Data and Mobile theft- fighting back gets support!

Minnesota Has Become the first U.S. state to introduce so-called 'kill switch' legislation.

Though the legislation has not yet passed into law, it seems, That it will likely be - It will Increase capacity for some privacy and additional preventative Such Measures against demeaning and nightmarish experiences: such as 'identity theft' (Relatively easy to process in a country Which rather still use the outdated model of attaching a person's credit history to his or her social security number.

The legislation will mean That all smartphones sold in the state from July 2015 must be fitted with anti-theft software. Such software Allows owners to remotely disable and wipe Their stolen handsets.

Police departments across the U.S. have lobbied for Such legislation. ACCORDING to the U.S. telecoms regulator, an Estimated one in three robberies Involve smartphones.

California, of course, is next up being close to introducing itself to the same bill, while Congress is mulling over national legislation.

Global Action

London Mayor Boris Johnson has lent his backing for a push for an international agreement on the need for a 'kill switch.' This would of course go a long way to solidifying international Efforts to Contain the present problem!

He joined the Secure Our Smartphones initiative last summer along with New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco district attorney George Gascon. The campaign is designed to put pressure on the industry to help phone solve the issue of smartphone and tablet theft.

Existing protection for Sensitive data does exist, but it's far from solving the overall problem and more is needed.

Many handset manufacturers Already have kill switches installed on Their phones, for example Samsung has Such a function and Apple offers a facility to track its devices via a service called "Find My iPhone." As well as GPS tracking, it Also Allows users to remotely Their phones wipe.

Microsoft and Google have a similar functions for Their handsets and there are a variety of apps to locate, lock and wipe smartphones stolen, but there is variation in effectiveness and smart thieves are able to beat Often users / owners to the information before it is erased or Otherwise protected!

Europa líder en la restauración de la privacidad, Google, Bing y pros y contras ...

  

Un ex- político que busca la reelección ha pedido que tienen vínculos con un artículo sobre su comportamiento en el cargo eliminado. Entre la lista de muchos otros que ya se han presentado solicitudes con los gustos de Google y Bing son : un hombre declarado culpable de posesión de imágenes de abuso infantil - para la eliminación de los vínculos con su condena y un médico quiere críticas negativas de los pacientes retirados.

El caso original, que fue un éxito y dio lugar a la sentencia histórica de la alta Tribunal Europeo de Justicia , fue llevado por un hombre español que se quejaba de que un aviso de subasta de su casa embargada en los resultados de búsqueda de Google había violado su privacidad.

El propio Google no ha comentado sobre el fallo llamado 'derecho - a-ser - olvidado' , ya que describe el Tribunal Europeo de Justicia  como " decepcionante ".

Tampoco ha lanzado Google ninguna cifra sobre el número de solicitudes recibidas desde 

la decision el martes pasado.

Comisaria de la UE, Viviane Reding describió la decisión como  "una clara victoria para la protección de los datos personales de los europeos ", pero otros están preocupados por las consecuencias que tendrá para ' la libertad de expresión '.

El fundador de Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, ha criticado la decisión, que calificó de "sorprendente ".

Algunos argumentan que la decisión del TJCE , (que es vinculante para todos y cada uno de los 28 países que son miembros de la Unión Europea (con una población total de 510.000.000 personas o aproximadamente 200.000.00 más de los EE.UU.) ) , implica que los deseos de una persona superan el interés de la sociedad en los hechos completos alrededor incidentes ...... Pero realmente? ? ? Creo que el fallo se relaciona principalmente (si no singular ) a la información difunto u obsoleta que queda en la World Wide Web, no fue ?

Marc Dautlich, un abogado prominente en esta área del derecho, al conocido bufete internacional 'Pinsent Masons', dijo que los motores de búsqueda pueden encontrar las nuevas reglas duras para poner en práctica .... Sin embargo yo digo que este no debe no debe ser una excusa para cualquier incumplimiento al que sí!

Cualesquiera que sean los argumentos a favor y en contra, ahora es la ley ! Ademas, en cualquier caso, parece difícil negar que ya es hora de que algunas líneas se dibujan en la arena!

Europe leading on restoration of privacy, Google, Bing and pros and cons...

An ex-politician seeking re-election has asked to have links to an article about his behaviour in office removed. Among the list of many others who have already filed requests with the likes of Google and Bing are: a man convicted of possessing child abuse images - for removal of links about his conviction, a doctor wants negative reviews from patients removed.

The original case, which was successful and  resulted in the landmark ruling from the European Court of Justice, was brought by a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed home on Google's search results had infringed his privacy.

Google itself has not commented on the so-called right-to-be-forgotten ruling since it described the the European Court of Justice judgement as being "disappointing".

Nor has Google released any figures about the number of takedown requests received since Tuesday's ruling.

EU Commissioner Viviane Reding described the decision as "a clear victory for the protection of personal data of Europeans" but others are concerned about the consequences that it will have for 'free speech.'

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has criticised the ruling, calling it "astonishing." 

Some are arguing that the ECJ decision, (which is binding upon every one of the 28 member nations of the European Union (with a total population of 510,000,00 persons or roughly 200,000 more than the USA)), implies that an individual's desires outweigh society's interest in the complete facts around incidents......but really??? I think the ruling relates primarily (if not singularly) to defunct or obsolete information remaining on the world wide web?

Marc Dautlich, a prominent lawyer in this area of law, at well-known international law firm Pinsent Masons, said that search engines might find the new rules hard to implement....that nevertheless should not be an excuse for any failure to do so!

Whatever the arguments for and against, it is now law! In any case, it would seem difficult to deny that it is high time that some lines be drawn in the sand!

Hope for a bit of privacy after all....Google, Bing and the European Court!

Google HQ, USA

Check this out - in a time when the word "privacy" appears to be all but obsolete....where the lack of it for anyone and everyone seem so overwhelming that no one would likely be surprised should applications be made to institutions like the Oxford English Dictionary (and more formally, with the word's equivalent in other languages, to linguistic governing bodies such as the Real Academia in Spain), to have it removed on the basis of being obsolete - a glimmer of hope has appeared!

Coming from no less a formidable body than the EU's European Court of Justice - a ruling of the highest significance, which reaches into every nook and cranny of the internet, no less!

Individuals can now ask Google Inc., as well as other search engines, such as Bing, to remove links to news articles, court judgements and other documents in search results for their name. This is per the European Union's highest court ruling today! A surprise decision that could significantly disrupt how Google and other search-engine operators work across Europe.

The European Court of Justice said that search companies are responsible for personal data that shows up on Web pages they link to in search results. The decision allows individuals to request Google or other search operators to take down links to Web pages that are published by third parties, such as newspapers, containing information relating them when searched by name—such as coverage of court cases or legal announcements.

The Luxembourg-based court said that because search results linked to a person's name have such a huge impact on people's lives, they should have the right to get certain material removed. Of course, there is some ambiguity and room for interpretation in setting the broad parameters of what would be an allowable request. The ECJ said, for example, that a balance needs to be struck between the public interest, especially with people who have a prominent role in society.

Nevertheless, it has to be said that this sounds like a very fair ruling which has the potential to return a bit of privacy to the control of private citizens!

LOVE - the inexplicable,vital emotion of Life!

       

Love is a universal feeling, which is felt by every living being on this earth. It is in fact not just an attribute of human beings. Animals too are acquainted with this 'strange and often inexplicable' emotion. 

Though there is no comprehensive definition to describe this unique feeling we know as love, it is characterised by a sense of attachment and deep affection towards somebody or something. 

It is perhaps the strongest emotion one can ever feel. So strong is the feeling that it is said that it makes the world go around for those who feel it!

 If you are still wondering why is love so important in our lives, the answer is that it satisfies the emotional desires, aspirations, indeed the needs of human beings so powerfully that it is capable of overcoming any other emotion one might experience.

Human beings have an innate quality of giving and feeling love. Moreover, it is even related with our biological structure. It is this feeling of love, which is responsible for so much in relation to the existence and maintenance of the balance in one's life and concordantly directly affects the health of entire societies. 

When a baby is born, for example, parents forget about their hunger, lack of sleep, etc. as they are so much in love with their child. 

The sweetness and happiness of love enables those of us who have the privilege to experience it to accomplish tasks that would not have been possible without its powers. The enigmatic emotion exceeds all boundaries and has the great potential of changing lives of the people forever.

The majesty of the feeling is such that it allows humans to treat each other with kindness and compassion. ......A passionate lover’s kiss, a tender mother’s touch, a fatherly concern or a brotherly or sisterly affection, all such things are demonstrative of love. 

Let us never forget its importance in our lives nor neglect to demonstrate how truly we love those whom we care about so much!

Guns, weapons violence!

What do you think societies should be doing - To the extent that they can do anything? 

Recently, one father, reminding us of the ongoing threat, wrote:

"My son, Daniel, was a smart, quiet kid. He'd just become a straight-A student, and he was overcoming his shyness as a new member of the debate team.

On April 20th,1999 my beautiful, bright 15-year-old son was killed by two teenagers with guns in the library of his High School -- one of 12 innocent kids who lost their lives for no reason at all. It's been 14 years since that horrible day -- 14 years of fighting so no family has to grieve like ours did....yet the battle rages on....."

These tragedies keep happening, and so far,  the US Congress (like many other Governments the world over, has failed to take common-sense action to stop them.

Even though 9 in 10 Americans have agreed that expanding background checks would help close the loopholes that put guns in the hands of dangerous people and prevent future violence.

Today, people around the world are still begging for action to ask members of Governments: What will it take to finally act to prevent this kind of violence from continuing and from plaguing out communities?

Can any of us make a difference?

Well, for starters, every day individuals make a difference in each others lives - some they are aware of and others they are not - we all know of the proverbial 'ripple' effect.

One small voice can become a thunderous shout when people start to listen and agree and decide to join their voices to the 'chorus'!...in the same way, to use another poignant cliche...one little pebble, given the momentum of a little effort - can become a massive snowball when rolling in the right direction...or send ripples far from the water which it first touched!.

Once you start participating, and start raising issues - creating the impetus for communication and clarity, ANYONE can make a difference - consider the success of talk show hosts such as Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey and the power (for good) which they now yield!

We CAN help each other get important matters/issues noticed! We can bring about change! 

Of course any such effort has to start somewhere and whilst the process may be slow at first,. in some instances and and may have even been tried before, but sometimes just the timing or perhaps a fresh, focussed and completely unbiased approach will succeed!.....and has the ability to exceed our wildest expectations!

Where we see, feel or experience a need therefore - don't you dare 'down tools' - begin somewhere and what may same initially daunting may suddenly convert to something which you  most definitely can achieve! 

What does it take for you to care?

When we take the time to lend a helping hand or even to consider and act (in whatever way we feel comfortable, it usually makes a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Realistically, given all the unnecessary pain, suffering, anguish, loneliness, depression, feelings of utter helplessness etc. Is it really that hard to lend a smile or a listening ear for a few minutes to someone who really needs it? It could make the differences between life and death....but more likely it could change someone's day, week, month or life for the better - and who knows when the shoe won't be on the other foot. Today is a day for consideration of others....

Mountain or Mole hill.....today's rapidly changing quality of life.

There seems to be more confusion than ever before about the state of societies across the globe today!

Specifically, I refer to ACTUAL QUALITY OF LIFE for people living within any particular society....and the basis  according to which such quality of life is measured as well as by what methods and with what accuracy?

With the plethora of new methods being suggested for measuring "wealth" and "quality of life" (some of them being generally accepted, some not, and some others only partially accepted), how can increasingly influential international organisations of various ilk make 'value-judgements' when making decisions that will forever change the future of large portions of our societies?

For approximately the last 8 years, it is indisputable that the global experience has been that we humans, occupants and rulers of planet earth, are more confused than ever about where things stand in our respective local societies!

Accordingly, my question for YOU is: -

 WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL UNDERSTANDING OF 

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR SOCIETY?

WHY IS IT THAT SOME AREAS WHICH WERE TRADITIONALLY CONSIDERED PROBLEMATIC SEEM TO HAVE FADED INTO INSIGNIFICANCE WHILST OTHERS HAVE CROPPED UP.....PERHAPS ALMOST COMPLETELY UNEXPECTEDLY....AND OVERNIGHT? OR HAVE THEY? AND FINALLY, HOW HAS THIS REALLY CHANGED THE QUALITY OF LIFE WE ALL EXPERIENCE?