Interesting article with a fair amount of detail...
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20070702070239133
South Floridians victimized by medical identity theft
Monday, July 02 2007 @ 07:31 AM CDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Medical Privacy
As front desk coordinator at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Isis Machado was in a prime position to steal medical records.
... In May, federal officials said they had arrested 38 people in connection with $142 million in Medicare fraud in Miami-Dade County — much of it related to medical ID theft. Suspects allegedly set up phony medical equipment dealerships and stole or bought Medicare numbers to bill the government for power wheelchairs, walkers and other equipment.
... One of the most troubling aspects is that organized crime rings, including the Russian mafia, are buying small health clinics in major cities and turning them into medical ID theft units.
Source - Sun-Sentinel
New and updated reports....
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20070702072511862
Data “Dysprotection:” breaches reported last week
Monday, July 02 2007 @ 07:36 AM CDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches
A recap of incidents or privacy breaches reported last week for those who enjoy shaking their head and muttering to themselves with their morning coffee.
Data “dysprotection:” breaches reported last week
As more software companies provide “automatic” updates in the background, hacking into these tools becomes more and more attractive. (At what point will use of Windows become more of a security burden than it is worth?)
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=2007070210065364
Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine!
Monday, July 02 2007 @ 10:06 AM CDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Internet & Computers
Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company.
Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista Privacy Statement and references within the End User License Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest via Vista.
Source - Softpedia (h/t, Slashdot)
Will this be enough to keep presidential candidates from making the same statement?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20070702072303512
Lieberman calls for wider use of surveillance cameras (updated)
Monday, July 02 2007 @ 10:29 AM CDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Surveillance
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said Sunday he wants to “more widely” use surveillance cameras across the country.
“The Brits have got something smart going in England, and it was part of why I believe they were able to so quickly apprehend suspects in the terrorist acts over the weekend, and that is they have cameras all over London and other of their major cities,” Lieberman said.
“I think it’s just common sense to do that here much more widely,” he added. “And of course, we can do it without compromising anybody’s real privacy.”
Source - The Hill Related - NY Daily News
This is the back side of access limitations. If your employees can't get into trouble by entering unauthorized transactions, what is left to monitor? Lots, as it turns out...
Transaction monitoring specialist adds Actimize
Actimize is being snapped up by Nice Systems as the customer interaction specialist seeks to add insider fraud detection to its array of business analytics tools
By Matt Hines, IDG News Service July 02, 2007
Responding to the need among businesses to monitor employee activity for signs of potential cybercrime and fraud, behavior analysis specialist Actimize is being acquired by Nice Systems for roughly $280 million.
... Nice's existing software offers the ability for companies to track and monitor phone calls, e-mails, and other customer-oriented interactions to gauge their overall quality and look for potential issues as well as to respond to complaints and weed out troublesome employees.
... Actimize claims that its customers can use applications like its Employee Fraud Prevention software to scan through large volumes of database file-access logs and other transaction-related data to determine if workers are trying to steal information from sensitive records or pass it along to others.
In addition to watching out for clear policy violations, such as employees who open sensitive files that they do not have permission to view, [indicates their security software is not working properly. Bob] Actimize's applications also look for more subtle behavior patterns which could indicate inappropriate activity, such as workers who spend inordinate amounts of time viewing particular records or use Webmail sites simultaneous to their use of protected systems.
Will this become the new SPAM?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118334106678254898.html
Murder, She Texted: Wireless Messaging Used to Fight Crime
By LI YUAN July 2, 2007; Page B1
Three weeks ago, when police in The Hague in the Netherlands got a report that a boat had been stolen, they sent out a text message about the case to residents who had signed up to receive neighborhood crime alerts on their cellphones.
An hour later, a woman bicycling along a canal who got the message notified police via a phone call that she saw a boat that met the description. The boat was found and the thief arrested. "They're the eyes on the street," says a spokesperson for The Hague's police department.
Text messaging, a form of wireless communication that's gaining traction in the U.S., is turning into an effective crime-fighting tool around the world. Police agencies from Beijing to Boston are encouraging citizens to use it to report crime or inform on criminals.
... Even the U.S., which had lagged in adopting text messaging, is catching up in using it to combat crime. In June, the Boston Police Department launched a new "Text a Tip" program to increase cooperation with police among young people, who are heavy text-message users, says Commissioner Ed Davis. Text messaging provides them a more discreet way to communicate with police than phone calling, he says. [What am I missing here? Bob]
Under the program, witnesses can text the word "TIP" to the number 27463 (CRIME). They will receive automated messages that ask specific questions regarding crime categories, physical description of suspects, weapon types and other useful details. Witnesses can provide the information by replying to the messages. Cellphone numbers are completely blocked to ensure anonymity, says a spokeswoman. [...and yet they can send messages back to those phones? Bob]
... Last year, police in The Hague started using text messaging to send out mass alerts when fighting serious crime. After a 2005 murder case went unsolved for months, police sent out text messages to about 6,000 cellphone numbers that were believed to be in use near the murder scene, [SPAM? Bob] asking for potential witness tips. The case remains unsolved.
I guess not everyone understands technology...
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/15-07/st_cia
In Italy, CIA Agents Were Undone By Their Cell Phones
Matthew Cole Email 06.26.07 | 2:00 AM
The CIA needs to get a Q. James Bond's gadget guru surely would have warned the agency about how easy it is to track calls made via cell phone. Now 25 of its agents are facing trial in absentia in Milan, Italy, this summer — undone by their pathetic ignorance of technology. It seems that cellular data exposed their operation to carry out the "extraordinary rendition" (read: illegal abduction) of an Egyptian cleric suspected of terrorist involvement from a Milan street in 2003.
Turning your employees against you? This could push unhappy employees into the disgruntled category...
BSA raises reward to $1M for reports of piracy
Trade group will pay the new reward amount for accurate reports of software copyright infringement between now and Oct. 2
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service July 02, 2007
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has temporarily raised the reward that's part of controversial program encouraging people to report software piracy from $200,000 to $1 million, the trade group announced Monday.
Challenges are becoming more common. Also more common is a request for technical (and legal) help to defeat what is seen as an evil (Luddite?) RIAA. (Someone should develop a business model to structure and market this resource.)
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/03/0025236&from=rss
Is RIAA's Linares Affidavit Technically Valid?
Posted by kdawson on Monday July 02, @11:51PM from the helping-out-the-judge dept. The Courts
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In support of its ex parte, 'John Doe,' discovery applications against college students, the RIAA has been using a declaration by its 'Anti-Piracy' Vice President Carlos Linares (PDF) to show the judge that it has a good copyright infringement case against the 'John Does.' A Boston University student has challenged the validity of Mr. Linares's declaration, and the RIAA is fighting back. Would appreciate the Slashdot community's take on the validity of Mr. Linares's 'science.'"
Perhaps the RIAA should negotiate the location of the anti-missile shield?
http://techdirt.com/articles/20070702/143923.shtml
Russia Shuts Down Allofmp3, International Trade Can Now Resume
from the they're-working-for-you dept
The music industry has felt threatened by Allofmp3.com for quite some time. After all, a site delivering DRM-free music at a low cost is record labels' worst nightmare. The RIAA's always-intense lobbying efforts paid off when it got the US government to threaten Russia that unless it shut down the site, it wouldn't be admitted to the World Trade Organization. They've now gotten what they paid for their wish, as Allofmp3.com has now been shut down, after pressure from the Russian government. But in a move to highlight the utter pointlessness of all of this, the company behind Allofmp3 -- which has shown little concern for the flap over the WTO -- has already set up another site, Mp3sparks.com, which appears nearly identical to Allofmp3. The company says it's setting aside 15 percent of its revenues to pay royalties to record labels, and is considering paying another 5 percent on top of that, even though it's not legally required to do so. Of course, that's not likely to matter to the labels, which sued Allofmp3, even though it had apparently been trying to pay royalties to them, in accordance with Russian law. The typically misguided approach of the music industry here is obvious, though it's more than a little annoying to see the recording industry (yet again) get the government to do its bidding -- particularly when the US government ignores the WTO on other matters, when it's convenient.
Good lobbying? Or no particular strategy on Massachusetts' part?
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2153821,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
Mass. Embraces MS' Open XML Document Format
By Peter Galli July 2, 2007
The commonwealth of Massachusetts has done a 180 degree turn and decided to support Microsoft's Office Open XML format in addition to the OASIS Open Document Format.
No doubt this will prove of significant scientific value...
http://digg.com/music/Ask_Al_Gore_a_Question_Live_Webcast_on_Thursday_July_5
Ask Al Gore a Question: Live Webcast on Thursday, July 5
Before Madonna performs her new song or Spinal Tap inspires some consciousness-raising headbanging at Live Earth, Al Gore wants to talk global warming and going green with you. In an exclusive webcast at 1:30 pm Eastern time on July 5, Gore will answer reader-submitted questions about the climate crisis. What do you want to know from the former VP?
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