Spam has become such a menace to the Internet that the Federal Trade Commission should take swift steps to stanch the flow of bulk e-mail, three consumer groups said Wednesday.

In a 14-page set of proposed rules that already has drawn fire as overly regulatory, the groups suggest that the FTC outlaw commercial e-mail that misrepresents the content of the message or fails to provide a way to unsubscribe from the mailing list.

The Register (UK) - Cap Cyborg to chip 11 year old in wake of UK child killings.

Captain Cyborg, aka Professor Kevin Warwick of Reading University, is generally a harmless if somewhat tedious self-publicist whose risible 'experiments' pay his rent and provide the less critical elements of the press with a never-ending stream of stupid stories. But an exclusive in today's Daily Mirror serves to illustrate that such maniacs are not always harmless.

Following the recent abduction of ten year olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the Mirror reports that Wendy and Paul Duval have decided to implant their daughter, Danielle, with "a microchip to track her every move. "If she was kidnapped her exact location would be discovered via a computer."

And guess who developed the chip? That's right, "cybernetics expert Professor Kevin Warwick, 48." The Mirror does not directly attribute its explanation of the device to Captain Cyborg, but it is quite clear that some of the people involved - possibly the reporter, possibly the reporter and the Duval family - have somehow managed to get themselves seriously misled about the capabilities of the technology.

New Scientist - 'Blank' display hides computer data .

A computer screen that looks blank to anyone not wearing a pair of special polarising glasses has been developed by a Tokyo-based electronics company, Iizuka Denki Kogyo.

The company believes the modified LCD monitor will appeal to financial institutions that need to keep sensitive information safe from prying eyes in a busy environment.

Only authorised viewers wearing the special glasses would be able to read data on the screen. Anyone looking over their shoulder would see nothing at all. "To others, you would look like someone with sunglasses working in front of a totally white screen," said an official in charge of development at IDK.

The displayed data is rendered invisible by doing away with a light-polarising screen from the front of the monitor. All LCD's use this filter to block some of the polarised light that passes through liquid crystals controlled by an electrical current. This makes it possible to display information by defining different parts of the screen in light and colour.

Slashdot | Polarized Screens to Hide Sensitive Data.

NiugMan writes "NewScientist.com reports that Iizuka Denki Kogyo, a Tokio-based tech company has developed a monitor which appears to be blank if you stare at it with your eyes. Only by wearing a pair of polarised glasses you see stuff on it. The idea is to protect sensitive data from unauthorised personnel. Please take your special glasses with you when you take a coffee-break."