M&M’s World Headlines: Mar 9, 2009
Google accidentally exposes private documents ZDNet
Google has confirmed that they made a mistake that made some documents that were supposed to be private, shared. How many documents were affected? Obviously I don’t know, but we might get a better idea if we look at some Google Docs usage statistics. In September 2008, Compete says that 4.4 million unique users visited Google Docs in September — that’s only one month worth of traffic. For argument sake, let’s say Compete is correct, and each of those people have created only one document in Google docs in their life. The official response from Google states that 0.05% of all documents were affected — that would actually mean somewhere around 220,000 if my low-ball estimate is close.
Verizon Wants To Share Your Personal Information Slashdot
“Gizmodo reports that Verizon is sending out notification letters infested with virtually-indecipherable legalese. In their sneaky, underhanded way, they’re informing you that you have 45 days to opt out of their plan to share your personal data with ‘affiliates, agents and parent companies.’ That data can include, but isn’t limited to, ’services purchased (including specific calls you make and receive), billing info, technical info and location info.’ If you view your statement on-line, you won’t even get the letter. You’ll have to access your account and view your messages. However, Read Write Web says the link provided there, called the ‘Customer Proprietary Network Information Notice,’ was listed as ‘not available.’
Google lets patients share health records Montreal Gazette
Google is letting patients share electronic medical records with loved ones or care providers who may be needed to help in emergencies. The decision to let people selectively allow others to glimpse medical profiles results from feedback it has gotten since Google Health medical records service was launched in May 2008.
Company Threatens EFF With Defamation In Response To EFF Trying To Bust Its Patent Tech Dirt
Back in January, we noted that the EFF had scored another hit in its ongoing patent-busting project, getting the USPTO to re-examine a patent held by Seer Systems. It appears that Seer Systems doesn’t much like being targeted by the EFF and decided to threaten the group with a defamation lawsuit over how it described Seer’s actions. For example the EFF claimed that Seer was “threatening small companies” and Seer disputes the EFF’s definition of small. That seems like pretty fine tooth nitpicking there, and hardly defamatory. It certainly feels like a threatened SLAPP, and (luckily) California has a pretty good anti-SLAPP law… [Comment: Also See article below]
EFF urges Finnish president to intervene in Lex Nokia Newsroom Finland
Electronic Frontier Finland on Wednesday appealed to Tarja Halonen, the Finnish president, to invervene in a piece of legislation known as Lex Nokia. The online rights group added that the president should ask the Supreme Court’s opinion on whether the amended Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications clashed with the constitution before signing it. EFFI said it was considering filing an appeal before the European Court of Human Rights as the law violated human rights.
Trust me…it’s bleeding (your personal and private information that is) Privacy Commissioner of Canada Blog
So says a new report from Dartmouth College telling us that in the US “data hemorrhages” are coming from all over the health sector including hospitals, physicians, laboratories, as well as outsourced service providers. For example, the researchers found a 1,718-page document from a medical testing laboratory containing patient Social Security numbers, insurance information, and treatment codes for thousands of patients exposed on a P2P network, as well as two spreadsheet databases from a hospital system detailing highly sensitive personal information on over 20,000 patients, including codes revealing their diagnoses. Among the many troubling issues raised in this report, what strikes us is that a source of the problem is not necessarily a scheming employee intent on medical identity fraud but rather inadvertent disclosures on internet-based file sharing networks. Stories like these are just one more reason for patients to be worried about the privacy of their personal health information. And with the new funds flowing in support of electronic health records development here in Canada, there needs to be some sober second thought on how the health care sector proceeds to maintain patient trust.
Barnes & Noble muscles Kindle with e-book buy The Register
Barnes & Noble is stumping $15.7m to buy the indie e-book seller Fictionwise.com as part of the mega-chain’s second attempt to sell digital books online. The cash acquisition comes just days after Amazon extended its Kindle e-book store to support the iPhone and iPod Touch for US customers. Amazon may be making small concessions towards making its digital bookstore available outside the Kindle’s despotic proprietary format, but B&N appears to sensibly be taking the open format route to compete against its established rival.
WaTunes Sells Your Music On iTunes And Amazon Free Of Charge TechCrunch
WaTunes, a service that helps independent artists get their music into online music stores like iTunes and Amazon, has announced that it is making its service entirely free. The move is a direct attack on competitors like TuneCore, which also helps independent artists distribute their music but charges fees depending on the number of songs being sold and the number of stores the artist would like to sell their tracks on. As of now, WaTunes will enable it’s customers to continue to sell unlimited music, earn 100% of the royalties, and more, ALL FOR FREE! There are no fees, cancellations, no gimmicks.
Will Google Uphold its “Do No Evil” Motto With Muziic? ReadWriteWeb
Going beyond traditional media players, teen developer David Nelson has created Muziic Player, an application that harnesses the power of YouTube to offer music lovers around the globe access to the world’s largest searchable database of songs. Self described as “a free and legal” application, Muziic lets you stream music from YouTube without ever again having to visit the site. And therein lies the rub. Could this legal application be seen as not so legal by Google? [Comment: Worth the read. Thumbs-up to this 15 year old kid! Stay tuned for the the RIAA will go after him...]
Developers make their own App stores – Apple bites back The Inquirer
Developers are setting up alternatives to Apple’s App Store in an attempt to break the company’s tight grip on what software can be used on its products. According to the Wall Street Journal, a new applications site, Cydia Store, this weekend began flogging applications for the iPhone without having to pay Apple its 30 per cent commission on sales. The store will allow downloads of application to iPhones that have been unlocked from authorised network providers. wants to control things, but it has been very limiting for developers and users,” said Freeman. “The overworking goal is to provide choice,” he said. Apple is biting back and last month filed a 27-page statement with the U.S. Copyright Office claiming that software that unlocked iPhones is illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
March, 2009
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March 10th, 2009 at 8:33 am
World day Against Cyber Censorship
10th March 2009 dont miss it!