Someone was thinking. That's a dangerous precedent to set.
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080201071248277
CA: Stolen laptop puts IDs at risk
Friday, February 01 2008 @ 07:12 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches
Fresno County officials have warned thousands of CalWorks clients that they could be at risk for identity fraud after the theft of a laptop computer late last year.
The computer was taken from a county office but belonged to Supportive Services Inc., a nonprofit agency.
The county Department of Employment and Temporary Assistance refers some CalWorks clients to that agency for child care-related assistance.
The laptop, which was encrypted with several passwords, [I've seen that phrase before, but I have no idea what they are trying to say. Passwords are not encryption. Bob] stored documents with personal information for up to 6,600 CalWorks clients who had been referred to the agency since 1999, according to the county.
... Hornback said notices were mailed to clients because state officials determined the level of encryption on the computer was insufficient to prevent data from being accessed. [Whatever they did, it wasn't adequate. That's the bottom line. Bob]
Source - FresnoBee
Would this law have changed the TJX dynamic? I don't think so...
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080202065505951
MA: New law addresses personal information breaches
Saturday, February 02 2008 @ 06:55 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: State/Local Govt.
Massachusetts recently became the 39th state to enact a data security breach notification law, the “Breach Notification Law,” to deal with security breaches of personal information of Massachusetts residents.
This news story reviews the provisions of the new law.
Source - Boston Herald
Perhaps they will pay more attention when Hillary wins the Republican primary?
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/election-softwa.html
Election Software Lost in Transit Found -- But More Chips Go Missing
By Kim Zetter EmailJanuary 31, 2008 | 1:35:06 PMCategories: E-Voting, Election '08
As I reported last month, 174 EPROM chips loaded with software that runs on Diebold optical-scan voting systems were lost in California after they were sent via Federal Express from the secretary of state's office to San Diego County election officials. Two cardboard shipping tubes that were supposed to contain the chips arrived empty in San Diego, with one of the tubes missing its lid.
It turns out that 156 of the chips were found in Santa Barbara, but 18 are still missing. Authorities say that a couple of other CA counties have now discovered that they're missing chips as well.
How they protect our Privacy
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080201173003623
DHS Privacy Report Released
Friday, February 01 2008 @ 05:30 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Fed. Govt.
The Privacy Office of the Department of Homeland Security released the July 2006-July 2007 Privacy Report [pdf]. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 requires that the Chief Privacy Officer prepare a report to Congress on an annual basis on the activities of the Department that affect privacy, including complaints regarding program activities.
Source - Privacy Coalition
For those of us keeping score...
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/017355.html
February 01, 2008
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: A Chronology of Data Breaches
A Chronology of Data Breaches, updated January 30, 2008
Are we sure this isn't cyberwar?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/01/internet.outage/
updated 6:18 p.m. EST, Fri February 1, 2008
Third undersea Internet cable cut in Mideast
(CNN) -- An undersea cable carrying Internet traffic was cut off the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai, officials said Friday, the third loss of a line carrying Internet and telephone traffic in three days.
Possibly useful? Likely to stir up a discussion
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080201075931159
Webcasts from Data Privacy Day 2008 Available Online
Friday, February 01 2008 @ 07:59 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Other Privacy News
Webcasts of the Jan. 28 conference at Duke University, Data Privacy in Transatlantic Perspective: Conflict or Cooperation?, are available online for free viewing with Real Player:
Welcome and Opening Remarks by Francesca Bignami and Gilbert Merkx and Panel: The Past and Present of Data Privacy
Moderated by Leonardo Cervera Navas.
Panelists are Howard Beales, Peter Hustinx, and Stefano Rodota
Panel: Consumer Privacy Through Notice and Consent
Moderated by Sarah Ludington.
Panelists are Annie Anton, Giovanni Buttarelli, Fred Cate, Kathryn Ratte, and Peter Swire
Panel: Privacy and National Security
Moderated by Frank Schmiedel
Panelists are Florence Audubert, Francesca Bignami, Anne Klinefelter, John Kropf, and Thomas Zerdick
Panel: Global Data Flows and National Privacy Standards
Moderated by Richard Purcell
Panelists are Joe Alhadeff, Damon Greer, David Hoffman, Jane Horvath, Campbell Tucker
hat-tip - Leonardo Cervera
Perhaps variations on this theme could also be programmed – like only allowing photographs of politicians when they look honest, or photos of Brittany Spears being a great mom...
http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9862606-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
January 31, 2008 9:19 PM PST
Tessera buys camera detection software firm
Posted by Stephen Shankland
LAS VEGAS--Tessera Technologies has agreed to acquire FotoNation, a start-up that sells software cameras can use for tasks such as detecting and tracking faces, fixing flash-induced red-eye, and triggering the shutter only when subjects are smiling and not blinking.
If ignorance of the law is no excuse, can ignorance of the technology be an excuse?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020102045.html
Judge Grills E-Mail-Deleting Texas DA
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON The Associated Press Friday, February 1, 2008; 6:47 PM
HOUSTON -- An embattled prosecutor facing a contempt charge for deleting e-mails was grilled Friday by a federal judge who said he should have known better than to erase material he had been ordered to turn over.
... "I didn't think I was hard-deleting anything," Rosenthal said. "I thought the system maintained whatever I deleted in a separate part of the information technology system that could be retrieved to satisfy the subpoena."
Okay, this has apparently slipped by me. Tax increases I expect, an IRS satellite I missed.
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080201084759701
Senators raise privacy issues about federal mileage tax proposal
Friday, February 01 2008 @ 08:47 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Fed. Govt.
Members of a U.S. Senate committee have raised the issue of privacy in response to a recommendation by a federal transportation commission to replace the federal fuel tax with a mileage-based tax.
Taxes collected on vehicle miles traveled – or VMT – would require a satellite-based technology to read how many miles a vehicle travels in a given state, members of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission said Thursday, Jan. 31, during a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Source - Land Line (hat-tip, Flying Hamster)
Strategy is bad only when it doesn't work...
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080201/164154153.shtml
Super Bowl Intellectual Property Insanity: No Big Screen Super Bowl Parties, Trademarking 19-0
from the the-big,-big-game dept
Well here are a couple stories to leave you with as we head into Super Bowl weekend. Every year it seems there's some insanity concerning the NFL somehow trying to abuse intellectual property rights above and beyond what they're designed for. Remember, the NFL thinks that it can tell reporters how to report on a game, while also forcing them to advertise for NFL sponsors. It also has been known to issue bogus DMCA notices. And, of course, don't forget that not only has the NFL bullied people into believing that you can't use the phrase "The Super Bowl" in an advertisement, after many advertisers switched to the euphemism "The Big Game" to appease the NFL, it tried to trademark "The Big Game" as well.
This year, the big news (as submitted by a lot of you), but first by Ryan, is that the New England Patriots have applied for a trademark on "19-0" to represent the undefeated season the team will have if it wins this season. The NY Post, snarky as ever, filed for a trademark on 18-1 in response, supporting the home town NY Giants. This, of course, seems rather ridiculous. What would happen in future seasons if some other team was able to go 19-0? There's also the question of hubris in declaring yourself 19-0 before that final game. On that note, you can already pre-order a book about the 19-0 season, even though it hasn't been completed yet.
That's not all, though. Last year, we had a story that got tremendous attention about the NFL stopping churches from having Super Bowl parties, if they had a TV that was bigger than 55". There was a lot of fuss about it, and you would think that, perhaps, the NFL would let it slide this year. Not so. Ethan Bauley writes in to let us know that, once again, the NFL has been going around stopping churches from holding Super Bowl... er... The Big Game... er... "Best Commercials Of The Year, Interrupted By Some Game" parties, for having TVs that are too big.
So, remember, as you watch the... event... this weekend, to do so on a TV smaller than 55", do not refer to it as "The Super Bowl" or "The Big Game," make sure to notice the photojournalists wearing sponsors' clothing, and certainly do not put a fair use clip on YouTube. And, perhaps, cheer on the Giants in their effort to make the 19-0 trademark question a hypothetical, rather than practical, question.
Have I discovered “the next big thing” for computer stores?
http://digg.com/microsoft/Computer_shop_sales_pitch_We_remove_Vista_PIC
Computer shop sales pitch: 'We remove Vista' (PIC)
blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com — Shop manager Aaron Kaplan said they were prompted to put it up because so many people were having problems with Windows Vista, including compatibility issues with older software and trouble adjusting to the interface.
This is interesting. I don't think I've mentioned it here before...
eNotes
eNotes features study guides, critical material, and group forums on more than 20,000 works of literature and other academic subjects.
[Warning: You can waste a lot of time browsing here. There is too much interesting stuff! Bob]
For my web site class...
http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/Vizholecom---All-In-One-Video-Search/
Vizhole.com - All In One Video Search
Did it ever happen to you that you were looking for a video in, say, YouTube, and regardless of how much you searched you didn’t seem to get across it? Did you ever feel stupid when you said ‘Oh, well, let’s try Veoh for a change’ and there it was, staring at you from the #1 in the search results page? Well, those days are over for good, because thanks to Vizhole.com you can beat the strange shifts in audience and liking that make people upload stuff to one of the video portals and not to the next. This site is a Search Engine that simultaneously searches the largest video portals: YouTube, LiveVideo, DailyMotion, iFilm, Veoh, and presents you with the combined results so you need only make one click as opposed to a gazillion, when searching each portal separately.
Conduct your own surveillance!
http://www.killerstartups.com/Video-Music-Photo/Fisgoniacom---Webcams-Around-the-World/
Fisgonia.com - Webcams Around the World
Fisgonia.com is a site that aggregates webcams from around the world. When first entering this site you see a Google map with small cam icons in several colors, each of which stands for one kind of webcam (traffic, business, nature, cities, etc.). When clicking into the icon, a small screen opens up where you can see that particular webcam in real time, plus it opens the original site from which the webcam came from. Data on webcams is submitted by users, plus you can limit your search by kind of webcam. Users can also search a specific location to take a look at what the available webcams in that specific area are, or browse the tag cloud to find out what the hottest topics are. Other than the default English in which the site is displayed, it is also available in Spanish and Italian.
http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/Typeneucom---Typography-News-for-Perfectionistas/
Typeneu.com - Typography News for Perfectionistas
As happens with all design-related sites, Typeneu.com is dangerously addictive, so be warned. This sleekly designed site is an online catalogue of typography, which aggregates different kinds of typefaces from top design artists and studios so that users can create their bookmarks, which will be stored in their profile, which in turn becomes their online type portfolio. Downloads are not available from this site, but since all entries are linked to the design studio that created them and some allow downloading you might get some freebies, however the best types are generally for sale. The site also aggregates tutorials and links to blog posts and articles that are somewhat related to typography design and trends, plus a comprehensive directory of links to sites that share the interest for typefaces and typeface design.
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