Blog Censorship Gains Support - CNET News.com

Blog censorship gains support CNET News.com

By Renai LeMay

"Most Americans believe bloggers should not be allowed to publish sensitive personal information about individuals, according to a new survey.

Web hosting company Hostway this week released the results of its poll of 2,500 Americans on blogging. Eighty percent of respondents did not believe that bloggers should be allowed to publish home addresses and other personal information about private citizens.

A further 72 percent favored censorship of personal information about celebrities, and 68 percent, information about elected or appointed government officials such as judges or mayors. "

Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

"Three state education employees fired for lewd e-mail

Associated Press report 04/26/05

TALLAHASSEE - Three state Education Department employees have been fired and a fourth has been told she will be fired for sending lewd e-mails to colleagues. "

"'This is basically a case of people sending very offensive e-mails to one another on government computers,' state Education Commissioner John Winn said Monday. 'This has been the most troubling thing to me since I've been commissioner.' "

Editorial Note: Is it possible that the abysmal performance of our Florida School System should trouble him more than naughty words?

Police Data Sharing Is A Work In Progress

By Larry Greenemeier, InformationWeek
April 25, 2005

URL: Info Week

"The federal government's disclosure this month that it won't continue funding the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange, or Matrix, closes a chapter on a controversial law-enforcement data-sharing pilot project created in the wake of 9/11. Three years and $12 million later, just two states will continue using the technology, as other projects compete to meet the goal of better sharing of crime data across state lines."

U.S. Postal-order Scams Surging

U.S. postal-order scams surging

"U.S. postal-order scams surging
By Tom Zeller Jr. The New York Times

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2005

Phony checks have been the stock in trade of online fraud artists for years. Now, the authorities say they are noticing a surge in schemes involving sophisticated counterfeiting of a different form of payment: U.S. postal money orders. And the fleecing of victims often begins in an e-mail inbox."

University Fires Employees for Porn

The Cavalier Daily

"Computer porn leads to U.Va. employee firings - University releases warning against viewing pornography on University computers; employee arrested for possession of child pornography

Alex Sellinger, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

The University publicly issued a warning and dismissed two employees this semester after fellow employees reported they had used University computers to view and download pornography. A Dining Services employee was arrested in February and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, the University reported in its warning issued April 11. "

Watchdogs target Web's dark side - MSNBC

MSNBC - Watchdogs target Web's dark side

"Watchdogs target Web's dark side - Online vigilantes seek out, shut down pro-terrorism sites

By Ariana Eunjung Cha
The Washington Post
Updated: 12:07 a.m. ET April 25, 2005

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A. Aaron Weisburd slogged up to his attic at 5 a.m. to begin another day combing through tips he had received about possible pro-terrorist activity on the Internet.

It did not take long for one e-mail to catch his attention: Ekhlaas.com was offering instructions on how to steal people's personal information off their computers. It was a new development for an Islamic discussion site accustomed to announcing 'martyrdom operations,' or suicide bombings, against U.S. troops and others in Iraq."

Police Tackling Cybercrime Need More Training - FT.com / World / US -

FT.com / World / US"Police tackling cybercrime need more training'

By Tony Cheng in Bangkok
Published: April 22 2005 22:33

International law enforcement officers lack the technical knowledge and the legal tools to crack down on cybercriminals now stealing up to $1,400bn a year, much of it through frauds targeting consumers, a Microsoft executive said on Friday.

Scott Charney, a former US Justice Department cybercrime prosecutor and now at Microsoft, urged police departments to increase the numbers and skills of officers fighting cybercrime. He said stepping up international co-operation was also essential. If you are investigating a case in the US and you see the attack is coming from the UK, we have 200 years of relationship, and you can get assistance, he said. But what if that attack is coming from Chad? Has anyone ever spoken to Chad about cybercrime?"

Criminalization and Combatting Cybercrime - i-Newswire.com

"Crime had grown so fast in the bottomless world of cyberspace that legal and law enforcement bodies should step up to the plate, the keynote speaker of a workshop on measures to combat computer-related crime told the Second Committee of the Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice this afternoon."

Ten Laws of the Modern World - Forbes.com

"Digital Rules - Ten Laws of the Modern World
Rich Karlgaard, 05.09.05, 12:00 AM ET

Moore's Law. Listen to a billionaire explain why an understanding of Moore's Law is a key to unlocking business riches. Don Valentine founded Sequoia Capital in 1972 and presided over early investments in Apple, Electronic Arts, Cisco, Yahoo and Google. He once told me the secret to his success: 'That's easy. I just follow Moore's Law and make a few guesses about its consequences.' "

Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers

washingtonpost.com: Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers: "Va. Lawmakers Aim to Hook Cyberscammers - Starting July 1, Those Who 'Phish' for Personal Data Online Can Be Prosecuted

By Karin Brulliard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 10, 2005; Page C08

The Virginia General Assembly this year passed a handful of new bills aimed at cracking down on computer and online crimes, including a statute that observers say is the nation's first law that criminalizes 'phishing' schemes. Phishing occurs when someone sends out bulk e-mail messages designed to trick consumers into revealing bank account passwords, Social Security numbers and other personal information. Starting July 1, cyberscammers who deceive people out of that kind of information could face a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and $2,500 in fines. Those convicted of selling the data or using it to commit another crime, such as identity theft, would face twice the prison time. "

Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer

Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer: "Data Security Breaches No Longer 'Dirty Secret' Says White & Case Lawyer

NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's announcement of a massive theft of personal data from the LexisNexis computer systems, and other similar recent announcements, may suggest that computer security breaches are on the rise. But in reality, it is new data privacy laws in California that have begun forcing companies to disclose and respond to breaches that previously would have not been made public, says a noted privacy lawyer with White & Case."

Can an expert who's not certified still be an expert?

BizNewOrleans: Biz New Orleans: "SPECIAL REPORT: Law Legal Specialization

Can an expert who's not certified still be an expert?
by LINDSAY YOUNG

Need an attorney specialized in consumer law, computer law or even emergency law? Look in the yellow pages. From a consumer's perspective, dozens of legal specialties exist, and nearly every lawyer is a specialist in something.

But in reality, only 2.5 percent of the state's attorneys hold a Louisiana State Bar Association designation of 'specialist.' They are attorneys who have taken exams, submitted recommendations from others in the field and devoted a significant percentage of their practice to their respective areas of law.

The state bar recognizes only four specialties: taxation, family law, bankruptcy, and estate planning and administration. So what about the hundreds of others touting themselves in other areas? "

AOL Spammer Gets Nine Years

AOL Spammer Gets Nine Years

"An Internet Spam artist has been sentenced to nine years in prison by a judge in Virginia. The ruling is the first spam-related felony prosecution in the U.S. since the anti-spam law was enacted in 2003."

States scramble to protect consumer data - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

States scramble to protect consumer data - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "Dozens of Privacy Bills Introduced after Rash of Breaches

By Jonathan Krim
The Washington Post

Legislatures in more than two dozen states are considering ways to give consumers more control over personal data that is collected and sold by private firms, but many of the proposals are drawing fire from financial services companies."

ABC News: Kids, Infants Fall Victim to Identity Theft

ABC News: Kids, Infants Fall Victim to Identity Theft

"Young Person May Be 'the Ideal Victim' Because Credit Check Might Not Uncover Crime for Years

SHORELINE, Wash., April 2, 2005

Andrew Brooke had his identity stolen when he was just 3 months old. Cooper Hayes has credit trouble. If he's not worried, that's because he's just 3 years old. Cooper's very first piece of mail ever was a letter from a county prosecutor telling him his identity had been stolen. "

ABC News: Judge Sentences Spammer to Nine Years

ABC News: Judge Sentences Spammer to Nine Years

"Judge Sentences Man to 9 Years in Prison for Using Fake Internet Addresses to Send Mass E-Mail Ads

By MATTHEW BARAKAT

The Associated Press

Apr. 8, 2005 - A man convicted in the nation's first felony case against illegal spamming was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for bombarding Internet users with millions of junk e-mails.

Jeremy Jaynes, who was considered among the top 10 spammers in the world at the time of his arrest, used the Internet to peddle pornography and sham products and services such as a 'FedEx refund processor,' prosecutors said. Thousands of people fell for his e-mails, and prosecutors said Jaynes' operation grossed up to $750,000 per month."

Patriot Act 2.0

"The USA Patriot Act went to Congress in the nervous weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was artfully named legislation designed to expand the nation's ability to fight terrorism. The law granted the government extraordinary powers to use wiretaps and subpoenas, in some cases abandoning civil liberties that had passed the test of time and crisis in years past.

Now the Patriot Act is up for reauthorization, providing an opportunity to fine-tune the law and safeguard citizens from oppressive provisions that should pass into retirement with John Ashcroft."

Andrew C. McCarthy on Patriot Act on National Review Online

Andrew C. McCarthy on Patriot Act on National Review Online: "Spinning the Patriot Act Sneaking a peek at ''Judge'' Napolitano's latest debacle.


Andrew Napolitano has embarrassed himself enough times that one would think Fox News might have him do a little homework before passing off still more abject idiocy as biting legal analysis. But no, he continues to outdo himself."