The Federal Reserve is providing a guide to understanding the value and content of your credit report. Your credit report is being utilized in a growing numbers of ways and can affect more than just the ability to receive a loan. This includes landlords, utility companies and prospective employers, making your credit worth while to understand.
Read the guide at the Federal Reserve’s website.
With the introduction of VoIP, you can use the internet to make telephone calls instead of relying on a separate telephone line. However, the technology does present security risks.
What is voice over internet protocol (VoIP)? Voice over internet protocol (VoIP), also known as IP telephony, allows you to use your internet connection to make telephone calls. Instead of relying on an analog line like traditional telephones, VoIP uses digital technology and requires a high-speed broadband connection such as DSL or cable. There are a variety of providers who offer VoIP, and they offer different services. The most common application of VoIP for personal or home use is internet-based phone services that rely on a telephone switch. With this application, you will still have a phone number, will still dial phone numbers, and will usually have an adapter that allows you to use a regular telephone. The person you are calling will not likely notice a difference from a traditional phone call. Some service providers also offer the ability to use your VoIP adapter any place you have a high-speed internet connection, allowing you to take it with you when you travel.
What are the security implications of VoIP?
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (11/16/10)–The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) on Monday continued its “Keep Your Money NCUA-safe” public awareness campaign by unveiling a 520 square-foot ad in New York’s Times Square.
The 15-second ad, which features NCUA campaign spokesperson Suze Orman touting the benefits and safety of federally insured credit union deposits, will run on a 26-foot tall commercial message board. That message board, which is centrally located in Times Square, also broadcasts The Late Show with David Letterman and other CBS programming, and is viewed by an estimated 1.5 million people per day. The ad will run until Jan. 1.
“In the physical world, basic safety measures are second-nature to almost everyone (look both ways, stop drop and roll!). In the digital world, however, many of us expect security to be handled on our behalf by experts, or come in a single-box solution. Together, we must reset those expectations.
The Internet is the biggest neighborhood in the world. Security-related initiatives in the technology sector and government play an important role in making the Internet safer, but efforts from Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. alone are not enough. Much of the important work that needs to be done must happen closer to home—wherever that may be.” by Adrienne St. Aubin, Public Policy Analyst
Now is a great time to begin teaching your children about how protect their privacy online. Disney’s Phineas and Ferb characters offer some video tips to get you started. Check it out!
The Council of Better Business Bureaus and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling are encouraging consumers and small-business owners nationwide to fight identity theft by taking part in the third annual Protect Your Identity Week, Oct. 17-23.
“Unfortunately, many people have become so familiar and comfortable with the internet that they may adopt practices that make them vulnerable. For example, although people are typically wary of sharing personal information with strangers they meet on the street, they may not hesitate to post that same information online. Once it is online, it can be accessed by a world of strangers, and you have no idea what they might do with that information.
What guidelines can you follow when publishing information on the internet?”
Before selling or discarding an old computer, or throwing away a CD or DVD, you naturally make sure that you’ve copied all of the files you need. You’ve probably also attempted to delete your personal files so that other people aren’t able to access them. However, unless you have taken the proper steps to make sure the hard drive, CD, or DVD is erased, people may still be able to resurrect those files.
Lifehacker’s tech-savvy readers are the first people on speed-dial when it’s time to heal an infected PC, but how much do you really know about viruses, spyware, scareware, trojans, and worms? Here’s a helpful guide to understanding all the different types of malware.The point of today’s lesson, of course, is to help you teach your friends and family more about the different types of malware, and debunk a few of the common myths about viruses. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two as well.
“You may think that you are anonymous as you browse websites, but pieces of information about you are always left behind. You can reduce the amount of information revealed about you by visiting legitimate sites, checking privacy policies, and minimizing the amount of personal information you provide.”