By Jessica Walker

I’ve become very familiar with the acronym RSA over the past couple days.  RSA stands for Rivest, Shamir and Adleman, the three MIT researches responsible for describing it in 1978.  According to Wikipedia, RSA is an algorithm for public-key cryptography.  It is the first algorithm known to be suitable for signing as well as encryption, and was one of the first great advances in public key cryptography. RSA is widely used in electronic commerce protocols, and is believed to be secure given sufficiently long keys and the use of up-to-date implementations.

RSA is also the Security Division of EMC, which is a world leader that designs, builds and manages secure information infrastructures.

So why have I suddenly gone “geek” on you?  Well, I stumbled upon an article, “The evolution of online identity and trust,” written by Scott Charney, corporate VP, Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft and wanted to share as much as I could on the topic of online security.

Mr. Charney was recently a keynote speaker at the 2010 RSA Conference that ended on March 5th in San Francisco, CA.  The RSA Conference attracts top security professionals from around the world to collaborate on IT security.

In his presentation, Mr. Charney discussed creating a safer, more trusted Internet and he touched upon identity security with a focus on authenticity and anonymity.  Mr. Charney and the folks at Microsoft have a vision of working with the public, private, social and economic sectors to create a kind of digital identification card that can be used much like we use a passport or a driver’s license.  Mr. Charney envisions the online user registering for this digital identification card in-person at a government office.  This card would allow a web user to interact online without having to pass along private information which in turn lets the user remain anonymous when needed.  It’s like flashing your driver’s license to a bouncer when entering a night club.  The bouncer only needs to verify that your face matches your photo and they will probably scan the card to prove it’s authentic.  The bouncer doesn’t store your address, birthday, height or eye color for later use nor do they require you to answer security questions before entering such as what is your mother’s maiden name or what was the name of your first pet?  The bouncer knows that the DMV has reviewed your birth certificate and social security card prior to issuing your driver’s license.

This is very exciting news, especially for the online dating industry.  The whole premise behind the SaferDates.com site is to try to ensure authenticity while maintaining a degree of anonymity.  We are thrilled to hear that the security industry is working diligently to develop digital identification technology.

Now how does all this tie into our site and your member profile in particular?  Well, this is very good lead into a service that we have woven into our member profiles and it’s called ReputationShare.

You’ve probably already noticed the ReputationShare box located at the bottom of your Personal Details section.  ReputationShare is just another tool that we offer to help you take control of your safety.

When I interviewed Linda Criddle, ReputationShare President, last year she had this to say about her product, “It helps identify and manage rogue users because, like credit bureaus, ReputationShare literally shares people’s online reputations across participating sites.  If someone has been abusing other Dating sites or their members, Safer Dates can see that information even as the person is registering and take appropriate steps. Unlike credit bureaus, the ReputationShare service does not receive or store any information about who the user is. Users stay entirely anonymous, but both positive and negative behaviors associated with their email alias are collected.  Second, it gives users the ability to make more informed choices about who they choose to interact with.”

I contacted Linda again to see what she thought about Mr. Charney’s article on authenticity and anonymity and this is what she had to say, “Partial anonymity isn’t about a need to know, it is about a user’s choice to share information to achieve greater trust. In an online dating scenario this could be manifest when a potential date wants others to know that they have a track record of decent behavior. In this case the potential date does not need to know anything about WHO you are, they just need to know HOW you behave. ReputationShare is a great example of a system that ensures anonymity of identity, and personal privacy, while providing solid information about a reputation.”  To read Linda’s blog click here.

Safer Dates believes abusive behavior in the cyber world can sometimes cross over into the physical world and we feel the ReputationShare tool will empower you to manage your own safety more effectively.

To learn more about ReputationShare please visit http://www.reputationshare.com/.

Until next time, here’s to keeping you Safer in the City!

- Jessica

In Honor of National Cyber Security Month and to demonstrate the critical need to facilitate problem-solving across Internet “silos”

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Safe Internet Alliance, today hosted a Capitol Hill educational event and discussion entitled, “Framework for a Safe Internet: Know the facts, understand the issues, shape the future.” The event featured three expert panels of a diverse group of panelists, from technology and software companies including AOL and Microsoft to industry associations like the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

The event commenced with a keynote speech from Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour of the Federal Trade Commission who stressed the importance of cross-collaboration between the government and private sector in developing safe Internet initiatives. In her speech Commissioner Harbour also highlighted emerging crime patterns against consumers online and different methods of user empowerment.

The three panels explored perspectives of the “real Internet user” that exists in the U.S., online risks and cyber crime in the U.S., ways to make the Internet safe and the emerging technologies that will offer to aid in creating a safe Internet.

“Safe Internet Alliance launched in May, to bring together the many voices and stakeholders involved in online safety and cyber security issues,” said Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance. “Today’s event provided a platform for experts in Internet safety and security to share their knowledge, increase public awareness and highlight the demand for a safe Internet.”

“Having an accurate, collective understanding of the Internet’s opportunities is critical to creating a framework where the industry, organizations, lawmakers and consumers can meaningfully address concerns around privacy, safety and security,” Criddle continued. “We hope after today’s event that the members of Congress, Congressional staff, and public who attended understand this and will consider the Safe Internet Alliance an umbrella resource for any issue related to creating a safe Internet across the full spectrum of online services.”

Based in Arlington, Va., the Safe Internet Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(4) corporation. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes and are not deductible as business expenses. For more information, please visit us at www.safeinternet.org.

Source: PR Newswire

By Jessica Walker

On Sunday morning I overheard an interview on Fox and Friends about a cell phone application that provides instant background checks for singles.  At first I thought great idea; another tool to help our members.  I finished watching the interview, wrote down some notes and then went online to find out more.

Even though I would be promoting another company, my initial reaction was to gather as much information as possible so I could share it with our members.  After all, I am here to help keep you Safer in the City right?

But, all that positive thinking fizzled the more and more I researched the company behind the application, Intelius, and the application itself. Lets start with the company and mind you not much effort is needed to find something sketchy.

With just a quick Google search using the following words, “Intelius and scams”, I found this article in TechCrunch, from March 2009 describing a company swimming in consumer complaints and legal issues.

You’ll also find multiple sites with detailed consumer complaints.  Check out these links:

Complaints.com Consumers in control
Intelius.Pissedconsumer.com
Thesqueakywheel.com

Also, take a look at the comment trail on this article:
Topix

You’ll read that almost all of the customers complained of unauthorized monthly charges appearing on their credit or debit cards after paying for a one-time fee service on the Intelius site.  Some even complained that the searches they initially paid for weren’t accurate and could not be used.

Now let’s explore the cell phone application that Intelius has just launched in October through iPhone, Blackberry and Android. There are five searches that are available to cell phone customers once the application is downloaded and this is where it got creepy for me.  Although, I was okay with the first search called the “Sleaze Detector” which instantly checks for past criminal activity.  But then I noticed the other four searches that instantly check for the following:

Net Worth
•    Property ownership information
•    Home details (bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, tax info)
•    Assessed property value

Compatibility
•    Birth Date
•    Horoscope and astrological
information

Interests
•    Social Network Info
•    Professional Info
•    Educational background

Living Situation
•    Names and ages of relatives, associates & roommates living at search subject’s residence

Reading through these searches made me nauseous.  My initial thought was what a brilliant tool for a criminal!  With just a name, phone number or email address Intelius can tell you all this information INSTANTLY.  Now I understand that some of this stuff is available online in some way, which is another problem, but starting in October it’s easier then ever to gather it in an instant one stop shop.

Does anyone else have a problem with some stranger learning about your property ownership, assessed property value and the names and ages of relatives living in your home?  What does that have to do with dating?  You would think marital status would have been number one on their search list but it was left out.  I guess they felt learning the number of bedrooms and bathrooms was more of a priority then whether someone was married or single.

Well you’ll be happy to learn that Safer Dates takes marital status very seriously as it is included in both our Level I & II Verifications and our InvestiDate tool.

Now that we know this application is out there, here is some advice on what to do to block some of your information from being shared through this tool.  Linda Criddle, the expert in my latest interview, “What the Fraud!”, talks about contacting local government agencies to request that your housing information remain private.  Linda spent 13 years at Microsoft where she was a pioneer in online safety for mobile devices and PC’s for the MSN division. She advises that within your home town learn what is public knowledge and accessible through the internet and request that it be removed.  Also, be sure to change the settings on your social networking sites so that only “connections” or “contacts” authorized by YOU can see your profile information.

To read about what Linda Criddle thinks on this new application go to her blog at ilookbothways.com.

One last thing… the tag line for this new application is “Look up before you Hook up”.  You can say that again!

Until next time, here’s to keeping you Safer in the City!

- Jessica