Article: "Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet"
Author: Paul S. Piper
People can be so gullible most the time. How reliable is the internet and even the news sometimes? If one is not careful they can end up with a load of wrong information and never even know it. Even now .com’s and .org’s and becoming not so reliable. There are many sites out there with all intentions of misleading people. Sites can be counterfeit, malicious, product, fictitious, parodies/spoofs/entertainment, hacks and disinformation. This article goes into depth about everyone of these different types of false web pages. Even sometimes good reliable sites can make an honest mistake. It’s hard to grasp why anyone wants to mislead people in some of the ways stated in this reading. Most people can pick up the difference between the truth and a lie. It is hard for some people, like seniors who are learning to use the internet, to pick up on these false accusations. When a senior looks up health problems they might just believe that what ever site they go to first is truthful and they can trust it. Even students can overlook some false information. Students now-a-days are rushed with many projects do at once, so one might run a quick search and click on the first few sites that pop up. Little might they realize, the site is a fictitious site or a disinformation site. Many people are becoming too reliable on the internet always having what they need. One of my favorites in the reading is, on an anti-hunting web page, reported that the group had outfitted more than 400 deer with orange hunting vests. This caused quite a controversy when a man (who didn’t exist) offered a reward for every deer brought in with an orange vest on. This story hit ESPN, Fox News, Wall Street Journal and more local news papers. Just to show how gullible people really are, this story was not at all true or possible for that matter, but was taken as a serious manner.
I feel more people need to read this article. It’s a good source of realizing that not everything is true. From the picture of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center to just everyday information, people just aren’t taking the time really think about what they hear or read anymore. I just don’t understand why many of these malicious and misleading web sites even exist. I feel it’s just a big deal to double check the date, author, and location of a site before really taking it to heart.
Why would someone want to take the time just to mislead the public? Many of these false sites are hurtful and no were near the truth. There is an article about the Indian tribe killing whales, but the article didn’t state that it was for native rituals. The site was created by a group of animal rights people (who always seem to be trying to create a stir when it comes to any animals) who were just hurtful and demeaning to the tribe. The Indian tribe had been given the right to kill the whales and did the kills in moderation not to endanger the species. However, the tripe was hated on for their traditions do to the false information given by the article. If people would have just taken the time to look at the web site and realize that it was not based even in the US (where the tribe was) they would have realized the whole thing was a hoax. So keep in mind, not everything you read is true, some is misleading, some is a hoax, and some may just be an honest mistake.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
News Report #1
“Obama has high hopes for keeping BlackBerry”
Leslie Katz, CNET News
1/17/2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10145097-1.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
Barack Obama is facing the possibility of having to give up his beloved BlackBerry phone when he is in office of presidency. This seems to be a really big deal in Washington about Obama’s phone and the potential for leaks in security. The phone might be a threat to government security, some believe. There is a great possibility that Obama’s calls may, some how, get tapped into and expose very important information that is top secrete. As an everyday thing, Obama is constantly checking his emails and on web browser which may be unsecured. Obama’s response to this was “Now, my working assumption, and this is not new, is that everything I write on e-mail could end up being on CNN. So I make sure that--to think before I press 'send.’” Everyone realizes he is very dead set on keeping his BlackBerry! By him keeping his phone, he will really have to rethink everything he says and types on his phone. The reason he is so set on keeping his phone is that he believes it is important to keep in touch with the world outside of presidency.
I am really shocked that a phone is causing this much stir in D.C. Phones and technology have come a long way in the past 8 years since our last president was elected. Now, people are constantly on the phone, but they aren’t always just talking! You can now text, check emails, and get on a web browser. This has become a way of life in many people’s cases and are just lost with out there phone. I applaud Obama for his drive to keep his phone; I feel this is a big step in America adjusting to time changes. The technology has come a long way but I feel his phone is not protected like a computer might be for hackers. As long as he keeps everything he does on his BlackBerry to personal conversations and not business matters I think it will be just fine.
Leslie Katz, CNET News
1/17/2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10145097-1.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
Barack Obama is facing the possibility of having to give up his beloved BlackBerry phone when he is in office of presidency. This seems to be a really big deal in Washington about Obama’s phone and the potential for leaks in security. The phone might be a threat to government security, some believe. There is a great possibility that Obama’s calls may, some how, get tapped into and expose very important information that is top secrete. As an everyday thing, Obama is constantly checking his emails and on web browser which may be unsecured. Obama’s response to this was “Now, my working assumption, and this is not new, is that everything I write on e-mail could end up being on CNN. So I make sure that--to think before I press 'send.’” Everyone realizes he is very dead set on keeping his BlackBerry! By him keeping his phone, he will really have to rethink everything he says and types on his phone. The reason he is so set on keeping his phone is that he believes it is important to keep in touch with the world outside of presidency.
I am really shocked that a phone is causing this much stir in D.C. Phones and technology have come a long way in the past 8 years since our last president was elected. Now, people are constantly on the phone, but they aren’t always just talking! You can now text, check emails, and get on a web browser. This has become a way of life in many people’s cases and are just lost with out there phone. I applaud Obama for his drive to keep his phone; I feel this is a big step in America adjusting to time changes. The technology has come a long way but I feel his phone is not protected like a computer might be for hackers. As long as he keeps everything he does on his BlackBerry to personal conversations and not business matters I think it will be just fine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)