Disposable Credit Cards Used to Fight ID Theft
Single-use credit cards fight fraud. A number of companies are offering disposable credit card numbers for online purchase transactions.
Software Identifies Redacted Text From Gov’t Docs.
As referenced in today’s New York Times article, Illuminating Blacked-Out Words, see the following paper: Advances in Cryptology – EUROCRYPT 2004: International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, Interlaken, Switzerland, May 2-6, 2004. Proceedings, Projective Coordinates Leak (abstract only).
NY Bar Associaton Reports on Human Rights and Detainees
From the Association of the Bar of the City of New York press release issued April 30, 2004: “The New York City Bar Association released a report today comprehensively analyzing the multitude of domestic and international laws prohibiting torture and regulating interrogation processes, and making recommendations for how the U.S. should interrogate detainees.” Human rights …
Updated Index to Electronic Sources of Information
From Marian Dworaczek, Assistant Head, Technical Services Division University of Saskatchewan Library, news of her updated Subject Index to Literature on Electronic Sources of Information and the accompanying Electronic Sources of Information: A Bibliography.
NLM Debuted New Website Design Today
From the FAQ on the redesign, which includes screen shots and navigation tips: “The resulting look incorporates an entirely new feel, and an easier to use navigation. The homepage includes many new features: up-to-date news, quick links to popular resources, and a carefully tested organization designed to help users find what they need as quickly …
Website Usability Study Indicates Progress With Room to Improve
According to a new survey by Web usability guru Dr. Jakob Nielsen (presented at the Web Usability 2004 conference), net users are achieving greater success locating specific information using search engines than was previously the case. This is in large measure to improvements made by the search engines themselves, as well as more precision used …
Maine Libraries to Receive State Assistance To Supplement CIPA Loses
“The State of Maine has budgeted for providing compensatory funds to public libraries that will lose federal funds if they decide not to install filters as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act.” [Link]
Gartner Reports Rise in Web Fraud
Gartner Study Finds Significant Increase in E-Mail Phishing Attacks: “Phishing attacks by hackers against online consumers have become so widespread that an estimated 57 million Americans likely have received these fraudulent e-mails, according to a new study released today by Gartner, Inc. Direct losses from identity theft fraud against these phishing attack victims cost U.S. …
Use of “Cut-Off” Dates for FOIA Searches
DOJ Office of Information and Privacy, FOIA policy guidance:Use of “Cut-Off” Dates for FOIA Searches: “…all federal agencies should be mindful of the proper use of “cut-off” dates in their administration of the FOIA. Only with proper attention to this basic mechanism for determining a FOIA request’s full scope at the outset of their handling …
Database Nation: Privacy, E-Commerce & Gov’t Info Mining
From the June 2004 issue of Reason magazine, take the time to read this article (10 pages, pdf), Database Nation, The upside of “zero” privacy, by Declan McCullagh: “Focusing on government power would keep intact the advantages of databasifcation – such as lower prices and cheaper mortgages – while limiting possible abuses by law enforcement. …
Copyright Regulation and Access to Web Document Archives
New Lawsuit Spotlights Thousands of Copyright “Orphans” That Should Be in the Public Domain: “The plaintiffs in Kahle v. Ashcroft are the Internet Archive and Prelinger Associates, both Web libraries that make thousands of works freely available online, including audio, books, films, and software. In general, these works must be in the public domain, unburdened …
Review of RSS Readers and Useful Links to Feeds
J.D. Lasica evaluates a range of news readers and other related productivity enhancing applications, RSS news services, and links to newsfeeds from prominent and reliable sources.