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'Babar' Malware Attributed To France
sarahnaomi writes: The NSA, GCHQ, and their allies in the Five Eyes are not the only government agencies using malware for surveillance. French intelligence is almost certainly hacking its targets too — and now security researchers believe they have proof. On Wednesday, the researchers will reveal new details about a powerful piece of malware known as "Babar," which is capable of eavesdropping on online conversations held via Skype, MSN and Yahoo messenger, as well as logging keystrokes and monitoring which websites an infected user has visited. The researchers are publishing two separate but complementary reports that analyze samples of the malware, and all but confirm that France's spying agency the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) was responsible for its creation.
Why do people seem to view short work weeks as a bad thing?
There is nothing inherently wrong with a 35 hour work week. But the "theory" behind the French policy, that it would create jobs for the unemployed by spreading around the lump of labor, is nonsense. Real economies don't work that way. In France, unemployment went UP after the shorter work week was enacted. France is deep in debt, has relatively low productivity, and high unemployment. The last thing they need, as a nation, is more leisure time.
If an individual wants to work fewer hours, they certainly should have the flexibility to negotiate with their employer to arrange that. But making it a mandatory national policy was not a good idea, and even many in the "socialist" administration, including the president, have criticized it.