Legal, Privacy & Security
18 May 2008
Shops secretly track customers via mobile phone The Times
Customers in shopping centres are having their every move tracked by a new type of surveillance that listens in on the whisperings of their mobile phones.
16 May 2008
The State of Cyber-Security: Forbes special report Forbes
We live in what the economist Fritz Machlup called in 1962 an "information society." Data and information fuel corporate competition, separate the haves and have-nots and even define political power. Bits and bytes have truly become a battleground. Cyber-criminals have noticed too. The cyber-crime underground is more active and efficient than ever before. The role of the state in cyberspace is growing too, as governments pour money into digital defense and contend with cyber-dissidents. As the threats and counter threats multiply, we present our take on the precarious balance of security and privacy in cyberspace.
us: Actors don't want to lose grip on Web clips Los Angeles Times
Few things are more precious to actors than control over their images. A stark reminder of that came last week when the studios suspended contract talks with the Screen Actors Guild after three weeks of negotiations. A cause for the logjam: Actors balked at a studio proposal that would allow the studios to sell or license excerpts of TV shows and movies for use on the Internet, cellphones and other new-media devices -- without the actors' consent.
15 May 2008
Estonian cyber defence hub set up BBC
Seven Nato nations have backed a new cyber defence centre in Estonia, which last year blamed Russia for weeks of attacks on its internet structure.
us: Craigslist’s Countersuit Criticizes eBay's Tactics New York Times
Craigslist, the online classified ad company, filed a countersuit Tuesday against its minority owner eBay, accusing it of unfair competition, false advertising, trademark infringement and diluting the value of the Craigslist trademark.
14 May 2008
ICANN CEO warns CEOs: Wake up to cyberthreats ZDNet
ZDNet has a video of a presentation by Paul Twomey, chief executive of ICANN and member of the British-North American Committee, advising chief executives of the risks to business from cyber-espionage and how to deal with them.
eu: Google blurs the privacy issue The Guardian
Google is hoping to avoid a fight with European privacy campaigners as it prepares to launch its controversial Street View service this side of the Atlantic later in the year, by introducing new technology that blurs the faces of people its cameras inadvertently snap while scanning the streets.
au: ACS supports privacy laws, calls for e-mail safeguards PC World
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has called on government to enforce rigid privacy laws on organisations which intercept employee e-mails.
12 May 2008
Extremists hone Internet skills: US Senate report Reuters
Al Qaeda and other radical groups have dramatically increased their use of the Internet in recent years to lure and train recruits worldwide, a U.S. Senate report warned on Thursday.
10 May 2008
Belgium accuses China of cyberattacks TechWorld
It's not just the US and UK who are crying foul over China's behavior in cyberspace - now the government of tiny Belgium has accused hackers from the country of targeting its systems.
DARPA Plans Cyberwar 'Matrix' Information Week
The agency's National Cyber Range for cyberwar simulation would be similar to Star Trek's holodeck or a Snow Crash-style Metaverse.
09 May 2008
Half a million computers infected with 'malware' in just seven days The Guardian
Experts are warning internet users to be on their guard after more than half a million computers were infected with a single piece of malicious software.
07 May 2008
us: Tech Groups Back Kaspersky in Fight Against Zango Washington Post
A broad coalition of technology groups today told a federal appeals court to toss out a lawsuit that adware maker Zango is continuing to pursue against computer security vendor Kaspersky Lab, arguing that to do otherwise would harm consumers and the future of the security software market.
03 May 2008
Estonia's cyberattacks: Lessons learned, a year on ZDNet
The idea that attacks on computer systems could provide an alternative method of spreading terror and disruption has been a concern for governments since IT systems began to proliferate.
The law of Phorm Out-Law
EDITORIAL: Critics have branded Phorm a regulatory rogue. Its targeted advertising technology will bend our laws and even break them. But these will be hairline fractures - even if Phorm's operation makes you wince.
02 May 2008
EBay-Craigslist Fight Is About Kijiji and Control, Complaint Shows New York Times
Last week, eBay sued the classified advertising site Craigslist in a Delaware court. The suit received widespread coverage but its causes were opaque, since a copy of the complaint was not made public and the parties were not speaking publicly.
Interpol: Olympics cyberattack not a major threat InfoWorld
Executive Director for Police Services at Interpol downplays threat of cyberattack at Beijing games, concentrates on protecting physical security of visitors
Google Warns Users About Phishing Information Week
In advising users to be wary of clicking on links in e-mail messages or responding to requests for personal information, Google is trying to protect its own business.
Identity 'at risk' on Facebook BBC
Personal details of Facebook users could potentially be stolen, the BBC technology programme Click has found. ... But a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, could potentially harvest personal data.
01 May 2008
Payment fraud moves to Internet in Europe, says Commission ComputerWorld
Electronic payment fraud is increasingly moving to non-face-to-face situations such as Internet payments, according to a European Commission report.
fr: F1 chief loses bid to ban Internet sex vid CNN
A French judge said Tuesday it was not within his jurisdiction to ban an Internet video of motor racing chief Max Mosley with prostitutes but ordered the French recall of newspapers containing photos of the scene.
Feds tout malware as Australia's biggest cyber threat ComputerWorld
The director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre believes that the diversity of malware and its abilities to circumvent security products, is the greatest threat on the local cyber crime landscape.
30 April 2008
au: Identity Theft - Is Your Number Up? Maddocks Lawyers
The number of villains and their various modern methods of identity theft has grown exponentially in recent years. Some estimate the financial cost of modern day identity theft at over $2 billion each year in Australia, a figure itself dwarfed by the more than $100 billion estimated to be lost worldwide annually. In this Update, Maddocks have collated a number of very practical means to reduce your chances of becoming another victim of identity theft.
29 April 2008
Office snooping software attacked by privacy groups The Times
Email reading programs can monitor message content and even analyse the relationship between sender and receiver
28 April 2008
Cyber-Attacks and Cyber-Disasters: Are You Prepared? TechNewsWorld
Have you seen the recent television commercial that shows the Pentagon and says, "This building gets attacked 3 million times a day." The sad news is that it's true. Cyber-warfare and cyber-attacks have now become a reality.
