Saturday, August 26, 2006

Oh dear, yesterday must have been Friday... Apparently this bank has not learned from previous incidents.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15365554.htm

Posted on Fri, Aug. 25, 2006

Bank warns customers personal data may have been breached

Associated Press NEW BEDFORD, Mass.

Sovereign Bank is warning thousands of customers that their personal data may have been stolen along with three managers' laptops taken earlier this month in Massachusetts.

Bank officials said fewer than 1 percent of customers [Trivialize, trivialize, trivialize... Bob] in the New England and Mid-Atlantic area may have been affected, the Standard-Times of New Bedford reported.

"There's no information any of the accounts have been compromised," bank spokesman Carl Brown told the newspaper. He would not say how many letters were sent to customers Aug. 21, but said it was in the thousands.

"We do consider this as a serious matter; we want to do everything we can," Brown said. "Police are investigating, and we're conducting our own internal investigation."

Brown said the laptop computers used by branch managers and other managerial staff included unspecified personal information but not account information.

The letter sent to customers indicated bank officials "strongly believe" the personal files were deleted before the thefts. It says the bank has programmed a flag into its systems that will notify employees if the personal information of a particular customer may have been affected. [Horses**t! Bob]

Brown said the computers, taken from vehicles at two locations [Someone should mention to employees that leaving a laptop visible in your car increases the odd it will be broken into... Bob] in Massachusetts he declined to identify, have not been recovered and there are no leads in the case. He said extra precautions have been taken regarding laptops since the thefts.

A New Bedford customer who received a letter said he wasn't concerned.

"I'm just mad, really," David Brenneke said. "The personal information shouldn't be on laptop computers. It's kind of ridiculous." [When customers know more about how security should work than you do, you have problems! Bob]

Philadelphia-based Sovereign Bank serves primarily the Mid-Atlantic region and New England. It has approximately 800 branches.


Yep, yesterday was “Let's tell our customers we screwed up by whispering where they won't hear us” day... (You lawyers can think of it as the PR version of fine print.)

http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6109883.html?part=rss&tag=6109883&subj=news

Verizon gaffe lets customer details slip

By Joris Evers Story last modified Fri Aug 25 17:56:28 PDT 2006

Verizon Wireless this week accidentally distributed a file with limited details on more than 5,000 customers outside the company, potentially giving identity thieves a toehold.

The Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file was e-mailed on Monday and includes names, e-mail addresses, cell phone numbers and cell phone models of 5,210 Verizon Wireless customers, going by a copy of the file obtained by CNET News.com. [So did Verizon give them a copy or did they get it from an emailee Bob] All of the customers have Motorola Razr phones, according to the spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet was inadvertently sent to about 1,800 people, all Verizon Wireless subscribers, according to a follow-up e-mail apologizing for the gaffe that the mobile carrier sent on Thursday. The Excel file was attached to an ad for a Bluetooth wireless headset, instead of the electronic order form that was supposed to be sent.

... It said that it has already implemented additional quality control procedures and process improvements to prevent a re-occurrence. [If they have already been implemented they are trivial, if they are trivial why weren't they in place long ago? Bob]

A Verizon Wireless representative confirmed the incident, but could not immediately provide specific details when reached Friday afternoon.

The information in the document is limited and does not immediately expose those listed to fraud, the company said in its apology. Yet it recommends that people affected review their bills more carefully and add a password to their account [This ship is unsinkable, but you might want to get into your lifejacket and stand close to the lifeboats... Bob] by calling 1-866-861-5096.

While the privacy breach in no way makes identity theft automatic, [Wow, what a very “PR” phrase. Bob] it helps put a clever fraudster in the starting blocks, said James Van Dyke, the principal analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research in Pleasanton, Calif., which tracks identity fraud.

"To commit ID fraud, you must do several things well. This just makes the job slightly easier," he said. For example, with this list in hand, a fraudster could call the listed numbers, pretend to be a Verizon Wireless representative and ask the subscriber for information to update the account.

One Verizon Wireless customer whose details were included in the file said he was upset about the flap. "Someone just got incredibly careless sending out a sales e-mail," said Frank Donley of Fresno, Calif. "With all the privacy incidents you read about recently, I should feel relieved that my credit card number, Social Security number or some other secure info wasn't released." [When customers know more about how security should work than you do, you have problems! Bob]



Here is another attempt to convince us that they can definitely tell when data has been accessed. If they want to convince me, let them guarantee to reimburse everyone (me, the retailers, and the credit card companies) if my identity is stolen.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9002708&source=rss_topic84

It's back: Stolen Beaumont Hospitals laptop recovered

Linda Rosencrance August 24, 2006 (Computerworld)

Beaumont Hospitals today announced the recovery of a laptop missing since Aug. 5, when a home care nurse's car was stolen in Detroit.

The computer's hard drive was examined by an independent forensic computer expert, who determined that patient information on the computer was not accessed during the time it was missing, according to the hospital.

"We are so relieved to recover the laptop so that we can put our patients' minds at rest," Chris Hengstebeck, director of security at Beaumont Hospital in Troy Mich., said in the statement. "And we are relieved that no one's personal or medical information was accessed."

A resident of the area where the laptop was stolen called Hengstebeck after hearing news reports on Tuesday about the theft. The information led to the laptop's recovery, and Beaumont is giving the anonymous resident a $2,500 reward.

The computer, which contains personal and health information of 28,000 home care patients served during the three years leading up to Aug. 5, 2006, was in the nurse's bag in the back seat of her car when the auto was stolen.

The laptop does not contain information on inpatients or other outpatients of the Michigan hospitals, and the centralized registration and medical records of Beaumont were never at risk from this theft, according to Beaumont. The computer contains only information related to home care patients, including patients' names, addresses, birth dates, medical insurance information, Social Security numbers and personal health information related to their home care services, the hospital said.

Home care laptop computers are encrypted and password protected. In this instance, the nurse was a new employee in orientation, and her ID access code and password were taped to the computer when it was taken, [Please don't try to convince me passwords provide protection... Bob] according to the statement.

Hengstebeck said the home care nurse and her direct supervisors are no longer working at the facility because of the incident. [They should get lawyers. Were the disciplined because the car was stolen? Booo Bob] In addition, home care laptops have been inspected and computer security and password procedures are being reiterated with all Beaumont staff.



No privacy issues here! (These aren't the droids you want...)

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2008340,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

VeriChip Sells First Baby Protection System, in Talks with Military

By Renee Boucher Ferguson August 25, 2006

Updated: The maker of human-implantable RFID chips makes its first sale of its infant protection, wander prevention and staff duress system to a Canadian hospital and is discussing testing its implantable chips in two military branches.

VeriChip, the company that makes human-implantable RFID chips, is looking to span its equipment from newborns to the military's enlisted. [Willing to wait 18 years? Bob]

The company announced Aug. 24 that it has made the first sale of its infant protection, wander prevention and staff duress system to the Brampton Civic Hospital in Brampton, Ontario.



This could make life interesting... Suppose they just start issuing frequent (daily?) updates – to which you must subscribe, and then refuse to support anyone who had a problem but wasn't current on the updates.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/26/0741239&from=rss

Vista the Last of Its Kind

Posted by Zonk on Saturday August 26, @07:19AM from the vanishing-breed dept.

An anonymous reader wrote to mention a TechWorld story about Windows Vista. According to the Gartner Group, Windows Vista is likely to be the last of its kind. "The problem is that the operating system's increasing complexity is making it ever more difficult for enterprises to implement migrations, and impossible for Microsoft to release regular updates. This, in turn, stands in the way of Microsoft's efforts to push companies to subscription licensing. The answer, according to Gartner, is virtualization, which is built into newer chips from Intel and AMD, and has become mainstream for x86 servers through the efforts of VMware." Speaking of Vista, C|Net reports that a new release candidate is on the way. The average tester should expect it by the end of September.



Not exactly personal information, but the techniques are the same.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192300409

Microsoft Unhappy With Release Of Lighthearted Training Video

The 37-minute video was only for internal use, but somehow got released on the Web.

By Antone Gonsalves TechWeb Aug 25, 2006 03:26 PM

Microsoft on Friday was unhappy with the online release of a training video that was made to look like an episode of the popular British comedy "The Office," and featured the show's star and creator Ricky Gervais.

Microsoft in the United Kingdom made the 2004 video as a fun way to instruct people on how not to act at work. The 37-minute video was only for internal use, but somehow got released on the Web.

... "These videos were produced for internal use and were never intended to be viewed by the public."

Microsoft was trying to determine how the video was released, the spokesperson said.



Remember, it's the spam that's illegal not the touting of stocks...

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/25/1821256&from=rss

Buy Low, Spam High

Posted by Zonk on Friday August 25, @03:24PM from the anything-for-a-buck dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A recent study on spam has revealed that spammers see a return between 4.9% and 6% [Not bad if you can do it every month... Bob] when selling stocks they have bought low and spammed the world with." From the article: "The researchers say that approximately 730 million spam e-mails are sent every week, 15% of which tout stocks. Other estimates of spam volumes are far higher. The study, by Professor Laura Frieder of Purdue University in the US and Professor Jonathan Zittrain from Oxford University's Internet Institute in the UK, analysed more than 75,000 unsolicited e-mails. All of the messages touting stocks and shares were sent between January 2004 and July 2005."



Could she be this petty... uh... I withdraw the question.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/08/paris_hilton_accused_of_phone.html

Paris Hilton Accused of Phone Phreakiness

... So says SpoofCard.com, a company that offers "spoofing" services that let people fake the number that appears in the recipient's caller ID display. The company's lawyer, Mark Del Bianco, says Hilton was among some 50 customers whose accounts were suspended for allegedly using Spoofcard's service to break into other peoples' voice mail accounts and listen to their private messages or alter their outgoing messages. Spoofcard said it discovered the violation "while reviewing its customer call records for evidence of fraud and other prohibited conduct."



http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/52633.html

The Battery Recalls: Frequently Asked Questions

By Michelle Kessler USA Today 08/25/06 8:42 AM PT

... Apple and Dell both announced large laptop battery recalls this month. Here are answers to some common customer questions:



Think of this an an electronic version of the sideshow barker (e-barker?)

http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/52649.html

CBS to Use Bluetooth to Beam TV Clips to Passersby

By Keith Regan www.EcommerceTimes.com Part of the ECT News Network 08/25/06 2:12 PM PT



Very impressive tour of a modern data center. You should see this video!

http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6109900.html?part=rss&tag=6109900&subj=news

Video: See where the Internet lives

Take a tour of the data warehouse for the Web

Equinix is responsible for holding massive amounts of data, including storage for popular sites like MySpace.com. Take a tour of the facilities, and see how much energy it takes to keep the Web alive. CNET News.com's Neha Tiwari reports.



So how would a non-governmental entity (a private eye) be able to trace through a secure system where the FBI can't?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060825/131234.shtml

Note To Fugitives: Stay Off Of Skype

from the man-on-the-run dept

We reported last week about Kobi Alexander, the ex-CEO of Comverse, who's gone on the lam to avoid charges relating to a stock-options scam. Now, he's apparently been tracked down in Sri Lanka -- by a private eye hired by a venture capital company, who was able to trace him to a fishing village by tracking a call he made to relatives over Skype. It's not clear it's done much good, as the FBI just says it's checking out the report, while rumors say Alexander's already ditched Sri Lanka, perhaps for some place where it's a little harder to get extradited. In any case, one of Skype's selling points is its "security" -- but as is pointed out on Bruce Schneier's site, there's a big difference between the encrypting of calls Skype does, and a system that offers anonymity, as Alexander has presumably discovered.



Gee willikers, you don't suppose they've done this before?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060825/120054.shtml

FCC Acts Concerned About Telco Doublespeak

from the please-provide-more-doublespeak dept

We've discussed this week how both Verizon and BellSouth were adding on new "regulatory fees" or "supplier surcharges" that almost exactly matched the Universal Service Fund fees they were no longer required to collect for DSL service. In both cases, the companies tossed out a bunch of meaningless doublespeak about why those fees were legitimate, and weren't just a way to take the money that had previously gone to the useless USF and pocketing it themselves. It was especially egregious since the telcos had lobbied the FCC to get rid of those fees, claiming it would benefit consumers. With so much attention, it appears that the initial doublespeak is a little confusing to the FCC as well, and they've now asked for a bit more info from both telcos, suggesting that these new fees may violate "truth in advertising" laws. Of course, seeing as the telcos seem to have an extra special relationship with the FCC leadership these days, it's unlikely that this new investigation will result in anything.



This all hinges on the definition of “large sum” which I believe is best defined as “How much you got on you?”

http://hammeroftruth.com/2006/08/24/united-states-of-america-v-124700-in-us-currency/

U.S. v. $124,700 in U.S. Currency

No really, that’s the name of the case.

The Eighth Circuit Appeals Court recently ruled that police may seize cash from motorists, citing that “possession of a large sum of cash is ’strong evidence’ of a connection to drug activity.” [So can I sue my bank? Bob] The case, in which Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez — a man with a “lack of significant criminal history” — was caught with the “crime” of having too much cash on him, so they confiscated it, and apparently pressed charges against the money itself and took it to court.

Says Radley Balko:

Gonzolez was never even charged with a drug crime, much less convicted. Which means the prosecutors didn’t even have enough evidence to bring the case to trial. Yet the state still took the man’s $125,000, money he had a pretty respectable explanation for, complete with witnesses. That’s not even mentioning the fact that in a free society, a man never charged with a crime shouldn’t have to vouch for the legitimacy of the money he’s carrying, no matter how he happens to be carrying it.

Dead presidents have no rights.



They start training these terrorists early.

http://psp3d.xhardwarereviews.com/index2.php?page=Hacking%20Wireless%20Networks%20With%20The%20PSP

Hacking Wireless Networks With The PSP

Is the PSP spurring a new generation of safety concerns?

August 24th, 2006 By Robert A.

Friday, August 25, 2006

That Dell thing is now a Dell/Sony/Apple thing...

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060824/1140224.shtml

Apple Gets Burned By Sony Batteries, Too

from the feeling-hot-hot-hot dept

Apparently Apple noticed all the fun Dell was having with this whole battery recall thing, so it's decided to get in on the act by recalling 1.8 million batteries for three of its laptops -- batteries that, like the Dell ones, have cells made by Sony. Apple's suggesting affected users should remove the batteries from their machines and use them on AC power, while they wait 4 to 6 weeks for a replacement. In the meantime, perhaps Apple users can enjoy a vacation -- just don't fly Qantas.



http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/24/HNsonybatteryprob_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/24/HNsonybatteryprob_1.html

Sony puts price on battery problems

Multimillion dollar replacement costs may have effect on company's financials

By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service August 24, 2006

Sony Corp. has provided for the first time an estimate of what the recalls of its battery packs by PC makers could end up costing the Japanese company.

On Wednesday Apple Computer Inc. said it will join Dell Inc. in recalling the Sony-made battery packs in some of its products because of a risk that they will overheat and catch fire while being charged. Apple is recalling about 1.8 million batteries, while Dell is asking customers to return 4.1 million batteries.

Sony expects the Apple and Dell recalls to cost between ¥20 billion and ¥30 billion (US$172 million to $258 million). It said the figure represents the cost of replacement battery packs and any other related costs.

That could put a dent in Sony's full-year financial results. The company currently forecasts both its operating profit and its net profit to be ¥130 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007.

Sony said it anticipates "no further recalls of battery packs using these particular battery cells." [Clever use of a tautology. We've recalled them all therefore we don't think there are any more to recall. Bob]



Correcting the problems caused by top management?

http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/#1545004

Thursday, 24 August 2006

Apple Looking to Hire a Business Ethicist

In the wake of sweatshop charges at iPod factories in China, Apple is advertising for a manager of a "Corporate Social Responsibility program."

Sometimes known as "business ethics," CSR often involves policing human rights at overseas suppliers or assembly plants.

In a job posting at Ethical Performance.com, Apple says the candidate will have a "strong desire to improve human rights and worker conditions."

The post calls for "experience in auditing practices and supplier management."



So much data, so little time...

http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/2006/08/23/university-of-california-launches-calisphere-digital-library/

University of California Launches Calisphere Digital Library

Filed under: US-California

The University of California has announced Calisphere, a digital library containing more than 150,000 digitized primary source materials about California. Calisphere is available at http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu.

... If you want to see all the topics and the entire index at once, there’s a huge page that’s great for browsing at http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/browse-a-z.html. Teachers shouldn’t miss the guide page at http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/for-teachers.html.

Lots of great material here, though I wish the details for the pictures weren’t buried under a couple of extra clicks. A real timesink.



...because we just love spending taxpayer money! (Why use the free software when we can pay Microsoft and then add in extra software we have to maintain?)

http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/1831230&from=rss

Massachusetts to use ODF Through Microsoft Office

Posted by Zonk on Thursday August 24, @03:49PM from the they-have-a-cave-troll dept. Microsoft Software Politics

An anonymous reader writes "In a move sure to be unpopular with Sun and IBM, Mass. has decided to use the ODF plug-ins recently released for Microsoft Office rather than move to OpenOffice. Officials pointed to accessibility requirements as being one of the primary reasons for not moving away from Microsoft Office. Is this a victory or a defeat for the Open Document Format effort?"



This seems extremely dangerous to me. If I “disclose” that I have a solution for the problem I've been hired to work on, can they still get the patent? “Back in 1990 I had this idea for an online patent prior art search systems, I use it every day, but havent bothered to patent it yet...”

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/25/0212247&from=rss

Are NDA 'Prior Inventions' Clauses Safe to Sign?

Posted by Cliff on Friday August 25, @12:20AM from the contractual-time-bombs dept. Businesses Privacy

BenderMan asks: "I own a small consulting company. Today I was asked by yet another corporate customer to sign an NDA with the increasingly popular 'Prior Inventions' clause. The gist of it is they want you to provide a list of all your past and current inventions and/or ideas so they can define and protect the intellectual property that they have hired you to build. Like many of us that lay awake at night, whilst the hamster wheel spins new ideas, I've got a number of un-patented works in various stages of development. Given that mutual NDAs only provide one year of protection, I don't feel obligated, nor do I have sufficient time and energy, to fully and properly document my inventions for an NDA. While these clauses are written with good intentions, the reality is that these valuable ideas would be placed in the hands of people that could potentially profit with impunity (Have you priced patents lately?). Unfortunately many companies are not willing to strike this clause from their contracts. Does Slashdot agree that this is a concern, and how have you dealt with these situations?"



Apparently, it takes a long time to “appall” these guys... Did they think the Vietnamese were barbarians, too ignorant to understand the technology? Fortunately, this would never happen with US firms... Right? (See next article)

http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=8142

U.S., U.K. Firms Sold Wiretapping Equipment To Vietnam

2006-08-24 16:42:00 Posted By: Intellpuke

Reporters Without Borders has learned that a British company, Silver Bullet, and a U.S. company, Verint Systems (a subsidiary of Comverse Technology), sold equipment for intercepting mobile phone calls to the Vietnamese intelligence services. The source of this information, the U.K.-based Jane's Defence Weekly, said a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries acted as intermediary in some of the sales.

"We are appalled to learn that our phone calls with Vietnamese cyber-dissidents have been monitored with equipment provided by European and U.S. companies," said the Paris-based press freedom organization. "Coming a year after it emerged that Yahoo! cooperates with the Chinese police, this new case reinforces our conviction that telecommunications companies must be forced to respect certain rules of ethical conduct. In particular, they should be banned from selling surveillance equipment to repressive governments."

The sales were revealed by Robert Karniol in an article headlined "Vietnamese army enhances mobile phone monitoring" in the October 31, 2005, issue of Jane's Defence Weekly (JDW). He said the London-based Silver Bullet had recently sold two P-GSM stations (portable mobile phone listening devices) to Vietnam for $250,000 each. Elta (a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries) and Aikap Group, another Israeli company, acted as intermediaries in this transaction.


Them barbarians learns quick.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/25/HNvietnamintel_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/25/HNvietnamintel_1.html

Vietnam's Communist Party gets help from Intel

Intel will set up a lab in Vietnam for testing and developing open-source software

By Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service August 25, 2006

The Vietnamese Communist Party's decision to move its computer systems to open-source software got a boost on Friday from Intel, the world's largest chip maker.

Under terms of a memorandum of understanding signed on Friday, Intel will help the Communist Party's Central Committee for Science and Education (CCSE) set up a laboratory, called OpenLab, for testing and developing open-source software. Over the next three years, the lab will oversee the installation of open-source software on 27,000 PCs running Intel processors, the chip maker said.

The Communist Party's decision to use open-source software matches a wider Vietnamese government effort. In 2004, the government announced plans to promote the use of open-source software in a bid to reduce its IT costs and promote the development of the local software industry.

The Communist Party is counting on open-source software to improve office automation and efficiency across different party organizations. It also hopes to benefit from improved security and reliability, the chip maker said. An Intel spokeswoman in Vietnam was not immediately available to comment further on the deal.

Intel is investing heavily in Vietnam, which has emerged as a low-cost alternative to manufacturing in China. In February, Intel announced plans to build a $300 million test and assembly plant in Ho Chi Minh City. When completed, the Ho Chi Minh City site will be Intel's seventh test and assembly plant, joining the ranks of similar facilities in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Costa Rica.

The Ho Chi Minh City plant is expected to eventually employ 1,200 workers.



Tools & Techniques

http://www.searchengineguide.com/searchbrief/senews/008281.html

Protecting the Privacy of Search

Posted by Jennifer August 24, 2006

On the heels of AOLs blundering decision to share search histories of its users with the world, search engine privacy has become a fairly hot topic. After all, search queries often reveal the deepest secrets and fears of the searcher...things that many searchers would prefer not be shared with the general public. With that in mind, Search Engine Journal's Loren Baker has put together "Six Ways to Keep Your Search History Private."



Cause for action! I like it, therefore I'll sue!

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2006-08-24T190801Z_01_N24448872_RTRUKOC_0_US-ADDICTS-LAWSUITS.xml

Unable to unplug, tech addicts may sue: academic

Thu Aug 24, 2006 3:08 PM ET By Wojtek Dabrowski

TORONTO (Reuters) - Keeping employees on electronic leashes such as laptops, BlackBerries and other devices that keep them constantly connected to the office could soon lead to lawsuits by those who grow addicted to the technology, a U.S. academic warns.



http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012241.html

August 24, 2006

DOJ Criminal Law Enforcement Data on Criminal Prosecutions

Posting from David Burnham and Susan B. Long, co-directors
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: "Very timely criminal enforcement data from the Justice Department document that federal criminal prosecutions in May were up from the previous month in all of the following categories: white collar crime (up 8.5%), immigration (up 15.3%), illegal drugs (up 8.9%) and weapons (up 9.7%). However, only immigration is up from a year ago (up 4.8% from May 2005); the other enforcement areas all show declines in prosecutions from the previous year...the reports on the latest trends," are available online here.



Could be real useful...

http://digg.com/software/Open_Source_Designing_a_book_with_LyX

Open Source: Designing a book with LyX

3monkeys submitted by 3monkeys 17 hours 40 minutes ago (via http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/08/15/1859251&from=rss )

If you've ever considered writing a book, you may have looked at the layout capabilities of OpenOffice.org Writer, AbiWord, KWrite, or other word processing programs. While these tools can produce adequate results for many types of documents, it's also worth considering LyX, an open source (GPL) desktop publishing application.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

It's that Dell/Sony thing again...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JAPAN_SONY_BATTERY_TROUBLE?SITE=VALYD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Japan: Sony, Dell Must Probe Batteries

By HIROKO TABUCHI Associated Press Writer Aug 24, 8:21 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's trade ministry on Thursday ordered Sony Corp. and Dell Inc. to investigate the trouble involving Sony batteries that caused Dell to recall 4.1 laptop computers last week because they were at risk of catching fire.

The ministry said Sony and Dell must report on their findings and say how they will prevent future problems by the end of August, or face a fine under Japan's consumer safety laws.


Hey buddy, are you using that Osama inspired laptop battery?”

http://digg.com/tech_news/Qantas_Airline_Has_New_Rules_For_Dells

Qantas Airline Has New Rules For Dells

MrBabyMan submitted by MrBabyMan 13 hours 35 minutes ago (via http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/qantas-airline-has-new-rules-for-dells-196219.php )

If you've got a Dell laptop and you're going to be flying Qantas sometime soon, be aware of their new rules regarding your precious lappy. One is to remove your battery and move up to first or business class and power your computer via power supply.

[From the article: However, some airports are making people tape up their batteries entirely, which means your laptop's only usable if you plug it in.



I thought this violated my “Only tell them bad news on Friday” rule, 'till I read the last sentence...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14487686/

Education Dept. says personal data at risk

Agency arranging free credit monitoring for 21,000 student-loan borrowers

By Hope Yen Associated Press Updated: 6:10 p.m. MT Aug 23, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Education Department said Wednesday it would arrange for free credit monitoring for as many as 21,000 student loan borrowers after their personal data appeared on its Web site.

Terri Shaw, the department’s chief operating officer for federal student aid, said the people involved are holders of federal direct student loans who used the department’s loan Web site — www.dlssonline.com — between Sunday and Tuesday.

... Education Department officials blamed the breach on a routine [but apparently untested... Bob] software upgrade, conducted by Dallas-based contractor Affiliated Computers Services Inc., that mixed up data for different borrowers when users accessed the Web site. Since Sunday, 26 borrowers have complained.

... The Web site program includes names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers and in some cases account information for holders of federal direct student loans. It does not involve those who have loans managed through private companies.

... The Boston Globe first reported the Education Department’s glitch on Wednesday.



Ignore what we said earlier, we didn't actually say that... Okay, I did, but I had my fingers crossed...

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=13277233&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

Qwest says not calling for data retention laws

Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:11 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Telephone and broadband Web provider Qwest Communications International Inc. on Wednesday denied that it is calling for federal data retention laws in a statement responding to a story on news.com Web site.

... Mardosz disputed the report, saying she had been talking about Colorado State laws that are already in place, not showing support for proposed federal laws.

"I misspoke," Mardosz told Reuters in a phone interview. "If there are proposals at the state or federal level we want to be involved at the table when those discussions happen. We're not asking for it."



It's not stealing, donations are voluntary!

http://www.techzonez.com/comments.php?shownews=19063

Child porn spam hides Trojan

Posted by Reverend on 23 Aug 2006 - 20:42 GMT

Techzonez Cyber-criminals have launched a "massive spoof email attack" that accuses victims of being associated with a child porn site in a bid to trick them into downloading malware.

The messages, which use the subject line 'CP investigation was started', claim that the recipient's email address has been found in a child porn database discovered by the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

The email actually contains the Agent-CPK Trojan horse.

The ASACP has published a warning on its website, informing recipients of the message that they may be at risk of infection.

Part of the malicious email reads as follows:

'I'd like to inform you that investigating activity of the one of child porno sites; we found e-mails data base, in which was your e-mail . In view of this, I have two versions: either you are the client of this shop, or your e-mail appeared there accidentally. I sincerely hope that it was accidental coincidence and believe that you are interested in this version as well. If you show a good will, make modest, voluntary donation on our site [URL removed] I will be convinced in your being not implicated in this business.'

Full story: vnunet



This is merely a foretaste.

http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/037232&from=rss

Diebold Flops in Alaska

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 24, @03:54AM from the they-usually-work-so-well dept. Politics Technology

lukej writes "From the Anchorage Daily News, During yesterday's preliminary and ballot measure election across Alaska, Diebold built voting machines failed to 'phone home' causing a hand recount. As a party spokesperson said: "I can say there are many systematic problems with Diebold machines that have been identified in many contexts." Additionally, the state itself has mandated some hand counts of all electronic results, [..uh...How can you recount electrons? Bob] and the Democratic Party is simply suggesting voters request paper voting."



Is this the way to do it? What if one of those random searches is “How do I join Al Quada?”

http://michaelzimmer.org/2006/08/21/trackmenot-firefox-extension-obfuscates-your-search-history/

TrackMeNot Firefox Extension Obfuscates Your Search History

Posted on Monday, August 21st, 2006 at 4:03 pm

As concerns about the privacy of one’s search engine history steadily increase, various solutions have been offered to help avoid the wholesale surveillance and aggregation of one’s search queries. While most solutions rely on attempts to cloak one’s IP address, a new solution instead relies on obfuscation: TrackMeNot.

Developed by Daniel Howe and Helen Nissenbaum, TrackMeNot (TMN) is a Firefox extension (download here) that protects against search data profiling by issuing randomized queries to popular search-engines with fake data:



I'll be sending a few hundred nominees...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/22/stupid_security_awards/

Gongs on offer for stupid security measures

By John Leyden Published Tuesday 22nd August 2006 10:43 GMT

Human rights watchdog Privacy International has re-launched its hunt for the World's most stupid security measures.

The "Stupid Security" awards aims to highlight the absurdities of so-called security procedures that make little contribution to real security improvements. The international compo aims to unearth the world's most pointless, intrusive, stupid and self-serving security measures.

... "The situation has become ridiculous" said Davies. "Security has become the smokescreen for incompetent and robotic managers the world over".

Although the airline industry has become the most prominent offender in introducing pointless security measures it is far from alone in its folly. For example, a rail company recently banned (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2943304.stm) train-spotters on the grounds of security. Meanwhile the security desk of a US office building complained because paramedics rushing to attend a heart-attack victim had failed to sign-in.



The Streisand Effect

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/23/homeoffice_pron/

Home Office in trouble for advertising porn sites

By Lucy Sherriff Published Wednesday 23rd August 2006 12:03 GMT

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has sent the Home Office to sit on the naughty stair [I wish I spoke English, they have such interesting phrases... Bob] after complaints about a radio campaign promoting online child safety that sent listeners to porn sites instead.

The ad, which was to promote an online child safety website, directed listeners to check out the site at www.ThinkuKnow.co.uk. Sadly for the Home Office (no, really, our hearts are bleeding), there is also a website called www.thinkyouknow.co.uk which lists various services such as web hosting, broadband providers, car insurance, online dating and so on.

Just one more click, the complainants said, will lead you to adult chatrooms, including www.womenwant.co.uk, which advertises itself as follows: "Find your kinky kicks here! Erotic chat, casual hot sex & more."

... It said: "This was particularly concerning as the ad was aimed at teenagers and the service being promoted was to help them stay safe online."



This could never happen here... (See next article)

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20234772-1702,00.html?from=rss

Privacy concerns over Centrelink breaches

August 24, 2006 02:43am

PRIVACY advocates have serious concerns about the Federal Government's proposed Smartcard after Centrelink staff were caught inappropriately accessing client records.

Six hundred Centrelink staff were caught using sophisticated spyware programs to browse the welfare records of friends, family, neighbours and ex-lovers without authorisation.

A total of 19 Centrelink employees were sacked and 92 resigned after 790 cases of inappropriate access were uncovered.



See... They promise!

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/kshb/nw_local_news/article/0,1925,KSHB_9424_4939005,00.html

Privacy concerns continue to bedevil livestock ID program

August 23, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns assured livestock owners Wednesday that information collected in a planned animal identification program will be kept confidential and used only in the event of a disease outbreak.



Why would a Capitalist Tool become politically correct?

http://news.com.com/2061-10796_3-6108978.html?part=rss&tag=6108978&subj=news

Forbes.com yanks articles over marrying-career-women flap

August 23, 2006 9:40 PM PDT

Bowing to blogospheric criticism, Forbes deleted two articles from its Web site on Wednesday, one of which was titled "Don't marry career women."



Someone gets it!

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012234.html

August 23, 2006

Appeals Court's Website Features RSS, Audio Recordings

Press release: "...the Seventh Circuit is the first federal court of appeals to make RSS feeds of opinions and audio recordings of oral arguments available from its Web site .



...but ANYONE can do the obvious. We're the FBI, we have to do it the Jedger way.

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012224.html

August 23, 2006

Judge Cites Google Searching in FBI FOIA Case

FindLaw: "A federal judge scolds the FBI in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for failing to "just Google" the names of people about whom plaintiffs sought audio recordings and other information in their litigation. According to Judge Garland, "Surely, in the Internet age, a "reasonable alternative" for finding out whether a prominent person is dead is to use Google (or any other search engine) to find a report of that person’s death." John Davis v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, August 22, 2006.



Did you think Public meant “except for some people?”

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012230.html

August 23, 2006

China Downloading DoD Data According to Warfighting Info Tech Director

Government Computer News: "China has downloaded 10 to 20 terabytes of data from the NIPRNet (DOD's Non-Classified IP Router Network)," said Maj. Gen. William Lord, director of information, services and integration in the Air Force's Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, during the recent Air Force IT Conference in Montgomery, Ala."



Perhaps this is another case for the Virtual Law specialists?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060823/105852.shtml

Brazil Tries To Shut Down Google, After Talking To The Wrong People

from the take-that dept

This fight has been brewing for a while, as the Brazilian government has been demanding information from Google on certain users of its Orkut social networking site, which is used mostly by Brazilians. Now, Brazil is officially suing Google for failing to comply, and is also beginning procedures to shut down its local office in Brazil. Of course, there are a few problems with this lawsuit. First, when presented with the proper evidence, Google did shut down parts of Orkut that were being used for illegal activity. However, much more problematic is that Google has pointed out that Brazil keeps pressuring the company's Brazilian office, which is only an ad sales office and has nothing to do with Orkut at all. Google has noted repeatedly that Orkut is entirely run on U.S. soil, and therefore is subject to U.S., not Brazilian, laws. It seems a little unfair for Brazil to be punishing a totally unrelated Brazilian office just because it's what's there.


Another area of “virtual law?”

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/08/starwood/index_01.htm

Starwood Tests Space Before Breaking Ground

The conglomerate behind Westin and Sheraton is launching a new chain of sleek hotels. The first one is open for business in cyberspace

By Reena Jana



This seems reasonable to me, but then I hold a patent on “a medium of exchange for use in real-time transactions” -- I call it “Currently” and I'm suing the Treasury for violating my Trademark (They called theirs “Currency” and thought I wouldn't notice...)

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060823/190318.shtml

Flat Rate Pricing For Wireless Service? Patented!

from the oh,-come-on dept

Seems like today's been quite the day for patent related stories. Just as we were discussing the question of obviousness when it comes to patents, comes the news of mobile operator Leap Wireless' patent lawsuit against Metro PCS. Apparently, Leap was able to get a business method patent on offering flat-rate pricing for a mobile phone service. Note that this patent was filed in 2001, when flat-rate pricing was very much the standard for internet access. It seems positively obvious that someone would eventually offer flat-rate service for mobile phones as well. In fact, there were flat-rate, no roaming charge mobile plans well before 2001. I remember AT&T Wireless (the old one) offering such a plan around 1998. Reading the patent, though, Leap makes it sound like some amazing new invention that has wonderfully mysterious properties to increase capacity while lowering peak capacity. So, can someone explain how this idea could possibly be called "new and non-obvious"? Then, can you explain how it helps the market in the slightest to have Leap try to block the competition from offering a flat-rate pricing plan as well?



Somehow, I doubt this...

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=45613

Viruses and Spyware Cost Users $7.8 Billion

August 23, 2006 7:38AM

"It's hard to tell who's losing the money -- the insurance company, the credit card company or the consumer -- but it's coming out of someone's pockets," said Dan Hubbard, vice president of security and research for Websense Inc.

Consumers paid as much $7.8 billion over two years to repair or replace computers that got infected with viruses and spyware, a Consumer Reports survey found.

That figure was down from a similar survey a year ago.



Seems reasonable. In 1982, the wife and I founded the US Gelding Breeders Association, and trademarked the term “Clip Art”

http://digg.com/general_sciences/Cloned_Beef_It_s_what_s_for_dinner

Cloned Beef: It's what's for dinner

parislemon submitted by parislemon 14 hours 9 minutes ago (via http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/64b99082cc73d010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html )

"What if you could carve off a chunk of the most succulent slab of steak you've ever eaten, clone a bull from it, then produce weeks of identically delectable dinners? Irina Polejaeva, chief embryologist at ViaGen, a livestock-cloning lab in Austin, Texas, aims to bring cloned beef to the American dinner table within the next few years."

[From the article:

Why clone from dead animals?

It’s hard to evaluate whether a live animal will produce great meat.



Today's Dilbert pretty neatly sums up Worker's Rights law

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Could some low level employee release data that could bring down your company? If so, shouldn't you fix that hole?

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/08/22/137226.shtml

Execs at AOL Approved Release of Private Data?

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday August 22, @10:10AM from the thats-an-oops dept. America Online Privacy The Courts The Internet

reporter writes "The New York Times has published a report providing further details about the release of private AOL search queries to the public. According to the report: 'Dr. Jensen, who said he had worked closely with Mr. Chowdhury on projects for AOL's search team, also said he had been told that the posting of the data had been approved by all appropriate executives at AOL, including Ms. [Maureen] Govern.' The report also identifies the other two people whom AOL management fired: they are Abdur Chowdhury and his immediate supervisor. Chowdhury is the employee who did the actual public distribution of the private search queries. He, apparently, has retained a lawyer."



It's not like Nazi medical research in the camps... Someone is doing this research (identity thieves, con artists, etc.) why not someone who can explain consequences?

Perhaps we should get a copy for “privacy research?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/technology/23search.html?ex=1156996800&en=e89acc952bf626e2&ei=5040&partner=MOREOVERFEATURES

Researchers Yearn to Use AOL Logs, but They Hesitate

By KATIE HAFNER August 23, 2006

When AOL researchers released three months’ worth of users’ query logs to a publicly accessible Web site late last month, Jon Kleinberg, a professor of computer science at Cornell, downloaded the data right away. But when a firestorm over privacy breaches erupted, he decided against using it. [No ethical questions until it hits the headlines, eh Professor? Bob]

“Now it’s sitting there, in cold storage,” said Professor Kleinberg, who works on algorithms for understanding the structure of the Web and searching it. “The number of things it reveals about individual people seems much too much. [I thought you hadn't looked at it? Bob] In general, you don’t want to do research on tainted data.” [Can you give us examples of when “in specific” you would do research on tainted data? Large government grants, for example? Bob]

... Professor Etzioni said Dr. Chowdhury was horrified by what had happened. “He didn’t anticipate that this kind of data could be used to track down individuals.” [Maybe those 'insiders' don't think about the data the way academics might? Bob] Dr. Chowdhury declined to comment, at the advice of his lawyer.

... The last similar case involved a set of hundreds of thousands of internal e-mail messages from Enron, posted in 2003 on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Web site, in connection with the agency’s investigation into the company.

Although some of the e-mail was relevant to the investigation, most of it was not. So hungry were researchers for a coherent body of e-mail messages to work with that they were able to set aside their concerns that the privacy of many people who had nothing to do with the Enron scandal was severely compromised.

... Professor Kleinberg said he hoped that over time, the AOL incident would lead to “a richer, more informed discussion about what it means to create data sets that are clean and anonymized.”



After I tell you not to drink the Kool-Aide, don't you assume some liability? What happens when an employee is injured?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060822/0919217.shtml

After All The Fuss, Will People Bother With Dell's Battery Recall?

from the fully-charged-and-ready-to-blow dept

Dell last week announced a recall of more than 4 million laptop batteries after several high-profile incidents in which they caught fire. Despite the danger of the batteries being pretty vividly illustrated, some are now wondering how many people will actually bother to send their batteries back. Deals like mail-in rebates are often used by retailers because of their relatively low redemption rate, and one analyst says that asking people to drop a battery in the mail, as opposed to just a form and a receipt, could result in one even lower. But what could have a bigger impact is businesses' attitude towards the recall: some, with thousands of Dell laptops, may not want to spend the time dealing with identifying which machines are included in it, or delegate the responsibility to employees, who may or may not bother to check. One thing is clear, though -- patience with Dell is wearing thin, not just from disgruntled customers, but also from institutional investors unhappy with the company's management.



Unexplored territory?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/21/event_data_recorder_rule/index.html

New rule: Car buyers must be told about 'black boxes'

Rule will also require a uniform set of data be recorded, making it easier to use.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006; Posted: 8:46 a.m. EDT (12:46 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has passed a regulation requiring car makers to inform customers when their car has been equipped with an Event Data Recorder, the agency said Monday.

EDRs, similar to "black boxes" used in commercial airliners, record data about what a car is doing in the moments just before and after a crash. They do not record the voices of occupants but they do record things like speed, steering wheel movement, how hard the brakes are being pressed and the actual movement of the car itself.

About 64 percent of model year 2005 cars were equipped with EDRs, according to NHTSA. Some manufacturers already include information about the EDR in the owners manual, but not all, said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for NHTSA.

"If you have a new vehicle, chances are it's got one," he said.

Data from the recorders is used by law enforcement and attorneys to recreate events directly leading up to an accident. Data is also used by car companies to research how cars and drivers perform in actual crashes.

Some privacy advocates have expressed concern that the data, which can be used as evidence in court cases, is being collected without the knowledge of vehicle owners and drivers.

The devices are virtually impossible to disable because their functioning is so tightly integrated with vehicle safety systems such as airbags and anti-lock brakes.

Several states have already passed laws that restrict how the data can be used.

Car companies must comply with the new regulation beginning in the 2011 model year. Information about the EDR, if one is installed, will have to be included in the vehicle's owner's manual.

The new rule also requires EDRs to collect a uniform set of data. Having access to uniform data will help investigators to recreate crashes and determine causes, the agency said.

More-uniform data will also make it easier to develop systems so that, in cars equipped with automatic 911 emergency notification, data about the crash can also be passed along to paramedics and ambulance crews. [..and local TV news? Bob]

The data can also be used to research better road designs and ways to better protect young and old drivers, said Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for the New York chapter of AAA.

AAA had previously expressed concern to NHTSA about privacy issues that might hamper public acceptance of the systems. Those concerns seem to be addressed by the new rule, Sinclair said.



http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/22/2039258&from=rss

SCO Lawyers Ambush IBM Witness

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday August 22, @05:29PM from the what-is-this-case-about-again dept. Caldera The Courts IBM Linux

Mr. E. writes "In a sneaky legal maneuver, [High praise? Bob] SCO's lawyers managed to ambush an IBM witness into having to give a no-holds-barred deposition in front of an unrelated court in another state. After SCO was limited in what they could depose Mr. Otis Wilson about by the Utah court, the company blindsided IBM with last-second subpoenas before a North Carolina court. IBM's lawyer was on vacation at the time, didn't give prior notice to big blue, and now they've won the right to ask him anything they want. They've asked him about whether he has a criminal record, about ex-wives, etc. and they have four hours in which to do so. According to PJ of Groklaw, 'I'd say [Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells] has thrown poor Mr. Wilson to the wolves in North Carolina and told him it's his own fault.' SCO, of course, is fishing for something — anything — they can use to stave off IBM's Motion for Summary Judgement which is fast approaching, and if they can somehow trip up Mr. Wilson, they might be able to do just that. However, there was at least one line of cold comfort in Magistrate Well's order '[T]he court wishes to note that its decision should not be viewed as any type of invitation to reopen the discovery process.'"



An anthem for the RIAA?

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/22/2124255&from=rss

Weird Al Says 'Don't Download This Song'

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday August 22, @06:41PM from the really-he-would-like-you-to-though dept. Music It's funny. Laugh. The Internet

Kazzahdrane writes "Known geek and comedy singer/songwriter Weird Al Yankovic has released the first song from his new album 'Straight Outta Lynwood' for free on his MySpace page. The track is entitled 'Don't Download This Song' and tells of the dangers of illegally downloading music from filesharing sites."



Can the Serbs be far behind?

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/23/009210&from=rss

Croatia Adopts Open Source Policy

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday August 22, @09:26PM from the everybody-is-doing-it dept. Software Linux

lisah writes "Croatia says that concerns over the expense and limitations of proprietary software led to last month's decision to adopt a free and open source software policy within Croatia's government. Officials say the move will make the government's work more transparent [I haven't seen this argument before. Bob] as well as help to better manage its operating costs. Taking it a step further, under the new policy the government will also support the use of open source in schools, saying, 'both closed and open source solutions will be equally presented to students.' Vlatko Kosturjak, president of the Croatian Linux User Group, is unmoved. Citing the practical and technical difficulties of embracing open source on such a broad scale, he says until the policy is actually implemented, '[it] is just like an unsent letter.'"



Worth looking at?

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/22/HNgovtgridtoolkit_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/22/HNgovtgridtoolkit_1.html

Update: US government lab offers grid computing toolkit

Programs will share video, audio, data, and text for real-time collaboration for users worldwide

By Robert Mullins, IDG News Service August 22, 2006

A new open-source software toolkit is available Tuesday to improve remote online scientific collaboration via grid computing.

The Access Grid Toolkit from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory enables development of programs to share video, audio, data and text for real-time collaboration between people at different locations around the world.



Corporations should look hard at this one.

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012215.html

August 22, 2006

GSA Telework Laws

  • A Guide to Telework in the Federal Government, August 3, 2006: the "guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suggests that one of the keys to success and continuity of operations during any emergency, especially a pandemic health crisis, is an effective teleworking program that is just a matter of routine to employees. The report states that when agencies permit as many employees as possible to telework as often as possible, they are on the right track under Public Law 106-346.



So if the data you need to save your life is on Google, you won't read it out of principle?

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012213.html

August 22, 2006

Point - Counterpoint on Google Book Search Project

  • eWeek.com: Publishers Fight Back Against Google with New Book Search Service: "Publisher HarperCollins and Austin, Texas-based LibreDigital announced today a hosted service called LibreDigital Warehouse that will give publishers and booksellers the ability to deliver searchable book content on their own Web sites." See also the August 3, 2006 HarperCollins press release: "HarperCollins Publishers is proud to announce a series of digital initiatives, including the beta launch of "Browse Inside," a new application allowing consumers to sample pages of HarperCollins titles online. The implementation of expanded digital technologies signals the latest development in the HarperCollins global digital warehouse initiative and emphasizes the company's commitment to reach consumers on the Web by providing robust content in a wide variety of digital formats."



e-discovery issues?

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012216.html

August 22, 2006

Presentation on Metadata Pitfalls and Protections

Metadata and other things that go bump in the night (41 pages, PDF) - "There is data lurking in your data. Some people call it "invisible ink". Microsoft refers to it as "metadata". Either way, the reference is to information in an electronic document that is not always visible. This session will explain the dangers of metadata, how to avoid it, and recent bar association interest in the ethics of exposing or mining metadata." [by Catherine Sanders Reach]



http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012222.html

August 22, 2006

New on LLRX.com for August 2006 - Part 1



Legal techniques: Spamigation

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060822/1148213.shtml

The RIAA's Last Profitable Business Model: Automated Extortion?

from the it's-so-profitable dept

Michael Geist points us to Brad Templeton's email on the Interesting People mailing list, describing how the RIAA has embraced "spamigation," which he defines as the automated process of sending out mass lawsuits for those it accuses of copyright infringement. While the rest of his description isn't new, it is a concise explanation of how the process works, quite similar to DirecTV's automated suing of people from a list they got, where they made it clear to those who were being sued that it was cheaper to pay up the fine that to contest it in court, even if they were innocent. Eventually, DirecTV was sued for racketeering and the courts forced them to stop the spamigation campaign (though, we thought "extortion" campaign was more fitting). The RIAA has been similarly charged with racketeering a few times for its lawsuits -- but so far those cases haven't gone very far. In the meantime, Cory Doctorow suggests that this is the last profitable business model for the music industry -- which is a bit of hyperbole. It may very well be the last profitable business model of the current recording industry run by the RIAA, but these lawsuits will eventually be seen as a backwards blip in the progress of the industry. While the practice of automating mass lawsuit filings against totally unrelated plaintiffs is still seen as legal, eventually the RIAA will be forced to stop. It won't be soon after that people begin to realize that there are business models that work well and are profitable -- without treating everyone as if they were a criminal.



http://techdirt.com/articles/20060822/131236.shtml

Qwest Says Data Retention Laws Are A Great Idea

from the huh? dept

The federal government has wanted to enact data retention requirements for some time, and now Qwest has taken the curious position of saying it supports the legislation, making it the first broadband provider to do so. It's a slightly curious position for the company, which gained a lot of consumer goodwill when it refused to cooperate with the NSA in the wiretapping imbrolgio that sucked in other major telcos. It's unclear why Qwest thinks the laws are a good idea, the company's chief privacy officer not giving any reasons beyond saying that Qwest wants to be present in the discussions in hopes of coming up with something reasonable -- but given lawmakers' involvement, that's wishful thinking. What's a little more striking is her admission that the company keeps logs of "more than 99 percent of its services" for a year, which doesn't seem to really jibe with the privacy-protector image Qwest cultivated with its NSA stance. It doesn't look like the recent AOL search data leak clearly enough illustrated the downside of data rentention, while Qwest's support of new laws doesn't change the fundamental problems with it, including its costs and technical challenges -- but most crucially, how data retention just creates more data, not better data for law enforcement to comb through.



http://techdirt.com/articles/20060822/1330220.shtml

Microsoft Offers One-Click Solution For Reporting Annoying Chatters To Police

from the have-fun-with-it dept

A few years ago, Microsoft decided to shut down their chat rooms in the UK after a few well-publicized stories of children being approached by predators in those chat rooms. Of course, this seemed silly to us. It's not like the kids (or predators) would stop chatting. They'd just move somewhere else -- perhaps somewhere with even less supervision or controls in place. Three years later, and it seems MSN in the UK has realized that many people are simply using the MSN instant messenger service for the same purpose. So, in what appears to be a part of their new internet safety effort, they're adding a button to file a "one-click" police report complaint about who you are talking to. Of course Amazon need not worry about this violating their famous "one-click" patent. It appears there are actually a few more clicks. The single click just takes you to some sort of police service, where officers will then help the user capture information about what's happening in the chat. Of course, making it so easy to report a problem probably means that people are going to report all sorts of non-problems, inundating the police, perhaps making it even more difficult for police to go after the actual predators.



Read this.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/15325521.htm

What do they know about you?

By Elise Ackerman Mercury News Posted on Sun, Aug. 20, 2006

America's top four Internet companies -- Google, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft -- promise they will protect the personal information of people who use their online services to search, shop and socialize.

But a close read of their privacy policies reveals as much exposure as protection.

The massive amounts of data these companies collect -- which can include records of the searches you make, the health problems you research and the investments you monitor -- can be requested by government investigators and subpoenaed by your legal adversaries.

But this same information is generally not available to you.

... Two months ago, the Mercury News began asking the Big Four Internet companies to clarify their privacy policies. The newspaper wanted to know precisely what information was recorded when someone made a date on Yahoo, sought help for addiction on Microsoft's MSN or plotted their daily peregrinations on Google Maps.

How long was the data kept? Could someone's Internet searches be cross-referenced with their horoscope habit? Could a person find out exactly what was stored about him or her? Could a person ask Google, Yahoo, AOL or Microsoft to delete that data?

How often was personal data being requested by law enforcement? Could someone subpoena someone else's searches in a civil suit? Was this happening?

Few answers were forthcoming.

Chart: http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/mercurynews/news/privdata.pdf



Wow! What a great idea!

http://www.ipod-notes.com/

Create ebooks on your iPod

Did you know you can store notes to read on your iPod? They're very readable, but cumbersome to create. So we created this web page to make it super-simple.

There are two ways to create an ebook on your iPod. You can either upload a text file (not a PDF or DOC file) or point to a web page. Pick the form you want below and click submit to have your ebook automatically created!



http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39161662,00.htm?p5=3bx

Cheat Sheet: Web 2.0

What on earth is it and should you care?

By Will Sturgeon Published: Monday 21 August 2006

... Gartner is also convinced web 2.0 should be a major consideration for businesses.

But should I care?
Absolutely you Luddite.