global minilinks for 2008-09-04

• Europe's Privacy Czar Attacks Telecom Amendments in EU
  Says that they could allow over-reaching controls over Internet technology.
• Kremlin Web Critic Shot by Police in Ingushetia
  Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the ingushetiya.ru site, and vocal critic of Ingushetia regional administration, was shot by a police officer, and died from his injuries, after being detained.
• NZ Judge bans Net Naming of Defendants Online
  Worries about "viral nature" of reporting, censors website.
• Wiretapping Comes to Uganda
  New "privacy" bill is slammed by Amnesty International.
• Malaysia Clamping Down on Internet Free Speech
  Rumors of portal site blocked, and a cabinet decision to sue critics of the new government for defamation.
• India's Info-Activism Camp
  Want to use digital advocacy in the developing world? Come to Tactical Tech's Info-Activism Camp - Feb 2009, India.
• Stop Software Patents Petition
  Activists in Europe take the initiative to stop software patents permanently.
• Egyptian Blogger Mohamed Refaat is Arrested
  He had already been detained for a month before being charged under Egypt's emergency laws.
• Britain Plans Mandatory ISP Logging of Internet
  Data retention will enter into British law after consultation, but without parliamentary debate.

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minilinks for 2008-09-03

• AT&T Throws Blue Dog Party
  At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, AT&T threw a big party for Blue Dog Democrats who backed telecom immunity.
  
• Joe Biden's Pro-RIAA, Pro-FBI Record
  The Democratic nominee for Vice President has a history of uncompromising support for Hollywood, the recording industry and the intelligence community.
  
• Comcast Introduces Bandwidth Caps
  Customers that make heavy use of their Internet connections will be capped at 250gb per month.
  
• Studios Want Interoperable DRM
  The big movie studios are joining forces to come up with a single scheme for DRM copy protection, in order to encourage greater online sales.
  
• University Fighting P2P Use With... E-mail?
  Northwestern University has begun a policy of simply notifying students when P2P traffic is detected.
  
• Psystar Sues Apple
  The Mac clone maker is countersuing against Apple, alleging anti- competitive practices.
  
• RIAA, MPAA Lobbying at Political Conventions
  When the RIAA and the MPAA aren't suing fans, they're lobbying, says Wired's Threat Level blog.
  
• Are Images of the Early Mickey Mouse Copyrighted?
  A legal scholar says the earliest representations of Mickey Mouse may not be protected by copyright.
  

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minilinks for 2008-08-21

• Senators: FBI Rules Could Target Innocent People
  Four Democrats criticized proposed attorney general guidelines that
  the Senators say would allow the FBI to spy on innocent Americans.
  
• Watch-Listed Fliers Can Sue
  An appeals court ruled that passengers can sue the government to have
  their names removed from no-fly lists.
  
• Why the MIT Students Were Right
  Bruce Schneier argues that the benefits of full disclosure in
  security research far outweighs the dangers.
  
• Microsoft Planning IE Privacy Mode
  The next version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser may come
  equipped with a "privacy mode" -- but why isn't all web browsing
  private?
  
• Facebook's Beacon Controversy Returns -- in Court
  Users of Facebook's Beacon product have filed suit, claiming privacy
  violation when the product shared their personal info without consent.
  
• McCain Sued for Copyright Infringement
  The singer Jackson Browne is suing the presidential candidate for
  using his song "Running on Empty" without permission.
  
• Visual Search Engine Tracks Photo Usage
  The new TinEye search engine searches the web for a pattern of
  pixels, rather than a text string.
  

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minilinks for 2008-08-14

• Oops! FBI Sorry For Spying on Journalists
  FBI Director Robert Mueller called the NY Times and the Washington Post to express regret for a breach of reporters' phone records.
  
• Google Comes Clean On Targeted Advertising
  The Internet giant confessed to using DoubleClick cookies to deliver targeted advertising to users.
  
• Coordinated Cyberattack in Georgia War
  The embattled state of Georgia accused Russia of launching denial of service attacks against Georgian websites.
  
• Jobs Confirms iPhone Kill Switch
  Steve Jobs admitted that Apple implemented a tool to pull the plug on any iPhone software that appears malicious -- or otherwise disrupts the business model.
  
• Fliers Without ID Placed on List
  The TSA is adding names of passengers who entered checkpoints without
  IDs to a database of suspicious persons.
  
• Cops Using GPS to Track Suspects
  Police around the country are using GPS devices attached to cars to
  track people -- without using a warrant.
  
• Yahoo to Make Targeted Ads Optional
  As Congress investigates targeted advertising, Yahoo announces it will adjust its policy.
  
• The Permission Problem
  James Surowiecki reviews Michael Heller's book, "The Gridlock
  Economy," discussing the ways too much private ownership can be bad for economies.
  
• Warner Investing in Online Music
  An SEC filing shows that Warner invested $15 million in the same service it previously sued for infringement.
  
• Dell Unlikely to Get Trademark on "Cloud Computing"
  The US Patent and Trademark Office has rescinded its earlier decision to grant Dell the right to trademark the term "cloud computing."
  
• Selectable Output Control and DRM
  Techdirt argues that the MPAA does not need DRM to release movies.
  
• AT&T "Sin Tax"
  BoingBoing's Joel Johnson recommends that iPod users pay a "sin tax" each time they pay their AT&T bill -- with a donation to EFF!
  

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minilinks for 2008-08-06

• DHS Issues Policy on Laptop Seizures
  Rules released by Homeland Security say agents can seize laptops and their contents without suspicion of wrongdoing.
  
• Privacy Group Spies on Google
  The National Legal and Policy Center used Google's street view to virtually stalk a Google executive.
  
• CriminalSearches.com
  A new website allows users to search criminal databases for free, raising privacy concerns (log-in may be required).
  
• When Google Owns You
  Google user Nick Saber suddenly found himself locked out of all his Google accounts -- email, photos, storage. What rights does he have?
  
• Judge Hints at Mistrial in RIAA v. Thomas
  The federal judge in the first P2P copyright infringement trial has had second thoughts about the "making available" argument that convicted the defendant Jammie Thomas.
  
• TSA Halts Signups for "Clear" After Laptop Loss
  A laptop with the personal information of 33,000 people was lost in the San Francisco Airport, leading the TSA to stop signups for a service that speeds registered travelers through check-in.
  
• University Clears Tor Researchers of Misconduct
  Officials at the University of Colorado have found that a team of computer scientists did not violate US wiretapping laws in their research.
  

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minilinks for 2008-31-07

• Kansas Sentator Outraged by Chinese Spying
  Senator Brownback objects to dragnet surveillance — when it is done by other countries.
  
• Networks Sue Redlasso
  Fox and NBC made good on a threat to sue Redlasso, the popular service that allows users to clip and post TV shows.
  
• Is the Air Force Immune to DMCA Suits?
  A DMCA suit against the US Air Force alleging copyright infringement and anti-circumvention violations was thrown out of federal court on the basis of "sovereign immunity."
  
• Pelosi's Revisionist FISA History
  The Speaker's version of events somehow overlooks her own cooperation in giving the President unprecedented spying powers.
  
• Bill to Ban Kids from Using Facebook in Libraries
  An Illinois Republican has submitted a bill that would ban children from using Facebook and other social networking tools on public library computers.
  
• ACTA: Canadian Public Left Out of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Talks
  Michael Geist reports on the secret ACTA talks, and the Canadian government's "insider" group of government departments and industry lobbyists with special access to treaty discussions.
  
• The Ultimate Guide to Internet Law
  A great resource for summaries of court decisions in the growing field of Internet law.
  
• How the MPAA Wants to Break Your TV (Again)
  Public Knowledge has produced this nifty video explaining the problem with Selectable Output Controls.
  
• Location Monitors: Fun for the Whole Family!
  Sprint's Family Locator lets parents keep track of their kids' location using cell phones.
  

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minilinks for 2008-25-07

• Parents to Be Punished For Children's Net Piracy
  Households that are suspected of illegal downloads will be blacklisted and have Internet access curbed under new rules in the UK.
• Senate Bill Asks Attorney General to Investigate Piracy
  Senators Leahy and Specter have introduced a new bill that would allow documents and records to be seized in civil copyright-infringement suits.
• ISP Admits Secret Web Snooping in Kansas
  An ISP in Kansas admits to eavesdropping on the web surfing habits of it's customers without notifying them.
• Librarians Launch Privacy Initiative
  The American Library Association has launched a new "Right to Information Privacy Campaign," aiming to get Americans to "recommit to information privacy."
• Cory Doctorow's Address to Librarians on Privacy
  EFF Fellow Cory Doctorow gave an inspiring speech on privacy at the recent ALA conference.
• Kaminsky Provides DNS Flaw Details
  Security expert Dan Kaminsky has made public the details of a DNS flaw he found earlier this year.
• Fresh Allegations of E-Voting Fraud
  A security expert says he has evidence that Diebold officials installed a suspicious patch in two counties in Georgia in 2002.
• Sony Opens E-Book Reader to Outside Publishers
  In a challenge to the dominance of Amazon's Kindle, Sony's e-book reader will be able to read books in the .epub format, opening the device to work created by any publisher.
• Record Labels Ask Judge to Rule Against Limewire
  The major labels have teamed up to file a motion for a summary judgment saying the P2P software company "promoted infringement."

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minilinks for 2008-17-07

• Apple Sues Psystar
  The Psystar OpenMac has incurred the wrath of the "Closed Software Movement."
• Prosecutor Flagged by US Terror Watch List
  Air travel is difficult for Assistant Attorney General Jim Robinson, who has been put on a secret list by mistake.
• A Foreign Correspondent Speaks Out About the FISA Amendments Act
  Chris Hedges is a long-time reporter on the Middle East and says his ability to report the news will be compromised.
• Democrats Who Spoke Out on Immunity
  Dailykos has a list of who said what in the telecom immunity debate.
• Through the Looking Glass in Wiretapping Case
  A lawyer in the Al Haramain wiretapping case describes the surreal world of a lawsuit over an official government "secret." (log-in may be required.)
• Presidential Campaigns Getting Web Savvy
  The McCain campaign used web spiders to catch revisions on the Obama campaign site.
• FCC Chairman Seeks to End Comcast's Delay of File Sharing
  The FCC is planning to confront Comcast's practice of slowing Internet access of those sharing large files -- without issuing fines.
• "Home Piracy"
  A new report finds that a third of residents in the US & UK are ripping copies of DVDs.
• Hacker Locks Officials Out of Computer Network
  A disgruntled engineer in San Francisco has commandeered the city's network, locking out other administrators.

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minilinks for 2008-07-02

• Is the Gov't Tracking Us Through Our Cellphones? Lawsuit Seeks Answers
  A lawsuit brought by EFF and the ACLU seeks to force release of documents on cellphone tracking.
• RIAA requests internet filtering in international treaty
  The ACTA treaty is too secret for the public to see, but the RIAA has been able to make suggestions -- including gutting "safe harbor" provisions that protect ISPs.
• US and Europe near agreement on private data
  Law enforcement agencies are looking for common ground to increase the sharing of private data across the Atlantic.
• MPAA helps land criminal conviction in P2P case
  A Homeland Security raid on EliteTorrents eventually led the first jury conviction for P2P piracy.
  
• Warning to copyright enforcers: 3 strikes and you're out
  EFF Fellow Cory Doctorow has a modest proposal to punish serial abusers of copyright law.

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minilinks for 2008-06-26

• Schwarzenegger Asks ISPs to Block Newsgroups
  The California Governor and Attorney General have asked ISPs to jump on the newsgroup-blocking bandwagon -- an attempt to stop child porn that will likely block legitimate speech as well.
• Prince v. Tribute to Prince
  A Norwegian tribute album featuring covers of Prince songs by various artists is the latest object of the musician's wrath.
  
• The Nation's First Tech Czar?
  If Obama is elected President and follows through on a promise to appoint a Cabinet-level "tech czar", who would he choose?
• Orgies & Apple Pie: Googling for Community Standards
  In a novel approach, lawyers in Florida are seeking to subpoena Google's search data to establish community standards of obscenity.
• Surprise! Study Finds Teens Have Plenty of Illegal Music on Their iPods
  A study of teens in the UK finds that almost half the music on their iPods are infringing copies.
• George Carlin: Dead But Still Kicking the FCC
  Comedian George Carlin has passed on, but the legal battle over the FCC's power to regulate speech triggered by Carlin's famous "7 words" monologue carries on.
• LonelyCylon15 Says: "Just Say No to DRM"
  A lecture on the evils of DRM from the perspective of an intelligent machine.

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