CA – Canadian Airlines, Airports Push For Biometric Scans

A coalition of Canadian airlines and airports is putting pressure on Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon to adopt a biometric travel screening program that would allow passengers to “fast track” through airport security and avoid hassles such as taking off their shoes and coats and removing laptops from their cases before boarding planes. The voluntary program, which is in place at several major U.S. airports, relies on iris and fingerprint scans to identify passengers and quickly move them through airport security. The biometric screening system is seen as a way to significantly reduce lineups and other delays that have become a major hassle for passengers, particularly those who travel frequently, according to the coalition, which includes Air Canada, WestJet, as well as the Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton airport authorities. [Source] See also: [Ottawa open to revamped air safety bill]

US – Massachusetts School Scraps Fingerprint Plan to Pay for School Lunches

After weeks of opposition from parents, a Massachusetts School Committee has abandoned plans to let students pay for school lunches using biometric fingerprint scans. One parent said “I am thrilled that the battle is won, but the war is not over,” adding she’d like to see a state law against using biometric scanning on school children. She was one of a group of parents whose “Ban the Scan” movement persuaded the school committee to dump the proposal. The committee voted to upgrade the cafeteria payment system without the fingerprint scanners. [Source] vs. [Tough Love in the School Cafeteria Lunch Line] and also: [Fingerprint scanners introduced track Chinese college students]

AE – UAE ID Card to Support Iris Biometrics

In what would be the first mandatory use of iris patterns as a biometric identifier on a national ID card, the United Arab Emirates plans to introduce the technology on its ID smart card for expatriate workers and citizens, reports say. The ID card, launched a couple of years ago storing cardholder fingerprints, will add the second biometric identifier in mid-2007. The state has introduced the ID card to help secure its borders, reduce identity theft and keep better track of the expats. It’s an ambitious project: Besides serving as a residence and labor card, plans call for the ID to also double as a health card, e-passport within the Gulf region and as an ATM and e-purse card. The government also wants cardholders to eventually use the cards to authenticate themselves when they conduct e-government services. The cards will carry not one but two 64-kilobyte chips. [Source]

CA – Ontario Border Driver’s Licence Plan Gains Traction

More northern U.S. border states are expected to request permission to test enhanced drivers’ licences for their residents returning from Canada - a move Ontario officials are hailing as major progress in their battle to ease tough new land-border requirements. Ontario Tourism Minister Jim Bradley said this week that U.S. DHS officials told him that Vermont could follow the lead of a Washington state pilot project to see if secure licences can be used instead of passports or special identification cards when new border regulations come into force. Bradley said Queen’s Park has begun discussions with Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land to begin a pilot project at Ontario-Michigan crossings, the busiest access points between the two nations. [Source]

CA – B.C. Government Strengthens Privacy Legislation

Legislation was introduced last week to strengthen B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, said the BC Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services. “The changes [contained in Bill 25] continue government’s tradition of enhancing the Freedom of Information Act’s privacy and access provisions to ensure that it remains the strongest legislation of its kind in Canada,” she said. The amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act address recommendations of the Special Committee that reviewed the FOIPP Act, and include a number of other changes and amendments that clarify and update other sections. Specifically, the amendments:

§ Enhance privacy protection by requiring employees and service providers to notify public bodies about unauthorized disclosures of personal information.

§ Strengthen the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s inquiry and review processes.

§ Improve disclosure processes by allowing public bodies to routinely disclose predetermined personal information that they can currently disclose in response to access requests.

§ Improve consistencies in the FOIPP Act by making the time period for public bodies responding to transferred access requests consistent with the time period for responding directly to access requests.

§ Address the needs of school boards by allowing them to disclose personal information to museums and archives for archival or historical purposes. [Source]

US – Poll: Americans Value Privacy Rights

A majority of respondents to a UPI-Zogby International poll said the U.S. government shouldn’t be allowed to suspend privacy laws to share terror information. The 5,932 U.S. residents who took part in the April 13-16 Zogby interactive poll were asked whether the government could suspend privacy laws to enable the sharing of counter-terror information that could include private data on U.S. citizens. [Source] See also: [Chamber of Commerce: Companies Should Be Allowed to Break Law if Helping Government]

US – Survey: 70% of Americans Support Real ID Act, Uniform License Standards

A new poll shows that 70% of Americans support the introduction of national standards for driver’s licenses under the Real ID Act, despite opposition from several state legislatures and charges that the program amounts to a national ID card. The poll, a survey of nearly 6,000 adults across the country, also found that a large number –more than 44%– would support a federal law mandating compulsory national biometric ID cards for all US residents. A slim majority –51%– would oppose such a national ID scheme however, and nearly one in four opposed the Real ID Act. Opponents of the Real ID Act played down the figures, saying they reflected they absence of real national debate on the issue, and that the opposition from a growing list of state legislatures to the new law was a better gauge of U.S. opinion. [Source]

US – State CIOs Warned About Insider Threat: Report

State government CIOs need to be more aware of insider threats to their networks, including lost laptops and malicious actions by disgruntled employees, according to a national group of state CIOs. Insider threats, including inattentive, complacent or untrained employees, as well as security lapses by contractors or outsourcing companies, represent the most important risks facing state IT networks, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) in a report released last week. NASCIO also warned state governments about insufficient IT security compliance and oversight and about data on mobile devices. [Source] [NASCIO Report] See also [Consentry Report: The dissolving perimeter]

WW – PKware Offers Free Windows Desktop Encryption Software

PKware Inc. today began giving away its flagship desktop data encryption product, SecureZIP. SecureZIP Standard Version 11, which runs on Windows, supports passphrase- and digital signature-based encryption, or both simultaneously, said PKware. The application also integrates with popular e-mail clients, such as Microsoft Corp.’s Outlook, to let users encrypt and digitally sign both the message body and any file attachments. “We conducted a survey at the RSA Conference in February that showed that while 86% of more than 100 respondents were very concerned or extremely concerned about their confidential personal information falling into the wrong hands, almost one-third admitted they don’t use any tools to ensure that the files they send and store are protected,” said PKware’s chief operating officer. Other features in the program include file name encryption, automatic file wiping after deletion (up to the NSA-mandated seven times) and support for security tokens and smart cards. The free edition, however, lacks enterprise tools such as administrative-enabled settings lockdown and automatic access to public keys for encryption and decryption. [Source] [Download SecureZIP] [Product Review]

US – IBM Analytics Gets DHS SAFETY Nod

The Department of Homeland Security has approved analytics software from IBM Corp. for use in fighting terrorism. The IBM Global Name Scoring software has been qualified under the guidelines set by the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002, according to the company. The guidelines act as a seal of approval, assuring the product does what it claims to do. It also protects the vendor from legal liabilities sparked by the product. Global Name Scoring can search for instances of names across different languages. It takes into account “the linguistic, phonetic and specific cultural variation patterns of names,” according to the IBM statement. Thus far, approximately 100 products have been qualified to meet Safety Act guidelines. [Source]

EU – Peter Schaar Accuses German Government of Neglecting Data Privacy

The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection has accused the German government of “culpable neglect” in protecting data privacy. He said the government should halt plans for greater access to phone and Internet records. Fundamental civil liberties in Germany are increasingly under attack from state authorities and private businesses seeking to snoop into peoples’ lives, said German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection Peter Schaar during an annual data protection presentation in Berlin. Schaar accused security officials of violating the law in their attempts to fight terror, adding that the Federal Criminal Police Office had passed on information to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency that was unnecessary for its fight against terrorism. Schaar said modern technology provides plenty of opportunities for unauthorized access to personal data that had previously been protected under stringent laws. “Data protection laws have not kept up with the advance of technology,” Schaar said, calling for an update of data privacy laws. “Complete surveillance is already technologically possible today.” [Source] See also: [German government admits it is already conducting online searches]

EU – French Government Issues Draft Decree on Data Retention

The French Government is preparing a decree to require webmasters, hosting companies, fixed and mobile telephony operators and Internet service providers to retain all information and on Internet users and telephone subscribers and to deliver it to the police or the State upon simple request. It will require identification of anyone in France who has made any modification in a blog, a chat room or on the web and the systematic recording of anything put, modified or erased online. Furthermore, chapter 2 of the draft decree establishes that the data retained by the ISPs and hosting companies and obtained by the police can be kept by the latter for a period of three years in the automatic processing systems provided by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. And this comes at a time when the police have already been given wider prerogatives while no data protection measures are provided for the data retained. [IRIS press release on data retention] [Debate on the information data retention] [Does the State want to kill the Internet in France?] See also: [Europe makes ‘progress’ on police data protection] and [New Canadian Private Members Bill to Restrict Internet is Wrong Approach: Experts]

WW – Card Fraud by Airlines at One-In-Five: Deloitte Study

Airline staff have stolen passengers’ identity and ripped-off their credit card details up to 20% of international airlines have admitted in a survey. However, the worrying statistic for the public is that 20% of the airlines surveyed had experienced internal abuse of passengers’ personal details. It found that 7% of internal auditors of the airlines had found that employees had ‘stolen’ the identities of passengers. [Source]

UK – Press Privacy Complaints Soar

Britain’s press watchdog has confirmed that 2006 saw more complaints about invasion of privacy than ever before. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) also revealed in its annual report that it successfully conciliated a record number of complaints 20% more than a year earlier after 418 were resolved. But the total number of complaints about British newspapers and magazines, including their websites, dropped by about 10% to 3,325. [Source]

US – Survey: Financial Firms Policing Identity Theft

Most victims of identity theft are alerted to suspicious transactions by financial-services companies, a recent survey found. In a survey of 771 identity theft victims over a one-month period, 62% were made aware of the situation directly by their banks, credit-card company, or other financial-services firm, according to the Identity Theft Assistance Center, a Washington-based consumer support group. Other common ways included having a credit-card purchase denied, during a credit check, or by receiving a strange bill in the mail. By contrast, less than 1% were alerted by police, the survey found. [Source] See also: [Consumers Beware: Jim Stickley Achieves 1,000th Successful Bank Heist] See also: [Institutions only notify 62% of identity theft victims, Assistance Center reveals] and [Staples Inc to offer identity theft insurance] [AU – Five Years Jail for ID Theft]

UK – Data Watchdog to Investigate Barclays Bank

Barclays today faced the humiliation of a full investigation by data protection officials after allegations that call centre staff accessed private customer files and made sales calls to people who asked not to be contacted. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office said that allegations in a BBC Whistleblower programme in March were a cause for concern. It was based on an investigation by journalists who worked at two Barclays call centres over nine months. [Source] [Source]

EU – Complaints on Lack of Access to European Commission Documents

Statewatch has made two complaints to the European Ombudsman against the European Commission, one for having failed to keep a proper public record of documents and the other for having failed in 2006 to issue its annual report on access to documents for 2005. The group considers both cases as maladministration, in breach of Regulation 1049/2001 that sets up the EU bodies public registers of documents. “Open, transparent and accountable decision-making is the essence of any democratic system. Secrecy is its enemy and produces distrust, cynicism and apathy among citizens and closed minds among policy makers. The European Commission must be called to account for its actions or rather its failures to act” said Tony Bunyan, Director of Statewatch. [Source]

AU – Expert: Key to Acceptance of Digital Health Records is Patient Control, Access

Dr. Michael Zaroukian told the Australian National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality that acceptance and use of the developing National Health Information Network is dependent on “control of content and access by individuals to clinical information.” Zaroukian also stressed that patients “should be able to access their health and medical data conveniently, reliably and affordably.” [Source] [Privacy, trust still the biggest barriers to electronic record sharing]

EU – New Austrian Drug Addict Law Favors Therapy Over Privacy

On 1 March 2007 the Austrian Department of Health enacted a highly controversial revision of the Narcotic Substances Act, provoking an immediate outcry from both the medical and pharmaceutical associations and privacy experts. The draft amendments have been heavily criticised as “the ultimate worst case scenario from a medical point of view”. In order to receive substitution therapy, under the new law, patients have to agree to have their intimate personal data transmitted by their attending physician. Otherwise they won’t receive their medication. In other words: if you require a substitute drug, you lose your right to the legal requirement concerning your confidential medical communication. This clearly constitutes an infringement of the European Convention of Human Rights. [Source] [Source] [Source]

US – Nevada Lawmakers Reject Prescription Privacy Bill

Scores of bills passed but a few died - including one to block pharmacies from peddling doctors’ prescription information to data mining firms - as Nevada lawmakers rushed Monday to meet a deadline for action on measures. SB231, strongly opposed by pharmaceutical and medical data mining companies, lost on a 9-12 vote in the state Senate. Republicans split on the bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Heck, R-Henderson, an emergency room doctor, while most Democrats opposed the plan. [Source]

WW – Sex Lube Co’s Data Breach Exposes 250,000 Personal Records: Sexual lubricant maker Astroglide is reported to have suffered a data breach recently, and it sounds like a doozy. Personal information about more than a quarter million people – including names, mailing addresses, and the specific variety of lube they purchased – ended up on Google-accessible web pages. Some of the data may have been accessible online for days, months, even years (some records date back to 2003). And some of the data remains available through Google’s cache even now, because Astroglide apparently failed to clean up the mess properly. [Source] [Coverage] [Coverage]

US – U.S. Census Exposed Personal Data on Web Site: For more than a decade, the U.S. Census Bureau posted on a public Web site the Social Security numbers of 63,000 people who received financial aid. The apparent violation of federal privacy law prompted concerns about identity theft. Government officials removed the data from the Web site on April 13, the day they were alerted to the breach by an Illinois farmer who discovered the numbers while surfing the Internet. [Source]

US – Laptop Theft Exposes Personal Data on 160,000 Neiman Marcus Employees: A computer containing personal information of current and former employees was stolen from a third-party pension benefits plan consultant working for Neiman Marcus. The retailer found out about the stolen computer on April 5, but criminal investigators asked the company not to disclose the incident until this week, according to a spokeswoman. [Source] SEE ALSO: [13 People Indicted in New York City in $3 Million ID Theft Ring] and especially: [“Data Dysprotection”: Weekly Roundup of Horror Stories]

NZ – Dentist Posts Cash Reward for Stolen Patient Records: The dental records of 1000 Hamilton patients have vanished after a laptop storing the data was stolen from a dentist’s locked car. Dr Ibrahim’s car was one of four vehicles broken into while parked at Whitiora School during the Chiefs-Sharks Super 14 game at Waikato Stadium on Saturday. A door was jemmied open, and the thieves took Dr Ibrahim’s Sony Vaio laptop and back-up discs containing his patient records and personal data. [Source] See also: [junior doctors’ details exposed online]

US – ID Theft Task Force Wants Stronger Laws

The U.S. government plans to establish a national identity theft law enforcement centre and create a multi-year public education campaign about the dangers of ID theft, as part of a series of recommendations released by a task force this week. The President’s Identity Theft Task Force, created in May 2006, also called for national data protection standards for private companies that collect and sell personal information, as well as a national law requiring companies to tell customers when their personal data has been compromised. Federal agencies should stop the unnecessary use of SSNs, and the federal government should step up its efforts to educate agencies about data security best practices and regulations in place, the task force recommended. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, co-chair of the task force, called ID theft a national security issue. The task force recommendations target both private companies and federal agencies. [Source] [Source] Related Documents: [Combating Identity Theft: A Strategic Plan, Final recommendations] [Volume II: Supplemental Information] [Identity Theft Task Force Website] Coverage: [ID Task Force Ideas Receive Cool Reception] [Industry group wants government data protection standard, too] [Retailers Express Concerns Over Identity Theft Bill]

US – Canada, Mexico Travel Cards Under Privacy Attack

A forthcoming travel identification card geared toward Americans who frequently cross U.S. borders into Mexico and Canada is drawing renewed criticism. At a Monday workshop here, privacy advocates said they were puzzled that come summertime, the U.S. Department of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, still hopes to begin issuing so-called “passport cards” embedded with RFID chips whose data can be skimmed by readers up to at least 20 feet away. [Source] The technology, which is similar to the passes read by highway tollbooths, is already being used in other U.S. immigration documents and programs, but that doesn’t make it any less troublesome, critics said at the first day of an FTC identification workshop in Washington]

WW – CDT Unveils Draft Identity Principles

As information-gathering technology improves and governments seek to bolster their capacity to identify individuals, questions surrounding how to manage individual identity have mounted. CDT today officially unveiled its draft Privacy Principles for Identity in the Digital Age, which seek to address those issues in a way that takes into account privacy, security, as well as the broader issues associated with identity. CDT Deputy Director Ari Schwartz discussed the principles at the Federal Trade Commission workshop “Proof Positive: New Directions for ID Authentication.” [Privacy Principles for Identity in the Digital Age (Draft) [PDF], March 27, 2007]

US – ID Breach by Agriculture Department Smaller than Feared

A final review has concluded that the SSNs of 38,700 recipients of Agriculture Department grants had been posted on a government web site since 1996. Federal officials initially feared that as many as 150,000 Social Security numbers had been exposed by the security breach. The numbers were promptly removed after it was reported to the government on April 13. Federal officials said they were not aware of any identify thefts using the posted numbers but are offering a year of free credit monitoring to affected individuals. [Source]

WW – Report: 8 in 10 Web Sites Place Customer Data at Risk

WhiteHat Security has released the results of a security report that found eight in 10 Web sites have flaws that hackers could exploit to steal customer data. The company said that 30% of the sites it regularly scans contain a flaw that would allow hackers to directly access the company’s customer information database. [Source]

UK – Study: State Has 266 Ways to Enter Your Home

The state has 266 powers to draw upon when its agents want to enter homes, according to a report from the Centre for Policy Studies which says that an Englishman’s home is less his castle and more “a right of way” for police, local government officials and other bureaucrats. English law has traditionally regarded a citizen’s home as a privileged space. In the 1950s just 10 new powers of entry were granted by statute. In the 1980s and 1990s an extra 60 were added. Harry Snook, a barrister and the author of the study, Crossing the Threshold, has drawn together the full list of entry powers in the state’s possession. Force can be used in most cases. Regular record of the use of entry powers are not always kept. The research comes at a time of heightened concern over the lengthening arm of the state, with ID cards around the corner and more sophisticated surveillance equipment being used to watch people. The report says the disparate provisions should be harmonised under a new Act. This should make clear that officials should always seek permission to enter a home; a reasonable time for entry should be specified; and state officials should always have to get a warrant before they can force entry to a private home. [Source]

EU – EU Police Data-Sharing Plan Draws Criticism

Plans by several EU members states to establish a system for sharing police data have drawn criticism from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Peter Hustinx, who warns that the proposal, in its current form, still lacks safeguards to ensure sufficient data protection for the public. Under the system, known as the Treaty of Prum, participating nations allow mutual and automatic access to databases containing DNA and fingerprint records as well as car registration and other personal information. While Hustinx is not opposed to the exchange of DNA and fingerprint data per se, he is concerned about a lack of specific rules governing the use of an E.U.-wide system for sharing personal information. Germany and Austria are currently testing the police database exchange, with Belgium, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Spain to follow. In all, 15 E.U. member states have so far agreed to join, including a few new members from Eastern Europe. [Source]

IN – Nasscom to Monitor Privacy, Data Security Standards for Outsourcing Firms

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), which represents the Indian software industry, has set up an independent Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) to inspire confidence in India’s outsourcing industry. The SRO will award accreditation to deserving IT companies. It will also provide training and education for its members. The new chairman of the SRO, Shyamal Ghosh, said participation will be voluntary. However, the SRO will provide “appropriate inducements” to firms that follow the SRO’s statutory regulations, Ghosh said. [Source] [Source]

WW – Google’s Data-Storing Feature Fuels Privacy Fears, FTC Complaint

Facing worries about its tracking Web surfers’ every move, Google Inc. is now offering a feature to track Web surfers’ every move. Its free Web History service is strictly voluntary — Google users can sign up to have the Internet giant keep detailed records of every website they visit so they can easily find them again later. The feature is similar to that offered by Web browsers, except the data are stored on Google’s servers instead of users’ computers and there’s no set time after which it is erased. Web History’s quiet debut this week came as privacy advocates continued to raise alarms about the prospect of Google combining its collection of information on individuals with that of DoubleClick Inc. Google has agreed to acquire the New York-based company, which distributes Web ads and tracks where the majority of people go on the Internet, for $3.1 billion. Three consumer groups filed a complaint over Google’s privacy practices with the Federal Trade Commission on Friday, asking it to investigate before approving the DoubleClick deal. [Source] [EPIC Files Complaint at FTC to Block Google Acquisition of DoubleClick] [EPIC Complaint] [Google to Face FTC Privacy Complaint Over Doubleclick] See also: [Oops! EPIC fails to renew domain just before launching big legal fight ] and [Google To Retool Calendar Privacy Warning] [Google Vows Changes In Online Privacy Protections] and [EU Privacy Officials Inform Google of Data Privacy Concerns] [Privacy bodies investigate Google’s data protection standards] [DoubleClick issues statement on concerns raised with FTC]

US – Tom Ridge Rips Privacy Laws After Campus Massacre

“Privacy law that prevented Virginia Tech and mental health officials from sharing information about Cho Seung-Hui that could have prevented the university massacre ‘cries out’ for review, former Gov. Tom Ridge said this week. Confidentiality laws prevent colleges from sharing information -- from grades to medical history -- with parents or others without a student’s permission. Privacy laws also might have contributed to Virginia Tech officials being unaware that Cho had been ordered by a court to seek counseling when he was released from a mental health facility in December 2005. ‘All I can say is, parents that pay tuition to college can’t get access to their kids’ grades unless they get a waiver,’ Ridge said in a phone interview. [Source] See also: [Bill would let colleges tell parents of problems]

US – Court Weighs Rights of Passengers When Police Stop Cars

Most people sitting in the passenger seat of a car that has been stopped by a police officer do not feel free to open the door and leave. Neither do most members of the Supreme Court, or so the justices’ comments indicated during an argument Monday on the constitutional rights of passengers in that familiar but uncomfortable situation. The question of whether a “reasonable” passenger would feel free to leave was significant because that perception is a principal part of the court’s test for whether a “seizure” has taken place within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. If a reasonable person would not feel constrained, then he or she has not been “seized” and has no basis for complaining that the police have violated the Fourth Amendment. The converse is also true: a person who reasonably feels detained by the police is entitled to challenge the validity of the police action and perhaps to keep illegally seized evidence out of court. [Source] [Source] [Source]

WW – Study: RFID Chips Exposing Users to Danger as Use Expands

The current generation of RFID technology is vulnerable to eavesdropping, cloning and forging, according to an April security trends report from security software vendor McAfee. The report warns that as RFID technology becomes more pervasive, the risk for users increases dramatically. The study notes that the technology is increasingly embedded in clothing, food and health care products and that some companies are even embedding RFID chips into the bodies of employees. Some states have already passed laws to prohibit forced implantation of the chips. The report found that the rapid spread of RFID technology is making it very attractive to hackers, who can clone chips and steal authentication information to gain access to a users’ personal information. [Source] See also [RFID Journal: McAfee Recycles Old Privacy Fears and McAfee Report Hypes RFID Threat].

US – California Bill Would Prohibit RFID in Licenses

The California Department of Motor Vehicles could not issue driver’s licenses that used radio waves to transmit motorists’ personal information if legislation approved Monday by the state Senate becomes law. The bill would prohibit the DMV from using radio frequency identification technology, commonly known as RFID, in driver’s licenses or identification cards before Jan. 1, 2011. Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, called his legislation a “look before you leap approach” that would give officials time to ensure that any technology adopted by the DMV would not violate privacy rights. [Source]

US – NH Bill Would Regulate Uses of RFID

A pending bill in New Hampshire would regulate the use of RFID in consumer products and ban their use in government documents. The bill would require retailers to label any products that contain RFID chips. However, the measure would exempt cell phones, WiFi cards and GPS receivers. The bill would prevent the implantation of the technology in humans. At least 17 other similar bills are pending in other states. [Source]

WW – McAfee Releases New Security Breach Report

Research done by Datamonitor for McAfee reveals that 33% of the 1,400 IT professionals surveyed in the U.S. UK, France, Germany and Australia agree that a major security breach could lead to their companies’ downfall. The survey indicates that while awareness of the dangers related to a security breach are growing, so too is the problem. 60% of the respondents indicated their companies had experienced a security breach in the past 12 months. [Source] [Study: IT Managers Spending 0.5 Percent Of Budgets On Data Security] See also [TJX Faces New Class-Action Lawsuit] [UK Arrests Over Wi-Fi ‘Piggy-Backing] [Companies Say Security Breach Could Destroy Their Business] See also: [KPMG: Data protection crisis imminent] AND ALSO: [New McAfee product claims to prevent data leakage] [IBM: Tapes with personal data lost]

US – Gov’t Straining to Secure Computer Systems: Testimony

U.S. government security experts told a congressional oversight committee yesterday that federal computer networks are being targeted on an unprecedented scale and recent high-profile compromises at two key federal agencies are likely just the most visible symptoms of a government-wide security epidemic. Officials from the Commerce and State departments appeared before the House Homeland Security Committee’s cyber-security panel to explain at least three separate instances where sensitive government electronic data was compromised. [Source]

US – New York Activists Call For Surveillance Camera Laws

New York rights activists called on the city council this week to regulate surveillance cameras to prevent intrusion into people’s privacy and prevent an abuse of footage. Norman Siegel, a lawyer and former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told a debate arranged by a group of lawyers that laws were needed to limit how long video footage could be held and to restrict distribution and access. Siegel, who estimated there were at least 10,000 cameras around New York City, said surveillance cameras should also be registered with a government agency and people on the street should be informed that they being filmed. [Source] [Source]

US – US Gov Hints at Major Passenger Tracking System

The Transportation Security Administration has issued a public request for information (RFI) about methods and technologies that could be used to build a comprehensive airline passenger- and luggage-tracking system, reports RFID Law Blog. A division of the US Department of Homeland Security, the TSA indicated in the RFI that eligible technologies include RFID, biometrics, smart cards, video surveillance, document scanners, and portals and kiosks, among others. The goal of the system would be to allow the track and trace of each passenger and his or her luggage at every point along a journey, from reservation to the passenger’s exit at the destination airport. Not only would the system track passengers and their luggage independently, it would also offer the ability to identify travelers and associate them with the location of their checked and carry-on luggage in real time. [Source] [Source] [RFI] [RFI] See also: [TSA to screen DIA passengers’ behaviour]

US – American Teleservices Association Releases Draft Self-Regulatory Standards

The American Teleservices Association has unveiled a draft of self-regulatory standards setting forth the best practices for inbound and outbound calls, state registration requirements, call monitoring compliance, calls by charities, and privacy. One key standard would require members to adhere to a “Teleservices Bill of Rights.” [Source] See also: [Do-not-call registry proposed for India]

US – Pentagon to End Talon Data-Gathering Program

Less than two weeks after being sworn in as undersecretary of defense for intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr. is moving to end the controversial Talon electronic data program, which collected and circulated unverified reports about people and organizations that allegedly threaten Defense Department facilities. Clapper, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, “has assessed the results of the Talon program and does not believe they merit continuing the program as currently constituted, particularly in light of its image in Congress and the media,” according to a statement released in his name yesterday by a Pentagon spokesman. Talon, launched in 2003 with an eye toward Sept. 11, 2001, came under public scrutiny in December 2005 with the disclosure that it had collected data on anti-military protesters and peaceful demonstrators. More recently, the American Civil Liberties Union released an internal Pentagon report showing that, as of 18 months ago, Talon had about 13,000 entries, of which 2,821 involved reports on U.S. citizens. [Source] [Source]

US – House Panel Approves Bill That Would Make Ban Some Harmful Spyware

The House Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection has passed the Spy Act on a voice vote. The bill would require distributors of “information collection programs,” as defined in the bill, to notify consumers and obtain their express consent before installing their programs. The bill now advances to the full committee. [Source] [Source] [Spyware legislation could curtail consumer choice: IAB tells Congress] [Commentary: Spy Act Only Protects Vendors and Their DRM]

US – Nebraska Lawmakers Approve Bill to Place Limits on Employer Use Of SSNs

Legislators have approved a bill this week that would help to protect Nebraskans from ID theft by limiting employer use of their employees’ SSNs. The bill would prevent employers from using SSNs to access Internet sites. Employers would be prohibited from sending the numbers by email unless they were encrypted. The bill also would prohibit employers from using a worker’s full SSN as an employee ID number, among other restrictions. [Source]

US – North Carolina Bill Looks to Open Adoption Records

Efforts are under way to change North Carolina’s adoption laws so that once adopted children reach adulthood, they would have access to their original birth certificate containing their birth parents’ names. Roberta MacDonald of the N.C. Coalition for Adoption Reform said the change is necessary to, among other things, give adults who have been adopted the same rights that other adults have. Lee Allen, a spokesman for the National Council for Adoption, disagreed. He said the legislation fails to take into consideration the rights and privacy of birth mothers. [Source] [Adoptees seek open records]

US – Proposed NY Legislation Establishes Fundamental Right to Privacy For Women

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced his plans to submit legislation that will update New York’s laws pertaining to reproductive rights and establish a fundamental, statutory right to privacy for women in making personal reproductive decisions. The bill would enact the “Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act” under the Public Health Law. Additionally, it would amend or repeal various statutes to ensure that New York Law protects a woman’s right to choose the course of her pregnancy, and the right of all New Yorkers to use or refuse contraceptives. [Source]

US – A New Twist on Snooping at Wal-Mart

A former Wal-Mart computer technician, who asserted that company employees eavesdropped on board meetings and conducted clandestine surveillance on shareholders, has reversed himself and denied both claims in sworn testimony, the giant retailer said yesterday. Bruce D. Gabbard, who was fired in March for taping telephone calls between Wal-Mart employees and a reporter for The New York Times, had told The Wall Street Journal that he was part of an elaborate operation that snooped on employees, stockholders and company critics. [Source] See also: [EU: UK Employee’s privacy breached by employer’s monitoring]

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