Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A modern Willie Sutton would say, “It's where the PII is...”
Hospitals Increasingly Targets of Malicious Activity: Websense
According to Websense, there has been a significant global spike in malicious activity attempted against hospitals beginning in October 2013. August 2014 has seen a 600 percent increase in such activity compared to the average amount prior to October, according to the firm.
"Healthcare records hold a treasure trove of data that is valuable to an attacker directly, or for resale on the cyber black-market," said Bob Hansmann, director of product marketing at Websense. "Few records are so rich in valuable PII [personally-identifiable information] that can be used in a multitude of different follow-up attacks and fraud. Health records not only contain vital information on the identity of an individual…but also [are] often linked to bank, credit card, insurance and other financial information."


“We don't care what our users want.”
Allison Grande reports:
AOL Inc. disclosed on Friday that it doesn’t respond to signals sent by major Web browsers that indicate that online users don’t want their activities to be tracked across websites, although it said it may be willing to reconsider its position if the industry can agree on a uniform do-not-track standard.
As part of the latest update to the privacy policy that governs several of AOL’s online properties, the company inserted a new section on do-not-track signals that briefly explains how it intends to react when a Web browser sends it a signal that users don’t want their online activity tracked for behavioral advertising and other purposes.
Read more on Law360.


If your car talks to my car, can they both talk to Big Brother?
Vehicle-to-vehicle networks could save over 1,000 lives a year, US says
… The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking input about a possible federal standard for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology, which would let cars automatically exchange information, such as whether they’re close to each other. The agency will accept comments from the public and industry for 60 days from when the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) is published in the Federal Register.
V2V would let cars do some of the work of driving or even accomplish things humans can’t, such as virtually “seeing” into blind intersections before entering them. It may be one step on the path to self-driving cars.


What makes the difference? Too close? Get a telephoto lens and get the same picture from a mile away. Disturbing? You won't see or hear the drone that snaps that picture. Intruding on your privacy? How do we measure that? If you are visible from the 37th floor apartment across the street should you really expect to be private?
Martin MacMahon reports:
Laws and regulations for drones need to be updated, according to a civil liberties group.
Micheal Vonn with the BC Civil Liberties Association says existing laws aren’t adequate for protecting peoples’ privacy.
Citizens are exempt from privacy legislation if they’re taking photographs for personal, journalistic, or artistic purposes,” she says. “What we hadn’t contemplated, of course, when we put that together, was the idea that that cameras might be flying up the 37th storey.”
Read more on News1130.


Looks like we're starting to address e-death.
Delaware becomes first state to give executors broad digital assets access
… Last week, Gov. Jack Markell signed House Bill (HB) 345, “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets and Digital Accounts Act,” which gives heirs and executors the same authority to take legal control of a digital account or device, just as they would take control of a physical asset or document.
Earlier this year, the Uniform Law Commission, a non-profit group that lobbies to enact model legislations across all jurisdictions in the United States, adopted its Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA). Delaware is the first state to take the UFADAA and turn it into a bona fide law. While some states, including Idaho and Nevada, have some existing provisions pertaining to limited digital assets for heirs, they are not as broad as the new Delaware law.

(Related)
Twitter to remove images of deceased upon request
… Family members or other authorized people can request the removal of photos or video of deceased people on Twitter “from when critical injury occurs to the moments before or after death,” it said.
Twitter still refuses to provide account access to anyone, even if they are related to the person who has died.


As little minds are warped, so grows the adult.
Google May Start Grooming Little Googlers
Google is working on a plan to allow kids under 13 to have their own personal accounts on services such as YouTube and Gmail, according to reports.
Under the new system, parents will be able to set up accounts for their children, control their use of those accounts, and regulate the information collected about them, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Google declined to comment for this story, noting that it does not comment on rumor or speculation.
… Google's likely motivation is "a desire to compete with Facebook and other properties like Instagram, which see significant usage among kids under 13. It's seeking to cultivate the next generation of Google users," Sterling pointed out.


Apparently, I'm becoming a “source” for the student Gaming Club
Take A Coffee Break With These 6 Web Games


A least a couple I'll grab from the local library.
Books That Can Enhance Your Career Prospects


Dilbert continues a detailed analysis of the corporate legal function.

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