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by CSO Contributor

Report Says Senate Snooping May Be Crime; Government Panel To Watch Over Biotech; Companies Move To Limit Hack Liability Information; California Slaps Hazardous Waste Fee on Monitors

News
Mar 05, 20042 mins
CSO and CISOData and Information Security

Report Says Senate Snooping May Be Crime

The Boston Globe reports that the US Senate’s chief law enforcement officer said yesterday that Republican staff snooping in Democratic computers in the Senate Judiciary Committee may have violated several criminal laws a revelation that led the panel’s top two Democrats to recommend that the report be referred for possible criminal charges. According to the report, Sergeant at Arms William H. Pickle, in a 65-page report completing a four-month investigation, said that one GOP aide used four or five computers to access some 4,670 Democratic files about nominees to federal courts.

Government Panel To Watch Over Biotech InformationThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a committee of experts is being created to set guidelines aimed at keeping government-funded scientific research from producing potential weapons for bioterrorists. According to the report, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity will function in a manner recommended last fall by a committee of the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academies of Science. Companies Move To Limit Hack LiabilityThe Washington Post reports that retailers and other service providers that handle consumer transactions are requiring customers to agree to waive any right to sue the companies if the businesses are hacked, regardless of how secure their systems are. According to the report, the waivers are yet another sign of the struggle to provide reliable online commerce in the face of increasingly sophisticated and organized computer criminals intent on making money.California Slaps Hazardous Waste Fee on MonitorsThe Mercury News reports that buying a laptop computer or liquid crystal display monitor in California will cost up to $10 more starting July 1, after a decision by state officials to classify the devices as hazardous waste under a new computer-recycling law. According to the report, under a landmark “e-waste” law written by state Sen. Byron Sher, D-San Jose, last year, the state is setting up new computer-recycling programs, funded by fees of $6 to $10 on new computer components.