Penny Dean and Your Rights

In an unprecedented incident, the state of Maine has reported a ransomware attack that compromised the data of approximately 1.3 million residents. The attack exploited a software vulnerability in the third-party file transfer tool MOVEit, commonly used worldwide. Cybercriminals, believed to be associated with the Clop group, weaponized the exploit between May 28 and May 29, gaining unauthorized access to multiple state government agencies.

In 2006, a tragic and shocking incident occurred when Ryan Waller and his girlfriend Heather Quan were victims of a violent break-in at their Phoenix apartment. The assailants, Ritchie Carver and his father Larry Carver, broke in while a roommate was absent. When Ryan answered the doorbell and realized trouble was brewing, he tried to shut the door, but Ritchie shot him in the head twice. Ritchie then went on to shoot Heather dead on the couch.

All 25 car brands the foundation reviewed collected more personal data than necessary and used that information for a reason other than to operate the vehicle.

• Most car brands (84%) share or sell personal data, and 19 (76%) say they can sell your personal data.
• A surprising number (56%) also say they can share your information with the government or law enforcement in response to a "request."
• Most (92%) car brands give drivers little to no control over their personal data.
• The foundation could not confirm whether any of the car brands meet its minimum security standards.
• 17 (68%) of the car brands have a bad track record of security and privacy lapses.

Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2023/09/11/fbi-federal-judge-agree-fighting-bot...

The FBI has been granted a warrant to remotely install software on computers anywhere in the United States in order to disrupt botnets. This means that the FBI could potentially install software on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

According to Mashable, on September 8, 2023, some Wyze users reported seeing the feeds and camera logs of other users. Wyze confirmed that the merged feeds stemmed from "a web caching issue" that only affected desktop users during a 30-minute time period. However, many users expressed deeper privacy worries with the home camera system, given that this is not the first time Wyze has been criticized for its lax security measures.

In a significant move to address the escalating gun violence in New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a public health emergency and issued a 30-day suspension on the public carry of firearms in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. The suspension applies to both open and concealed carry laws, with exceptions for law enforcement officers and licensed security guards.

An outraged parent and gun rights groups are speaking out against an Alabama elementary school that suspended a first-grader, reportedly for making a finger gun.

Jerrod Belcher, whose six-year-old son J.B. attends Bagley Elementary School in Jefferson County, Alabama, says the school over-reacted to a game of "cops and robbers." A notice of suspension shared with Fox News Digital states that Belcher's son committed a "Class III" infraction on September 1 by "using his fingers to shoot at another student."

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is calling on nations around the world to adopt his “global solution” for “digital ID” to ensure that every single person on Earth “proves their identity.”

In a post on Twitter/X, Gates lamented that there are “850 million people” still left in the world who “lack ID that proves their identity.”

According to Gates, the Modular Open-Source Identification Platform (MOSIP) is a “global solution” for rolling out digital IDs for the entire human race.

Gates describes MOSIP as an “inclusive approach” to a “global digital ID system” that serves as “a formidable solution” for “dismantling the barriers” for people millions of people around the world who don’t have suitable identification.

The head of global security at Apple, Thomas Moyer, is facing a bribery charge for allegedly offering over $50,000 worth of iPads to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in exchange for concealed carry weapon permits for Apple’s executive security team. This charge was reinstated by a tribunal of judges in California’s 6th District Court of Appeal, after a lower court had initially dismissed it.

France has recently passed a bill that grants police the authority to remotely activate the cameras, microphones, and GPS of suspects' phones as a means of surveillance. The legislation extends to other devices such as laptops, cars, and connected devices, allowing remote recording of sound and images for individuals suspected of various offenses, including terrorism, delinquency, and organized crime.