Topic: POLICE REPORT - on February 20, 2012 at 4:51:00 PM CET
Laser ‘Dazzler’ Weapon Approved for Use by Police and Coast Guard
At the SHOT Show last month in Las Vegas, Nevada, B.E. Meyers Electro-Optics of Redmond, Washington, unveiled the first laser dazzler that has been approved for non-military law enforcement by the US Food and Drug Administration. Though they are purportedly less harmful than other non-lethal weapons, such as tasers and rubber bullets, the International Committee of the Red Cross is concerned that not enough has been done to lessen the risk of people suffering permanent blindness.
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Topic: POLICE REPORT - on February 20, 2012 at 4:31:00 PM CET
Grant funding for body-worn cameras
Body-Worn Cameras: They are small, powerful, silent partners and their use is growing all over the country. The technology for this small but vital tool for law enforcement has become a favorite in many police departments. While departments have been using the in-car cameras for years, in the current economy their cost has become a viable tool to maintain the crime-fighting effectiveness of video for a much smaller price. These small cameras range from $70 to $900, which is a much more palatable cost for cash-strapped departments.
According to the fall issue of TechBeat published by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, proponents of body-worn video cameras say they can increase transparency of operations and reduce litigation while resulting in cost-savings for departments driven by financial concerns. Officer-worn cameras provide advantages similar to in-car cameras, including protecting officers from false accusations, collecting evidence for trial and improving community relations. The difference is the body-worn cameras can go wherever the patrol officer goes: when he steps away from the patrol car, such as into an apartment building or a house, they record what the officer sees and hears. Detectives can use the cameras for field interviews and victim interviews.
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Topic: SECURITY - on February 20, 2012 at 3:48:00 PM CET
Anti-sharing directive - IPRED
IPRED is a European directive which harmonises civil (and soon, penal) sanctions at the EU level for any kind of “intellectual property” infringement: copyright, patents, trademarks and design, plant breeders rights, etc. It organises the repression against sharers, remixers, developers, hackers and inventors of all kinds.
The EU Commission wants to modify IPRED to “adapt” it to the digital environment. This means expanding the war on sharing on the Internet, in direct continuation of ACTA's goals. IPRED calls for large scale filtering of the Internet to thwart file sharing. Search engines, hosting services, websites and Internet access providers would be forced to control the communications of Internet users.
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Topic: nuclear power - on February 20, 2012 at 3:42:00 PM CET
Nuclear Plant Safety Report on USB Stick Lost By Official
A USB stick containing a confidential safety report on a UK nuclear power station has been lost in India, UK ministers have been told by a red-faced Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
The report on Hartlepool nuclear power station was reportedly downloaded in unencrypted form on to the drive before being lost by a senior Health and Safety Executive (HSE) official while at a conference in India, sources told The Sun newspaper.
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Topic: POLITIK - on February 20, 2012 at 2:32:00 PM CET
Loveparade-Gutachten setzt Duisburg unter Druck
Verkehrsforscher hatte nur einen eingeschränkten Untersuchungsauftrag zur Loveparade. Die Stadt, so der Vorwurf, soll die Besucherprognose zurückgehalten haben.
Das Gutachten des britischen Massenforschers Keith Still setzt die Stadt Duisburg weiter unter Druck. So hatten die Planer der Kommune zwar den Duisburger Verkehrsprofessor Michael Schreckenberg und die Firma TraffGo mit Gutachten zur Entfluchtung und Personenstromanalyse des Festgeländes beauftragt, um die Veranstaltung genehmigungsfähig zu machen. Von den Gutachtern aber keine tragfähigen Aussagen zu den gefährlichen Stellen auf dem Festgelände erhalten. Und nicht nachgefasst. Das Still-Papier zieht nun die Qualität der städtischen Aufträge an Schreckenberg und TraffGo in Zweifel. Die entscheidende Frage wurde nämlich nicht beantwortet: Wie viele Menschen können pro Stunde überhaupt maximal auf das Gelände gelangen?
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Topic: POLITIK - on February 20, 2012 at 12:58:00 PM CET
Teure Frage: Wer hat bei den #ACTA Verhandlungen teilgenommen
Es wird wahrscheinlich ein Arbeitsaufwand entstehen, der den Rahmen einer einfachen Auskunft übersteigt, wofür Gebühren bis zu 500 € erhoben werden können (siehe nähere Einzelheiten in der Informationsgebührenverordnung).
Teilnahme an den Verhandlungsrunden für ACTA Anfrage an: Bundesministerium der Justiz Verwendete Gesetze:
Informationsfreiheitsgesetz
Verbraucherinformationsgesetz
Umweltinformationsgesetz
Status dieser Anfrage: Warte auf Antwort Frist: 16. März 2012 - in 3 Wochen, 3 Tage
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Topic: DRUGS - on February 20, 2012 at 12:40:00 PM CET
Is inhalable caffeine safe? FDA to investigate AeroShot!
AeroShot is a branded product that has been available to consumers in Massachusetts and New York, in the United States, and in France since late in January 2012. However, is the inhalable caffeine safe? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will analyze it after serious concern has been raised as to its safety to consumers.
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Topic: SECURITY - on February 20, 2012 at 12:36:00 PM CET
How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did
Every time you go shopping, you share intimate details about your consumption patterns with retailers. And many of those retailers are studying those details to figure out what you like, what you need, and which coupons are most likely to make you happy. Target, for example, has figured out how to data-mine its way into your womb, to figure out whether you have a baby on the way long before you need to start buying diapers.
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Topic: Phone - on February 20, 2012 at 12:34:00 PM CET
10 Steps To Smartphone Privacy
Smartphone owners, it's you versus bad guys and nosy apps. Follow these 10 tips to keep your data locked down.
Your smartphone is simultaneously your best friend and your worst enemy. It can help you find the nearest Starbucks for a caffeine fix, reach out to loved ones in times of need, or get the score of that vital play-off game. If it falls into the wrong hands, heck, even if it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, a smartphone can expose your contacts, location history, banking data, and more. Smartphone privacy was in the news again this week, due to a fresh Google and Apple iPhone privacy flap.
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Topic: SECURITY - on February 20, 2012 at 12:31:00 PM CET
IPRED - IPRED 2 = ACTA 2.0 - Neue Gesetze bedrohen unsere Freiheit
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Topic: SECURITY - on February 20, 2012 at 11:06:00 AM CET
SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, HR 1981 Vs Internet Freedom
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Topic: COPYRIGHT - on February 20, 2012 at 10:56:00 AM CET
ACTA, SOPA, PIPA, RWA and what do they have to do with psychologists
These days, the news are full of acronyms dealing with various legislation concerning copyright. The problematic of copyright laws has long since left the geeky closet of the software community or the posh one of the poor and abused music industry. The acronyms in our title, familiar to most, are proof enough of their mainstream status. It is a central issue for the new generation, and everybody has an opinion on it. In this post, I would like to put the open access movement into that context, to see how it relates to the general public outcry regarding copyright legislation. Are these things connected? If yes, how?
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