Now "Cyber Insurance" for corporations

The Hatrford Business Journal reported on September 3, 2008 that more and more corporations are now taking out insurance to cover expenses, primarily resulting from lawsuits filed by customers for loss of private information pertaining to the customers (see http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news6450.html).

So far, 44 states in the U.S. have passed laws or enacted acts that specify how customers should be notified of data breaches. Connecticut passed such as Act (Sec. 36a-701b. Breach of security re computerized data containing personal information. Disclosure of breach. Delay for criminal investigation. Means of notice. Unfair trade practice.) in 2006.

While the move by corporates to insure themselves against such a liability is understandable, I wonder who is likely to bear the additional cost of this - will it be passed on to the same customers who are suing them for losing the information in the first place?

Another question is whether such laws are effective at all, when they become too cumbersome and almost impossible to actually implement.

-Ramesh Subramanian

My review of Google Chrome

I downloaded Google's Chrome an hour or so ago, and eyballed some of its features. As an avid user of Mozilla Firefox and its Web 2.0 enabled variant Flock, I wondered what Chrome might bring, that I might want. I have since discovered that Google has yet another impressive win here. By re-designing the Internet browser from bottom up, and by using the open-source method, they have not only re-done and improved on much of today's fanciest browsers, but have (I belieeve) started a new paradigm of web browsing which is based on the way an O/S pretty much operates.

Things I love about Chrome:

• The browser has a clean, uncluttered look, much like the google search page
• Tabs are considered akin to applications, which means that when a tab is closed, the memory that was used by the tab is flushed clean. No memory leaks, hanging pointers, etc. 
• Hopefully this will lead to less crashes and a fairly fast browser
• The incognito feature which enables an almost complete web browsing environment is a very cool feature. I wonder if this is likely to open up new public policy issues especially with regards to security and privacy? Imagine browsing completely anonymously even from public libraries? What are its ramifications to the US PATRIOT Act?
• The "history" feature is likewise a very cool and useful feature especially in the way it is easily accessible (i.e. as a tab) from any page
• Likewise, the new tab opens up the 9 most  visited sites by an individual user, which again offers a personalized environment to each user.
• But mots of all, what I liked the most was the GoogleBooks' Chrome book, in cartoon format. Google has achieved, in 30 or so pages, a very accessible, well written account of the development of Chrome as well as the technology behind it. This is so clear and detailed that it might become a "must read" document for any aspiring web technologist ans well as become a primer for explaining basic O/S concepts to students!

Things I worry about:

• In a world which google rules, I worry about what this might really do to information privacy. If indeed Google Chrome is the entry point to any sort of computing in the future, then what if that door is closed, hypothetically? Or what if Google succumbs in the future to an establishment that insists on private information. How would less-than-open grovernemnts use such a potential for one-stop control to access and privacy of informaiton?

More comments and observations later.

-Ramesh