[SecurityRatty] tag: court

Supremes Mull Whether Bad Databases Make for Illegal Searches

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:26:00 +0000

If a false entry in a database leads to an unconstitutional police search that reveals illegal drugs, does the government get to hold it against you? That's the question the Supreme Court will tackle on Tuesday.

Identity theft victim wins right to sue county clerk over posting of personal data

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

An appeals court in Ohio ruled that a woman whose identity was stolen can sue a county official over the posting on a government Web site of a speeding-ticket image containing her personal data.

Microsoft and the Washington Attorney General Against Scareware Pushers

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:46:47 +0000

Washington state’s top law enforcement official has filed suit against a man accused of bombarding end users with misleading messages designed to trick them into buying software to fix PC problems that don’t exist. The complaint, filed in Washington state court by Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office, names James Reed McCreary IV of The Woodlands, Texas, [...]

Washington state pursues 'scareware' distributors

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The Washington state attorney general's office has sued a Texas man for sending "scareware" and is asking the court to require him to stop his activities and pay restitution to people who fell for his alleged scam.

Online Privacy Education is working, But.

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:10:10 +0000

If you want to be safe people, then educate yourselves in how to do it!
Dont trust that all is warm and fuzzy out there in the ones and zeros place.

clipped from www.webpronews.com

Americans Anxious Over Online Privacy

The majority (61%) believe what they do online is private and not shared without their permission. Just over half (57%) falsely believe that companies are required to identify themselves and indicate why they are collecting data.

Just under half (48%) incorrectly believe their consent is required for companies to use personal information they collect from online activities and 43 percent wrongly believe a court order is needed to monitor activities online.

People are aware that information about their surfing habits is being collected online, but many do not know what companies do with their information.

Huh? Elected officials held accountable?

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:03:46 +0000

I woke up in another universe this morning. Here in this universe, elected officials are held accountable for their mistakes that harm you.
I suspect though that collecting on the courts award will be another nightmare altogether.

clipped from news.cincinnati.com

Elected officials can be sued in ID theft, court rules

Elected officials can be sued if they place your private information online and someone uses it to steal your identity, an Ohio appeals court ruled Friday in overturning a lower court ruling.

Second hacker in TJX case pleads guilty

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

One of the major players in the massive hacking incidents at TJX Companies Inc., BJ Wholesale Clubs Inc. and other retailers Monday pleaded guilty to identity theft and other felony charges in federal court in Boston.

Second hacker in TJX case pleads guilty

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

One of the major players in the massive hacking incidents at TJX Companies Inc., BJ Wholesale Clubs Inc. and other retailers pleaded guilty to identity theft and other felony fraud charges in federal court in Boston.

DOJ's e-mail privacy stance might hamper prosecution in Palin case, EFF claims

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice's continuing opposition to a 2003 court ruling on e-mail privacy raises questions about how it might prosecute the hacker who accessed Sarah Palin's e-mail account, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Wee-Fi: CSIRO Wins Patent Appeal; Zune-Fi in SF; Kodak ESP 9

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:53:19 +0000

Australian tech office wins appeal: Buffalo sinks further into the hole as it loses its appeal against a judgement over its use of what the Australian CSIRO technical agency asserts is its patented technology used in all 802.11 implementations. The case, in the patent-holder-friendly US Eastern District Court of Texas--a venue that may be dethroned as a forum coveniens for patentholders' suits in new legislation--prevents Buffalo from importing or selling gear in the US with Wi-Fi technology embedded. In Japan, the patent office threw out CSIRO's patent. While Cisco paid CSIRO as the result of an acquisition of an Australian company a few years ago, most US-based technology giants are involved in resisting the patent's continued validation and enforcement. I've read the patent and some of the suits, and as a non-patent expert, it's clear CSIRO original invention didn't cover what's at stake. However, CSIRO was allowed in a subsequent filing to extend its patent to cover already-in-use technology in a way that seems odd to me, but happens in patents all the time. Many millions of dollars and many more years may be expended before a resolution happens. CSIRO apparently isn't asking for insane fees, although anything paid to them would be passed along to consumers. If companies settled, this might result in an increase of 1 to 5 percent on retail prices. It may ultimately effect WiMax, too, though no suits in that area have been filed.

Finding Zune-Fi: Ina Fried of News.com wanders the polite streets of San Francisco in search of Zune connections over Wi-Fi. She finds a few, and has a good experience. One cafe owner sees the ease with which she can stream music and calls it cool. She can't connect at the long-running Google-sponsored free Wi-Fi at Union Square, however, which means the Wi-Fi likely has an accept button that must be pressed. Surely Microsoft could insert a little technology that would allow a browser-free acceptance of terms? Probably involves Yet Another Protocol: the Wi-Fi Terms Browser-Free Presentation Protocol (WTBFPP).

Kodak adds interesting Wi-Fi enabled all-in-one: The new Kodak ESP 9 is a multi-function printer (fax, scan, print, copy) that connects to a network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The $300 device spits out 30 pages per minutes in color, 32 ppm in black only. Kodak claims that the model line to which the ESP belongs uses ink in a vastly more efficient manner than the "average of comparable consumer inkjet printers."