Parents should keep an eye on podcasts

The wildly successful iPod from Apple Computer has opened up a new concern for parents. A podcast is a method of publishing audio programs via the Internet. Users can, for the most part, freely listen to the content of a podcast anytime they wish. The content of podcasts span the range from religion to raunchy rap music to shock-jock radio programming.

RedNova has a news item which alerts parents to the dangers of podcasting to their children.

Just like Web sites, podcasts aren't regulated. So it's possible for today's technology-savvy children -- who often know more about computers than their parents -- to listen to or subscribe to a sexually explicit or hate-based talk show.

Several podcast directory Web sites regularly report adult- oriented shows among the most popular.

While some sites flag podcasts with explicit content, it's possible for kids to hear curse words or erotica with just one click.

Podcasts are so new that i-SAFE, a nonprofit Internet safety foundation, is still researching how to address them in training police, educators and parents, said Kevin Storr, the foundation's communications director.

Fortunately, Storr says that parents can use general internet safety guidelines to protect their children.

"The biggest thing is to be a part of their online lives," Storr said. "Parenting is the same whether it's online or offline. Know who their friends are online. Make it a family experience. Keep the computer in an open area. The worst thing you can do is put the computer in the bedroom."

[...]

"You just explain to them, 'The Internet is much like the real world -- there are good and bad people,'" he said. "You want to be there to explain. It's hard for minors to discern what is right and what is wrong out there."

That is always good advice. Chances are that if a parent is involved in their child's life, good things will happen.

Read "Parents Should Keep an Eye on podcasts. This New Way of Distributing Audio Files Via the Internet Could Expose Children to Questionable Material."

Supervisor Antonovich says librarian plan not good enough

Santa Clarita County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has called county top librarian's plan to keep children from inadvertently seeing internet pornography "not good enough."

The county’s top librarian has proposed measures to keep children from inadvertently seeing Internet pornography while it is being viewed by adults in public libraries.

County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said, however, that's not good enough -- and the goal is to eliminate pornography completely from the Los Angeles County libraries.

"We will have a motion on the agenda Tuesday asking the librarian to come up with a way to eliminate pornography (from library computers)," said Tony Bell, spokesman for the supervisor, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley.

Four weeks ago, the Board of Supervisors directed County Librarian Margaret Donnellan Todd to report on the issue of pornography in county libraries.

The situation came to the supervisors' attention after a Canyon Country woman visited the local library with her 4-year-old daughter and noticed a man sitting next to them viewing pornography in plain sight of her child.

Librarian Todd, had tried some sleight of hand and misdirection in an attempt to divert attention away from the loathsome policy of unfiltered internet access on computers in publicly funded libraries.

The report identified five steps that might be taken to ensure children are not viewing pornography, but banning pornographic sites from library computers was not among those steps.

The steps include:

• Permanently attached privacy screens on all computers.


• Filters on children's computers to allow limited access to Internet sites.


• A change of location for adult computers so they are not in the direct path of travel for children.


• Public signs informing people of unfiltered computers in use.


• A requirement that any adult wishing to use a children's computer first receive permission from library staff.

Fortunately, Antonovich saw through the ruse and has asked for more.

Antonovich and his staff believe Todd's recommendations are not enough.

"We appreciate the work she's done. Furthermore, it does not behoove the taxpayer or library staff to go to such an extent to preserve the computers for porn users in a public place. We feel the most expeditious, fair, solution is to eliminate (pornography) altogether."

Read the entire article here.

Santa Clarita Mom Outraged at Porn in Library

All library porn all the time may be an appropriate subtitle for this blog. The problem is serious and it is wide-spread. The latest reported incident occurred in Santa Clarita, California. Please note the same old lame rationalized excuses from the librarians.

According to the Santa Clarita Signal [emphasis added]:

A Santa Clarita mother who took her 4-year-old daughter to the library for a learning experience was outraged by pornography on a computer screen in plain view of her child, she said Wednesday.

But county library officials said they can do nothing to halt such uses of library computers because visitors have a First Amendment right to view pornographic material.

Lorrie Holguin said the incident last week was doubly offensive, because the computer in question was just 10 feet or so from the children's section in the Canyon Country Library.

Holguin said she had escorted her daughter to play games on the computer when she "noticed the man sitting next to us was viewing very graphic, harsh pornography."

"I was absolutely horrified!" she wrote in a letter to Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth.

Holguin said she immediately approached library officials and was told by a worker at the information desk that there were no restrictions on computer content.

"The children have to walk by the computers to get to their section," Holguin said.

Nancy Mahr, spokeswoman for the county public library system, said staff members cannot stop visitors from using computers to view pornography.

"We do try to place (the computers) in fairly public areas for staff to view them," Mahr said.

If staff members see someone viewing pornography, they may approach the individual and remind him or her that libraries are public places. But they cannot stop the person from viewing the material, Mahr said.

"It is a First Amendment issue," she said. "The Supreme Court ruled that they have the right to view what they want ... as long as it is not illegal,"

To control content would be censorship, she said.

If the Santa Clarita Public Library is receiving federal funds, then there is something that can be done. the CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) states:

IN GENERAL.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration shall initiate a notice and comment proceeding for purposes of&endash;

(1) evaluating whether or not currently available technology protection measures, including commercial Internet blocking and filtering software, adequately addresses the needs of educational institutions;

(2) making recommendations on how to foster the development of measures that meet such needs; and

(3) evaluating the development and effectiveness of local Internet safety policies that are currently in operation after community input.

DEFINITIONS.--In this section:

TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION MEASURE.--The term ``technology protection measure'' means a specific technology that blocks or filters Internet access to visual depictions that are&endash;

(A) obscene, as that term is defined in section 1460 of title 18, United States Code;

(B) child pornography, as that term is defined in section 2256 of title 18, United States Code; or

(C) harmful to minors.

(2) HARMFUL TO MINORS.--The term ``harmful to minors'' means any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that--

(A) taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion;

(B) depicts, describes, or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals; and

(C) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as to minors.
[...]

So, either the Santa Clarita librarians are not telling the truth about their inability to limit pornography on their computers, or they are woefully ignorant. Either way, the citizens of Santa Clarita should demand that something be done to protect children from such abuse.

Yahoo Shuts Down All Chat Rooms

Score one for the safety of our children. An AP story released by CANADA.com, reports that Yahoo has announced that it has shut down hundreds of chat rooms. The closures came after several of its top sponsors applied pressure following a news report which revealed that some of the rooms were used to promote sex with minors.

Companies such as PepsiCo Inc., State Farm Insurance and Georgia-Pacific Corp. stopped advertising on Yahoo after they were informed adults were attempting to lure children into sexual encounters within some of Yahoo's user-created chat rooms, said a report by KPRC-TV in Houston, Texas.

KPRC reported in some cases, men were using Web cameras to send lewd pictures to minors in chat rooms with such titles as Younger Girls 4 Older Guys and Girls 13 And Under for Older Guys.

A Yahoo spokesperson declined to say when or if the user-created chat rooms would return. Let's hope never!

Welcome Ace of Spades

Welcome to all of you from the Ace of Spades.

This little blog is only part of something much bigger in scope. In addition to protecting childen from the nasty internet beasites, I'm involved in helping to protect the helpless and politically weak. Drop by Truth and Action to see some of the real action.

Thanks Therapist!

Protect Your Children from Internet Predators

The problem of internet predators is a subject often discussed on this site as well as in the media in general. It is a very serious problem, but one from which loving parents can protect their children. All that is required is a little practical education of both parents and children.

The single most important ingredient for insulating kids is awareness. First and foremost, a parent must know who the enemy is. The primary concern is not the men fishing for children, they are opportunists using exploiting the system to satisfy their depraved desires. Instead, the antagonist is the system which gives predators the means to carry out their evil intentions.

Do not jump to the conclusion that it is the internet itself which is to blame. Like it or not, the internet is unavoidable. It is radio, television, newspapers and the telephone all rolled into one and it will be indispensable in the 21st century. The main culprit, which facilitates child predation, today is the chat room. Chat rooms are sites in which people exchange messages in real time using self assigned identities and they are usually unmoderated. Typically, predators pose as kids and then slowly but methodically develop relationships with their victims gaining their trust until they can arrange a face-to-face meeting. More on chat rooms here, here and here.

News10now.com from Upstate New York has posted an informative article explaining some of the issues of online predation and chat rooms:

Posing as a child surfing the Web, an undercover officer's asked to meet a man claiming he's a contractor. But when the man shows, police didn't find what they expected in the back of his truck.

"Hammers and nails and ladders and paint. The back of the pickup truck was completely cleaned out except for two things, rope and duct tape. He had told us online we would go to a remote part of the county park to have our sexual rendezvous. Our fear was if he was meeting a real child the child would never have come out alive," said Kenneth Citarella, Westchester County Assistant District Attorney.

[...]

Preying on children is getting easier as sites they go to, and schools don't block, add chat rooms. Those sites include Nickelodeon and various game Web sites.

Note the last paragraph above. Chat rooms exist as "features" of what otherwise might be considered acceptable sites. Every parent should be wary of chat rooms and discourage or prohibit their use. It is not hard. After all, it is the parents and not the children who own the computers, pay for the internet access and are in all respects responsible for the well being of their children.

Public Library Searcher for Nudism "Felt Judged"

The ACLU is now claiming that "Public libraries in Rhode Island are inconsistent in applying a federal law designed to protect children from viewing explicit material on the Internet." Sounds like they are concerned that children might be exposed to vile pornography on the computers in a PUBLIC library. We should know better than that. This is about a Rhode Island library where the ACLU attack poodle couldn't turn off the porn blocker.

The incident went as follows:

... staff denied a request by an ACLU employee for the blocking software to be removed for a search on "nudism."

"She insinuated that I was looking at porn," said Amy Myrick of the ACLU. "I felt judged."

The ACLU and the ALA (American Library Association) are dead set against internet filters in TAX FUNDED PUBLIC libraries. As you can see, I have written quite a bit about the intransigence of the ALA and their disdain for protecting children from the absolute worst things humanity has to offer.

Some more examples of the ALA at work can be found here, here, here, here and here.

Georgia's New Anti-Spam Law

Hooray for the good guys! Today, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a new anti-spam act into law. Dubbed the "Georgia Slam Spam E-mail Act," the new law has teeth. Depending on the volume of spam sent, offences may be prosecuted as either misdemeanors or felonies with fines and/or jail terms for both types of convictions.

Earthlink president Garry Betty congratulated the Georgia Governor and the State General Assembly:

"The Georgia Slam Spam E-mail Act is an important step forward in the fight against fraudulent and unwanted commercial e-mail," said Garry Betty, EarthLink president and chief executive officer. "This law gives EarthLink and other businesses a new weapon in our arsenal to stop spam and protect Internet users against offensive and misleading commercial e-mail messages. We support the Act's penalties and its enforcement provisions."

Well done Georgia.

Read more here and here.

Same Tune. Different Library.

There is an echo in the library. This time the refrain is sung by the interim Helena, Montana library director Becky Foster.

"We do not filter the Internet access here because the filters do not work," Foster says. "Adults have a right to look at anything not pornographic." Apparently, trying to Google the word "breast" — with the intention of looking for information on "breast cancer" — can run afoul of Internet filters. [emphasis added]

Wait a minute, that sounds vaguely familiar. Oh yes, Laura Mitchell a city librarian in Escondido, CA. said almost the same thing back in February:

"Other programs block "key words," but many library officials nationwide object to them because they also block access to informational Web sites on various topics, such as breast cancer. [emphasis added]

One would think they were reading from the same playbook. Well, they are. The playbook is published by the American Library Association (ALA). You can't read it directly now, the ALA says it is "Under Revision", but it was there just a few weeks ago. The misdirection of bogus "breast cancer" and "Essex, England" examples to feed the press or concerned parents just in case anyone questioned the reason for not blocking porn in the PUBLIC library.

Back to Helena. The oh-so-concerned ALA tutored librarian had more to say about her deep concern for children exposed to porn in a PUBLIC library:

... public librarians aren't babysitters. "We want to make it a great experience," Foster says. "But we can't tell kids what to do or not to do."

But not having a policy doesn't sit quite right with parent Joe Pennington. After his daughter became upset at others' porn use, Pennington and other parents asked for action.

"My thoughts are they have to do something," says Pennington, a two-time Democratic candidate for the Legislature from Elliston. "What happened happened, but we can stop it from happening again."

... "One thing I'd like people to know is: Do you know that your child has access to pornography?" Pennington says. "I didn't know. Did I fail or is the system failing?" [emphasis added]

Did she actually say "But we can't tell kids what to do or not to do?" I thought that is exactly what rules were for. Doesn't the library have a rule about shouting or raising a ruckus? How about a rule banning weapons inside the library? Making such an absurd statement is shameful, but unfortunately that attitude is very common in our public library systems. The answer to Mr. Pennington's question is that the library system is failing. Just ask the good people in Vacaville, CA.

Read more about Helena's library echo here.

To recognize a librarian's weasel words, see:"The Basics of Child Safe Internet Surfing" point 7, here at The Lifeguard.

Vacaville Library Incident Parent's Letter to the Editor

In today's (4/5/05) Vacaville, CA "The Reporter" newspaper, Iraq War veteran David Allen Horn writes a letter to the editor regarding the need for internet filtering in the public library. Mr. Horn is the husband of the mother with 2 daughters who were exposed to pornography at the local public library - read about Mrs. Horn's encounter here.

Mr. Horn calmly presents a well reasoned and altogether realistic method to both operate internet filters and allow those in need to access the internet without the filters. Horn writes:

Our children and countless others have been exposed to hard-core pornography in our own public library because of a nearly 10-year-old decision not to filter Web sites in Solano County Library computers. Friends have either told us they didn't know that porn wasn't filtered out, or told horror stories, some worse than ours, of what their kids were exposed to on public library computers. Toni [Mrs. Horn] clearly saw an unnecessary risk to children and decided to do something about it. Thanks to her efforts, she is being heard loud and clear.

The issues involved are very serious and care must be taken to balance the protection of children with the right to express and access information. I am confident that this can be done, for the sake of the children, without infringing upon First Amendment rights.

...the library can ensure that content viewed on the Internet, conforms to the same guidelines the library uses when selecting its printed and audiovisual collection.

Here is Horn's solution. It is simple and, by the way, used in libraries across the country.

Effective filters and the option to have the filter deactivated by library staff is an easy fix. It protests [sic] everyone's rights and promotes a positive learning environment. The current policy has created an environment that encourages and enables crimes against children. My oldest daughter, an avid reader and once an eager visitor to the library, has suffered significant and tangible harm due to her negative and preventable experience at the public library.

I hope that people from all sides of this issue will attend the Solano County Supervisors meeting 9 a.m. Tuesday. I would like to see staunch supporters of children's rights and defenders of the Constitution represented. I am both of these and I think it is time for a change.

Read Horn's entire letter here.

Oops! Mother, Children See Porn On Library Computer

Have I mentioned that many, many libraries refuse to add internet filters to their publicly accessible and publicly financed computers? A Vacaville, CA woman and her daughters went to the library to look for children's books. What they found was "something very adult."

"There was a young boy (next to us), who I believe was a minor, looking at pornography. I looked at my kids, and my 9-year-old daughter was staring right at it."

...

"We came to the library to check out books and promote learning for our kids. Instead, I had to explain to my 9- and 6-year-old daughters what Internet pornography was."

Of course, the standard mind-numbing response was given:

"Legal experts say libraries can choose whether to filter pornographic material. According to McGeorge law professor Leslie Jacobs, "libraries may constitutionally choose to exclude pornography from both their print and Internet offerings. Libraries may exercise broad discretion in choosing what material to include in their collections."

While it may be legal for libraries not to provide internet filters, it is also not right. The mother in this story agrees:

"It just makes me mad. The whole thing makes me mad. I don't expect my kids to live in a bubble, but to come to a public library? It's just appalling to me."

Agreed! Read the story here.

Daddy Warbucks to the Rescue

Bill Gates' Microsoft has filed 117 phishing lawsuits.

The lawsuits, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, seek to identify large-scale scam operations and recover damages from so-called phishing operations. Phishers typically send out spam e-mail, made to look like official e-mail from a real e-commerce company, asking recipients to click on a link and update their personal information. The link takes consumers to a Web site that mimics the look of the real e-commerce company's site, but collects personal information for ID thieves to use.

Microsoft is an almost universal target of gripes and complaints, but this, combined with the recent successful lawsuit against "SPAM King" Scott Richter, is a good thing!

Read more here.

Meet One Of The Good Guys!

Have you ever wondered how the anti-virus folks actually identify and clean computer viruses? What are those people like? Well I've been there and I would like to introduce you to Jimmy Kuo a research fellow at McAfee.

Jimmy and I worked together at McAfee in the mid '90's. He is one of the classiest people with whom I've had the pleasure of working and, indeed, knowing. Jimmy is a good guy. He is polite, soft-spoken and sharp as a tack. The virus writers know Jimmy too, and they tremble.

Tracking down and eliminating computer viruses is more art than science. It requires an instinct which can not be taught. Either you have it or you don't. The ability to translate the raw hexadecimal numbers of a memory dump into CPU instructions in your head on the fly and innately understand the program which those instructions are forming is a prerequisite for the job. Believe me, there are not many people alive who can do it. Jimmy can.

See what Jimmy Kuo is up to and read the recollections of his encounter in 1999 with Melissa -- the first destructive mass emailed virus here.

Phish Pharming

As the word spreads about the techniques used in phishing emails, identity thieves are devising new methods to steal personal information. The latest scheme is called pharming.

"...phishing without an accompanying e-mail "lure" is becoming more common. So called "pharming" attacks don't rely on legitimate-looking e-mails to lure users to fake Web sites, but automate that process by planting malicious code on vulnerable systems, then modifying the PC's HOSTS file to point to fraudulent sites rather than to the real deal."

The reference above to the "PC's HOSTS" file is simply stating that the malicious code overrides the normal routing to a legitimate web site by substituting a different web address in it's place.

So far, the new pharming schemes have shown up on some game web sites and, strangely enough, Monster.com. These attacks may just be proof-of-concept forays. Time will tell.

Read more here.

Dangers Of Music Sharing - P2P (Peer-To-Peer)

Michelle Malkin has posted a frightening and not often thought about peril for those who use Peer-To-Peer file/music sharing software. It seems that a man inadvertently published a whole lot more than some music files on his hard drive. TV station WTOC-11 in Savannah, Georgia writes:

Don Bodiker uses a popular file sharing program to swap music and other information over the internet. He also uses his computer to prepare his taxes.

He never thought the two had anything to do with each other, until he got a call. "I had no idea who he was or what he was. I just thought he was a typical telemarketer," Bodiker said of the call. "And he wanted to inform me that my tax returns were being posted out on the internet. I was very skeptical but he then proceeded to tell me some very specific details about my tax return."

File sharing software allows you to download files stored in certain shared folders on other users' computers. The flipside is they can also download files from your shared folder. There's a folder on their computer the Bodikers use store the music files they wanted to share. What they didn't realize is that their tax return software saved their returns in the very same place.

"Oh my God, I thought everybody and anybody knows exactly what my social security number is, my address, you know, anything that I had that was pertinent on there that could be used as an identity theft process," said Bodiker.

And he's not alone. A simple search on the file sharing network for the word "tax" turned up hundreds of returns. "It's made me more aware of the possibilities of programs that you attach to your computer," said Bodiker. "Ultimately, if you don't have to keep it on your computer, make a hard copy, and file it away. And that's always the best thing."

Read much more here.

Update 9:30 PM. -- Keith rightly points out in a comment: "Ironic that when stealing something you must becareful that you too are not being stolen from."

Don't Be Part Of The Problem

Are you part of the spam problem? According to a study conducted by the security company Mirapoint and the market research company The Radicati Group nearly one third of users have clicked on a link in a spam email. The study also states that one in ten have actually purchased products or services from spam emails.

Most people do not realize that clicking a link in a spam email not only invites more spam into their inbox by letting the spammer know that their email address is valid, it also opens their computer up to viruses, spyware and other nasty things which can ruin their day. Even if the link clicked is the unsubscribe link there is a great probability they will expose themselves to the same dangers. Many, if not most, spammers are not running ethical businesses. They are in the spam business for one reason: the quick buck. They can make that buck by either selling something, which may never actually be delivered, or by using the victim's credit card information themselves for illicit gain, or by selling validated email addresses to other equally unscrupulous characters.

Read more here.

Utah Internet Porn Registry Bill Signed Into Law

The Utah internet porn site registry bill was signed into law today by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. In spite of the obligatory threats by the ACLU, Governor Huntsman signed the legislation which requires ISPs to provide blocking of pornographic web sites at a customer's request.

I commented earlier on this bill and the hysterical reactions it has caused in the ranks of the pro-pornography activists in Utah and elsewhere. These same activists are now using the "Utah taxpayers ... could be saddled with legal bills ranging from $100,000 to $1 million." gambit as an argument. The pro-pornography activists certainly hope that is the case.

The source article, from The Salt Lake Tribune, is here. A less shrill version from The Register is here.

Warning: the authors of The Salt Lake Tribune article have a definite slant which is very apparent in the presentation. Yes, I do too but I don't write for a newspaper and I never make the claim that I am unbiased in my contempt for porn operators and the horse they rode in on.

"Many Parents Are Just Clueless."

So said Michael McTavish, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Computer Crime Task Force. He was talking about the dangers of online predators.

In spite of the ominous subject, McTavish said that parents can easily thwart predators. Rule number 1 is: "Computers should never be in bedrooms. If a computer is in a common area, most parents will pick up on it when something strange is going on." [The emphasis is mine -- BigSurf].

If you have read many of the posts on this site you will find that I strongly advocate another co-equal rule. Rule 1a is: Never allow a child to use a chat room.

Fortunately, law enforcement officials say they are doing a much better job of apprehending offenders both before and after they strike. For more information on reporting potential online predators visit obscenityCrimes.org.

Read the full text of what McTavish and others had to say about online predators here.

Follow The Money: Most Viruses Created For Profit

It is no surprise that 54% of malware is written to extort money from unsuspecting victims. According to Daniel Thomas who writes for Computing Magazine, phishing scams increased 366% from July to December 2004.

Read the article here.

Brave New World: Parental Responsibility On The Way Out

If you are reading this chances are that you are a parent. The very fact that you have visited this site demonstrates that you take your responsibility seriously and you want to protect your child(ren) from harm.

I too am a parent. My wife and I have three children -- two girls and a boy. Our oldest daughter is 27 and married with two children of her own. Daughter number two is 18 and attending college. Our son is 11 and in the fifth grade. For the last 27 years as parents we have gone through good times and bad but the one constant has been that we are always there for our kids. I've been the B of D (Bank of Dad) for all of them. Even when we couldn't afford it we have given all to the kids to guide them on their way to being responsible, respectful adults. There is no power on Earth which could have prevent us from helping them when they needed it or if they asked for help. I am sure you are no different.

Try to imagine a world where it became illegal to step in and help your child. It isn't very hard to do. That world is upon us this very day. Aside from every other issue regarding the shameful (yes that is a word in modern English) treatment of Terri Schindler-Shiavo, what hits home for me is that her parents have been prevented from exercising the most basic human responsibility -- caring for their child. Not only that, these parents are being forced to stand back and watch as their precious daughter is murdered in slow motion by the state.

I am older than most of you reading this and my education took place in a very different world than what you may have experienced. I was in the fifth grade when I learned what the word euthanasia meant. That was a world where there was no "right-to-die" mantra -- it had yet to be invented. I remember vividly when my teacher told us about it. The entire class was dumbfounded that such a concept had its own word. We all were saying that nobody would ever do something like that. At that time, our observation was true. The very idea of euthanasia was anathema to our culture. The reason I remember this episode so vividly is because of what our teacher said that day. She said that in our lifetime euthanasia would become accepted unless we stood up and resisted it. The responsibility was ours. That was a very profound statement to an 11 year old, indeed, it is a very profound statement to an adult living today.

The point of this post is not to pile accusations and curses on those who consider state mandated murder appropriate. The point is to remind all of you parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles and future parents that the responsibility for the children and the helpless around us is still ours. Wake up. Take the little extra time to delve below the ten second sound bytes. As the quote you see above this post states: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Some good starting points for digging are here, here and here.

Pew Report: Protecting Teens Online

The Pew Internet & American Life Project released a new report citing some statistics about the level of internet filtering for teens aged 12 - 17. The report states that 54% of internet connected families use some sort of internet filtering or monitoring software. The report also states that parents who are frequent users of the internet themselves are more likely to use filters.

Read the report here.

Is Your Computer a Zombie?

It sounds like a low budget B-movie from the 1950's but it is true. In a report from the Honey Pot Project over one million home computers are zombies controlled by malicious attackers. The zombie computers are used to propagate viruses, send spam and launch denial of service attacks. The only thing the unwitting owner of one of these zombie computers notices is that their system seems sluggish. If you have a broadband connection such as cable or DSL and you do not have a firewall your computer may already be a remote controlled attack zombie. Read the article here.

Spyware Assassin Shut Down by Feds

The FTC temporarily shut down MaxTheater Inc. makers of Spyware Assassin.

You have seen them. Those annoying pop-up ads claiming to find spyware on your computer and offering to clean it up for you. It is no big surprise to find out that the ad doesn't really find any spyware. It turns out that even if you were infected and shelled out the $29.95 purchase price for the "real" software it would do you no good. Allegedly, Spyware Assassin "finds" nonexistent spyware on clean systems and it doesn't actually clean any spyware existent or not.

Read about it here.

Spammer Argues That Spamming is a Constitutional Right

Dating service spammer argues that University of Texas had no right to block spam messages directed at UT students and faculty. Sheesh!

Read the article here.

Actually, anti-spam groups such as Spamhaus have claimed all along that the Can-Spam Act could end up legalizing spam. Critics of the act have called it the "YOU-CAN-SPAM" Act.

Internet Safety for Kids: Seven Signs Your Child May be at Risk, by SixWise.com

Read this excellent article here.

75 Percent of US Populace Online

According to Nielsen/NetRatings over 200 million Americans have regular access to internet connections.

Read the March 23, 2004 article here.

A Little Good News On The Spam Front

A survey by Bigfoot Interactive shows that there has been some progress on the anti-spam front. The survey shows that 57% of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the volume of spam they have received has gone down over the last year. There is, however, a dark cloud associated with this silver lining. A whopping 82% said that they were concerned about spyware.

Read the article here.

Illinois: Still at a library near you, unfiltered porn.

The American Library Association (ALA) is still at it. Using misleading and outdated information the ALA has coerced the Judiciary and Civil Law Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives into defeating house bill HB 2458 by a 8 to 6 vote.

The bill would have required each public library to have "a technology protection measure to prevent the display on a public computer of any visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors." The bill also allowed a library to disable the filter for "an adult engaged in legitimate research or some other lawful purpose." Apparently the ALA has a problem with protecting our children from online pornography.

This is just the latest salvo by the ALA to block at all costs any measure which would protect children. Apparently they have other ideas for what your children should be viewing while online. The ALA is intent on serving innocent children up to the sleazy porn site operators ALA-carte!

Read the story from the ALA's site here. Be sure to follow their links which shout with joy in bold type how the bill was defeated and rejected. With caring librarians like this who needs enemies?

Illinois residents interested in protecting children in libraries should contact Rep. Kevin Joyce (D), Patricia Bailey (D) and Patricia R. Bellock (R) who sponsored the bill.

From Forbes: "Feds Feebly Fight Phishing"

Read the article here.

Be Very Careful When Opening Email Attachments

A new infestation of malicious emails containing trojan horse attachments has spread across the internet over the last few weeks. The attachments are mostly .ZIP files which contain the "Trojan BagleDl-L" worm. This malware infection takes over the target computer and disables security software such as anti-virus and firewall applications running on the computer.

Read the article here.

Unless you are expecting an attachment, even if it seems to be from someone you know, be very careful about opening it. These worms also email themselves to everyone in the infected computers address book making it appear they are messages from friends and family.