How does the data get stolen from my computer?

~~ TWO Nice articles over at CNET today.
One for those of you
who want to understand how online rip-offs happen.
( Beside the crazy over-charges from our ISPs
for hi-speed bandwidth we never really get.)

And another for those of you who still use P2P file share programs.
Which I really do not any more. Simply too many virus bugs in cyberspace, and too much data on my computer that I value.

http://m.news.com/2166-12_3-10233216-83.html

FAQ: Demystifying ID fraud

http://m.news.com/2166-12_3-10233216-83.html
How does the data get stolen from my computer?
There are many ways sensitive data can be pried out of computer users. In a typical social-engineering phishing attack, a consumer opens an e-mail that looks like it was sent by the consumer's bank, Amazon, PayPal, or some other trusted source. With a bogus excuse, such as suggesting there was a security incident and the user needs to verify his or her account details, the e-mail will prompt the recipient to provide username and password via a link to a Web site that looks legitimate but isn't. The consumer enters the information and continues on, not knowing that the data is now being sent to criminals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

http://m.news.com/2166-12_3-10233419-38.html

P2P bill could regulate Web browsers, FTP clients

http://m.news.com/2166-12_3-10233419-38.html

May 5, 2009 4:30 AM PDT

Posted by Declan McCullagh

news analysis The U.S. House of Representatives has scheduled a hearing Tuesday to examine a bill that would force peer-to-peer applications to provide specific notice to consumers that their files might be shared.

Congress Considers Limits on Deep-Packet Inspections

~` Now I am for the most a personal civil libertarian. 

But i am not a fanatic, and I accept that in public , using public resources, I have to follow rules. 

Speed Limits and seat belts on the roads. 

 No Smoking in the bar.

The Internet is a public space. I choose to go there.  On the Internet , there is crime , fraud,  and predators (both financial and personal.)

There has to be security.  A Cyber Police.  

So while I am not fond of my ISP or my Gov't being able to track my every move online, I accept it. 

 However I live in a free democracy and i can post anything I want here and write freely against any Gov't or

 Biz  when  I feel so motivated to do so.

 

If  I lived in Tibet I might feel different here.

===========================

Congress Considers Limits on Deep-Packet Inspections
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=66185&full_skip=1
By Frederick Lane
April 24, 2009 2:19PM
The House Energy and Commerce Internet subcommittee is looking into Internet privacy issues and deep packet inspection by Internet service providers. Chairman Rick Boucher called for greater privacy protection. An industry advocate actually called inspections pro-consumer. Boucher called the potential of ISP snooping "frightening."

At a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Internet subcommittee Thursday, Congress began the tricky business of trying to understand Internet privacy issues and launched another round of debates about legislation regulating the collection and handling of personal data online.

The specific focus of the subcommittee's hearing was the practice of deep packet inspection (DPI), a data-handling technique that allows Internet service providers and communication companies to look at the content of all traffic flowing through their servers.

ISPs argue that DPI is a valuable tool because it enables them to block illegal content flowing across the Internet, including copyrighted materials and contraband such as child pornography. One industry advocate -- National Cable & Telecommunications Association President Kyle McSlarrow -- went so far as to argue that DPI is actually a pro-consumer technology, enabling ISPs to better filter viruses and other threatening content.

DPI gained notoriety last year when it was revealed that Comcast used the technique to throttle the flow of BitTorrent data across its networks. Other ISPs have suggested using DPI as a tool to prioritize traffic (perhaps based on a sliding fee scale), a technique that engineers argue is simply good network management.

Strong Privacy Concerns

But many worry that DPI can have profound privacy implications, since it enables ISPs to examine the content of all traffic, not merely that which is illegal or potentially damaging.

"DPI poses unique risks to individual privacy," said Leslie Harris, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "Moreover, once the technology is acquired for a legitimate purpose such as responding to network threats, it will be hard to draw the line at ever more intrusive uses as third parties approach the network operators with proposals to monetize Internet traffic and the government makes greater demands."

Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cybersecurity

~~ This Issue really does not get
the attention it deserves ---YET !! ~
~
~

Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cybersecurity

http://twp.com/news.jsp?key=369351&rc=tech

By Joby Warrick and Walter Pincus Updated: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 Page 1 of 2 Read Full Article Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time. The proposals, in Senate legislation that could be introduced as early as today, would broaden the focus of the government's cybersecurity efforts to include not only military networks but also private systems that control essentials such as electricity and water distribution. At the same time, the bill would add regulatory teeth to ensure industry compliance with the rules, congressional officials familiar with the plan said yesterday. Addressing what intelligence officials describe as a gaping vulnerability, the legislation also calls for the appointment of a White House cybersecurity "czar" with unprecedented authority to shut down computer networks, including private ones, if a cyberattack is underway, the officials said. How industry groups will respond is unclear. Jim Dempsey, vice president for public policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, which represents private companies and civil liberties advocates, said that mandatory standards have long been the "third rail of cybersecurity policy." Dempsey said regulation could also stifle creativity by forcing companies to adopt a uniform approach. The legislation, co-sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), was drafted with White House input. Although the White House indicated it supported some key concepts of the bill, there has been no official endorsement.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee: Legislation aimed at preventing high-speed Internet network providers from discriminating.........

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com

"WASHINGTON, May 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation aimed at preventing high-speed Internet network providers from discriminating against unaffiliated services, content and applications."

---------------------------

~~~~ CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER POST ON THIS IMPORTANT MATTER ~~' T P

===============

Republicans defeat Net neutrality proposal | CNET News.com

~~` I posted alot earlier about the big
Telcoms who are pushing to destroy Internet Network neutrality .
The battle is growing hottter. Much hotter
Net neutrality is at the core of what the internet is.
Freedom to visit any website , anywhere.
{ Unless you live in China. }
The greedy TelComs must be stopped.
~~~ TP
-------------------------------------------

Republicans defeat Net neutrality proposal | CNET News.com: "A partisan divide pitting Republicans against Democrats on the question of Internet regulation appears to be deepening.

A Republican-controlled House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday defeated a proposal that would have levied extensive regulations on broadband providers and forcibly prevented them from offering higher-speed video services to partners or affiliates.

By an 8-to-23 margin, the committee members rejected a Democratic-backed 'Net neutrality' amendment to a current piece of telecommunications legislation. The amendment had attracted support from companies including Amazon.com, eBay, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and their chief executives wrote a last-minute letter to the committee on Wednesday saying such a change to the legislation was 'critical.'"

New broadband bill draws fire

~~` I posted alot earlier about the big
Telcoms who are pushing to destroy Internet Network neutrality .
The battle is growing hottter.
This evil must be stopped. ~~~ TP
--------------------------------

MSN Tech & Gadgets:
"New broadband bill draws fire"
By Declan McCullagh,
CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News:
March 28, 2006, 3:32 PM PT

"Internet companies including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are protesting new federal legislation that would not strictly regulate how broadband operators can organize their network.

In a letter to Congress on Tuesday, the companies told Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, that his bill to revamp telecommunications laws 'would fail to protect the Internet.' Barton is the chairman of the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee."

Network neutrality is the idea that the companies that own the broadband pipes may not be able to configure their networks in a way that plays favorites--allowing them, for example, to transmit their own services at faster speeds, or to charge Net content and application companies a fee for similar fast delivery."

Battle Lines Drawn in Net Neutrality Debate - Internet Life - NewsFactor Network

Battle Lines Drawn in Net Neutrality Debate - Internet Life - NewsFactor Network: "By Jay Wrolstad
February 8, 2006 2:00PM

Opinion is divided on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers supporting a return on infrastructure investments and reluctant to pass legislation inhibiting the carriers' business, while others favor a law that would prohibit what they see as discriminatory practices by network operators. "

"Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest:" : washingtonpost.com

~ This Spy-gate thing is going to be serious news for a while. When both Democrats & Republican Senate leaders are expressing civil liberties concerns, all citizens should be concerned. Nixon -- and those Presidents before him -- walked over civil liberties regularly. No one wants to go back to those times , with Presidential Enemy lists , covert wire taps, & etc. The Bush Team must feel the Power of Checks and Balances here.
Hopefully Congress is up to the job ~~ TP
-----------------------------

"Jurist Concerned Bush Order Tainted Work of Secret Panel"

By Carol D. Leonnig and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 21, 2005; Page A01

"A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources. U.S. District Judge James Robertson, one of 11 members of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court,, sent a letter to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. late Monday notifying him of his resignation without providing an explanation".

"Word of Robertson's resignation came as two Senate Republicans joined the call for congressional investigations into the National Security Agency's warrantless interception of telephone calls and e-mails to overseas locations by U.S. citizens suspected of links to terrorist groups. They questioned the legality of the operation and the extent to which the White House kept Congress informed."

"Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) echoed concerns raised by Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has promised hearings in the new year."

"Hagel and Snowe joined Democrats Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Carl M. Levin (Mich.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) in calling for a joint investigation by the Senate judiciary and intelligence panels into the classified program."

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - New York Times

~~~ Not that this is really surprising. When i worked for GreenPeace in during the Reagan years, we knew that we were being monitiored. Strange thing is we had nothing to hide,, I mean we were publicity-hound-political-activists, who telegraphed to the media most everything we did or said. Why non-violent groups need to be "monitiored" is still really beyond me.

Either way the Bush Team is in trouble. If these domestic spying games the Administration is playing are found to be more than just unethical, but also to be illegal, some heads are going to have to roll. Being Scooter Libby already got indicted, maybe Dick Cheney is next, as he is the main powerplayer. { Don't tell me you really think Bush is in charge of this complicated stuff ! } ~~ ` TP
----------------------------

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - New York Times: "the documents, coming after the Bush administration's confirmation that President Bush had authorized some spying without warrants in fighting terrorism, prompted charges from civil rights advocates that the government had improperly blurred the line between terrorism and acts of civil disobedience and lawful protest.

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a 'Vegan Community Project.' Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's 'semi-communistic ideology.' A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The documents, provided to The New York Times over the past week, came as part of a series of Freedom of Information Act lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. For more than a year, the A.C.L.U. has been seeking access to information in F.B.I. files on about 150 protest and social groups that it says may have been improperly monitored."

"Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?":The Christian Science Monitor

~~ IF you want your email to stay private after you pass on , it seems the onus is on you to state so in your will. Otherwise as this case below ,, the courts can release the the email to your next of kin ~~ TP
----------------------------------------------

Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?

By Susan Llewelyn Leach |
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
"
....from a legal point of view, e-mail's status is not clear cut. Even the experts can't agree. One law professor describes it as "a property interest," but not intellectual property. Another lecturer on law says absolutely it is intellectual property and is covered by copyright laws.

What makes these legal distinctions more critical is the growing volume of e-mail - and with it rising privacy issues. Free e-mail accounts - some with storage capacities up to 250 MB - allow people to pile up digital photos, documents, and volumes of correspondence without a second's thought. Few people are thinking through the ramifications, says Alan Chappell, a privacy and data-collection consultant."

Next-Gen "Analog Hole" Legislation Proposed

~~ Mixed fellings here.
I believe copyrights should be honored. People do not honor them.
If everyone on the internet acted nice & honest this law would not be needed.

But then there is the Libertarian in me sayin' ,,
"Whaooh,, here !! Hold on a sec...." ~`
~~ tp
----------------------------------

Next-Gen "Analog Hole" Legislation Proposed: "The bill would essentially require all analog devices, such as televisions, to either re-encode a signal into a digital form, complete with rights restrictions, or to encode the rights restrictions into the analog stream itself.

Manufacturers would also be forbidden to develop a product that would remove those restrictions. Exectives at Veil Interactive, the developer of the VRAM technology at the heart of the legislation, described the technology as one that would not be noticeable by consumers."
=====================================================

6abc.com: Wrangling Over Denver Pot Vote

6abc.com: Wrangling Over Denver Pot Vote: "DENVER-November 3, 2005 - Denver officials say they'll sidestep a voter-approved city law that decriminalizes adult possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by prosecuting under state law."

Boo - hiss the City of Denver --TP

Techdirt:Should Banks Be Liable For Online Banking Losses?

Techdirt:Should Banks Be Liable For Online Banking Losses?:

"The real issue is that, if banks knew they would be liable for such losses, then you can bet they'd make their systems a lot more secure" ~` EXACTLY

Salon.com News | Why racial profiling doesn't work - NP

Salon.com News | Why racial profiling doesn't work - NP

National Government ID cards

****************************************
~~~National Government ID cards have the potential for serious abuse. Recent hacking incidents into the data bases of both Gov't , and Commmercial , shows that while national security is important , a certain wall of privacy for American Cittzens needs be maitained to keep America a truly free place. Write to you legislators to oppose the bill .{On the Net: http://thomas.loc.gov/, Information on the bill, H.R. 418} ~ ~ TP

Groups Share Concerns About House-Passed Bill That Rewrites

By SUZANNE GAMBOA Associated Press Writer

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=535662

WASHINGTON Feb 27, 2005 --
"But in Montana, members of the state House are refusing to cede

their driver's license authority to Washington. Last week, they

approved a bill that prohibits the adoption of federal driver's

license standards for noncommercial licenses.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., was one of eight

Republicans who voted against the bill."In our efforts to protect

our homeland and increase our border security we must move

forward with solid measures. At the same time, our individual civil

rights are nonnegotiable," Pombo said in a statement. "The

establishment of a national ID card, I believe, has the possibility of

violating those rights."

On the Net:http://thomas.loc.gov/ Information on the bill, H.R. 418:Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=535662


----------------------------------
----------------

A Federal Court Rules that the First Amendment to the US constitution, means that no authority can restrict the flow of ANY information to any citizen

~~ A Federal Court Rules that the First Amendment to the US constitution, means that no authority can restrict the flow of ANY information to any citizen, even if that citizen be in jail. I think that is very good. ~~ tp

Guess Who WANTS Junk Mail?
Wed Feb 2, 2005 10:08 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Some Americans might think of junk mail as cruel and unusual punishment, but a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that prison officials may not stop bulk mail and catalogs from reaching prisoners.

The case stems from a lawsuit against Washington state's Department of Corrections, which had barred its inmates from receiving such mailed materials.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling and rejected arguments that banning bulk mail makes it easier to run a prison and reduces the risk of fire.

"Publishers have a First Amendment right to communicate with prisoners by mail, and inmates have a First Amendment right to receive this mail," Arthur Alarcon wrote for the three-judge panel.

The "ban on non-subscription bulk mail and catalogs is not rationally related to a legitimate penological interest and is therefore unconstitutional," he added.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++

One effect of 9/11: Less privacy :

ASSOCIATED PRESS.

One effect of 9/11:
Less privacy :
New surveillance laws passed worldwide,
report says.

September 3, 2002. Accessed date of publication via www.msnbc.com @ http://www.msnbc.com/news/802878.asp?0na=x227T3J0-

“Web Site Helped Change Farm Policy”

Becker, Elizabeth.

“Web Site Helped Change Farm Policy”

The New York Times. February 24, 2002

Obtained via the New York Times on the Internet; www.nytimes.com, February 24 2002.

(Available via Lexis-Nexis or by paying the New York Times

*** Email Activists Score Major Victory. California Passes Landmark Global Warming Bill

*

LANDMARK GLOBAL WARMING BILL PASSES CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY

Environmentalists scored a major victory over automobile and oil interests as Assembly Bill 1058 (Pavley) narrowly won approval in the state Assembly on January 31, 2002.

The bill, which will enact the first-in-the-nation regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles, inspired a frenzy of last minute lobbying from business interests led by the auto and oil industries intent on killing the bill.

AB 1058 is sponsored by Bluewater Network and the Coalition for Clean Air and supported by a broad coalition which includes the Union of Concerned Scientists, NRDC, the California State Firefighters, the American Lung Association, the California League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense and the California Council of Churches.

Coalition member Bob Epstein, a member of a Silicon Valley business group Environmental Entrepreneurs, said the bill "is a precedent setting proposal that puts California in the lead on reducing the economic and environmental threats posed by global climate change."

** Email Activists Score Major Victory. California Passes Landmark Global Warming Bill *** Letters to the California State Assembly from Environmental Defense Action Network activists helped win approval of a bill limiting CO2 pollution from motor vehicles sold in the state. Heat trapping CO2 emissions from the millions of cars and trucks is a major source of greenhouse gas pollution in California. It's now onto the State Senate and the Governor. Stay tuned! For more information, click here: http://actionnetwork.org/ct/.1aLAPK1jcJl/ca_victory

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>.

E-Mail Gets the Cold Shoulder in Congress, December 13, 200I

Mr. Larry Neal, deputy chief of staff for Senator Phil Gramm (Republican-Texas), in response to a New York Times reporter on the impact of e-mail lobby campaigns stated:

"The communication that Sen. Gramm values most certainly does not arrive by wire. It is the one where someone sat down at a kitchen table, got a sheet of lined paper and a No. 2 pencil, and poured their heart into a letter." [69]

It is axiomatic in the lobbying game that a hand-written letter by a concerned constituent has by far the strongest impact on an elected representative.

As well, the more personal and relevant to the voter’s life the communication is, the more likely the letter will elicit a genuinely interested response from the representative's office.

When a family without health insurance and mounting medical bills writes to their elected representative about Health Care Legislation, they will most surely get a personalized response.

Other personalized contacts from the home district[70] like impassioned telephone calls and even hand written postcards also carry some weight.

Mass snail-mail-letters and postcards, where people just sign at the bottom of a form are weighed much less by elected officials. E-mails as we shall see are practically "mass-less", carrying almost no political weight. ~~ Technopolitical

Notes:
[69] Raney, New York Times . E-Mail Gets the Cold Shoulder in Congress, December 13, 200I

Accessed on date of publication @ http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/technology/circuits/13CONG.html

Available via Lexis –Nexis (Or you could pay the NYTimes.com $2.95)

[70] I cannot emphasize this point strongly enough as a major flaw of e-mail campaigns is that they often come from outside a legislators district rendering them as meaningless.