Fina Exam-Jason Guan

Mobile phone surveillance technology-Negative

https://ssd.eff.org/tech/mobile

Cell phone being an essential device have owned by the most of people in postmodern social life. However, cell phone surveillance technology have been using by government, which as a negative issue has been claimed, injurious to the public interest and infringe people’s privacy information are not acceptable.

First of all, by using cell phone tracking technology, the government can easily locate where the cell phone is in real-time. Technically, cell phones communicate with signal towers. When the strength of signal is sent to those phone towers, the location of the cell phone is possibly determined by the technology known Multilateration. The US government uses people’s cell phone to track their physical location without any warrant, which seriously against people’s privacy. From same party’s reports, the US government inspected cell phone user’s location 8 million times in a given year.

Also the government can acquire any private recorded information which you undergone. Two major telecommunications preparations AT&T and Verizon have contrasts with government the government demands them hand over customer’s information. In the past few years, the US government sent more than 140,000 “national security letters” for requiring cell phone records.

Cell phone surveillance technology embodies the concept of panopticism. As the monitor surveillance technology with which we familiar is used in corporations, in the States federal government enforcedly uses cell phone tracking technology to lactate people and monitors information from corporations’ database to keep watch on everyone’s behavior without a warrant. In the postmodern society, people look forward to reach as more freedom as they can. The call phone surveillance technology against this concept is counted as a negative inventive technology. However, most people use cell phone every day for business, relationship, or entertainment. So avoiding tracking is nearly impossible. Cell phone is very widespread in postmodern life.

Final Exam - Online hotel reservation in Globe

Online hotel reservation in Globe

    

                                                                                                                         

     I think online hotel reservation is a good example to discuss globe positioning systems. It is a useful tool to help traveler books rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. Sometimes the online hotel reservation through GDS is just the provisional reservation, means that you do not need to pay at the time of reservation, instead pay at the time of check in or check out.

     The online hotel reservation is based on Internet Booking Engine. IBE’s are installed on the home page of an airline to enable easy access for customers. When shoppers enter their travel preferences the IBE contacts the GDS or Computer Reservations System to receive the relevant information which is then shown to the user in an appropriate interface. The real value of an IBE is in the business rules and processes that package the content and provide the capability to shop and purchase. This includes packaging and pricing rules, customized displays for different customers and channels, business rules and check out and payment processes.

      Nowadays, online travel agents have pictures of hotels and rooms, information on prices and deals, and even information on local resorts. Many also allow reviews of the traveler to be recorded with the online travel agent.

     Online hotel reservations are also helpful for making last minute travel arrangements. Hotels may drop the price of a room if some rooms are still available. There are several websites that specialize in searches for deals on rooms.

     People can book directly on an individual hotel's website. An increasing number of hotels are building their own websites to allow them to market their hotels directly to consumers. Non-franchise chain hotels require a "booking engine" application to be attached to their website to permit people to book rooms in real time. One advantage of booking with the hotel directly is the use of the hotel's full cancellation policy as well as not needing a deposit in most situations.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Advantages_and_disadvantages_online_booking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_booking_engine



                                                                                                                  Cecilia Yang   20101213

Thin Client and the management program

Fig. 1 the structure of the thin client environment

Thin clients are managed at the server, located within the data center. Thin clients connect to servers via web browsers or remote desktop software. Depending on the functionality the user needs, client desktops can be very simple single-application kiosks or a flexible and familiar Windows environment. Because thin clients are computing devices that function as an access device on a network, these solid-state devices connect over a network to a server. In fact, keystrokes, mouse events and screen images are all that is sent between the client and server. This makes the device much more secure than a standard desktop or notebook computer.

To control all thin clients on the server, the server have to install management software. This kind of software can simplify remote troubleshooting. Remote support is greatly simplified. The devices can be shadowed (remotely displayed) with full keyboard and mouse control. In other words, the IT staff can monitor the client desktop without letting user notice that their desktops have been monitored. The purpose of this function is that company wants to take control of all devices to avoid virus attack and easy to maintain.

The management program relates to the concept of panopticism because employees know they might be monitored by the IT or their boss in anytime but they do not know when. They will be aware of their behavior while they are using thin client at work.

I was once working with thin client for two years. In my opinion, this kind of program truly increase the work efficient and employees can concentrate on their work easily. However, employees lost their privacy at the same time.

For more information about thin client : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client

Final Exam - Wan-Jui Ju (Rachel Ju)

IP Cam Surveillance - Negative




http://www.bikal.co.uk/network-webcam/ip-cameras.html

Nowadays, people reinforce life safety consciousness; for this reason, safety system is becoming wisdom application in this society. The function is no longer just safety protection, but also increases surveillance application and provides entire automatic monitoring. This kind of vision of global gaze became public surveillance system.

IP Cam is one of the webcam for surveillance systems. Generally, IP Cam can connect with IP router directly; don’t need to connect a computer or set a router. IP Cam can send images or video directly by internet, therefore, monitoring can easily and conveniently use internet to browser images or video in order to track and monitor.

Many people use IP Cam to monitor children, elder or servants’ behavior at home. Others may use IP Cam to monitor employees’ behavior in work place. People who have been monitor may feel lose their right of privacy. These kinds of monitor infringe upon peoples’ privacy and freedom. For example, manager monitor employees’ working behavior in behalf of monitor employees use computer/ Internet to do something irrelevant their work, or do they divulge company commercial secrets and so on. Even if, parent wants to monitor their children or manager wants to monitor the employees; people still should not be monitor. People have the right to keep their privacy. Monitor makes people feel uncomfortable and distrust. However, undeniable, some monitoring may be a good way to improve employees’ efficiency during the business hours. Nevertheless, in my opinion; employee trusts his company and willing to work hard for his work; on the contrary, manager should trust the employee who he has hired, and be honest to his employees.

As for now, the postmodern society, people became more careful to meet a new person because there are many terrorists around the world. Thus, surveillance system has become a necessary equipment in this environment, but it does not mean all of the people do not deserve being trust. In addition, take panoticism as example; this indicates monitoring cannot monitor everything just through a surveillance system. In other words, outside the system that monitoring cannot monitor anything at all. A surveillance system should defend the villain. As a result, I believe, an honor system or honesty system is a philosophical way of running a variety of endeavors based on trust, honor and honesty. Not enough to deter serous criminals.