2 of her puppies...they are so pretty and tiny !
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Social media, geolocation and privacy, oh my!
http://www.llrx.com/features/geolocation.htm
Nicole L. Black highlights how our net activities are carefully monitored and
meticulously tracked by some of the biggest players, including Google, Amazon,
Apple, Microsoft and Facebook.
Our individual online footprints, from the Web sites we visit, the items we purchase, the people with whom we communicate, to the locations where we access the Internet, are extremely valuable commodities that are increasingly sought after.
Nicole L. Black highlights how our net activities are carefully monitored and
meticulously tracked by some of the biggest players, including Google, Amazon,
Apple, Microsoft and Facebook.
Our individual online footprints, from the Web sites we visit, the items we purchase, the people with whom we communicate, to the locations where we access the Internet, are extremely valuable commodities that are increasingly sought after.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Please rob me!
by John Pyrik Mar 28, 2010 1:09 PM
When you leave the large cardboard box for your new HDTV at the curb for the garbage men, you are also letting theives know your house is worth robbing.
When you tell the world you are going somewhere using Twitter or Facebook, you are advertising your home has been left empty.
While new technology such as Google Latitude http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/latitude/intro.html makes it easier to hook up with friends, you may want to think about the potential issues that may arise in giving up your location.
Learn about "Locational Privacy" http://www.eff.org/wp/locational-privacy
When you leave the large cardboard box for your new HDTV at the curb for the garbage men, you are also letting theives know your house is worth robbing.
When you tell the world you are going somewhere using Twitter or Facebook, you are advertising your home has been left empty.
While new technology such as Google Latitude http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/latitude/intro.html makes it easier to hook up with friends, you may want to think about the potential issues that may arise in giving up your location.
Learn about "Locational Privacy" http://www.eff.org/wp/locational-privacy
Identity 'at risk' on Facebook - Apps steal data
Personal details of Facebook users could potentially be stolen, the BBC technology programme Click has found.
The popular social networking site allows users to add a variety of applications to their profile.
But a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, could potentially harvest personal data.
Facebook says users should exercise caution when adding applications. Any programs which violate their terms will be removed, the network said.
When you add an application, unless you say otherwise, it is given access to most of the information in your profile. That includes information you have on your friends even if they think they have tight security settings.
So, to become a victim, you dont' have to add the malicious app, you just have to be a friend of someone who has.
The only way to be completely protected from applications skimming information about you and your friends is to erase all the applications on your profile and opt to not use any applications in the future.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7375772.stm
The popular social networking site allows users to add a variety of applications to their profile.
But a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, could potentially harvest personal data.
Facebook says users should exercise caution when adding applications. Any programs which violate their terms will be removed, the network said.
When you add an application, unless you say otherwise, it is given access to most of the information in your profile. That includes information you have on your friends even if they think they have tight security settings.
So, to become a victim, you dont' have to add the malicious app, you just have to be a friend of someone who has.
The only way to be completely protected from applications skimming information about you and your friends is to erase all the applications on your profile and opt to not use any applications in the future.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7375772.stm
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Is your PC doing a hacker's dirty work?
The BBC has acquired control of 22,000 home computers as part of an investigation into hi-tech crime.
Check out the site for a short video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7938503.stm
Check out the site for a short video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7938503.stm
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Feds consider going undercover on social networks
March 16, 2010 11:17 AM PDT
by Declan McCullagh
The next friend request you receive might come from the FBI.
The Obama administration has considered sending federal police undercover on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
A confidential U.S. Department of Justice presentation (PDF) on social-networking sites made public Tuesday said online undercover work can help agents "communicate with suspects," "gain access to nonpublic info," and "map social relationships."
Federal police agencies organized under the Justice Department include the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The 33-page presentation noted that Twitter has a "stated policy of producing data only in response to legal process," while saying Facebook is "often cooperative with emergency requests."
By contrast, an IRS document about social-networking sites was more cautious about Internet undercover work. It says agents are allowed to conduct Internet searches for taxpayers and review information from public Web sites--but that they are not allowed to "misrepresent your identify (sic) or obtain information from a Web site using a fictitious identity to register."
That advice appears to apply to routine investigations. In some cases, as CNET reported in late 2008, Congress has authorized undercover IRS agents to run businesses for an extended sting operation, to open their own personal bank accounts with U.S. tax dollars, and so on.
For years, FBI agents have gone undercover on the Web for child porn sting operations. One technique that the bureau has used involves logging in to a discussion forum, posting hyperlinks that purport to be illegal videos of minors having sex, and then raiding the homes of anyone willing to click on them.
One possible hurdle that the lawyers at the Justice Department noted in their presentation, which was given by John Lynch and Jenny Ellickson, both attorneys in the department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, is the possibility of violating a Web site's terms of service, if an agent lies about his identity.
This is called prosecutors being too clever by half: in the Lori Drew case, the Justice Department claimed (PDF) that violating MySpace terms of service was a criminal offense.
The problem today? Many Web sites require that subscribers use their real name. Facebook's terms of service require users to agree not to "create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission." At Twitter, "impersonation is against the terms of service." Even some newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times say "using a name other than your own legal name in association with the submission of user content is prohibited."
A federal judge eventually ruled (PDF) that a strict interpretation of criminal law would be unreasonable, but it remains an unsettled legal question.
"The good example set by the IRS is in stark contrast to the U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," wrote Marcia Hofmann, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which obtained the documents through the Freedom of Information Act and released them this week. "Neither organization found any documents on social-networking sites in response to EFF's request, suggesting they do not have any written policies or restrictions upon the use of these Web sites."
Update 4:45 p.m. PDT: Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for Facebook, sent me this statement: "Facebook regularly works with law enforcement agencies when they are investigating criminal activity. We have developed materials to help officials understand Facebook and the proper ways to request information from Facebook to aid investigations. We scrutinize every single law enforcement request; require a detailed description of why the request is being made; and if it is deemed appropriate, share only the minimum amount of information. We strive to respect the balance between law enforcement's need for information and the privacy rights of our users, and as a responsible company we adhere to the letter of the law." It doesn't quite answer what I asked, which was: "How many law enforcement requests do you folks receive a year, and for what types of stored data do you require a search warrant? Also, under what circumstances do you disclose user data without a valid subpoena or search warrant?"
by Declan McCullagh
The next friend request you receive might come from the FBI.
The Obama administration has considered sending federal police undercover on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
A confidential U.S. Department of Justice presentation (PDF) on social-networking sites made public Tuesday said online undercover work can help agents "communicate with suspects," "gain access to nonpublic info," and "map social relationships."
Federal police agencies organized under the Justice Department include the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The 33-page presentation noted that Twitter has a "stated policy of producing data only in response to legal process," while saying Facebook is "often cooperative with emergency requests."
By contrast, an IRS document about social-networking sites was more cautious about Internet undercover work. It says agents are allowed to conduct Internet searches for taxpayers and review information from public Web sites--but that they are not allowed to "misrepresent your identify (sic) or obtain information from a Web site using a fictitious identity to register."
That advice appears to apply to routine investigations. In some cases, as CNET reported in late 2008, Congress has authorized undercover IRS agents to run businesses for an extended sting operation, to open their own personal bank accounts with U.S. tax dollars, and so on.
For years, FBI agents have gone undercover on the Web for child porn sting operations. One technique that the bureau has used involves logging in to a discussion forum, posting hyperlinks that purport to be illegal videos of minors having sex, and then raiding the homes of anyone willing to click on them.
One possible hurdle that the lawyers at the Justice Department noted in their presentation, which was given by John Lynch and Jenny Ellickson, both attorneys in the department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, is the possibility of violating a Web site's terms of service, if an agent lies about his identity.
This is called prosecutors being too clever by half: in the Lori Drew case, the Justice Department claimed (PDF) that violating MySpace terms of service was a criminal offense.
The problem today? Many Web sites require that subscribers use their real name. Facebook's terms of service require users to agree not to "create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission." At Twitter, "impersonation is against the terms of service." Even some newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times say "using a name other than your own legal name in association with the submission of user content is prohibited."
A federal judge eventually ruled (PDF) that a strict interpretation of criminal law would be unreasonable, but it remains an unsettled legal question.
"The good example set by the IRS is in stark contrast to the U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," wrote Marcia Hofmann, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which obtained the documents through the Freedom of Information Act and released them this week. "Neither organization found any documents on social-networking sites in response to EFF's request, suggesting they do not have any written policies or restrictions upon the use of these Web sites."
Update 4:45 p.m. PDT: Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for Facebook, sent me this statement: "Facebook regularly works with law enforcement agencies when they are investigating criminal activity. We have developed materials to help officials understand Facebook and the proper ways to request information from Facebook to aid investigations. We scrutinize every single law enforcement request; require a detailed description of why the request is being made; and if it is deemed appropriate, share only the minimum amount of information. We strive to respect the balance between law enforcement's need for information and the privacy rights of our users, and as a responsible company we adhere to the letter of the law." It doesn't quite answer what I asked, which was: "How many law enforcement requests do you folks receive a year, and for what types of stored data do you require a search warrant? Also, under what circumstances do you disclose user data without a valid subpoena or search warrant?"
Monday, March 15, 2010
From my Instructor - John Pyrik
"Investigators not only collect information, they analyze it. This may seem like a trite observation, but we sometimes forget about this aspect of our jobs because analysis becomes such an automatic part of the work that we do it unconsciously.
Leaving aside (for the time being) the type of analysis done by investigators when they try to fill in the missing pieces of a puzzle, lets focus on analysis as it relates to assessing the reliability of information.
In other words, how do we determine truth from fiction?
This is a daily issue for any investigator dealing with complainants, suspects, and informants. Over time, an experienced investigator develops a heavy-duty "BS detector". Mine, for example, was first developed in the murky world of intelligence and further refined by years dealing with smooth-talking con artists in the securities industry.
The problem most investigators have though is that their "BS detectors" work best when they are interviewing someone, not necessarily when they are reading something. In short, it is usually easier for an experienced investigator to tell someone is lying in person than in print."
For me, I learned the "BS detectors" from my follow classmates in BCIT over the years. =D
Leaving aside (for the time being) the type of analysis done by investigators when they try to fill in the missing pieces of a puzzle, lets focus on analysis as it relates to assessing the reliability of information.
In other words, how do we determine truth from fiction?
This is a daily issue for any investigator dealing with complainants, suspects, and informants. Over time, an experienced investigator develops a heavy-duty "BS detector". Mine, for example, was first developed in the murky world of intelligence and further refined by years dealing with smooth-talking con artists in the securities industry.
The problem most investigators have though is that their "BS detectors" work best when they are interviewing someone, not necessarily when they are reading something. In short, it is usually easier for an experienced investigator to tell someone is lying in person than in print."
For me, I learned the "BS detectors" from my follow classmates in BCIT over the years. =D
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Quote of the day from CM
"Life is a game, play it....Life is too precious, do not destroy it." - Mother Teresa
Quote of the day from CM
"Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn." - C.S. Lewis
Friday, March 12, 2010
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