Executive Director’s Message
by Paul Kurtz, CSIA Executive Director
Time is running out on the legislative clock. As August approaches, the Congressional calendar begins to rapidly wind down: most members of Congress head home to campaign for the November elections, and the "must pass" bills — such as reauthorization and appropriations bills — are fast-tracked to the top of the list to ensure, at minimum, continued government operations. But there are two critical items missing from the schedule: data security legislation and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.
Kurtz Testifies to Congress on Small Business Issues
On May 23, CSIA Executive Director Paul Kurtz testified before the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight regarding data protection. The hearing, entitled "Data Protection and the Consumer: Who Loses When Your Data Takes a Hike?" focused on the costs to small businesses of complying with current state and federal law.
Town Hall Meeting In Atlanta
On June 6, CSIA and the Georgia Tech Information Security Center sponsored a Town Hall discussion in Atlanta, GA entitled "Safeguarding Information on the Internet: What Consumers Should Expect of Government and Business."
Global Perspectives
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On 31 May 2006, the European Commission issued a Communication entitled: " A strategy for a secure information society – dialogue, partnership and empowerment". The Communication "aims to promote a general security consciousness and an awareness of the actions that people and organisations need to take for themselves, in order to protect their own information and equipment."
CSIA Member Spotlight
About Surety LLC
About Surety, LLC: Surety is an IT security software and services company founded in 1994 by two prominent Bellcore scientists who pioneered the concept of trusted digital time-stamping. Today, Surety is recognized as a global leader in the Trusted Time-stamp industry.
An Ounce of Proof is Worth a Pound of Discovery: Are You Litigation Ready
By Tom Klaff, CEO of Surety, LLC
On July 24, 2003, Vee Vinhnee, a California entrepreneur filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Central California. He owed American Express over $40,000 on his two credit cards: one, an American Express Gold card issued in 1989; and the other, an American Express Platinum card issued in February of 2003. Subsequently, American Express sued Mr. Vinhnee to get him to pay the balances owed on the cards. In American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. vs. Vinhnee, Vee Vinhnee won his case without even attending the trial.
Congressional Spotlight
Senator Richard G. Lugar (R - IN)
About Senator Lugar: Senator Lugar was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976. In 2000, he was re-elected to his fifth term. He is the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and a member and former Chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.
Addressing The Global Nature of Cyber Threats
BY Senator Richard G. Lugar
With the recent arrest of seventeen terrorism suspects in Canada, we have once again been reminded of the role that computer systems can play in planning attacks against America and its allies. As Michael Wilson, Canada’s Ambassador to Washington, said, "The Internet was, according to the police, a very important part of their activities," which allegedly included a plot to storm the Canadian Parliament to behead its members.