Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Probably not the ad of Microsoft's dreams.
Governments urge Internet Explorer users to switch browsers until fix found
Government security response teams are urging Windows users to consider Chrome or Firefox as their default browser until Microsoft delivers a security fix for a new flaw affecting all versions of Internet Explorer.
Computer emergency response teams (CERTs) in the US, the UK, and Sweden have advised Windows users to consider avoiding Internet Explorer until Microsoft fixes the vulnerability.
Microsoft over the weekend confirmed the flaw was being exploited in "limited, targeted attacks", which use a rigged Flash file hosted on attack websites to net victims.


Just in case you had questions... 34 page pdf
The Target Data Breach: Frequently Asked Questions
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on April 28, 2014
CRS – The Target Data Breach: Frequently Asked Questions. N. Eric Weiss, Specialist in Financial Economics; Rena S. Miller, Specialist in Financial Economics. April 22, 2014.
“According to Target, in November and December of 2013, information on 40 million payment cards (credit, debit, and ATM cards) and personally identifiable information (PII) on 70 million customers was compromised.


Could be the start of an introduction.
Anya Kamenetz writes:
…. Student data used to be the pet cause of a small group of lawyers and activists. Now, in part because of the InBloom controversy, it’s gaining broader attention. This year, 82 bills in 32 states have been introduced that somehow address student privacy.
But what, exactly, is new here? How worried should you be as a parent? And what are the remedies?
[...]
Until very recently, as students moved from elementary to middle school and high school and college, little more than a one-page transcript followed.
In 2005, things changed.

(Related)
Add this to your must-read list for today.
Dan Solove has a short article on LinkedIn that addresses what the FTC might do in the case where a school district enters into a contract with a cloud provider. Although the FTC generally has no authority over the education sector, they might take action against the business involved:
Although the FTC lacks enforcement power against most schools, government organizations, and non-profits when these entities have deficient contracts with businesses that handle personal data, the FTC can still go after the businesses that are operating under that contract. With schools in particular, some businesses are taking advantage of the fact that many schools lack the knowledge and resources to include the appropriate controls over data in their contracts. The FTC can step in and stop these practices.
Read Dan’s article here.


Clear change at Microsoft!
On Monday, the tech giant announced that it will offer free group video calls on Skype, its popular internet communications service. Previously, such calls were reserved for customers who paid for premium Skype accounts.
The move is yet another example of Microsoft forgoing immediate revenues in an effort to better compete in the modern world, where so many basic software tools and services are free, subsidized by online advertising or the sale of more specialized tools. In this case, Google has long offered free group video calls through its Hangouts service — part of the Google+ social network — and now, Microsoft is following suit.


Ready or not, this is the future.
We are happy to announce the publication of a new Editors’ Picks reading list on “The Regulation and Risks of Cryptocurrencies.”
… Previous Editors’ Picks have included, among other things, the power to detain, executive power, autonomous weapons systems, and International Human Right Law on Privacy (and Surveillance).


Another article I agree with. (Funny how more of them get posted than articles that are just wrong!) Remember, when cable companies started they we advertised as “community antennas.”
Aereo Isn’t Illegal Just Because It Threatens Broadcasters
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments to determine the fate of Aereo, a Manhattan-based startup. The question before the court is whether Aereo’s business model violates the Copyright Act. Aereo allows its customers to watch broadcast television over the internet. Instead of purchasing pricey rabbit ears or a clunky antenna (neither aesthetically nor environmentally friendly, particularly in big cities) Aereo shrinks the rabbit ears to the size of a dime and provides customers the ability to store programs on a remote cloud-based DVR and play them back on their gadget of choice, be it a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.


The world has changed....
Novell's Windows 95 suit against Microsoft at an end
The US Supreme Court brought an end to Novell's antitrust claims against Microsoft that date back 20 years to the development of Windows 95 software.
By declining to hear Novell's appeal, the court left intact a 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from September 2013 in favor of Microsoft.


For my students who have not read history.
Relive History With 80,000+ British Pathé Historical Newsreels [Stuff to Watch]
… With over 80,000 films to peruse, you would need years to get through them all – and there’s not a lot of order to the collection either. Regardless, if you’re looking for footage of well-documented cultural movements, news events and days that shook the world then British Pathé on YouTube is a great place to start.


Anything my students will use is good.
Scapple Lets You Organize Your Thoughts However You Like
Need a better tool for brainstorming, or just organizing thoughts? Check out Scapple. This Mac and Windows note-taking software lets you write down ideas, move them around and connect one concept to another – and it couldn’t be easier to use.
Scapple, in their own documentation, seems to intentionally avoid using the terms “mind mapping”, instead calling the product a note-taking app.


There are several like this, but you need to find one you like.
– is a free screen capture software for Microsoft Windows. With TinyTake, you can capture images and videos of your computer screen, add comments and share them with others in minutes. TinyTake is built by MangoApps and is available for free.

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