West Virginia House of Delegates Passes Cyberbullying Legislation

The West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill making it a criminal offense to “use a fake name to post online language meant to cause emotional or physical injury.” The legislation still has to pass in the senate, but it passed in the House with a 92-3 vote. West Virginia isn’t the first state to consider making cyberbullying a crime and as it becomes more of an issue, I would not be surprised to see another effort at creating a federal law, similar to the one attempted by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez.

Social Media Helps Spin Phony Bridal Expo in Boston

In Boston, brides and wedding vendors are feeling embarrassed after learning that a bridal show they were planning to attend was nothing but a sham. In addition, the con artists who set up the phony event have defrauded dozens of vendors of thousands of dollars. The criminals used Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites to enhance the legitimacy of the show, proving that just because you read about it online, doesn’t mean that it’s true.

What Does It Take for Facebook to Give Up Your Info?

A man is claiming to have uncovered internal documents from Facebook and Comcast that detail each company’s policies on turning over user information to the law enforcement community. Obviouly, there is nothing illegal about either Facebook or Comcast’s policies (companies are legally bound to provide information if ordered to do so by a court), but the information is interesting to read regardless.

Google Enhances Privacy Features on Google Chrome Beta

Perhaps in an effort to shore up lingering feelings of distrust over the privacy fiasco of Google Buzz, Google has added enhanced security features to their Windows version of Google Chrome. The improved privacy features allow for “better browser cookie managment,” which is something that is definitely useful for users who wish to inhibit data mining of their surfing habits.

How Prepared is the United States for a Cyberattack?

According to the New York Times, “the Obama administration on Tuesday plans to declassify portions of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, created during the Bush administration as a secret effort to harness the nation’s defensive and offensive strategies for protecting commercial and government networks.” The effort is intended to show that the US government is prepared for a large-scale cyberattack (something that many computer security experts say is a distinct possibility in the future).