Statistically, this had to happen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8110363.stm

Google helps net Dutch 'muggers'

Police in the Netherlands have arrested two men after a boy they are alleged to have mugged saw a picture of them on Google's internet map service.

… It began last year when the boy, 14, claimed he had been attacked and robbed of 165 euros ($230,£140).

Months later he contacted police again, saying he had seen himself and the alleged assailants in a Google image.

… "The picture was taken just a moment before the crime."

Because the faces of the people in the Street View photo were blurred, the police contacted Google, seeking the original image.

The company complied, and the alleged attackers - twin brothers - were arrested.

Another tool for tapping into the crowd?

http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/twicsy-com-search-pictures-shared-on-twitter

Twicsy.com - Search Pictures Shared On Twitter

http://twicsy.com/

As you already know Twitter is a service that allows users to communicate with each other through the exchange of messages with information about what they are doing. That is a good service when it comes to giving you the possibility to send messages online. There are many types of messages that can be shared by Tweeters and Twicsy.com is a clear example of that.

This is strange. Not just because the developers are based in Washington DC.

http://www.killerstartups.com/Web20/euraeka-com-the-news-that-is-fit-to-read

Euraeka.com - The News That Is Fit To Read

http://www.euraeka.com/news/public

Euraeka is an artificial intelligence engine for search discovery and personalized recommendation of news that ranks news in the same Google and Yahoo do. This site has a few features like a powerful natural language processing engine that can not only rank news just like a human would but it is also capable of detecting political bias in news (liberal/conservative). In this way it avoids all deception in news. Yes, Euraeka has the capabilities of a linguistic polygraph that can sniff out and expose propaganda, manipulation and deceptive intent in news media.

This online solution is based on machine learning (AI) techniques and has the capability to track and learn the unique news consumption preferences of every single one of its users. You can turn Euraeka into your digital twin, which sifts through a wide assortment of news articles daily, and brings you only the news that are likely to be interesting to you. [Should be popular with politicians who see things only one way. Bob]

In short, Euraeka finds and brings you all the news that is fit to read. In case you are interested in getting only unbiased information through a solution that was created to measure deceptiveness in online content, just visit the site at Euraeka.com and you will not regret it.

Many “what were they thinking” questions arrise.

http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/06/20/0146252/Bozeman-MT-Drops-Password-Info-Requirement?from=rss

Bozeman, MT Drops Password Info Requirement

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday June 20, @05:12AM from the backlashed-into-submission dept. government

mcmoodle writes

"Bozeman, Montana has decided that they don't want applicant personal information after all, citing a worldwide backlash on the issue: '"Effective at noon today the city of Bozeman permanently ceased the practice of requesting that candidates selected for positions under a provisional job offer to provide their usernames or passwords for candidates' internet sites," said Chris Kukulski, Bozeman City Manager. ... Kukulski says after a 90 minute staff meeting [Who held out? Bob] held earlier today, officials decided asking applicants to provide their passwords to sites such as Facebook or MySpace, "exceeded that which is acceptable to our community." Kukulski apologized for the negative impact the issue has generated from news organizations and blogs around the world.' I didn't have any doubt this would be immediately squashed. Now I'm just curious as to how many personal accounts they actually went through!"

[From the article:

He says this information was never required at the time of application.

"This was a question that was asked after you were conditionally offered the job."

He says the city also is suspending the practice of viewing any password protected information.

A cautionary tale.

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/021628.html

June 19, 2009

Declassified Documents Reveal the Inner Workings and Intelligence Gathering Operations of the National Security Agency

News release: "...Matthew M. Aid today posted a collection of declassified documents obtained for his new book The Secret Sentry on the [National Security] Archive’s Web site...disclos[ing] that the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was far from the first time when U.S. government officials, including senior military commanders and the White House, “cherry picked” intelligence information to fit preconceived notions or policies and ignored intelligence which ran contrary to their expectations. The Secret Sentry and the documents posted today show that widespread manipulation of intelligence also occurred during the Korean and Vietnam Wars for example, when Washington ignored intelligence on Chinese intervention in Korea, resulting in catastrophic consequences."

Imagine making the phone system working for you, instead of just working.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/06/19/143203/Google-Voice-Grabs-1-Million-Phone-Numbers?from=rss

Google Voice Grabs 1 Million Phone Numbers

Posted by kdawson on Friday June 19, @12:34PM from the is-this-the-party-to-whom-I-am-speaking dept. google communications

alphadogg writes

"Google has reserved 1 million phone numbers with Level 3, signaling that it may finally be ready to roll out its long-anticipated Google Voice service. The free service, announced in March, lets users unify their phone numbers, allowing them to have a single number through Google Voice that rings a call through to all their phones. Sources could not say when the 1 million numbers may be assigned. Level 3 has been supplying Google with phone numbers since the introduction of Google Voice, so the 1 million numbers are an indication Google is close to adding a significant number of users. A public launch has been anticipated since Google said in March the service would be 'open to new users soon.' One early user said: 'I've only been using Google Voice for a few months, but it's completely changed the way I use voicemail and communicate... When it goes public, I think the rush to grab Google Voice numbers is going to be stunning. I know some of my friends check the Google Voice page almost every day to see when they can grab a number and get started using it.'"

Sort of a “shoot the messenger” issue?

http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=357

118 800 answers privacy issues: ‘We’ll tell you where we got your data from’

You’ve no doubt heard of 118 800: the directory inquiries service for mobile phones prompted predictable howls of outrage when it was announced last week. The 15 million-strong database was gleaned from buying mailing lists, among other things. We’re going to stick our necks out here and say we’re not bothered. We met with 118 800’s marketing director Shona Forster, who outlined the extensive safeguards for our information, including the option to track where your data came from.

While we’re not happy about our details being out there, we’re not going to knock 118 800 over it. The fact is, our details are bought and sold by marketing shysters all the time. Forster reckons 118 800 is copping flak because it’s a visible target, unlike faceless marketing types. If anything, 118 800 is reclaiming our details by actually making the data work for us, the Great British consumer.

Read more on Cnet.