Privacy
How Police Body Cameras Change Our Perception Of Right And Wrong
There was something about the sudden, near-universal praise for police body cameras that rubbed Seth Stoughton the wrong way. A law professor at the University of South Carolina who has […]
Workplace Biometric Technology Outpacing the Law
Whether they?re clocking in to work, trying to enter a secure room or driving a company car, many workers are finding that the procedures for these everyday workplace occurrences are changing. To improve efficiency, combat fraud, and boost employee health and safety, employers increasingly are adopting biometric devices. Biometric technology analyzes the unique characteristics of a person through his or her fingerprints, irises, retinas, hand geometry, facial patterns, voice patterns or DNA information.
X-Band RADAR Blimps Over Washington DC Tracks Aircraft, Cars, and Boats
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland – After a protracted development program, The U.S. Army is planning to finally deploy by year?s end the first of its new airships designed to aid in air and missile threat detection for the Northeastern U.S. The deployment is highlighting what some in the nation?s defense establishment say is a vulnerability in U.S. homeland protection: the ability to detect a cruise missile targeting a U.S. city.
Drone on Drones: New Court Decision Reflects Shifting Views on Privacy in Public
Whenever drone policy is raised as a topic, privacy concerns follow close behind it as a discussion point. The idea of aerial surveillance that is cheaper, less time-intensive, and requires fewer man hours to get off the ground leads immediately to concerns about the development of a surveillance state, where individuals can be monitored round the clock, and every public action can be recorded for posterity.
BBB Video Surveillance Cameras Tip of the Week
Many people understand the dangers of hackers accessing webcams. A simple fix is to place a sticker over the pinhole camera lens. Perhaps lesser known is the focus of hackers and thieves on wireless cameras used for security. Internet protocol cameras, also called IP or wireless cameras, are often used to monitor homes and small businesses. Nanny cams are usually wireless also. If set up improperly or accessed in an unsecure manner, video data can become open to the public.
NJ Bill Calling for Police Registry of Security Cameras Coming Into Focus
When a bad guy abducted a woman off the street in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and she was rescued when his car was located in Maryland, I marveled at the black box technology that found the vehicle. Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, NJ, was even more impressed with a nearby store’s video camera that recorded the entire incident and identified the car. So he crafted bill A-3843 permitting a municipality to enact an ordinance establishing a private outdoor video surveillance camera registry, requiring owners of such cameras to register them with police.
Website Views Over 70,000 Unsecured Security Cameras via Default Passwords
One of the major vulnerabilities of these network IP-cameras is that unless the purchaser of said network IP-caemra changes the default username and password of the camera, it can be viewed by anyone in the world. SecurityHive.com has come across a website that streams video from unsecured video cameras that employ default usernames and passwords.
Natural Security Alliance Unveils New Privacy Rules Around Biometric Security
According to its announcement, the Natural Security Alliance’s new Privacy Rules help biometric authentication systems dictate an organization’s obligations when collecting and handling personal data. Essentially the new Privacy Rules helps ensure that biometric data is secure and confidential, minimizing the risk of misuse, and that the data subject (ie. the person whose data is stored) has consented to the data collection and that they have some control over their data and its use.
Ex-Lowell MA Library Aide Claims Foul Over City’s Surveillance
Former Pollard Memorial Library Assistant Diane Cloutier says the city of Lowell’s surveillance of her constitutes an invasion of privacy. The city’s hiring of private investigators to covertly track employees […]
Some Claim Boston Schools Go Too Far With Audio Surveillance Of School Buses
EDITORIAL – Matthew J. Lee, Bostom Globe staff – A new video camera system is installed above the drivers seat in a Boston school bus. Boston’s school […]
Next Generation Of Public Surveillance Technology Already Here
CCTV is everywhere in Britain, but it isn’t as effective as we think. Smile, you’re on camera: the UK is one of the most closely-watched societies in the world. According […]
White Rock Pub Raises Eyebrows With Video Camera In Men?s Washroom
The security camera at the Sandpiper Pub is aimed at the sinks and hand-drying area of the men’s washroom. Bill Lawrence, co-owner of the pub and a White Rock councillor, […]
EFF And 31 Other Organizations Call For Privacy Assessment Of FBI’s Biometric Database
The FBI plans to roll out the face recognition component of its massive Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database this summer – but the Bureau has six years of catching […]
Civil Liberties Groups Reject IBIA Biometric ?Best Practices? Recommendations
The International Biometrics and Identification Association (IBIA) recently issued a “best practices” document listing numerous recommendations on how to best deploy biometric technology for commercial situations. The IBIA is participating […]
Scapegoating Face Recognition Technology As Privacy Wormhole Doesn?t Solve Anything
Facial recognition technology is facing a blitz of negative media with wormhole-like theories that this technology results in mass surveillance, destroys anonymity, and will forever change the way people behave […]
Chicago Security Camera Surge Sparks Concerns Of ‘Massive Surveillance System’
Between traffic-light cameras, blue-light cameras that scan neighborhoods for violent crime, cameras on board city trains and buses —not to mention private security cameras— there are few places you can […]
Hide From Surveillance By Wearing A Mask Of This Artist’s Face
By Zach Sokol: There’s this really funny scene in Infinite Jest where David Foster Wallace imagines a future where video phone calls make people so self-conscious and insecure that they […]
The New Big Brother: Your Neighbors – Households Urged To Stop Using CCTV To Film Those Living Next Door
Fears of excessive state surveillance are commonplace. But it seems the real spies could be closer to home – the neighbors. Members of the public have been urged to stop […]
Branford CT Neighbor Dispute Centers On Property Line, Surveillance Camera
Kamran Farid, owner of the home on the right, is taking the owners of the home on the left (Bob and Michelle DiLieto) to court, alleging the couple’s fence is […]
The Inherent Conflict Between Security And Privacy
For families, companies, and even nations, there is a struggle between security and privacy. While an individual may have some expectation of privacy or right to safeguard his or her […]