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Phones
(Dhserurr
Identify Theft
Taking scurity
measures to
reduce your risk
As the c a p a b ilitie s o f cell
phones and sm art-p h o n e s in
crease, so does the risk of identity
th eft. E ig h ty -tw o p e rc e n t o f
A m e ric a n a d u lts ow n c e ll
phones— and not just for making
c a lls — a c c o rd in g to the Pew
In te rn e t and A m e ric a n L ife
Project. Depending on the device,
users are able to do everything
from taking pictures to shopping
and banking online.
" E s s e n tia lly , to d a y 's c e ll
phones are small com puters," said
Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of Bet
te r B u sin e ss B ureau se rv in g
A laska, O regon and W estern
W ashington. "And w hether it's a
cell phone, sm art-phone, desktop
or laptop, the same security m ea
sures are recom m ended."
Like com puters, consum ers
should ensure all personal infor
mation was been properly removed
from old cell phones before dis
carding.
BBB poses 5 questions to en
courage mobile device security:
Like computers, cell phones contain personal information that puts the owner at risk of
identity theft.
1. What are phones used for?
2. What is stored on phones?
Beyond making calls, 40 percent of Most phones store names, phone
Americans use the Internet, e-mail numbers, text messages and images,
or instant messenger on their phone. Advanced phones can also store
addresses, birth dates
ments, e-mails, documer
videos, audio files, and i
3. How can phones fc
Upgrade for PSU Technology Labs
Portland State University will be able to remodel and
upgrade several science laboratories and train students
for work in clean technology and other science-depen
dent industries that to a $1.2 million federal economic
development grant.
“Supporting job-creating, innovative research and
development at our colleges and universities is vital to
our nation’s competitiveness,” U.S. Commerce Secre
tary Gary Locke said. “This EDA grant will help fuel the
innovation economy by providing state-of-the-art equip
ment needed to conduct basic and applied research and
prepare PSU students for jobs in the emerging clean
technology and other industries.”
The federal funds will be used to purchase 175 high-
efficiency fume hoods to be installed as part of the
remodeling and upgrade of the campus’s new labora
tory space in Science Building 2.
“The real payoff is the parade of scientifically liter
ate, highly productive students who will graduate from
PSU and secure higher-skilled, higher-wage employ
ment in important regional clusters including healthcare,
advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and bio
technology,” said Wim Wiewel, president of Portland
State University.
off the tracks
TriMet and MAX Operator James W.
want you to travel safely.
T R
November 24, 2010
mised? Lost, stolen and hacked
devices can lead to identity theft.
Like computers, phones can con
tract viruses, sites can siphon pri
vate data, and unprotected networks
can put consumers at risk.
4. How can consumers protect
mobile devices? BBB offers the fol
lowing tips:
• Never keep account or credit card
numbers, passwords, PIN codes pr
Social Security numbers on portable
devices. Avoid storing or messag
ing personal identifiers, such as birth
dates or private photos— unless
absolutely necessary.
• I f online: Ensure the network is
private and secure, consider pur
chasing anti-virus software for the
phone, and avoid downloading from
unverified sources.
• Lock it up. Set a password for your
phone, voicemail box and other files,
when possible. If the phone is
Internet accessible, log-out of e-
mail, social networking accounts
and secured websites when fin
ished.
5. What should consumers do if
phones are lost, stolen or hacked?
Notify their wireless carrier. If vital
information is at stake, check BBB's
steps for identity theft victims by
visiting bbb.org.
Myspace Boosts Facebook Link
( AP) - In a sign of the companies' divergent fortunes, MySpace
said Thursday it will let its users log in to their Facebook accounts
through their MySpace page.
Doing so will port the likes and interests they have listed on their
Facebook profiles to MySpace, where they will get a stream of
entertainment content based on these interests.
MySpace users have already been able to sync their status
updates to their Facebook profiles. Thursday's announcement is a
deeper integration of Facebook's technology into MySpace. It
doesn't involve any financial transactions.
Once a mighty rival, MySpace has conceded that it is no longer
a social network but a social entertainment destination.