Once popular search engine HotBot has returned with a new look, new features, and new hopes to lure back all those users who abandoned them for Google. Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2002
AOL's Patent for Instant Messaging
InstantMessagingPlanet.com reports that as a result of acquiring the Israeli company Mirabilis (in 1998) and their ICQ technology, telecom giant AOL has obtained a patent (see the text here) on instant messaging (IM) software. This patent could cause considerable problems for the respective IM apps from Microsoft and Yahoo. Continue Reading
More on Total Information Awareness
The Total Information Awareness Office (TIA) and its controversial director Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter, (remembered by some for his Reagan era Iran Contra involvement), have begun to feel the heat of growing dissent concerning the activities of this project. Personal data about Poindexter has been posted on numerous weblogs (see this example) and discussed… Continue Reading
Total Information Awareness Website Undergoes Changes
The Memory Hole reports that the government’s Total Information Awareness website has undergone significant changes to the design with which the site was originally launched. Initially, the site looked like this, and included a very prominent graphic of a single eye shining its light onto a globe below. The metaphor was obvious….we are watching the… Continue Reading
USPTO and E-Gov Enhancements
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced updates to its website that include new features, content and links as part of their e-gov initiative. Unfortunately, the agency has not made these enhancements in a manner that is readily apparent to users. However, there is an exception to these design problems in the new… Continue Reading
Patriot Act Sentencing Guidelines
In the December 18, 2002 Federal Register there are proposed changes to sentencing guidelines for United States Courts in response to the Patriot Act and other post 9/11 laws concerning terrorism and national security. Continue Reading
ElcomSoft eBook Case Documents
Cryptome.org purchased copies of court documents from the USA v. Elcom ebook copyright case and has made them available at no fee here. A jury found the Russian software company not guilty on December 16, 2002. See also this News.com article for more details about the decision, as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF)… Continue Reading
Patriot Act and Libraries
This USA Today article quotes several librarians on their views with regard to the issue of compliance with potential FBI demands for information on patron use of public library Internet access, as required by the Patriot Act. Continue Reading
FCC's Stats on Broadband Net Access
The FCC issued a press release today with data indicating that broadband usage in the consumer and corporate sectors increased by 27% in the first half of 2002. Continue Reading
Internet Libel Suit Dismissed
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed a lower court decision in Young v. New Haven Advocate, a case which merits note as it addresses the issues of jurisdiction and Internet libel, the focus of a recent high profile decision in Australia. Stateside, the court determined that two Connecticut newspapers and their… Continue Reading
Text Mining Technology Tested By Military
This Federal Computer Week article heralds a new direction in comprehensive data mining as a means to dramatically extend information sharing efforts among U.S. and allied military forces. A process called operational net assessment (ONA – please note you have to scroll down the alpha list to find the description) is used to create a… Continue Reading
Total Information Awareness Program Takes Shape
This Federal Computer Week article provides commentary and illuminating details on the Total Information Awareness program’s technology, objectives, data collection criteria, and funding. Far from being a small blip on the budget radar, the TIA project actually has at its disposal some $240 million in tax payer funds through 2003. Continue Reading
