[LINK] [Privacy] EFF launches log-finder

[andrew garton]

Greetings!

The following application was launched by EFF. Wondering whether
anyone might take it up locally?

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* EFF Announces New Privacy Tool

Logfinder Helps Eliminate Unwanted Logging of Personal Data

San Francisco, CA - EFF this week released logfinder, a 
software tool to help people reduce the unnecessary 
collection of personal information about computer users. 
Often computer network servers automatically log 
information about who has visited a website and when, or 
who has sent and received email.  Such data tells a lot 
about a user's browsing and email habits and could be 
used in privacy-invasive ways.  Moreover, log data must 
be turned over to government entities with court orders 
and can be subpoenaed by opposing sides in court cases.

By finding unwanted log files, logfinder informs system 
administrators when their servers are collecting personal 
data and gives them the opportunity to turn logging off 
if it isn't gathering information necessary for 
administering the system.

Logfinder was conceived by security consultant Ben Laurie 
and written by EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen.  It's 
intended to complement EFF's recent white paper, "Best 
Practices for Online Service Providers," in which the 
organization argues that administrators should remove 
as many logs as possible and delete all personally 
identifying data from them.

"People who choose to follow our recommendations in the 
white paper might not know what kinds of logs they have," 
said Schoen.  "Logfinder is an example of one way a 
system administrator could become aware of the presence 
of logs, as well as discover sensitive information 
being collected in known logs."

For this media alert:
<http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_02.php#002370>

To download logfinder:
<http://www.eff.org/osp/logfinder-0.1.tar.gz>

EFF white paper: "Best Practices for Online Service
Providers":
<http://www.eff.org/osp>


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:: Andrew Garton

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