p2pnet headline roundup, August 21, 2008
Citizens’ U.S. Border Crossings Tracked - Washington Post
The [US] federal government has been using its system of border checkpoints to greatly expand a database on travelers entering the country by collecting information on all U.S. citizens crossing by land, compiling data that will be stored for 15 years and may be used in criminal and intelligence investigations. Officials say the Border Crossing Information system, disclosed last month by the Department of Homeland Security in a Federal Register notice, is part of a broader effort to guard against terrorist threats. It also reflects the growing number of government systems containing personal information on Americans that can be shared for a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence purposes, some of which are exempt from some Privacy Act protections.
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RBA goes after eBay, PayPal - Australian IT
The [Australian] Reserve Bank has issued a stern warning to online auction giant eBay Australia, urging it to stop forcing PayPal onto its sellers. The RBA will soon have discussions with PayPal on how the latter can accommodate its wishes. “There isn’t a fixed date set yet,” an RBA spokesperson said. “It won’t be just one discussion … there will be several,” the spokesperson said.
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Apple sued over iPhone 3G reception issues - CNET News
An Alabama woman has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the iPhone 3G’s network is slower than advertised. In a 10-page complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Northern Alabama, Birmingham resident Jessica Alena Smith charged Apple with breach of express and implied warranty and with unjust enrichment. Smith, who refers to the phone she purchased throughout the complaint as “Defective iPhone 3G,” is seeking class action status. The lawsuit claims that Apple’s iPhone 3G advertising campaign is misleading.
Intel, Yahoo partnering on Internet TV concept - Associated Press
Hoping to plant their flags on the screens of Internet-connected television sets, Intel Corp. and Yahoo Inc. unveiled a new project Wednesday to populate those screens with tiny programs called widgets. Depending on your point of view, the goal is to create a multitasker’s dream or an information-overload nightmare: It would let people to do things like check their stock prices or peruse their photos all while watching TV. The notion that the Internet will be the delivery mechanism for TV has been gaining momentum, and the Intel-Yahoo partnership, called “The Widget Channel,” reflects the potential.
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Sale of bank data alarms Germany - BBC
Data protection officials in Germany have called for privacy laws to be tightened amid a scandal over illegal sales of personal data. The officials say they were able to buy six million items of personal data on the internet, including bank account details and phone numbers. The data cost just 850 euros (£671), the officials said. Call centres and lottery firms are suspected of trading in the data. Prosecutors are now investigating.
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Rumors of iTunes music subscriptions fly again - Industry Standard
Here we go again. A pair of Mac sites, TUAW and MacDailyNews, both received anonymous tips today outlining how an iTunes subscription music store might work — and both are plausible enough to be true. That said, given the rampant speculation and misdirection that exists in the Mac rumor world, this info should be taken with a non-trivial grain of salt. MacDailyNews says the service will be called “iTunes Unlimited” and offer 50% of the songs currently on the traditional U.S. iTunes store through the program at launch. The subscription will be for one year and be available through iTunes or a retail box, similar to how MobileMe/DotMac is sold. iTunes Unlimited would launch, initially, on the U.S. store only. The subscription would cost $129.99 on its own, $179.99 with MobileMe or $99.99 for existing MobileMe subscribers. The site claims a late September announcement with late October rollout, just in time for the holiday season. TUAW received (almost certainly from the same source) a similar report.
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August 21st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
um the privacy act of canada might have something to say about the storage of data on canuck citizens , i wonder what nafta has to say about that?