Terrorism, police, and the NYC subway

There has been an interesting debate over the past couple of days between the authors of the Concurring Opinions blog regarding the wisdom of police conducting random searches on the NYC subway system. The debate centres on whether such searches:

• Will catch terrorists before they complete their attacks,
• Will frighten terrorists away from the subway system by the show of power, or
• Will not impact terrorism but make New Yorkers feel better.

Interesting reading.

Here is an interesting factoid (is this actually true?) from the discussion,

"Measured by its post-9/11 budget and personnel, the NYPD outranks all but nineteen of the world's standing armies."

Tags: security

The ethics of selling nothing

Temple University law professor David Hoffman invites us to consider if selling an empty box, and describing it as just that, for $611 USD constitutes some form of fraud. From his post:

"This is the PREMIUM BUNDLE BOX only. It would include bonus accessories, if it were the actual PREMIUM XBOX 360! DOES NOT Come with 20GB Hard Drive, Console, HD Cables, Wireless Controller, Headset! In other words for those of you who do not understand, YES YOU ARE GETTING AN EMPTY BOX SO DO NOT ASK! Great for gags! DO NOT bid if you don't intend to buy! No excuses, I will not retract bids for you! You will be reported to eBay if you backout after winning the auction. I Cannot be more clear! This is not even a factory made xbox 360 box. I made it myself, just a few minutes ago. It does not contain an Xbox 360 console, just the Xbox 360 home-made box. this box is great hand made by me says XBOX right on it[.] It doesn't look anything like the picture I included in the auction. It looks much better, in my opinion."

Tags: ecommerce

Geist challenges politicians on privacy

In an update on the never ending Sony rootkit saga, Michael Geist challenges Canadian politicians to make privacy an election issue. Also, if you are a Canadian whose computer is infected with the Sony rootkit, Geist wants to hear from you. Could he be building a class action law suit (if that term is applicable in Canadian law?)?

"Given all the prior revelations, Canadian action is now long overdue. There is ample evidence to warrant investigations from both the Competition Bureau and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Moreover, with the election campaign now in full swing, the various parties should take a stand on what they intend to do about deceptive use of DRM and whether they support much-needed legal protections from DRM. This fiasco has laid bare the dangers of the recording industry' s support for DRM to consumers, artists, and retailers. With thousands of Canadians likely affected (if you are one, I'd like to hear from you), Canadian authorities can no longer sit on the sidelines."

Tags: privacy