http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=2113
Jackson death certificate improperly accessed
July 23, 2009 by Dissent Filed under Breaches, U.S.
Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said Wednesday that they have discovered security breaches involving the investigation into Michael Jackson’s death, including hundreds of improper views of the pop star’s death certificate and the discovery of weaknesses in two other computer systems in which more sensitive records are stored.
At least half a dozen staff members inappropriately accessed Jackson’s death certificate, officials said. Within two weeks of his death June 25, the certificate had been viewed more than 300 times. The document was not released publicly until July 7.
Read more on the Los Angeles Times.
[From the article:
In some cases, coroner's staff appear to have printed copies before it became public. [Perhaps we could blow it up to poster size and sell framed copies on e-Bay? Bob] This month, coroner's officials warned employees to cease in an e-mail reviewed by The Times.
… Death records in the can be accessed by anyone with a state-issued password, including employees at coroner's offices, funeral homes, hospitals and the county and the state registrar's office.
… Coroner's officials in L.A. said they also grappled with security concerns about two other password-protected computer systems that hold the active investigation files on Jackson's death.
Typically, such reports can be called up by investigators and other employees with system passwords. In Jackson's case, however, access was supposed to have been restricted from the start to a small number of high-ranking administrators. [Different rules for “important” people. Bob] Harvey said the hard copy of the investigation file was stored under lock and key.
Perhaps “Burden” isn't the right concern...
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=2107
ABA plans for litigation over Red Flags rule
July 23, 2009 by Dissent Filed under Breaches, Businesses, Legislation, U.S.
The president of the American Bar Association said Wednesday the group may file a suit by the end of next week if it cannot persuade the Federal Trade Commission to exempt lawyers from new regulations set to take effect Aug. 1. The ABA has been lobbying for months to have lawyers kept out of the regulations, which require businesses and organizations that act as “creditors” to establish a program for preventing identity theft. The FTC and the ABA differ on how much of a burden the regulations would put on businesses.
Read more on Law.com.
...perhaps the word is “Waste” as it “If it doesn't work, why bother?”
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=2105
Witnesses: E-Verify system can’t detect ID theft
July 23, 2009 by Dissent Filed under Govt, Surveillance, U.S.
The Homeland Security Department’s E-Verify employment verification system cannot detect identity theft and fraudulent applications, according to testimony before a Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee.
The Internet-based E-Verify system allows employers to check Social Security numbers for their employees and prospective employees to determine whether the numbers are valid and the employees are therefore eligible to work. However, it is not designed to detect borrowed or stolen Social Security numbers.
[...]
E-Verify is a voluntary system used by about 134,000 employers, though it is mandatory to some degree in 12 states. Under an executive order from the Bush administration, federal contractors were supposed to begin mandatory use of E-Verify in January. However, that deadline has been pushed back to Sept. 8 due to a lawsuit. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently said the Sept. 8 deadline would be firm. [Even if it doesn't work, we want everyone tp use it... Bob]
The E-Verify system has been controversial due to alleged high error rates in the databases used. USCIS acknowledges a 3.1 percent rate of initial non-matches in the system.
Read more on FederalComputerWeek.
(Related?)
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=2109
Hustinx issues warning over transport monitoring
July 23, 2009 by Dissent Filed under Govt, Non-U.S., Surveillance, Workplace
The European Commission plans to create a framework within which it will be easier for governments and transport operators to set up EU-wide tracking and monitoring systems for transport.
European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx, who is responsible for regulating EU bodies’ privacy practices, said that he had concerns about the proposals.
Though the systems are aimed at making transport more environmentally friendly and less time consuming, Hustinx said that they could be used to monitor individuals’ movements across the continent.
“The deployment of ITS will support the development of applications for ‘tracking and tracing’ of goods and will allow for the deployment of location-based commercial and public services,” said a formal opinion produced by Hustinx. “The use of location technologies is particularly intrusive from a privacy viewpoint as it allows for the tracking of drivers and for the collection of a wide variety of data relating to their driving habits.”
Read more on Out-Law.com.
Interesting that one of the most popular software applications in the US doesn't pass even the basic Privacy tests in other countries. Perhaps there will eventually be a Universal Standard with which applications can determine which countries will ban/warn against them?
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=2099
Facebook: Australia piles on
July 22, 2009 by Dissent Filed under Businesses, Internet, Non-U.S.
Australian authorities are looking into whether Facebook is in breach of local privacy laws in the way it handles user data.
A report released by Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart last week found “serious” flaws in some of the social networking site’s practises.
[...]
Australian Privacy Commissioner Kartin Curtis this week said her office was investigating the findings of the report and whether they breached local law.
“My office is examining the report of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner’s year-long investigation into a complaint it had received against Facebook,” said Ms Curtis.
“A number of the privacy issues raised… could arise under the Australian Privacy Act.
Read more on news.com.au
What “old book” (or document?) would you like an exact copy of?
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/20471/amazon-signs-a-deal-to-reprint-rarities
Amazon Signs A Deal To Reprint Rarities
July 23, 2009 by Christopher Nickson
Amazon has inked a deal with the University of Michigan to reprint and sell 400,000 rare books.
The rare books in the University of Michigan’s library are in 200 different languages, and include such collectibles as an 1898 volume on nursing by Florence Nightingale. They’re all out of print and out of copyright, but soon they’ll be available to buy again, since the university signed a deal with Amazon.
The books will be available from Amazon’s Book Surge in soft cover, with prices ranging from $10 to $45, according to the BBC.
Statistics It still comes as a shock when I find students with almost zero computer skills.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10293283-94.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Americans are going wireless Internet big time, report says
by Dong Ngo July 22, 2009 3:30 PM PDT
A few days ago, the Pew Research Center released a report that Americans are looking online to fight the recession. On Tuesday it added that most of us are doing that via wireless Internet.
The results of the center's Internet & American Life Project survey show that 56 percent of adult Americans have accessed the Internet via wireless means, such as a Wi-Fi laptop, a mobile device, a game console, or an MP3 player. The most popular way people get online wirelessly is with a laptop computer, numbering 39 percent of some 2,200 survey participants.
The report also revealed the rising levels of Americans using the Internet on a mobile handset. Almost one-third (32 percent) have used a cell phone or a smartphone to access the Internet for e-mailing, instant messaging, or reading news.
For comparison, only 24 percent of Americans had done this by December 2007. Now, in a typical day, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) of Americans use the Internet on a mobile device, up substantially from the 11 percent level recorded in December 2007.
Attention Blog readers! It could be much worse – you could be listening to me ramble on... But this might also work for Seminars, or even my classes.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-start-your-own-internet-shoutcast-radio-station/
How To Start Your Own Internet Radio Station With Shoutcast
Jul. 22nd, 2009 By Jason K
Internet radio is, quite possibly, one of the more interesting methods of listening to music. As of this writing, there are approximately 30,000 broadcasting SHOUTcast radio stations – all broadcasting a unique playlist of songs or other content.
We’re going to show you how to start your own Internet radio station with SHOUTcast – and help you set up a player on your website.
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