A team of computer scientists at the University of Washington (UW) developed a prototype system called Vanish that can place a time limit on text uploaded to any Web service through a Web browser. After a set time, electronic communications such as e-mail, Facebook posts, and chat messages would automatically self-destruct, becoming irretrievable from all Web sites, inboxes, outboxes, backup sites, and home computers. Not even the sender can retrieve them.

Simply encrypting the data can be risky in the long term, the UW researchers say. The data can be exposed years later, for example, by legal actions that force a person or company to reveal the encryption key. Current trends in the computing and legal landscapes are making the problem more widespread.

The Vanish prototype washes away data using the natural turnover, called “churn,” on large file-sharing systems known as peer-to-peer networks. For each message that it sends, Vanish creates a secret key, which it never reveals to the user, and then encrypts the message with that key. It then divides the key into dozens of pieces and sprinkles those pieces on random computers that belong to worldwide file-sharing networks—the same ones often used to share music or movie files. The file-sharing system constantly changes as computers join or leave the network, meaning that over time parts of the key become permanently inaccessible. Once enough key parts are lost, the original message can no longer be deciphered.

In the current Vanish prototype, the network’s computers purge their memories every eight hours. (An option on Vanish lets users keep their data for any multiple of eight hours.) Vanish was released as a free, open-source tool that works with Firefox. Both the sender and the recipient must have installed the tool, which works with any text entered into a browser through Web-based e-mail, Web chat, or social networking sites MySpace and Facebook. The Vanish prototype now works only for text, but researchers said the same technique could work for any type of data, such as digital photos.

For more information, visit vanish.cs.washington.edu.

Did you know ...

Top 10 reasons travel nurses choose to earn their bachelor’s degree online

1. A BSN degree makes a traveling nurse more marketable. Additional fields open up, including medical-surgical, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry.

2. Traveling nurses usually earn a higher hourly rate and can earn even more with a BSN. Pay scales range from $21 to $42 per hour, plus benefits.

3. An online program allows nurses to study while they travel. E-learning systems provide the same information, material, and degree as offered in a traditional classroom setting.

4. Online BSN programs are as flexible as the lifestyles of its students.

5. An online BSN program allows the flexibility to take sessions off.

6. Students can complete their BSN at their own pace.

7. Students can complete practice projects (clinicals) wherever there is a BSN-trained nurse—no travel is required to complete practice projects.

8. Money is available to pay for nursing school. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s “Scholarships and Financial Aid Resources for Nursing Students” is a good place to start. Also, the Department of Health and Human Services offers the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program. Individual states may offer grants and loans.

9. Many traveling nurse agencies offer tuition benefits.

10. An Internet connection is all that’s needed to get started.

Source: Jacksonville University, jacksonvilleu.com