'Yahoo is now using something called 'Web Beacons' to track Yahoo Group users around the net and see what you're doing - similar to cookies. Take a look at their updated privacy statement.

About half-way down the page, in the section 'Outside the Yahoo! Network", you'll see a little 'click here' link that will let you opt-out of their new method of snooping. You may want to do this. Once you have clicked that link, you are opted out.

The Shifted Librarian: Tuesday, January 14, 2003Yahoo Violates User Privacy (Again).

Jenny found an interesting link about another problem with Yahoo and privacy. Guess who turned her onto it? Wil Wheaton from Star Trek - TNG. Stuff like this is another reason why I don't use Yahoo Groups to maintain a mailing list for Privacy Digest

ICANNWatch | Whowas Service -- More Evidence that Whois IS a Privacy Issue.

The Trademark Blog carries an upbeat report about what it cheerfully dubs a "Whowas" service announced last month by Thompson.

Now your Whois entries will live forever in a searchable database. Oh, joy.

internetnews.com - Spammer Exposes Customer Data.

A notorious spammer who pitches pirated software from Symantec's Norton product line over the Internet has left vast amounts of customer data exposed for the world to see.

And apparently, that is not at all uncommon.

One of the Web sites operated by this particular spammer is called salesscape.com, and links related to the site showed hundreds of customer orders in .txt files.

The exposed data includes what item was purchased, customer names, street addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, but apparently not credit card numbers.

Political News from Wired News - Supremes Uphold Longer Copyrights.

The Supreme Court rules that the 20-year extension on copyrights included in a 1998 law is not unconstitutional. It's a big win for media corporations.

Journal of Accountancy - Online Resource Developed on "Privacy".

Privacy of information continues to be a concern among businesses and consumers, both in the online and offline environments. To build awareness about privacy issues among CPAs, the AICPA has developed an online resource that explains the risks associated with privacy, the benefits of good privacy practices and how privacy can be used by businesses for a competitive advantage.

Members can visit the privacy page on the AICPA's site (www.aicpa.org/innovation/baas/ewp/homepage.htm) and then access an in-depth resource center through a hyperlink to the Privacy Resource Center on cpa2biz.com. A free introductory primer, Privacy Matters: An Introduction to Personal Information Protection, is available from the resource center.

Another useful tool offered to CPAs without charge is an educational brochure highlighting important questions business owners should ask about their own privacy practices. The questions are designed for CPAs and business owners to use together to gain a better understanding of good privacy practices and to identify sound controls and policies.

CNET NEWS.COM - Homeland security's IT cost: $2.9 billion.

The U.S. government spent at least $2.9 billion in 2002 on information technology related to homeland security and is slated to spend at least that amount again this year, Congress' auditing arm said.

In a report (PDF file) released Tuesday, the General Accounting Office also said the two-year, $5.8 billion figure may be low because of potential IT-related costs not captured in the report.

Such costs include multiagency IT infrastructure, new intelligence systems and funding for existing agency missions that seem related to homeland security, such as efforts by the Department of Defense and the "Federal Aviation Administration".

Wired News - Downside to Digital Rights Pact?

Critics fear consumers may be shortchanged by an agreement between the technology and recording industries over the future of digital copyright policy.

[ ... ]

The agreement "minimizes the distracting public rhetoric and needless legislative battles," she said. "Our industries need to work together for the consumer to benefit and for our respective businesses to grow."

"There will be continued investment in new products and new music delivery methods," she said. "Consumers' interest in music is served if the investment in creativity can be protected."

But some digital rights groups said the agreement attempts leave the public without much input on crucial issues about digital content rights.

"It is not good news for the consumer," said Wendy Seltzer, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"They are trying to take the legislative process out of the legislature and put it in the hands of a few industry groups," Seltzer said. "There's a lot of public debate that has to go on and we do need Congress to step in and undo the mess that has been created by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act."

Joe Kraus, co-founder of DigitalConsumer.org, an organization dedicated to protecting consumer fair-use rights to digital media, said the agreement contains both positive and negative aspects.

InfoStructure News from Wired News - Spam Confab: Hackers to Rescue?

They built the Internet, they invented e-mail -- and now it may be up to them to save both from crumbling under the weight of spam. Hackers head to MIT on Friday for the first conference on junk e-mail filtering.

CNET NEWS.COM - Supreme Court OKs copyright extension.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Wednesday a 1998 law extending copyright protection by 20 years, delaying when creative works such as Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoons, F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels and George Gershwin's songs become public property.

The 7-2 ruling was a victory for supporters of the law, including large media companies and song publishers that argued the longer term was needed to protect a vital industry that contributes more than $500 billion to the U.S. economy.

It dealt a defeat to an Internet publisher and others who challenged the law for limiting free speech and for harming the creative process by locking up material they said should be in the public domain for all to use without charge.

Copyfight: The Politics of IP. Corante - Mickey in for the Long Haul . A growing collection of links about the Eldred copyright decision.

Lawrence Lessig Blog Archives: eldred.cc.

So I've got to go get onto a plane to go to my least favorite city (DC). My inbox is filling with kind emails from friends. Also with a few of a different flavor. It's my nature to identify most closely with those of the different flavor. David Gossett at the law firm of Mayer Brown wrote Declan, "Larry lost Eldred, 7-2." Yes, no matter what is said, that is how I will always view this case. The constitutional question is not even close. To have failed to get the Court to see it is my failing.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - Sun ONE Identity Server 6.0.

scubacuda points to this article at The Register, about "what is believed to be the industry's first identity server based on Liberty Alliance Project specifications for federated network identity (date sheet here). Other reports of Sun's release: eWeek, Information Week, Computer World, & Y!"

Yahoo! News - Supreme Court Keeps Copyright Protections.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld longstanding copyrights designed to protect the profits of songs, books and cartoon characters, a huge victory for Disney and other companies.

The 7-2 ruling, while not unexpected, was a blow to Internet publishers and others who wanted to make old books available online and use the likenesses of a Mickey Mouse cartoon and other old creations without paying high royalties.

Hundreds of thousands of books, movies and songs were close to being released into the public domain when Congress extended the copyright by 20 years in 1998.

Justices said the copyright extension, named for the late Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif., was not unconstitutional.

[ ... ]

Also at risk of expiration was protection for the version of Mickey Mouse portrayed in Disney's earliest films, such as 1928's "Steamboat Willie."

Congress passed the copyright law after heavy lobbying from companies with lucrative copyrights.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - Disney Wins, Eldred (and everyone else) Loses.

hondo77 writes "In a 7-2 decision, The Supreme Court gave Disney what they wanted. Story just broke, no details yet." They're talking about the Eldred case, recently argued before the Supreme Court and mentioned on Slashdot many times. The upshot is that no works produced in the United States after the 1920's will ever go out of copyright. Opinions: Majority opinion, Stevens' dissent, Breyer's dissent.