So now we have our own Target. Details are still sketchy, but it looks as though millions of TalkTalk customers have been thoroughly compromised. From the sound of it, there were some pretty basic failures, including lack of encryption and retention of sensitive data in the same location as everything else. Was this predictable? Of … Continue reading Less TalkTalk, more action
Month: October 2015
Well-meaning amateurs
Bear with me, this one’s a digression. A consequence of the digital revolution has been the opportunity for everyone to turn their hand to anything. In general, we think this is a good thing – who knows what talents went undiscovered in the past? But there are always unintended, and undesirable, consequences to change. I’m … Continue reading Well-meaning amateurs
Schrems and Safe Harbour – it gets worse (where’s your data second reprise)
So this month we’ve seen the ECJ torpedo the Safe Harbour agreement which allows businesses handling personal data on EU citizens to transfer it to the US. I wrote about it here and here. The immediate effect was for affected businesses to look for other ways to legitimise carrying on as they had before, such … Continue reading Schrems and Safe Harbour – it gets worse (where’s your data second reprise)
Free does not equal good
The internet has a freedom problem. Not freedom of speech, or net neutrality, or freedom from bullying – although it has problems with all of those too. I’m talking about freedom from paying for stuff. There are other examples of goods and services being free – like broadcast television and free newspapers – but none … Continue reading Free does not equal good
How does this hacking thing work, then?
If you’re not in the public eye, you’re not likely to get hacked for fun. Anonymous et al are in it for the oxygen of publicity. Most hackers are in it for the money. So to understand your risk, you need to follow the money. How can hackers monetise you? Firstly, by using you as … Continue reading How does this hacking thing work, then?
Safe Harbor is officially dead. Now what? (Where’s your data: reprise)
A few days ago, I wrote about European Court of Justice Advocate General Yves Bot. He had decided that Facebook shouldn't have transferred data about an Austrian student to its US data centres. At the time, this was just an opinion. Now it's an official ruling by the ECJ. This is where it gets interesting. … Continue reading Safe Harbor is officially dead. Now what? (Where’s your data: reprise)
A bigger picture 