date of birth, where place is basically the city, town, or municipality. So essentially, based on these data, you may like to start hiding that Date of Birth demographic on your social media profiles, particularly facebook where many users freely boast their date of birth to the world. Details on the research can be found HERE
Archives for September 19, 2011
Google Wants To Get In Your Pants With Google Wallet (NFC comes to USA)
Already in use in Europe and many other parts of the World, NFC is a simple, convenient way to use your mobile device to make payments at select merchants – Nokia devices have supported NFC for some time now. Well now, thanks to Google, the USA is finally being introduced to Near Field Communications, aka. Google Wallet – yes indeed, I guess Google will be getting credit on this side of the pond for inventing NFC, although their Wallet bundling does add even more functionality than simple mobile payment processing.
Some details from the Google blog… Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You’ll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet.
Check out details of Google Wallet at http://www.google.com/wallet/ and see here for a map to determine who accepts it near you.
Safety-Maps – Free, Simple maps to share with friends in an Emergency
Safety-Maps is an interesting resource that helps the end user create custom maps to share with family, friends, or colleagues in case of an emergency. Using a simple to use, familiar interface, the application is quick and easy, providing an efficient customizable and sharable experience for the user.
See the full article, Shareable Safety Maps Made Easy With Safety-Maps
Make your own, customizable Safety Map