HOMELAND SECURITY
29 Dec 08. A U.S. Army War College report warns an economic crisis in the United States could lead to massive civil unrest and the need to call on the military to restore order. Retired Army Lt. Col. Nathan Freir wrote the report “Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development,” which the Army think tank in Carlisle, Pa., recently released. “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities … to defend basic domestic order and human security,” the report said, in case of “unforeseen economic collapse,” “pervasive public health emergencies,” and “catastrophic natural and human disasters,” among other possible crises. The report also suggests the new (Barack Obama) administration could face a “strategic shock” within the first eight months in office.
Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt said the Army post is not involved in any recent talks about a potential military response to civil unrest.
The report become a hot Internet item after Phoenix police told the Phoenix Business Journal they’re prepared to deal with such an event, and the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Dominique Strauss-Khan, said social unrest could spread to advanced countries if the global economic crisis worsens. (Source: Google)
29 Dec 08. Alan Calder, Chief Executive of information security experts IT Governance Limited, looks at how complying with the requirements of legislation around data protection is a key challenge for organisations; companies have, for too long, been ignoring the importance of protecting data, and urgent attention to both the spirit and the letter of the law is urgently required, especially as a much tougher regulatory regime is now coming into place. The only away to avoid these dangers is to take steps. The high-profile data-handling fiascos of recent months have underlined the importance of data protection. The loss of millions of child benefit records by HM Revenue and Customs, and the mislaying of laptops and security dossiers by MoD staff – as well as the recent disclosure of BNP members’ details are part of the same problem – institutional failures to define and implement basic compliance procedures in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (DPA). (Source: Technology4Media)