Assignment 1: Informational Literacy

Ruthie Goldman

Page 1 of 3

Assignment 1: Information Literacy

1. Use the Internet to find a Technology current event article.

http://www.zdnet.com/security-users-show-more-paranoia-than-practical-skills-7000033789/

2. Write a paragraph summarizing the article.

Security: Users show more paranoia than practical skills
John Fontana
September 17, 2014
According to the survey by Kaspersky Labs, most people store highly personal and sensitive
information on their computers and are terrified that it will be stolen. However, they never bother to take
the steps to protect their data in a more secure fashion. What is the reason for this? One might say that it
is because theft of data may seem different than theft of physical objects and does not seem as real in the
cyber world. Or one can say that computer users are just waiting for digital help and are expecting that
digital banks and stores will make their transactions secure. But even if that help was given- and attempts
have been made by the FIDO alliance- would users apply it? Maybe the real reason behind non-secure
information is the lack of convenience. Will this generation of web users pull themselves out of their lazy
history?

3. Find two additional Internet articles on the same topic.

A) http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/zuckerberg-called-obama-to-express-frustration-over-new-
nsa-revelations/
B) http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/security-software/284176-internetsafety-com-announces-safe-
eyes-6-0
A was found through the Google search engine, and B was done through the Bing search engine.
I found that google was better than Bing because Bing had so many pop-ups it got in the way of
everything. Also when I typed in internet security, Google had much more relevant results than Bing did.

4. TRAAP your sources.

[A] http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/zuckerberg-called-obama-to-express-frustration-over-new-nsa-
revelations/

1. Time- Written March 13, 2014. No updates.

Assignment 1: Informational Literacy
Ruthie Goldman

Page 2 of 3

2. Relevance- It relates to my topic of internet security. Here Mark Zuckerberg, founder of
Facebook, is concerned that the NSA has been weakening security standards.

3. Authority- Written by Josh Constine and Gregory Ferenstein for TechCrunch. Constine is
qualified to write about internet security. He graduated Stanford University with a masters in
Cybersociology along with a BA in Social Psychology and Interpersonal Processes. He joined
Facebook and became intrigued with social networking. He has been quoted by The Wall Street
Journal, CNN Money, the Atlantic, and other big corporations. However, I do not know how
reliable Gregory Ferenstein is, there is no profile for him. But I would assume that he reliable
because he is writing with a suitable authority and for a reliable website.

4. Accurate- The information in this article is accurate. They bring in real quotes and support it with
facts. They even present the facts that show the other side of the story as well. They added how
the government hasnt actually done this yet, Mark Zuckerberg is just worried about their
attempts to destabilize the security of private information for government purposes.

5. Purpose- The purpose of this article was to inform computer users- and more specifically-
Facebook users about how the government might make security weaker and to indirectly
persuade them to lobby against the NSA. I think there was a little bit of bias in this article though,
because it doesnt mention the reasons the NSA would want to find out information, and that they
try to do it for the physical safety of our country.

5. Find two scholarly journal articles on the same topic from the CCBC
library databases.

A) http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=efa884b3-
bb6b-47c1-b3df-
8b3f6d011912%40sessionmgr114&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZ
T1zaXRl#db=aph&AN=88981803

B) http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=efa884b3-
bb6b-47c1-b3df-
8b3f6d011912%40sessionmgr114&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZ
T1zaXRl#db=aph&AN=31317843

Key Words: internet safety
Database: Academic Search Premier
I used Academic Search Premier because that was the most general database for scholarly journal articles
there. I wanted different opinions for internet safety, and I didnt know where else to find it.

6. Compare the Internet and Journal articles.

Accessing the journal articles was much harder than accessing the mainstream internet articles.
First of all, the database is only available for CCBC students- so I had to log in, go to their home page,
find the library, and find a database, type in the keywords and search. When I searched for the internet
articles, all I had to do was type in the keywords. They were both very appropriate, but I found that the
scholarly journals were better because they were made up more of facts than human interest stories like
the internet articles. The authority of both were reliable. Both authors went to college and graduated with
Assignment 1: Informational Literacy
Ruthie Goldman

Page 3 of 3

some sort of degree. The journal articles probably have better authority though, they are writing for a
scholastic audience; while a regular internet article is writing for the general population who are looking
more for stories and gossip with a little bit of facts to back their theory up.

7. Cite all five sources in APA or MLA format.

MLA format:
Ferenstein, Gregory, and Josh Constine. "Zuckerberg Called Obama To Express Frustration Over
Spyings Threat To Internet Security | TechCrunch." TechCrunch. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 21
Sept. 2014.

Fontana, John. "Security: Users Show More Paranoia than Practical Skills." ZDNet. N.p., 17 Sept. 2014.
Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

LaRose, Robert, Nora J. Rifon, and Richard Enbody. "PROMOTING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
for INTERNET SAFETY." Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, 1 Mar. 2008. Web. 21 Sept.
2014.
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=efa884b3
bb6b-47c1-b3df-8b3f6d011912%40sessionmgr114&vid=9&hid=125>.

Moreno, Megan A., Katie G. Egan, Kaitlyn Bare, Henry N. Young, and Elizabeth D. Cox. "Internet
Safety Education for Youth: Stakeholder Perspectives." Internet Safety Education for Youth:
Stakeholder Perspectives (2013): 1-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?sid=efa884b3-bb6b-47c1
b3df
8b3f6d011912%40sessionmgr114&vid=8&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY
9wZT1zaXRl#db=aph&AN=88981803>.

Rubenking, Neil J. "InternetSafety.com Announces Safe Eyes 6.0." PCMAG. SecurityWatch, 8 Jan. 2010.
Web. 21 Sept. 2014.