Thin Client Technology, Laptops and Identity Theft
By John Young

The Laptop Theft Epidemic

Possibly one of the most terrifying thefts that can happen to you is the theft of your laptop. Whether it’s your own personal computer, or a company computer you’ve taken along on a business trip, your laptop holds unaccountable information that probably you yourself don’t even know is there. A lot of information is in the form of passwords and web url’s that give a thief access to anything from your bank account numbers to your credit card statements, Federal and State tax forms, and that Holy Grail of all Holy Grails — your Social Security Number. Data on your computer is, of course, fully accessible to the thief.

According to Laptop Theft Resources, 20% of Data Breaches in 2008 were due to laptop theft.

Beyond the personal nightmare

But beyond the personal nightmare of having your own identity stolen comes information about your clients, either of your personal business or the company you may be working for. Recent horror stories include stolen laptops from insurance companies that keep the personal data of 10′s of thousands of clients. These have been stolen from employees who took the computer out of the office to do some work at home.

It’s estimated that an ordinary notebook contains $972,000 dollars worth of sensitive information and some could store over eight million dollars. Theft of a laptop makes up over 54% of all Identity Theft incidents and since 2005, there have been more than 150 million data breaches resulting in Identity Theft (Absolute Software). Yet, there seems to be an unaccountable apathy toward laptop theft. Starbucks, for example, reported in 2008 a theft that involved 97000 unencrypted records, social security numbers, and passwords but according to Laptop Theft Resources, media response was minimal, and the public seemed uninterested.

The Thin Client Solution to Identity Theft

By placing the lion’s share of information on a remote server and gaining access to it by strongly encrypted passwords, a thin client laptop effectively puts all the information processed by it out of the ID thief’s reach. The theft of a laptop would then involve only the hardware involved, and since a thin client’s value is only $500 – $600 (or less) this represents a much lower loss than a fully equipped laptop which can run well over $2000. And with modern theft recovery services such as LOJACK, the thin client can be easily recovered.

So why isn’t there a high demand for thin client laptops?

Little Demand for Thin Client Laptops?

So far, consideration of thin client technology has been pretty much limited to the Corporation. Consumers seem to have little demand for it. Several reasons might account for this: 1) Consumers want all of their software, data, and storage under their direct control. 2)The infrastructure is not yet fully developed. Google is working on the back end services necessary for thin client solutions. 3)The “airplane solution” has not yet been fully worked out. This solution would enable you to work on your data in places where access to the Internet is not available. 4) Wireless networks need to improve in band width and security. 5) Security of the remote servers and databases would have to be absolute and not hackable. Hacking into remote systems would be far more devastating than the theft of a single laptop. Instead of exposing 96000 people to Identity Theft, conceivably 100 million could be exposed once the system becomes universally accepted.

Is There a Future for Thin Client Notebooks?

Perhaps, though, the main hindrance to consumer acceptance of thin client laptops is apathy toward Identity Theft. In spite of the daily horror stories appearing in newspapers and on the Internet, we seem to cling to the attitude that “it happened to the other guy but it can’t happen to me”. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but until we as consumers really face the fact that any one of us can become victims at any time, we won’t really be willing to overcome our aversion to complete control, and possession, of all of our data on our personal computers.

Data can be made absolutely secure on a remote server; we have the technology for that. With that in mind, it becomes obvious that thin client laptops are the ultimate answer to laptop Identity Theft. But will we all someday be processing our data remotely, when a laptop theft involves the theft of hardware only? Will that day come?

It depends… It depends on you and me, and whether we are willing to take the step to the new paradigm of having our data and processing power located on a remote computer, not in our direct possession. We need first to recognize that Identity Theft is a horror that can indeed happen to us, and make whatever changes are necessary to prevent it. Secondly, we need to realize that the data we think is under our control can easily fall into the hands of a thief and will NO LONGER be in our possession.

Then we will be ready for “thin client” laptops.

Your Identity Stolen (http://www.youridentitystolen.com) is an online magazine devoted to publishing articles on Identity Theft and to provide information and resources for those who may have fallen victim to this crime epidemic.

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Teen Abusive Relationships – How to Understand and Solve This Huge Problem in Our Communities
By Leo L Ryan

Teen abusive relationships is another one of the areas of abusive relationships that is part of the huge issue of relationship problems.

There are so many overall aspects of this issue to take into consideration. To get some idea of what I am referring to it may be helpful to touch on some of the statistics that are available to us.

Many of them are not up to date, however they give us some indication of the scale of the problem. Also these figures are not comprehensive as the extent of the problem is not really known because of the under reporting that occurs.

This happens for various reasons, usually because of the fear and intimidation that is such an integral part of abusive relationships, including teen abusive relationships.

Other aspects of this lack of reporting is the embarrassment experienced and many victims have been conditioned to believe they are responsible for the abuse in some way.

Many abusers present as shining knights to others, even victim’s own families, and those being abused think they will not be believed, because of how others experience the abuser.

Given the fact none of the figures known are really accurate, those we come across give some indication of the extent of the problem.

One set of statistics indicated that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States – more than rapes, muggings, and automobile accidents combined. As indicated by the age range, this includes teen abusive relationships.

Another statistic indicated a woman is beaten every 9 seconds in the United States. Yet another showed a woman is in nine times more danger of violent attack in her home than on the streets.

Women and teenage girls are more likely to be victims of homicide when they decide to separate from husbands or boyfriends. There are 3 killed on average every week in the United States. The risk is highest in the first two months after separation.

Women and teenage girls are often severely injured – 22 to 35% of of those who visit medical emergency rooms are there for injuries related to ongoing abuse.

Surveys show that abuse in dating relationships is prevalent. Some suggest the incidence is on the increase. About one in three females will experience violence at the hands of their boyfriends before they reach adulthood, so this also relates to teen abusive relationships.

Sometimes teenage girls do not recognize they are involved in abusive relationships, as they are unaware of, or misunderstand, some of the signs. Such things as being overly attentive and seemingly protective.

It is likely these things happen in the early stages of the relationship and can be interpreted initially as healthy jealousy or caring.

Before long it will be experienced as possessiveness, or acting like they own you, and wanting to control you in every way. Putting you down and undermining you in a whole range of ways, classic parts of teen abusive relationships as well as all other abusive relationships.

This will involve telling you what to do and not to do. It will include extremes of mood and temperament. There will be the apologies and promises of it never happening again.

You want to believe him as he seems so sincere and genuine, only you find before long he resorts to the same tactics, often with the addition of placing the responsibility onto you.

I met someone recently who was pushed over by her ex partner and she broke her arm. He told her it was her own fault. He accepted no responsibility.

Other aspects of abusive relationships, including teen abusive relationships, is being subjected to false accusations, suggesting you have been unfaithful and the like.

You can be prevented from doing things you want to do, including being isolated from friends and family. This is not an exhaustive list as there are many other things that could be mentioned.

The big question is – why do so many men carry on like this? Most explanations, such as being insecure, having low self esteem, problems with anger, or drugs and alcohol etc., are simply excuses in my view, and are not helpful at all.

The only way I can make sense of it is, that as males we are encouraged to think we are superior to women. Consequently, those who allow themselves to be influenced by this programming, tend to adopt the role of master and believe they have every right to hold power over and dominate those inferior lot, namely women and children.

This is the modeling that is rife in society and it is no surprise it is manifested in teen abusive relationships.

The only way relationships can work is for us to agree that men and women are equal, no one is superior or inferior to the other, and this is shown by the way we relate to each other.

It follows we acknowledge and respect each other, and have relationships many people have no idea is possible, and as a result, have richer, fuller and more satisfying lives.

Leo has been a counselor for twenty years dealing with a range of issues with clients. During that time he has dealt with relationships primarily, specializing in abusive relationships. He has given many talks, seminars and workshops on relationships to a broad cross section of people in the community, including other counselors, doctors, nurses, police, politicians, church groups, to name a few. He has also been interviewed by all sectors of the media about aspects of his work. He is the author of the eBook, “How To Have An Extraordinary Relationship.” His website is: http://www.relationship-tips-for-you.com

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