Tag: Financial Literacy

Boooo Sony amends usage terms, disallows reselling PS4 games

Sony amends usage terms, disallows reselling PS4 games
http://www.osnews.com/comments/27415

…..Sony, June this year:
“PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on used games. This is a good thing,” said Tretton, to huge applause from the audience in attendance. “When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have the rights to that copy of the game.”
…. Sony’s Software Usage Terms, updated today:
6.3. You must not lease, rent, sublicense, publish, modify, adapt, or translate any portion of the Software.
7.1. You must not resell either Disc-based Software or Software Downloads, unless expressly authorized by us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher.
….Liars. Similar language has been found on the boxes of previous PlayStation models, but that’s hardly a comfort.

Seattle Police snooping with Aruba Networks mesh WiFi system

Seattle Police have deployed a Aruba Networks mesh WiFi system. What’s interesting is it may well be snorting MAC addresses from every passing device; Aruba advertises that feature.
And when asked:
The SPD declined to answer more than a dozen questions
from The Stranger, including whether the network is
operational, who has access to its data, what it might
be used for, and whether the SPD has used it (or intends
to use it) to geo-locate people’s devices via their MAC
addresses or other identifiers.
Seattle Police detective Monty Moss, one of the
leaders of the mesh-network project—one part of
a $2.7 million effort, paid for by the Department
of Homeland Security—wrote in an e-mail that the
department “is not comfortable answering policy
questions when we do not yet have a policy.”
But that didn’t stop them from deploying it without one.
“Sentence First, Verdict Later” comes to mind.
Aruba also sells a software product called “Analytics
and Location Engine 1.0.” According to a document Aruba
has created about the product, ALE “calculates the location
of associated and unassociated wifi devices… even though
a device has not associated to the network, information
about it is available. This includes the MAC address,
location, and RSSI information.”
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/you-are-a-rogue-device/Content?oid=18143845

Leading Internet Engineers Agree to Upgrade Standards to Improve Internet Privacy and Security

IETF Chair Blog
http://www.ietf.org/blog/2013/11/strengthening-the-internet/
IETF Technical Plenary Video archive
http://www.ietf.org/live/
IETF Technical Plenary Consensus report
http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/ietf/current/msg83857.html

LEADING INTERNET ENGINEERS AGREE TO UPGRADE STANDARDS TO IMPROVE INTERNET PRIVACY AND SECURITY

IETF reaches broad consensus to improve the security of Internet protocols to respond to pervasive surveillance

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Internet security has been a focus this week for the more than 1100 engineers and technologists from around the world gathered at the 88th meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). As the Internet’s premier standards organization responsible for developing the foundation of services and technologies used billions of times every day, IETF participants are rethinking approaches to security across a wide range of technical areas.
“Ensuring the global Internet is a trusted platform for billions of users is a core and ongoing concern for the IETF community. Discussions over the past few months, including many in the more than 100 working group sessions this week, are carefully and systematically reviewing Internet security and exploring ways to improve privacy and other aspects of security for different applications,” said Jari Arkko, Chair of the IETF. “Internet security has many facets, and the IETF is focused on ensuring that the technical Internet protocols that it develops provide a strong foundation for privacy and security.”
“The Internet has been turned into a giant surveillance machine,” said Bruce Schneier, who spoke at the meeting’s technical plenary. “This is not just about any particular country or individual action. We need to work broadly to fix the problems of today and tomorrow.”
“At the IETF technical plenary, participants agreed that the current situation of pervasive surveillance represents an attack on the Internet,” said Stephen Farrell, one of the IETF’s two Security Area Directors. “While there are challenges isolating the specific areas of attack that IETF protocols can mitigate, all of the working groups that considered the topic have started planning to address the threat using IETF tools that can mitigate aspects of the problem.”
The Internet depends upon standards developed in an open and transparent manner. Openness allows any interested party to participate, review, critique, or question the work of others. Transparency provides visibility into all steps of the process and an appropriate audit trail for inspection. Broad consensus, after review from a wide range of interests and perspectives, fosters agreement on the resulting standards.
“The IETF is taking steps to develop the technical specifications to improve the privacy and security of the Internet,” said Russ Housley, Chair of the Internet Architecture Board. “However, others need to take on the non-technical aspects that are part of a comprehensive response to mass surveillance on the Internet.”
In nearly 30 years, the IETF has published more than 4500 documents that describe standards for the fundamental technologies and widely used services on today’s global Internet. IETF participation is open to any interested individual and includes experts from industry, academia, and government from across the globe. While the work of the IETF mainly takes place online to reduce barriers to participation, its in-person meetings bring together participants three times each year at locations around the world.
For archives of video and other materials from the meeting, see:
http://www.ietf.org/live/
For more information about the IETF 88 meeting, see:
http://www.ietf.org/meeting/88/index.html
About the Internet Engineering Task Force
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the Internet’s premier technical standards body. It gathers a large open international community of network designers, engineers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. The IETF seeks broad participation. The work of the IETF takes place online, largely through email lists, reducing barriers to participation and maximizing contributions from around the world. IETF Working Groups (WGs) are organized by topic into several areas (e.g., routing, transport, security, etc.). For more information, see: http://www.ietf.org/

public comment needed for Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

public comment needed for Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

[*PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY ]
· Would you like a *report on the true costs of extractive industry
in the US**,* published every two years, that covers public revenues,
environmental and social costs for coal, oil, gas, minerals, and
renewables?
· Would you like to have one portal website which integrates data
about *public revenues* from each commodity (rents, royalties, bonuses,
fees, and taxes), how these *funds are structured*, how *funds are spent,
relevant laws**,* and *special exemptions* for particular commodities?
· Do you think *pipelines* and *transport* should be included in
such a national audit of the cost/ benefits of extractive industry?
The US Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative <http://www.pogo.org/our-work/resource-pages/2013/eiti.html> can
achieve all that and more.
But, we need you and your networks to provide public comment:
· *Public comment closes 5 p.m. est Monday, Nov. 18. **Take 5
minutes to lend your support for the US
EITI*
<https://secure3.convio.net/pogo/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=401&autologin=true#.UnENGSiinrx>*
by
filling out this action.* OR you can email US****@*****oi.gov. OR write
to: USEITI Secretariat, 1849 C Street NW MS 4211, Washington DC 20240. OR
you can fill out the Department of Interior’s USEITI form
here<http://www.doi.gov/eiti/EITIComments.cfm>
· *Please testify at the **Appalachian Public
Hearing*<http://www.doi.gov/eiti/public-outreach-sessions.cfm#pittsburgh>*,
Thurs, Nov. 14, 4-7 pm *at the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement, 3 Parkway Center, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220
*For updates follow my blog: *
*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/betsy-m-taylor/*
*Please contact me to make suggestions, ask questions, or if you want to
ride to Pittsburgh meeting with me:
* be**********@***il.com
CELL: 859.229.2404
*WHAT IS THE US Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative? *The EITI is
a global alliance <http://eiti.org/> to increase transparency and
accountability in natural resources revenue management. It began in the
fight against corruption in oil revenues in Africa, but it has grown into
an international movement which seeks to create a platform for public
debate for more integrated, long-term and fair planning.
In 2012, the US committed to join the EITI and formed a national steering
committee made up of representatives from civil society, the government and
industry. This committee has been meeting since February 2013, and has
prepared a Draft Application to submit to the International EITI.
We urgently need public comment on this Draft Application, and, on the
design of the USEITI – either in the Public Comment period or at the
Appalachian Public Hearing (see info above). The Department of Interior,
is coordinating the USEITI. I am on the steering committee of the
USEITI. Each national EITI group must follow common international
standards including publishing a report on cost/ benefits of extractive industries
and a public accounting of revenues.
*What are the benefits of USEITI for citizens, state and local government?
*Please see
a) USEITI Benefits  and
b) my memo re/ including social
accounting of environmental & social costs / benefits of extractive
industries
*What has the USEITI achieved so far? *
· The US EITI Advisory Committee has decided that the
reconciliation process will capture the following sectors: leasable
minerals (such as oil, gas, coal, and other leasable minerals), non-fuel
minerals (such as hardrock minerals, sand and gravel), and renewable energy
(geothermal, solar and wind). Other sectors, such as forestry, fisheries
and hydropower, may be included in future US EITI reports.
· The US EITI report will include information about the following
revenue streams: rents, royalties, bonuses, fees, and taxes collected by
the Interior Department. And it will cover reporting by corporate owners of
their subsidiaries.
· The US EITI will cover reporting by corporate owners of their
subsidiaries.
· Sub-state actors will opt-in, which in many cases is where the
real action is regarding extractive industry production and revenues.
· The materiality threshold for reconciliation for the first year
is $50 million total annual revenues paid to DOI by parent company,
including its subsidiaries, which captures approximately 80% of Department
of Interior (DOI) natural resources revenues. For the second year the
materiality threshold falls to $20 million, capturing approximately 90% of
DOI natural resources revenue. The reconciliation process is intended to
phase in at a level which will reconcile approximately 80% of revenue for
the first report and to increase to 90% of revenue in the second report.
· The publicly sourced narrative will include information about all
commodities within the EITI framework within the scope of company reporting.
· Unilateral disclosure will include that for all in-scope
commodities, DOI will disclose disaggregated data to the extent allowable
by law, regardless of materiality threshold (approximately 100% of DOI
revenue in scope).
· We’ve held public comment sessions in New Orleans, Houston,
Denver, and Anchorage.
*Here is our upcoming timeline:*
*Public comment:*
· 4-7 p.m. est Nov. 14 – Pittsburgh public session
<http://www.doi.gov/eiti/public-outreach-sessions.cfm#pittsburgh>
· 5 p.m. est Nov. 18 – public comment closes <http://www.doi.gov/EITI/index.cfm>
*Next* *Advisory Committee meeting*:
Dec. 10-11<http://www.doi.gov/eiti/FACA/dec-meeting.cfm>in DC
December 11–12, 9:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. EST.
(But, check www.doi.gov/eiti/faca for updates re/ agendas, meeting logistics, and
downloadable meeting materials for all our meetings).
We’ll be discussing public comments, and finalizing the US EITI application, which is planned to be submitted by the end of this year. *YOU CAN SPEAK DURING TIMES FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT* specified in the agenda. Members of the public may attend:
· *LONG DISTANCE*: audio through the telephone number
1–866–707–0640 (passcode: 1500538) AND VISUALS, via WebEx at
http://bit.ly.ZQ9aQP
· *IN PERSON:* go to Room 5160 of the Main Interior Building, 1849
C Street NW., Washington, DC, 20240. Members of the public may attend in
person, or view please allow about 15 minutes to go through security and
bring a government-issued ID. There are designated times during the meeting
for public comment. Please email ms******@*****sa.org by 5 p.m. est Friday,
Nov. 1 to be pre-cleared for wifi and security. Otherwise, you’ll have to
request wifi in person and go through security.
· *TO DOWNLOAD* POWERPOINTS & OTHER MATERIALS PRESENTED IN
MEETINGS: http://www.doi.gov/eiti/FACA/meetings.cfm
Betsy Taylor
– – – – – – – – – –
http://vt.academia.edu/BetsyTaylor
BLOG: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/betsy-m-taylor/
EMAIL: be****@**.edu
CELL: 859-229-2404