Showing posts with label security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label security. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
CMU FBI Fight Internet Dangers
Carnegie Mellon University and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have launched a joint effort aimed at helping students better understand the dangers that lurk on the Internet. The effort brings together the FBI’s Safe Online Surfing Program (SOS) and CMU’s Alice software package. The SOS program was launched 5 years ago to deliver Internet safety information to third- through eighth-grade students. Since then it has been used in 41 states and has reached more than 70,000 children. Along with getting out the information the program builds competition among local schools. The FBI partnership with Carnegie Mellon will allow the students to create 45 second animated public service announcements on Safe Online Surfing practices using CMU’s Alice application. The late Randy Pausch created Alice while he was part of the university’s School of Computer Science. It teaches the basics of programming in a fun way where students often do not even realize hey are learning. Middle and high school students will create the videos and FBI agents will judge them later this school year to select a winner in two age groups. Teachers must sign up on line to take part in the program. Assistant section Chief of the FBI’s Cyber Division, Nick Savage, says the goal is to reach more than 25,000 students with the competition this year. He says he then hopes to take the wining videos out to other schools. Savage says students learn best when they are teaching and he believes there is a great need to educate young people about hazards associated with Internet. Both the FBI and CMU hope this will be a multi-year collaboration. Savage says the FBI conducts the SOS program and other programs in an effort to be more proactive in an effort to prevent crimes before hey happen.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Powers Quits After Security Alert Bulletins Controversy
The head of Pennsylvania’s Office of Homeland Security office has stepped down, days after he defended the department’s controversial intelligence reports before a state Senate hearing.
Governor Ed Rendell had dismissed the intelligence documents as useless, after the bulletins listing information about political rallies and protests became public.
When Director James Powers appeared before the Senate Veterans Affairs and Homeland security Committee, he said the reports had provided a valuable service for local governments and law enforcement agencies.
Rendell rejected calls that he fire Powers but he did accept his resignation....
"Jim is a good man who made a very significant mistake in judgment. And he has decided that the operation of his department is too important for his own personal desire to stay in the way of it."
Powers' last day on the job will be October 8th.
The public outcry was fast and furious, after news broke Powers’ office had been distributing information about protests to private companies and local law enforcement.
Rendell has canceled a state contract with the private security firm who gathered the data.
The targeted groups, including drilling opponents, gay rights activists and G20 protesters say their rights were violated.
Governor Ed Rendell had dismissed the intelligence documents as useless, after the bulletins listing information about political rallies and protests became public.
When Director James Powers appeared before the Senate Veterans Affairs and Homeland security Committee, he said the reports had provided a valuable service for local governments and law enforcement agencies.
Rendell rejected calls that he fire Powers but he did accept his resignation....
"Jim is a good man who made a very significant mistake in judgment. And he has decided that the operation of his department is too important for his own personal desire to stay in the way of it."
Powers' last day on the job will be October 8th.
The public outcry was fast and furious, after news broke Powers’ office had been distributing information about protests to private companies and local law enforcement.
Rendell has canceled a state contract with the private security firm who gathered the data.
The targeted groups, including drilling opponents, gay rights activists and G20 protesters say their rights were violated.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Hearing On Security Bulletins
The head of Pennsylvania’s Homeland Security Office defended controversial security bulletins during a State Senate hearing Monday.
The documents, which Governor Ed Rendell called “worthless,” provided information about political protests and upcoming religious holidays, along with other data.
Pennsylvania Homeland Security Director James Powers apologized to groups who felt like the primers infringed on their freedom, but he defended the intelligence, saying the information was useful to ground-level officials.
"For me and for you, does it matter what’s happening in Cecil Township? Well, it matters to the chief of police, who does not have analysts, who does not have researchers, and is responsible to the elected leaders there for public safety."
The state paid more than 100-thousand dollars to a private security firm for the information, but Rendell decided not to renew its contract after the bulletins were made public.
During the hearing, officials from the State Police told lawmakers they repeatedly questioned the value of the reports.
Powers said he heard their complaints, but disagreed. "On a couple of occasions they were concerned that some of the information looked like it was of useless value. But I knew from the stakeholders themselves - the people we wrote this document for, the people at the lowest level of government – that it was useful to them."
Powers says no tax dollars were spent on the bulletins, which were funded by federal grant money. Several senators were hostile to Powers during the hearing.
One Democrat, Senator Jim Ferlo of Allegheny County, told Powers he should be fired.
The documents, which Governor Ed Rendell called “worthless,” provided information about political protests and upcoming religious holidays, along with other data.
Pennsylvania Homeland Security Director James Powers apologized to groups who felt like the primers infringed on their freedom, but he defended the intelligence, saying the information was useful to ground-level officials.
"For me and for you, does it matter what’s happening in Cecil Township? Well, it matters to the chief of police, who does not have analysts, who does not have researchers, and is responsible to the elected leaders there for public safety."
The state paid more than 100-thousand dollars to a private security firm for the information, but Rendell decided not to renew its contract after the bulletins were made public.
During the hearing, officials from the State Police told lawmakers they repeatedly questioned the value of the reports.
Powers said he heard their complaints, but disagreed. "On a couple of occasions they were concerned that some of the information looked like it was of useless value. But I knew from the stakeholders themselves - the people we wrote this document for, the people at the lowest level of government – that it was useful to them."
Powers says no tax dollars were spent on the bulletins, which were funded by federal grant money. Several senators were hostile to Powers during the hearing.
One Democrat, Senator Jim Ferlo of Allegheny County, told Powers he should be fired.
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