Thursday, March 1, 2007

Windows for Warships nears frontline service | The Register The Type 45 destroyers now being launched will run Windows for Warships: and that's not all. The attack submarine Torbay has been retrofitted with Microsoft-based command systems, and as time goes by the rest of the British submarine fleet will get the same treatment, including the Vanguard class (V class). The V boats carry the UK's nuclear weapons and are armed with Trident ICBMs, tipped with multiple H-bomb warheads. All this raises a number of worrying issues. First up is basic reliability and usability. Most of us have stared in helpless despair at the dreaded blue screen; how much worse would you feel if that wasn't just your desktop gone but your combat display, and it really was the screen of death? 10:07:50 PM

NGA Praises Congressional Movement to Correct Real ID. NGA Praises Congressional Movement to Correct Real ID. "The substantial costs and looming implementation deadline make Real ID unworkable and unreasonable." [GT: Security and Privacy] 9:07:42 PM

DHS Proposal for State Driver License Enhancements Posted for Public Comment. DHS Proposal for State Driver License Enhancements Posted for Public Comment. DHS will grant states an extension of the compliance deadline until December 31, 2009. [GT: Security and Privacy] 9:04:53 PM

Real ID Act Deadline Pushed Back to 2009. Real ID Act Deadline Pushed Back to 2009. "We will work closely with states to implement these standards and protect American's privacy against identity theft and the use of fraudulent documents." [GT: Security and Privacy] 8:53:08 PM

National ID Card Rules Unveiled. National ID Card Rules Unveiled. The DHS chief reveals how he'll turn state driver's licenses into internal passports. By Ryan Singel. [Wired News: Security Blanket] 7:48:35 PM

Berners-Lee Speaks Out Against DRM, Advocates Net Neutrality. Berners-Lee Speaks Out Against DRM, Advocates Net Neutrality. narramissic writes "Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee advocated for net neutrality, saying that the Web deserves 'special treatment' as a communications medium to protect its nondiscriminatory approach to content. Berners-Lee's more controversial statements came on the topic of DRM, in which he suggested that instead of DRM, copyright holders should provide information on how to legally use online material, allowing users the opportunity 'to do the right thing.' This led to an odd exchange with Representative Mary Bono who compared Berner-Lee's suggestion to 'having a speed limit but not enforcing the speed limit.'" [Slashdot: Your Rights Online] 7:31:36 PM

DHS Issues REAL ID Regulations; CDT Urges Repeal of Law. DHS Issues REAL ID Regulations; CDT Urges Repeal of Law. The Department of Homeland Security has issued proposed regulations implementing the REAL ID Act, which would require states to adopt tighter standards and create a networked system for driver's license issuance. Given the Act's fundamental flaws, CDT has joined other civil liberties groups in supporting legislation introduced in recent days in the House and Senate to repeal the hastily-enacted 2005 law and return to the driver's license reform process begun by the previous Congress. CDT is especially concerned that the Act would result in the creation of a linked network of government databases of personal information, without standards or limits on access and use. [Center for Democracy and Technology] 7:17:49 PM

© Copyright 2007 Paul Hardwick. Last update: 3/4/07; 11:11:53 AM.