68990
submission
fantomas writes:
US stun gun maker Taser is making a new cheaper, version available for fashion conscious members of the public. Cheaper than their current security models, this stylish 'non-lethal weapon' is being launched at an electronics fair in Las Vegas on Monday. The company has not yet revealed exactly how many volts it will deliver, but presumably it will still knock attackers flat. I guess if a bunch of 8 year old terrors now ask me for my wallet and mobile phone, I'll just have to hand them over, being bigger or having a few self defence martial art tricks really aren't going to help me any more. Any slashdotters know any ways of protecting yourself against tasers?
12391
submission
fantomas writes:
The BBC is reporting that the current EU-US talks over data collected from people flying into the USA collapsed last night. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are insisting on access to the airlines records and 34 pieces of data to be collected from each passenger. According to the undertakings on data protection provided by the US, this includes "personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, and data concerning the health or sex life of the individual". This has been gathered since 2004, but only as a temporary agreement and now renewal is due, national data protection laws in the EU doesn't allow the deal to continue. Chaos may ensue. Airlines who receive to hand over information to US authorities may be fined up to $6000 per passenger, and the passengers themselves held in immigration for hours. Good for the EU on protecting the privacy of their citizens? or are they hindering the War on Terror?
