YIAAL - Slashdot User

Submission + - Why The NTSB Is Wrong About Cellphones (popularmechanics.com)

Submitted by YIAAL on Thursday December 15, 2011 @02:17PM

YIAAL writes: After a multi-car pileup involving two school buses, the NTSB is urging states to ban all cellphones and personal electronic devices in cars, even hands-free phones. But on looking at the NTSB report, it appears that the big problem was a school bus driver who was following too closely, and another school bus driver who wasn't watching the road. Why is the NTSB targeting gadgets instead of bad drivers?

Submission + - Robert X. Cringely on spectrum auctions (popularmechanics.com)

Submitted by

YIAAL

on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:27AM

YIAAL writes: "Writing in Popular Mechanics, Robert X. Cringely looks at the upcoming auction of spectrum currently used for soon-to-be-defunct analog TV. "Why are all these companies so excited? Because the 60 MHz of spectrum that's about to be auctioned is the last prime real estate for mobile communications that will be available in the U.S. for decades to come. . . . Some pundits (that would be me) think Google will bid to win its spectrum block, then will trade that block to Sprint/Nextel for some of that company's 2.5-GHz WiMAX licenses that are far better suited for data." Plus, the prospect of offering unlicensed data service in the "white space" between existing broadcast channels."

Submission + - A Legal Analysis of the Sony BMG Rootkit Debacle

Submitted by

YIAAL

on Sunday December 16, 2007 @07:20PM

YIAAL writes: "Two lawyers from the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology look at the Sony BMG Rootkit debacle: "The Article first addresses the market-based rationales that likely influenced Sony BMG's deployment of these DRM systems and reveals that even the most charitable interpretation of Sony BMG's internal strategizing demonstrates a failure to adequately value security and privacy. After taking stock of the then-existing technological environment that both encouraged and enabled the distribution of these protection measures, the Article examines law, the third vector of influence on Sony BMG's decision to release flawed protection measures into the wild, and argues that existing doctrine in the fields of contract, intellectual property, and consumer protection law fails to adequately counter the technological and market forces that allowed a self-interested actor to inflict these harms on the public." Yes, under "even the most charitable interpretation" it was a lousy idea. The article also suggests some changes to the DMCA to protect consumers from this sort of intrusive, and security-undermining, technique in the future."

Comment The real story (Score 1) 658

by YIAAL on Thursday October 18, 2007 @02:04PM (#21028463) Attached to: White House Wins On Spying, Telecom Immunity

Bush sold this to the Democrats by telling them that it represents a "more European" approach to surveillance. Which is, largely, true.

Of course, the Europeans don't have the U.S. Constitution. But Congress seldom troubles itself with such problems.

Submission + - Mandatory Keyloggers in Mumbai's Cyber Cafes

Submitted by YIAAL on Sunday September 09, 2007 @08:39AM

YIAAL writes: Indian journalist Amit Varma reports that Mumbai's police are requiring Internet cafes to install keystroke loggers, which will capture every keystroke by users and turn that information over to the government. Buy things online, and the underpaid Indian police will have your credit card number. "Will these end up getting sold in a black market somewhere? Not unlikely."

Slashdot Top Deals