--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. March 20-28, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS Alleged Identity Theft Targeted Rich and Famous CNN on NSA Microsoft to Include P3P in MSIE 6 Supreme Court Rejects Maternal Drug Tests Vulnerability Discovered in PGP H.R. 718 Clears Subcommittee Muris to Chair FTC Music Industry Tracking MP3 Trading Microsoftıs Secure PC Prevents Unlicensed Digital Music Sharing COE Cybercrime Treaty Favors Law Enforcement Indiana Legislators Attempt to Protect Officialsı E-mail Private Detectives Mining Personal Data CIA Data Mining Privacy Foundation Exposes TiVo Information Collection Bush Administration Opposes EU Privacy Clauses Lobbyists Attack Privacy Legislation More Spam Legislation Introduced Health Secretary May Change Privacy Rule Web Sites not in Compliance with Child Privacy Rules House Committee to Consider Spam Bill Today Wireless Spam Proliferates ACTION Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- Alleged Identity Theft Targeted Rich and Famous A suspect has used credit reports and other sources of information to steal the identities of dozens of prominent business leaders and celebrities. Report: Hacker charged with heist using Internet and Forbes' richest list, Siliconvalley.com (AP), March 19, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/013863.htm Greatest Net Dupe in History?, Wired (Reuters), March 20, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,42517,00.html Man Broke Into Accounts of Celebrities, Police Say, New York Times, March 21, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/21/technology/21CYBE.html --------------------------------------------------------------- CNN on NSA CNN is running a five-part series on the National Security Agency, and its surveillance on worldwide communications. Eavesdropping on the World, CNN. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/nsa/ --------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft to Include P3P in MSIE 6 Microsoft is integrating the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) in the upcoming release of Internet Explorer. P3P is supported by a number of high-profile businesses, but has been criticized by privacy advocates as an ineffective system to protect individualsı privacy rights. As Congress Mulls New Web-Privacy Laws, Microsoft Pushes System Tied to Its Browser, Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985132165383902742.htm Microsoft's P3P Plan for Online Privacy Gets Some Support From Big Companies, Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985132310603798616.htm Privacy experts rip IE cookie cutter, ZDNet, March 22, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5080018,00.html Pretty Poor Privacy: An Assessment of P3P and Internet Privacy, EPIC Web Page. http://www.epic.org/Reports/prettypoorprivacy.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Supreme Court Rejects Maternal Drug Tests In a 6 to 3 decision, the Supreme Court has held that public hospitals may not test pregnant women for drug use and release the results to law enforcement without the patientıs consent or a warrant. The case arose from a South Carolina Public Hospitalıs policy of drug testing pregnant women who exhibited certain symptoms linked to substance abuse. Ferguson v. City of Charleston, 99-936, Supreme Court Web Site. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/21mar20011130/ www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/00pdf/99-936.pdf Pregnant Women Must OK Drug Tests, MSNBC.com, March 21, 2001. http://www.msnbc.com/news/547557.asp?cp1=1 --------------------------------------------------------------- Vulnerability Discovered in PGP A flaw has been discovered and confirmed in the popular Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption format. It allows for forgery of digital signatures. However, the flaw does not affect files that have been encrypted with PGP. Your E-Hancock Can Be Forged, Wired, March 21, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42553,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- H.R. 718 Clears Subcommittee H.R. 718, the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 allows individuals to opt-out of spam, requires the sender to include a working return address, and grants new rights to Internet Service Providers who wish to prevent the transmission of spam from their servers. Last year, the same bill passed the House but failed in a Senate committee. Anti-spam measure backed by House panel, ZDNet (News.com), March 21, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5079891,00.html Congressional subcommittee approves anti-spam bill, Siliconvalley.com (Reuters), March 21, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/038326.htm After Spam, Baloney to Swallow, Los Angeles Times, March 22, 2001. http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20010322/t000024775.html House Commerce Committee To Consider Anti-Spam Bill, Newsbytes, March 23, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163575.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Muris to Chair FTC George Mason University law professor Timothy Muris has been appointed by President Bush to chair the Federal Trade Commission. Murisı appointment establishes a republican majority on the five-member commission. It is reported that Muris will relax antitrust and online privacy enforcement. Muris Appointment to Usher In Changes In FTC's Antitrust, Web-Privacy Policy, Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985217786923423022.htm Bush Pick for FTC Was on '80s Staff, Washington Post, March 22, 2001. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39821-2001Mar21.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Music Industry Tracking MP3 Trading The music industry has employed a tracking system to determine which Internet users are trading MP3s online. It is reported that the technology can track users who transmit files via IRC in addition to Napster. Music industry tracking individual MP3 file sharers, The Register, March 22, 2001. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/17805.html Who is Spying on Your Downloads?, Salon, March 27, 2001. http://salon.com/tech/feature/2001/03/27/media_tracker/index.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoftıs Secure PC Prevents Unlicensed Digital Music Sharing Microsoft is developing a new computer called "Secure PC" that prevents the unlicensed copying of digital music. The new computer would act as a digital record player: Users could purchase and listen to content that would only play on a secure version of Windows Media Player. Users, however, could not copy or alter the content. MS plans 'Secure PC' that won't copy pirated audio files, March 23, 2001. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/17851.html Your Rights Online: Development of the Secure PC Proceeds, Slashdot, March 25, 2001. http://slashdot.org/yro/01/03/25/1528222.shtml --------------------------------------------------------------- COE Cybercrime Treaty Favors Law Enforcement The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime carries controversial provisions that have not been brought to public attention. Among other things, the Convention will prohibit "virtual child pornography," it will require standard procedures for the capture and retrieval of online information in real time, and it requires nations to share electronic evidence. The Convention is intended to ease law enforcement access to evidence and prosecution of suspects. Watch Out: An International Treaty on Cybercrime Sounds Like A Great Idea, Until You Read The Fine Print, Cryptome (IP Worldwide), April 2001. http://cryptome.org/cycrime-godwin.htm Internet Crime-Fighting Plan May Open Door for Snoopers, International Herald Tribune, March 23, 2001. http://www.iht.com/articles/14308.html Your Rights Online: Reading the Fine Print on the Cybercrime Treaty, Slashdot, March 24, 2001. http://slashdot.org/yro/01/03/24/0254252.shtml --------------------------------------------------------------- Indiana Legislators Attempt to Protect Officialsı E-mail Legislators in Indiana are attempting to pass a bill that would protect the e-mail and Internet records of all public officials. The bill would treat e-mail and Internet access information as non-public records that would not be available under the state open records law. Lawmakers Try To Seal Officials' E-Mail, Net Records, Newsbytes, March 23, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163581.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Private Detectives Mining Personal Data Private Detectives increasingly are employed by companies who wish to investigate computer crime, the release of trade secrets, and employee Internet use. Private labs help companies fight computer crime in secret, SiliconValley.com (AP), March 25, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/047336.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- CIA Data Mining The Central Intelligence Agencyıs data mining capabilities include the automatic translation and transcription of audio signals and web pages from foreign languages into English. Making Sense of the Deluge of Data, CIA Technologies Refine Mass of Information Into Analysis, Washington Post, March 26, 2001. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57318-2001Mar25.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Foundation Exposes TiVo Information Collection The Privacy Foundation has discovered that the TiVo personal video recorder collects information about usersı TV viewing habits, and communicates the information back to the companyıs headquarters. TiVoıs Data Collection and Privacy Practices, Privacy Foundation, March 26, 2001. http://www.privacyfoundation.org/privacywatch/report.asp?id=62&action=0 Privacy Foundation criticizes TiVo practices, SiliconValley.com, March 25, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/tivo032601.htm Privacy Group Raises Questions About TiVo, New York Times (Reuters), March 27, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tivo-privacy-dc.html Personal Tech: TV that stares right back at you, US News and World Report, April 2, 2001. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010402/nycu/estrogen.brf.htm#tech --------------------------------------------------------------- Bush Administration Opposes EU Privacy Clauses Bush administration officials have objected to European standard contract clauses that incorporate greater privacy protection than recognized in US law. Administration officials say that such protections impose unduly burdensome requirements that will harm business. U.S. Objects to EU's Proposed Rules Affecting Trans-Atlantic E-Commerce, Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985648649580930632.htm Bush Team Opposes Proposed Euro Privacy Rules, The Standard (Reuters), March 27, 2001. http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,23137,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Lobbyists Attack Privacy Legislation Business groups have revamped efforts to block legislation that expands privacy protection to individuals. Firms Renew Assault on Privacy Rules, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2001. http://www.latimes.com/business/20010327/t000026306.html --------------------------------------------------------------- More Spam Legislation Introduced Senators Burns (R-MT) and Wyden (D-OR) introduced the S. 630, the Can Spam Act. The bill seeks to reduce the transmission of unsolicited commercial e-mail by establishing an opt-out standard and requiring that spam messages include a valid return e-mail address. S. 630, the Can Spam Act, THOMAS Database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:s.00630: Burns, Wyden Move to "Can" Spam, Press Release, Senator Burns Web Site. http://burns.senate.gov/p010327a.htm Senators Introduce Bill To Can Spam, Newsbytes, March 27, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163713.html Spam, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, March 28, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/03/28.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- Health Secretary May Change Privacy Rule Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson intends to change medical privacy regulations proposed by the Clinton administration in light of claims that the privacy protections will burden business. Thompson seeks industry-friendly changes to medical privacy rules, New Jersey Online (AP), March 28, 2001. http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/ getstory_ssf.cgi?a0426_BC_Thompson&&news&newsflash-washington Thompson Says He Expects to Relax New Rules Guarding Medical Privacy, Wall Street Journal, March 28, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB985748086147588064.djm --------------------------------------------------------------- Web Sites not in Compliance with Child Privacy Rules A recent study released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center has found that web sites for children have not incorporated basic privacy protections. About half of the sites surveyed had privacy policies that were difficult to locate or difficult to understand. Annenberg Public Policy Center. http://www.appcpenn.org/ Web Sites Found Lax in Protecting Child Privacy, New York Times, March 28, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/28/technology/28PRIV.html --------------------------------------------------------------- House Committee to Consider Spam Bill Today The House Commerce Committee will consider H.R. 718, the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act today. H.R. 718, the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001, THOMAS Database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.00718: Cooking Up a Revised Spam Bill, Wired, March 27, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42630,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Wireless Spam Proliferates Mobile phone users have been unpleasantly surprised by the newest spam technique: The sending of unsolicited commercial text messages directly to usersı phones. Unsolicited Text Messages Irk Many Cellphone Users, Wall Street Journal, March 28, 2001 (subscription required). http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985735340294663006.htm ACTION--------------------------------------------------------- Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge The Privacy Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition of consumer, civil liberties, educational, library, labor, and family-based groups unveiled the Privacy Pledge last week. The Pledge calls upon legislators to promulgate laws that effectively protection personal privacy. The Privacy Pledge http://www.privacypledge.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy.org is a joint project of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (http://www.epic.org) and Privacy International (http://www.privacyinternational.org). 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