shouting loudly

A number of European governments are considering measures to track cellular and online communication. Proposals include requirements that cell providers keep records of your physical location during all calls (Netherlands) and prohibit the use of false information in registering for email accounts (Germany). These are being offered in the name of the EU Data Retention [...]

The lead-in paragraphs from 3 stories on CNet say a lot more when put together than they do separately: WASHINGTON–Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s nightmare scenario for a future Internet looks like this: As billions more people go online, those in power are so “freaked out” about the misuse of personal information that they suffocate the [...]

The state of Maine has passed a resolution refusing to implement the Real ID Act. The federal law, passed in 2005, orders states to adopt Department of Homeland Security-approved ID cards. It also requires citizens to have one of these cards or other federally-approved ID, such as a passport, to fly, open a bank account, [...]

The New York Times has created a searchable database for studying the words used during Bush’s State of the Union addresses. The database provides a total of how many times he’s used a word in each speech, and you can see each use of a word in its context. Play with it for a minute; [...]

Senator Patrick Leahy, the (presumptive) incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is promising reforms that will increase privacy and reform patents. Among key privacy reforms, he is seeking tighter supervision of government databanks, action on data leaks and identity theft, and (the shock!) warrants as a prerequisite to surveillance of Americans. Patent reform is [...]

You think the credit scoring system isn’t Big Brother enough? Wait until Monday, when the Department of Homeland Security rolls out its “Risk Assessment” scores for travelers. See this EFF link for more on this nefarious plot. Like the “No Fly” list, you’ll be unable to see where you stand (does this post add to [...]

Netflix has a software program that helps you find movies you like, much like Amazon’s system helps you find stuff you like in general. CNet explains: Recommendation systems, also known as collaborative filtering systems, try to predict whether a customer will like a movie, book or piece of music by comparing his or her past [...]

In a shocker yesterday, Qwest Communications supported proposed federal laws that would force ISPs and others to retain data about customers’ internet traffic. Under one proposal by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), ISPs would be required to retain customers’ records for the length of the service contract and at least one year after. Other possible requirements [...]

This blog is not all about bad news! Judge Anna Diggs Taylor from Detroit is the first judge to rule about the legality of the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program – it was justified as necessary for battling terrorism but is now found to violate the rights to free speech, privacy as well as [...]

I’ve just returned from the AEJMC convention in San Francisco. Something exciting (other than my job interviews) happened there, but first let’s talk about AOL. Over the weekend, AOL decided it was a good idea to release mountains of search results from users who did not consent. User names were replaced by numbers, but this [...]