January 23, 2014
Slate in This Smartphone Is Making Privacy a Priority reports on a new smartphone, Blackphone which is specifically designed to give the user’s privacy priority.
It provides:
The national conversation about privacy is in high gear, and services for things like secure Read the rest of this entry »
January 22, 2014
The Australian in Industry in dark on privacy law (found here behind the paywall) reported on 21 January 2014 on the poor state of preparedness of many organisations in complying with the amendments to the Privacy Act when they come into force on 12 March 2014.
The article provides:
IT vendors and privacy advocates Read the rest of this entry »
The CR Code registered today will come into effect on 12 March 2014.
It Read the rest of this entry »
The FTC has issued a press release announcing settlement with 12 companies who were caught falsely claiming compliance with the US – EU Safe Harbor Framework. The nub of the problem was the companies claimed they held current certification where they had not. Some of the companies are quite well known, including Bit Torrent Inc and the Atlanta Falcons, an NFL franchise.
The Safe Harbor Framework is Read the rest of this entry »
January 21, 2014
Encryption of data is a fundamental part of protecting personal information stored by an agency or organisation. Or at least it should be. Keeping data in the clear form makes the work of a hacker easier once he or she breaks into a system. Data breaches should be avoided by having up to date and suitably effective systems. Even so they happen. In that case mitigating loss is important. It is certainly an important factor privacy commissioners look at when assessing the steps taken to maintain data security. But what if Read the rest of this entry »
January 19, 2014
In its Annual Security Report 2014 (found here) Cisco notes that businesses that allow staff to use their own mobile devices for work purposes face challenges in ensuring the organisation’s data are secure. Stealing data is becoming easier.
Some of the findings of of the long but very interesting report are that:
January 18, 2014
That the explosion of data, most recently big data, and its correspondingly inadequate regulation has prejudiced individual privacy rights is almost trite. On this theme The New Statesman’s Death by data: how Kafka’s The Trial prefigured the nightmare of the modern surveillance state considers Read the rest of this entry »
Cloud computing, or more accurately the storage of data in offshore servers (the cloud), is a significant issue or organisations and agencies in Australia. Australian Privacy Principle 8 specifically deals with the use of offshore entities storing, using or otherwise dealing with personal information.
The UK Information Commissioner has provided an overall commentary on cloud computing (found here). As an introduction it is not bad. The suggestions are good.
It provides:
There are an Read the rest of this entry »
January 16, 2014
Senator Fienstein, Democrat from California, is one of the most powerful and influential members of the US Senate. For those interested in the legislature taking some proactive steps to provide privacy protections from the excesses of drone usage it was perhaps fortuitous that someone used such a device to spy on her during a protest. Politico reports on her giving evidence during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in Dianne Feinstein spots drone inches from face.
It provides:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she once found a drone peeking into the window of her home — the kind of cautionary tale she wants lawmakers to consider as they look at allowing commercial drone use.
The California Democrat offered few details about the incident when speaking about it Wednesday afternoon, during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on drone policy where she appeared as a special witness. But she used the episode to implore lawmakers to “proceed with caution.”
Feinstein said she encountered the flying robot Read the rest of this entry »