Vacations In Santa Clarita - Airplane Wi-Fi Gets Up To Speed

Source      - http://online.wsj.com/
By            - JACK NICAS And ANDY PASZTOR
Category   - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

The race for fast Internet at 30,000 feet is accelerating as airlines roll out new technologies and speedier connections—offering more productivity for business travelers but also encroaching on a rare refuge from the wired world.

Gogo Inc., GOGO +10.78% the largest provider of inflight Internet in the U.S., on Wednesday plans to unveil a system that uses a combination of satellites and cellular towers, connecting airplanes to the Web at speeds six times as fast as its current best option.

Virgin America Inc. will launch Gogo's new inflight Wi-Fi service in the second half of 2014 and says it expects to eventually upgrade its 53 aircraft with the product.

That comes after JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU -2.04% received government approval last week to install a new high-capacity satellite link on many of its aircraft, an inflight Wi-Fi solution that can support streaming video to fliers' devices from Netflix Inc. NFLX -1.52% and Hulu, among others. 

JetBlue, which has lacked inflight Internet, plans to launch the service on some aircraft this year and equip its entire fleet of 180 aircraft by the end of 2015.

Gogo sets the prices for its onboard Wi-Fi, with options including $14 one-day passes and $50 monthly passes.

JetBlue said it is reviewing pricing for the service, but that basic Internet use initially will be free, while the airline will charge fliers for streaming content, which uses more bandwidth. Other airlines that provide Wi-Fi currently block access to streaming services like Netflix, to avoid cannibalizing their own fee-based inflight entertainment.

The new technologies could mean Internet speeds in the air that are at least as fast as the average Internet speeds for Americans on the ground—something that could help break down flier resistance to paying and make the service profitable. 

Almost nine of 10 U.S. fliers said they think every flight should offer Wi-Fi, according to a survey of 2,000 people released last week by Honeywell International Inc., which makes equipment for providing in-flight Internet. Yet Gogo said about 6% of potential customers currently purchase its Internet on flights.

Tim Farrar, a Menlo Park, Ca., satellite-industry consultant, said the same lower-than-expected percentage has generally held steady across the industry, "there's no indication of any dramatic shift" on the horizon and the trend could impede the swift growth that Gogo and rival services foresee. 

Some blame pokey speeds for that gap between desire and purchase. Fliers must share bandwidth, meaning that speeds slow when more passengers log on. David Cush, Virgin America's CEO, said that on average flights, about a fifth of its fliers pay for Wi-Fi, but that "it starts to top out at 30 to 35 users very simply because response time starts to degrade."

Gogo says its new service will offer speeds of 60 megabits per second to each airplane, compared with 3 mbps on its original Wi-Fi connection, which 1,700 aircraft still use, and 10 mbps on an updated product launched last year, which about 300 aircraft have. Panasonic Avionics Corp., which provides Wi-Fi to about 2,000 aircraft internationally, says its speeds now average 5 mbps to 10 mbps.

The average Internet connection on the ground in the U.S. is 8.6 mbps, according to Akamai Technologies Inc., a network operator.

JetBlue is connecting its aircraft via ViaSat Inc.'s VSAT +1.21% satellites, the first time a commercial airline will use the higher-capacity Ka-band satellite spectrum, which some in the industry see as the future of inflight Internet. Gogo intends to use a different constellation.

JetBlue said its new service would provide speeds of 12 mbps to each flier's device—not just the airplane, like on other providers. That model means "almost everyone on the airplane can enjoy that, not just one or two," said Don Buchman, ViaSat's director of mobile broadband.

Consultants said that JetBlue may be able to deliver high speeds to each device if several dozen fliers are just surfing the Web, but if users gravitate toward more bandwidth-intensive applications, JetBlue may find it hard to meet expectations.

Flights have been one of the few places that require people to unplug for a few hours. But since 2008, when AMR Corp.'s American Airlines flew the first Gogo-equipped commercial aircraft, the U.S. airline industry has rapidly expanded inflight Wi-Fi, connecting nearly 2,500 aircraft over the period.

Today, nearly 60% of commercial passenger aircraft in the U.S. are connected, not counting commuter jets, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of the nation's 12 biggest airlines. That compares with about 35% two years ago. By the end of 2015, the airlines plan to have more than 85% of their mainline aircraft connected, including virtually all of the larger jets flown by the nation's biggest carriers.

"It's bittersweet," said Jason Cupp, an independent management consultant from Kansas City, Mo., who took about 150 flights last year. "On one hand, it's good because I get a lot of work done. On the other, [a plane] is the only space in literally my entire life where I'm not on the Internet."

Matt Nevans, who travels more than 200,000 miles a year helping local governments set up email systems, said he is a loyal flier of United Continental Holdings Inc. But in recent years, as United was slow in adding inflight Wi-Fi, "I chose other airlines because I knew I needed to be online" during the flight. 

United expects to add Wi-Fi to 200 of its 700 mainline aircraft by the end of the year, from 90 now, and to be fully equipped by the end of 2015. 

"It's been a long time coming," Mr. Nevans said. 

Various foreign carriers have tried to focus on business travelers by maximizing connectivity on long-haul and intercontinental runs. But in some cases the revenue hasn't been as hefty as envisioned, according to industry consultants, partly because many of those trips are overnight flights. There also are signs that short-haul flights may not be conducive to streaming video. Southwest Airlines Co. which specializes in such flights, originally agreed to have Row44 Inc., is a unit of Global Eagle Acquisition Corp., provide such content for a fee. But at least temporarily, the connectivity is now being provided free of charge as long as users watch a brief advertisement for sponsor satellite-broadcaster Dish Network Inc.

Gogo posted a loss of $70.5 million in the first half of this year. According to Mr. Farrar, Wall Street analysts expect Gogo's revenue to climb to about $500 million over the next two or three years from an estimated $300 million in 2013. But plans to enhance Gogo's hybrid network will cost hundreds of millions of dollars over the same period, according to industry consultants and analysts.

Jimmy Schaeffler, who runs satellite consultancy the Carmel Group, said hybrid satellite and land-based systems "still may have to contend with quality issues stemming from clouds, weather systems and other factors."

Meeting Space Santa Clarita - PayPal To Offer Hands-Free Payment Through Smartphone App

Source     - http://www.pcworld.com/
By            - John Ribeiro
Category   - Meeting Space Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Meeting Space Santa Clarita

In its bid to boost its acceptance in physical retail stores, PayPal has introduced technology that will enable people running its app on smartphones to automatically check in at stores and restaurants.

Paying only requires a verbal confirmation, the payment processor said in a blog post describing its hands-free Beacon technology that uses the Bluetooth Low Energy standard for wireless communications between the store's point-of-sale system and the customer's smartphone to identify and authenticate users.

Beacon also does away with the requirement to swipe credit cards when making payments. PayPal said its team started working "on designing an integrated solution that would enable a transaction to take place without having to open up an app, without GPS being turned on, and even without a phone signal for those places with thick concrete walls."
Consumers will be able to choose those stores they will want to get prompted to confirm payment for, and stores where their walking into the store will trigger a vibration or sound to confirm a successful check in. "If you enter a store and decline to check in, or just ignore the prompt entirely, no information is transmitted to PayPal or the merchant," PayPal said.
Stores running point-of-sale systems compatible with PayPal will have to plug a PayPal Beacon device in a power outlet in their store. PayPal Beacon sends out a Bluetooth low energy signal to anyone with the PayPal app.
PayPal plans to start piloting the technology in the fourth quarter with full rollout planned for early next year.
PayPal is giving 100 developers that submit the best ideas access to the mobile in-store payments API (application programming interface) and a free developer version of the PayPal Beacon device. Developers are expected to try out ways to improve shopping experiences for customers, such as placing a customer's usual order as soon as they walk through the door or an interactive map to see where sales items are located.
Beacon will be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. The pricing of the device was not disclosed. PayPal introduced last week a redesigned app that allowed people to order ahead at restaurants, starting with Eat24 locations. Users can also use the app to view and pay the restaurant bill.

Vacations In Santa Clarita - Apple's Next Big Thing May Be Lower-Priced iPhone

Source     - http://www.boston.com/
By           - MICHAEL LIEDTKE
Category   - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

Apple’s much-anticipated update to its line-up of iPhones may leave the impression that the technology pioneer’s focus has shifted to making more affordable products than engineering innovative breakthroughs.

In keeping with its tight-lipped ways, Apple Inc. hasn’t disclosed what’s on the agenda for the coming-out party scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. PDT Tuesday at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.

But this is the time of year that Apple typically shows off the latest generation of its iPhone, a device that has reshaped the way people use computers since its debut in 2007. Apple took the wraps off the iPhone 5, the current model, last September. The company has never waited longer than a year to update the iPhone, which has generated $88 billion in revenue during the past year.

Apple’s timetable for rolling out products has vexed many investors who have watched the company’s growth slow and profit margins decrease. Meanwhile, a bevy of smartphone makers, most of whom rely on Google Inc.’s free Android software, release wave after wave of devices that cost less than the iPhone. Those concerns are reflected in Apple’s stock price, which has declined nearly 30 percent since peaking at $705.07 at about the same time the iPhone 5 went on sale last year. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has risen about 14 percent during the same stretch.

Even though Apple’s market value of roughly $460 billion is more than any other company in the world, the deterioration in its stock price is escalating the pressure on CEO Tim Cook to prove he’s the right leader to carry on the legacy of co-founder Steve Jobs. Since Cook became CEO two years ago, Apple has only pushed out new versions of products developed under Jobs, raising questions about whether the company’s technological vision has become blurred under the new regime.

In public appearances, Cook has repeatedly said Apple is working on some exciting breakthroughs, but he hasn’t revealed details. The company is believed to be working on a so-called ‘‘smartwatch’’ that would work like a wrist-bound smartphone. Samsung Electronics, one of Apple’s biggest rivals, introduced its own $300 smartwatch called Gear last week, as did Sony and Qualcomm Inc. It’s unclear whether a smartwatch will be on Apple’s Tuesday agenda.

The company isn’t expected to reveal the latest model of its tablet computer, the iPad, until later in the fall. Apple introduced a smaller, less expensive version of the iPad last year in response to the success of more compact and cheaper tablets running on the Android system.

This year’s refresh of the iPhone line may address the growing popularity of cheaper Android phones. Based on leaks from suppliers, it appears Apple is poised to release a less elaborate and less expensive version of the iPhone in an attempt to appeal to consumers too frugal or too poor to pay for the high-end model that sells for more than $600 without a wireless contract.

If reports published in technology blogs and newspapers pan out, the stripped-down iPhone will be called the ‘‘5C’’ and be housed in plastic casing that will be offered in a variety of colors instead of an aluminum casing.

Apple declined to comment, but an invitation for Tuesday’s event fed the multi-hued speculation swirling around the less expensive iPhone. The invitation was filled with colored bubbles and predicted, ‘‘This should brighten everyone’s day.’’

If it introduces a cheaper iPhone, Apple might end production of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S that were released in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Those models have been sold at a discount to the iPhone 5, a factor that has lowered the average price Apple has fetched for its phones.

A new version of the high-end iPhone also is expected to be revealed Tuesday. The top-of-the-line model, expected to be dubbed the ‘‘5S,’’ will be the first to be sold with Apple’s revamped mobile software, iOS 7, already installed. The new system, which will automatically update apps installed on the device, can be downloaded on the iPhone 4 and later models, as well as on the tablets beginning with the iPad 2.

The redesigned software announced in June relies on simple graphical elements in neon and pastel colors. Gone is the effort to make the icons look like three-dimensional, embossed objects — a tactic known as ‘‘skeuomorphism,’’ that was favored by Jobs. This will be the second iPhone model that Apple has released since Jobs’ death in October 2011.

Besides running on iOS 7, the upgraded iPhone may include technology that enables its owner to unlock the device with a fingerprint instead of a four-digit code. There is also speculation that the high-end iPhone will be sold in a golden color to supplement the product line’s more prosaic choice of black or white.

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita - Apple Is Set To Announce Two iPhones

Source      - http://www.nytimes.com/
By            - BRIAN X. CHEN
Category  - Budget Hotels Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita

The handset market is so brutally competitive that Apple, the most successful smartphone maker, is preparing to step up its game this week by offering two new iPhones instead of one.  

At an event on Tuesday at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, the company is set to unveil for customers worldwide a new iPhone with a faster processor, along with another model that will be sold at a lower cost. 

The company’s profit growth has slowed in response to a saturated handset market in America and parts of Europe. Many people already own a smartphone and are not upgrading to new devices as often as before. 

A lower-cost smartphone could allow Apple to expand into overseas markets — especially China, where the iPhone has been highly desired among many consumers but is just out of reach because of its price. 

“A cheaper model will open up the market significantly for Apple,” said Chetan Sharma, an independent telecom analyst who consults for phone carriers. 

Apple declined to comment on the new products. But analysts expect the higher-priced model to be an improvement over the current iPhone, including a faster processor and better camera flash, as well as a fingerprint sensor for security. 

The second iPhone is expected to be a cheaper version of the soon-to-be-outdated iPhone 5, coming in a variety of colors, with a plastic case instead of aluminum. Analysts expect the full price of the lower-cost iPhone to be $300 to $400, positioning it as a midtier product. 

Apple has been enormously successful, with the iPhone driving most of its revenue. In the second quarter, the company took 53 percent of the profit in the global smartphone market, with Samsung Electronics, which uses Google Android software to run its smartphones, taking the rest, according to a survey by Canaccord Genuity, an investment bank. 

But both Apple and Samsung face a common enemy: the tide of manufacturers that produce dirt-cheap Android phones. While they make all the profits, Apple and Samsung have seen their combined share of the worldwide smartphone market drop to 43 percent in the second quarter from 49 percent a year earlier. The makers of cheaper phones — including Huawei, Yulong and ZTE of China, and Micromax and Karbonn of India — are raking in sales in emerging markets where high-end smartphones are not popular. 

“We’ve had several indications from the handset market that vendors are in real trouble,” said Tero Kuittinen, an analyst for Alekstra, a mobile diagnostics firm. “The biggest threat to all the companies seems to be the low-end Androids.” 

In terms of sales, smartphones surpassed traditional flip phones this year. There are a few markets remaining where traditional cellphones are still outselling the smartphone, including India, Brazil and Russia. Data from Qualcomm suggests that Latin America, China and India are adding substantially higher numbers of smartphone subscriptions than North America, Japan, Korea and Europe. 

China, with its huge population, is an attractive target for Apple. But Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, said recently in a call with investors that the company was puzzled about why sales of its products were struggling in China. Sales there fell 4 percent in the second quarter compared with the same quarter last year. And Apple’s sales in Hong Kong were down about 20 percent. 

A cheaper iPhone could help it gain traction in China, depending on its cost. 

Analysts said the introduction of the cheaper iPhone would probably coincide with an expected partnership deal with China Mobile, which has about 700 million subscribers — about seven times as many as Verizon Wireless. Capturing even a small percentage of China Mobile customers would translate to tens of millions more iPhone sales. 

Apple already sells its phones in China through China Telecom, a major network operator, but it slipped into sixth place among smartphone makers there in the second quarter, with a share of only 4.8 percent, according to Canalys, a research firm. Over all, China is the largest smartphone market in the world, accounting for one-third of worldwide shipments of smartphones in the second quarter; the United States is in second place, accounting for about 14 percent of shipments in the same period, according to Canalys. 

Despite Apple’s efforts to keep its plans secret, clues about the new iPhones leaked out. China Telecom briefly posted a message last week on a blog platform soliciting early orders for the new devices. It identified the high-end model as the iPhone 5S, and the lower-cost one as the iPhone 5C. The post was later removed. A spokesman for China Telecom declined to comment, citing nondisclosure agreements. 

In Japan, where Apple is much stronger but faces a renewed challenge from domestic smartphone makers like Sony, the company has struck a deal to sell the iPhone with the country’s biggest mobile phone carrier, NTT Docomo, two people briefed on the situation said Friday. Docomo has 60 million customers, but it has been losing market share to Japan’s other two main mobile operators, SoftBank and KDDI, which operates under the brand name au. Both have been marketing Apple’s phones aggressively, giving Apple a 40 percent share of smartphone sales in the first quarter, according to IDC, a research firm. 

Historically, so that it can protect the quality of its products as well as profit margins, Apple has refused to make cheaper products just to get more customers. Therefore, a lower-cost iPhone would most likely be positioned as a midtier product, similar to the approach Apple took with the iPad Mini. At $330, the iPad Mini is cheaper than the bigger, $500 iPad, but not as affordable as the smaller Android tablets offered by Google and Amazon, which cost from $160 to $230. 

Realistically, a lower-cost iPhone will be $300 to $400 at full price, Mr. Kuittinen, the Alekstra analyst, said, significantly less than the current iPhone, which costs $650. Overseas, many phone carriers charge full price because they do not subsidize the upfront cost of a smartphone the way carriers do in the United States. And while a lower-cost iPhone would drive up Apple’s revenue, it would probably not be a blockbuster hit in economically disadvantaged markets, Mr. Kuittinen said. 

“Nobody is saying Apple should have a $130 iPhone,” he said, “but if they price this iPhone 5C at $400 or above, it’s just not going to be effective in countries like India, China or even Brazil.” 

Still, even if the price is fairly high, a cheaper iPhone should appeal to a subset of people in developing countries who flaunt gadgets as status symbols, like jewelry. People who were on the fence about buying an iPhone might pay a little extra just to be able to show off, Mr. Sharma, the telecom analyst, said. “Consumers are willing to shell out money to own a brand,” he said. “I think a $300 price gives them a chance to own it.”

Santa Clarita Local Colleges - Many Don't Feel Bad After Cheating, But Have 'Cheater's High'

Source       - http://www.upi.com/
By             - Press Release
Category    - Santa Clarita Local Colleges
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita Local Colleges

People who think they can get away with cheating can lead to a "cheater's high," U.S. researchers suggest.

Lead author Nicole E. Ruedy of the University of Washington said although people predicted they would feel bad after cheating or being dishonest, many didn't. 

"When people do something wrong specifically to harm someone else, such as apply an electrical shock, the consistent reaction in previous research has been that they feel bad about their behavior," Ruedy said in a statement. "Our study reveals people actually might experience a 'cheater's high' after doing something unethical that doesn't directly harm someone else."

Several experiments involving more than 1,000 people in the United States and England found even when there was no tangible reward, people who cheated felt better on average than those who didn't cheat. 

A little more than half the study participants were men, with 400 from the general public in their late 20s or early 30s and the rest in their 20s at universities.

Participants predicted that they or someone else who cheated on a test or logged more hours than they had worked to get a bonus would feel bad or ambivalent afterward. 

However, when participants actually cheated, they said they generally got a significant emotional boost instead. 

In addition, the study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, also found people who gained from another person's misdeeds felt better on average than those who didn't.

Hotel In Santa Clarita - Apple To Unveil New iPhone Models? What We Want To See

Source      - http://popwatch.ew.com/
By             -  Samantha Highfill
Category   - Hotel In Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel In Santa Clarita

On Sept. 10, Apple is holding an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California to reportedly unveil new models of the iPhone, from a standard upgrade for the iPhone 5 to a brand new model that’s meant to be more affordable for those in developing regions. The event will also feature the release of an overhaul to the iOS mobile operating system, according to Bloomberg.

All that sounds great and fancy, but what does it really mean for those of us with iPhones? Well, iOS7 has been introduced with a number of new features, including a Control Center, a Notification Center, and better multitasking (so all of those commercials can finally stop). It also promises an overall more organized experience when it come to things such as photos, and easier sharing with AirDrop, which uses WiFi and Bluetooth to share anything from an app. And did we mention the more colorful screen?

So far so good. But considering my iPhone is pretty much my best friend at this point, there are a few other adjustments I’d really like to see:

Colorful options: It’s time for customers to be able to get a blue iPhone if that’s what they want. It’s been five years. This relationship is not just black and white (and champagne) anymore.

Time stamps on iMessage: Surely this isn’t too much to ask for. It’s as simple as knowing when you sent a message, which works with text messages, so why doesn’t it apply to iMessages?

Easy picture editing: iOS7 has mentioned the ability to add filters to photos, which is great — or pointless if you’re an Instagram person — but what I want is to be able to edit photos easily without having to get a separate app.

Complete app control: Maybe this will never happen, but being able to get rid of the apps I don’t use (even the pre-installed ones) would really free up some space on my beloved home screen.

Auto-translate: I’m talking about the ability to translate a text message without ever leaving the app. Let that sink in.

Better battery life/wireless charging: I’m told this exists, so why am I still plugging in my phone at night?

Tactile screen: I’m told this exists, so why am I still touching a seemingly flat surface?

Individual MiFi for every phone: Without any extra cost, please and thank you.

Financial aid: No, my iPhone doesn’t need to lend me money. But if it could alert me when my bills are due without me having to add it in my calendar myself, my credit would greatly appreciate it.

Upgraded alarm clock: Here’s the deal — I want my alarm clock to 1) Link with my calendar, so it can wake me up by telling me that I have a 9 a.m. meeting (or whatever); 2) Be able to sound like anyone I want. I would definitely wake up if Ben McKenzie were saying “Good Morning,” wouldn’t you?; And 3) There’s no reason why my iPhone can’t know the difference between me turning off the alarm in a semi-comatose state and actually waking up. Bottom line: I shouldn’t oversleep anything ever again. Look, I’m not asking it to make me breakfast — let’s not get crazy — but it would be nice if it could turn on my coffee pot, pour my coffee, add milk and two sugars, and then put the mug on my nightstand (but not too close that I knock it over getting out of bed).

Shopping assistance: I don’t need my iPhone to carry my grocery bags (though that would be helpful), but it would be great if it could look in my fridge and tell me if my eggs have expired, how much wine is left, and if I have enough milk for it to make my coffee for the rest of the week.

Overall companionship: When my roommate is gone and something like Batfleck happens, I need someone to talk to. My iPhone knows what’s going on with Twitter and such, so why can’t I just talk to him/her about it (gender will be determined by what color phone I get)? And when we’re done chatting, it can give me endless compliments! Too much?

Now I pass the torch to you, PopWatchers. What changes would you make to your iPhone?

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita - 5 Techniques For Maintaining Web Confidentiality

Source       - http://news.yahoo.com/
By             - Larry Greenemeier
Category    - Family Hotels In Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita

So many of the Web’s most popular services—e-mail and search as well as photo and video sharing—may be free, but that doesn’t mean they come without a cost. That price is information about the people using those services as well as their online behavior—intelligence that Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other Internet companies exchange for advertising revenue. The trade-off of privacy for free services is generally acceptable to most Web users, who are used to incessant advertising—and at times even benefit from personalized attempts to sell them products and services.

The darker side of bartering in personal data, however, is that Web users lose control over who has access to their information, which is often shared well beyond the scope of their original understanding. Google uses automated scanning to filter spam and deliver targeted advertising to its Gmail users, claiming they have “no expectation of privacy” when using its free e-mail service. Facebook, meanwhile, recently settled a $20-million class action settlement following a lawsuit over the social network’s lucrative "Sponsored Stories" program that shares users' "likes" of certain advertisers with friends without paying them or allowing them to opt out.

In addition to nuisance ads, unsolicited e-mails and unintended endorsements, this oversharing creates other, more serious threats to privacy, says Seth Schoen, senior staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Personalized ads could reveal to others a Web user’s sensitive or embarrassing medical condition, particularly if that user shares a computer with others or surfs the Web in a public place. “The better the ad personalization gets, the more significant those consequences could be,” Schoen adds.

Information collected via the Web could also be problematic for a person during legal proceedings. A lot of people don’t realize that subpoena power in civil cases is broader than it is in criminal cases, Schoen says. Internet service providers (ISPs) and other companies doing business on the Web can be forced to turn over most information they have about their users or customers as part of a lawsuit such as an employment dispute or divorce.

Another threat to privacy involves how well Web companies entrusted with their customers’ personal information secure that data from being lost or stolen and used to steal a person’s identity. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit that tracks data breaches, reports that nearly 1.8 million data records have been lost or stolen this year from businesses, government agencies and health care facilities. “The risk comes simply from the companies collecting and storing personal information, and it’s not a very unlikely or hypothetical concern,” Schoen says.

Despite this bleak outlook for privacy, there are tools available to Web users designed to protect personal information from prying eyes. None of these tools alone ensures complete privacy or protection from cyber snooping, but they do offer a way to trim the data trails that curtail one’s privacy.