Robert McMillan reports: Seattle police are investigating a group of criminals who they say have been cruising around town in a black Mercedes stealing credit card data by tapping into wireless networks belonging to area businesses. The group has been at it for about five years, according to an affidavit signed by Detective Chris Hansen,…
Author: Dissent
Coming up Tuesday: SCOTUS hears data-mining case Sorrell v. IMS
Lyle Denniston writes: The Supreme Court holds one hour of oral argument on Tuesday on the scope of constitutional protection for the modern phenomenon of “data-mining,” the creation of usable information out of masses of stored computer entries. The case is Sorrell, et al., v. IMS Health, et al. (10-779). Arguing for the state of…
CA: Central Valley man accused of swiping credit card info
Armenak Avagyan, 28, of Rancho Cordova has been arrested on a five-count federal indictment accusing him of trafficking in counterfeit and fraudulent credit cards, as well as identity theft. The indictment alleges that Mr. Avagyan engaged in a wide-ranging scheme to steal credit card information by using “skimmers” – electronic devices installed in gas station…
Data breach fines can risk more harm than good, experts say
George V. Hulme writes: Are regulatory and security breach fines protecting the consumer, or beginning to unduly drive security policy? As penalties begin to be levied against organizations who have been attacked, or employees violated data policy, some experts now question whether the government is penalizing one of the victims in a crime, rather than…
Sealed Records Exposed In Major Court Gaffe
In a shocking failure to protect sensitive details about dozens of ongoing criminal investigations, federal officials somehow allowed confidential information about sealed cases to be publicly accessible via the court system’s online lookup service, The Smoking Gun has learned. Over the past nine months, details of 40 separate sealed court applications filed by federal prosecutors…
AU: $40,000 damages for breach of privacy
Julie Robotham reports: A $40,000 damages order for misusing a mentally ill patient’s medical records has sent a strong privacy warning to hospitals. The compensation, awarded to a man who was a patient of the same public hospital where he worked [the former Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service], is the maximum allowable in…