"GOOGLE STREET VIEW" - FIGHTING PRIVACY ISSUES

1. Ever heard of google's street view application...m sure many of you must have...for those who have not heard of it...in brief it refers to a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provisions isometric views from various positions along many streets in the world. Launched on May 25, 2007 the application displays images taken from a fleet of specially adapted cars. Areas not accessible by car are sometimes covered by Google tricycles. On each of these vehicles there are nine directional cameras for 360° views at a height of about 2.5 meters, GPS units for positioning and three laser range scanners for the measuring of up to 50 meters 180° in the front of the vehicle. There are also 3G/GSM/Wi-Fi antennas for scanning 3G/GSM and Wi-Fi hotspots.

2. No about the fighting issue that i have reffered in the subject topic.Now whether it is a facility for the world base users to utilize viewing live views of streets world vide or it is an attempt to log in to the private data of the users across.....yess...I repeat it is the private data of the users avaiable from the open WiFi signals from their home computers and laptops.The intresting thing is that Google has accepted this collection of data from unencrypted wireless networks....and they have put the blame on a masoom software engineer.Google says the massive furore over Wifi snooping by Street View cars was all the fault of one software engineer.In an interview ,CEO Eric Schmidt said the whole affair came about because a software engineer inserted unauthorised code into the Street View system software. The man is now under investigation internally by the company as per posts on google blog.

3. Now what ever answer that google may come up with in form a mistake or simply putting the blame on that software engineer(...where was the Software Testing deptt and QC then otherwise?),the point that I intend putting accross is that just take care of envryting your WiFi router.Google has at least accepted the fact and mistake and they are taking measures to rectify it...but it will not be always like that.....there are so many mis adventurists present all around that looking around that unencrypted wireless networks for misuse.....just read this post again to avoid becoming a target like others.

4. Thanks http://tech.blorge.com & http://en.wikipedia.org/

MOZZILA Firefox & GERMANY

1. In another notable policy implementation involving IT aspect and signifying the importance of browser ,German government and administration has suggested computer users not to use Firefox and run an alternative browser instead, because of a critical security demerit. It has recommended that PC users stop using Firefox till Mozilla releases a fix.

2. The advice is based on studies and recommendations of BurgerCERT,a division of German Federal Office for Security in Information Technology. The reason why Germany is evoking such ostensibly forceful action is based on the presence of a critical vulnerability in currently available versions of Firefox that could be exploited by hackers to launch malicious code on users' computers.

3. For its part, Mozilla has acknowledged the security vulnerability, and has released the latest version of its Firefox web browser ahead of schedule because of security vulnerabilities found in earlier versions.Firefox 3.6.2 was due to launch at the end of March, but is already available to download from the Mozilla website.

4. Any advises or thoughts from the MOD(IT) INDIA.....none!!!!!!

5. Thanks http://www.computerweekly.com