Combatting electoral traces: the Dutch tempest discussion and beyond

In the Dutch e-voting debate, the crucial issue leading to the abandonment of all electronic voting machines was compromising radiation, or tempest. Other countries, however, do not seem to be bothered by this risk. In this paper, we use actor-network theory to analyse the socio-technical origins of the Dutch tempest issue in e-voting, and its consequences for e-voting beyond the Netherlands. We introduce the term electoral traces to denote any physical, digital or social evidence of a voter's choices in an election. From this perspective, we provide guidelines for risk analysis as well as an overview of countermeasures

A Privacy Preserving Framework for RFID Based Healthcare Systems

RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) is anticipated to be a core technology that will be used in many practical applications of our life in near future. It has received considerable attention within the healthcare for almost a decade now. The technology’s promise to efficiently track hospital supplies, medical equipment, medications and patients is an attractive proposition to the healthcare industry. However, the prospect of wide spread use of RFID tags in the healthcare area has also triggered discussions regarding privacy, particularly because RFID data in transit may easily be intercepted and can be send to track its user (owner). In a nutshell, this technology has not really seen its true potential in healthcare industry since privacy concerns raised by the tag bearers are not properly addressed by existing identification techniques. There are two major types of privacy preservation techniques that are required in an RFID based healthcare system—(1) a privacy preserving authentication protocol is required while sensing RFID tags for different identification and monitoring purposes, and (2) a privacy preserving access control mechanism is required to restrict unauthorized access of private information while providing healthcare services using the tag ID. In this paper, we propose a framework (PriSens-HSAC) that makes an effort to address the above mentioned two privacy issues. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first framework to provide increased privacy in RFID based healthcare systems, using RFID authentication along with access control technique

Counter-intelligence in a command economy

We provide the first thick description of the KGB’s counter-intelligence function in the Soviet command economy. Based on documentation from Lithuania, the paper considers KGB goals and resources in relation to the supervision of science, industry, and transport; the screening of business personnel; the management of economic emergencies; and the design of economic reforms. In contrast to a western market regulator, the role of the KGB was to enforce secrecy, monopoly, and discrimination. As in the western market context, regulation could give rise to perverse incentives with unintended consequences. Most important of these may have been adverse selection in the market for talent. There is no evidence that the KGB was interested in the costs of its regulation or in mitigating the negative consequences

Telegraaf judgment on protection of journalists' sources: security and intelligence services must also respect protection of journalistic sources

Analysis and comment of judgment on protection of sources and coercive measures by public authorities, including judiciary and intelligence services

Assessing the Constitutionality of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court

In 1996, Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC). A court of deportation, the ATRC provides the U.S. attorney general a forum to remove expeditiously any resident alien who the attorney general has probable cause to believe is a terrorist. In theory, resident aliens receive different-and arguably far weaker-procedural protections before the ATRC than they would receive before an administrative immigration panel. In theory, the limited nature of the ATRC protections might implicate resident aliens\u27 Fifth Amendment rights. In practice, however, the ATRC has never been used. Perhaps to avoid an adverse constitutional ruling, the attorney general has never brought a deportation proceeding before the court. This Note examines the constitutionality of statutes underlying the ATRC that allow the government to rely on secret evidence. Although these provisions are constitutional on their face, they would be unconstitutional as applied in some circumstances. This Note concludes by suggesting how the ATRC\u27s secret-evidence provisions must be amended if the provisions are to become constitutional as applied in all circumstances