Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Monday, Jan. 7, 2008

Compiled by Melanie Beender

Pa. Officials Say No Data Was Compromised by Hackers

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A hacker from China successfully penetrated Pennsylvania's state government Web site Friday, but did not spread a virus or compromise citizen data. Friday morning, four state government departments received indications of a security problem; the state shut down its entire Web site as a precautionary measure.

Minnesota Investigating Improper Use of Driver's License Database

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Two state employees have been removed from their jobs for improperly accessing the records of more than 400 drivers, Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials said Friday.

Growth in IT Services Jobs Slows in 2007

CIO Insight

Employment growth among U.S. firms that provide IT services slowed in 2007 after three straight years of increasing gains, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

Some Illinois Drivers Paying Exceptionally Heavy Tolls

The Daily Herald

Hundreds of thousands of drivers in Illinois did not get violation notices for more than a year because of a computer glitch in the Illinois tollway system, but that isn't stopping officials from demanding fines from accused scofflaws.

NY Board of Elections Sets Timetable for Voting Machines

The Albany Times Union

The New York Board of Elections on Friday gave a federal judge a timetable under which it plans to replace all of the state's lever-action voting machines by September 2009. By this year's primary election in September, there will be at least one voting machine accessible to the handicapped at each polling place in the state.

Cellphone-Only Voters May Be Problematic for Pollsters

The Boston Globe

As people drop their landlines, pollsters have worried about missing segments of the population in their opinion surveys. Phone directories are rare for cellphones. And many carriers charge the answering party for each call, which makes cellphone surveys problematic.

Voter ID Laws Are Set to Face a Crucial Test

The New York Times

Indiana's voter identification law, the strictest in the nation, will undergo scrutiny in the Supreme Court this week. Up for debate is whether a state-issued photo identification card is an undue burden on minority, poor and elderly voters or a prudent step toward curbing voter identification fraud.