Recently someone hacked into the database at UCLA and stole personal identity information for potential identity theft. While it scares me in the first place to have my credit card and social security information in databases and on the internet, I recently had an unsettling experience concerning databases and the internet. I got a letter in the mail from this online company that I had bought something from online. Apparently someone breached the security of their online database and stole thousands of names, addresses and their corresponding credit card information. Mine was a part of this database so they told me to check over all my credit card statements, inform my credit card company and accept their apology. While I don't know much about hacking or really even computers in general, I was pissed at this company for not taking the proper security measures to protect their databases and their customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP_M8s0GFEc

This was posted on my friend's blog, with encouragement to re-post and share. This UCLA student did not have his student ID at the library, so told UCPD he was leaving. However, on his way out he was tasered mercilessly and continuously. The event was captured on a cellphone camera and posted onto YouTube.

The video isn't that great, but I think it's really interesting how cellphone cameras and YouTube are suddenly together fighting for social and civil liberties. It calls to mind Rodney King, but rather than needing the mass media to distribute the video to the public, the public is able to do it quickly and easily without the help of television or news corporations.