I can't wait for some scholarly study on this topic. It may be hard to have a TJX fund it, however...

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080306125642337

When does a privacy breach cause harm?

Thursday, March 06 2008 @ 12:56 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches

Several countries are on the verge of doing what U.S. courts have stopped short of: codifying that breaches of personal information can actually harm people. Why should U.S. companies welcome this development?

Because an international answer to this question could clarify the standard of protection corporations have to meet with regard to personal data in their care. Finally having a clear standard could contain corporate liability and reduce companies' operational expenses. [Interesting argument. Perhaps there are funds out there? Bob] Whether the U.S. Congress also makes this leap in its deliberations over a national breach-notification bill may depend on legal experts stepping up to the plate to reshape the terms of the debate.

Source - Computerworld

This is interesting. Also see the article on China's cyberwar practices...

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080307064946534

NY: Cops crack Queens ID theft ring

Friday, March 07 2008 @ 06:49 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Breaches

A Queens crime ring with roots in China swiped personal information from thousands of U.S. consumers to make phony IDs and credit cards, police said Thursday.

"This was a well-oiled machine up until this past Tuesday," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, announcing the indictments of 38 members of the enterprise.

... Police said they suspected the account information was stolen by hackers in China and the Ukraine who broke into the databases of major department store chains.

"Particularly disturbing is the fact that some of these people boarded aircraft and purchased tickets ... with fraudulent documents," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

During a 14-month probe, cops said 3,000 blank cards and account numbers were sent every month - 42,000 in all - from China to five houses in Queens. Police said the scam had been going on for nearly a decade.

Source - Daily News

...and since the Internet is a network of networks, we can look any any computer attached to the Internet... (The logic is obvious. If you live on the same block (city? State?) as a criminal, we can assume you are working with that criminal until we can prove your innocence. Bend over and spread 'em!)

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080306131701835

NSW police to search computer networks

Thursday, March 06 2008 @ 01:17 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Non-U.S. News

The New South Wales Cabinet has approved new powers for police designed to help them track terrorist threats, fraudsters and paedophiles through computer networks.

The proposed laws would allow police to search computers networked to those listed on a search warrant.

Police could also seize computer hard drives and memory sticks for up to seven days.

Police Minister David Campbell says police are currently only able to search computer hardware found on a premises named in a search warrant.

Source - ABC News (AU)

Perhaps there is something to learn...

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080306165254424

EDUCAUSE Data Privacy Presentations

Thursday, March 06 2008 @ 04:52 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews News Section: Minors & Students

Two presentations are available on the web:

Insights on the Legal Landscape for Data Privacy in Higher Education [pps]
Rodney J. Petersen (EDUCAUSE), and

Data Classification and Privacy: A Foundation for Compliance [pdf of pps]
Brian Markham (University of Maryland)

Are we ready for CyberWar?

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/696?ref=rss

U.S. military flags China cyber threat

Published: 2008-03-06

The U.S. Department of Defense warned in an annual report released this week that China continues to develop its abilities to wage war in cyberspace as part of a doctrine of "non-contact" warfare.

The warnings are part of the Department's Annual Report to Congress on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China (PRC) 2008 published this week. The report, which for the most part focuses on China's land, air, sea and space capabilities, also notes that numerous intrusions into computer systems at the DOD and its contractors emanated from China.

Just exactly what security does this provide? If not security, what is the purpose of this censorship?

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_8455504

DIA keeps Wi-Fi on the mild side

By Michael Booth The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 03/06/2008 12:00:47 PM MST

Want to browse Vanity Fair magazine on the Denver airport's free Wi-Fi system? Sorry. You'll have to buy it at the newsstand, because DIA's Internet filter blocks Vanity Fair as "provocative."

... Denver International Airport officials are erring on the side of caution in blocking access to certain sites through the free Internet browser offered to fliers.

They say they're using prudent judgment in a public, family-friendly atmosphere.

But others see it as cyber-censorship that taints Denver's self-portrayal as a progressive economy.

Certainly difficult to see RIAA held to an “Intellectual” standard...

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/06/2131224&from=rss

Neither Intellectual Nor Property

Posted by kdawson on Thursday March 06, @06:10PM from the but-it's-not-imaginary-either dept.

Techdirt's Mike Masnick is writing a series of short articles on topics around intellectual property. His latest focuses on the term itself, exploring the nomenclature people have proposed to describe matter that is neither intellectual nor property. The whole series (starting here) is well worth a read.

Related?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20080305/002935442.shtml

Does The DMCA Still Matter?

from the you-better-believe-it dept

Kevin Donovan writes in to point to law professor Tim Armstrong wondering if the DMCA is still relevant at all, now that so many content providers are dumping DRM. He also notes that we're seeing fewer DMCA-related cases. Kevin supplies his own excellent response talking about the legacy of the DMCA, including the anti-circumvention clause, noting that it's still holding people hostage. For example, he points out that everyone who bought an HD DVD player (picking the losing side in the battle) now would be breaking the law if they merely wanted to move the HD DVD content they legally purchased over to a more usable format. He also points to the importance of the DMCA's safe harbor provisions, which protect service providers from copyright infringement by their users. Both of these are good points. Also, I find Armstrong's first point, about fewer DMCA cases, unconvincing. All it really means is that many of the larger points related to how the law should be interpreted have been decided by the courts. That doesn't change the chilling effects that those rulings have left behind. The law itself is still very, very relevant -- mostly for unfortunate reasons.

Now this is intriguing... Why object to anything that gets students to study?

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/07/0355244&from=rss

Student Faces Expulsion for Facebook Study Group

Posted by Soulskill on Friday March 07, @05:13AM from the our-way-or-the-highway dept.

Pickens brings news that a student at Ryerson University is facing 147 counts of academic misconduct after helping to run a chemistry study group through Facebook. School officials have declined to comment, but students are claiming that it is simply a valid studying technique in the information age. Quoting: "Avenir, 18, faces an expulsion hearing Tuesday before the engineering faculty appeals committee. If he loses that appeal, he can take his case to the university's senate. The incident has sent shock waves through student ranks, says Kim Neale, 26, the student union's advocacy co-ordinator, who will represent Avenir at the hearing. 'That's the worst part; it's creating this culture of fear, where if I post a question about physics homework on my friend's wall (a Facebook bulletin board) and ask if anyone has any ideas how to approach this - and my prof sees this, am I cheating?' said Neale, who has used Facebook study groups herself."