Model Project + Implementation ideas/outline

11/14/19

Capstone: Cyber Security

Dr. Bill

Data Security

Intro/Briefing

Consumer data refers to all personal, behavioral, and demographic data that is collected by marketing companies and departments from their customer base. To some extent, data collection from customers intrudes into customer privacy. My goal of this project is to study and understand how companies gather data, use data, and how to protect ourselves online.

Phases

My project will have 4 phases, the first phase would be to gather information of data collection and the effects of data sharing, My second phase would be to clean up my notes and compile them into general areas. Thirdly, I will compile my notes and create 3 formats that I could share my information(PSA, Video, and Articles.) The final step is to find a reliable platforms to distribute my information.

Phases & Milestones

• Gathering Information

My information will revolve around types of data being gathered and how, what companies do with your data, effects/risks of data sharing, cold hard facts, and methods to protect your data. The links below are where I gathered my information.

1. What type of data is gathered

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/05/20/15-things-consumer-data-can-do-for-a-company/#496425a54943 Explains the uses for consumer data.

1. Data gathering methods

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10625-businesses-collecting-data.html Data gathering methods

1. Effects/risks of data sharing

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/03/21/why-data-collecting-can-be-dangerous-for-personal-freedom/#514ce5b27ecc A brief article talking about how our private data can be used against us.

1. Facts

https://www.beautiful.ai/player/-Ltg14mWlXAAeuf_fmW7 My slideshow for examples and facts

1. Methods of protection

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_privacy Explains challenges and solutions to data protection.

• Organized notes

These are general information of each group that are easy to understand and provide the most impact to my goal(scare people with the dangers of the internet).

1. Why gather and What type of data is gathered?

Data is knowledge, knowledge is power, and power = money. Companies gather, analyze, and extract crucial information from personal data to turn it into cash. The most crucial information big corporations look for are data that can:

•1. Develop and Uncover Relationships

•2. Explain And Improve Your NPS

•3. Be Invaluable For Customer Service

•4. Generate New Ideas

•5. Predict Consumer Behaviors

•6. Be Currency

•7. Improve Physical Spaces

•8. Help You Infer What You Don’t Know

•9. Be A Great Predictor

•10.Help Consumers

•11. Highlight Consumer Pain

•12. Be A Reflection Of The Company

•13. Be The True Voice Of The Customer

•14. Know Customers Better Than They Know Themselves

1. Data gathering methods

companies use gathering techniques such as data mining, phishing, emails, website cookies, signing up, surveys, and plain out just asking. Some companies will even dig further into their own customer service records to see how customers interacted with their sales and support departments in the past to see what the consumer liked and disliked on a grand scale. Almost every action you take online will be logged and stored somewhere. Every click, keyboard press, and website you visit is logged somewhere.

1. Effects/risks of data sharing

Once companies gained enough information, they can then turn that information into knowledge, self data protection, or into cash flow by selling/trading data to third parties. The companies’ active sharing in data allows for many more third-party organizations to access to your personal information, and can result in consumers getting unwanted attention, marketing, scams, and even getting their identity stolen. Some companies have faulty security and can lead to consumer data leaks

1. Facts and examples

• https://rb.gy/49da76 Twitter thread by Dylan Curran showing the data google has collected about you.

• A tiny piece of personal data could be used to identify who you are.

• About 73% admitted to not reading terms and conditions before downloading a mobile application (K SHARP, internal study 2017 https://www.ksharp.co.uk/personal-impacts-data-sharing )

1. Methods of protection

• Learn information extraction methods (Phishing links, Public Wi-Fi, Surveys, Signing up)

• Corporations will also use sneaky ways to gathering data without your knowledge such as cookies that track the websites you visit, even after closing their page; email tracking, which tells them when you opened it, where, and what device you used; tracking your mouse movements, typing, clicks, and social media likes/retweets/shares.

• Some actions you can take to stop your information being gathered are: Using temporary emails, filling as little as you can during sign ups, refusing to share your personal info(credit card, social security #,) use a premium vpn that states “no log,” and keeping your passwords/antimalware up to date.

• PSA, Video, Articles

To share awareness of this modern age problem, I decided to create 3 informative media that will be easily understood with easy to follow course of actions.

1. PSA

To create a PSA, I will need to

• Study PSA requirements, what to include in my PSAs, and how to persuade my audience to take a favorable action.

• Share a relatable situation to my audience, include rational claims and evidence, and create a proper setting/atmosphere.

• Recording and finalizing my PSA.

1. Video

The norm of our modern population is always busy and lacking in free time. To face this challenge, I’ve came up with an idea of an eye catching short skit that will be convenient for viewing during worker’s breaks, lifestyle routine, etc.

• I came up with an Idea of a short skit of an exaggerated way companies take your data.

• My skit will also need some credibility, so I will turn my evidence and facts to a look-alike professional’s word of advice.

• I will record my skit.

1. Article

• I will combine all my work into an easy to understand article.

• I could add selectable sections in my article to that are straightforward and to the point

• Revise my draft and polish it

• Sharing my project

I think sharing my project will be the easiest part. Since my goal is to make an impact at HPA, I could:

1. Ask to share my video skit on widely used platforms(myHPA, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)

2. Advertise my PSA on local media platforms (HPA assembly, local programing)

3. At the end of my PSA and Skit video, I could link my article/blog for extra information.

Misc.

• An additional course of action that I could take to further increase my audience’s interest of action is to provide them with an interactive experience. I can distribute 8GB USB Drives to students and faculty containing my Skit, PSA, and a link to my article/blog, along with a free trial to a premium VPN.

• I have already completed most of my note collection/organization and able to start working on my media immediately.