contributed by acopalyse
It is now a crime to spread computer viruses in Pennsylvania. Legislation signed last week will carry a seven year jail sentence including damage reimbursement for those found guilty.

Newsbytes - via Yahoo

contributed by Evil Wench
Determined not to have a repeat of last year Major League Baseball has initiated an email address verification scheme to during its All-Star balloting. Last year the ballot box for Boston Red Socks shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was fraudulently stuffed with 39,000 extra ballots. This year all email addresses will be verified and audited by a secret system. "There are a few folks out there we'd just assume not know what we're doing," said Tim O'Mara, senior vice president of operations for Bellevue, Wash.-based SeasonTicket.com Inc., which is in charge of this year's electronic tabulations. (Failing to make the procedure public invites suspicion on the integrity of the overall process as well as inviting people who are looking for a challenge.)

Computer World

contributed by no0ne
Software that scans photos for flesh tones and curves to detect nudity is being beta tested by Oklahoma based company Heartsoft Inc. Heartsoft has applied for a patent for this technology. It will be used in conjunction with the company's Internet Safari browser for children. (I can think of a few other good uses as well.)

Newsbytes

contributed by root66
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act has made it extremely easy for banks, insurance companies, and investment corporations to compile, share and sell information about you. Prohibited from doing so during the Great Depression these companies are now able to cross reference their databases and come up with all sorts of information about you. Yes, there are ways to Opt-Out but they are difficult and arcane.

PC World - via CNN

contributed by Commodore Sloat
Well-dressed former prosecuting attorney Marcia Clark (yeah yeah, from the OJ trial) has a column on APB News where she lambastes hackers as pathological misfits "of barely average intelligence." As is typical of such columns, "hackers" are lumped together with any criminal with a computer.

APB News

contributed by Evil Wench
In an effort to scam people out of their Social Security and Bank Account numbers people posing as fake Census takers are calling on households. There have been scattered reports of impostors in Arkansas, North Dakota, and northeastern Pennsylvania. The con artists seem to be targeting elderly people.

Associated Press - via Yahoo