More than 50 fire inspectors, animal control officers, social service workers, cleanup workers, even U.S. marshals rumbled into a West Side neighborhood Wednesday morning for the second Clean Sweep, a citywide initiative to crack down on quality-of-life problems.

Supporters, including the mayor and some residents, say the initiative improves troubled neighborhoods. But critics and other residents say the effort is intrusive and ineffective.

Federal, state and local officials all contributed to the three-hour effort, held on 19th Street between Rhode Island and Hampshire streets. It was the second such sweep. The first was held June 26 on West Avenue, also on the West Side.

While cleanup crews mowed lawns and cleaned vacant lots, teams of officials went door to door, checking houses for working smoke detectors, unlicensed dogs, illegal cable television hookups and social services concerns. Organizers of Wednesday's effort said they installed 40 smoke detectors, replaced batteries in 30 others, issued 15 summons for unlicensed dogs, uncovered 20 illegal cable hookups and made more than a dozen referrals to social services and housing agencies.

[ ... ]

Residents welcomed help in improving their neighborhood. But they were far from satisfied with the way Wednesday's sweep was conducted. They were given no prior notice of the action. A police officer knocked on each door and asked the resident if the house could be inspected. If they consented - most did - up to 10 people might enter, according to residents.

"I think they should clean the neighborhood up," said Alice Russell, "but because we're poor, they don't have to do it the right way."

Jeanne-Noel Mahoney, director of the western regional office of the New York Civil Liberties Union, came to the neighborhood after receiving phone calls from residents. She said her office received 26 complaints about the first sweep, many saying the effort was intrusive. She scoffed at sweep organizers' assurances that the inspections were voluntary.

"You can say you have the right to say no, but I think a lot of people would be afraid to," she said, noting the number of uniformed officers and officials present.

San Francisco Gate - Calif drivers worry new monitoring system threatens privacy .

A new $37 million system will soon track drivers' movements along highways in Northern California -- whether they like it or not.

The traffic sensor system, which should begin operating next month, will make it possible to provide realtime information about some of the nation's worst congestion to drivers through their cell phones, over the airwaves and on the Internet, and gather better data for transportation planners.

But despite government assurances, it's also raising fears that drivers' privacy will be invaded.

Similar to systems in Houston and New York, the project will track electronic toll payment devices affixed to the windshields of more than 250,000 vehicles, using radio-based sensors mounted on highway signs every few miles.

And to the dismay of some FasTrak users, it's not optional -- the only way to avoid triggering the sensors throughout nine Bay Area counties is to stash the transponder in Mylar bags, which will be provided to nervous motorists.

Project leaders at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission say they're not interested in the movements of individual drivers, and have gone to great lengths to protect privacy, including encrypting the serial number of each transponder as its location is transmitted. They promise to keep this data separate from the identities of FasTrak users and other information needed to make automatic monthly deductions from their bank or credit card accounts.

"We're not tracking or trying to follow any individual car, just the overall traffic flow," TravInfo project manager Michael Berman said. "We're really trying to bend over backward to make sure we don't know."

[ ... ]

Berman emphasized that the Bay Area system won't be used for such things as tracking hit-and-run suspects, kidnappers or car thieves who happen to have FasTrak in their cars, let alone adulterers.

The MTC -- along with its partners, the California Highway Patrol and the state transportation department -- has received no requests from law enforcement to tweak the system so drivers could be pursued, Berman said, adding, "I think if they were to request it, we would say no. That's not our job."

But privacy advocates see a slippery slope -- they say that once the sensors are in place, there's nothing to prevent such a change. And new laws imposed after Sept. 11 make it much easier for police to obtain such information.

"Yes, they're building in limitations on the data use, but there's nothing to prevent them from changing the policies in the future," said Beth Givens, director of the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

[ ... ]

Transponders beep as cars pass through toll plazas, but will remain silent when they pass the sensors.

All record of serials numbers stored in electronic files will be destroyed daily, leaving only general averages and patterns for later study, Berman said.

Slashdot | California Tracks Everyone Using Toll Transponders.

obtuse writes "Direct monitoring of traffic sounds pretty cool, but some people don't want their toll transponders tracked. They aren't installing direct driver tracking for law enforcement now, but the collected data could be subpoenaed. Of course, anyone who didn't want to be tracked could just put it in the glovebox anyway, so they won't be catching clever felons or tracking real paranoiacs."

Slashdot | UK Prepares Own Version of the DMCA.

philkerr writes "I've just been informed by the UK Patent Office, below, that the EUCD (European Union Copyright Directive, the equivalent EU legislation to the DMCA) consultation paper has been released. It's important that we give feedback to the UK government that this legislation will have a chilling effect on the software industry." --- NTK has a few choice words on the subject as well. We've done several articles on the EUCD before, and Alan Cox has been campaigning against it, but it appears that the fix is in: Europe is going to get DMCA-like laws implemented in each nation by the end of 2002.

Slashdot | DraganFly III Gyro-stabilized RC Helicopter.

Pronoun54 writes "It hovers! It spins! It spies! The Draganflyer III weighs just 17 ounces with its high-tech stabilization system. "As an eye in the sky, the Draganflyer III can be used indoors or out, up to a mile away, to take aerial views of real estate, promote products at trade shows, or give the guy in the next cube a close encounter he won't soon forget." "One more advantage of the Draganflyer III: if you're grounded by bad weather, you can still open the throttle and hover indoors." Their site has videos of this thing in action both indoors and out. Seems like it can move pretty fast at top speed." --- The Times has a piece talking about the piezo gyroscopes (including purty pictures) that the chopper uses to self-stabilize.

San Jose Mercury News By Dan Gillmor- End user licenses keep getting more intrusive.

Impenetrable EULAs are nothing new in the tech business. But they're getting more intrusive and less fair every day. The latest anti-innovation is the vendor's claim of a unilateral right to change the function of the product you've already purchased.

This particular ``agreement'' goes the distance. It says, in part, ``You acknowledge and agree that Microsoft may automatically check the version of the OS Product and/or its components that you are utilizing and may provide upgrades or fixes to the OS Product that will be automatically downloaded to your computer.''

Think about it. This staggeringly open-ended language gives the owner of the operating system -- the single most critical piece of software on a computer, the layer of code that controls so much of how a machine works -- the unilateral right to remotely alter your software.

[ ... ]

Instead of giving customers more choice, more freedom, Microsoft continues to tighten its grip. That's the reality for this monopolist, which is aiming to collect fees on anything that moves digitally. Retaining the right to ``upgrade'' your computer is a necessity for Microsoft and its allies in the digital-media business, even if what the company and its allies want is antithetical to your interests.

If we had laws in customers' interest, technology companies would be required to offer repairs of defects with no strings attached. They would be required to produce EULAs that don't take a law degree to understand. They would be utterly prevented from changing the features or functions of customers' gear without explicit permission.

What's amazing, and disturbing, is that any of this should even be an issue.

ACLU Press Release: 08-06-02 -- In Surreal Development, Bush Administration Routes TIPS Calls to TV Show "America's Most Wanted" .

In a development bordering on what the American Civil Liberties Union called "surreal," the on-line magazine Salon.com today revealed that the Department of Justice is forwarding incoming Operation TIPS calls to the Fox-owned "America's Most Wanted" television series.

"This is like retaining Arthur Andersen to do all of the SEC's accounting," said Rachel King, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "It's a completely inappropriate and frightening intermingling of government power and the private sector. What's next - the government hires Candid Camera to do its video surveillance?"

"If it continues to cooperate with the government on Operation TIPS, America's Most Wanted should move networks and rename itself 'Big Brother,'" King said.

The author of the Salon article, David Lindorff, reportedly signed up for TIPS more than a month ago, heard nothing and followed up last week with a phone call to the Department of Justice, the agency responsible for overseeing the proposed program. The department gave Lindorff another phone number, which it said had been set up by the FBI. When he dialed that number, Lindorff was greeted by a receptionist for "America's Most Wanted," which features reenactments of unsolved crimes and then asks the public to phone in leads and tips.

Shocked that the number did not connect to the FBI, Lindorff was told, "We've been asked to take the FBI's TIPS calls for them." The ACLU today said that, not only does the Operation TIPS program on its own pose serious threats to the American ideal that neighbors not be expected to inform on neighbors, but the program, when coupled with the power and profit incentives of television, could enhance its resemblance to Big Brother through sensationalism and the thirst for advertising revenue.

ACLU: TIPS Watch - Please Help Us Turn Back the Assault on Freedom.

John Ashcroft and the Bush Administration's insatiable appetite for new powers in the wake of 9/11 has taken on an alarming dimension -- the recruitment of American workers, including your meter reader and your cable technician among them -- to spy on their fellow Americans.

Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System) will recruit delivery people, utility workers, cable installers, and others whose jobs allow them access to private residences to report suspicious, ostensibly terrorist-related activity to the government.

This dangerous program would not only allow peoples' homes to be searched without cause or warrants, but it would also turn neighbor against neighbor and potentially generate thousands of unreasonable and unwarranted charges against innocent people -- charges that could circulate among government databases without the knowledge of the falsely accused.

Despite intense controversy, Attorney General Ashcroft says the program could be launched later this summer.

Government Technology - Privacy Bill Being Resurrected Despite High-Profile Failures.

Associated Press - Aug 08, 2002 -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Despite two failed attempts to pass financial privacy legislation within the last year, a bill that would require financial companies to get permission before selling personal information is being resurrected by Sen. Jackie Speier.

Speier, a Democrat, said she will reintroduce the measure this month as the Legislature enters the final days of its two-year session. The bill would require financial companies to receive permission before selling personal information, such as bank balances and unlisted phone numbers, to outside marketing companies.

Privacy News from Wired News - Going Retail With Market Research.

The walls have ears -- and eyes -- at the Once Famous shop at One Financial Plaza in Minneapolis.

The eager viewers of this reality shopping program are marketing types from the Omnicom Group who hope to glean insights into American consumers' minds through oohs, aahs, and banter recorded near wired shelves of knickknacks, facial expressions glimpsed through one-sided mirrors, and the pace with which we pass store displays.

[ ... ]

Panicky privacy guardians are quick to label the store a Big Brother boutique, but it's more like a Skinner Box with consenting mall rats.

"The store isn't always in testing mode. It wouldn't make economic sense for us to do that," said FAME spokeswoman Lisa Hannum.

When the store is in testing mode, management signals that fact with a sandwich board sign topped with a rotating yellow light. The sign reads, "Your Opinion Counts. Once Famous is a retail lab store. Besides selling new and unique merchandise, we track and record consumer opinion. We are currently in 'test mode.' If you prefer not to be video- or audiotaped during this time, kindly visit us when this sign has been removed. If you shop during a 'test mode' your comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you."

Business News from Wired News - Passport Deal Gets Mixed Review.

A settlement between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft will require the software company to step up security for its Passport products and improve disclosures about how it collects and uses customer information.

But privacy advocates say that although it's a step in the right direction, the agreement announced Thursday doesn't go far enough in ensuring protection of potentially sensitive user data.

It leaves the whole basic model very much in place. It doesn't say anywhere along the line that this is a bad idea and collects far too much data about people and is far too privacy invasive," said Harry Hochheiser, a board member of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility ("CPSR"), one of 12 industry groups that filed complaints with the FTC regarding Passport last year.

In the settlement with the FTC, Microsoft agreed not to misrepresent the amount of personal information it collects or the way it uses the data from the more than 200 million Passport accounts in operation.

Conflict News from Wired News - The Myth of Airport Biometrics.

In the airport's new international terminal, the INS has installed a number of ATM-like machines designed to take precise measurements of your hand, confirm your identity and whisk you through U.S. customs without so much as a "What is the purpose of your visit?" from the folks at Immigration.

It's the kind of biometric identification system that Congress had in mind when it passed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. This legislation calls for the U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of State to implement a system of biometric identification for each and every alien who enters the United States after Oct. 26, 2004.

There's just one problem with the SFO machines. They're not turned on.

The director of San Jose State University's Biometric Test Center, James Wayman, says that's because, although the biometric scanners actually worked fine, they cost more than they were worth.

[ ... ]

In March 2000, a Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General report found the INSPASS benefits to be "insignificant," and today the INSPASS program is "basically going away," according to International Biometric Industry Association executive director Richard Norton. "INSPASS taught us a lot of very good lessons about how to implement a system of border controls for what are now called registered travelers."

These lessons should serve as a warning to lawmakers, Wayman says. "History has taught us that these systems are very difficult to implement," he says.

Wayman says that the Enhanced Border Security Act, which calls for the INS to take a unique biometric identifier, like a fingerprint or a face scan, from every alien entering the United States by 2005, is moving faster than the biometrics community is ready to go.

[ ... ]

According to Wayman, legislation like the Enhanced Border Security Act and the Patriot Act are setting ill-considered biometric policy for the United States that will, at best, slow down the adoption of biometric systems and, at worst, take years to correct. "It's just causing confusion," he says. "Sept. 11 has not helped anybody."

Sony Global | Press Release (may contain unnecessary superlatives, corporate bias) - Announcing "OpenMG X" . Digital Rights Management and Distribution Technology

[ ... ]

"OpenMG X" flexibly adapts to the distribution of content to PCs, as well as services which distribute content directly to AV and mobile devices. With this technology, the usage conditions for content can be controlled from the distributor's end and hence, content distribution can be secured from the beginning to the end of the service. This technology will be promoted widely to music labels and other music/content distribution companies to use as a core technology for protecting their content.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - SSony Proudly Rolls Out Spyware/Restrictions System.

jhonny writes "Sony announced a new DRM technology called OpenMG X. Basically it keeps track on how many times you played/viewed (or tried to copy) your product and sends these statistics to the copyright holder."

New York Times - free registration required Settling With F.T.C., Microsoft Agrees to Privacy Safeguards.

Microsoft acknowledged that it had not properly protected the privacy and security of people who provided personal information through the company's online identification services.

The company agreed to shore up the security of its system, known as Passport, as well as to be more truthful with users about what it does with their personal data, and to obtain an outside audit of its practices every two years.

Passport allows a computer user to enter personal information once, storing it on Microsoft's servers with a user name and password, and then employ the same user name to sign on to numerous participating Web sites and even to shop.

The F.T.C. detected no actual security breaches, and it said Microsoft had not shared consumer data improperly with other companies. Rather, the chairman, Timothy J. Muris, said, the company was not meeting the levels of privacy protection and security that it had promised users of Passport. "Good security is fundamental to protecting consumer privacy," Mr. Muris said at a news conference in Washington. "It's good business, it's the law, and we'll take action against companies that don't keep their promises."

[ ... ]

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a high-technology policy and advocacy group in Washington, said, "This is a groundbreaking decision concerning the F.T.C.'s future role in protecting online privacy."

The center spearheaded a coalition of groups that filed a complaint in July 2001 contending that Microsoft's privacy practices, and especially the new Windows XP operating system and services like Passport, "are designed to obtain personal information from consumers in the United States unfairly and deceptively." Mr. Muris cited that complaint yesterday as the spark for the F.T.C. investigation of Microsoft.

The commission focused on four problems with Passport. Microsoft, it said, lied about the effectiveness of its measures to protect users' personal information -- including credit card numbers collected for the Passport Wallet service, which is used for online shopping.

The commission said Microsoft had falsely asserted that purchases made with Passport Wallet were "safer or more secure" than purchases made at the same site without Passport; in fact, the same level of security generally existed.

The company also did not tell the truth when it said that it did not collect any personally identifiable information beyond that described in its privacy policy, the commission said. In fact, Microsoft's technical support staff would routinely tie personally identifiable information to the user's sign-in history, and hold on to that data for months.

Finally, the special version of Passport for young people, Kids Passport, was falsely described as giving parents control over the information that Web sites collected on their children, when there were no special privacy-protection features in the service, the F.T.C. said.