Secrity - Slashdot User

Submission + - AT&T's U-Verse Not So Popular In Lakewood, Ohi (lakewoodobserver.com)

Submitted by

dlayphoto

on Saturday December 15, 2007 @11:05PM

dlayphoto writes: "After being approved by Lakewood's City Hall, AT&T quickly went to work building their U-Verse network, code named Project Lightspeed. What AT&T didn't say, though, was that they would be installing over 50 of them throughout the city, which is noted for being the most densely-populated city between New York and Chicago.

After AT&T recently received a statewide approval to provide video service to the entire state, this can only get worse.

Several members of the Lakewood Observer Observation Deck have been following installations of the VRAD boxes and their hideousness, complete with photos."

Submission + - RIAA protests Oregon AG discovery request (blogspot.com) 2

Submitted by

NewYorkCountryLawyer

on Thursday December 13, 2007 @05:29PM

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The RIAA is apparently having an allergic reaction to the request by the State Attorney General of Oregon for information about the RIAA's investigative tactics, in Arista v. Does 1-17, the Portland, Oregon, case targeting students at the University of Oregon. See The Oregonian, December 1, 2007 ("UO suspects music industry of spying") and p2pnet, November 29, 2007 ("RIAA may be spying on students: Oregon AG"). Not only are the record companies opposing the request (pdf), they're asking the Judge not to even read it. (pdf)"

Submission + - Big Content & DRM: Why Internet TV Won't Sucee (digg.com)

Submitted by

Paul Ellis

on Thursday December 13, 2007 @02:14PM

Paul Ellis writes: "Internet Video & TV's problem isn't really technical, it's the content producers. When it's easier to consume stolen content than to pay for it (DRM), content producers will end up owning 100% of nothing, instead of 10% of something. I'm a paying customer just wanting to enjoy entertainment I paid for and arbitrary technical requirements are stopping me!"

Submission + - Representative Presses Google on Data Mining (wsj.com)

Submitted by

eldavojohn

on Thursday December 13, 2007 @11:11AM

eldavojohn writes: "Asking for 'virtually every aspect' about how Google and DoubleClick do business, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R., Texas) sent a letter to Google on Wednesday on privacy concerns demanding a response no later than December 18th. Mr. Barton claims that he had reached an agreement for his staff to visit the Mountainview based company and decide what length of time would be appropriate for holding data. But in the letter he stated "Since then, all efforts to reach a mutually agreeable time have been rebuffed, and it begins to seem that no date for a visit is sufficiently convenient to Google. Your warm initial invitation followed by Google's chilly response to a proposed visit by Committee counsels is disconcerting." Is Google morally correct to give the government the cold shoulder? Is the government overstepping its bounds in demanding this be decided and published? Will we have to sign a contractual agreement the next time we use a search engine? I guess we'll find out 'round December 18th."

Submission + - Governor orders return of Nativity scenes to parks

Submitted by on Wednesday December 12, 2007 @05:06PM

An anonymous reader writes: In apparent disregard for the separation of church and state, Ohio's governor, Ted Strickland has ordered that nativity scenes removed from two state parks be put back up.

Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey says the governor decided last week that the Nativity scenes should be restored to the state parks because they're appropriate and traditional.

Submission + - Nokia claims Ogg format is "proprietary" 2

Submitted by a nona maus on Sunday December 09, 2007 @01:57PM

a nona maus writes: Several months ago the WHATWG workgroup of the W3C decided to include Ogg/Theora+Vorbis as the recommended baseline video codec standard for HTML5, against Apple's aggressive protest. Now, Nokia seems to be seeking a reversal of that decision: they have released a position paper calling Ogg "proprietary" and citing the importance of DRM support. Nokia has historically responded to questions about Ogg on their internet tablets with strange and inconsistent answers, along with hand waving about their legal department. This latest step is enough to really make you wonder what they are really up to.

Submission + - Western Digital Controlling Your Media (informationweek.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 08, 2007 @08:13PM

An anonymous reader writes: Western Digital is hitting new ground with some web file sharing software built into their latest NAS devices, but side with Hollywood and do not allow potentially copyright infringing file formats to be shared over the internet. Anyone see a backlash on the way?

Submission + - Beacon's reach extends to non-Facebook users (computerworld.com.au)

Submitted by StonyandCher on Monday December 03, 2007 @07:38PM

StonyandCher writes: f you think that just because you have never signed up for Facebook you're immune to the tracking and collecting of user activities outside of this popular social networking site, think again. Facebook's controversial Beacon ad system tracks activities from all users in its third-party partner sites, including from people who have never signed up with Facebook or who have deactivated their accounts, CA has found.

Submission + - Montclair State Uni. in NJ Mandates GPS CellPhones (techluver.com)

Submitted by

Tech.Luver

on Monday December 03, 2007 @04:44PM

Tech.Luver writes: "College students at Montclair State University are all talking about a new requirement that will require students to have a cell phone. Montclair is one of the first schools in the U.S. to use GPS tracking devices, which along with other security technology are increasingly being adopted on campuses in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre last spring. Students can use the timer, or, in an emergency, activate the GPS technology to instantly alert police. The cost: $420 a year for a base plan which is bundled into the tuition bill. It includes just 50 peak voice minutes a month, but unlimited text messaging to any carrier, unlimited campus-based data usage, and student activated emergency GPS tracking. "What it does is allow students to have an extra pair or group of people watching over them when they're going from one location to another," Montclair Police Department Chief Paul Cell said. The positive impact is already being felt across campus. ( http://techluver.com/2007/12/03/montclair-state-university-in-nj-mandates-gps-cell-phones/ )"

Submission + - FCC vs Cable Round2,FCC Plan to Cap Cable Co. Size (techluver.com)

Submitted by

Tech.Luver

on Sunday December 02, 2007 @05:55PM

Tech.Luver writes: "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving toward resurrecting a proposal that would limit the size cable operators could reach on a nationwide basis, agency officials said Thursday. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is circulating the proposal among his fellow commissioners for a possible vote at the agency's next meeting, scheduled for Dec 18 and has enough support on the five-member commission to pass a measure that would bar cable companies from owning systems that have more than a 30-percent share of U.S. multichannel video subscribers. Fearing the potential monopoly power of cable television companies, Congress in 1992 directed the FCC to establish limits on how many customers cable television companies could reach nationwide. ( http://techluver.com/2007/12/02/round-2-set-in-fcc-vs-cable-fight-as-fcc-plan-to-limit-cable-companies-size/ )"

Submission + - Microsoft says firefox is spyware (maneelgrover.com) 1

Submitted by MozeeToby on Sunday December 02, 2007 @03:10AM

MozeeToby writes: Microsofts new Anti-Spyware tool (currently in beta) identifies Firefox as spy ware with a high security risk. To quote the author, "I strongly believe Mozilla Foundation should sue Microsoft for defamation."

Submission + - Bush Co. Ordered to Quit Dragging Feet

Submitted by phresno on Wednesday November 28, 2007 @10:16PM

phresno writes: C|Net News is reporting that "U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco gave the Office of the Director of National Intelligence until November 30 (Friday) to turn over documents relating to conversations it had with Congress and telecommunications carriers about how to rewrite wiretapping laws." While this does not directly have any bearing on the NSA warrant-less wiretapping lawsuits themselves it certainly raises questions about the responsibility of the telecommunications companies involved in the NSA wiretapping. The release of the documents, requested by the EFF through the Freedom of Information Act, could also influence the FISA amendments debate as noted in the article.

Submission + - NASA to scientists: Reveal sex history or lose job 1

Submitted by

Markmarkmark

on Wednesday November 28, 2007 @04:57PM

Markmarkmark writes: "Wired is reporting that all NASA JPL scientists must 'voluntarily' (or be fired) sign a document giving the government the right to investigate their personal lives and history 'without limit'. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists this includes snooping into sexual orientation, mental & physical health as well as credit history and 'personality conflict'. 28 senior NASA scientists and engineers, including Mars Rover team members, refused to sign by the deadline and are now subject to being fired despite a decade or more of exemplary service. None of them even work on anything classified or defense related. They are suing the government and documenting their fight for their jobs and right to personal privacy."

Submission + - EFF fires an upper-cut at Internet traffic futzers (networkworld.com) 1

Submitted by

coondoggie

on Wednesday November 28, 2007 @04:36PM

coondoggie writes: "Looking to keep the pressure on Comcast and any other ISPs who might be messing with Internet traffic, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today has released software and documentation instructing 'Net users on how to test for packet forgery or other forms of interference by their own service providers.The EFF also published what it calls a comprehensive account of Comcast's packet-forging activities. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22375"

Submission + - Microsoft kills off HP legacy drivers 1

Submitted by couchslug on Tuesday November 27, 2007 @08:51PM

couchslug writes: I went looking for drivers for a friend and found this proof that Microsoft can make use of older Windows versions more difficult." http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01080344&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=59270&lang=en "As of July 2007, HP will no longer be able to offer driver downloads or replacement driver CD ordering for Windows 98, 98 Second Edition (SE), or Windows Millennium (Me) for your HP printer, all-in-one, camera, or scanner. Microsoft has stopped providing and supporting certain files related specifically to Windows 98 SE, and this change affects all technology companies. HP, along with other technology companies, is no longer able to use selected components in support of Windows 98SE, which has an impact on our software strategy for Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Me. HP will continue to provide other selected HP software and applications that do not depend on Windows 98 SE components for the foreseeable future."

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