[Informatics] Census user flow

Wed Aug 10 12:38:30 AEST 2016

Hi Lucas.

The thing that still baffles me is the *motive* for a DDoS attack on a
census site.
Since the apparent intention was to interrupt data entry rather than
penetrate the system and steal or damage data, what benefit could that have
for the attackers?

No-one has claimed responsibility, so it wouldn't seem to be an exercise
for bragging rights.
Maybe it was a political statement by anonymity activists... who have
decided to remain anonymous.

No ransom seems to have been demanded to stop the attacks.

Odd.

Mark

On 10 August 2016 at 09:23, Garth, Lucas A <garth.lucas.a at edumail.vic.gov.au
> wrote:

> Hi Mark and other fellow Informatics teachers
>
>
>
> Looks like we have a good case study for our U4O2 work
>
>
>
> Not only do you have the “design features” outlined by Mark below, but you
> also have the focus on the physical and software concerns.
>
>
>
> I’ve linked to a quite non-techy article which at least provides some
> outline for the SNAFU that occurred last night for the Census:
>
>
>
> http://www.news.com.au/technology/census-fail-abs-
> spent-nearly-500000-on-load-testing-the-servers/news-story/
> d04709eca6e02d1bbc492a0be9dffa58
>
>
>
> Some thoughts for pondering. Take one or a few of these to your
> Informatics class over the next week.
>
>
>
> -          What is the difference between a DDoS and a hack?
>
> -          How can you know if the census site was compromised?
>
> -          What is the problem/issue if the site WAS compromised?
>
> -          If the ABS suggests the hacks were created by the Chinese, how
> could this be found out, and how could these potentially have been
> stopped/mitigated?
>
> -          Who in an organisation would carry the responsibility for data
> security?  Who would make the big decisions (such as outsourcing the load
> testing procedures)?  What type of decisions would need to be made in
> creating a census, from strategic, to tactical to operational?
>
> -          Who would have been responsible for pulling the pin by
> bringing down the ABS servers last night?
>
> -          Why would the ABS have been tweeting for people to keep
> logging in at 8:30pm when the site was brought down at 7:30pm?  Can you see
> how this would reduce public confidence in the ability of the ABS to store
> private and sensitive information.
>
> -          What is load testing? (Please provide your information and
> response to the ABS, quick smart)
>
> -          Do you think that people should have been required to provide
> their name for the census?  If those who did not comply with this directive
> receive a fine, do you believe this is justified?
>
> -          What is de-identification? Why do we complete this process
> when working with sensitive data?
>
> -          Why does the government need our names, when they can already
> really easily link our passport, drivers licence and taxation information
> to get a very clear picture of our personal circumstances?
>
> -          If the ABS were not going to de-identify the data, does this
> breach any privacy legislation?  Who would lead a class action against the
> government?
>
>
>
>
>
> Students who are on Twitter can follow the #censusfail hashtag to see all
> of the different ways that the project was not deemed a success by one of
> their key stakeholders.
>
>
>
> Lucas
>
>
>
> PS Mark – there was an issue with the design where people who work from
> home but travel to clients weren’t able to enter their details, because the
> system could not anticipate such a question.  With an increasing amount of
> people telecommuting and contracting thanks to the NBN rollout, it’s
> something that should be fixed for next time.  If there is a next time.
>
>
>
> *From:* informatics-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:informatics-bounces@
> edulists.com.au] *On Behalf Of *Mark
> *Sent:* Tuesday, 9 August 2016 1:55 PM
> *To:* Year 12 VCE Informatics Teachers' Mailing List
> *Subject:* Re: [Informatics] Census user flow
>
>
>
> Hi, data providers.
>
>
>
> Census user experience (UX) time.
>
>
>
> - Upon starting the census, one is given a passcode to let one exit the
> process and resume later. Nice security.
>
>
>
> - It's interesting how in Q11 the countries of birth are chosen and
> ordered. No drop down list. Seven named countries, apparently in order of
> likelihood based on the 2011 census. A textbox for "Other". This might be a
> good Q - ask kids how they would create a form to get this data, and
> justify their decision.
>
>
>
> - Q15 (Language spoken at home) also has a similar structure. Mandarin is
> the second option, after English.
>
>
>
> - The online form introduces logical streamlining of inputs based on
> previous answers. Irrelevant Qs are never asked, or even seen.
>
>
>
> - Q13 is another example of a smart form. The father's country of birth
> (apparently) defaults to the COB of the respondent. If they differ, there's
> a textbox for "Other".
>
>
>
> - Answers flash a green border when a good answer is given. Nice feedback.
>
>
>
> - Each Q has a "More Information" link rather than taking up space
> onscreen with potentially unnecessary verbiage.
>
>
>
> - Q17 uses checkboxes to select ancestry, with 2 textboxes to add "other"
> data. I didn't like this question, since it was vague about how many
> generations one could/should go back. Six generations ago, my ancestors
> were English/Irish. Is that what they want? The help says to "consider the
> ethnic or cultural origins of the person's parents and/or grandparents as a
> guide" but parental COB was already asked for. Odd. Also, "Australia" (the
> COB of me and my parents) appeared as the seventh and last checkbox. Should
> it not have been put first?
>
>
>
> - Q18. Jedi Knight is conspicuously absent as an option for religion.
>
>
>
> - The number of questions per page is interesting. Some scrolling is still
> needed.
>
>
>
> - All screens have a footer navbar with links to
>
> Privacy
>
> Security
> Disclaimer
> Copyright
> Contact us
> Sitemap
>
>
>
> Q21 - "Does Mark ever need someone to help with, or be with them for,
> communication activities? For example: understanding, or being understood
> by, others." I wanted to say "Edulists" but there was not a textbox for
> that.
>
>
>
> Q23 - "Number of births" is not asked if one's sex is male. I wonder which
> pressure group is going to complain about this.
>
>
>
> - The left side of the screen is a map of one's progress through the data
> collection process. It's nice to have context.
>
>
>
> - The exit screen has links to Twitter etc to "Share" that you've done
> your "bit for Australia".  Awww. *Nice*.
>
>
>
> - The site was very responsive at about 1:10 pm on the day of the census.
> There was no lag in moving between pages or showing help.
>
>
>
> - The colour scheme was basically green. (Maybe it would have been
> different if I'd claimed to be an eight year old Vietnamese girl with a PhD
> and twelve children.)
>
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
> On 9 August 2016 at 13:10, Mark <mark at vceit.com> wrote:
>
> I say, chaps.
>
>
>
> The census experience will be a good opportunity to examine and evaluate
> the site's user flow and user experience. Absolutely spiffing.
>
>
>
> And security... I bet some's already cracked the login code algorithm and
> posted a login generator somewhere online.
>
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Mark Kelly
>
>
>
> mark at vceit.com
>
> http://vceit.com
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Mark Kelly
>
>
>
> mark at vceit.com
>
> http://vceit.com
>
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-- 

Mark Kelly

mark at vceit.com
http://vceit.com
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