Here are some policies that I like for dealing with blogging and social networking sites: IBM Social Computing Guidelines – Blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds and social media Cisco’s Internet Postings Policy Sun Microsystems: Sun Guidelines on Public Discourse BBC: Personal use of social networking and other third party websites (including blogging and personal … Read more »
Enforce Your Email and Web Acceptable Usage Policies
MessageLabs (now part of Symantec) published a whitepaper Not Just Words: Enforce Your Email And Web Acceptable Usage Policies. The Whitepaper was written by Nancy Flynn, Executive Director of the ePolicy Institute. Email & Web Rule #1: Comply with Legal and Regulatory Rules Email & Web Rule #2: Enforce Acceptable Usage Policy with Training and … Read more »
Irrational Exuberance
In an essay in the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Greenspan explains some of the psychology behind the success of Ponzi schemes: Why We Keep Falling For Financial Scams. The basic mechanism explaining the success of Ponzi schemes is the tendency of humans to model their actions — especially when dealing with matters they don’t fully … Read more »
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Pub. L. 99-508, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1848, 18 U.S.C. § 2510) prohibits unauthorized “intercepts” of electronic communications, such as email. In Fraser v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., 135 F. Supp. 2d 623 (E.D. Pa. 2001)) an employee had sent the e-mail, the recipient at the competitor company had … Read more »
New York Social Security Number Protection Law
The New York Social Security Number Protection Law went into effect on January 3, 2009. Under New York Labor Law §203-d: Employers may not, unless otherwise required by law: 1. Publicly post or display an employee’s SSN; 2. Visibly print a SSN on any ID badge or card, including time card; 3. Place a SSN … Read more »
Risk-Based Compliance
Certain customers, vendors, and intermediaries represent a higher compliance risk than others. Risk indicators include geography, relationships to government officials, business type, method of payment, and dollar volume. In places where risks are very low, compliance burdens can be reduced. Where risks are not low, compliance is heightened . When there are more red flags, … Read more »
Avery Dennison and the Pitfalls in China
Don Lee of the Los Angeles Times has a great story about the pitfalls encountered by Avery Dennison when it was trying to build its road and traffic business in China: Avery Dennison case a window on the pitfalls U.S. firms face in China. It highlights the gray area between building relationships and corrupt transactions, … Read more »
Starting a Green Real Estate Fund
Lisa Michelle Galley of the Our Green Journey blog and Galley Eco Capital posts her notes from a panel of green real estate fund managers about why investors and development partners want these funds and the do’s and dont’s for building a green fund. Does commercial real estate need pure green real estate funds? Green … Read more »
Tenant Notification of Indoor Air Contamination in New York
New York passed Chapter 521 of the Laws of 2008, signed into law by Governor Paterson on September 4, 2008, effective December 3, 2008 which adds N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law (ECL) Section 27-2405 (“Tenant notification of indoor air contamination”). The requirements of the new law apply only to test results that have been provided to … Read more »
Gullibility
NPR’s Science Friday has an interesting broadcast on Gullibility. Ira Flatow interview Stephen Greenspan, author of Annals of Gullibility: Why We Get Duped and How to Avoid It. Can science explain why some swindles are so successful? Why are some people more likely to try to buy the Brooklyn Bridge or send money to the … Read more »