Information security & ethics

 2016, Misc  No Responses »
Mar 032016
 

an epic collection of articles on ‘information security & ethics’ upto 2008

Having scanned the titles in all 6 volumes, it’s reassuring to know that my research theme is still researchable.

Really goes to show that in this so-called age of ‘digitalisation’, folks still print large volumes of books. One can only guess that this is to avoid articles to be freely released ‘digitally’.
Makes economic sense for publishers but not for researchers.

Have to come up with an imaginative title for my Thesis – in due course.

 Posted by on March 3, 2016 at 5:46 pm

Data Privacy Day 28th January 2016 celebration

 2016, Misc, Month-by-month, Update  No Responses »
Jan 262016
 

My 2016 started off with issues dealing with my personal electronics gadgets – iPhone 4s and my MacBook Pro. iPhone 4s issues still unresolved as Three Mobile is unable and unwilling to sort my ‘blocked’ iPhone 4s.

Two good news…

Just sorted out my MacBook Pro yesterday, and luckily my research ‘data’ was recovered intact from my external hard disk and also from Dropbox.

Data Privacy Day event at City! Together with a City colleague, Dr David Haynes, we got our planned event into the City news page;

http://www.city.ac.uk/news/2016/jan/data-privacy-day-discussion

Headlines and content extracted and posted here;

City experts to discuss data privacy

The European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement are among several issues to be addressed by data privacy researchers.
The latest European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement are among several issues which will be discussed by City University London researchers on Data Privacy Day, 28th January 2016. The event will take place in Room AG07a from Noon to 1pm.

The wording of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was agreed in December 2015.

The new Regulation began life as a draft document in 2012 and after being debated in the European Parliament and a trilogue between the three EU institutions (the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament) the final wording has been agreed. The GDPR will take effect from 2018 and strengthens the protection offered to individuals within the EU.

Among its new provisions are:

1. Better control of personal data by individuals.

2. Better access by individuals to their own data.

3. Data portability.

4. The right to be forgotten.

5. The right to know about serious data breaches.

Following active lobbying the new Regulation also aims to be more business-friendly by cutting out the red tape. SMEs that handle personal data (such as employee records) will no longer be required to register with the data protection authorities, so long as processing personal data is not their main business. Unlike the current Data Protection Directive, the new Regulation will automatically apply across all EU states – it does not have to be passed into national law, such as the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998. Businesses working across Europe will only have to deal with one authority, rather than the regulatory body in each state that it operates in.

A recent judgement by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has highlighted some of these issues by ruling that employers are entitled to monitor employee communications when they are using the Internet during work hours. A Romanian worker sacked in 2007 for use of personal e-mail during work hours had appealed against a ruling by the Romanian courts that upheld his dismissal.

However the ECHR upheld a ruling by the Romanian Court, stating that it was not ‘unreasonable that an employer would want to verify that employees were completing their professional tasks during working hours’. This raises important issues for employees throughout the EU.

Definition Data Privacy Day
Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the 28th January 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Day is now a celebration for everyone, observed annually on 28th January.

Systematic Literature Review

 How To, Misc, Month-by-month  No Responses »
Nov 202015
 

I only seriously took an interest in the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method this summer – yup! only this summer. I was too busy reading and exploring interesting Chinese wuxing stuff with the view to do research on this subject matter.

As highlighted in my October post, I had to change my topic.

Now, I’m following the suggested steps outlined in the SLR to get to the TRUTH of whatever I’m conducting for my research, and off course to define/describe that ever elusive research question.

I’m following the normal route of conducting a piece of ‘academic’ PhD research, instead of following my heart to embark on digging deep into something as ancient and profound as in the Chinese wuxing. Perhaps one day I will get to do this topic.

I realised after my presentation (yesterday) to my supervisors on my new topic and motivation, that I’ve lost my motivation in coming up with a new topic to continue with my research.

I’m in deep trouble – as posted under reflection day – not on my research question, really…the trouble is my motivation behind doing a PhD. I just need to motivate myself, and come up with something the general public, researchers and my supervisors will also be motivated or interested in the chosen topic. This is what I now realised is what constitutes ‘academic’ ( unlike ‘professional’) PhD research, i.e. a research path not following one’s dream or one’s own madness into the deep unknown, just do what researchers have done but add a bit more or extend it somehow, and most importantly it is a ‘safe’ topic.

I was approached yesterday by my University Library staff to join a case study project, and one question is around advice for other researchers. My answer : ‘Have good supervisors and have perseverance’.

Perhaps I should also add – have luck in finding and working with supervisors who are kind, supportive and open minded to stretch boundaries with you on your dream PhD journey.

Reflection Day

 Misc  1 Response »
Nov 202015
 

Today is my day for deep reflection on things and events that have happened since I started on my PhD journey on 1st October 2013. Time has stood still in many ways for me…

If anyone do browse this supposedly private blog, did you notice the word ‘deep’?

I’ve heard of the expression; ‘you’re/I’m in deep trouble’. Lately, I noticed the word ‘deep’ has been used in the context of research and also in industry as in: ‘deep AI’, ‘deep analytics’, and also the ‘dark deep web’. I’m sure ‘deep’ (noun, adj) can be used in many ways in various context as well.

How does one reflect in mind-body-spirit the deep and rich tapestry of living in the now, in the concept of space and time?

That sure will be an unsolvable PhD research question, ‘sure’ as in mathematically 100% surely unsolvable.

My deep reflection takes me back to my current situation – I’m in deep trouble with my PhD research question :-) .

I also realised that I work best or deliver optimally or creatively when I’m left alone (into deep space and time) to get on with it – so to speak.

Well…when I do emerge out from the deep, things or events have stood still. When I’m in the ‘deep’ nothing else matters, just finding the way into the deep is the first challenging step.

Shifting in and out from the deep and back into the wider world of chaos, and joining a webinar soon…
Perhaps I should say ‘deepinar’ ?!

how to avoid turning a ‘solution into a problem’?

 Misc  No Responses »
Aug 152014
 

Is a ‘solution’ also a ‘problem’?

In the context of a PhD information security research, the answer is a resounding YES.
[hint - framing research problems involve finding solutions or gaps in solutions that remain as problems to be researched]

In the real world context in the application of information security solutions, the answer is YES too.
[hint - the solutions turn into problems for hackers to solve, and they cracked them most of the time!]

What a ‘messed up’ research and real world!?
[hint- complex problem = complex solution = messy research = real world]

On rating or ranking

 Misc  No Responses »
Dec 292013
 

I will remember 2013 as a year of ‘white-goods’ purchases. ‘White-goods’ meaning fridge-freezer, an oven-grill and washing machine. Yup! My trusted over ten years old machines all had to be replaced. Ten years ago I relied mostly on my kitchen fitter and orders from John Lewis. This year I resorted to trusting ‘Googling’ and the use of comparison sites with the rankings or/and ratings. One would have thought that with standardised measurements/fixtures for kitchen, it should be relatively easy to buy appliances especially with comparison sites that offer rankings and/or ratings and filtering options. Yes! Easy to buy (or click) once I get to find the machine that meets my full specification. None of the sites are designed to serve me as a customer searching for a particular machine instead they all list specifications from brands, with filtering mostly on price bands and brands i.e. focused on the seller rather than the consumer.
The consumer has their say in the rating or ranking provided by the sites. These are usually feedbacks or comments (after customer’s purchase!), which I do not find useful to help me find the item or make the final selection decision. So after hours browsing, I still have to call the stores to check the specifications and availability etc. Am I missing out the logic behind online shopping?

Perhaps in ten years time, I will be chatting online with a ‘buyer-helper’ (or interactive-agent) who will find & sell me what I am looking for. There’re sites offering online chat but they’re for after sale customer support. (i.e. again not focusing on customer but the seller).

Besides, I doubt that my new machines will have the same life span as my previous machines. The new machines are far too complicated with more features that I’ll ever need (or want), and all with digital (software parts) wizardry built in. Surely my kitchen machine needs have not changed over the pass ten years? These machines just need to be functional, reliable and safe to use, right? Well now there are environmental (e.g. energy efficiency, disposal law) aspects that manufacturers have to comply with, and they did these using software to make the machine smarter. Does this justify using digital display to tell me the status of the machine?

Also, 2013 will remind me of the year I make a bad choice in following the ratings and commentaries on Tablets. Yup! I opted for the Kindle Fire HDX (for my Christmas present from my kids), as I wanted a Tablet (that is cheaper than the iPad). What I failed to check out was whether the Kindle would enable me to read eBooks (not just Kindle books). I assumed that being a Kindle, reading online books would be a supported feature. Not so! Bad assumption and also not picking up the ‘technical’ commentaries, instead I read only the Amazon product site commentaries. I guess Amazon wants folks to buy eBooks irrespective of whether you have full access to Digital Rights protected materials (e.g. student access provided by Library/Online portals). I suspect one can do a technical break-in (e.g. via root access) but this mean I will have to break the product warranty license. So, the Kindle is on its way back to Amazon. (A nuisance for my daughter who has to deal with return/refund).

So it’s back to ‘trusted’ John Lewis, and today I’ve clicked on an iPad Mini. This time, I’ve tested out my daughter’s iPad Mini (her Xmas gift) instead of relying on ratings or rankings.

My recent experience with online shopping for ‘white goods’ (now computerised goods) and Tablet (mini-hand-held computer) highlighted just how much I am ‘dependent’ on computer or computerisation. If any of the software components in my washing machine and oven-grill were to malfunction, will the machines be ‘dead’ i.e. no sound, no light? There are no operating manual/ guidelines on ‘how to detect when machine fail or malfunction’. I guess it’s assumed to be ‘common sense’ or ‘prior experience of machine usage’ or ‘don’t need to know’ – treat it as a ‘black box’. So, I don’t need to know whether it’s malfunction of the software components and/or a physical mechanical failure. I guess I’ll stick with the version of ‘machine not working’ call engineer/company.

On further reflection, rating or ranking will certainly be useful if folks describe what the features provide or not provide (the good, ugly, bad features etc.) AND ALSO on how they deal with or detect machine breakdown or malfunction and their stories on dealing with suppliers/engineers. These are probably more painful to deal with and to describe, and make worst as we’re expected to treat such machines as ‘black boxes’. Mmm… wonder what googling on ‘rating or ranking of machine failures/malfunction’ will display…

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