How to delete your DNA profile [in the UK]
It’s a little known fact that it’s possible to have your DNA profile removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). While the Police have processes to gather and retain DNA samples - they don’t yet have a procedure to delete the DNA of innocent members of the public. It’s complicated - but for now, this is what you should do.
Over four million profiles have been added to NDNAD since 1995. Last year, 115 profiles were deleted and 667,737 added. In the last five years, 634 DNA profiles have been removed from the database, while 2,649,937 profiles were added. In other words, the number of DNA profiles removed is around 0.02 per cent of the number of profiles added in the period - where we have the information.
Source: David Mery, for The Register, January 7, 2008
One of the leading bus companies in the north of England, Go North East, has claimed to be the first in the UK to offer customers the ability to buy tickets using their mobile phones. By texting “txt2go” to the number 60060, a passenger can receive a digital ticket on their mobile phone minutes later. The phone screen displaying the ticket information is then shown to the driver when boarding the bus.
Source: Colin Barker, ZDNet UK, January 7, 2008
Passport card with chatty RFID chip draws privacy ire
A proposed new RFID-enabled passport card intended for use by Americans frequently travelling to Canada, Mexico. Bermuda and the Caribbean poses serious security and privacy risks for users, the Centers for Democracy and Technology (CDT) warned this week. Among the concerns are the potential for the card to be used for location tracking by government and private entities and the relative ease with which it can be manipulated for identity theft purposes, the CDT said.
Source: Jaikumar Vijayan, Computerworld, January 8, 2008
Fuzzy logic tech project to help the elderly
Speaking to silicon.com, research fellow at DMU’s Centre for Computational Intelligence (CCI), Dr Simon Coupland, described fuzzy logic as making things “to an extent grey”. The technique has already been used in a number of applications but Coupland said: “What we’re really looking at now is focusing on quality of life for the elderly.” The CCI will work with the University of Missouri’s Centre for Eldercare and Rehabilitation Technology (Cert) which has carried out extensive research around sensor technology.
Source: Tim Ferguson, silicon.com, January 3, 2008
Big Think, a new Web 2.0-style site that bills itself as a conduit between global thought leaders and the public for sharing ideas on topics ranging from alternative energy to subprime mortgages, launched in beta on Monday.
Source: Heather Havenstein, Computerworld, January 8, 2008
Metaplace is building a system that’s designed to treat virtual worlds like other content on the Web, Koster[, president of Metaplace,] says. A virtual world, he explains, is simply a place where multiple users can interact with one another or with objects built for that world. Metaplace is designed to allow users to host these places on the Web the way they might host embedded video, and to build them the way they might build other content on the Web.
Source: Erica Naone, Technology Review, January 11, 2008
Telecommuting not so great for those left in office
Telecommuting may boost morale, and cut stress, but it can have the opposite effect on those left behind in the office, according to a new study. When a number of their co-workers toil away from the office by using computers, cell phones, or other electronic equipment, those who do not telecommute are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job and leave the company, said Timothy Golden, a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Source: Reuters, January 11, 2008
Congressional report rips US TSA Web site security
A Web site commissioned by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help travelers whose names were erroneously listed on airline watch lists originally had multiple security problems that could lead to identity theft, says a congressional report released Friday.
Source: Grant Gross, IDG News Service, Washington Bureau, January 11, 2008
How to delete your DNA profile [in the UK]
It’s a little known fact that it’s possible to have your DNA profile removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). While the Police have processes to gather and retain DNA samples - they don’t yet have a procedure to delete the DNA of innocent members of the [...]
