Archive for June, 2009

Pirate Hunting Cruises have begun

Well I was half-joking this past December in my posting “Cruising for Pirates” when I suggested Blackwater should offer Pirate Hunting cruises.  Well some firm is up and running now and what a better way to pass the summer time heat than by spending a week out on the open waters with your family.

Only in Russia…

via NewMajority.com

The Newest Sport: Pirate Hunting

Luxury ocean liners in Russia are offering pirate hunting cruises aboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast.

Wealthy sportsmen pay upwards of $5,000 per day to patrol the most dangerous waters in the world hoping to be attacked by raiders.

The story as it’s written suggests the clients are already engaging Somali pirates with grenade launchers, machine guns and rocket launchers.

An AK-47 assault rifle goes for $8.50 a day, 100 rounds of ammo is $11.50, are they are also protected by a squad of ex-special forces troops.

The yachts travel from Djibouti in Somalia to Mombasa in Kenya, cruising deliberately close to the coast at a speed of just five nautical miles in an attempt to attract the interest of pirates.

Hard to imagine who is worse; the pirates, who are just trying to earn a decent living through the time-honored trade of kidnapping, or these so-called sportsmen who are essentially fronting up cash to hunt humans…

Sears used Spyware on their customers

Via: Sans Institute:

Sears Settles FTC Complaint Regarding Customer Internet Data Collection (June 4, 2009)

Sears has settled charges brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the company’s failure to accurately describe the amount of information gathered by tracking software. Sears offered the customers US $10 to participate in “My SHC Community;” those who agreed were asked to download software that they were told would gather information about their “online browsing.” The FTC charges allege that the software also monitored secure sessions, such as online banking, e-shopping cart contents, drug prescription information and information about web-based email the users sent. Under the terms of the settlement, Sears would cease collecting data with the software and would destroy all the data it has already collected. The settlement also calls for Sears to “clearly and prominently disclose the types of data (their software) will monitor, record, or transmit.”
-http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/sears.shtm
-http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&arti
cleId=9133965

How to track Website privacy changes

Websites frequently change their terms of service.   How can you keep track of these changes?

TOS (terms of service) Tracker now does that for you.   Link here

TOS

Hat Tip: Thoughts of a Technocrat