Road to 5**﹕Smartphones and privacy

[2018.10.29] 發表
(Source: A cartoon by 尊子, published in Ming Pao on 2017.09.14)

【明報專訊】◆Source A

Now what? Who is your owner that was mugged?

Source: A cartoon by 尊子, published in Ming Pao on 2017.09.14

◆Source B

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the advent of the iPhone, Apple released the iPhone X in September 2017, which features a full screen design for the first time. What is more, a facial recognition function (Face ID)has replaced fingerprint unlocking (Touch ID). The front camera and sensor provide 3D images of the owner's face, which can be used to unlock the phone and make payments through Apple Pay.

——an abridged report by Ming Pao published on 2017.09.14

◆Interpretation of the cartoon

The smartphone in the cartoon can recognise an owner only through their facial features but nothing else, showing the limitations of the iPhone's facial unlocking function. If the owner has an injury to the face, the phone might not be able to recognise the owner, calling into question the security or convenience.

■Questions and answering guidelines

1. What are the user-related factors that increase the risk of leakage of private information when using a smartphone?

Lack of awareness of network security

For convenience, people might not enable the locking function, and their passwords for online accounts might be too simple or not updated regularly. When they lose their phones, they might lose their private information. Their online accounts might also be hacked into.

Using too many apps

As smartphones become increasingly popular, there are more and more applications, some of which ask the user to allow access to private information. This increases the risk of leakage of private information.

Web-based social interactions

Nowadays people tend to connect with friends with social networking applications, where a large number of photographs and videos are stored. The fact that users tend to log into their social network accounts with their smartphones means that their phones contain a lot of folders with personal information. This increases the risk of leakage of personal data if they lose their phones.

2. How can we reduce the negative impacts of information technology?

Treat information technology as just a tool

Information technology brings convenience to our lives, but over-reliance on them can lead to addiction. We should reduce the use of technological products like smartphones unless it is necessary, and broaden the scope of our lives by, for example, exercising more.

Enhance our technological knowledge

Science and technology leads to negative impacts often because people do not fully understand it. They might not understand issues of network safety when using the network or fail to pay attention to posture and usage time when using a smartphone. We can reduce the negative impacts of technology through understanding how to use it appropriately.

Cultivate good manners for using information technology

Given the power of information technology, it can be exploited by some to engage in illegal activities, such as internet fraud and the invasion into others' computers for personal data. If efforts are made to cultivate and enhance people's manners and teach them the importance of respecting others' privacy, illegal activities that are driven by curiosity, mischief or greed might be reduced.

Text: 劉俊偉, Liberal Studies teacher at Po Leung Kuk Yao Ling Sun College

Translation: Terence Yip

[通通識 第540期]

更多教育
時事你點睇﹕你是否支持「普教中」?
【明報專訊】背景資料 「普教中」是指以普通話作為中國語文科的主要教學語言(即中文科課堂以普通話授課的比例逾50%)。1999年,由政府... 詳情
焦點新聞﹕一周焦點通識新聞
【明報專訊】■10月14日(全、能) 泰國2021年前停收塑膠洋垃圾 隨?中國內地2018年起停止進口包括部分塑膠在內的「洋垃圾... 詳情
遊戲設計師冠軍
【明報專訊】油麻地天主教小學(油天)的六年級學生吳凱藍(左起)、謝樂澄、陳匯霖、梁樂謙為讓大家明白環保的重要,合作設計了「低碳達人」的VR遊... 詳情
STEAM校園多事幹:過三關 設計 低碳達人
【明報專訊】4名學生齊齊設計VR遊戲參加比賽,得獎其次,看見別人玩自己設計的遊戲才最高興!因為他們的獲獎VR遊戲可在「煤氣綠火焰VR嘉年華」... 詳情
時事常識挑戰(香港):政策影響深遠
【明報專訊】規劃城市應該如何發展,似乎是大人的事, 不過可別忘記,他們今日建設的香港, 將會決定小朋友長大後的生活環境! ... 詳情

明報網站 · 版權所有 · 不得轉載
Copyright © 2018 mingpaocanada.com All rights reserved.
Ming Pao Daily News A wholly owned subsidiary of Ming Pao Enterprise Corporation Ltd.
Toronto Chinese Newspaper

1355 Huntingwood Drive, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1S 3J1 | Tel.: (416) 321-0088 | Fax: (416) 321-9663 | Advertising Hotline Tel: (416) 673-8250