Links

Censorship:

1. UK: Culture Secretary calls for ISPs to offer parental filtering option    14 September 2011, 8:36 am
2. U.S. House Lawyers Oppose Cameras in Court    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
3. NY Cyberbullying Bill Argues That Free Speech Isn’t A Right But a Privilege    3 October 2011, 1:52 am
4. Youtube removes protest videos at UK gov request    3 October 2011, 2:17 am
5. Governments’ attempts to control the Internet should be resisted    3 October 2011, 4:56 am
6. Fear of Repression Spurs Scholars and Activists to Build Alternate Internets    3 October 2011, 6:34 am
7. ‘The Onion’ Likely in the Clear for Questionable Tweets    4 October 2011, 6:13 am
8. Anonymous Twitter Alternative Created For Protesters & Revolutionaries    4 October 2011, 6:16 am
9. Google silences blog critical of Amanda Knox prosecutor    4 October 2011, 6:18 am
10. New York Times Shifts its Framing of the Arrests at Occupy Wall Street    4 October 2011, 11:31 am
11. Wikipedia shuts down Italian site because of Berlusconi’s “Wiretapping Act”    5 October 2011, 4:55 am
12. Belgian ISPs Ordered To Block The Pirate Bay    5 October 2011, 5:07 am
13. 72% businesses now block access to social networking sites    5 October 2011, 7:04 am
14. Internet Risks Will Drive Users Offline, Researcher Predicts    5 October 2011, 10:32 am
15. Greece – Another day of violence against journalists covering protests    6 October 2011, 1:25 am
16. The Pirate Bay add a domain to bypass court order    6 October 2011, 6:13 am
17. Jimmy Wales on Italian Wikipedia black-out    6 October 2011, 6:13 am
18. Safeconnect, Universities, P2P, Network Security and Risk: The Tangled World of “Policy Enforcement” on Other People’s Computers    6 October 2011, 7:47 am
19. Italy – Investigative reporters and websites again threatened by proposed “gag law”    7 October 2011, 2:06 am
20. Berlusconi’s gag law is no laughing matter    7 October 2011, 8:38 am
21. Shopping centre photo prompts Terror Act confiscation threat    10 October 2011, 7:10 am
22. Web filtering: Keeping it clean?    11 October 2011, 3:13 am
23. United States – Reporters arrested, roughed up while covering Occupy Wall Street protests    13 October 2011, 7:52 am

As always, numerous links of importance. It’s rather difficult to pick out anything which is more important, when it comes down to censorship, but I guess I could say that link 21 took place here in Glasgow (heaven forbid that you take pictures of your kids in public and some twit sees you doing so).

Copyright / Patent:

1. Patent Law’s Passage Spurs Flood of New Complaints    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
2. When and How to Appeal a Patent Examiner’s Decision    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
3. Senate passes Patent Reform Bill    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
4. Patent Bill Viewed as Bailout for a Law Firm    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
5. White House Petition to End Software Patents Is a Hit    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
6. Supreme Court Docket: Surveillance, Profanity and Thought Patents    30 September 2011, 6:37 am
7. [patent trolling] Warren Buffet patents S.E.O strategy    3 October 2011, 1:49 am
8. Movie DMCA (Copyright) Complaint to Twitter    3 October 2011, 1:52 am
9. Buy This Movie Or Legally Download It For Free: Your Call    3 October 2011, 2:02 am
10. Politician Violates His Own Two-Strikes Anti-Piracy Plan    3 October 2011, 6:37 am
11. U.S. Signs International Anti-Piracy Accord    3 October 2011, 12:35 pm
12. Patent Troll: Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won’t Sue Individuals ‘At This Stage’    3 October 2011, 12:39 pm
13. Patent Troll suing coffee shops, restaurants or hotels for offering Wifi    3 October 2011, 1:28 pm
14. Publication of the FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Spawns a Flurry of Legal Challenges    3 October 2011, 5:40 pm
15. Supreme Court Declines Music Download Case    4 October 2011, 1:13 pm
16. Brazil Drafts An ‘Anti-ACTA’: A Civil Rights-Based Framework For The Internet    5 October 2011, 4:52 am
17. Patent for dropping an image file on a textarea and having it uploaded    5 October 2011, 5:07 am
18. Software Makers Win Big in Supreme Court Copyright Fight    5 October 2011, 11:26 am
19. Innovatio: Attack of the Wi-Fi Patent Troll    6 October 2011, 3:11 am
20. France acts against net pirates    6 October 2011, 5:05 am
21. Judge suggests DMCA allows DVD ripping if you own the DVD    6 October 2011, 5:08 am
22. Infringement Damages Increased After CEO Complains About Patent System    7 October 2011, 1:51 am
23. Time-zone database used by Unix shut down due to IP litigation    7 October 2011, 1:53 am
24. Publisher Claims Ownership of Time-Zone Data    7 October 2011, 11:51 am
25. New research shows removal of restrictions can decrease music piracy    10 October 2011, 3:23 am
26. Google Sues Itself With Help From Intellectual Ventures    10 October 2011, 4:13 am
27. Kickstarter being sued for patent infringment.    10 October 2011, 4:14 am
28. Courts Call Out Copyright Trolls’ Business Model, Threaten Sanctions    10 October 2011, 7:55 am
29. ACTA Signed by 8 of 11 Countries – Now What?    10 October 2011, 2:46 pm
30. Ruling Could Help to Root Out ‘Patent Trolls’ Crowding ITC    11 October 2011, 1:42 am
31. Need Legal Work in a Down Economy? Be a Patent Lawyer    13 October 2011, 4:03 am

Links 10, 23, 24, 26 are all exemplary of the types of threat posed by Copyright and Patent as applied to the modern world. Links 23 and 24 are particularly ironic, as time-zone information certainly shouldn’t be the property of anybody – time zones are shared, are they not? I mean, we all live in a time zone, we know when it starts and stops, and we’d all like for our computers to be able to tell us the time. But somebody has apparently decided that because they published an encyclopedia with the time zone information, they own the time zone information, under copyright. The problem there, though, is that copyright is supposed to be for original works … and I can hardly see where that would apply in the case of gathering up known facts and putting them into a table of information.

Hacktivism:

1. Anonymous Member Banned By Court From Using His Real Name Online    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
2. Anonymous Hacker Group Draws Increased Scrutiny From the U.S.    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
3. US government dictates Swedish copyright laws    7 October 2011, 1:53 am
4. DoJ’s WikiLeaks Probe Widens to Include Gmail, ISP    10 October 2011, 9:47 am
5. U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer’s Gmail Data    11 October 2011, 2:02 am
6. United States – Old law used in controversial new way to get information for WikiLeaks investigation    11 October 2011, 8:51 am

Link 3 is an awesome example of why I support the idea of leaking data: an analysis of the WikiLeaks Cables has turned up the extent of US involvement in Sweden’s copyright system, and it’s quite extensive. When the US meddles in something, well, that’s what they do, but it’s certainly nice for those on the short end of that manipulation to be able to understand why they’re losing. Thus, leaked government data is a good thing – it helps stop the bullies.

Holocaust:

1. Nazi Crimes: Diaries Reveal How Much Wartime Germans Knew    5 October 2011, 4:51 am
2. CIA Wiretap Records Reveal Link: Nazi Criminal Rademacher Spied for West Germany     11 October 2011, 5:16 am

These are fairly self-explanatory, if a bit grim.

Medical Technology:

1. Data-Mining Could Predict Heart Attack Risk    29 September 2011, 9:30 am
2. ‘Super clone’ sniffer dogs: Coming to an airport near you?    30 September 2011, 5:15 am
3. Body May Use Cannabinoids to Make Placebos Work    4 October 2011, 9:00 am
4. Goal to build more than 30 more KASPARs to help children with autism    11 October 2011, 4:46 am

These, on the other hand, are a bit interesting – links 2 and 3 – and also a bit hopeful – links 1 and 4.

Miscellany:

1. BBC News – Thousands gather for police memorial in Glasgow    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
2. World’s first food fat tax imposed in Denmark    1 October 2011, 1:50 pm
3. What if academics were as dumb as quacks with statistics?    3 October 2011, 5:31 am
4. Benford’s Law and the Decreasing Reliability of Accounting Data for US Firms    13 October 2011, 7:48 am

Our choir provided the music for link 1 – it was truly a moving service. A fat tax … um … sure (link 2). Link 3 discusses a very common statistical mistake made in academic research (and by “very common,” they mean something like 1/2 cases in which such a mistake could possibly have been made). Link 4 is more interesting statistics; if you don’t know about Benford’s Law, it’ll explain it for you, and tell you why it’s important.

Museum / Library / Archive:

1. Field Life of Bone Hunters Revealed in 100-Year-Old Glass Slides    13 September 2011, 3:30 am
2. No Late Fees? Libraries Lend to Kindle    3 October 2011, 6:19 am
3. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: German Artisans Lay Claim to a Mysterious Tradition    7 October 2011, 8:15 am

Link 3 is interesting more because crystal skulls aren’t anything to do with museums, really, except as they were passed off as artifacts rather than just as expensive carvings. I guess we could look at them as something to tell us how people viewed pre-Columbian cultures before there was much hard evidence – as a great example of prejudice, maybe.

Open Source:

1. Congratulations HP You Broke the Code (GPL,That Is)    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
2. Why is CDC storing crucial flu data in a private database?    3 October 2011, 4:56 am
3. Building a $36.5 million business with open source software    11 October 2011, 2:03 am

Think that open-source software is for the little guys? Link 3 suggests you think again.

Politics:

1. Chomsky: 9/11 – was there an alternative? – Opinion – Al Jazeera English    23 September 2011, 1:34 am
2. The due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now reality    30 September 2011, 10:56 am
3. American Strike on American Target Revives Contentious Constitutional Issue    30 September 2011, 10:57 am
4. Cancer patient with mastectomy denied clearance by TSA without invasive search    3 October 2011, 2:03 am
5. The Latest Crime Wave: Sending Your Child to a Better School    3 October 2011, 6:51 am
6. The FBI again thwarts its own Terror plot    3 October 2011, 7:27 am
7. Mercs Tried to Bribe Indian Tribe … With a Playground    3 October 2011, 10:00 am
8. Are Court Reporters a Luxury Item in California?    5 October 2011, 2:19 am
9. Justice Department Official: Muslim ‘Juries’ Threaten ‘Our Values’    5 October 2011, 3:30 am
10. Study: Income Inequality Kills Economic Growth    5 October 2011, 5:02 am
11. Pirate Party Germany now at 8% in nationwide polls    6 October 2011, 5:08 am
12. EU Parliament Takes the First Step to Prevent Sales of Surveillance Equipment Used to Violate Human Rights    6 October 2011, 10:12 am
13. Judge Refuses to Sanction CIA for Destroying Torture Tapes    6 October 2011, 1:48 pm
14. Congress Grills FBI Chief About Anti-Islam Training    6 October 2011, 2:04 pm
15. UK in ‘breach’ of UN child rights pact    10 October 2011, 5:00 am
16. Amnesty calls on Canada to arrest George Bush    12 October 2011, 2:00 pm

Link 5 is very depressing: sending your child to a better school can land you in prison for a decade because it’s “grand theft.” Link 7 is an interesting (if creepy) read … and I wonder how they thought that a contract could possibly be legal if it required that sovereign rights of citizenship could be waived.

Privacy:

1. Is it time to revive the Bill of Rights for Users of the Social Web?    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
2. Windows Phone proven to access location data without authorisation    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
3. How Facebook Envisions the Future of Our eLives And Why It’s Not a Good Idea    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
4. Judge Dismisses Privacy Claims Against Apple, App Makers    29 September 2011, 12:14 pm
5. Digg Scrapes Facebook for Diggers’ Real Identites and Photos    30 September 2011, 2:55 am
6. On Newspapers, Public Discourse, and the Right to Remain Anonymous    30 September 2011, 2:12 pm
7. Facebook claims it does not track users, but files patent to do same    3 October 2011, 1:51 am
8. Facebook sued over tracking users after logout    3 October 2011, 2:01 am
9. Join EFF in Demanding a Digital Upgrade to 25-Year-Old Electronic Privacy Law    3 October 2011, 2:18 am
10. The Police Device used to steal your Cell Phone Data during Traffic Stops    3 October 2011, 7:33 am
11. California’s Reader Privacy Act Signed into Law    3 October 2011, 10:45 am
12. GPS Inventor Joins EFF in Fight Against Warrantless GPS Tracking    3 October 2011, 5:00 pm
13. France: Presidential tapping scandal rumbles on    4 October 2011, 2:46 am
14. GPS Inventor Urges Supreme Court to Reject Warrantless Tracking    4 October 2011, 12:13 pm
15. Hayden Urges Congress to Let NSA Monitor Public Networks for Threats    4 October 2011, 3:19 pm
16. Isaac Asimov on Security Theatre.    5 October 2011, 5:03 am
17. Party Like It’s 1986 – Demand Privacy Like It’s 2011    5 October 2011, 6:13 pm
18. Forensic DNA Could Make Criminal Justice Less Fair    7 October 2011, 9:54 am
19. Calif. Court Says Arrestee’s Digital Camera Can Be Searched    9 October 2011, 6:55 am
20. The Little ISP That Stood Up to the Government    10 October 2011, 3:22 am
21. The Five Levels of ISP Evil    10 October 2011, 7:49 am
22. California appeals court approves cell phone search during traffic stop    10 October 2011, 7:53 am
23. Calif. Governor Veto Allows Warrantless Cellphone Searches    10 October 2011, 8:09 am
24. FBI To Roll Out Face Recognition System    10 October 2011, 9:19 am
25. Facebook’s Hotel California: Cross-Site Tracking and the Potential Impact on Digital Privacy Legislation    10 October 2011, 11:34 am
26. BlackBerry gives way to pressure from governments    11 October 2011, 1:38 am
27. Keep the Pressure On: Oppose Canada’s Fishy “Lawful Access” Bill    11 October 2011, 3:42 am
28. Governor Brown Vetoes Warrant Protection for Cell Phones    11 October 2011, 4:51 pm
29. Ky. Man Sues Facebook Over Tracking Web Habits    12 October 2011, 1:50 am
30. Facebook Says Some of Your Personal Data Is Its ‘Intellectual Property’    12 October 2011, 9:52 am
31. Online privacy is dead… if you let it die.    13 October 2011, 6:58 am

Security Theater is something Asimov thought up long ago, but which is so appropriate today (see link 16). I must say that I’m proud of our ISP, as they’ve stood up to government pressure to turn over data about its subscribers (links 20 and 21). Of course, just when you start to feel good, link 26 talks about Blackberry and how they’ve caved in to pressure and are “cooperating” with invasion of privacy.

Security:

1. SSL Hacked! Are Web Communications Safe?    6 October 2011, 3:11 am
2. US drones infected by key logging virus    8 October 2011, 10:04 am
3. Hiding your data in plain sight: USB hardware hiding    9 October 2011, 6:58 am
4. German researchers crack RFID encryption    11 October 2011, 2:03 am
5. German Minister Wants Investigation of State Authorities’ Use of Spyware    11 October 2011, 11:01 am
6. Researchers hack crypto on RFID smart cards used for keyless entry and transit pass    11 October 2011, 11:52 am
7. Get hacked, don’t tell: drone base didn’t report virus    11 October 2011, 1:53 pm
8. Sony Reports Massive Hack Attempt On Networks: 93,000 Accounts Affected Globally    12 October 2011, 5:07 am
9. Air Force Network Admins Found Out About Drone Virus Through News Story    12 October 2011, 5:08 am
10. Interview with Germany’s Justice Minister: ‘This Software Can Do Things Forbidden by the Constitution’    12 October 2011, 7:56 am
11. Air Force Insists: Drone Cockpit Virus Just a ‘Nuisance’    12 October 2011, 8:02 pm

It never ceases to amaze me how people in government think that it’s a smart thing to release viruses into the wild – links 5 and 10 – and then somebody turns that same virus against them – links 7, 9, and 11. Link 3 is a step-by-step for how to turn an ordinary computer mouse into a mass storage device, demonstrating that data can be stored in just about anything.

Sociology:

1. Women in Science? Universities Don’t Make the Grade    3 October 2011, 12:07 pm
2. DHS Launches ‘Minority Report’ Pre-Crime Detection Program    7 October 2011, 3:27 pm
3. Computational Model of Peace Predicts Social Violence, Harmony    11 October 2011, 12:08 pm

Links 2 and 3 are sort-of opposites in what can possibly be done with similar sorts of information … and are nicely juxtaposed this week. What kind of a world would you like to inhabit: one which targets you as a criminal, or one which tries to plan for peace and harmony? Same data, totally different agendas.

Technology:

1. U.S. Sued Over FCC’s ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules    30 September 2011, 2:37 am
2. ‘Flying carpet’ of conductive plastic takes flight    30 September 2011, 5:23 am
3. Wireless Network Can Watch Your Breathing    30 September 2011, 10:03 am
4. PassMyWill Is A Will For Your Online Assets And Passwords    3 October 2011, 1:39 am
5. Verizon sues to halt FCC’s net neutrality rules    3 October 2011, 6:48 am
6. United States – New rules with limited protection for Net Neutrality about to take effect    4 October 2011, 6:24 am
7. Watch: ‘Invisibility Cloak’ Uses Mirages to Make Objects Vanish    4 October 2011, 7:20 am
8. BBC News – Internet of things: Should you worry if your jeans go smart?    7 October 2011, 4:21 am

Links 2 and 7 are both kinda neat (if a bit far-out in terms of when we’ll see the technology go into use). Link 8, though … well, let’s just say that I remove RFID tags from anything, whenever I encounter them.

-D