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March 31, 2006
Japan Issues E-Passports
Last week, Japan started issuing its first electronic passports (e-passports). Every five-year, 10-year and diplomatic passport the government issues will now include an RFID tag. The country expects to dispense more than 3.5 million e-passports within the next 12 months, with all Japanese passports will expected to carry an RFID chip within the next 10 years. Currently, Japan has 35 million passports in circulation.
To support the e-passport rollout, Japan has deployed e-passport printers in 60 of its 322 passport offices throughout the country. "Each of the 47 prefectures in Japan has at least one office with an e-passport printer," Susumu Kitamura reported at the Global Border Control Technology Summit in London, adding that 184 overseas passport offices have also been equipped with e-passport printers.
Posted by joeyelisa at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/21_6/federal/28257-1.html
Washington Technology home > 03/27/06 issue
03/27/06; Vol. 21 No. 6
RFID: Prepare to be carded
By Alice Lipowicz
DHS weighs different technologies for moving people across borders
The recent extension of radio frequency identification testing at border crossings appears to have boosted the technology. But difficult decisions still lay ahead for the Homeland Security Department in integrating, particularly for border crossing, RFID applications and standards into a single document or card, government officials and IT experts said.
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1228
US Lets RFID Passports into Real World Use
Tuan Nguyen - March 14, 2006 3:26 AM
New RFID passports carry your bio information. Similar Dutch passport previously cracked in 2 hours
The US government has started seeding its new bio-passports. The new passports have the bearer's bio-data embedded in the passport and can be read with a wireless scanner. RFID is the technology being used in the new passports. Just a few weeks ago, we reported that the US government started phase two testing of these passports.
http://www.wi-fitechnology.com/displayarticle2642.html
RFID Essentials Book Released by O'Reilly
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1410055
1,000-year-old church plagued by vandals enlists hi-tech help
Yobs find new device makes for unpleasant listening
The Mosquito operates on the unlikely-sounding principle of emitting a high-pitched signal which is unpleasant to anyone within about 20m (65ft) of the transmitter, but only affects people aged under 25 because their hearing is more sensitive.
Police have installed the device in the porch of the building, on Church Lane, and it has proved so successful that youths who congregate there at night have twice ripped out the wiring.
Now it is to be re-mounted without exposed wires in the hope it will help to drive the offending gangs away.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/For-Sale--Your-Life-on-the-Internet/story.xhtml?story_id=13200D7ZTNXC
For Sale: Your Life on the Internet By Jack M. Germain
March 30, 2006 7:22AM
"In the U.S., Americans are terrified of Big Brother. Yet we have no problem allowing lots of Little Brothers, such as the credit card companies, to have our information indefinitely. So now we have thousands of Little Brothers and the Internet giving us hundreds of new ways to track people," said Andrew Jaquith of the Yankee Group
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2152984/google-accidentally-deletes
Google deletes its own blog
Doh!
Matt Chapman, vnunet.com 29 Mar 2006
A student from Texas left internet giant Google with egg on its face by taking control of the company's official blog when it went offline yesterday. .
Posted by wlodek at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
DigitalContainers Inc. Receives Notice of Allowance for New Digital Distribution Patent 'Delivering Electronic Content'
This is the first I've heard of this. Curious about the tracking information that is collected. Plus they mention a payment gateway that travels with it.
(Emphasis mine)
According to Chip Venters, CEO of DigitalContainers, "We're very excited about this new patent as it now gives DigitalContainers additional strong intellectual property protection for our superdistribution ecommerce and rights management systems (SuperCommerce). It complements our other patents by serving as the "seed" mechanism to get content into circulation. Content owners can take total control of marketing their goods by placing ads on highly targeted sites, fulfilling orders and collecting payment immediately and directly from these ads, and tracking exactly which ads users respond best to.”As proof of the potential power of superdistribution, a recent nationwide survey found almost 90% of adult Internet users share content with others via e-mail according to Sharpe Partners. Three out of five respondents said they shared content at least once a week, 25% do so more frequently. SuperCommerce supports this powerful distribution trend by allowing digital information to be freely distributed over peer-to-peer networks or the Internet (via email or instant messaging) while simultaneously protecting the information, tracking the usage, and collecting payment when appropriate.
Product Features
“Delivering Electronic Content" is a targeted content-seeding mechanism that
•Works in any environment: peer-to-peer or centralized network, email or instant messaging-based distribution.
•Creates virtual kiosks by providing instant “one click” fulfillment of digital content requests from banner ads, flash ads and web pages.
•Supports a variety of digital content types: music, video previews, reports, e-books, brochures, catalogues, travel information, etc.
•Works with the family of patented DCI technologies that persistently track and monetize downloaded files:
-Token-based content licensing and device locking is extremely efficient authorization/authentication and conditional access system.
-Payment gateway travels with the content and utilizes a variety of payments systems, including credit cards, micro payments and phone cards.
-Backend system supports multi-level marketing and pays everyone in the value chain, including the rights holder, the distributor and the network.
Posted by joeyelisa at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)
Cattle watch goes off track
A great example of the technology being available, but a lack of organization rendering it useless.
Some Northeast Mississippi farmers have stopped electronically tagging their cows at a time when beef eaters are demanding more - not less - traceability from cattle producers.
Members of the Northeast Mississippi Cattle Alliance, which had adopted an animal ID program in 2004, say they, too, want to track their cows. But they can't do it - at least not yet.
"It didn't work, because there is no standard technology," said John Huston, facilities coordinator with Mississippi State University's Prairie Research Unit and an alliance member.
"The national standard was supposed to be in effect a couple years ago, but they keep delaying it to figure out which technology to select."
Posted by joeyelisa at 12:32 AM | Comments (0)
RFID tags to assist in tracking first responders
This is an interesting way of changing the way RFID tags are normally used - the reader is mobile and the tags stationary.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is studying whether RFID technology can be used as a low cost, reliable means to track firefighters and other first responders inside buildings and help them navigate under hazardous conditions.Typical RFID systems consist of tags, tag readers and application software. As the tagged products pass by a fixed reader they transmit data about the product and its location. The NIST researchers are looking at the "flip side." They want to know whether inexpensive RFID tags placed inside buildings can help pinpoint the location of a first responder and provide local information to a small handheld device that includes an RFID reader and a navigation unit.
In place of GPS (Global Positioning System), which is unreliable inside most buildings, the researchers are evaluating whether inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes can be used as part of the navigation system to help guide the first responder through the building. The reader's interaction with a tag would be similar to using a "you are here" map in a shopping mall.
Posted by joeyelisa at 12:29 AM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2006
Legislative committee backs GPS tracking of some sex offenders
From DuluthNewsTribune.com in Madison, WI.
This disturbs me for a number of reasons.
The state would use Global Positioning Systems to track some sex offenders for life under a bill approved Thursday by the Legislature's budget committee.State officials estimate it would cost more than $10,000 per year to track each offender.
"There are no bigger sleazebags than these types of child molesters," said Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, co-chairman of the committee. "When they know they're being tracked, their behavior is going to change."
Under the bill, someone convicted of the most violent sex assaults on children would wear an electronic bracelet and watch-like transmitter.
The equipment would alert law enforcement officials every 10 minutes whether the offender travels into forbidden areas like schools.
Posted by joeyelisa at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)
The robot with a surveillance camera
"Hitachi Ltd. said on March 7 it has developed a robot (in handout photo) that moves indoors negotiating its way around obstacles and uses a surveillance camera to take images."
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=11597
Posted by sawako at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2006
gmail - shut down after 9 months of inactivity?
i saw this pointed out on a blog...
"Account Inactivity:
Google will terminate your account in accordance with Section 9 of the Terms of Use if you fail to login to your account for a period of nine months."
http://mail.google.com/mail/help/program_policies.html
if you use google mail for lists and sign ups - they kill the account? yeah, right.
Posted by msantram at 02:54 AM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2006
BumpNet and others
click "My Interactive Projects". the art work using wireless network ...etc
http://www.coin-operated.com
Posted by sawako at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2006
LASA: The Latest Battleground in the War to Protect Academic Freedom
The Latin American Studies Association met last week as it does every 18 months, hosting thousands of scholars in every field of endeavor. This time, however, 55 scholars from Cuba were denied visas by the Bush administration. The number of Cuban scholars granted visas has abruptly diminished since September 11, 2001. In 2000, 100 came to the meeting in Miami, prompting virulent protests and threats from the Miami Cuban émigré community. In 2002, only 60 of the 105 Cuban professors, authors, and students invited were allowed to come into the country. This year and in 2004, when the last congress was held, not a single scholar from Cuba was allowed to attend. read me
Posted by paba7 at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
Google's Wi-Fi Privacy Ploy
The digital gold rush is on across America, as cities scramble to develop free or low-cost Wi-Fi zones. These public on-ramps to the Internet are designed to provide every citizen with a form of always-on, high-speed Internet access--at the playground, in the office or at home--at low or no cost.
Dozens of communities large and small, in red states and blue, are either planning or currently constructing Wi-Fi systems. Community leaders--from Philadelphia; Houston; Columbia, South Carolina; and San Francisco, to name a few--recognize that creating a citywide Wi-Fi zone is not only vital for economic development and public safety but helps insure that Americans who can't now afford digital communications on their own can also tap in to the riches and convenience of the Internet. But there is no such thing as a free digital lunch. Read more
Posted by paba7 at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)
CIRA resigns from ICANN in protest
Open letter to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
CIRA is a respected and influential player in global Internet governance. This has been especially true when it comes to ICANN, where CIRA's involvement has included: participating actively in events leading to the creation of ICANN; helping create the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO); chairing the ccNSO working group on IANA; voluntarily contributing funds to ICANN; hosting the ICANN Montreal meeting; supporting the ICANN Vancouver meeting in many ways including being its main sponsor; and generally promoting the value and benefits of ICANN to the world community.
read more
Posted by paba7 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
network visualization
this is a really interesting, detailed map of Internet backbone in NA.
see the bottom of the source entry for a download.
Posted by lrw at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2006
More Department of Homeland Security
Homeland security group to meet away from public eye from CNet
The Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council is a new addition to the Department of Homeland Security that will deal with communications giants to guard our nation's communications infrastructure. DHS admins don't see the committee being within the confines of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 1972 law that requires federal committees to share information publicly.
Here's a valid concern from a member of the EPIC:
One privacy advocate said he didn't buy the excuses. "The public has an extremely strong interest in knowing whether DHS and the relevant industries are doing enough to protect facilities, and whether there might be company negligence that contributes to any possible security vulnerabilities," David Sobel, a general counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wrote in an e-mail interview.
Posted by xncroft at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
Poker Chip Spime
RFID-Enabled Casino Chips via GIZMODO
If there ever was a good reason to hack into RFID, this might be the winner. Some Korean company has started making poker chips equipped with RFID for easy counting at casino tables.
Posted by xncroft at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
Newer faster biometrics
From 3D face imaging in 40 milliseconds from Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends blog
Computer scientists at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, have developed a new face recognition software which can produce an exact 3D image of a face within 40 milliseconds. A pattern of light is projected on your face, creating a 2D image, from which an accurate 3D representation is generated. This technology should speed airport check-ins, but it could also be used in banks or for checking ID cards as it allows full identification in less than one second.
Posted by xncroft at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2006
jigsaw makes your contact info for sale
Jigsaw doesn't have your data yet, but it's users/members that pay for the privledge of giving away others business contact information. They say they prohibit personal contact information. Sure. What makes it great is that people get paid to farm/mine/submit the contact info of others and then they use that payment to buy access to others contact info.
More here. They've been around since 2004?!
ugggh.
Posted by seans at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2006
Control in Public Space
The following is a paper dealing with public space and public art in physical space and online. It can also serve as a cultural background to the ShiftSpace project I’m doing with Dan Phiffer.
My paper for class, published here, you're welcomed to read it and leave your comments.
Posted by mushon at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2006
wal-mart's chinese inroads
Wal-Mart to hire 150,000 Chinese
Wal-Mart is looking to expand outside the US
Wal-Mart plans to hire an extra 150,000 staff in China over the next five years as it boosts its presence in the fast-growing retail market. The US firm - the world's largest retailer - currently has 56 stores in China and plans to open a further 20 over the next year. It plans to establish a university degree to help new staff acquire skills in food preparation and finance. The world's largest retailers are all looking to expand in China.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4824786.stm
Posted by msantram at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
Forget RFID Cards. What about physical searches?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2006/180306_b_Warrantless.htm
lawyers in the White House and the Justice Department argued that the same legal authority that the same legal authority that allowed warrentless electronic surveillance inside the US, could also be used to justify physical searches of terror suspects homes & businesses without court approval.
let us review:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
hmmm....
Posted by t.ozawa at 01:12 AM | Comments (0)
jersey city's little firewall
Jersey City City Hall doesn't like to be criticized on the web either.
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerseycity/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1142417489295060.xml&coll=3
Posted by t.ozawa at 12:23 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
Surveillance & Privacy in art
For my ‘current events’ in privacy & information I have decided to give some examples of new-media artworks / experiments that refer to the subject. This is a choice of some project which will each give its own perspective and hopefully be informative as a ‘what’s being done in the field’ kind of overview. This is of-course a very limited overview, but hopefully you’ll find it useful and inspiring.
continue reading...
Posted by mushon at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)
Google ordered to hand over data
A federal judge has ordered internet search engine Google to turn over some search data, including 50,000 web addresses, to the US government. Google said users of its search engine have a right to their privacy.
However, Judge James Ware denied a request that Google hand over a list of people's search requests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4821858.stm
Posted by msantram at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2006
New DARPA pipedream: Enlisting insects to watch
The use of the term "bug" as it relates to surveillance apparently emerged from its beginning in 1926 referring to the installation of burglar alarms. This line of research (if somehow successful) could bring the word back to its origins...
Pentagon plans cyber-insect army
from the BBC Thursday, March 16
Posted by xncroft at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2006
security tips
i love the scarry stuff as much as the next person but how about some security tips...http://www.osxfaq.com/Tutorials/lockdown/index.ws
Posted by metabreed at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2006
RFID Hacking scenarios
Scenarios for hacking RFID chips, but don't worry, our friends are safe so long as they don't scan in
other people with RFID tags they don't know.
www.rfidvirus.org
Posted by metabreed at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
Amazon launches Storage
Snippet:
Amazon Web Service is launching a new web service tonight called S3 - which stands for “Simple Storage Service”. It is a storage service backend for developers that offers “a highly scalable, reliable, and low-latency data storage infrastructure at very low costs”.
What does this mean for web hosting? What if the service sucks? What if? What if? What if? ...
Posted by lrw at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2006
Every Bit They Made
I don't know if you've seen this yet, but Salon just published all the images and videos from Abu-Ghraib. These are very disturbing images, most of them are things we've already seen and have become icons of the war. Yet, it's the first time I see the videos. I find the video of the detainee bashing his head to the cell door to be horrible. I don't know what would be more terrifiiying - him doing that to himself following his jailer's commands, or out of his 'free' will.
Through the trials of these soldiers, the Criminal Investigation Command (CID) used the meta-data information on the images and videos to associate the scenes to the camera owners.
Posted by mushon at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2006
Can India Censor Google Earth?
For almost a year now India has been going back and forth with Google, concerning it's worries that Google Earth's Satelite Photography might be used by enemies of the state to harm Indian goverment targets. Google has yet not agreed to blur these images.
This article (from the great Google Earth obssesed blogger) presents India's options:
(1) Get Google to blur sites on the Indian government's list, globally.
(2) Get Google to blur sites at India's request for Indian IP addresses.
(3) Blur Google's images without Google's consent or cooperation inside India.
(4) Blur Google's images without Google's consent or cooperation, globally. (impossible)
What I find interesting is that all the satellite images of Israel are blured since American satellite photography compenies are not allwed to publish them. Google is legaly allowed to present these images in Google Earth. It only needs to purchase them from non-American companies. That's not the case with India, which does reasure an America-centric bias of Google, despite the China issues.
Posted by mushon at 01:20 AM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2006
Censorship Links
I just noticed, boingboing has a really nice listing of ways to circumvent censorship over the internet...
Posted by Jeff at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2006
a martyr for the Free information in the World
"If God wants me to die, I will die. I will be a martyr for the Free information in the World"
Posted by mushon at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2006
Your credit card and Homeland Security
Here is some disturbing news, in being financially responsible and paying off your credit card debt, you could raise the Homeland Security alarm, marking you as a potential terrorist.
This is the story of a couple paying a hefty chunk of their credit card balance [$6,522]... After sending in the check, they checked online to see if their account had been duly credited. They learned that the check had arrived, but the amount available for credit on their account hadn't changed.
And here is why: (snippet from the source)
They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted.
Posted by lrw at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2006
google total storage...
didn't we talk about this already?
"Google 'planning total storage' Web giant Google is planning a massive online storage facility to encompass all users' files, it is reported.The plans were allegedly revealed accidentally after a blogger spotted notes in a slideshow presentation wrongly published on Google's site.
The GDrive, previously the subject of chatroom rumour, would offer a mirror of users' hard drives, Reuters said.
Google declined to comment on the reports but said the slide notes had now been deleted.
In the notes, chief executive Eric Schmidt reportedly said Google's aim was to "store 100%" of users' information.
The notes said: "With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including e-mails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc; and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc)."
Posted by msantram at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
Relevant Narrative
It appears that even though its made in a "Waking Life" rotoscope style, the acting might still be horrible.
It doesn't seem interesting and relevant to discussions on our culture, however.
Posted by Jeff at 02:29 AM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2006
For your theory kick
Just calling attention to an online journal I came across tonight.
Vectors: Journal of Culture and Technology in a Dynamic Vernacular.
The current theme this month is "Mobility", seen through the eyes of hurricane disaster relief and the role of technology in chaos of Katrina. Features projects and articles.... like PlaceStorming
Posted by lrw at 12:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2006
Hyperscope Project
source via blackrimglasses.com
A little taste of computer history... the Hyperscope project.
Brad Neuberg writes of his present experience as one of the researchers invited to work on the Hyperscope project.
This interesting project revisits and pays homage to the work of Douglas Englebart... who we can thank for inventing the computer mouse and pioneering the field of human computer interaction, amongst many other accomplishments.
A snippet:
Hyperscope is a National Science Foundation funded project to rebuild portions of Douglas Engelbart's groundbreaking NLS system on the web.In NLS (or Augment, as it was later renamed), a small command bar at the top of the screen could accept commands; below this command bar was the document that was being worked on. Users would type commands into the command bar, something like the command-line of a DOS or Unix terminal, and would use the mouse to click on portions of the document to interact with and operate on.
Posted by lrw at 11:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Who Is Controlling Your Bluetooth Phone?
this entry is old news - but came up during research and discussions with raffi. the interesting thing about this is that the researchers were able to hack the 4 pin authentication code in less than 0.6 seconds. crazy talk.
Posted by msantram at 10:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2006
Skype potential vulnerabilities and lessons in cryptography
I'm not a Skype user, but after the mention in class of surveilling VoIP network data, I got curious about potential Skype vulnerabilities. Apparently, last fall, some security flaws were discovered that were corrected, but...
This article (from last November) explains why there might be more risks that haven't yet been discovered:
Skype is also “port agile”, meaning that if a firewall port is blocked, Skype will seek other open ports to establish a connection, Newton says.As a result, Skype could provide a back door into otherwise secure networks for Trojans, worms and viruses, Newton says.
It could also provide a channel for corporate data to be freely shared among users without any security considerations, he says.
For anyone interested, could someone provide some explanation of "port agility" and more generally, how ports function on / across networks?
In my searching, I also found this article that gets into a good discussion of cryptography on the net and the lessons that Skype provides.
Is strong crypto worse than weaker crypto? Lessons from Skype
Apparently, "Skype has also done more to put crypto into the hands of the public, for use in person to person communications, than anybody." The author here seems to be arguing that Skype's encryption scheme is especially strong due to the fact that they developed their own protocol instead of using SIP. If Skype does somehow remain secure and gaining popularity, how does this effect protocol standards and open source methodologies?
Posted by xncroft at 04:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack