How “Dirty” MP3 Files Are A Back Door Into Cloud DRM
by Michael Arrington on Apr 6, 2010
All the big music sellers may have moved to non-DRM MP3 files long ago, but the watermarking of files with your personal information continues. Most users who buy music don’t know about the marking of files, or don’t care. Unless those files are uploaded to BitTorrent or other P2P networks, there isn’t much to worry about.
A list of which music services are selling clean MP3 files without embedded personal information, and which aren’t, is here. Apple, LaLa (owned by Apple) and Walmart embed personal information. Amazon, Napster and the rest have resisted label pressure to do so.
A music industry insider who’s asked to remain anonymous writes to us:
Hidden in purchased music files from popular stores such as Apple and Walmart is information to identify the buyer and/or the transaction. You won’t find it disclosed in their published terms of use. It’s nowhere in their support documentation. There’s no mention in the digital receipt. Consumers are largely oblivious to this, but it could have future ramifications as the music industry takes another stab at locking down music files.
Here’s how it works. During the buying process a username and transaction ID are known by the online retailers. Before making the song available for download their software embeds into the file either an account name or a transaction number or both. Once downloaded, the file has squirreled away this personal information in a manner where you can’t easily see it, but if someone knows where to look they can.
Ubiquitous Surveillance starts in the home with a product that's “for the children.” How would a mis-identified “predator” remove himself from the database? How easily could I “spoof” the system to include my local congressman?
UnitedParents To Provide Early Warning Against Online Predators, Cyberbullies
by Roi Carthy on Apr 7, 2010
Stealth Israeli startup UnitedParents is stepping closer to the bright lights today by announcing a $900K seed round, and the beta availability of its online child safety product, aimed at alerting parents whenever their children become involved in a potentially dangerous relationship with online predators and / or cyber-bullying.
UnitedParents’ consumer product is a downloadable piece of software (Windows only for now) that monitors children’s online activity. The product will initially latch onto the more popular Instant Messaging apps such as those by ICQ, AIM, MSN, and Yahoo, but will expand to include online chat modules such as that of Facebook’s. Further down the road, the product will also monitor email and public chat rooms.
UnitedParents’ software keeps track of the child’s online activity, monitoring over thirty parameters along his or her path. Using analysis, the technology is able to create profiles of the persons the child has engaged with and of the relationships themselves. Once a predator or bully is identified, UnitedParents creates a sort of fingerprint that it propagates across its network. Doing so allows it to track this person and alert potential next cases very early on, theoretically before any harm is done to the next child in line.
A red flag for the Class Action lawyers. Once again, Sony “pushes” an ill-advised (and apparently un-tested) update on its customers. Didn't they agree not to do that, or was the agreement so narrowly written that it was meaningless?
Sony Update Bricks Playstations
Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 07, @08:59AM
Stoobalou writes
"A controversial update which was seeded by Sony in order to remove the ability to run Linux on the Playstation 3 games console has caused a storm of complaints. The 3.21 firmware upgrade, which removes the security hole provided by the 'Install Other OS' widget used by lots of educational institutions and hackers alike, also removes the console's ability to play games... turning it into a very expensive doorstop."
Can we correct this before prices skyrocket or bandwidth nosedives?
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/023949.html
April 06, 2010
Comcast Corporation v. FCC - Appeals Court Rules Against Net Neutraility
EFF: "In a ruling that imposes important limits on the FCC's authority to regulate the Internet, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today overturned the FCC ruling against Comcast for interfering with the BitTorrent traffic of its subscribers. The court found that the Commission had overstepped the limits of its "ancillary authority" when it disciplined Comcast for its clandestine blocking behavior. The ruling is not likely to make much difference to Comcast subscribers—Comcast had already agreed to cease its BitTorrent interdiction before the FCC's ruling was issued. Instead, the court's ruling is important because it represents a blow to FCC Chairman Genachowski's proposed net neutrality regulations, which are premised on the same theory of "ancillary jurisdiction" that the FCC used against Comcast and that the court rejected today."
The Economist - Hey internet entrepreneurs, nuts to you
This is becoming a big problem. Small business isn't spending the time (or dollars?) to protect themselves against this type of crime and banks aren't offering to help since it creates no liability for them.
http://www.docuticker.com/?p=34113
Information and Recommendations Regarding Unauthorized Wire Transfers Relating to Compromised Cyber Networks
Source: FBI, New York State Intelligence Center, New York State Office of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, et. al.
Does this make Groklaw a model for legal commentary?
Groklaw Will Be Archived At Library of Congress
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday April 06, @05:46PM
inode_buddha writes
"Groklaw has just received an invitation to be archived in the Library of Congress. In true FOSS style, PJ has decided to ask all the contributors and commenters if they wish to be included, since commenters own the copyrights on their comments. So far, the answer seems to be 'yes,' even for Anonymous Cowards. It's a great honor for Groklaw, but one wonders how many AC's there are, and whether Congress or future researchers would think that they are all one person."
Attention e-Discovery lawyers!
http://e-discoveryteam.com/2010/04/06/news-flash-qualcomm-sanctions-order-issued/
Breaking News: Qualcomm “No Sanctions” Order Issued
The long-awaited lawyer sanctions order was just entered in the Qualcomm case by U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major, copy attached.
… The title of the order says it all: ORDER DECLINING TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST THE RESPONDING ATTORNEYS AND DISSOLVING THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.
For my Computer Security students
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2010/tc2010041_502327.htm
Uncle Sam Wants You (To Fight Hackers)
The U.S. government is stepping up recruitment of engineers who can help wage cyberwar
By Rachael King
… Demand for cybersecurity professionals is growing quickly. Government and industry executives say they need more cybersecurity employees but struggle to find qualified applicants. Just 40% of government hiring managers say they're satisfied with the quality of applicants for federal cybersecurity jobs, and only 30% are satisfied with the number, according to a July 2009 report by Booz Allen Hamilton.
While the government's scholarship program can fill about 120 entry-level cybersecurity jobs, the feds need about 1,000 recent grads to fill those spots, according to the report.
Together, the U.S. public and private sectors will need about 60,000 cybersecurity workers in the next three years, says Greenberg. "There will be a shortage."
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