Hubert Chathi

As usual, my news pile is backing up (but not bad as my photo pile — I still have my summer photos to put up). So here's a dump of some of the articles.

First of all, don't take pictures of the police, or you might get arrested. (/., /. followup) (Even if you are fully within your rights to do so.)

Also, don't play in trees if you are a 12-year old child. You'll get arrested, and put your DNA on record. (/.)

If you're in an American airport, don't say that the TSA Director Kip Hawley is an idiot, even if he really is an idiot. (KHIAI, /.) If you do that, you may get detained. Because apparently freedom of speech doesn't apply inside an airport.

OK, enough sarcasm. (What? Hubert being sarcastic? Never...)

Electronic voting machines are becoming more commonly used in the US. But it seems like every month, there's a new problem that's found with them. The Open Voting Foundation took apart a Diebold machine, and found that it just takes flipping a single switch, and you can make the machine load your own software, instead of the (supposedly) certified software. (/.) The electronic voting machines also wreaked havoc in Maryland elections. Ed Felten et al. have shown how to infect a Diebold voting machine with a virus and change election results. (Dr. Dobbs, /.)

As Canada considers implementing their own version of the DMCA legislation, Professor Michael Geist, ran a series called 30 Days of DRM, which outlined 30 issues that need to be considered in anti-circumvention legislation. (A brief background: DRM, or “Digital Rights Management”, also called “Digital Restrictions Management”, is a term that refers to technologies used to limit access to digital media, such as music and movies. Anti-circumvention legislation makes it illegal to bypass DRM, aimed at preventing unauthorized duplication, but which also prevents legitimate use of the media.)

Despite claims of security, the new e-passports have been cloned. (/.) While this is not the same as creating a new, fake passport, it is still a significant hole. Some security is gained by embedding a chip inside a passport, but the new passports are generally viewed as unforgeable, giving people a false sense of security.

And the Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to extend the US's warrantless wiretapping. (/.) Because who needs judicial oversight? (Whoops. There I go with the sarcasm again.)