Google is beta testing a new blogging tool. Among other features, there is the ability to: 1) Add authors so multiple people can post to your blog. 2) Choose who can view your blog just by adding their email address. This looks like a formula for creating project level blogs, and limiting access to the team – OR – allowing any partner in the firm to create a blog entry readable only by clients (and Google). NEAT!
http://www.blogger.com/migrate-login.g
Ia AT&T so dumb they release this information on a Tuesday? Or is there some reason to report “My security stinks” stories faster than “My employee was robbed” stories? OR 19,000 is too trivial a number to worry about?
http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6110765.html
AT&T hack exposes 19,000 identities
Hackers access personal data on thousands of customers who used the carrier's online store.
By Joris Evers Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: August 29, 2006, 5:45 PM PDT
AT&T on Tuesday said hackers broke into one of its computer systems and accessed personal data on thousands of customers who used its online store.
The information that was illegally accessed includes credit card numbers, AT&T said in a statement. The cyberattack affects about 19,000 customers who purchased equipment for high-speed DSL Internet connections through AT&T's Web site, the company said.
"We deeply regret this incident," Priscilla Hill-Ardoin, chief privacy officer for AT&T, said in the statement. "We will work closely with law enforcement to bring these data thieves to account."
The break-in occurred over the weekend and was discovered within hours, after which the online store was shut down, AT&T said. The telecommunications company quickly notified credit card companies and is in the process of contacting the affected customers via e-mail, phone and letter, it said.
Hackers hit AT&T, steal users' info
Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, August 30, 2006
... AT&T officials said they are employing forensic teams to understand how the store was compromised. Walt Sharpe, a spokesman for the company, said the rest of the site remains secure. [“We don't know what happened, but were sure it can't happen elsewhere.” Right. Bob]
He may be selling his own product, but the concept is correct. Management must control not react.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id%3b1622226737%3bfp%3b4%3bfpid%3b16
Spying on staff no solution to privacy protection: professor
Sandra Rossi 29/08/2006 12:27:40
Instead of spying on staff who snoop into private records while at work, organizations should adopt security measures that prevent staff breaching privacy laws, a Queensland University of Technology privacy expert said today.
His comments follow news last week that Centrelink is using keylogging software to monitor staff access to company records. The surveillance has led to the sacking of 19 staff. Similar steps are being taken at the Australian Tax Office (ATO) where 27 workers have been sacked.
Centrelink CEO Jeff Whalan dubbed the surveillance a "success" and said there would be no apologies for the tough stance the welfare agency has taken to protect public records.
Professor Peter Croll, from QUT's Faculty of Information and Technology, said the current approach to privacy regulation was to wait for workers to breach privacy laws and then take action. [Noactive or Sloactive rather than proactive? Bob]
"What's happening is that we have organizations snooping on their staff to see if their staff are snooping," he said. "This just isn't the answer."
You are doomed, DOOMED I tell you!
http://websearch.about.com/b/a/218295.htm
How to Remove Personal Information from Zabasearch
I often get emails asking me how to remove personal information from Zabasearch, a free people search engine. Learn how to opt-out of having your private information included in the Zabasearch database in my article titled How to Remove Personal Information from Zabasearch.
Tuesday August 29, 2006
Perhaps they should have included a lawyer on their marketing team – it probably would have been cheaper. Are there any firms that consult on issues like this?
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012293.html
August 29, 2006
EPIC Reports $50M Class Action Verdict Against Bank for Privacy Violation
EPIC: "A Florida bank was required to pay $50 million in a class-action settlement resulting from violations of federal privacy law. Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust purchased 656,600 names and addresses from the Florida DMV for use in direct marketing. The purchase violated the Drivers Privacy Protection Act, a 1993 law passed after it was shown that stalkers and other criminals had used motor vehicle records to locate their victims. EPIC filed a "friend of the court" brief in favor of the plaintiffs before the Eleventh Circuit, arguing that the penalties provided by the law create a necessary incentive for both states and private entities to preserve the privacy of drivers' personal information."
No conclusions? What works and doesn't work?
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012296.html
August 29, 2006
European Approaches to Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism
CRS Report, European Approaches to Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism, July 24, 2006. "This report examines homeland security and counterterrorist measures in six selected European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. None of these European countries currently has a single ministry or department equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In most of these countries, responsibility for different aspects of homeland security and counterterrorism is scattered across several ministries or different levels of government."
Monte Python lives!
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060829/141702.shtml
UK Cabinet Office Dinged For Violating The Copyright Of The UK Cabinet Office
from the left-hand,-meet-right-hand dept
Last week, the UK's Cabinet Office got plenty of publicity for putting some videos on YouTube, suggesting that it was a good way to get certain messages out to the public. In fact, in that article, the reporter sounded surprised, noting that the UK government is considered somewhat "backwards on understanding tech issues." Well, perhaps people were a bit too quick to congratulate them on embracing the new technology. Today comes the news that the video has been pulled from YouTube for copyright violations. Whose copyright? Apparently the UK Cabinet Office's. Yes, it appears one group within the Office is accusing a different group of violating its own copyrights in putting its own video on YouTube without permission. So, perhaps they're not as backwards as people thought concerning new technologies, but they have a ways to go in understanding internal communications.
“Strategy is as strategy does.” F. Gump
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060829/190813.shtml
Ma Bell's About Face On Muni-WiFi
from the is-that-about-face,-or-just-two-faced? dept
Remember the good old days of... well, last year, when telcos were telcos and they absolutely hated muni-WiFi? It was such a huge threat to their business that they gave Congress people plenty of money to make it illegal. Of course, that was before they actually bothered looking at many of the muni-WiFi proposals, and recognized they weren't really "government-run" at all, but were really no different than traditional telco deals. The government was simply giving away rights of way for placing equipment in return for promises of service. The providers could still be commercial providers with real business models. Suddenly, the industry opposition quieted down. Industry associations claimed that muni-WiFi was great... and AT&T (whose former employee introduced the bill to ban muni-WiFi) was seen providing the very same "free, tax-supported" WiFi they had screamed about just months before. Well, congrats to AT&T for all that hard work trying to stop muni-WiFi. You've just won another muni-WiFi deal (this one without taxpayer funding). Of course, for those of you who thought that muni-WiFi would give consumers an alternate provider, offering real competition to the incumbent telco... well, that doesn't really work so well when that alternate provider is the telco itself.
In case you missed it... Also, there is a viable solution in the comments (but politicians can't read)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/how-to-hack-a-diebold-vot_b_26301.html?p=8#comments
How to Hack a Diebold Voting Machine
08.01.2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5294690.stm
Last Updated: Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 11:22 GMT 12:22 UK
Canada university in campaign row
The university says it will not retract its campaign
A small Canadian university has sparked controversy with its recruitment drive by using posters and a website mocking US President George W Bush.
Lakehead University in northern Ontario set up www.yaleshmale.com in a bid to attract potential new students.
Would that writing your congressman was this easy...
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/29/12-million-flickr-photos-geotagged-in-24-hours/
1.2 million Flickr Photos Geotagged in 24 Hours
Michael Arrington August 29 2006
Look for a post on the Flickr Blog later today announcing that 1,234,384 photos were geotagged in the first 24 hours after the new feature launched yesterday (159 of those were mine).
Clearly we need more studies like this one!
Genius Junk Food
6 formerly forbidden snacks that are actually good for you
Photographs by: Philip Habib, By: Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D.
Gifts for my niece who actually likes to read! I'll bind them with her name on the cover. (So where can I find one of those “Print & Bind” Xeroxes?)
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8JQDN900.htm?sub=apn_news_down&chan=db
Google to allow free downloads of books
AUG. 29 8:28 P.M. ET Google Inc. on Wednesday plans to begin letting consumers download and print free of charge classic novels and many other, more obscure books that are in the public domain.
Using Google's Book Search service, Web surfers hunting titles like Dante's "Inferno" and Aesop's "Fables" will be able to download PDF files [easily converted to any other format you like Bob] of the books for later reading, to run keyword searches or to print them on paper. Up to now, the service only allowed people to read the out-of-copyright books online.
... Google's Book Search service is the product of its Books Library Project, which is digitizing books from major libraries around the world in order to make them searchable online.
Okay, it's not up to David Letterman quality... Maybe Animal House?
http://www.bbspot.com/News/2006/08/top-11-things-to-do-if-your-laptop-battery-explodes.html
Things to Do if Your Laptop Battery Explodes
Dilbert gets it right, again!
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