"Technology researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies used for automobile locks and easy-pay gasoline systems are sorely lacking in protection, warning that opportunists could easily exploit the weakness for ill deeds."
"The world's four giants in consumer electronics have agreed to adopt a common method of digital rights management (DRM)…The companies—Sony, Matsushita (Panasonic), Samsung and Philips—have formed the Marlin Joint Development Association (Marlin JDA) in order to establish a common standard for playing 'appropriately licensed video and music on any device'."
Carnivore, the FBI's custom-built, real-time data-packet monitoring program, was not used in 2002 or 2003, according to Congressional reports. Instead, the agency turned to commercially available software to conduct electronic surveillance.
Electronic Arts, Vivendi Universal Games, and Sun Microsystems have joined the Blu-ray Disc Association, setting the stage for a battle between the computing industry and Hollywood, which prefers the HD DVD format.
Exploits now exist in the wild for a series of Internet Explorer security holes first disclosed in August, which render users vulnerable if they happen to visit a malicious web page. No patch is available.
Five companies holding patents relevant to the OMA digital rights management scheme have agreed to pool their patents, allowing the MPEG LA group to sell consolidated licenses to the technology. MPEG LA currently negotiates rights to the MPEG-2 standard.
The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is designed to succeed CSS as a standard copy protection scheme for DVDs—but critics claim the protocol will trample on consumers' rights without deterring piracy.
