Advertisements Masquerading as News and Spreading Misinformation

While some online advertising will expose you to a product or service that makes your life easier, advertising in the guise of internet news is not only insincere, but it can often lead to misinformation on important issues in its quest to sell you something that you don’t need. This kind of insincere journalism is not just a phenomenon of small, sensationalist outlets, but the some of the largest broadcasters in cyberspace. Sometimes a small “Sponsored” tag, hidden near an article’s headline, is all that can warn you of the piece’s ulterior motives.

Take, for example, a centerpiece from “Smart Web User” that aired on Microsoft Edge’s default home page towards the end of November, right next to breaking news about a plane crash that killed 76 people and the weather. It is a fabrication that insinuates that identity theft is something of a recent phenomenon and particularly concerning to those who own PCs that are over 6 months old, and that the best way to combat this trend, indeed the avenue recommended by “experts,” is to purchase ScanGuard, a piece of security software fighting for a place in a competitive market. Do this or you might as well stop using the internet, as the article’s banner suggests: “1 Shocking Reason Not To Use The Internet Today.” This is a prime example of a narrative skewed to sell bloatware: software that is unnecessary for most and will only slow down the machine that it’s installed on. In reality, identity theft is not a new issue, and the best defense against it is education. We have protocols that use free software to combat the malware that collects the information used to steal your identity. So be weary of such “news.”

Data Connections

Please contact us for proposals on business grade fibre and midband data links. We can offer solutions from just about any provider (ISP) in Sydney

FAQ

What computer systems do you work with? Just about everything. Do you charge for travel time? Not for local bookings – only when extended travel is involved. Do you have an office where I can take my faulty computer to get repaired? Yes, you can find us at Suite 52, 6-8 Herbert Street St Leonards. Please call-ahead first, so that we are best prepared for the job. What about the warranty on the products I buy from you? All new products come with the manufacturer’s warranty. Second hand products have a 90 day warranty

Data Recovery

The most common data recovery procedure we perform involves a computer that won’t boot due to a drive failure. This is most often caused by a bump or a knock to the computer while the hard disk is writing critical data. Sometimes the head physically crashes into the the plater. This is where the term ‘hard drive crash’ originated. Of course failure of spinning hard disks happens for many reasons include wear and tear. Some drives spin at 10,000 rpm with as little as 3 nanometres separating the drive head from the disk plater. This provides very little room for error. Something that goes hand in hand with data recovery is your backup plan. If you don’t have a backup policy in place please contact us straight away for a tailor made solution. To ensure we can recover as much data as possible stop using the media or the effected computer straight away. Stage one recovery prices start from only $250 for most media types including hard drives, discs and flash cards. This price includes GST and the replacement drive. In most situations we can recover your data in this first stage. The second stage of disc recovery is the [&hellip