From PCWorld.com, this article has some useful information about malicious applications that can bypass your firewall and clutter your computer screen with unwanted ads and plug-ins. Suggested solutions include the use of programs, available in free and fee versions, that identify and delete stealthware (including Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware 6). Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: September 2003
California Lawsuit Targets RIAA Clean Slate Program
Via the EFF, as provided by Ira P. Rothken: “A lawsuit was filed today on behalf of the general public of the State of California against the RIAA for unfair, deceptive, and unlawful business practices regarding its “Clean Slate” program. This lawsuit below seeks a remedy to stop the RIAA from engaging in unlawful, misleading,… Continue Reading
Portrait of Those Targeted by RIAA Lawsuit Emerges
According to a WSJ article today, the RIAA contends that the target of its current spate of 261 lawsuits, filed around the country, are individuals who have compiled substantial libraries of pirated music, comprising 1,000 or more songs, which were then made available via file sharing programs such as Kazaa and Grokster. The RIAA has… Continue Reading
Senator Issues Warning on RIAA Music Downloading Amnesty Program
Sen. Norm Coleman, who has taken an active interest in the agressive efforts by the music industry to prevent music downloading, issued a statement on September 8 responding to the RIAA’s amnesty program, which said in part: “The newly proposed “amnesty” is clearly a strategy by the industry to address some of the concerns I… Continue Reading
Digital Archiving Program Based on PDF
A committee of the Society of American Archivists, in conjunction with various associations representing imaging services providers, are evaluating new standards for a modified form of PDF, called PDF-A (for Portable Document Format Archive), which they propose as an option for the long-term storage of electronic documents. Continue Reading
New Survey Indicates Americans Remain Fearful of Terrorism, Willing to Compromise Civil Liberties
Continuity and Change in Support for Civil Liberties after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, (47 pages, pdf) is the second part of a national survey (by Michigan State University), conducted between January and May 2003, which queried the same group of 679 individuals as the first survey undertaken in the months immediately after the 9/11 attacks.… Continue Reading
Hearing on ID Theft, Fraud and Homeland Security
The Alias Among Us: The Homeland Security and Terrorism from Document Fraud, Identity Theft and Social Security Number Misuse, Senate Finance Committee Hearing, September 9, 2003 (this site provides links to testimony by seven witnesses as well as committee members). From GCN.com’s coverage of this hearing: “the General Accounting Offices Robert J. Cramer (Managing Director,… Continue Reading
CAPPS II Continues to Generate Opposition
Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II), to be implemented by the summer of 2004, is the focus of several recent articles and notices: From the Washington Post, Fliers to Be Rated for Risk Level – New System Will Scrutinize Each Passenger, Assign Color Code Opinion from the St. Petersburg Times, Fly the suspicious skies:… Continue Reading
The Patriot Act: A Slate Guide to the Highlights
A Guide to the Patriot Act, Part 1 – Should you be scared of the Patriot Act? proclaims there are villans on both side of the fight over the extension of this act, as well as its proposed progeny, the Victory Act (as the Patriot Act II was quickly dispatched while still in draft). This… Continue Reading
Public Libraries Around the Country Protect Patron Privacy
From Boston.com, another article focused on public library efforts to maintain the privacy of their patron’s usage records: “The public library in Boulder, the home of the University of Colorado, has adopted one of the country’s most aggressive policies to keep circulation records private. The library keeps a bare minimum of information on books that… Continue Reading
New Legal Tech Blog
News from Jeff Beard on the launch of his blog, LawTech Guru, where he will “be covering legal technology, mobile devices, strategic planning and law practice management, web technologies, as well as privacy and security issues and some interesting blogging tips.” Continue Reading
CA Bill To Increase Consumer Access to Data Sold to 3rd Parties
SB 27, the “Shine the Light” privacy bill sponsored by California State Senator Liz Figueroa, would, as indicated in the most recently amended version (September 5): “…require a business that discloses a customer’s personal information, including information relating to income or purchases, to a 3rd party for direct marketing purposes to provide the customer, within… Continue Reading
