I hope that you enjoy the holidays. I’m taking some time off and will resume posting in January.

There has been debate recently on questions about personal privacy that can arise from “geotagging” photographs or videos — embedding GPS location data — and then publishing those photos on Web sites or social-networking services such as Twitter or Facebook. A report from researchers at the University of California at Berkeley’s International Computer Science Institute and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory takes a closer look and the privacy and security problems that can come from geotagging: “Cybercasing the Joint: On the Privacy Implications of Geotagging” (pdf at ICSI or archive).

The abstract:

This article aims to raise awareness of a rapidly emerging privacy threat that we term cybercasing: using geo-tagged information available online to mount real-world attacks. While users typically realize that sharing locations has some implica- tions for their privacy, we provide evidence that many (i) are unaware of the full scope of the threat they face when doing so, and (ii) often do not even realize when they publish such information. The threat is elevated by recent developments that make systematic search for specific geo-located data and inference from multiple sources easier than ever before. Read more »

Carnegie Mellon Professor Latanya Sweeney, who has written extensively about “anonymization” of data and the ability for people to “de-anonymize” data, writes an opinion column in Modern Healthcare about medical privacy issues related to systems of electronic health records (a.k.a. health IT).

From my son’s pediatrician to my father’s specialist, physicians are talking about electronic health records. Widespread EHR adoption is a goal of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provides financial compensation to healthcare providers and hospitals for meaningful uses of EHRs in years 2011 to 2015.

If successful, the ARRA will ignite a mass exodus from a prehistoric paper age into a tech-savvy networked cosmos called the Nationwide Health Information Network in which patient information flows seamlessly across computers, devices, organizations and locations as needed. For lasting success, special care must be taken to allow widespread sharing of patient information while protecting patient privacy, and that brings into question the recently released list of requirements from the CMS that include no privacy incentives and the current NHIN approaches from the Office of the National Coordinator that lack privacy and utility. Read the full story here. [...] Read more »

National Public Radio reports on a case concerning the anonymity of online postings:

The judge presiding over a high-profile serial killer case in Cleveland is now herself under scrutiny after her e-mail address was linked to dozens of comments on the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Web site.

Some comments were about ongoing cases she’s hearing, including that of Anthony Sowell, who’s suspected of killing 11 women. Now, Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold is suing the newspaper for $50 million, saying it violated her privacy. [...] Read more »

In the United States, this week includes the Thanksgiving holiday, so I’m taking some time off. Posts will resume on Monday, November 30. Have a nice holiday!

RFID Journal reports that the US Department of Transportation is soliciting proposals “for the development of a radio frequency-enabled license-plate system that would assist government agencies in the enforcement of traffic laws.” DOT says (pdf):

There are increasing reports in multiple State jurisdictions across the United States that motorcycle riders intentionally conceal motorcycle license plates and operate their vehicles in a reckless manner on public roadways knowing that (1) law enforcement personnel do not possess a tool with which to positively identify the motorcycle or the rider, and (2) law enforcement personnel are prohibited from engaging in high-speed pursuit in many jurisdictions. Therefore, the goal of this research study is to develop a radio frequency identification (RFID) system for motor vehicle (including motorcycle, passenger car, light-truck, etc.) license plates to assist law enforcement in highway safety activities. While the initial concept for this project is focused on improving motorcycle operator compliance with laws through increased technology for law enforcement agencies, there are other applicable roles for this technology (i.e., identification of stolen vehicles, etc.) that would benefit law enforcement agencies. Read more »