Government

In April, bill 1955, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (VRAHTPA), was introduced in Congress. If passed, the legislation would create a a new commission that would be charged with monitoring citizens with "extremist ... belief systems" and anyone who may be suspected of "ideologically based violence." (Source: news.com ) The following is an excerpt from VRAHTPA: "Congress finds the following: The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the home grown terrorism process in the United States by providing access ... (view more)

The British government has admitted losing a compact disc containing the personal details of 25 million people. The scandal has led to concerns that criminals could use the information for identity fraud or to access online bank accounts. The disc, ... which contains details of every family receiving child benefit (a form of social security paid for all children), was produced by a junior official at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the British tax department. The official put two passwords on the disc, but did not encrypt the information. They then sent the disc to another government ... (view more)

In a recent article written by Bruce Schneier, noted cryptographer from e-media mag Wired.com, the author examines the research (PDF) of security experts Niels Ferguson and Dan Shumow, presenters at the CRYPTO 2007 conference this past August. ... Ferguson and Shumow suggest that an algorithm for generating random numbers included in an official standard document (PDF) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ) contains a weakness that can only be described as a backdoor . Earlier this year the U.S. government released a new official standard for random-number generators that ... (view more)

Congress has been occupied with several matters concerning the Internet recently. The legislative body recently gave the 'go ahead' to measures that should make broadband service more accessible in the future. On Tuesday of last week, the House of ... Representatives approved H.R. 3919 which requires the government to survey the current availability of broadband access by counting the number of household and corporate subscribers. Based on that data the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will then develop a map displaying accessibility distribution throughout the ... (view more)

In North America, we certainly take for granted our freedom of speech. Although some libertarians argue that the battle to freely speak one's mind is still being waged, the situation here is clearly nothing like the restrictions of communist China, ... where the government and multimedia are still fighting for control of the public. The problem for many in the United States is not necessarily the policy of the Chinese government -- that's tough to change -- but the ethical standards of American companies operating in the country. Finally, there's a sign that the web's most powerful companies will ... (view more)

Most visitors to Infopackets.com are computer and Internet aficionados. Our readers know the web, and seem to generally enjoy it. Chances are, most of you have dabbled in its social networking sphere, posting profiles to Facebook, MySpace, or one of ... the other, lesser-known sites. Now one poll is warning that this activity can backfire, and although it may not mean downloading a Trojan horse or other virus, it could perhaps offer something even more sinister: identity theft. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) Although few readers will be surprised by the crime, some may be shocked by the chances of it ... (view more)

An ambitious scheme could see Russian spy planes provide broadband Internet services. The scheme would use Myasishchev M-55 planes to plug gaps in Russia's patchy satellite coverage. They would also be used in areas where the telecoms system has ... been damaged or destroyed. Because the planes are designed to fly at high altitude, they can provide coverage to a much wider ground area. The planes, which are equivalent to the American U-2s, were originally designed to intercept US spy balloons. They've since been transferred to scientific uses such as studying the arctic stratosphere. An existing ... (view more)

Ever wonder what kind of punishment a government employee might receive for leaking the personal information of John Q. Public? Here's your answer in a nutshell: a week's vacation. The man who'll have less time this year to lounge on tropical ... beaches is one Jerry Miller, payroll team leader for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Miller is behind the agency's Administrative Knowledge System, or OAKS, and last month was found responsible for losing a tape containing data on nearly 65,000 state employees, 20,000 former state employees, and worst of all almost 50,000 Ohio taxpayers. ... (view more)

Ah, the modern wonders of 21st century technology. We live in a world where illegal wiretapping is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to violations of civil rights violations against U.S. citizens. Now, Germany reportedly wants to get ... involved in spying on citizens using tech, too. German officials want to use Trojan horse software to secretly monitor potential terror suspects' computing habits. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is trying to include using Trojan horses as part of a broader security law being considered by the German government, alleging that judicial approval ... (view more)

In a couple recent articles by myself and my colleague Brandon Dimmel , we've mentioned the Big Brother concept a couple of times. Now we can talk about the worst Big Brother case scenario known to modern man (and woman). When used correctly, the ... concept of Big Brother can be beneficial to everyone's safety and security. When used as a tool to maintain complete control over an entire country, there is always the possibility of mind-numbing civil rights violations, too. At least 20,000 police surveillance cameras are reportedly being installed along streets in southern China. These will soon ... (view more)