December 29, 2006
Cyber-Tsunami Shakes Asian Telecom
Asia has begun to recover from the tsunami that disrupted international phone service and cut access to the Internet.
Tuesday night, a series of earthquakes beneath the seas off southeastern Taiwan snapped underwater cables connecting Hong Kong, Taiwan and China to North America, Japan and Korea. The real effect was felt when businesses reopened Wednesday morning and discovered that they couldn't make international phone calls, open U.S. and other foreign Web sites or rely to their e-mail.
"We depend on the Internet" and international phone service, says Edmund Wong, 26, sales administrator for a Hong Kong property firm. "Without them, we can't do anything."
Ships from Singapore and the Philippines hurried to the scene of the breakdown Thursday to start repairs. The Hong Kong government says that fixing undersea cables typically takes five to seven days; but the work could be delayed by aftershocks and damage to the seabed. For the time being, telecommunications operators will reroute phone traffic to undamaged cables, some of them through Europe.
Asia Scrambles to Restore Communications After Quake
Asia's Wired World Snarled as Quakes Snap Telecom Cable
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 26, 2006
Al Qaeda Org. Addresses America
Abu Omar Al Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State in Iraq, a group with links to al Qaeda posted an audio tape to the Internet warning the US.
The 20 minute recording offered US troops a one-month truce to withdrawl from the country without being attacked. The authenticity of the tape could not be verified, but it was posted on two main Web sites used by al Qaeda and other insurgent groups in Iraq.
"We are anouncing our orders for you, so obey them before you regret it," Al Baghdadi says on the recording. "We are awaiting your response within two weeks of this announcement."
The recording was posted on the Internet hours after Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended a visit to Iraq aimed at finding a new strategy to curb violence and allow U.S. troops to withdraw.
"You (Bush) wasted the opportunity of the truce offered to you by the sheikh of the mujahideen, Osama bin Laden, may God protect him," said Al Baghadadi. In January, bin Laden warned in an audio tape that al Qaeda was preparing new attacks inside the United States, but said the group was open to a conditional truce with the Americans.
Washington has said it does not negotiate with terrorists.
Qaeda-backed group offers U.S. safe Iraq exit: Web
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 22, 2006
Queen Podcats From the Palace
For the first time, members of the public will be able to access Queen Elisabeth II's Christmas Broadcast via podcasting.
The Christmas Broadcast will be available from 3pm on Monday, December 25th at www.royal.gov.uk.
The broadcast will be available as both streamed media which visitors to the site can just 'click and play', and as a podcast. Listeners can subscribe to the Christmas Broadcast podcast in advance, using the link on the home page, and will automatically receive the Broadcast on Christmas Day.
At 80 years old, the Queen is still informed and integrated into the latest technology. Last year she bought an iPod and according to Buckingham, she sent her first e-mail in 1976 and her coronation was the first event broadcast on live television in 1953.
The Queen will also record a message to the British Armed Services and their families, both in the United Kingdom and on postings overseas, for broadcast on Christmas Eve. This message will be distributed through the British Forces Broadcasting Service, and will also be available to listen to and download on the Web.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Official Website of the British Monarchy
Posted by Buzz Webster at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 19, 2006
e-Passport: Cloned in 5 minutes
The e-Passport is one of the many measures being pursued by the United States and governments internationally after September 11th.
But as the implementation and testing gets underway it is becoming clear that there could be some serious problems.
The chip inside the e-Passport is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, the same type poised to replace the barcode in supermarkets. They emit radio signals that can be read at a short distance by an electronic reader. DN-Systems consulting recently demonstrated to the BBC how, with a 200 Euro reader found on E-bay, they can download the data to their computer and then write it to a new, blank RFID chip to create a perfect digital clone. When the cloned e-Passport is read and compared to the original one it behaves exactly the same.
The UK Home Office however dismissed the ability to get hold of the information on the chip. A spokesman said: "It is hard to see why anyone would want to access the information on the chip. Being able to copy this does not mean that the passport can be forged or imitated for illegal or unauthorized use."
This is the same hack we've seen repeatedly demonstrated in Germany, the US, The Netherlands, Ireland, ect. British e-passports unlike those issued by other countries, do not currently store fingerprint scans in the chip and the encryption is just one aspect of the passport's overall security. However, with these mechanisms also circumvented, shouldn't the government officials be just a tad concerned?
e-Passports 'At Risk' From Cloning
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 15, 2006
How to Catch a Predator
This week, Perverted Justice, an organization dedicated to outing online sexual predators, logged its 113th conviction.
Perverted Justice (PeeJ) has 41,000 registered users of its online forums committed to the cause of stopping predators, 65 volunteers trained as chat room decoys and three salaried leaders. The group touts an average of 25 arrests a month for 2006 and is also credited with locating a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped, and tortured by a 47-year-old man she met online.
Founder Xavier Von Erck, 27, a former tech-support worker, said he got the idea for the website while watching men attempt to groom young girls in chat rooms in Oregon. PeeJ is a computer watchdog agency that works closely with law-enforcement agencies. "The media likes to use the term 'vigilante' because it gets attention, but we don't consider ourselves vigilantes. We cultivate cooperation with police and work within the law to get justice, not outside of the law."
“It’s a kind of blog that has turned into a crime- fighting resource,” said Robert McCrie, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.
The group’s association with “Dateline” has also been lucrative. Ratings for the broadcasts, a series called “To Catch a Predator” have become a network franchise, and averaged over 9 million viewers.
Perverted Justice, in collaboration with "Dateline," has brought much attention to this growing problem and should be commended for their efforts.
Web Site Hunts Pedophiles, and TV Goes Along
Posted by Buzz Webster at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
Conservatives "GAIN" Netroots
Tom DeLay, former Republican majority leader, has announced the launch of a conservative Internet grassroots organization.
The organization, called GAIN - Grassroots, Action, and Information Network, aims to raise money and unite the conservative base to take back Congress. GAIN, which has been likened to the left's Move On will be hosted on at www.TomDeLay.com, a blog that will feature posts from DeLay as well as other conservative bloggers and activists.
According to The Hill, the site was supposed to be launched prior to the midterm
elections but DeLay, anticipating we suppose, altered the original concept to "reflect the need for Republican's to change course."
According to the Web site, members of GAIN will receive weekly notices and event alerts,
insider political information on the 110th Congress, and the opportunity to participate in "monthly online strategy sessions" with DeLay and others.
"As the Democrats have clearly figured out, grassroots activism and communication are
critically important components of any successful political movement. If the past two
election cycles have taught us anything, it’s that a strong, focused, and activated
grassroots network is key to achieving victory," DeLay said.
Source:
DeLay Launches New Conservative Force
Posted by Buzz Webster at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 08, 2006
Federal Changes For E-Voting
A federal advisory committee voted this week in favor of a resolution to require stronger e-voting guidelines.
After scientists at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) warned in a draft report that U.S. states shouldn't use touch-screen voting systems unless they also print ballots on paper, the Election Assistance Commission - the nation's top election oversight board - approved guidelines for electronic voting machines. These are the first federal standards to be put in place, but stop short of requiring states to follow them.
"In principle, a single clever, dishonest programmer in a voting machine company could rig an entire statewide election if the state uses mainly one kind of system. Touch-screen systems cannot be made secure," the NIST report said.
Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia use electronic touch-screen voting systems, according to electionline.org , a Web site that tracks election issues. Five states, and some counties in 10 others, do not use a paper backup with those touch-screen systems, according to NIST.
The Election Assistance Commission also accepted a new definition of "election crimes" and authorized the first government-sponsored national study on the subject.
Election crimes have been defined as actions that allow ineligible persons to vote, eligible voters to be excluded or other similar interference. The new definition says such crimes generally involve deceptions, coercion, damage or inaction.
E-Voting: US Panel Changes Direction on Audit Trail
E-Voting Needs Paper Trail, Scientists Say
Agency Toughen Voting Security Program
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
Internet Censorship in Iran
Reporters Without Borders has released a report detailing the media censorship that now exists in Iran.
The campaign, led by Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attempts to free the country of western cultural influences, via the Internet. Video sharing site YouTube, Web encyclopedia Wikipedia, and The New York Times are among the major websites blocked by Iran.
In addition, high-speed (above 128 kilobits per sec) Internet connections have been banned as well as Internet based SMS. Internet texting has been blocked in an effort to prevent the defamation of candidates in the upcoming elections.
Iran has about 7.5 million Internet surfers which is the highest number of web users in the Middle East after Israel. The country also has more than 100,000 bloggers, some of which are substitutes for Iran's suppressed, reformist press.
Iran is on Reporters Without Borders' list of the 13 enemies of the Internet. The Government has objected to their inclusion and says they only filter illegal or immoral content. Reporters Without Borders has expressed deep concern for the future of the Internet in Iran where censorship is now the rule rather than the exception.
Iran Blocks Internet-Based SMS to Prevent Smear Campaign in Election
Iran Steps up Censorship of Foreign Content
RSF's 13 Enemies of the Internet
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 01, 2006
Ahmadinejad Addresses Americans
Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has posted a letter addressed to the American people on his Weblog.
This six-page letter, in English, was published online and addressed to “Noble Americans.” Among other things, it discussed “the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S. administration.” It suggested that Americans have been fooled into accepting their government’s policies.
Ahmadinejad called for the pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq and charged that Bush administration policy is based on "coercion, force and injustice."
"With the presence of the US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty," he wrote. " ... I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars ... from your treasury for this military misadventure." U.S. resources would be better spent at home, he added, to alleviate poverty and help the "many victims" of Hurricane Katrina.
The Bush administration dismissed the letter as a "public relations stunt" and also rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. troops, noting that the letter came one day after the United Nations, at Iraq's request, had renewed the mandate of the U.S.-led coalition force for another 12 months.
Davoud Hermidas-Bavand, a professor of international relations at Tehran University, said that while the letter was addressed to Americans it was mostly an effort to win the allegiance of Arabs. “The letter makes Ahmadinejad a subject of international talks, particularly in the Middle East.” Iran has long been trying to position itself as the pre-eminent power in the Middle East.
Iran’s President Criticizes Bush in Letter to American People
Iranian President Makes Direct Appeal to Americans
Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans
Ahmadinejad's Blog
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
