Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Carriers mum on DoJ report that FBI abused powers - Network World Three carriers would not discuss the U.S. Department of Justice findings that the FBI overstepped its authority in accessing private phone records in investigations of terrorism or espionage suspects under the Patriot Act.  Neither AT&T, Verizon nor Qwest would comment on the matter in which a Justice Department audit released Friday determined the FBI, without a court order, improperly exercised Patriot Act powers to obtain phone, credit and Internet records of suspected terrorists and spies. 4:57:01 PM

Three Indicted for Alleged Online Brokerage Scam. Three Indicted for Alleged Online Brokerage Scam. A federal grand jury indicted three people on charges of conspiracy, fraud, and aggravated identity theft related to a "high-tech" scheme to hijack online brokerage accounts. [PC World: Latest Technology News] 4:11:34 PM

McAfee Says Vista's StickyKeys Could Be Misused. McAfee Says Vista's StickyKeys Could Be Misused. A Windows Vista feature designed to simplify computing for disabled users has security implications, according to a McAfee researcher. [PC World: Latest Technology News] 4:02:15 PM

Secure your enterprise data. Secure your enterprise data. For DuPont, Gary Min may have seemed a model employee. A research chemist at DuPont's research laboratory in Circleville, Ohio, Min was a naturalized U.S. citizen with a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania who had worked for DuPont for 10 years, even earning a business degree from Ohio State University with help from his employer. But Min's veneer of respectability began to crack on Dec. 12, 2005, when he told his employer he would be leaving his job. [CSO Online Data Security Briefing] 3:57:32 PM

EFF Kills Bogus Clear Channel Patent. EFF Kills Bogus Clear Channel Patent. Patent Busting Project Wins Victory for Artists and Innovators San Francisco - The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has announced it will revoke an illegitimate patent held by Clear Channel Communications after a campaign by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The patent covered a system and method of creating digital recordings of live performances. Clear Channel claimed the bogus patent created a monopoly on all-in-one technologies that produce post-concert digital recordings and threatened to sue those who made such recordings. This locked musical acts into using Clear Channel technology and blocked innovations by others. However, EFF's investigation found that a company named Telex had in fact developed similar technology more than a year before Clear Channel filed its patent request. EFF -- in conjunction with patent attorney Theodore C. McCullough and with the help of Lori President and Ashley Bollinger, students at the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Clinic at American University's Washington College of Law -- asked the PTO to revoke the patent based on this and other extensive evidence. "Bogus patents like this one are good examples of what's wrong with the current patent system," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "We're glad that the Patent Office was willing to help artists and innovators out from under its shadow." The Clear Channel patent challenge was part of EFF's Patent Busting Project, aimed at combating the chilling effects bad patents have on public and consumer interests. The Patent Busting Project seeks to document the threats and fight back by filing requests for reexamination against the worst offenders. "The patent system plays a critical role in business and the economy," said McCullough. "Everyone loses if we allow overreaching patent claims to restrict the tremendous benefits of new software and technology development." For the notice from the Patent Office: http://www.eff.org/patent/wanted/clearchannel/notice_of_intent_to_cancel.pdf For more on EFF's Patent Busting Project: http://www.eff.org/patent Contacts: Jason Schultz Staff Attorney Electronic Frontier Foundation jason@eff.org Theodore C. McCullough Registered Patent Attorney theo702000@yahoo.com [EFF: Breaking News] 3:55:43 PM

American Studios' Secret Plan to Lock Down European TV Devices. American Studios' Secret Plan to Lock Down European TV Devices. EFF Exposes Standards Jeopardizing Innovation and Consumer Rights San Francisco - An international consortium of television and technology companies is devising draconian anti-consumer restrictions for the next generation of TVs in Europe and beyond, at the behest of American entertainment giants. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the only public interest group to have gained entrance into the secretive meetings of the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB), a group that creates the television and video specifications used in Europe, Australia, and much of Asia and Africa. In a report released today, EFF shows how U.S. movie and television companies have convinced DVB to create new technical specifications that would build digital rights management technologies into televisions. These specifications are likely to take away consumers' rights, which will subsequently be sold back to them piecemeal -- so entertainment fans will have to pay again and again for legitimate uses of lawfully acquired digital television content. "DVB is abetting a massive power grab by the content industry, and many of the world's largest technology companies are simply watching," said Ren Bucholz, EFF Policy Coordinator, Americas. "This regime was concocted without input from consumer rights organizations or public interest groups, and it shows." Despite recent record profits, American movie and television studios insist that new technologies could ruin their industry. In past battles against innovation, these same studios sued to block the sale of the VCR and the first mass-marketed digital video recorder in the U.S. Having failed in those efforts, they have now turned to creating technical standards that, when backed by law, are likely to restrict consumers' existing rights and threaten the future of technological innovation. With DVB, the plan begun by entertainment companies in the U.S. has now gone global. EFF's report is aimed at alerting European consumer groups and consumers about the dangers posed by the proposed standards and providing informational resources for European regulators. "DVB members' active indifference, even hostility, to user rights is shameful," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. "When American studios ask for regulatory support for restrictions pushed through the DVB Project, public officials must stand up for consumer rights, sustain competition and innovation, and tell Hollywood to back off." For the full report: http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php EFF's 2005 Submission to the U.K. Department of Media, Sports and Culture: http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_critique.php Contacts: Ren Bucholz Policy Coordinator, Americas Electronic Frontier Foundation ren@eff.org Seth Schoen Staff Technologist Electronic Frontier Foundation seth@eff.org [EFF: Breaking News] 3:53:46 PM

© Copyright 2007 Paul Hardwick. Last update: 3/18/07; 5:03:11 PM.