Soteria Cloud Backup News

Do you worry about the safety of your personal information when you register to use an online service or shop online? While many may overlook potential security risks, millions have fallen victim to identity theft as a result of data theft / hacking. 145 million disgruntled eBay users had their personal information compromised earlier this year. Now this security breach has resulted in eBay being faced with a class action lawsuit! The lawsuit is founded on the accusation that the company does not offer adequate security, for protecting the personal information of its users.

What personal details were stolen? Customer’s names and email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, encrypted passwords and dates of birth. As a result, 145 million eBay customers were requested to change their passwords, but this was already too little, too late. The situation is said to have cause a major decline in revenue for eBay – a problem the company is working towards overcoming.

It is said that eBay noted that security breaches were a constant threat and so knew the value of the personal information and data that it holds. eBay is further being accused of knowing that about the theft of data and not taking efficient action to report the situation to its customers.

The privacy of electronically transmitted information is protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Federal Stored Communications Act, and the lawsuit states that eBay is in violation of both.  The lawsuit aims at receiving a monetary payout for the potential fees and expenses that can be incurred as each member affected will need to be vigilant and keep an eye out for potential fraud in their name.

As eBay takes the necessary steps to ensure that their sensitive data is better protected, so should you. Ensure that your private information and documents are well taken care of by backing up to the cloud. Soteria cloud storage solutions will ensure that your private information remains just that – private.

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If you need to use glasses to look at your laptop, television screen, tablet or other handheld device then you are in for a surprise! The market is set to see the introduction of vision correcting screens that will ensure that you can put your glasses away and see absolutely perfectly.

How does it work? The display technology is designed to make use of algorithms that are based on your actual glasses prescription. Light is altered via each pixel on the screen and will alter the image you see just like your glasses or contact lenses would. While there is much talk about this particular technology, it must not go unmentioned that while it will help those with common eye-sight problems, it will be able to help with more complex vision problems such as Spherical Aberration and similar.

A paper detailing the research and findings is said to be set for presentation at the Siggraph conference which is held in August in Vancouver, Canada. Once this is done, the developers look forward to creating a prototype that can be used by real people, in real life situations. This could take a few years, but this doesn’t take away from the excitement that many have regarding the creation of this product.

Vision correcting screen technology is being worked on by researchers at MIT and Microsoft. The device being created has been tested with a Canon DSLR camera lens that is able to simulate various vision problems.

One of the challenges that the developers might be faced with is ensuring that users are positioned the right distance from the device and at the right angle. There is talk of the technology being able to recognise head movement in order to adjust the image successfully.

While technology seems to be booming and improving each and every month, it is important to keep up to date with all that is happening. Check back to our blog regularly for more interesting news on technological advancements.

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How safe is your data and personal information? If you don’t think that you will ever be a victim of data theft or hacking crimes then think again! The European Central Bank probably thought the same with their strict security systems in place – but hackers recently proved them wrong.

The European Central Bank based in Berlin, which is responsible for serving the 18 nations that make use of the Euro, has been faced with many security related questions over the past few days. Unbeknown to the bank, the database that serves its public website was hacked and over 20 000 email addresses, telephone numbers and some street addresses were stolen. The most shocking part of it all is that The European Central Bank security officials cannot establish when the system security was actually compromised. A statement has been released confirming that the information stolen was not market-sensitive or internal system data.

The European Central Bank was alerted of the data theft by means of an anonymous email which was received by the bank, demanding money for the data. The bank security officials have spent some time addressing the issue and ensuring that all system passwords are changed. The vulnerability of the system is being looked into and the relevant changes are being made. This however has not taken away from the shock of the public to find that such a security system could be breached.

Luckily most of the data saved on the system is encrypted which has protected some sensitive data, with the exception of some personal contact details and addresses of course. The best way to ensure that a security breach is unsuccessful is to store data that is encrypted and can only be accessed by means of a personal password. Data encryption is an important part of any data storage system and should always be addressed. At Soteria Cloud Storage we ensure that absolutely all data stored is encrypted, for added security and peace of mind.

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Running out of memory on your Smartphone or handheld device can be excessively frustrating. Just when you have the perfect photograph or want to receive a new song or document – low memory errors ruin it all! If you find yourself wondering about the storage capacity of phones in the near future, then wonder no more! Great things are soon to happen!

When you buy a new cell phone and memory card for it, you are probably quite impressed with the advancements when it comes to storage. The average Smartphone user will probably be okay with around 3GB of storage, but scientists at Rice University say that soon you can expect to enjoy as much as 1TB of space on your phone! The market awaits news on this with great eagerness and excitement.

How is it possible? Well, the scientists are working on a form of resistive RAM which is a great deal denser than regular RAM. This new form of RRAM can store nine bits per cell where standard RAM can only store up to 3 bits per cell. This means that you can look forward to avoiding the frustration of low memory errors when trying to save photos, documents, movies and so on.
While those who use their handheld device and Smartphone as their life assistant eagerly look forward to this technology becoming commonplace, consideration for data protection / security must be made. Many Smartphone users will carry out regular backups of their device to ensure that any potential data loss is prepared for, but those who are looking at making full use of their 1TB of storage are leaning more toward cloud storage where data is encrypted and stored online – ready for access by means of a personal password if and when it is needed.

At Soteria we offer cloud storage solutions that will suit your lifestyle. We encrypt all data for added security and ensure that your sensitive information is protected – at all times.

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Have you ever logged onto Facebook and noticed adverts and information in your newsfeed that are perfectly suited to you and what you are interested in? Some might say yes and others might say no. Let’s face it, how many of us actually know that Facebook and other third parties such as Google actually take note of what we are browsing and doing online? If this unnerves you then you are having a typical reaction to such news.

However the information isn’t being used to gather data specifically on you as an individual. The system is designed to offer a clever form of targeted marketing. What does this mean for you? The concept was designed to ensure that people like me and you only see adverts that are relevant to us, what we like, what we are interested in, and so on.

How does it work?

It is quite simple really. Facebook and other websites are set to take note of what you browse for on the website as well as on other applications and sites. If you click the “like” button on images and products it is noticed. If you browse for shoes or rugs or clothing on other websites, Facebook will be able to target similar ads to present to you while you are on the site.

Using Facebook as an example, the website will place cookies on your computer when you access the site. These cookies gather the required information and send it back to Facebook. Of course these cookies cannot access your Facebook page. Only when you access the website will your information be sent back to Facebook via the cookies.

Does it really work?

Yes, targeted advertising does work, but not for everyone. While cookies can be smart and send data and information to the advertising companies, it cannot really tell them anything about us. Perhaps you are looking at websites for work purposes that don’t interest you on a personal level, perhaps you are sharing a computer with more than one person and then the targeted adverts can really become fun!

With new developments in terms of technology and all the changes we are seeing in the way data is collected, stored and used in the online world, we can only hope that third parties will have better designed systems in the future and ensure that everyone has an online experience that is absolutely convenient.

It goes without saying that taxi ranks in South Africa, while well known, do not have a great rep and for good reason. Many have been shocked and quite excited to hear that these taxi ranks have some great goals for the near future, but not the type of goals that you would expect. Taxi ranks are said to be taking their tech ambitions to new heights by offering commuters and taxi association member’s access to Wi-Fi.

SANTACO, better known as the South African National Taxi Council, recently released information on their plans to offer commuters Wi-Fi access inside taxi ranks as well as the actual taxis. While SANTACO is certainly putting everything in action it is not the only driving force behind the idea. Telkom and a company called Wi-Taxi are also actively involved in the project.

The chief of SANTACO, Nkululeko Buthelezi, told Talk Radio 702 presenters that commuters need not fear that this will add to the expense of their travels. The system will gain its revenue from advertising and so will not cost the commuter anything extra to enjoy.

If you are wondering why such a service is being included in taxis, the answer is quite simple: it is for the growth of the country and its people. Those commuting with taxis will be able to look for jobs, socialise with friends and keep up to date with news and so on, without it causing a drain on potentially limited incomes.

If you find this news interesting and think it’s something new for the continent then think again! Countries such as Kenya have had their taxi ranks equipped and offering free Wi-Fi for longer than you would think.

Of course it would be bit outrageous to outlay capital for all the taxi ranks in the country to be fitted with the required equipment at once, and for this reason Nkululeko Buthelezi advises that Gauteng will be the first province to benefit from the free Wi-Fi service. It is expected for up to 5000 taxis to be fitted with the needed equipment when the project commences.

With such great technological advancements being introduced and the development of the country being taken so seriously, there can be only greater things to follow in South Africa’s tech future.

Everyone thinks that having a laptop stolen will never happen to them. If you have a laptop you probably make sure that it is always within sight when you are at work or seeing a client. You probably also lock it away safely in your car’s boot when you are driving from home to work and to the shops etc. If you back up your data to an external hard drive to ensure that you don’t lose information due to malfunction or damage, then you probably think that you have covered all of your bases, but you have not!

Have you ever heard of remote jamming? This is where criminals interfere with a vehicle’s central locking system. It leaves the vehicle owner thinking that they have locked their vehicle, when they have not. This leaves your vehicle and its contents vulnerable to opportunistic criminals.

Eye Witness News has posted some incredible videos on how easy remote jamming criminals can get away with your valuable possessions, without you even noticing. Watch these videos here: http://ewn.co.za/2014/06/11/Shocking-Car-robbery-caught-on-camera

Thousands of people have lost their important information, data, pictures and account information through the theft of their laptop by remote jammers. Don’t be a victim of remote jamming – safeguard your data even from situations like this. How? You can safeguard your data by backing up with Soteria.

The Soteria concept does not involve external hard drives or storage devices. Soteria offers Cloud Backup services. This means that all of your information is safely and securely stored online. The data that you upload is encrypted which means that you, and only you, can gain access to the original information by making use of your self-chosen username and password.

While this won’t stop your car’s central locking system to malfunction and it won’t stop criminals from stealing your laptop and other valuables, it will certainly reduce the stress of having all of your data and personal / work information going missing too. Chat to a Soteria consultant and secure your data at your earliest convenience.

While it is one thing to stress about losing important information and data on your computer or handheld device, it is quite another to be completely restricted in what you can do with those devices and your personal data. In Iran, restrictions are a tough challenge for the people of the nation and something that many of us don’t have to deal with or even think about.

Iran undoubtedly is a conservative establishment, but no one expected the banning of Instagram which was set in place last week. Now it should really come as no surprise as the nation is already banned from using the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately those who already make use of these social media platforms in Iran are soon to find themselves restricted as Iran’s Ministry of Communications views social media as a threat. Officials are cracking down on all the “back alley” routes to connecting to these sites and ensuring that the people or Iran comply more strictly.

On Friday a statement was released to the public to say that the Iranian court had ruled in favour of banning Instagram as it is a form of privacy invasion. Of course not everyone is overjoyed with the rulings in Iran. In fact, recently when other social media platforms were banned, Islamic women took to the streets in protest without their hijabs and posted pictures on Facebook – an offence which is punishable with imprisonment!

While Iran faces great changes when it comes to social media and how the nation shares information and data, we are forced to think about how much we take our liberties and social media freedom for granted!

The question begs to be answered; how much longer can the Iranian government monitor and limit their nation before it results in all out revolt? Are the leaders of Iran playing with fire, or are they justified in their rulings? What are your thoughts? We would love to hear from you!