Commentary on RSS, Spam and Privacy
Nick Bradbury’s May 20 post, RSS, Spam and Spyware, raises significant questions about security and privacy issues arising from the push for RSS ubiquity. Scroll down and read the comments as well.
Author archives
Testimony on the Individual Alternative Minimum Tax
Statement of Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office: The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax, before the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight Committee on Finance, United States Senate, May 23, 2005 (15 pages, PDF): “The number of taxpayers who are affected by the AMT and the revenues that are collected as a result of it have …
Publishers Express Continued Concerns With Google Print for Libraries Program
From BusinessWeek.com, A Google Project Pains Publishers – The major presses are raising thorny legal issues with the search giant’s initiative to digitize the books of the world’s great libraries. “In [this] letter, the Association of American University Presses’ Peter Givler takes issue with Google’s Print for Libraries program.” [Link] See also related postings on …
Google Factory Tour Yields News/Views on Upcoming Services
On May 19, there was a Google Factory Tour, for which there are accompanying screen shots and a webcast. Details of the information presented include this posting about Google Machine Translation Systems, A Guided Tour of Google’s Personalized Home Page, and ‘Google Earth’ Ready to Travel the World.
Draft Copy of Bill to Reauthorize Certain PATRIOT Act Provisions
“On Thursday, May 26, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will consider in closed session a draft bill that would both renew and expand various USA PATRIOT Act powers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has obtained a copy of the draft bill, along with the committee’s summary of it..” [Link] Draft of new PATRIOT Act …
Suburban Chicago Public Library To Install Fingerprint Scanners on Public PCs
As reported by the Chicago Tribune on May 20, 2005 (and cited in American Libraries Online, with another article in the Washington Post), this summer, the Naperville, Illinois public library will install biometric scanners on their 130 PCs with web access. Related article from UPI today, on an analysis of biometrics published in the May …
GAO Report Warns of Federal Systems Data Security Risks
Information Security: Improving Oversight of Access to Federal Systems and Data by Contractors Can Reduce Risk GAO-05-362, April 22, 2005. Highlights. “Contractors and users with privileged access to federal data and systems provide valuable services that contribute to the efficient functioning of the government, but a range of risks (including operational, strategic, and legal) must …
SEC Issues New Sarbanes Oxley Compliance Guidelines
Division of Corporation Finance, Office of the Chief Accountant, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, May 16, 2005 – Staff Statement on Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting: “The staff is providing this guidance to…addresses the following areas: The purpose of internal control over financial reporting; Reasonable assurance, risk-based approach, and scope of testing …
Federal Investigation into LexisNexis Data Breach Ramps Up
From today’s Washington Post: Computers Seized in Data-Theft Probe – Federal Investigators Remove PCs, Discs From Several Locations; LexisNexis Break-In Linked to Paris Hilton Phone Hacking Related beSpacific postings on this story are here and here. See also this article from the May 17, 2005 New York Times, Personal Data for the Taking, detailing the …
How Big is the Visible Web?
The Indexable Web is more than 11.5 billion pages, a study by Antonio Gulli and Alessio Signorini. [Internet Search Engine Database]
Joint Survey of Critical Infrastructure Sector Organizations Security Released
The U.S. Secret Service and Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute’s CERT® Coordination Center (CERT/CC) announced the findings of the latest Insider Threat Study: Computer Sabatoge in Critical Infrastructure Sectors (45 pages, PDF). “The nations dependence on interconnected networks and communications systems significantly increases the risk of harm that could result from the activities of …
Glossary of Terms Related to Spyware
Words to know: Spyware – Further develop your understanding of spyware by reviewing these terms and how they relate to each other.
