French Push Limits in Fight on Terrorism; Helicopter Engines Failing in Coast Guard; Companies Struggling with Spyware; Russian Spam Scam Hits Net

French Push Limits in Fight on Terrorism

The French government has aggressively pursued Islamic radicals since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, using tactics that would be controversial, if not illegal, in America. According to a report in the Washington Post, the French strategy includes preemptive arrests, ethnic profiling and an efficient domestic intelligence effort. For instance, the wearing of religious garb in school has been banned, a policy that targets Muslim girls, who would ordinarily wear veils. The French government has also imprisoned four suspects that were released from the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. The four prisoners were locked up in July and could remain in jail for three years while the government decides whether or not to put them on trial.

For more details, read the full article in the Washington Post.

Helicopter Engines Failing in Coast Guard

Engine malfunctions are up in the Coast Guard’s Dolphin helicopters (HH-65s), which are used for search and rescue and port security among other jobs. According to a report by the Associated Press, the Coast Guard has restricted use of these vehicles as it attempts to install safer motors. The Coast Guard says there were 172 instances of power loss among teh flet in the year ending Sept. 30 more than five times as many as the previous year. No one was killed in those incidents.

For more details, read the full Associated Press article in the Boston Globe.

Companies Struggling with Spyware

Companies are increasingly handling calls from frustrated customers who don’t know why their computers aren’t working properly. The reason, in many cases, is spwyare. According to a report by the Associated Press, Microsoft officials claim that malware is responsible for one-third of computer crashes running Windows XP. Additionally, America Online estimates that spyware programs cause 300,000 Internet disconnections per day. Customer-support calls can run anywhere between $15 to $45 per call, according to sources in the story.

For more details, read the full Associated Press article in the Los Angeles Times.

Russian Spam Scam Hits Net

A new spam scam that offers training and well paid jobs in finance has hit the net. According to a report in The Register, Russian spammers have concocted this lastest scheme. The e-mails apprear to come from merchand bank Credit Suisse and offer a free two-week training course. Experts say that users who sign up for the course may be duped into helping transfer monies overseas from online bank accounts compromised in phishing attacks.

For more details, read the full article in The Register.