If it takes 16 laptop thefts just to get their attention, how many does it take to get them to take action?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080802063414314
Ie: Alarm over staff details after 16th laptop is stolen from key officials
Saturday, August 02 2008 @ 06:34 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
THE personal details of hundreds of Government staff were on a laptop stolen from an official at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG).
The missing laptop -- taken at a bus stop last month -- is the 16th to be stolen from an OCAG official since 1999.
.... The names of hundreds of employees at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, their weekly pay, and their Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers were among the personal information contained on the laptop.
Source - Independent.ie
[From the article:
The loss of the laptop is the latest in a series of high-profile data security blunders involving State bodies and banks.
Last night OCAG said it "very much regrets" [Translation: “wish we could blame someone else...” Bob] the loss of the 16 laptops, only one of which has since been recovered.
Yet another COLT victim and another example of poorly thought out disclosure.
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080802064137107
Kana employees first being notified of Colt Express burglary
Saturday, August 02 2008 @ 06:41 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Two months after the burglary at Colt Express Outsourcing, Inc., and a month and a half after they were first notified of the theft, some of Colt's clients were first notifying their current and former employees of the breach. Among them is Kana, Inc., who had terminated using Colt Express as their vendor in March 2006.
Unlike many of the other affected clients, Kana did not offer its current and former employees any free credit monitoring services, but reading their notification letter, it is not clear whether they were told that their data may have been on the stolen computers or definitely was on the stolen servers, as their letter says that the stolen servers "may have contained files related to Kana...."
"May have"? Doesn't Kana know for sure, and if not, why not? If I was an employee, I'd sure want to know more definitively.
Will this ruling invalidate the agreement with NY AG Cuomo to block child porn?
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/fcc-declares-co.html
Comcast Ordered to Allow Free Flow of File Sharing Traffic
By David Kravets August 01, 2008 12:03:57 PM
In a landmark ruling, the Federal Communications Commission has ordered Comcast to stop its controversial practice of throttling file sharing traffic.
By a 3-2 vote, the commission on Friday concluded that Comcast monitored the content of its customers' internet connections and selectively blocked peer-to-peer connections.
The selective blocking of file sharing traffic interfered with users' rights to access the internet and to use applications of their choice, the commission said.
... The commission, without ordering monetary sanctions, ordered a halt to the practice and gave Comcast 30 days to fully disclose its throttling methods.
According to the commission, Comcast uses deep-packet inspection to monitor customers' internet traffic, and routes packets according to their content, not their destination.
"In essence, Comcast opens its customers' mail because it wants to deliver mail not based on the address on the envelope but on the type of letter contained therein," the commission said.
... Martin, a Republican, proposed Friday's order. Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, both Democrats, signed on with Martin. Republican commissioners Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate voted against the measure. [Is this purely political? Bob]
... McDowell said the decision politicizes the internet.
"The majority has thrust politicians and bureaucrats into engineering decisions," he said in a sharp dissent. "It will be interesting to see how the FCC will handle its newly created power because, as an institution, we are incapable of deciding any issue in the nanoseconds of internet time. Furthermore, asking our government to make these decisions will mean that every two to four years the ground rules could change depending on election results."
Related? Do “community standards” make a nation-wide Class Action impossible?
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/01/2037245&from=rss
Judge Trips Up Settlement In Hot Coffee Class-Action
Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 01, @06:11PM from the isn't-it-cold-coffee-by-now dept.
GamePolitics is reporting that a Judge has put another substantial hurdle in the Hot Coffee class-action case. Claiming that individuals involved in the suit could be affected differently by laws in their respective states, Judge Shirley Wohl Kram declared that this case could not be resolved by a single proceeding.
"'Accordingly, the court decertifies the settlement class on the grounds that common issues do not predominate over individualized issues,' the judge wrote. The judge's latest decision undermines a settlement agreement reached between lawyers for purchasers of the game who contended they were offended by the hidden scenes, on the one hand, and lawyers for the game's makers, Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games."
Related? Does the FCC ruling negate sections of this bill?
http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/02/0223201&from=rss
Senate Passes Bill Targeting College Piracy
Posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 02, @08:08AM from the since-colleges-don't-have-anything-better-to-do dept.
An anonymous reader brings news that the College Opportunity and Affordability Act has passed in the US Senate and now awaits only the President's signature before becoming law. Hidden away in the lengthy bill are sections which tie college funding to "offering alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property as well as a plan to explore technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity." The EFF issued a statement expressing concern over the bill earlier this year, shortly before the House of Representatives approved it. We discussed the introduction of the bill last November. The Senate vote was 83-8, with 9 not voting. The full text of the bill is available. The relevant section is 494, at the end of the general provisions.
[From the bill:
`SEC. 494. CAMPUS-BASED DIGITAL THEFT PREVENTION.
(a) In General- Each eligible institution participating in any program under this title shall to the extent practicable--
(2) develop a plan for offering alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property as well as a plan to explore technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity. [or does that mean you need a plan but don't need to implement it? Bob]
This is one of a class of business models intended to showcase the skills of job seekers. I think this one is poorly designed, but then my students just may be smarter than these guys. What would you like to know about someone you are considering hiring?
http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/discoverchefs-com-find-the-perfect-chef
DiscoverChefs.com - Find The Perfect Chef
So you are opening a restaurant and are having a hard time finding the right chef. Don’t worry, that is what Discoverchefs.com is for. On this site, chefs will be able to create a profile and upload pictures and recipes of their work. This will allow them to gain exposure in that very competitive world. Creating a profile is free, so everyone from world class chefs to beginners can post their profiles on the site. If you are looking for a chef, take a look at the Find Chefs section. There, you’ll be able to find out more about the chefs that are listed with the site. Keep in mind the site is fairly new, [Perhaps they'll improve. Bob] and the list of chefs is sure to grow as time progresses. Chef portfolios can be printed out directly from the website in a printer-friendly format. The gallery management is simple. Just upload the pictures of your work and name them, the site will take care of the rest.
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