Friday, November 25, 2011


I would assume that NASDAQ had outsourced their security. Looks like they aren't managing that too well.
"NASDAQ's aging software and out of date security patches played a key part in the stock exchange being hacked last year, according to the reported preliminary results of an FBI investigation. Forensic investigators found some PCs and servers with out-of-date software and uninstalled security patches, Reuters reported, including Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The stock exchange had also incorrectly configured some of its firewalls. NASDAQ, which prides itself on running some of the fastest client-facing systems in the financial world, does have a generally sound PC and network architecture, the FBI reportedly found. But sources close to the investigation told Reuters that NASDAQ had been an 'easy target' because of the specific security problems found. Investigators had apparently expressed surprise that the stock exchange had not been more vigilant."


Don't go after Facebook, go after the individual... Got it!
No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy on Facebook, Pa. Judge Says
November 24, 2011 by Dissent
Ben Present writes:
Even without appellate case law in Pennsylvania to provide guidance on the discoverability of information on Facebook, the standard is becoming clear: Post at your own risk.
Three courts in this state have now decided that, if a party in a civil case posts information on his or her Facebook page, and that information appears to contradict statements in discovery or testimony, then the party’s Facebook page falls within the scope of discovery.
In the most recent case, Largent v. Reed, a Franklin County judge ordered plaintiff Jennifer Largent to turn over her Facebook username and password to defendant Jessica Rosko, who allegedly caused an auto accident that left plaintiffs Jennifer and Keith Largent with “serious and permanent physical and mental injuries.”
Read more on Law.com
[From the article:
The SCA did not apply to Largent, Walsh said, because Rosko was seeking information directly from the plaintiff rather than serving subpoenas on Facebook, itself. Walsh said the SCA only covered internet service providers, though he acknowledged the "terms are somewhat confusing because they reflect the state of computing technology as it existed in 1986."
Largent joins Zimmerman v. Weis Markets Inc. and McMillen v. Hummingbird Speedway Inc. as defense victories in a sprouting body of case law dealing with Facebook. The apparently lone plaintiff win on the subject in Pennsylvania -- Piccolo v. Paterson -- came after the plaintiffs attorney successfully argued his case was distinguishable from McMillen because there were no allegations his client posted one thing and said another.
… Walsh said making a Facebook page "private" does not shield it from discovery because even private posts are shared with other people.


Isn't this another “go after the individual” case?
Belgacom Can’t Be Told to Block File Sharing: EU
November 24, 2011 by Dissent
Stephanie Bodoni reports:
Belgacom SA (BELG)’s Internet-service provider Scarlet can’t be forced by a national court to block users from illegally sharing music and video files, the European Union’s highest court said.
“EU law precludes the imposition of an injunction by a national court which requires an internet service provider to install a filtering system with a view to preventing the illegal downloading of files,” the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg said in a statement after today’s ruling.
Read more on Bloomberg.
The European Digital Rights (EDRI) welcomed the ruling:
Today the Court of justice of the European Union ruled that a proposed measure ordering an Internet service provider to install a system of filtering of all electronic communications and blocking certain content in order to protect intellectual property rights was in breach of European law.
This result is hugely important, as it protects the openness of the Internet. The alternative would have been a decision which would ultimately have put all European networks under permanent surveillance and filtering. This would have had major negative consequences for both fundamental rights and the online economy in Europe.
Read more on EDRI.
[From the article:
SABAM wanted Scarlet to filter all peer-to-peer traffic and block potentially unlawful peer-to-peer communications. [That sounds crazy... Bob]


For my fellow teachers...
Jeff Borden and his colleagues at Pearson eCollege have created a directory of 500 e-learning tools. [Excel spreadsheet]


Half my students don't understand me now. Imagine the fun I could have with this!
Say What? Talking Trash Through the Ages
History is full of silver-tongued scoundrels. So if you find yourself in a 19th-century battle of wits, best not to bring a dagger to a musket fight. The solution for any quantum leaper: Jonathon Green’s new book, Green’s Dictionary of Slang, a 6,200-page lexicon spanning more than half a millennium.


Okay, this doesn't help...

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