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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.
Social Security Numbers Posted Online, WSB TV News, October 30, 2006.
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.
California shoppers, Schwarzenegger is watching you, Associated Press, October 26, 2006.
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.
Firefox 2 releases privacy storm, Platinax Small Business News, October 26, 2006.
A lot of business travelers are walking around with laptops that contain private corporate information that their employers really do not want outsiders to see. Until recently, their biggest concern was that someone might steal the laptop. But now there's a new worry: the laptop will be seized or its contents scrutinized at customs and immigration checkpoints upon entering the United States.
Laptops at U.S. border: No privacy rights, New York Times, October 25, 2006.
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.
Researchers See Privacy Pitfalls in No-Swipe Credit Cards, New York Times, October 23, 2006.
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.
Where rubber meets the road in privacy debate, MSNBC, October 19, 2006.
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.
EU calls for RFID privacy enhancements, Associated Press, October 16, 2006.
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.
Loss of data at 19 federal agencies raises privacy concerns, Associated Press, October 14, 2006.
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.
Daley: By 2016, cameras on 'almost every block', Chicago, Sun-Times, October 12, 2006.
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.
Privacy groups rap DHS plan to limit access to clearance information, GovExec.com, October 10, 2006.
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.
Software Being Developed to Monitor Opinions of U.S., New York Times, October 4, 2006.
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.
Medical privacy case rejected, Associated Press, October 2, 2006.
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