contributed by weld pond
With the possibility of being signed before the year is out, The Council of Europe’s Draft Cybercrime Treaty will make the authorship or possession of "hacking" software an offense punishable by law. The potential fall out of a treaty such as this puts vulnerability research and reporting in grave danger. If this type of activity is made illegal and both vendors and users alike are no longer made aware of their system's potential holes then the likelihood of establishing more secure networks will cease to exist.

MSNBC

contributed by harvest
In an EPIC and Peacefire independent report it was determined that Internet filtering software “Bess,” blocks a significant amount of educational and political content on the web in an attempt to stop children from accessing inappropriate material at school. "Bess" is installed in nearly 40% of US schools according to its manufacturer, N2H2, and effectively censors a wide variety of decidedly harmless material including numerous campaign, government, and grassroot websites.

N2H2 - What “Bess” claims to filter
EPIC/Peacefire Report - What “Bess” also filters

contributed by iron river
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has decided to pour a cool $6 million into R&D with the hopes of beefing up network security. Well, it's about time isn't it? Secure Computing has signed on for four different projects, three of which fall under the department's Third Generation Security Initiative, while the fourth involves work on a VPN.

Federal Computer Week

contributed by laney
The Delaney Group, a self-described "public affairs and management consulting firm serving private, government, and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States," has released what they are calling " The High-Tech 12." The "High-Tech 12" is a list of elected officials whom the Delaney Group believes will make a difference in the future of tech policy. While surely it's an honor to be mentioned on this list and there is little doubt each of the members probably deserves their spot, will they really live up to this new "honor" and work hard for their constitutes or will a position on this list serve only as fodder for their respective reelection campaigns?

Newsbytes
Delaney Policy's List

contributed by laney
The medical field is going through a period that is eerily similar to the ecommerce bonanza and eventual fallout of yesteryear. Just as ecommerce sites allowed their rush to market to override the glaring necessity of making security a top priority, the medical field may now be heading down the same road. What's scary about this situation is that private medical information would be vulnerable if security concerns are ignored.

The New York Times

contributed by andrew
A bill proposed by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. that addresses the electronic sale of SSNs appears to have lost much of its original meaning. It is an inarguably well-intended bill that would have protected personal privacy by banning the trafficking of SSNs. Unfortunately it appears that commercial interests are affecting the proposed legislation, with the resulting cure being worse than the disease. Can you imagine, it's illegal for you or I to buy or sell another person's SSN but it's OK for "business" to do it? The fact of the matter is, NOBODY, not individuals nor businesses, should be able to do this sort of thing.

The Washington Post via Newsbytes