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Critics say full-body scans are 'virtual strip search'

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Some security analysts and policymakers are calling for wider use of body scanning technology. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Some experts call for increased use of body scans * Privacy advocates say body scans are invasive * 40 scanners in use in U.S.; 150 coming online this year * No 'magic technology' to ensure safety, security expert says (CNN) -- The full-body scanning technology being adopted and discussed since the attempt to take down a passenger plane on Christmas Day is under attack from privacy advocates who call it a "virtual strip search." The controversial technology, first used in a U.S. airport in 2007, can find hidden objects that metal detectors can't. "The advanced imaging technology enhances security because it can detect both metallic and nonmetallic threats hidden on a passenger's body," TSA spokesman Greg Soule said. Privacy rights groups are wary of movements to impose the anatomically revealing technology on all travelers as a primary screening method. "Obviously we have a concern because it's a virtual strip search that is terribly invasive," said Michael German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. Federal authorities have charged suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, 23, of Nigeria, with trying to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan. The device failed to fully detonate. In Amsterdam, metal detectors and X-ray machines were in place, but the advanced scanning technology was not available. Dutch authorities have said they are confident about how AbdulMutallab was screened, but acknowledge that they could not have detected the explosive material that he was allegedly carrying. Full coverage of Terror on Flight 253 Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport will begin using the full-body scanners on all passengers taking flights to the United States, the Dutch interior minister said Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, the airport authority in Nigeria, where AbdulMutallab's flight to Amsterdam originated, announced plans to add body scanners to its security system. In the United States, 40 of these advanced imaging machines are in use in 19 airports, according to the TSA. Only in six airports are they used as a primary screening option. An additional 150 advanced imaging machines will be installed in U.S. airports over the next year, and the TSA plans to purchase 300 more machines in 2010, the TSA's Soule said. Video: Netherlands now uses body scan RELATED TOPICS * Transportation Security Administration * Air Travel The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based public interest research center, filed a lawsuit in November against the Department of Homeland Security seeking details under the Freedom of Information Act about the department's use of the advanced imaging technology. The privacy rights group is concerned that the focus on hidden explosives will push the TSA to ramp up use of the machines as a primary screening … [Read more...]

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GMAC receives 3rd round of bailout funds

December 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- GMAC Financial Services will receive a third round of bailout funds from the U.S. Treasury Department and the government will have a controlling stake in the company, according to a government report Wednesday. The troubled auto and mortgage lender will collect $3.8 billion of additional aid on top of the nearly $13.5 billion already received since December 2008, the Treasury said in a statement Wednesday. * Facebook * Digg * Twitter * Buzz Up! * Email * Print * Comment on this story The fresh lifeline is intended to return Detroit-based GMAC to profitability in the first quarter of 2010, according to the report, and will likely allow GMAC to avoid placing its home lending unit, Residential Capital, into bankruptcy. This additional money will give the company the "capital buffer" it needs "to meet the worse-than-expected economic scenario," GMAC said in a statement Wednesday. The Treasury's stake in GMAC will increase from 35% to 56%, and the government will have the right to appoint two additional directors to the company's Board of Directors. Last month, GMAC brought in former Citigroup executive Michael Carpenter to replace CEO Al De Molina, who had led the company since April 2008. Carpenter had been a member of the lender's board since May, when the Treasury made its second investment of $7.5 billion on top of the $6 billion received in December 2008. Earlier this year, the government told GMAC to raise additional capital from private investors by Nov. 9 as part of the spring's stress tests of the nation's largest banks. The Treasury said it will inject $3.8 billion of new capital into GMAC rather than the previously announced $5.6 billion, because GMAC's needs are now less than originally expected, in part because the impact from the bankruptcies of General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler were not as harsh as regulators predicted. Still, GMAC, which provides financing for General Motors and Chrysler and their customers, lost $5.3 billion in the first nine months of 2009, as demand for cars remained tepid and previous loans continued to go sour. This marks the first big injection to a single company in several months, as firms such as Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) and GM have announced plans to repay their loans. --CNN's Emily Anderson contributed to this report To top of page … [Read more...]

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US alarm after Iran troops seize Iraq Fakkah oil field

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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America's top military officer has voiced concern about an incursion by Iran into Iraq that ended with Iranian soldiers seizing an Iraqi oil well. Admiral Mike Mullen said he had spoken to Iraq's defence minister, but it was for leaders in Tehran and Baghdad to resolve the dispute. Officials from both countries have said they want a diplomatic solution. The Iranian troops are believed to have now left the Fakkah oil field, which is close to the Iranian border. Similar incidents have happened before along the border, which has never been properly defined since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s - although relations between the two neighbours are now cordial. 'No military escalation' The Iraqis said about a dozen Iranian soldiers had been involved in the incursion and that they had raised the Iranian flag over the oil field. I worry a great deal about Iran's view of destabilising this region as well and specifically… focusing on an oil field Adm Mike Mullen According to General Ray Odierno, commander of US forces in Iraq, the Iranian forces had left the oil well as of Saturday morning, reports AP news agency. "All of us are concerned about the influence of Iran," Adm Mullen told a news conference in Baghdad. "I worry a great deal about Iran's view of destabilising this region as well and specifically… focusing on an oil field." He continued: "But my understanding is this is sovereign Iraqi territory and is something for leaders in Iraq to resolve." Earlier, Iran's armed forces apparently confirmed the incursion, in a statement quoted by Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam satellite television. "Our forces are on our own soil and, based on the known international borders, this well belongs to Iran," they said. Oil prices rose on Friday amid reports about the commandeered well in Maysan province. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters news agency: "We call for calm and for a peaceful solution to this matter, far from any military escalation." US forces are due to stay in Iraq until elections in March 2010, and then gradually pull out, with complete withdrawal scheduled by the end of 2011. … [Read more...]

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US aware 'Nigerian' prepared for terror attack

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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The US was aware that "a Nigerian" in Yemen was being prepared for a terrorist attack - weeks before an attempted bombing on a US plane. ABC News and the New York Times say there was intelligence to this effect, but its source is unclear. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab flew from Lagos to Amsterdam before changing planes for a flight to Detroit on which he allegedly tried to detonate a bomb. The Netherlands is to introduce body scanners on US flights within weeks. Dutch Interior Minister Guusje Ter Horst said Mr Abdulmutallab did not raise any concerns as he passed through Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to board the flight. She said the airport would be able to use body scanners on all flights to the US from the airport in three weeks, adding that they would be a permanent fixture. Obama denounces lapses US President Barack Obama has said security failures were unacceptable. He has said a systemic failure allowed Mr Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian, to fly to the US on 25 December despite family members warning officials in November that he had extremist views. US FLIGHT ADVICE Only one item of hand luggage, including items bought airside BA and Virgin Atlantic not charging to check in extra hand luggage Check in wrapped presents Passengers subject to "pat-down" searches before boarding, on top of usual security checks Customers to remain seated during final hour of flight No access to hand luggage and a ban on leaving possessions or blankets on laps during this hour Dutch press EU to adopt scanners In pictures: Suspect's journey How are travellers screened? Q&A: 'Jet bomber' case US media response The source of the intelligence about "a Nigerian" in Yemen was reported as coming from the Yemeni government or from US intercept intelligence, which can refer to intercepted e-mail and phone calls. Mr Obama said he wanted to know why a warning weeks ago from Mr Abdulmutallab's father did not lead to the accused being placed on a no-fly list. "We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix flaws in the system," Mr Obama said. "When our government has information on a known extremist and that information is not shared and acted upon as it should have been, so that this extremist boards a plane with dangerous explosives that could have cost nearly 300 lives, a systemic failure has occurred." Some passengers and crew tackled Mr Abdulmutallab in his seat about 20 minutes before landing in Detroit as he allegedly tried to detonate explosives in his underwear. Following a preliminary investigation, the Dutch interior minister described the bomb as professionally made but executed in an "amateurish" way. Mr Abdulmutallab has reportedly told investigators that he trained in Yemen with al-Qaeda. He was living in Yemen from August to early December, the foreign ministry said, according to an earlier report from the official Saba news agency. He had a visa to study Arabic at an institute in the capital, Sana'a. CIA spokesman George Little earlier … [Read more...]

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Law Makes Coffee Baristas Hide More Skin

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Bikinis are okay, but no more thongs or pasties that reveal the bottom portions of the breasts EVERETT, Wash.—The long-running campaign in Snohomish County to rein in drive-through coffee stands featuring nearly nude baristas will culminate Jan. 7 in new laws that will apply to an estimated half-dozen businesses that are in the county but outside the city limits of Everett, Washington. “The County Council voted unanimously on Dec. 9 to regulate businesses as adult entertainment if employees show too much skin in public,” reports the Herald. “The council also strengthened the county’s lewd conduct law, including tougher penalties and clarifying definitions for public places. That law also holds business owners and managers accountable for allowing lewd conduct.” The new rules prohibit baristas from wearing such things as thongs or pasties that don’t fully cover rear ends or the bottom portion of the breasts, but they do not prevent workers from wearing bikinis in public. The move comes after a long campaign by local citizens who were instrumental in pushing the county to enact the new laws. “We’re planning to go to the Everett City Council as sort of a next step,” said Shahram Hadian, who has organized local opposition to the controversial stands. “Past complaints have included baristas flashing customers and performing simulated sex acts, as well as employees wearing thongs, pasties and other skimpy clothing,” reports the Herald. “The county’s new rules already appear to be moderating behavior even before they take effect,” Hadian said. “I definitely think it’s had an impact,” he added. “The word has gotten out and they have toned down.” According to one of the coffee-stand owners, however, the new rules will have little impact on business. “It’s not a problem,” said Bill Wheeler, the owner of the Grab-N-Go chain of bikini espresso stands. “My girls look just as beautiful in a bikini as they would in pasties anyways.” Of perhaps greater significance to the county is its inability to conduct future inspections not only of the coffee stands, but of any adult establishment. According to the Herald, the county auditor is responsible for inspecting all such businesses, including adult bookstores and strip clubs, but since 2008, it has lost its three field inspectors—one was laid off, another resigned and a third retired. None have been replaced. So, while the new laws will now be on the books, it appears that the honor code and community vigilance will ensure that they are obeyed. But for the relatively few citizens who managed to stir the outrage pot that led to the new laws, however, the marketplace seems to be speaking equally loudly. After one of Wheeler’s stands changed to more family-friendly attire about a month ago, he estimated business dropped by about 95 percent. “I don’t plan on doing that with any other stand,” he told the Herald. “Nobody wants to buy coffee from a clothing … [Read more...]

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Internet Sex Queries Being Censored in India, Other Countries

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Yahoo!, Flickr and Bing are all blocking requests for sex-specific search results DELHI—The world had a good chuckle this week after it was revealed that the 86-year-old governor of a province in India resigned after a sex tape was released that showed him in bed with three young women, but the story veils what’s really going on in a country whose citizens search for “sex” on the internet more than any other people in the world. Search queries for “sex” are coming back minus the sex. In fact, a recent investigation by the Guardian has uncovered an astonishing amount of censorship by some of the most trafficked portals in the world, including Flickr, Bing and Yahoo!. “The Yahoo search engine and Flickr photo-sharing site (owned by Yahoo) altered their sites earlier this month to prevent users in India from switching off the safe-search facility. The block also applies to users in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea,” reports the paper. “Microsoft has also barred Indian users of its Bing search engine from searching for sexual content. Users who do try to search for sexual material receive a notice informing them that ‘your country or region requires a strict Bing SafeSearch setting, which filters out results that might return adult content.’” The restricted access is apparently the result of changes to India's Information Technology Act of 2000, which bans the publication of pornographic material. That law is based on a 150-year-old statute (section 292 of the Indian penal code) that defines obscenity as "any content that is lascivious and that will appeal to prurient interest or the effect of which is to tend to deprave or corrupt the minds of those who are likely to see, read or hear the same." “In October,” says the Guardian, “the scope of the 2000 act was widened to enable action to be taken against a wide range of providers, from internet search engines and internet service providers to cyber-cafes. Under the new law, they are obliged to exercise due diligence and disable access to any content which contravenes the act. Failure to do so carries a three-year jail sentence and a fine of up to 500,000 rupees.” That amount converts to $10,744.60. Such large-scale censorship in a democracy that, like America, is deeply conflicted about its attitudes toward sex should be of profound concern to civil libertarians in the United States who believe it can’t happen here or that the massive internet portals upon which we are all increasingly dependent will ultimately stand up and defend the ability of individuals to freely access the internet. Despite the fact that Yahoo! is an American corporation, the Flickr website explains that "Flickr is a global community made up of many different kinds of people. “What's OK in your backyard may not be OK in theirs. Each one of us bears the responsibility of categorizing our own content within this landscape. So, we've introduced some filters to help everyone try to get along. "If … [Read more...]

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Fast-Growing Facebook Group an Apparent Porn-Laced Scam

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Group built around opposition to a fake Facebook fee which quickly claimed 133,000 members may have already been disabled PALO ALTO, Calif.—A Facebook group that has been adding members at a fast clip is apparently a scam that ultimately sends people to a site that contains porn and, even worse, a lot of vicious malware. The techosphere is on full alert regarding the problem, which came to light only recently, even though the group has already amassed about 133,000 members. The problem was brought to light only yesterday by designer Ben Pieratt, who posted it to his blog, General Projects. “Looking at my news feed this morning on Facebook, I noticed that my sister-in-law had joined the “WE’RE AGAINST THE 4.99 A MONTH CHARGE FOR FACEBOOK FROM JUNE 30TH 2010” group. Surprised that I hadn’t heard anything about this new charge, I clicked through to find out what it was all about. The group has no content other than its title and a reference to an external URL (which I won’t be linking to).” No such pending Facebook fee exists, says mxlogic.com, and “the only link posted on the group's page sends users to a well-known shock site, which hijacks browsers and attempts to download 25 items onto the affected computer. The shock site displays rapid-fire images of pornographic and obscene images and sounds, appearing to shake the screen around and making it impossible to close the hijacked browser and requiring the victim to restart his or her machine to end the flood of offensive images and sounds.” According to a commenter on General Projects, “Apparently the destination URL is a 4chan dumping ground for pissing people off and I’m a total noob.” Which means the commenter didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. It appears, however, that as of midday Tuesday the group no longer exists, though there has been no official comment from Facebook regarding the malware group that somehow garnered 133,000 members. … [Read more...]

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Google and Microsoft to escalate war in 2010

December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Google and Microsoft to escalate war in 2010 by Sharon Gaudin, Computerworld Editor's Note: This story is excerpted from Computerworld. For more Mac coverage, visit Computerworld's Macintosh Knowledge Center. One of the most heated battles among technology companies was waged this year between Google and Microsoft People who read this also read: People Who Like This Also Like * Top 10 tech stories of the decade 29555322 * LG Display develops thinnest-yet LCD TV panel 29466416 * Google phone and netbook hint at Apple playbook 29430138 * Last-minute gift ideas for the Mac businessperson 29497300 * Google races to speed up the Web 29470808 * Mozilla unveils new Firefox interface ideas for 2010 29500524 Recommendations by Loomia For those who think this corporate fight hit a crescendo in 2009, industry analysts say they better think again. It looks like this is just getting started. The battle escalated this year as the two high-tech titans went after each other’s market share and revenue stream in Internet search, operating systems, enterprise applications and browsers. With each company seeing the other as a major threat to its bread and butter products, 2009 may been just a warm-up for the battle that will ensue in the months to come. “These two companies really squared off this year,” said Jim McGregor, an analyst with In-Stat. “Both are looking for dominant positions in the Internet. For Google to increase its business, it needs to move into other territory. For Microsoft to have significant growth opportunities, it needs to become an Internet powerhouse, and they know it. This is not a war that is going to be won by one or two battles. This is going to be a prolonged activity.” He added that the battle isn’t simply over which can be called top dog, because the fight is critical to both companies. “For Google, it’s about expanding, and for Microsoft, it’s about a life-or-death challenge,” McGregor said. The two companies basically grew into this face-off. Google, one of the great Internet success stories, has grown into an online behemoth. With a name that has evolved into a verb meaning “to search,” Google grown so much that it has become a threat to Microsoft, which has had a long and storied history of high-tech industry dominance. There was a time not so long ago when few believed that any company could rattle Microsoft, let alone a Web company like Google. But those days are over. Google has rattled Microsoft’s cage and, in turn, the software giant has set its sights on taking its new rival down a notch or two. Microsoft has spent millions of dollars and used countless manpower hours to grab a chunk of Google’s search market share and topple the Web company from its new lofty perch above the high-tech industry - eliminating the threat to Microsoft’s longheld industry dominance. “The reason that Microsoft is so focused on Google is because … [Read more...]

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Officials: U.S., Yemen reviewing targets for possible strike

December 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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A Yemeni army helicopter carries out operations against al Qaeda suspects on December 17 in the Sanaa province. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Two senior U.S. officials tell CNN that Yemen, U.S. are looking at fresh targets * U.S. and Yemen trying to identify potential al Qaeda training sites in Yemen * Strikes would be in retaliation for botched attempt to blow up airliner landing in Detroit * U.S. believes there may be a few hundred al Qaeda fighters in Yemen Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. and Yemen are now looking at fresh targets in Yemen for a potential retaliation strike, two senior U.S. officials told CNN Tuesday, in the aftermath of the botched Christmas Day attack on an airliner that al Qaeda in Yemen claims it organized. The officials asked not to be not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information. They both stressed the effort is aimed at being ready with options for the White House if President Obama orders a retaliatory strike. The effort is to see whether targets can be specifically linked to the airliner incident and its planning. U.S. special operations forces and intelligence agencies, and their Yemeni counterparts, are working to identify potential al Qaeda targets in Yemen, one of the officials said. This is part of a new classified agreement with the Yemeni government that the two countries will work together and that the U.S. will remain publicly silent on its role in providing intelligence and weapons to conduct strikes. Officially the U.S. has not said it conducted previous airstrikes in Yemen, but officials are privately saying the Yemeni military could not have carried out the strikes on its own. By all accounts, the agreement would allow the U.S. to fly cruise missiles, fighter jets or unmanned armed drones against targets in Yemen with the consent of that government. Video: Yemen the next terror haven? RELATED TOPICS * Yemen * Al Qaeda * Terrorism One of the officials said Yemen has not yet consented to the type of special forces helicopter-borne air assault that would put U.S. commandos on the ground with the mission of capturing suspects for further interrogation. That is also a capability the U.S. would like the Yemenis to eventually develop the official said. At this point, the U.S. believes there may be a few hundred al Qaeda fighters in Yemen centered around a group of key network leaders. U.S. intelligence believes some key leaders were killed in recent airstrikes but is still working to confirm details. U.S. military and intelligence officials describe to CNN an al Qaeda network with organized command and control that has evolved and grown over the past year. U.S. intelligence concludes there are several training camps similar to those established in other countries where one or two dozen fighters at a time train. The U.S. and Yemenis are also looking into the possibility the Nigerian suspect in the airliner incident trained at one of the camps. One of the camps was … [Read more...]

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Obama: Human, systemic failure to blame in terror attempt

December 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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President Obama said authorities should have had enough information to prevent the suspect from boarding the plane. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * President: Authorities should have prevented suspect from boarding flight * Obama: Information that U.S. had on man's allegedly extremist views not effectively distributed * Man accused of attempting to detonate explosive on flight to U.S. on Christmas * Systemic failure "totally unacceptable," Obama says RELATED TOPICS * Terrorism * Barack Obama * September 11 Attacks (CNN) -- President Obama said Tuesday that a "mix of human and systemic failure" allowed a terror suspect to board a U.S. airliner in the botched bombing attempt on Christmas Day. In a brief statement during his vacation in Hawaii, Obama said that information on the suspect, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, should have been sufficient to alert authorities to prevent him from getting on the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan. "A systemic failure has occurred, and I consider that totally unacceptable," Obama said. "What already is apparent is that there was a mix of human and systemic failures that contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security," he said. "We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix the flaws in our system, because our security is at stake, and lives are at stake." Federal authorities have charged AbdulMutallab, 23, of Nigeria, with trying to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear as the flight made its final approach. The device failed to fully detonate, instead setting off a fire at his seat. Obama said courageous actions by other passengers and crew members helped avert a disaster, and he repeated a series of steps originally announced Monday as a response to the incident, including reviews of passenger screening procedures and terrorism watch lists for air travel. However, the president said U.S. intelligence officials had received information signaling that the suspect might be a terrorism threat but failed to take steps to prevent the man from boarding the flight. "It's been widely reported that the father of the suspect in the Christmas incident warned U.S. officials in Africa about his son's extremist views," Obama said. "It now appears that weeks ago, this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list." Obama cited "other deficiencies," saying "there were bits of information available within the intelligence community that could have and should have been pieced together." The screening system implemented after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States was "not sufficiently up to date to take full advantage of the information we collect and knowledge we have," he said. "Had this critical information been shared, it could have been compiled with other intelligence, and a fuller, clearer picture of the … [Read more...]

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