UT Austin today announced the formation of IDWise, funded with a partnership with the Texas Legislature. IDWise will provide data security toolkits and education for individuals and small businesses. [UT Austin Center for Identity]
Patent Trolls, the Texas Legislature is Watching
Blue Spike is being called a patent troll. Filing 45 patent infringement claims in two weeks raises red flags. Especailly after June US Supreme Court rulings requiring greater specificty in patent infringement claims.
The texas Legislature is looking to state solutions for businesses that were targetted by trolls. Solutions include state legal claims against the trolls.
[EFF on the US Supreme Court Rulings] [Above the Law] [TX House Committee on Techonology Interim Charge]
The Data Breach Cleaner
Google says it takes hours, not weeks, to clean up a data breach, if your personal information/photos are posted on its websites. But, here’s the kicker- Google relies on users to report breached information.
There is no internet law enforcement. There are bullies and hackers, but there is no John Wayne or Clint Eastwood of the Internet to ensure everyone acts respectfully. The very Libertarian internet world relies on personal responsibility.
Personal responsibility is a wonderful concept, in a perfect world. In reality, lawsuits abound. When there are lawsuits, state legislatures will step in and regulate data security. Regulation will also bring internet taxes to support data security enforcement. [WSJ]
Techies have entered the Political World
Big week for tech and politics. Facebook & YELP stop contributing to ALEC. Tech companies are in high gear hiring consultants at record levels to navigate politics and government. Search warrants that make tech companies turn over terabytes of storage, angering their tech users, automatically sparks the attention of their lawyers, which in turn, causes consultant hiring. It’s a limbic reaction. The Government taking “cloud property” is as evil as taking real property to Libertarian types. [Buzzfeed]
Welcome to Texas, Bitcoin Entrepreneurs.
Bitcoin backers are good researchers. They can tell you about Texas’ limited regulations on business, low taxes, and its long history with nurturing technology innovation. The data security around bitcoin operations is legendary. Bitcoin industry will fit in nicely with Libertarian leaning Texas as it ponders its move from California. [Bitcoin Magazine]
Data Security Meet National Security
Remember the Patriot Act? Usually you heard Patriot Act with the phrase “our civil liberties are being trampled.” Libertarian leaning Silicon Valley came to the rescue of people wanting greater data security for their smart phones. Good for consumers; bad for the FBI. The FBI likes knowing it could get warrantless access to your data. [WallStreet Journal]
Data Breach: Jimmy John’s. The rising cost of sandwiches.
Trust issues are hard to overcome. Jimmy John’s trusted a third party vendor. The third party vendor had log-in information stolen that allowed the thief to access Jimmy John’s customer credit card and debit card information. The incident was first reported in July. The company has made security enhancements and is offering affected customers identity protection services.[Bloomberg] [Jimmy John Press Release]
New Legislative Trend: Data Privacy of the Deceased
Facebook is a gold mine for divorce attorneys. They can’t get enough of it. Now, estate attorneys are falling in love with Facebook and Google. Delaware this week enacted the first bill to allow estate attorneys access to data of the deceased. So far 10 states have considered the bill, only Delaware has enacted it. [Wall Street Journal]