Local Is DNA collection different than fingerprinting? (Only if it is used for purposes other than identification?)
http://www.phiprivacy.net/?p=4089
CO: Does New DNA Law Violate Privacy?
By Dissent, October 3, 2010
Marshall Zelinger reports (emphasis added by me):
It may not be until the middle of October when we find out if the state’s new DNA law can help solve any cold cases.
At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, law enforcement could begin getting a DNA sample from anyone arrested and suspected of a felony. Prior to Thursday, only fingerprints were taken when the person was arrested and processed.
Before the law, DNA samples were only taken once a person was convicted of a felony.
[...]
If a person arrested for a felony is not charged with a felony, that DNA sample is supposed to be destroyed, but the person has to petition a court for that to happen.
Colorado was the 16th state to pass a law like this in 2009. There are now 24 states with similar DNA laws.
They are counting on people not petitioning the court so that they can keep more DNA, I would guess.
The ACLU of Colorado had indicated that they would be mounting a legal challenge to the law, but I do not see anything on their site that refers to any filing.
Id the FTC doing this?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20018381-94.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Verizon to refund up to $90M in bogus data charges
This may well be the largest consumer telecommunications refund in history. Verizon Wireless said Sunday it will pay up to $90 million in refunds to some 15 million subscribers who were charged for data usage or Internet access, though they weren't on data usage plans. The company will credit current customers who were billed for bogus data sessions between $2 and $6 each on their October and November bills. And it will cut checks in the same amounts to former customers.
(Related) The writing reminds me of my students, who don't have the “English as a second language” excuse...
http://hewreck.com/wtf-att-sends-out-overpayment-refunds/
WTF: AT&T sends out Overpayment Refunds
It’s well known that AT&T has some of the highest service rates in the U.S. and I’ve done my share of bashing them about it at any opportunity, but what I received from them on Thursday morning was not my typical F*** AT&T. In-fact after I opened the letter it was like…‘WTF’! AT&T had sent me a Overpayment Check for $369.89.
I’ve only been with AT&T for one year and they’ve been over billing me about $30.00/month on my iphone 3Gs data plan, AT&T should refund all their customers money for the horrible service they provide.
… Question, is AT&T secretly sending out “Overpayment Refund Checks” to clean up there mess before the FCC puts them in the spotlight as Verizon? Well, if you have AT&T service I think you look at your bill and make and consider calling to AT&T if you’ve been getting larger bills than normal.
(Related) I think so anyway...
http://www.ismashphone.com/2010/10/terms-of-service-who-reads-them.html
iTunes Terms & Conditions: Try Reading 55 Pages on Your iPhone
Terms of Service, TOS, Terms & Conditions, whatever they're all called, does anyone actually read them? They are long, speak in a language that most people probably don't care to understand and repeat some of the same guidelines over and over again. At least we think they do...actually, we've never bothered to read them.
Can you really blame us? These are 55-pages long.
What are our options anyway? If we say "Agree" we've just agreed to whatever you wanted us to agree to.
If we say "Cancel" we don't get much practical use out of our iOS device, which we've likely already purchased. Decisions, decisions.
I suggest you send this article to your Security Manager...
http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201040/6234/NCSAM-Logs-as-a-means-of-defense
NCSAM: Logs as a means of defense
The topic of logging is a complex subject. Inside a typical business, there are countless things to monitor, such as webservers, employee access, and applications just to name a few. For this installment of National Cyber Security Awareness Month coverage, we look at logs from a defense perspective.
… For the basics, logs are recordings of events that have taken place on an organization’s systems and networks. An organization needs logs as part of an audit trail, and the auditing process is a must if an organization needs to address the needs of regulations such as SOX, GLBA, HIPAA, FISMA, and PCI DSS.
… You also have issues related to storage, as the more logged data you collect, the more space you need to store it. Another problem with logging is the actual examination. Sure the logs are there, but no one looks at them, and that is a damning mistake.
“It cannot be a pleasant experience to learn that the six months of log data you’ve been collecting contained all the necessary indicators of a breach. It is, however, a common experience. We consistently find that nearly 90% of the time logs are available but discovery via log analysis remains under 5%,” the 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (VDBIR) explains.
(Related)
InfoWorld review: Better network security, compliance with log management
This pushes a lot of my hot buttons. Terrorists know about this, but apparently anti-terrorist organizations didn't even consider it until it showed up in the Apple store. I would consider this “sensitive data” but there has been no effort to secure (encrypt) it – which likely would make no difference if everyone used the same code...
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/10/03/199235/US-Says-Plane-Finder-App-Threatens-Security?from=rss
US Says Plane Finder App Threatens Security
Posted by samzenpus on Sunday October 03, @04:04PM
"The Plane Finder AR application, developed by a British firm for the Apple iPhone and Google's Android, allows users to point their phone at the sky and see the position, height and speed of nearby aircraft. It also shows the airline, flight number, departure point, destination and even the likely course-the features which could be used to target an aircraft with a surface-to-air missile, or to direct another plane on to a collision course, the 'Daily Mail' reported. The program, sold for just 1.79 pounds in the online Apple store, has now been labelled an 'aid to terrorists' by security experts and the US Department of Homeland Security is also examining how to protect airliners. The new application works by intercepting the so-called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasts (ADS-B) transmitted by most passenger aircraft to a new satellite tracking system that supplements or, in some countries, replaces radar."
Statistics.
66% of All Windows Users Still Use Windows XP
Posted by samzenpus on Sunday October 03, @10:48AM
"Almost one year after the introduction of Windows 7 it appears that the hype surrounding it has faded. The overall market share of Windows has turned into a slight decline again. Windows 7 is gaining share, but cannot keep pace with the loss of Windows XP and Vista. Especially Windows XP users seem to be happy with what they have and appear to be rather resistant to Microsoft's pitches that it is time to upgrade to Windows 7."
An “Ego enhancement” tool?
Printing Facebook Gives A Whole New Meaning To The Term “Facebook Wall”
Ever thought to yourself: hey I would love to have all my Facebook friends’ profile pictures printed on one giant poster and decorate my living room wall with it? Yeah, me neither, but perhaps if you’d learn that you could do it, maybe you’d consider it.
Enter Printing Facebook, which, well, lets you print all your Facebook friends’ profile picture on one giant poster for you to decorate that living room wall with
There are tools out there to convert my Blog to an e-book. Think anyone would pay $0.99 for it?
Barnes & Noble Launches Publishing Platform PubIt To Rival Amazon’s DTP
Barnes & Noble this morning launched PubIt! (oh please, not another exclamation mark as part of a brand name), a platform that offers independent publishers and authors a way to digitally distribute their works through BN.com and the Barnes & Noble eBookstore.
Amazon, for your information, has a similar platform dubbed DTP (Digital Text Platform).
… PubIt! uses an all-online platform for publishers to set up their accounts, upload their eBooks, set the list price and track their sales and payments. Publishers can price their titles between $0.99 and $199.99 and receive a royalty based on the given price.
For PubIt! eBooks priced at or between $2.99 and $9.99, publishers receive 65 percent of the list price for sold content. For those priced at $2.98 or less, or $10.00 or more, publishers receive 40 percent of the list price.
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