A study of EU data protection regulation and appropriate security for digital services and platforms

A law often has more than one purpose, more than one intention, and more than one interpretation. A meticulously formulated and context agnostic law text will still, when faced with a field propelled by intense innovation, eventually become obsolete. The European Data Protection Directive is a good example of such legislation. It may be argued that the technological modifications brought on by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are nominal in comparison to the previous Directive, but from a business perspective the changes are significant and important. The Directive’s lack of direct economic incentive for companies to protect personal data has changed with the Regulation, as companies may now have to pay severe fines for violating the legislation. The objective of the thesis is to establish the notion of trust as a key design goal for information systems handling personal data. This includes interpreting the EU legislation on data protection and using the interpretation as a foundation for further investigation. This interpretation is connected to the areas of analytics, security, and privacy concerns for intelligent service development. Finally, the centralised platform business model and its challenges is examined, and three main resolution themes for regulating platform privacy are proposed. The aims of the proposed resolutions are to create a more trustful relationship between providers and data subjects, while also improving the conditions for competition and thus providing data subjects with service alternatives. The thesis contributes new insights into the evolving privacy practices in the digital society at an important time of transition from the service driven business models to the platform business models. Firstly, privacy-related regulation and state of the art analytics development are examined to understand their implications for intelligent services that are based on automated processing and profiling. The ability to choose between providers of intelligent services is identified as the core challenge. Secondly, the thesis examines what is meant by appropriate security for systems that handle personal data, something the GDPR requires that organisations use without however specifying what can be considered appropriate. We propose a method for active network security in web software that is developed through the use of analytics for detection and by inserting data generators into a software installation. The active network security method is proposed as a framework for achieving compliance with the GDPR requirements for services and platforms to use appropriate security. Thirdly, the platform business model is considered from the privacy point of view and the implication of “processing silos” for intelligent services. The centralised platform model is considered problematic from both the data subject and from the competition standpoint. A resolution is offered for enabling user-initiated open data flow to counter the centralised “processing silos”, and thereby to facilitate the introduction of decentralised platforms. The thesis provides an interdisciplinary analysis considering the legal study (lex lata) and additionally the resolution (lex ferenda) is defined through argumentativist legal dogmatics and (de lege ferenda) of how the legal framework ought to be adapted to fit the described environment. User-friendly Legal Science is applied as a theory framework to provide a holistic approach to answering the research questions. The User-friendly Legal Science theory has its roots in design science and offers a way towards achieving interdisciplinary research in the fields of information systems and legal science

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 23.1 (2019)

Ukraine | Interviews with HMA Directors | Southeast Europe | Lessons From the Past: Holland | Field Notes | Research and Developmen

Exploring the benefits of a tropical, large-scale marine protected area for breeding seabirds, per mare, per terram

Debate continues in scientific and popular literature into the benefits of large scale marine protected areas (> 100,000 km2 - LSMPAs), especially for top predators. Of top marine predators, seabirds are deemed to be the easiest to study due to their ease of observation and often colonial breeding. The Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) programme is a method of identifying the most important places for birds. IBAs are identified using a globally agreed standardised set of data-driven criteria and thresholds. In this thesis I explore the benefits of a LSMPA for top predators. I use IBAs on land and at sea with seabirds as the qualifying species as the means of exploration and the tropical British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos) MPA (hereafter BIOT MPA) as the study system. Red-footed Booby Sula sula rubripes is the focal species of the thesis. My research demonstrates that the BIOT MPA is extremely important regionally and globally for biodiversity and provides a breeding sanctuary for ≈ 282,000 pairs of seabirds of 18 species annually, four of which breed in internationally important numbers that trigger IBA status. However, invasive Ship Rats Rattus rattus and abandoned coconut Cocos nucifera plantations are severely restricting the islands that seabirds can breed on. I calculate by eradicating rats and managing invasive coconut plantations on a single 123 ha island, the number of seabirds breeding in the BIOT MPA could more than double. At sea, I identified sites that meet IBA status and due to their overlapping boundaries form a single ‘super’ IBA that covers ≈ 10% of the MPA. The terrestrial and marine sites I have identified within the MPA warrant enhanced protection. Red-footed Booby is deemed an umbrella species and therefore protecting the feeding and breeding habitat of this species will afford protection on a suite of other species, including sub-surface predators. I suggest this thesis is a foundation stone from which further research into marine biodiversity hotspots in the central Indian Ocean can be launched. This thesis supports the growing evidence that tropical LSMPAs are beneficial to top predators and unequivocally demonstrates that the BIOT MPA encompasses the early stages of breeding of a highly mobile, top predator

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 23.1 (2019)

Ukraine | Interviews with HMA Directors | Southeast Europe | Lessons From the Past: Holland | Field Notes | Research and Developmen

Three Decades of Deception Techniques in Active Cyber Defense -- Retrospect and Outlook

Deception techniques have been widely seen as a game changer in cyber defense. In this paper, we review representative techniques in honeypots, honeytokens, and moving target defense, spanning from the late 1980s to the year 2021. Techniques from these three domains complement with each other and may be leveraged to build a holistic deception based defense. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has not been a work that provides a systematic retrospect of these three domains all together and investigates their integrated usage for orchestrated deceptions. Our paper aims to fill this gap. By utilizing a tailored cyber kill chain model which can reflect the current threat landscape and a four-layer deception stack, a two-dimensional taxonomy is developed, based on which the deception techniques are classified. The taxonomy literally answers which phases of a cyber attack campaign the techniques can disrupt and which layers of the deception stack they belong to. Cyber defenders may use the taxonomy as a reference to design an organized and comprehensive deception plan, or to prioritize deception efforts for a budget conscious solution. We also discuss two important points for achieving active and resilient cyber defense, namely deception in depth and deception lifecycle, where several notable proposals are illustrated. Finally, some outlooks on future research directions are presented, including dynamic integration of different deception techniques, quantified deception effects and deception operation cost, hardware-supported deception techniques, as well as techniques developed based on better understanding of the human element.Comment: 19 page

Host-parasite interactions in Galapagos seabirds

Parasites exhibit a wide range of life history strategies that contribute to different dispersal abilities, host specialization, transmission modes, life-cycle complexity and population structure. Understanding dispersal rates in hosts and parasites is instrumental in defining the scale at which coevolution may be occurring. In order to better understand how and when parasites move between different hosts, I studied a seabird – Hippoboscid fly ectoparasite (and vector) – Haemosporidian parasite system in the Galapagos Islands. I began by describing the Haemosporidian parasites of Galapagos seabirds, discovering a Plasmodium species parasite in Galapagos Penguins (Sphensicus mendiculus), and a new clade of Hippoboscid-vectored parasites belonging to the subgenus Haemoproteus infecting frigatebirds (Fregata spp.) and gulls (Creagrus furcatus). Despite strong genetic differentiation between Galapagos frigatebirds and their conspecifics, we found no genetic differentiation in their Haemoproteus parasite. This led me hypothesize that the movement of the Haemosporidian parasite was facilitated by the movement of the Hippoboscid fly vector. In order to answer this question, I used a comparative population genetic study of Galapagos Great Frigatebirds (F. minor), Nazca Boobies (Sula granti), and their respective Hippoboscid fly parasites (Olfersia spinifera, O. aenescens) to better understand movement of flies at the geographic scale of the archipelago. I found high levels of gene flow in both fly species, despite marked differences in the degree of population genetic structure of their bird hosts. This suggests that host movement, (and therefore parasite movement), is not necessarily associated with true host dispersal, where dispersal is followed by successful reproduction. Finally, I examined local (within island colony) transmission in the Great Frigatebird, Haemoproteus iwa, Olfersia spinifera system. I inferred movement, or host-switching, by analyzing host (frigatebird) microsatellite markers run on DNA amplified from the fly. Using the most variable microsatellite markers, we are able to identify host genotypes in bloodmeals that do not match the host from which the fly was collected. Flies that were not infected with H. iwa were more likely to have a bloodmeal that did not match the genotype of their host and female birds were the more likely recipients of host-switching flies

Desktop analysis to inform the design for megafauna monitoring within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: final report of the seabirds team in the megafauna expert group

[Extract] The current seabird monitoring strategy for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the Coastal Bird Monitoring and Information Strategy - Seabirds 2015-2050 (CBMIS-2015). This strategy is built around monitoring breeding populations of indicator species that represent different feeding guilds at identified essential breeding sites. Patterns of visitation aim to maximise the likelihood of surveys coinciding with the breeding of 20 species while minimising operational effort. Of necessity, the overall strategy is a compromise between the number of sites, visitation rates and logistic constraints. The Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP) review process undertaken here assesses whether the CBMIS-2015 strategy, designed within these constraints, is adequate to meet the needs of the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan)

Peace support operations in sub-Saharan Africa: lived experiences of emergency care providers during external deployment

Military emergency medical care in support of mission personnel in operational areas serves as a vital element of peace support operations, as it ensures the maintenance of the human resources deployed in mission areas. Although the South African National Defence Force is facing significant financial constraints, it is becoming increasingly mobile, as South Africa continues to pledge military and diplomatic assistance in the African continent to maintain peace and stability, promote development and provide security. Consequently, when deployed abroad, military emergency care providers face unique challenges.The aim of this paper is to describe the lived experiences of Gauteng-based emergency care providers in delivering emergency medical care amid resource constraints during external deployment. The descriptions were extracted from a larger study titled “exploring lived experiences of Gauteng-based military pre-hospital emergency care providers during external deployment”. The research was conducted using a qualitative, exploratory research design and was guided by a phenomenological approach.The findings indicate that Gauteng-based military emergency care providers often did not have enough equipment or appropriate transportation to perform their duties during external deployment. As a result, they are hindered from providing quality care to ill and injured patients.Keywords: Military experiences, external deployment, emergency medical car

Feral swine harming insular sea turtle reproduction: The origin, impacts, behavior and elimination of an invasive species

Feral swine are among the world\u27s most destructive invasive species wherever they are found, with translocations figuring prominently in their range expansions. In contrast, sea turtles are beloved species that are listed as threatened or endangered throughout the world and are the focus of intense conservation efforts. Nest predation by feral swine severely harms sea turtle reproduction in many locations around the world. Here we quantify and economically assess feral swine nest predation at North Island, South Carolina, an important loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach. Feral swine depredation of North Island sea turtle nests was first detected in 2005, with annual nest monitoring initiated in 2010 documenting nearly total losses to feral swine in 2010 and 2011. The cumulative valuation of annual losses for North Island from 2010 to 2016 ranged as high as $1,166,500. To improve nesting success, an integrated approach for eliminating feral swine was implemented in 2010 and greatly intensified in 2013 by adding federal experts. Removal efforts were challenging due to the island\u27s remoteness and impenetrable habitats, weather, hazards in accessing the island, and wariness of the animals, especially as their population diminished. Removal of the final 11 swine required efforts from 2014 to 2016. Nest predation was highly variable and provided another example of the significance of conditioning by feral swine to sea turtle nests on the consequent severity of nest predation. Even the final individual inflicted heavy losses before his removal. Genetic analyses of feral swine removed from North Island and the adjacent mainland revealed that the island\u27s population did not originate from the nearby mainland, meaning they were (illegally) introduced to the island