Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

MDPLS Search Plugin Restored

Seems like every time the Miami-Dade Public Library system has a computer upgrade, their nifty search plugin gets lost in the shuffle. The MDPLS website recently had a major face-lift, with equivocal results on the desktop, but a much better look on my cell phone. And yes, again, the link to the search plugin vanished. And again I wrote in to complain. And again they were very very courteous in replying — I got three emails in less than two weeks, each apologizing for the delay in resolving the issue.

And now there is a new Library Tools page, with a link to install the MDPLS Quick Search browser plug‑in.

This is the same library system whose budget the Mayor keeps slashing by the way. The library is one of the rare cultural successes of Miami-Dade county — and if you live here MDPLS deserves your support.

Previously:

Posted in Internet | 1 Comment

Strong Candidate for Worst Political Video of the Year

As far as I can tell, this nutty video is a genuine product of the Republican Party.

Perhaps they have so much money now after Citizens United that they don’t care how they spend it? And, yes, the “HRC Squirrel” seems to be something they plan to run with.

Posted in 2016 Election | 1 Comment

True Enough to Hurt

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on True Enough to Hurt

All Comms Are Being Monitored

More evidence that the cypherpunks were right, this time in the Guardian:

Vodafone, one of the world’s largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the existence of secret wires that allow government agencies to listen to all conversations on its networks, saying they are widely used in some of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe and beyond.

–Juliette Garside, Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance. Wires allow agencies to listen to or record live conversations, in what privacy campaigners are calling a ‘nightmare scenario’

Posted in Surveillance | 1 Comment

See How Your Bank’s Privacy Policies Compare

Lorrie Faith Cranor put me on to this new site she’s built, that allows you to compare banks according to their privacy policies.

It’s a great tool, but not a great reality. Here, for example, is what I got when I searched for large banks in Florida with adequate privacy policies (allowing opt-out from all categories of information sharing):

Search result

Posted in Econ & Money, Law: Privacy | Comments Off on See How Your Bank’s Privacy Policies Compare

Reset The Net

reset-the-net

Posted in Internet, Surveillance | Comments Off on Reset The Net