Expect Resistance & Library Autonomous Zone » Civil Liberties

Digital Fingerprints

jajacobs — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:25:36 +0000

There is a fascinating article in Science News about how scientists are investigating ways to identify individuals based on the rhythm of their keystrokes when they type and their individual patterns of using a mouse. This research goes beyond, but is complemented by, research in text analysis that can sometimes identify authorship of a piece of text when a large body of text is available for comparison.

Digital Fingerprints by Julie J. Rehmeyer, Science News, Vol. 171, No. 2, Jan. 13, 2007, p. 26.

As people type messages on their computer keyboards and browse Web sites, they leave a trail of electronic fingerprints. Scientists are investigating those keystroke and mouse-use patterns to develop methods to strengthen security and reduce online fraud.

Related posts:
Xerox announces categorization software

HP to Create Digital Archive of All Time Magazines

Sociology of technology

Feeling repressed?

James R. Jacobs — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 12:07:08 +0000

Tech firms blasted over China policies on Capitol Hill

Tech companies are starting to (rightfully!) catch a lot of flack over their complicity to restrict speech and other human rights in China. But now the rabble is aroused! See boingboing for the whole story. The coolest action vs google is by the organization Students for a Free Tibet which has launched NoLuv4Google.com to help people “break up” with google on Valentine’s day. I especially like their script to hack the google homepage (See the image).

(news.com) …Politicians on Wednesday attacked Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Yahoo for declining to appear at a briefing about China’s Internet censorship and called for a new law to outlaw compliance with such requirements.

The four technology companies said earlier this week that they were not able to schedule an appearance with short notice but would testify at a similar House of Representatives hearing scheduled for Feb. 15.

“These massively successful high-tech companies, which couldn’t bring themselves to send their representatives to this meeting today, should be ashamed,” said Rep. Tom Lantos, the California Democrat who is co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which organized the briefing.

“With all their power and influence, wealth and high visibility, they neglected to commit to the kind of positive action that human rights activists in China take every day,” Lantos went on. “They caved in to Beijing’s demands for the sake of profits, or whatever else they choose to call it.”

[Thanks BoingBoing!]

NYPD infiltrate protests

James R. Jacobs — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 01:00:38 +0000

Police Infiltrate Protests, Videotapes Show

By JIM DWYER
Published: December 22, 2005

Undercover New York City police officers have conducted covert surveillance in the last 16 months of people protesting the Iraq war,
bicycle riders taking part in mass rallies and even mourners at a street vigil for a cyclist killed in an accident, a series of videotapes show.

Government spying on protestors

jajacobs — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 15:20:20 +0000

Spying on the Protesters,
by JOHN S. FRIEDMAN
The Nation,
[from the September 19, 2005 issue].

“…the FBI was more interested in intimidation than in trying to gather information.”

US Government shuts down independent news: update

jajacobs — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 19:32:24 +0000

Last November, we noted the story about the US Government seizing web servers in London
(US Gov. says: “We seize servers, you can’t complain”). Now an update from
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):

Secret Documents About Indymedia Server Disappearance Unsealed

EFF last week won a motion allowing it to
access sealed court documents about the mysterious
disappearance of two web servers used to host news websites
for Indymedia, a global collective of Independent Media
Centers (IMCs) and thousands of journalists. After six
months of secret litigation, EFF obtained a copy of the
federal court order that resulted in the October 2004
handover of copies of Indymedia servers to the government
by Indymedia’s web host. That handover resulted in the
silencing of more than 20 news websites and radio feeds
for nearly a week.

However, the unsealed documents reveal that the government
never officially demanded the computer servers – the
subpoena to Rackspace only requested server log files.
This contradicts previous statements by the web host that
it took the servers offline because the government had
demanded the hardware. The documents also contradict
Rackspace’s claim that it had been ordered by the court
not to discuss publicly the government’s demand. It
cannot be determined from the unsealed documents
whether or not the government informally pressured
Rackspace to turn over the servers.

More here:

US court files reveal Italian link to Indymedia server grab
By John Lettice, The Register August 3, 2005.
Indymedia Server Takedown EFF, Updated August 2005

“The feds can’t pull the plug on more than 20 news websites�our modern printing presses�based on a secret proceeding at the request of a foreign government. This is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment,” said Kevin Bankston, EFF attorney and Equal Justice Works/Bruce J. Ennis Fellow. “As far as the Constitution is concerned, Indymedia has the same rights as any other news publisher. The government can’t shut down the New York Times, and it can’t shut down Indymedia.”

U.S. Government blacklists Sites On Cuba

jajacobs — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 12:12:15 +0000

Feds blacklist ‘illegal’ Cuban Web sites By Anne Broache, CNET News.com, July 8, 2005.

In a lengthy regulation (“Alphabetical Listing of Blocked Persons, Specially Designated Nationals, Specially Designated Terrorists, Specially Designated Global Terrorists, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Specially Designated
Narcotics Traffickers“) published in the Federal Register, the
Office of Foreign Assets Control, lists web sites that facilitate
travel to Cuba. (Federal Register
July 1, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 126)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 38255-38499])

“The U.S. Treasury Department has blacklisted more than 60 Cuba-centric sites, many maintained by a travel company…because they provide easy access to Cuba for Americans who choose to break the law, the OFAC says. While visiting the sites may be permitted, downloading software from them probably isn’t.”

“The problem, really, with the OFAC regulations and export controls generally is they weren’t designed for the Internet,” said Douglas Jacobson, a sanctions lawyer in Washington, D.C.

See Tom Ridge Hide Behind the Flag

jajacobs — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 16:02:41 +0000

This is so odd, I just don’t know what to think about it. Perhaps someone can
explain it to me?

Watch closely as you load this pdf file http://www.adcouncil.org/pdf/homeland_magazine_flag_13x21.pdf
from the AdCouncil and you may see a picture of Tom Ridge behind the picture of the flag. If you don’t see it, try resizing the window and it may appear.
There is a link to this file on this page:
http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/homeland_security/

Study of High School and First Amendment

jajacobs — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 18:17:31 +0000

Survey Finds First Amendment
Is Being Left Behind in U.S. High Schools.
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Jan. 31, 2005.

A new study, The Future of the First Amendment, of high school student, teachers, and administrators shows a shocking lack of understanding of the First Amendment by high school students. Among the findings: half believe the government can censor the Internet, and more than a third think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.

key findings
The report, powerpoint, and an editorial cartoon.
methodology.
The report was sponsored by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Freedom of what?
First Amendment no big deal, students say CNN.
Monday, January 31, 2005.
More Than 1 in 3 Students Want Gov’t Control of Press, Knight Survey Finds
Editor and Publisher
By E&P Staff. January 31, 2005.

Privacy: Selective Service System and Dept. of Ed

jajacobs — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 23:48:05 +0000

Computer Matching Between the Selective Service System and the Department of Education
Federal Register, November 4, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 213) [Page 64353].
[Notices] FR Doc 04-24634.

Computerized access to
the Selective Service Registrant Registration Records (SSS 10) enables
ED to confirm the registration status of applicants for assistance
under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended …

Privacy: More about Feds wanting more access to student records

jajacobs — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 23:38:06 +0000

Education > Federal Plan to Keep Data on Students Worries Some” href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/29/education/29college.html?oref=login”>Federal Plan to Keep Data on Students Worries Some
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO,
The New York Times,
November 29, 2004,
Late Edition – Final,
Section A; Column 1; National Desk; Pg. 19.

A proposal by the federal government to create a vast new database of enrollment records on all college and university students is raising concerns that the move will erode the privacy rights of students….

”The concept that you enter a federal registry by the act of enrolling in a college in this country is frightening to us,” Ms. Flanagan [vice president for government relations at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities] said.