Georgia Court Records Reveal Social Security Numbers
A simple online search of a Cherokee County, Georgia, government Web site revealed Social Security numbers posted for all to see – and it turns out, this is happening across the state.
Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger Creates Giant Database on Citizens' Buying Habits, Voting Records
Gin or vodka? Ford or BMW? Perrier or Fiji water? Does the car you buy or what's in your fridge say anything about how you'll vote? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign thinks so. Employing technology honed in President Bush's 2004 victory, the Republican governor's re-election team has created a vast computer storehouse of data on personal buying habits and voter records to identify likely supporters. Campaign officials say the operation is the largest of its kind in any state, at any time.
New Version of Firefox Browser Sends User Data to Google
Firefox 2.0 was launched by the Mozilla Foundation yesterday - and immediately generated a storm of protests over privacy issues. Key to privacy concerns is that Mozilla have set up their long-awaited phishing protection feature on Firefox 2.0 - but to use it properly, you have to send Google a record of every single website you visit.
No-Swipe Credit Cards Contain High Security, Privacy Costs
Tens of millions of a new generation of credit cards -- cards whose data is relayed by radio waves without need of a signature or physical swiping through a machine -- have been issued, and equipment for their use is showing up at a growing number of locations. But in tests on 20 cards from Visa, MasterCard and American Express, the researchers here found that the cardholder’s name and other data was being transmitted without encryption and in plain text. They could skim and store the information from a card with a device the size of a couple of paperback books, which they cobbled together from readily available computer and radio components for $150.
New Driver's License Requirements Fuel Privacy Fearks
Any hope we may have of keeping government, industry and criminals out of our personal business is scheduled to vanish completely in 18 months, privacy advocates say. That’s when the federal government’s Real ID Act is to be fully in place, effectively setting up a national identification program by requiring states to adopt strict new high-tech standards for driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are to be accepted by federal authorities at places ranging from airports to U.S. courthouses.
Europeans need to be reassured that radio frequency identification chips won't betray their privacy and can be turned off if desired, EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said Monday. Reding said European industry and regulators have to respond better to people's privacy concerns.
Government Report: 19 Agencies Have Lost Personal Data
Federal workers at 19 agencies have lost personal information affecting thousands of employees and the public, raising fresh concerns about the government’s ability to protect sensitive information. Most of the information was lost or stolen. In a few cases, it was accessed by computer hackers, according a report released Friday by the House Government Reform Committee. Government contractors were responsible for many of the security breaches.
Chicago Mayor: Surveillance Camera on Every Corner by 2016
By 2016, there'll be a surveillance camera on every corner in Chicago, Mayor Daley said Wednesday."We'll have more cameras than Washington, D.C. ... Our technology is more advanced than any other city in the world -- even compared to London," he said.
DHS Rebuked for Plan to Limit Applicant Access to Data
Privacy advocates have voiced strong opposition to the Homeland Security Department's proposal to scale back the amount of information that security clearance applicants can access about government investigations of their background.
Homeland Security Finances Software to Monitor Negative Opinions of U.S.
A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas. Such a “sentiment analysis” is intended to identify potential threats to the nation, security officials said. A $2.4 million grant will finance the research over three years. Even the basic research has raised concern among journalism advocates and privacy groups, as well as representatives of the foreign news media.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit by privacy advocates who say the Bush administration's rules for disclosing medical records are too lax. Ten groups representing 750,000 consumers, medical practitioners and their patients challenged a federal rule that encourages development of an information system for electronic transfer of health data.
