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Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Amazon Kindle Hacked to Allow Encrypted Mobi Books (techluver.com)

Submitted by
Tech.Luver
Tech.Luver writes: "Igor Skochinsky didn't take too long to crack Amazon Kindle's DRM. On his 'Reversing Everything' blog he details the workaround to read encrypted Mobi books on Kindle, which involves two Python scripts. In his words, "Well, I've discovered the algorithm used to generate the PID and was able to use it on Fictionwise, but there was another catch. AZW files have a flag set in the DRM info which is not present in books bought from other vendors. After fixing that, I could read the book on Kindle." ( http://techluver.com/2007/12/13/amazon-kindle-hacked-to-allow-encrypted-mobi-books/ )"
Privacy

Submission + - Western Digitial to cripple sharing media content.

Submitted by /.Rooster
/.Rooster writes: Over at the BBC they discuss plans by Western Digital to prevent the sharing of media files as stored on their network drives regardless of whether the content is original and not copy-protected or not. Is this the future of NAS in a world paranoid about DRM and piracy? How does this help the genuine content producers who want to share their work, and more specifically how does this affect my MythTV setup. I don't envisage it will go down terribly well in the open source community but then just how long will it take to cirumvent the measure and should we all just boycott WD drives from now on?
Software

Journal Journal: PDF now ISO 32000

Journal by nickull
It is official. As Jim King himself blogged today, Adobe has received word that the Ballot for approval of PDF 1.7 to become the ISO 32000 Standard (DIS) has passed by a vote of 13 yes votes and only 1 negative. The report breaks down as follows:
Security

Submission + - Privacy breach in passport applications in Canada (theglobeandmail.com)

Submitted by
Joanna Karczmarek
Joanna Karczmarek writes: "Passport applicant finds massive privacy breach while filling out their on-line form at the Government of Canada passport website. From the article: "A security flaw in Passport Canada's website has allowed easy access to the personal information — including social insurance numbers, dates of birth and driver's licence numbers — of people applying for new passports." And it did not require any know-how: "The breach was discovered last week by an Ontario man completing his own passport application. He found he could easily view the applications of others by altering one character in the Internet address displayed by his Web browser." Ooops!"
Privacy

Submission + - Canadian passport applications easily seen online (consumedconsumer.org)

Submitted by
scorilo
scorilo writes: "Other people's information can be easily accessed by creating a passport application online and then altering characters in your browser's address bar and going to that URL. The flaw was discovered by Jamie Laning, an IT worker at Algonquin Automotive, in Huntsville, Ontario. The available data includes SINs, driver's licence numbers, mailing addresses, business and phone numbers, federal ID card numbers and even a firearms licence number. Passport Canada claims the flaw has been fixed, but Globe and Mail found that this is not the case. Canada does not have legislation requiring organizations to disclose security breaches, unlike in the US, where a majority of the states have enacted such legislation."
Privacy

Submission + - Privacy Breach at Canadian Passport Office

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Globe and Mail is reporting a significant privacy breach in the Canadian online passport system. From the somewhat blurry image provided, it seems that by replacing a URL parameter other applicants personal information, including Social Insurance numbers, Drivers License numbers and addresses, could be seen. Worst of all the passport office refers to it as 'an isolated anomaly', in an otherwise 'very highly secure application' — not likely.
Education

Submission + - Alabama school to be first in US to get XO laptop (al.com)

Submitted by
CountryGeek
CountryGeek writes: "Birmingham city schools will be the first in the nation to receive laptop computers designed for children in third-world countries under an agreement completed over the weekend, Mayor Larry Langford announced Monday. Langford signed a purchase agreement for 15,000 laptops from One Laptop Per Child, a nonprofit foundation whose goal is to provide every child in the world with access to technology."
Security

Submission + - Candian Passport Website Privacy Breach (theglobeandmail.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Online passport applicants, using the Canadian passport website, can view other applicants' personal details by merely replacing a character in the URL of their own application. This level of security, from a government website entrusted with such sensitive personal identity information, is shocking — especially when you consider passports are supposed to provide a means of identification, not identity theft.
Government

Submission + - British Village Requests Removal from GPS Maps (nytimes.com) 6

Submitted by
longacre
longacre writes: "The tiny village of Barrow Gurney, England has asked GPS map publisher Tele Atlas to remove them from the company's maps. The reason: truck drivers using GPS navigation devices are being directed to drive through the town despite the roads being too narrow for sidewalks, and causing numerous accidents. At the root of the problem lies the fact that the navigation maps used by trucks are the same as those used by passenger cars, which don't contain data on road width or no truck zones. Tele Atlas says they will release truck-appropriate databases at some point, but until then they advise local governments to make use of a technology dating back to the Romans: road signs."
Media (Apple)

Submission + - Klausner sues iPhone for $360M over voicemail

Submitted by Stony Stevenson
Stony Stevenson writes: Klausner Technologies said on Monday the company had filed a $360 million suit against Apple and AT&T over voicemail patents that Klausner claims the Apple iPhone infringes. New York-based Klausner said the lawsuit also names Comcast, Cablevision Systems and eBay's Skype as infringing its patent for "visual voicemail." The plaintiff seeks an additional US$300 million from the three. The suit alleges asserts that the defendants' Internet-based voicemail products and services violate a Klausner patent. It seeks damages and future royalties estimated at $300 million, according to the press release.
Music

Submission + - Canadian Songwriters Call For Legalized P2P

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Michael Geist is reporting that the Songwriters Association of Canada is calling for the complete legalization of peer-to-peer music file sharing. The SAC proposal envisions a monthly $5 ISP charge in return for unlimited access to music online.
Microsoft

Microsoft's Treatment of Google Defectors 572

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-thats-just-not-cool dept.
Miguel de Icaza (Note, this Miguel is not the Ximian developer, just someone whose small life is fulfilled by trolling under someone else's name) writes "Here is a story revealing just how threatened Microsoft is by Google. While senior partners can expect the full chair experience, some lowly staffers who are putting in their notice are being escorted off campus immediately. Why? Because they've put in their notice to join Google. In Microsoft's eyes, Google is Enemy No. 1. Anyone leaving Redmond for the search leader is a threat. Not because they'll scurry around collecting company secrets — as if Google's interested in Microsoft's '90s-era technologies. Departing employees, however, might tell other 'Softies how much better Google is. If an employee is leaving for Amazon.com or another second-tier employer which doesn't make Microsoft so paranoid, they'll probably serve out the traditional two weeks of unproductive wrapping up. So if you're planning on leaving Microsoft for Google, pack up your belongings and say goodbye to friends ahead of time. There'll be no cake and two weeks of paid slacking for you."
Enlightenment

Submission + - Enlighenment's new roadmap (marc.info)

Submitted by mu22le
mu22le writes: Rasterman, the lead developer of the enlightenment project, speaks about the future of the one of the oldest window managers. The letter includes: embedded vs. desktop, the relationship with commercial vendors (openmoko, Everex, gOS), reorganizing the project leadership, and finally a beta release on the horizon!

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