Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Wednesday, Nov. 28

Compiled by Melanie Bender

Hey, IT Planners, Remember that Pandemic Threat?

ComputerWorld

In a report this summer about pandemic planning, the White House said that attention to the pandemic has "waned in the media," while "the threat of avian influenza and the potential for an influenza pandemic has not."

20 Percent of Ohio County's Election Printouts Were Unreadable

Cleveland Plain Dealer

A recount after next year's presidential election could mean disaster for Cuyahoga County based on problems discovered Tuesday with paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Board of Elections workers found the damaged ballots when they conducted a recount Tuesday of two races, which involved only 17 of the county's 1,436 precincts.

FTC Survey Shows 8.3 Million ID Theft Victims in 2005

Government Technology

Of the victims, 3.2 million, or 1.4 percent of all adults, experienced misuse of their existing credit card accounts; 3.3 million, or 1.5 percent, experienced misuse of non-credit card accounts; and 1.8 million victims, or 0.8 percent, found that new accounts were opened or other frauds were committed using their personal identifying information.

Oregon DAS Director to Lead Emergency Communications Network

Government Technology

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has announced that Lindsay Ball, director of the state Department of Administrative Services, will leave his present post to lead the effort to set up a modern wireless communications system that lets law enforcement, fire fighters and other emergency responders communicate effectively.

If Security is Expensive, Try Getting Hacked

Forbes

A set of case studies released Wednesday by the Ponemon Institute surveyed 35 companies that had experienced data breaches and found the average cost of a private information leak in 2007 to be $6.3 million, up from $4.8 million in 2006.

IG: DOD Fails on Competition

Federal Computer Week

The Defense Department awarded numerous task orders without competition, and it failed to justify why officials went outside of the department for acquisition services, a new report found.

Lawsuit Charges CRT Makers with Price-Fixing

InfoWorld

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of Nathan Muchnick Inc., alleges that six manufacturers artificially inflated the prices of CRT products to remain stable despite a rapid decline in demand.

Arizona Court: Balancing Needed on E-Mail Anonymity

The Arizona Republic

Courts must balance First Amendment concerns and competing interests when considering whether to require identification of senders of anonymous e-mails, an Arizona court ruled Tuesday in a case stemming from a corporate executive's personal life.

Feds Cancel Amazon Customer ID Request

Associated Press

Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through online retailer Amazon.com Inc., newly unsealed court records show.