My article that was originally published by ISSA (April 2007) and since reprinted by the Privacy Advisor (July 2007), the newsletter for IAPP -International Association of Privacy Professionals is now available online stored on one of the servers at a company called Hi Software. Not sure that this is a violation of copyright, anyhow whilst it is there, check it out on the above link if you are interested to read it!
Category: Uncategorized
UAVs being used for security & surveillance in the US
Remember the posting I made earlier this year -May 28- on how the UK are using ‘spy drones’ fitted with CCTV as surveillance mainly to deal with what is termed as ‘anti-social behaviour’. Well the US is at it too; with drone aircraft presently deployed in skies of Afghanistan and Iraq. They are referred to as ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ (AEV) to compliment existing border and domestic security measures in place today.
“A House of Representatives panel on Wednesday heard testimony from police agencies that envision using UAVs for everything from border security to domestic surveillance high above American cities. Private companies also hope to use UAVs for tasks such as aerial photography and pipeline monitoring.” Read more here.
Second Life’s Real-World Problems
Read this article from Time magazine it is quite interesting and fun…an excerpt follows :o)
Reality is catching up with Second Life….The ballyhoo surrounding this online community has led multinational brands from Reebok to Toyota to establish beachheads on Second Life to interact with consumers and be a part of the next wave in social networking. In April market-research firm Gartner predicted that by the end of 2011, 80% of active Internet users will have some sort of presence in a virtual world, with Second Life currently one of the most populous…..
and looks like terrorists have come to SL too…..
Companies are drawn to these techno-savvy trendsetters who spent 22 million hours on the site last month. But some devotees are so upset by increasing commercialization that a group called the Second Life Liberation Army last year gunned down virtual shoppers at American Apparel…..
Report on Data breaches in the UK
In the wake of massive data breaches at businesses, educational institutions and medical facilities, consumers are modifying their purchasing behaviour, including online buying, out of concern for the security of their personal information, according to the 2007 Consumer Survey on Data Security.
The survey from Vontu, a Data Loss Prevention solutions firm, and the Ponemon Institute, a privacy and information management researcher, found that 62% of respondents have been notified that their confidential data has been lost.
Xhtml Friends Network
Check out this, XFN (XHTML Friends Network) is a simple way to represent human relationships. XFN puts the human face on linking as more people are coming online and forming social networks.
Google lets subjects of news stories comment on articles about them
This really looks like an interesting development. Lauren on his blog has some input on this considering it has been something that he has been one of his ‘pet subjects’ for some time now. The only thing is that the process they are using now does not look scalable. I guess if the trial is a success, this will be an evolution for the future….
Google this week introduced an experimental feature on its Google News Web site in the United States to allow any person mentioned in a news report that is linked there to submit a written response.
A Google employee then must verify the authenticity of the e-mail response. Methods include independently tracking down the subject’s contact information and calling that person directly, or checking the author’s e-mail address and phone number against information on a company or organization Web site.
A new biometric – vein pattern recognition
Just came across this: vein pattern recognition as a form of biometric authentication… much more reliable than finger-print biometrics according to the article linked into Bruce’s blog.
Where to draw the line?
I found this on Laurens blog.
‘That appears to be essentially the plan of some legislators in California, who are pushing for a law making it illegal to display photos of young children on the Internet “without permission.” Note that the idea isn’t just to prohibit pornographic photos, or naked photos, but all photos of “toddlers” — including fully clothed in completely public settings.’
This seems quite ridiculous to me living in a society with a very open culture. Although I do understand that the culture in the US, and clearly in California is somewhat reserved. I try to understand this… but still it does seem a little over the top… next it will be illegal to take pictures of children… or an indication of guilt of pedophile tendencies….. please let’s not take this route…
How do you get a password out of an IRS agent? Just ask:
lol, look what I found on Bruce Schneier’s blog!
Sixty-one of the 102 people who got the test calls, including managers and a contractor, complied with a request that the employee provide his or her user name and temporarily change his or her password to one the caller suggested, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an office that does oversight of Internal Revenue Service.
Call For Search Engine Issues, Complaints, Concerns
Can you help out Lauren on this?