Privacy

Defense Dept. proposes armoring civilian networks

SAN FRANCISCO-- A top Defense Department official said today that the U.S. military should "extend" a technological shield used to protect its own networks to important private sector computers as well, which could sweep in portions of the Internet and raise civil liberty concerns.

William Lynn, the deputy secretary of defense, proposed at the RSA Conference extending "the high level of protection afforded by active defenses to private networks that operate infrastructure" that's crucial to the military or the U.S. economy.

What Lynn refers to as "active defenses" were pioneered by … Read more

Google extends two-step log-in process to all

Now all Google users can take advantage of the two-step log-in procedure previously available to Google Apps customers.

The company started rolling out the option to use two-step verification to Google Account holders today, according to a blog post. The idea comes from a classic security tactic, the notion that accounts are more secure when you log in using two factors: something you know, such as a password, and something that only you have, such as your phone.

Google Apps users started using this feature in September. Account holders log in to Google as usual, but the first time they … Read more

WikiLeaks hearing set in dispute over Twitter data

A federal judge in Virginia has set a hearing for next week in a high-profile case that will decide whether the U.S. Justice Department can obtain records about the Twitter accounts used by WikiLeaks activists.

The hearing, scheduled for February 15 in Alexandra, Va., is expected to focus on whether the Justice Department has the legal justification for its request for the account details, and whether the almost-entirely-secret court records in this case should be made available for public viewing.

As CNET previously reported, federal prosecutors obtained a court order directing Twitter to turn over information about the accounts … Read more

Juror will appeal order to turn over Facebook posts

A California attorney representing a juror required to divulge the contents of his Facebook account says he will file an appeal of the court order tomorrow.

Ken Rosenfeld, a Sacramento criminal defense attorney, told CNET that forcing jurors to turn over private correspondence in the form of Facebook posts "would be catastrophic in terms of free speech, justice, and the jury system itself."

The dispute arose in the trial of alleged members of the so-called Killa Mobb gang, who were convicted of performing a vicious beating in 2008. Soon after the verdicts, one juror alleged misconduct by another … Read more

Amid unrest, Egypt went offline (roundup)

Following widespread street protests demanding an end to autocratic rule by President Hosni Mubarak, a country of more than 80 million people found itself almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the world. Here's how the story has unfolded:

Vodafone: We were forced to send pro-Mubarak texts Egyptian government of President Hosni Mubarak forced carrier to send prescripted, propagandistic text messages during recent unrest, Vodafone says. (Posted in Politics and Law by Lance Whitney) February 3, 2011 11:43 AM PST

U.S. defended Egyptian activist's YouTube videos WikiLeaks cable shows U.S. State Department talked Google into … Read more

Senators decry link between Egypt, 'kill switch' bill

Three U.S. senators who want to give the president emergency powers over the Internet are protesting comparisons with the "kill switch" highlighted by Egypt's Net disconnection.

In a statement yesterday, the politicians said their intent was to allow the president "to protect the U.S. from external cyber attacks," not to shut down the Internet, and announced that they would revise their legislation to explicitly prohibit that from happening.

"Some have suggested that our legislation would empower the president to deny U.S. citizens access to the Internet," said the statement from … Read more

Sen. Ron Wyden: Protecting mobile privacy (Q&A)

It may come as a surprise to know that police generally need a warrant to search your house, but not to track your whereabouts through your cell phone.

This is what Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has become the Senate's leading champion of electronic privacy, wants to change. Wyden recently spoke with CNET in an interview transcribed below about his forthcoming legislation.

It's hardly Wyden's first foray into technology. In 2006, he introduced a pro-Net neutrality bill, opposed a renewal of the Patriot Act, and proposed restrictions on the Bush administration's controversial Total Information … Read more

Aussie pubs beat bar fights with biometrics

Pubs and clubs in Australia are signing up in droves to national and state biometrics databases that capture patron fingerprints, photos, and scanned driver licenses in efforts to curb violence.

The databases of captured patron information mean that individuals banned at one location could be refused entry across a string of venues. Particularly violent individuals could be banned for years.

The databases are virtually free from government regulation as biometrics are not covered by privacy laws, meaning that the handling of details are left to the discretion of technology vendors.

"You don't get on the [ban] list because … Read more

Conn., Google reach agreement over Wi-Fi data

Google and the state of Connecticut have reached an agreement that won't force a courtroom showdown over Google's Wi-Fi spying scandal.

Last year former Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (now representing the state in the U.S. Senate) started an investigation of Google over its admission that its Street View cars had collected so-called "payload data," including e-mails and passwords, during the years it mapped the country's streets. In December Blumenthal issued a civil investigative demand that would have compelled Google to turn that data over to Connecticut, but Google protested the order and the … Read more