A new OpenNet Initiative study finds that at least 25 countries around the world routinely block or filter websites for political commentary, pornography, gambling, or gay and lesbian content. Other countries, such as North and South Korea filter information having to do with their enemies. Surprisingly, the study found no website censorship Russia, Israel, or the Palestinian Territories. The OpenNet Initiative is a collaboration between researchers at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and the University of Toronto.
Stony Brook University has become the latest public organization to accidentally disclose personal information on its website. The University inadvertently posted the names and Social Security numbers of nearly 90,000 current and former faculty, staff, students, alumni and others. The personal information was accessible from April 10 through April 24, when a student accidentally found it and tipped off university officials. But most of those affected didn’t hear of the breach until two weeks later when they suddenly received letters advising them to enroll in credit fraud monitoring.
Under pressure from state attorneys general, MySpace says it will release information on registered sex offenders it has removed from its site. Citing federal privacy laws, MySpace had initially rejected a demand from North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and attorneys general in seven other states who asked for the names of registered sex offenders using the site and where they live.