Archive for the ‘Privacy’ Category
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007
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 ...
Posted in Antitrust, Privacy | No Comments »
Thursday, December 14th, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Congress, Privacy, Surveillance | No Comments »
Friday, December 1st, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Privacy, Surveillance, Terrorism | No Comments »
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Privacy, Surveillance | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Internet policy, Privacy, Surveillance | No Comments »
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Constitutional, Privacy, Surveillance, Terrorism | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 8th, 2006
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 ...
Posted in Internet policy, Privacy | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006
Microsoft, accused of tricking users into installing spyware on their Win XP boxes in the name of fighting piracy, is now defending itself against a sizable legal and PR offensive.
The embattled program, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), logs on to the internet and connects to the Microsoft databases, without the user’s ...
Posted in Copyright, DRM, Privacy, Technological Protection Measures | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 12th, 2006
The LA Times has an article about technology outpacing privacy laws and the bewildered technology companies who aren't quite sure how to keep up.
"It's so easy to say yes," said technology security expert Bruce Schneier. "The government sings a patriotic song, and you want to do what's right. We ...
Posted in Privacy | No Comments »
Friday, May 12th, 2006
I wish I were the clever person who came up with that quip. Nope, it was Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), who (in an unrelated story) is also the hero of the hour in the network neutrality fight in the House.
In case you missed it, USA Today (in a shocking fit ...
Posted in Congress, Privacy, Telecommunications, Telecommunications law, Terrorism | No Comments »