Monthly Archives: April 2013

Privacy protections booted from CISPA cybersecurity bill in closed-door hearing

"A controversial data-sharing bill won the approval of a key congressional committee today without privacy amendments, raising concerns that the National Security Agency and other spy agencies will gain broad access to Americans' personal information. The House Intelligence committee, by a vote of 18 to 2, adopted the so-called CISPA bill after an unusual session closed to the public where panel members debated and voted on the proposed law in secret. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said afterward she was disappointed her colleagues did not limit the NSA and other intelligence agencies from collecting sensitive data on Americans." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivacy protections booted from CISPA cybersecurity bill in closed-door hearing

Botnet fraud wreaking havoc on advertisers: report

"Security researchers have discovered a botnet they have dubbed 'Chameleon' which they calculate is costing display advertisers around $6m (£3.9m) per month by falsely viewing billions of pages and adverts on about 200 sites owned by a small group of publishers. The discovery points to widespread fraud in which adverts are clicked among networks of sites to generate money for sites and ad networks – though it is still unclear whether it is one or more publishers, or one or more ad networks which supply ads to the sites, which are to blame for the fraud. The botnet consists of at least 120,000 subverted Windows machines, 95% of them located inside the US." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBotnet fraud wreaking havoc on advertisers: report

Report: Apple hack compromised ‘hundreds’ of other companies

"A hack on Apple computers has infected systems at hundreds of the company’s clients in the largest cyber attack the company has ever faced, a person briefed on the investigation told Reuters. The hack used the same exploit in Oracle’s Java software that Facebook warned of, saying several employee computers were compromised by 'sophisticated' hackers using custom tools but that no user information was exposed. The company did not comment on how many of its clients saw systems affected, but a source told Reuters the number is in the 'hundreds,' and includes defense contractors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: Apple hack compromised ‘hundreds’ of other companies

First-ever cyberattack on US election points to broad vulnerabilities

"The fake requests for ballots targeted the Aug. 14 statewide primary and included requests for Democratic ballots in one congressional district and Republican ballots in two state House districts, according to a recent Miami Herald report. The fake requests were done so clumsily that they were red-flagged and did not foul up the election. In any case, they would not have been enough to change the outcome. But now confirmed as the first cyberattack aimed at election fraud, the incident is further evidence that the vote-counting process is vulnerable, particularly as elections become more reliant on the Internet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFirst-ever cyberattack on US election points to broad vulnerabilities

Nevada bill would legalize gambling on federal elections

"If one Nevada lawmaker has his way, visitors to Sin City will soon be able to bet on the next presidential election. Las Vegas Democrat Tick Segerblom on Monday introduced a bill in the Nevada state Senate that would legalizing betting on federal elections. SB 418 would revise the state’s definition of sports betting 'to include wagers with respect to the outcome of a federal election.' 'We’re in a competitive environment,' Segerblom explained to KVVU. 'We’re basically competing against the world, and I think we need to start looking beyond what we’ve done.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNevada bill would legalize gambling on federal elections

Florida bill designed to fight gambling scandal could cost state thousands of jobs

"The measure, House Bill 155, was passed by the state Senate on April 4 by a 36-4 vote, following a three-year investigation into racketeering, money laundering and other charges. The scandal led to the resignation of Lieutenant Gov. Jennifer Carroll on March 12. The new law effectively curtails the state’s so-called 'Internet cafes' — businesses that featured online games recreating slot machines. It also forbids arcades from letting customers use cash or debit or credit cards from operating their games and from handing out gift cards as prizes. Patrons must now use change to play, and winnings are capped at 75 cents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida bill designed to fight gambling scandal could cost state thousands of jobs

Trouble on U.S. farms as growers seek workers and crops rot

"Here’s a mess with no easy fix: American crops going unpicked — it’s backbreaking work Americans won’t touch — and poor migrants in need of work shying from it for fear of being abused. Creating a program for temporary farm workers from Mexico and other countries to work the land, sow seeds or reap harvests is one of the touchiest aspects of the immigration reform that Congress is working on. Some 61 percent of growers in California report shortages of laborers, especially in labor intensive crops like grapes and vegetables, said Rayne Pegg of the California Farm Bureau Federation. So some crops are left to rot." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrouble on U.S. farms as growers seek workers and crops rot

Extra! Extra! New daily papers arrive as Myanmar lifts press monopoly

"Privately owned daily newspapers hit Myanmar’s streets for the first time in decades on Monday under new freedoms that represent a revolution for a media shackled under military rule. Four Burmese-language titles — The Voice, The Golden Fresh Land, The Union and The Standard Time — made the transition from weekly as new rules came into effect that swept away state media’s long monopoly on daily printing. The country’s military rulers seized control of private daily papers in 1964, according to veteran journalist Thiha Saw of Open News weekly." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExtra! Extra! New daily papers arrive as Myanmar lifts press monopoly

Amazon asks for laxer online shopping rules in India

"US online retail giant Amazon said Tuesday it had asked New Delhi to consider relaxing a law that stops its Indian subsidiary from selling directly to customers. The topic was raised when Paul Misener, Amazon’s global vice president, met Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma in New Delhi. Last year the Indian government eased legislation to allow foreign retailers such as US supermarket giant Wal-Mart to set up shop in India and sell directly to Indian consumers but online retailers were left out." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmazon asks for laxer online shopping rules in India

The Luddites Among Us

"Luddite reasoning rests on this assumption: individuals who act in their own self-interest to buy lower-cost goods are acting against the interests of the nation. This was the argument of the mercantilists in the late 17th century. It was this argument that Adam Smith criticized in The Wealth of Nations. This is the essence of all systems of government interference into the economy. It says that politicians know better what is good for the nation than individuals do. It says that customers, who act individually to pursue their own ends as inexpensively as they can, are totally misguided. As individuals, they are making decisions that undermine their own wealth." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Luddites Among Us