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Phone and tablet unlocking – US government nudges it closer to law

A posting from  Naked Security about Phone and tablet unlocking:

US citizens are now one step closer to being able to do (more or less) what they want with their gadgets – at least as far as choosing a wireless carrier goes.

On Thursday, six months after the White House publicly endorsed a citizens’ petition to regain the right to unlock smartphones and tablets so that they can be used on whichever wireless network the owner wishes, the government has set the ball rolling with a petition [PDF] to the Federal Communications Commission.

The petition, from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), asks the FCC to amend its rules so as to require carriers to unlock any wireless devices they sell, including smartphones and tablets.

 

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EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy gets harsh criticism from data protection advocate

A posting from Naked Security on Cybersecurty  Strategy :

A top EU data privacy advocate has criticised the European Union’s plans to combat cybercrime, saying they don’t provide enough protection for personal data.

In the same statement, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Peter Hustinx suggested that too little attention has been paid to existing regulations and agencies, and that it would be useful to have tighter definitions of what exactly the European Commission means by “cybercrime” and related terms.

The statement comes as an official “opinion” document [PDF] responding to the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy [PDF] plan.

The strategy was issued in February alongside proposals for a set of unified network and information security rules, referred to as the “NIS Directive [PDF]“.

The strategy document got a lukewarm reception at the time, with general approval that the EC was heading in the right direction but worries that the proposals were too vague and open-ended. The opinions from the EDPS seem to echo this, welcoming the existence of the strategy but pointing out some potential problems.

 

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Texas becomes first US state to ban warrantless email snooping

A posting from Naked Security:

Texas has become the first US state to ban email snooping without a warrant.

Governor Rick Perry signed the new privacy bill – HB 2268 – into law on Friday. It went into effect immediately.

The bill enacts a law that sets Texas residents apart from the other 49 states by protecting them from state and local law enforcement surveillance carried out without a warrant.

The portion of the bill that pertains to privacy was written by 29-year-old freshman Republican legislator Jonathan Stickland, who represents an area between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Stickland told the Star-Telegram that he’s fighting for ideals that all US citizens can get behind – a sentiment the newspaper applauded:

 

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US law enforcers want to see a kill switch on our mobile phones

A posting from Naked Security on mobile phones:

US law enforcers are demanding a kill switch on our smartphones that would theoretically brick them after they’re stolen.

New York’s top prosecutor, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, together with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, put out a statement on Thursday about the launch of an initiative devoted to drying up the secondary market on which stolen devices are sold.

The initiative, dubbed Secure Our Smartphones (SOS), is a coalition of law enforcers from across the country: state attorneys general, district attorneys, major city police chiefs, state and city comptrollers, as well as public safety activists and consumer advocates.

The announcement came on the same day that Gascón and Schneiderman co-hosted a “Smartphone Summit” with representatives from smartphone makers Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft.

Schneiderman said in the statement that about 113 smartphones are stolen or lost every minute in the US, with many of the thefts turning violent.

Here’s how the SOS coalition describes this “epidemic”:

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NYPD detective charged with hiring email hackers to break into colleagues’ personal accounts

New York City police have arrested a NYPD detective for hiring an email hacking service to pinch the login details for at least 43 personal email accounts and one cell phone belonging to at least 30 individuals.

Edwin Vargas, 42, of Bronxville (a part of New York City), is accused of having paid $4,050 via PayPal to an illicit hacking service between March 2011 and October 2012.

According to a statement from Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents arrested Vargas outside his home on Tuesday.

Officials said that 19 of Vargas’ alleged targets are current NYPD officers, one is retired from the NYPD, and another is an administrative staff member of the NYPD.

Vargas allegedly used the login credentials to peek into at least one personal email account belonging to a current NYPD officer. He also allegedly accessed another victim’s online cellular telephone account.

 

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