The big bad web

By HARIATI AZIZAN
sunday@thestar.com.my

The Internet poses various safety issues and Facebook's latest privacy gaffes make it even worse.

A JEALOUS husband murders his wife after becoming enraged that she had changed her Facebook status to single.

It may sound like a Hallmark movie-plot but last year alone saw a few similar incidents around the world. And this does not include the harassment, threats or legal suits that Facebook members faced over their postings.

After Edward Richardson, 41, stabbed his estranged wife Sarah Richardson, 26, to death - the third of such homicide cases in the United Kingdom over 12 months - British authorities were quick to highlight the importance of social media literacy.

Crimes of passion are nothing new but social networking may just have changed the variables. And while Facebook is in no way to be blamed for the violence - she could have used MySpace, Meebo or any other social network - this case is an undeniable example of how increased connectivity, the speed with which information is transmitted, and privacy controls are changing our world.

The main question thrown up in discussion groups was whether Richardson fully understood how Facebook worked.

Was she aware that by changing her status, her estranged husband would instantly receive a post on his Facebook newsfeed? Did she know how to exclude him from such updates if she had wished to?

Malaysia has not recorded any similar cases yet, but with reportedly 2,619,040 Malaysians registered on Facebook, there may be cause for concern.

As psychologist Assoc Prof Dr Khaidzir Ismail from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia highlights, many of the Malaysians who go to social media networks do not realise the consequences of how they act and what they say on the Internet will have on themselves, their families and friends.

“The Internet is a good outlet for people to express themselves and socialise. However, many, especially the young, do not have the skills or etiquette to know how to behave on the social media networks. One problem is that many are IT illiterate,” he says.

Worse, the latest Facebook privacy scandals may make the existing security worries so 2009 for many users.

New privacy issues

While many were still grappling with how to find their way around the social media network and manage their personal information on it, Facebook introduced new privacy settings at the end of last year.

The changes made more private data public by default as users are given the responsibility to opt out if they want to keep their information private, or share it only with a trusted group of friends.

They caused a lot of confusion and many users were unaware that their personal information was available to everyone.

Another Facebook glitch recently further highlighted the vulnerability of its users - estimated to be more than 400 million people worldwide - as the malfunction made it possible for people not friended by Facebook users to access their personal information, including chat conversations, friend lists and more.

Unsurprisingly, censure mounted from the authorities worldwide - US senators reiterated their public calls for Facebook to rethink its privacy safeguards; the American Civil Liberties Union launched a petition against its founder Mark Zuckerberg and European data protection officials slammed the privacy changes.

It also caused a backlash among the tech-savvier user community and technology industry.

A number of high-profile users reportedly deleted their Facebook accounts while other irate users have launched an online campaign to make June 6 a “No Facebook Day”.

This has led to a crisis meeting at the Facebook headquarters last Friday, as it took steps to address the problems. Subsequently, tighter security measures were announced to protect its users' personal information.

However, as Facebook stressed in the press, in its bid to calm the furore over its privacy policy, the first line of defence is the user.

Chief executive officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia - the national cyber security specialist centre under the purview of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) - Lt Col Husin bin Haji Jazri (Retired) concurs that users have to practise safe behaviour on Facebook and anywhere else online, he says in an e-mail interview.

Security upgrade

According to the Malaysian Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT), there were more than 150 complaints of cyber security breaches last year.

While this included cases of identity theft, hacking and cyberstalking, there were also reports of personal data abuse by estranged dating or married couples who have access to their partners' personal information.

As MyCERT chief Adli Abdul Wahid revealed to a local Malay language daily at the last Computer Security Day celebrations, they have received complaints from Internet users who have found their contact details - with offers of sex service - posted on public toilet walls and Internet forums as well as circulated via e-mail to strangers.

A quick e-mail survey by Sunday Star, however, shows that most Malaysians know how to protect themselves on the Internet, especially on social media networks like Facebook.

An IT executive who only wants to be known as Davina K. is among those who feel that the world's biggest social network needs to review its privacy policy.

“Most of us got onto Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family overseas or reconnect with old schoolmates. But now instead of connecting with them, half the time we have to monitor our privacy setting to make sure that our personal information is safe. It is taking the fun out of socialising,” she says.

Many, like engineer J. Tan, say that they have always been very careful about what they put on their profile page in Facebook.

“I like Facebook because it keeps me in the loop with what my friends and family are doing without me having to speak to them at all. But I am careful about sharing personal details with strangers. There is always the danger of your details ending up on public toilet walls, right?” he says.

Media executive Adibah A. is another who keeps a tight rein on what personal information gets out.

“I don't simply disclose information that I don't want people to know of. To me, it is better to be careful than sorry later. People can always spam my inbox with marketing flyers and any other junk. To protect my privacy, I am very selective of the information shared among friends.”

When audio visual (AV) designer Ruza Jajuli realised how her work and family were spilling into Facebook, she quickly made a list of “close friends”.

“There are things I would not like to share with them (family or office mates) as I wouldn't in 'real' life, so I created a list for the people who I do not want to see my 'crazy' pictures or comments,” she shares.

The fear of having her personal secrets being abused by others, including those who she counts as friends and acquaintances, is why regular Internet user Melissa K. is swearing off Facebook.

“You can say I am a bit paranoid, but I am now careful after a not-so-nice separation from my ex many years ago. He saved everything I said in anger (on voicemail, e-mail and SMS) and gossiped using it.”

Lt Col Husin advises those who have been threatened or victimised to lodge a police report.

“Then the police will do the necessary investigation and determine whether or not a crime has been committed. After which, law enforcement authorities (like the police) will determine if further action can be taken on the said person,” he says.

More importantly, with Facebook being so open, it is vital that users take safety precautions should they start interacting offline with those they meet online.

Just last week, an inquest hearing in the UK revealed how one former army warrant officer Stewart Shaw stabbed his partner Julie Sudlow - whom he had met on Facebook - after their whirlwind romance went sour.

As reported in British daily The Telegraph, the testimony of the investigating officer showed that Sudlow soon discovered that the man she was seeing was not the same as the man she had met on Facebook.

He became violent with her and when she called the police on him, Shaw lost his temper and accused her of ruining his life before murdering her in rage.

7 Things to Stop Doing Now on Facebook

Using a Weak Password

Avoid simple names or words you can find in a dictionary, even with numbers tacked on the end. Instead, mix upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. One good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word, such as this variant on the word "houses": hO27usEs!

Leaving Your Full Birth Date in Your Profile

It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you've already entered a birth date, go to your profile page and click on the Info tab, then on Edit Information. Under the Basic Information section, choose to show only the month and day or no birthday at all.

Overlooking Useful Privacy Controls

For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information, among other things. You can give only certain people or groups access to items such as photos, or block particular people from seeing them. Consider leaving out contact info, such as phone number and address, since you probably don't want anyone to have access to that information anyway.

Posting Your Child's Name in a Caption

Don't use a child's name in photo tags or captions. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.

Mentioning That You'll Be Away From Home

That's like putting a "no one's home" sign on your door. Wait until you get home to tell everyone how awesome your vacation was and be vague about the date of any trip.

Letting Search Engines Find You

To help prevent strangers from accessing your page, go to the Search section of Facebook's privacy controls and select Only Friends for Facebook search results. Be sure the box for public search results isn't checked.

Permitting Youngsters to Use Facebook Unsupervised

Facebook limits its members to ages 13 and over, but children younger than that do use it. If you have a young child or teenager on Facebook, the best way to provide oversight is to become one of their online friends. Use your e-mail address as the contact for their account so that you receive their notifications and monitor their activities. "What they think is nothing can actually be pretty serious," says Charles Pavelites, a supervisory special agent at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. For example, a child who posts the comment "Mom will be home soon, I need to do the dishes" every day at the same time is revealing too much about the parents' regular comings and goings.

Aktiviti joging boleh bawa risiko?

Persatuan Fisioterapi Malaysia (MFA) mendakwa aktiviti larian di sekolah seperti merentas desa dan joging tidak sesuai untuk pelajar sekolah kerana ia mampu mendedahkan kepada risiko kecederaan seumur hidup.

Selain itu, persatuan itu turut mendakwa amalan membawa beg sekolah mengandungi buku teks yang terlalu berat juga mendedahkan kepada risiko masalah penyakit tulang belakang.

Presidennya, Dr. Balwant Singh Bains berkata, walaupun kajian spesifik belum dilaksanakan, tetapi berdasarkan pengalaman dan ujian klinikal, kira-kira 80 peratus daripada penyakit itu berpunca daripada aktiviti larian tanpa pengawasan betul daripada ahli fisioterapi.

Menurut beliau, aktiviti larian amat terdedah kepada permukaan tanah yang pelbagai seperti terlalu keras dan tidak sekata yang berada di sepanjang trek laluan mereka hingga mudah terdedah kepada kecederaan otot, ligamen dan tendon.

"Kecederaan ini mungkin hanya sedikit sahaja dan tidak disedari pada peringkat awal sehingga tidak memerlukan mereka terlantar atas katil. Lagipun ada pelajar yang tidak pandai mengadu sakit.

"Namun ada juga pihak yang mengambil mudah, meskipun jika ada anak-anak mengadu sakit tetapi kebanyakannya beranggapan hanya sakit biasa.

"Kami tidak kata berlari tidak boleh tetapi ia perlu mendapat nasihat terlebih dahulu daripada ahli fisioterapi bertauliah," katanya.

utusan malaysia

Gigantic fireball from meteor shower turns night into day

This image made from a dash cam provided by the Howard County Sheriff's Department shows a meteor, top right, near Cresco, Iowa that passed over Eastern Iowa. Sonic booms shook trees and houses in the area.

AP Photo/Howard County Sheriff's Department

source from: yahoo and ABC news

Siapakah pengganas?

di zaman sekarang islam dilabelkan sebagai pengganas tapi kita tahu akan kebenaran yang sebenar siapa pengganas yang sebenarnya. dan dibawah adalah petikan dari surat kabar utusan malaysia yang menunjukkan renungan kita siapa pengganas sebenarnya.

BEBERAPA peristiwa yang berlaku sepanjang tiga bulan lalu membabitkan jenayah yang meragut nyawa membawa kepada pelbagai pihak mempertikaikan maksud pengganas. Ini kerana, walaupun jenayah yang dilakukan amat serius, namun ia tidak disifatkan sebagai sesuatu yang dilakukan oleh pengganas.

Fenomena tersebut mengundang kenyataan keras oleh Pengarah Majlis Perhubungan Islam-Amerika Syarikat (AS), Nihad Awab di Washington, baru-baru ini.

“Pendirian banyak pihak dan organisasi menjurus kepada kesimpulan bahawa tiada perlakuan boleh dilabel sebagai kegiatan pengganas melainkan ia dilakukan oleh orang Islam,” kata Nihad.

Berikut adalah beberapa peristiwa yang boleh dijadikan renungan dalam kita meneliti kebenaran kata-kata Nihad.

PERISTIWA 1

Pada 20 Januari lalu seorang komander Hamas dibunuh di hotel penginapannya di Dubai, Emiriyah Arab Bersatu (UAE) dan pihak polis negara tersebut menyatakan mereka mempunyai bukti mengaitkan agensi perisikan Israel, Mossad terlibat dalam pembunuhan tersebut.

UAE juga mendedahkan pasport yang digunakan oleh berpuluh orang yang terlibat dalam pembunuhan itu yang kebanyakannya menetap di Israel.

Pasport individu yang dikatakan tidak mempunyai kaitan dalam kes berkenaan disalahgunakan oleh ejen-ejen Mossad.

Negara-negara Eropah yang pasport warganya disalahgunakan melenting dengan tindakan itu dan ada antara mereka memanggil duta Israel untuk memberi penjelasan.

Nanum, tiada satupun yang melabel Mossad sebagai sebuah pertubuhan pengganas antarabangsa.

Hanya Britain bertindak mengusir duta Israel yang dikatakan ketua Mossad di negara tersebut. Itu pun berkemungkinan didorong faktor Britain adalah penyebab utama kesengsaraan rakyat Palestin yang tidak berkesudahan sejak berpuluh tahun lalu.

Bagaimana agaknya reaksi pemimpin Eropah jika seorang komander Israel dibunuh dengan cara yang sama? Mungkinkah pelbagai pertubuhan militan dan individu Islam akan terus dituduh sebagai pengganas yang melakukan perbuatan kejam itu?

Tanpa bukti-bukti kukuh pelbagai andaian akan dibuat yang kemudiannya akan diterima sebagai fakta bahawa jenayah tersebut dilakukan oleh pengganas Islam.

PERISTIWA 2

Pada 21 Februari lalu seorang juruterbang, Joseph Stack dengan sengaja melanggar bangunan yang menempatkan sebuah pejabat Perkhidmatan Hasil Dalam Negeri (IRS) di Austin, Texas, Amerika Syarikat (AS) dengan pesawatnya.

Tindakan kamikaze itu menyebabkan dua orang mati, 13 lagi cedera dan bangunan tujuh tingkat itu mengalami kemusnahan besar akibat terbakar walaupun pesawat terlibat hanyalah sebuah pesawat kecil.

Stack dikatakan bertindak demikian kerana marah dengan dasar percukaian AS. Tiada aspek lain yang diperkatakan menjadi punca tindakannya itu.

Dalam beberapa jam sahaja selepas kejadian tersebut yang telah menyebabkan ramai warga AS menyingkap semula serangan 11 September 2001, pihak berkuasa tempatan dan Persekutuan serta White House berkata, ia bukan tindakan pengganas.

Satu kenyataan panjang lebar yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri AS juga berkata, tidak ada sebab untuk mempercayai berlakunya aktiviti pengganas.

Bagaimana jika orang yang melakukan perbuatan tersebut bukan Stack sebalik seorang Islam pasti lain ceritanya.

Siasatan panjang lebar akan dibuat hinggalah sesuatu yang mungkin mengaitkannya dengan keganasan ditemui hatta walau sekadar melayari laman web mana-mana kumpulan militan.

PERISTIWA 3

Pada 4 Mac lalu pula, seorang lelaki, John Patrick Bedell yang lengkap bersenjata melepaskan tembakan yang mencederakan dua pagawai polis di pintu masuk bangunan Jabatan Pertahanan AS yang merupakan sebahagian daripada Pentagon.

Dalam serangan balas serta merta oleh pihak polis, Bedell ditembak di kepala dan mati sejurus kemudian.

Laporan media menyebut, sistem pengawasan video menunjukkan Bedell ada bertemu dan bercakap dengan seorang lelaki berhampiran pintu masuk berkenaan sebelum melepaskan tembakan.

Bagaimanapun, pada hari berikutnya, Ketua Agensi Pasukan Penjaga Pentagon, Richard Keevill menegaskan bahawa siasatan pihaknya mendapati Bedell tidak mempunyai sebarang kaitan dengan pengganas domestik atau antarabangsa.

Tembak Pentagon pun bukan pengganas? Sekali lagi, renungkan jika ia bukan dilakukan oleh Bedell tetapi seorang Islam. Tidak perlu diperkatakan apa-apa, berkemungkinan besar siasatan akan menjurus kepada kesimpulan bahawa penembak berkenaan merupakan pengganas yang sudah lama diburu.

Lelaki yang ditemuinya sejurus sebelum melepaskan tembakan akan turut disiasat hingga ke lubang cacing dan kita semua boleh menjangkakan hasil siasatan jika lelaki itu juga seorang Islam.

Akta Patriot AS mendefinisikan keganasan sebagai ‘perbuatan jenayah yang bertujuan memaksa atau mengancam orang awam untuk mempengaruhi dasar atau menjejaskan tindakan kerajaan melalui pembunuhan atau penculikan.’

Bukankah semua perbuatan di atas selaras dengan akta ini? Sesungguhnya satu deninisi tepat menggenai pengganas amat diperlukan kerana banyak pihak memutar belit pelbagai perkara demi kepentingan diri dan organisasi masing-masing.

Seperti yang dikatakan oleh Nihad, kebanyakan pihak berpendirian tiada perlakuan boleh dilabel sebagai kegiatan pengganas melainkan ia dilakukan oleh orang Islam.

Pihak-pihak yang sentiasa menuduh setiap perbuatan jenayah orang Islam sebagai kegiatan pengganas yang pasti dikaitkan dengan pertubuhan-pertubuhan yang mereka label sbagai kumpulan pengganas perlu berfikir semula tanggapan mereka.

Terdapat ramai orang Islam yang mengambil tindakan tertentu atas dasar tidak bepuas hati, membalas dendam dan sebagainya. Mereka bukan pengganas mahupun anggota mana-mana pertubuhan haram jika cara beberapa peristiwa di atas diambil kira dalam membuat kesimpulan siapa dikategorikan sebagai pengganas.

utusan malaysia

Kerap kentut

PAKAR Perubatan Greek, Hippocrates pernah menyifatkan kentut adalah proses penting untuk kesihatan. Justeru, jangan malu kerana kentut. Setiap orang kentut. Tanpa kentut, anda sebenarnya mungkin berhadapan dengan masalah kesihatan.

Bagaimanapun, kentut yang berbau dan ‘dilepaskan’ dengan bunyi yang kuat memang memalukan. Bau dan daya kekuatan kentut dilepaskan bergantung pada makanan yang kita ambil,berapa lama kentut itu ‘disimpan’ dan daya kepantasannya dikeluarkan dari anus.

Dalam definisi perubatan, kentut adalah sebahagian daripada lebihan gas dalam perut atau usus. Ada kala lebihan gas ini menyebabkan anda berasa tidak selesa seperti perut kembung, sendawa atau kentut. Kebanyakan orang melepaskan gas berlebihan ini 14 kali sehari, tidak kiralah sama ada sebagai kentut atau sendawa. Kentut tidak membahayakan nyawa, mungkin ia hanya akan membuatkan anda malu jika ‘terlepaskannya’ di khalayak ramai dan berbau kurang menyenangkan. Bagaimanpun, jika anda kerap kentut ada kalanya ia mungkin penanda masalah kesihatan yang lain. Justeru, anda memerlukan rawatan perubatan.

Umumnya, komponen utama dalam kentut adalah lima gas yang tidak berbau - nitrogen, hidrogen, karbon dioksida, gas metana dan oksigen.

Bau busuk kentut adalah disebabkan disebabkan kompaun berunsurkan sulfur yang dihasilkan bakteria tertentu dalam kolon. Bagaimanapun, bakteria ini tidak ditemui pada setiap orang.

Jumlah gas yang dilepaskan pula bergantung pada berapa banyak bakteria yang hidup dalam kolon dan makanan yang tidak dihadam oleh saluran gastro usus sebelum ia sampai ke kolon.
Dianggarkan antara 30 ke 150 gram makanan tidak dicerna sampai ke kolon dalam bentuk karbohidrat setiap hari. Jumlah ini bergantung pada diet anda dan bagaimana saluran gastro usus anda berfungsi.

Tubuh tidak mencerna atau menyerap sesetengah jenis karbohidrat seperti gula atau serat dalam usus kecil kerana kekurangan enzim di kawasan itu.

Makanan yang tidak dicernakan ini melalui usus kecil ke usus besar dan di situ bakteria tidak berbahaya memecahkan makanan, menghasilkan hidrogen, karbon dioksida dan di kalangan sesetengah orang, metana. Kesemua gas ini keluar melalui rektum menjadi kentut.

Gas berlebihan dalam saluran pencernaan (esofagus, perut, usus kecil dan kolon) datang daripada dua sumber;

a) Udara yang anda telan (menerusi tabiat mengunyah gula-gula getah atau merokok)

b) Peningkatan penghasilan gas daripada makanan tidak hadam yang dipecahkan oleh bakteria dalam usus

Gas kentut kebiasaannya terdiri daripada 60% nitrogen, 30% karbon dioksida dan 10% campuran gas metana dan hidrogen.

Bagaimana pun, komposisi gas yang keluar dari badan anda bergantung kepada beberapa faktor seperti makanan, udara yang disedut, jenis bakteria dalam usus dan tempoh masa anda menahan kentut.

Sesuatu yang anda perlu tahu, makanan yang menghasilkan gas tidak sama bagi setiap orang. Sementara, bakteria umum yang ditemui dalam kolon boleh memusnahkan hidrogen yang dihasilkan oleh bakteria lain.

Keseimbangan dua jenis bakteria ini menjelaskan mengapa sesetengah makanan menjadi ‘berangin’.

kepada sesetengah orang. Namun, kebanyakan makanan yang mengandungi karbohidrat menyebabkan gas. Makanan lemak dan protein menghasilkan sedikit gas. Selain itu, kekurangan laktosa juga boleh menyebabkan seseornag itu kerap kentut.

Info
Makanan penyebab kentut

Kacang

Sayur-sayuran seperti brokoli, kubis, tauge, asparagus.

Buah-buahan seperti pear, apple dan peaches.

Minuman bergas dan ada kalanya jus buah-buahan

Produk tenusu seperti keju, ais krim, bijirin.

source: berita harian/sihat

Spaced Out Roundup

Ever try to count all the stars in the sky? Don't. Scientists recently announced that there may be a billion (that's with a "b") more stars out there than they originally thought.

A buzzy article from the Discovery News explains that astronomers "may have underestimated the tally of galaxies in some parts of the universe by as much as 90 percent."

How could sky watchers have missed so many stars? Apparently, astronomers rely on ultraviolet light signatures to determine the number of stars in the cosmos. But that might not be the most accurate way to go about conducting a census of the universe. "In the case of very distant, old galaxies, the telltale light may not reach Earth as it is blocked by interstellar clouds of dust and gas -- and, as a result, these galaxies are missed by the map-makers." The story inspired a slew of searches on everything from "how many stars in the sky" to "how to count stars."

That epic miscalculation was only one of several space-related stories making news. Also soaring to the top of the Buzz: A homemade helium balloon and camera that captures images from the edge of space. Brit Robert Harrison's homemade device can soar 20 miles above the earth. The photos it takes are incredibly impressive. So impressive, in fact, that NASA reportedly got in touch with the father of three. They apparently told him that the space agency would have had to have spend millions of dollars to get similar results. Harrison's budget was a comparatively modest $815.

Clearly Mr. Harrison is resourceful with his funds, but even he would be jealous at the idea of anInternational Space Station (ISS) "man cave," complete with its very own robot butler. That's right, kids. A robot butler. In space. Aw. Yeah. Here's the scoop: According to blog Universe Today the ISS will soon be getting a new Multi Purpose Logistics Module. Eventually, the Module could be transformed to a quiet place where astronauts can get away from it all. Best of all, the proposed den may have a helpful resident. The Robonaut 2 features a human-like torso, head, and arms that astronauts can control via virtual-reality. Best of all, it never complains about Cheeto dust, a problem in any true man cave. Robonaut 2 will be joining the ISS on April 5.