--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. April 17-24, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS FTC Prosecutes Pretexters Dutch Government Considers Information Safes CME Releases Report on COPPA Compliance FTC Settles Three COPPA Cases Privacy Advocates Meet with Attorney General Court Protects Anonymous Speech TILJ on E-SIGN, PGP, Opt-In, and CPRM Law Review Article Addresses Spam SDMI Attempts to Suppress Circumvention Paper ACTION Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- FTC Prosecutes Pretexters The Federal Trade Commission has filed three lawsuits to stop information brokers from illegally obtaining privacy financial information through "pretexting." Pretexting is the use of false pretenses, fraudulent statements, or impersonation to obtain financial information of another person. As Part of "Operation Detect Pretext" FTC Sues to Halt "Pretexting", FTC Press Release, FTC Web Site, April 18, 2001. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/04/pretext.htm Pretexting: Your Personal Information Revealed, FTC Consumer Alert, FTC Web Site. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/pretext.htm Three Charged With Selling Confidential Data in FTC Sting, Washington Post, April 19, 2001. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33811-2001Apr18.html Pretexting, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 19, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/19.asp FTC v. Guzzetta d/b/a Smart Data Systems, FTC Complaint, FTC Web Site. http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/04/pretextingsmartdatacomplaint.pdf FTC v. Information Search Inc. and David Kacala, FTC Complaint, FTC Web Site. http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/04/pretextinginformationsearchcomplaint.pdf FTC v. Garrett, FTC Complaint, FTC Web Site. http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/04/pretextingdiscreetdatacomplaint.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------- Dutch Government Considers Information Safes A recent commission proposal advocates the creation of digital safe deposit boxes for Dutch citizens. Citizens, government, and law enforcement would have access to the register of information. Citizens would also be encouraged to store their medical and financial information in the register. Dutch Propose Digital Information Safes, Slashdot, April 19, 2001. http://slashdot.org/articles/01/04/19/0339237.shtml Digital Safe-Deposit for Dutch Citizens, Telepolis, April 17, 2001. http://www.ct.heise.de/tp/english/inhalt/te/7393/1.html --------------------------------------------------------------- CME Releases Report on COPPA Compliance The Center for Media Education has released a report showing that the Childrenıs Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 has limited manipulative business practices. However, protecting childrenıs privacy online could be improved by promoting clear and prominent privacy policies, limiting the amount of information collected, allowing anonymous registration, and by increasing compliance with parental consent requirements. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) - The First Year, CME Report, CME Web Site. http://www.cme.org/children/privacy/coppa_rept.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------- FTC Settles Three COPPA Cases The Federal Trade Commission has settled three cases against web sites that violated childrenıs privacy, and ran afoul of the Childrenıs Online Privacy Protection Act. The three sites were illegally collecting personally identifying information from children. The three site operators have agreed to pay $100,000 in civil penalties for the violations and erase all personally identifying information collected since the COPPA rule was put into effect. FTC Announces Settlements with Web Sites That Collected Children's Personal Data Without Parental Permission, FTC Press Release, FTC Web Site. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/04/girlslife.htm The Value Of Privacy, Slashdot, April 19, 2001. http://slashdot.org/articles/01/04/19/216243.shtml FTC cracks down on kid's privacy offenders, ZDNet, April 19, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5081427,00.html FTC Sues to Stop Gathering of Personal Data, The Standard (Computer World), April 19, 2001. http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,23825,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Advocates Meet with Attorney General Privacy advocates met with Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday to discuss law enforcement surveillance. The chief topic of discussion was Carnivore, the police Internet surveillance tool which has been employed at least 25 times to monitor people. Attorney General Ashcroft reportedly has not taken a stand on Carnivore. Privacy advocates confront attorney general, Nandotimes (AP), April 19, 2001. http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107, 500474872-500728913-504136106-0,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Court Protects Anonymous Speech A federal court in Washington has denied the request of an Internet company to learn the names of persons who anonymously criticized it in a chat room discussion. The court held that the company had not provided sufficient evidence to overcome the postersı First Amendment rights. Court ruling big win for Net privacy, Seattle Times, April 20, 2001. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/134286864_privacy20.ht ml --------------------------------------------------------------- TILJ on E-SIGN, PGP, Opt-In, and CPRM The Internet Law Journal has published its April 2001 issue online. Topics include E-SIGN (Electronic Signatures), Pretty Good Privacy, the opt-in and opt-out debate, and content protection for removable media (CPRM). E-SIGN and State Electronic Signature Laws: What Comes Home in The Sea of Legislation?, TILJ, April 2001. http://www.tilj.com/content/ecomarticle04140101.htm Just how good is Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)?, TILJ, April 2001. http://www.tilj.com/content/ecomheadline04140101.htm Industry Wants to Opt Out of "Opt-In", TILJ, April 2001. http://www.tilj.com/content/ecomarticle04140102.htm IBM Backs Away from CPRM on Hard Drives, Focuses on Portable Media, TILJ, April 2001. http://www.tilj.com/content/ipheadline04140101.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- Law Review Article Addresses Spam Professor David Sorkin has published a law review article on spam. The article discusses the difficulty in defining spam, failed self-regulatory attempts to curb spam, and possible legal and technical solutions to address the spam problem. Technical and Legal Approaches to Unsolicited Electronic Mail, David E. Sorkin, University of San Francisco Law Review, 2001. http://www.spamlaws.com/articles/usf.html --------------------------------------------------------------- SDMI Attempts to Suppress Circumvention Paper The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) is threatening a suit against a Princeton University Professor for publishing a paper exposing weaknesses in watermark technology. Digital rights management (DRM) systems, such as SDMI and copyright protection for removable media (CPRM) often invade privacy by requiring a purchasers of electronic content to identify themselves and their rights to access the file. RIAA Attacks SDMI Challenge, Cryptome.org, April 20, 2001. http://cryptome.org/sdmi-attack.htm DMCA and SDMI, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 24, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/24.asp Record Panel Threatens Researcher With Lawsuit, New York Times, April 24, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/technology/24MUSI.html 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. 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