Wednesday, February 13, 2008

A requested delay?

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080212224436644

MN: MPS teachers' private data taken

Tuesday, February 12 2008 @ 10:44 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches

Half of Milwaukee Public Schools teachers are at risk for identity theft after a computer containing their names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses was stolen, a teachers union spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association staffers have received about a dozen calls since last weekend, when affected teachers received a letter from Administrative Systems Inc., a Seattle-based third-party administrator on contract with their insurance company, alerting them of a security breach that occurred in late December.

... Around 3,000 MPS teachers are affected by the theft because they're enrolled in a group disability insurance plan underwritten by the Union Security Insurance Company, said Pam Schiefelbein, a local plan administrator. The teachers' personal information was stolen from Administrative Systems Inc., which contracts with Union Security and others in the insurance and financial services industries.

Source - JS Online

Related - Computer stolen from Administrative Systems, Inc. contained sensitive personal information and Stolen Administrative Systems, Inc. computer reported to have personal data on 200,000

[From the article:

O'Mahar of MTEA said he was told that the lag between the December theft and notification of Milwaukee teachers occurred at the request of Seattle police. [Is this wise? What are the pros and cons? Bob]



What are the rules of disclosure?

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080211180558702

(update) Stolen Administrative Systems, Inc. computer reported to have personal data on 200,000

Tuesday, February 12 2008 @ 05:36 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches

As a follow-up to a story first published on PogoWasRight.org, one of those affected by the breach tells us that an employee of Administrative Systems, Inc. (ASI) informed her that the computer stolen from Adminstrative Systems, Inc.'s Seattle office contained personal information on 200,000 individuals.

Additionally, although the copy of the sample notification letter posted to ASI's web site did not indicate that any financial data were involved, the letter she received indicated that personal information may include, "in some cases, bank account information."

"I was still surprised when the girl I talked to said my bank account was also involved; I hadn't even considered that possibility," one of those affected wrote. Her checking account had been set for automatic debit of her insurance premiums. Others who were set up for automatic deduction from checking accounts for their premium payments may be similarly affected.

To date, ASI has not responded to two requests for additional information or clarification on this breach.



Oh goodie, not I can practice building my “Get to know your neighbor” web site – I'm certain this will spread nation-wide quickly...

http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/2008/02/12/state-of-connecticut-puts-criminal-convictions-online/

State of Connecticut Puts Criminal Convictions Online

12th February 2008, 07:42 pm

The state of Connecticut has put a database of over one million criminal convictions (dating back to January 1, 2000) online. Unlike some other states’ criminal conviction databases, this one also includes minor infractions like traffic offenses. [That a bit down the slippery slope from Child Molester, isn't it? Bob] You can search it at http://www.jud2.ct.gov/crdockets/SearchByDefDisp.aspx . Using it is free.



This is another indication of the culture at Best Buy.

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080212111434543

The lost (Best Buy) laptop and the $54 million lawsuit

Tuesday, February 12 2008 @ 11:14 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: In the Courts

Best Buy is yet again at the center of an unusual lawsuit: A customer sues the retailer for $54 million over her laptop that the company apparently lost during a repair process. A ridiculous amount? Sure. But this is actually one of the smarter lawsuits we hear about these days.

Source - tgdaily
Related - Best Buy vs. Consumer Protection Blog has correspondence and more...

[From the article:

Without legal representation, she filed a $54 million lawsuit against Best Buy last November and actually admits that this is a ridiculous amount. But she hoped that this amount would attract plenty of media attention, which it actually does.



This is just in case Read-ID fails... (Your SSAN card can't be used as identification, can it?)

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080212161430793

House bill mandates high-tech Social Security cards

Tuesday, February 12 2008 @ 04:14 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Fed. Govt.

Two Republican congressmen from Illinois have proposed legislation that would update the Social Security card for the age of cybercrime.

U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam announced on Monday their proposal of the Social Security Identity Theft Prevention Act, a bill that would require tamperproof and wear-resistant Social Security cards to contain a photo of its holder and a biometric sample, such as a fingerprint.

Source - SC Magazine



Another resource

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/12/175213&from=rss

Web Browsers Under Siege From Organized Crime

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday February 12, @01:23PM from the x-force-2007-sounds-like-an-awesome-movie dept. Security The Internet

An anonymous reader writes "IBM has released the findings of the 2007 X-Force Security report, a group cataloging online-based threat since 1997. Their newest information details a disturbing rise in the sophistication of attacks by online criminals. According to IBM, hackers are now stealing the identities and controlling the computers of consumers at 'a rate never before seen on the Internet'. 'The study finds that a complex and sophisticated criminal economy has developed to capitalize on Web vulnerabilities. Underground brokers are delivering tools to aid in obfuscation, or camouflaging attacks on browsers, so cybercriminals can avoid detection by security software. In 2006, only a small percentage of attackers employed camouflaging techniques, but this number soared to 80 percent during the first half of 2007.'"

[Get the report here: http://www.iss.net/x-force_report_images/2008/index.html Bob]



Follow-up They did reverse.

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080212111830781

Defendant had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his desk at work

Tuesday, February 12 2008 @ 11:18 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: In the Courts

Defendant had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his desk at work, and the state did not show that the work area was shared with others to show that there was no expectation of privacy.

The case is Harper v. State, 2008 Ga. LEXIS 150 (February 11, 2008):

Source - FourthAmendment.com



Listen to the video. This sounds more like “Someone must do what their mommys didn't” than any meaningful deterrent of crime

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1711972,00.html

When Surveillance Cameras Talk

By THOMAS K. GROSE Monday, Feb. 11, 2008

Big Brother is not only watching you; in Barking and Dagenham, Big Brother wants a word.

... Eventually, the council wants to run contests to pick school children to voice some of the messages. [Get 'em young! Bob]



Counter-surveillance? Will the state insist on monitoring the activities of counter-surveillance (counter-counter-surveillance) and if so will their be counter-counter-counter-surveillance?

http://salem-news.com/articles/february122008/speed_traps_2-12-08.php

New Online Mapping Tool Shows Drivers Speedtrap Locations

Tim King Salem-News.com Feb-12-2008 09:26

Njection.com is working on exporting 50-thousand speed traps to GPS-enabled mobile phones and devices.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Drivers who dial into new technology from the Oregon company Njection.com, may have an edge when it comes to avoiding expensive speeding tickets in police speed traps.

The company expects to reach a landmark of over 50-thousand speed traps worldwide and map them online using the Speed Trap Mashup speedtrapnjection.com/speedtrap.



Soon we will have the technology to recreate you from the bones out – at which point we will no longer need a “real” you.

http://io9.com/354818/the-authorities-have-your-skeleton-on-file

The Authorities Have Your Skeleton On File

Security checkpoints could do a full-body scan and check your skeleton against the bone structures of known terrorists in a few years. A new patent, issued on Friday, covers a system that would scan some, or all, of your skeleton and compare it with a database of skeletons. The database would also pull up data such as your name, address, social security number, and passport number. Worst of all, you might not even know your skeleton is being scanned from a distance.

The patented device uses "imaging radar," which bounces microwaves off your skeleton and obtains an image. The objective of the new system is to provide a fool-proof means of identifying people by their skeletons, which may be harder to spoof than fingerprints or other biometrics. The imaging system will be "compact and safe" for use on humans, the patent (#7317416) claims. Most of all, the system would provide "a means to identify individuals at a distance and/or without requiring direct contact."



Because he amuses me...

http://ralphlosey.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/when-and-why-should-you-start-an-e-discovery-team/

When and Why Should You Start an e-Discovery Team?



Do you think this is ready for prime time? It is possible to put too much information in your resume.

http://www.killerstartups.com/Web-App-Tools/Visualcvcom---Visual-and-Interactive-Resumes/

Visualcv.com - Visual and Interactive Resumes

The job search, application process, and actual on-site work now take place primarily online- why should your CV not be updated accordingly? VisualCV brings your resume into the twenty-first century. The program incorporates audio, video, charts and graphs into your electronic resume. This means that employers don’t have to wait for if and when they schedule an interview with you to see your body of work- they can see it immediately. In addition, VisualCV links background information about former employers and educational institutions within the resume, so employers can cut out search time.

http://www.visualcv.com/



For my web site students Very easy to use!

http://www.killerstartups.com/Web-App-Tools/www-FreeScreencastcom---Software-for-ScreenCasts/

www. FreeScreencast.com - Software for ScreenCasts

FreeScreencast.com is a site that allows users to create screencasts for free. Using FreeScreencast.com is easy. All you need to do is download the free software to make your own screencasts. Once you have downloaded the software you can create an account and make as many screencasts as you want. With this software you can share your screencasts with your friends, family, and the world. You can host you’re your screencasts on your blog or website. Publish as many as you want and share your tips and skills with the community. When you visit the site you can browse through all of the screencasts or take a looked at the featured screencasts. FreeScreencast.com is a great site for those individuals who do not want to deal with technicality that they could find challenging. FreeScreencast.com is simple and easy, download and publish and there you are.

http://freescreencast.com/screencasts

[This software ( http://www.debugmode.com/wink/ ) is a bit more complicated, but allows you to edit the results... Bob]

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