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USA Today reported that the nation’s three major telecommunications carriers have provided the Pentagon with call records for “tens of millions of Americans.” The paper also published this related editorial: NSA has your phone records; ‘trust us’ isn’t good enough. Related government documents and news: President Bush Discusses NSA Surveillance Program, May 11, 2006: “We’re …
Fact Sheet: The President’s Identity Theft Task Force: “This task force will marshal the resources of the Federal government to crack down on the criminals who traffic in stolen identities and protect American families from this devastating crime.” Executive Order: Strengthening Federal Efforts to Protect Against Identity Theft, May 10, 2006.
As reported by Declan McCullagh, the text of new legislation to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.
FTC press release: “A title company that promised consumers it maintained “physical, electronic and procedural safeguards” to protect their confidential financial information, but tossed consumer home loan applications in an open dumpster, agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its inadequate storage and disposal procedures for sensitive consumer information violated federal laws. The settlement …
The RFID Hacking Underground, by Annalee Newitz: “They can steal your smartcard, lift your passport, jack your car, even clone the chip in your arm. And you won’t feel a thing. 5 tales from the RFID-hacking underground.” “RFID chips are everywhere – companies and labs use them as access keys, Prius owners use them to …
Preventing Identity Theft and Data Security Breaches: The Problem With Regulation, by Clyde Wayne Crews and Brooke Oberwetter, Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 9, 2006 (24 pages, PDF) Executive Summary: “Numerous high-profile cyber-attacks have spawned intense calls for government intervention into information security practices. Tired of the many online threatsincluding identity theft, data security breaches, and …
Press release: “When it comes to technology, kids often are way ahead of adults. But kids, even teens, still need guidance regarding safe use of new technology. Social networking sites are one of the newest ways to interact online. According to comScore Media Metrix data, the three most popular social networking sites are MySpace.com, Facebook.com, …
Press release, May 3, 2006: “The Federal Trade Commission has filed federal court complaints charging five Web-based operations that have obtained and sold consumers confidential telephone records to third parties with violating federal law. The agency is seeking a permanent halt to the sale of the phone records, and has asked the courts to order …
Follow-up to yesterday’s posting, FCC Orders VoIP and Broadband IP Compliance With Law Enforcement Surveillance – today Reuters reports that in a case [American Council of Education v. FCC, 05-1404] before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the FCC’s surveillance order was met with skepticism by Judge Harry Edwards, who called …
Press release: Consumer Reports Finds Personal Privacy Concerns In Planned Uses Of Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFIDs): “RFID tags are currently being used in credit cards, prescription-medicine packaging, computer equipment, TVs, clothing, cell phones, and the workplace. Soon the tags will be embedded in tires for safety recalls.”
Press release: “The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia today released new evidence that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is using counterterrorism resources to spy on peaceful faith- and conscience-based advocacy groups. School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch) and its multinational faith-based network is the latest organization uncovered by the ACLU …
Press release: FCC Adopts Order to Enable Law Enforcement to Access Certain Broadband and VoIP Providers, May 3, 2006: “The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a Second Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order (Order) that addresses several issues regarding implementation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), enacted in 1994. The …
