My Way News - Ex-Google engineers debut 'Cuil' way to search
AP reports: "Cuil is hoping to attract traffic by promising not to retain information about its users' search histories or surfing patterns - something that Google does, much to the consternation of privacy watchdogs."
2008/07/28
2008/07/24
ITN - Police recruit surveillance volunteers
ITN reports: "Police have been recruiting volunteers to help spy on their neighbours by monitoring CCTV cameras. The unpaid surveillance team are needed to help Dorset Police spot any troublemakers by watching the output from 26 CCTV cameras across North Dorset."
Comment: I wonder what Orwell would think of his country in the 21st Century?
ITN reports: "Police have been recruiting volunteers to help spy on their neighbours by monitoring CCTV cameras. The unpaid surveillance team are needed to help Dorset Police spot any troublemakers by watching the output from 26 CCTV cameras across North Dorset."
Comment: I wonder what Orwell would think of his country in the 21st Century?
2008/07/22
Space War - Advertisers' dream as Japanese display identifies customers
AFP reports: "A new high-tech Japanese electronic display can instantly identify people's sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them, maker NEC Corp. said Friday."
Comment: I think I saw this movie.
AFP reports: "A new high-tech Japanese electronic display can instantly identify people's sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them, maker NEC Corp. said Friday."
Comment: I think I saw this movie.
My Way News - Italy scales back Gypsy fingerprinting campaign
AP reports: "That plan provoked a storm of criticism from center-left opposition as well as from the European Union and human rights groups. Opponents say the campaign is a discriminatory measure that singles out a minority."
AP reports: "That plan provoked a storm of criticism from center-left opposition as well as from the European Union and human rights groups. Opponents say the campaign is a discriminatory measure that singles out a minority."
2008/07/16
Ahead of Olympics, Congressman Pushes 'Global Online Freedom Act' - Wired.com
Threat Level reports: "Republican congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey used a meeting with international human rights group Reporters Without Borders last week to lobby for passage of a bill aimed at curtailing U.S. tech companies' participation in foreign countries' internet censorship schemes. Smith is hoping that the bill reaches the floor of the house and passes before the Olympics begin in August."
Comment: I've always felt it was indefensible for American companies birthed in freedom and liberty to sell technology to be used for oppression.
Threat Level reports: "Republican congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey used a meeting with international human rights group Reporters Without Borders last week to lobby for passage of a bill aimed at curtailing U.S. tech companies' participation in foreign countries' internet censorship schemes. Smith is hoping that the bill reaches the floor of the house and passes before the Olympics begin in August."
Comment: I've always felt it was indefensible for American companies birthed in freedom and liberty to sell technology to be used for oppression.
My Way News - Italy fingerprint plan gets initial OK
AP reports: "An Italian parliamentary panel gave initial approval Wednesday to a plan to fingerprint everyone in the country, a move that could defuse criticism over a mandatory program to fingerprint Gypsies."
AP reports: "An Italian parliamentary panel gave initial approval Wednesday to a plan to fingerprint everyone in the country, a move that could defuse criticism over a mandatory program to fingerprint Gypsies."
2008/07/15
My Way News - YouTube, Viacom agree to mask viewer data
AP reports: "Viacom and other copyright holders have agreed to let YouTube mask user IDs and Internet addresses when Google Inc.'s online video site hands over viewership records in a $1 billion lawsuit accusing YouTube of enabling copyright infringement. A federal judge ordered the database produced in a July 1 ruling widely criticized by privacy activists."
Comment: So they won't be handing over records of what individual users watched, but they could...if they wanted to.
AP reports: "Viacom and other copyright holders have agreed to let YouTube mask user IDs and Internet addresses when Google Inc.'s online video site hands over viewership records in a $1 billion lawsuit accusing YouTube of enabling copyright infringement. A federal judge ordered the database produced in a July 1 ruling widely criticized by privacy activists."
Comment: So they won't be handing over records of what individual users watched, but they could...if they wanted to.
2008/07/10
My Way News - FCC chief says Comcast violated Internet rules
AP reports: "The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday he will recommend that the nation's largest cable company be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet. [...] Comcast has "arbitrarily" blocked Internet access, regardless of the level of traffic, and failed to disclose to consumers that it was doing so."
AP reports: "The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday he will recommend that the nation's largest cable company be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet. [...] Comcast has "arbitrarily" blocked Internet access, regardless of the level of traffic, and failed to disclose to consumers that it was doing so."
My Way News - Ways consumers can safeguard personal data on Web
AP reports: "Your privacy protections may disappear with a court order or subpoena, but there are steps that privacy activists suggest you take to reduce your exposure."
Comment: This AP report gives four tips on protecting your privacy on-line. I'd like to re-post the whole thing (because it's so short), but that would probably be a violation of copyright, so read it before AP removes it and it becomes a dead link. Their best recommendation: use anonymizing software like Tor to avoid leaving tracks on the net. We gave very little privacy left anymore, we need to jealously guard the little we have left.
AP reports: "Your privacy protections may disappear with a court order or subpoena, but there are steps that privacy activists suggest you take to reduce your exposure."
Comment: This AP report gives four tips on protecting your privacy on-line. I'd like to re-post the whole thing (because it's so short), but that would probably be a violation of copyright, so read it before AP removes it and it becomes a dead link. Their best recommendation: use anonymizing software like Tor to avoid leaving tracks on the net. We gave very little privacy left anymore, we need to jealously guard the little we have left.
My Way News - Privacy protections disappear with a judge's order
AP reports: "Credit card companies know what you've bought. Phone companies know whom you've called. Electronic toll services know where you've gone. Internet search companies know what you've sought [...] a recent federal court ruling ordering the disclosure of YouTube viewership records underscores the reality that even the most benevolent company can only do so much to guard your digital life: All their protections can vanish with one stroke of a judge's pen."
AP reports: "Credit card companies know what you've bought. Phone companies know whom you've called. Electronic toll services know where you've gone. Internet search companies know what you've sought [...] a recent federal court ruling ordering the disclosure of YouTube viewership records underscores the reality that even the most benevolent company can only do so much to guard your digital life: All their protections can vanish with one stroke of a judge's pen."
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