The oversize white envelope bore the blue logo of the Department of Homeland Security. Inside, I found 20 photocopies of the government’s records on my international travels. Every overseas trip I’ve taken since 2001 was noted.

I had requested the files after I had heard that the government tracks “passenger activity.” Starting in the mid-1990s, many airlines handed over passenger records. Since 2002, the government has mandated that the commercial airlines deliver this information routinely and electronically.

A passenger record typically includes the name of the person traveling, the name of the person who submitted the information while arranging the trip, and details about how the ticket was bought, according to documents published by the Department of Homeland Security. Records are made for citizens and non-citizens who cross our borders. An agent from U.S. Customs and Border Protection can generate a travel history for any traveler with a few keystrokes on a computer. Officials use the information to prevent terrorism, acts of organized crime, and other illegal activity.

I had been curious about what’s in my travel dossier, so I made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a copy. I’m posting here a few sample pages of what officials sent me.

A security researcher has discovered fake profiles for celebrities on LinkedIn that have links to malicious code, according to a blog posting on Trend Micro’s site.

The celebrity profiles that are not to be trusted include ones created using the names: Beyonce Knowles, Victoria Beckham, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst, Salma Hayek, and Kate Hudson. They were uncovered by Trend Micro Advanced Threats Researcher Ivan Macalintal.

In its blog posting late on Monday, Trend Micro said it was continuing its investigation. The links on the professional networking site attempt to lure viewers by purporting to be nude shots of the celebrities. McAfee’s Avert Labs Blog has more details and screenshots.

Just in time for Macworld, those ridiculously talented Estonian engineers have come out with the latest version of everyone’s favorite Internet phone and video calling software the Skype 2.8 beta.

Among other extras, this new version includes two all-new features: The first lets you use your Skype credit to pay for Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots on a minute-by-minute basis. So, forget having to fork over $10 just to send a quick message off to your loved one or business partner. Now you can do it for actual small change–just US$0.19/minute.

You can also now do screen sharing with other Skype users. Of course, iChat has had this feature for awhile now, but iChat can’t do cross-platform screen sharing so you can help out your Windows/Linux friends. There are some limitations at the moment, though: for example, while you can share your screen with your buddies on Windows and Linux, you can’t yet see their screens. But really: who wants to look at a Windows or Linux screen when you’ve got your Mac in front of you?

Still think that today’s computer viruses and other malware come from some maladjusted teen out to vandalize your PC to make a name for himself? Think again. The persistent myth is a holdover from days long gone, and it’s important to dispel it if you want to know what you’re up against - and how to protect yourself.

The splashy worms and malicious viruses that clogged entire networks and indiscriminately wiped hard drives are essentially gone. Today, it’s all about cash - and lots of it. If there’s a way to use evil software to make money, whether it means taking over a PC to send pharmacy-advertising spam, or stealing financial logins and credit card info, or even hacking game accounts, it’s out there in some form.

There’s even a thriving online black market that sells everything from software kits to roll-your-own malware to spam services using infected PCs to reams and reams of credit card data stolen by keylogger malware.

Apple on Tuesday said every song in its iTunes library will be available without anti-piracy software by April.

The announcement came at a Macworld Expo keynote presentation at which Apple marketing vice president Phil Schiller unveiled a new top-end MacBook Pro laptop computer model and snazzy upgrades to Macintosh computer software.

“We worked with all major music companies and, starting today, iTunes will offer eight million songs DRM free and by the end of this quarter all 10 million will be DRM free,” Schiller said. “All songs will be DRM free in iTunes at iTunes Plus.” Recording studios have long insisted on digital rights management (DRM) software that prevents music from being copied.