   April 2004 ArchiveApril 30, 2004EU Considers Data Retention Laws
The proposal could mandate permanent retention of user information related to phone, text, MMS, email, Voice over IP, and Web communications.
B-Flag: Remixing 'The Apprentice'
True Majority remixes "The Apprentice" with news images of President Bush -- something you might not be able to do under the broadcast flag.
Four Face Criminal Charges Under CAN-SPAM
The cases are the first to be filed under the new law's criminal provisions.
Free Trade Agreement Divides Aussies
This "harmonization" measure is driving a wedge between IP users and IP holders.
More RIAA Lawsuits
The recording industry filed 477 more expensive lawsuits this week, generating another $0.00 for artists.
Half of EU Ignores Own Anti-Spam Directive
EU states claim that the directive won't actually stop spam, so they haven't bothered implementing it. If only they would apply the same wisdom to the EU's new anti-piracy directive...
Chinese Court to Hear Cyber-Property Suit
A video gamer is suing to recover a virtual sword - worth about $120 - which was deleted by game administrators.
April 28, 2004Another Reason to Order Chinese
Collection agencies are data-mining pizza delivery databases to track down debtors.
(Mis)Educating Children About Copyright
The Boston Globe has a piece on the one-sided copyright "education" that Hollywood is foisting upon middle-schoolers. EFF is applying for grants to fund a balanced counter-curriculum - drop us a line if you have any leads.
Never Lose Your Child in LEGOLAND Again!
Thanks to the new Kidspotter, absent-minded parents can keep track of their offspring by slapping on a brightly colored RFID tracking device. Too bad it only works in the park, eh?
April 27, 2004Spreading the Gospel on P2P
Fans of Christian pop are getting a lot of it over P2P networks, where anonymity can ease the social stigma of rocking out with the Lord.
April 25, 2004Another Bad Tech "Solution" to P2P
Palisade Systems is partnering with Audible Magic to sell a tool that scans email, IM and other Net traffic for copyrighted material and breaks connections mid-transfer - regardless of whether the transmission is legal.
CD Sales Continue to Rise
And file sharing is still around. Perhaps those studies concluding that P2P isn't hurting the music industry are [gasp] correct?
Aarrgh-natomy of the Word "Pirate"
Ever wonder when swashbucklers and IP-absconders were first conflated? 1668.
Acacia Underscores Need for Patent Busting
The company is trying to file a class-action suit against porn companies that may have violated its video-streaming patents. If Acacia wins, expect similar claims against more straight-laced businesses.
DOJ Statement on School District Raid
"‘Operation Fastlink’ Is The Largest Global Enforcement Action Ever Undertaken Against Online Piracy." It's targeted at warez groups throughout the world.
April 22, 2004CA Senator Introduces Gmail Bill
The bill requires the "informed consent" of Gmail users before Google scans their mail.
ICANN Goes SLAPP-Happy on VeriSign
ICANN is trying to convince a court that VeriSign is engaging in a "strategic lawsuit against public participation."
FBI Raids School District Over Copyright
No word on what/who they're after, but the raid dovetails with the Bureau's announcement that it will make copyright infringement a higher priority.
April 20, 2004Wisconsin Sues DirecTV
Alas, not over its shakedown campaign - the state Attorney General is taking the company to task for failing to inform customers of certain rights.
Election Official Accuses E-Voting Company of Lying
The second largest election company in the country knowingly installed uncertified software on voting machines used in real elections.
If the USPS Hired Robots to Read Your Mail
danah boyd with another provocative post on Gmail.
Diebold Spending $500K/Month to Cover Mistakes
Leaked documents show that the voting company knew it was illegally running uncertified code in real elections.
NYC Party for "The Anarchist in the Library"
OpenDemocracy.net is opening a new office in New York with a book launch for Siva Vaidhyanathan and Alex Galloway.
Court Strikes Ban on Prisoner Access to the Net
The 9th Circuit rejected a rule that made a nonsensical distinction between information on the Net and the stuff that's printed on paper.
French Law Would Mean Lifetime Liability for Web Publishers
You read that right - it would throw out the statute of limitations for publishers and allow defamation suits to be brought years after an incident. Pas bon du tout.
And the Webby Goes to... EFF?
We're chuffed to be nominated for a Webby in "Politics," along with Howard Dean's Blog for America and others. Vote now and help us take home a People's Choice award.
Sonny, Squelcher of Free Expression
The San Francisco Chronicle on an unfortunate aspect of Sonny Bono's legacy: copyright law that stifles expression.
April 19, 2004Former DirecTV Enforcer Likens Job to Being a "Bag Man for the Mob"
And his wrongful discharge suit claims that 5-10% of DirecTV's targets are innocent.
German Court Dings Company for Violating the GPL
A company failed to abide by the license's requirements for open source code.
Microsoft's Big FAT Filesystem Patent
The Public Patent Foundation, a new patent-busting group, shoots for the stars in its war on over-broad patents.
Bush Stumps for the PATRIOT Act
The Prez doesn't want PATRIOT's civil liberties-withering sunset provisions to expire next year.
Copyright Holders Pursue "Shoot First" Policy on Campuses
Universities get thousands of copyright infringement notices each year, but some are now coming with XML baked-in. The reason? A new automated takedown tool that kicks kids off the network without any human intervention or opportunity to protest.
"Personalization" Puts Web Privacy in (Even Greater) Peril
Microsoft recently released Newsbot, a "personalized" advertising/search tool that joins Google's Gmail and Amazon's A9 in the growing stable of cool tools that rely on your personal data to function.
Spyware to Get Third Degree from FTC
The workshop will likely cover definitions, dangers and remedies.
April 18, 2004Possible Changes to Gmail? Not So Fast
Sadly, it looks like giving props to Google for considering privacy-enhancing changes to Gmail was premature.
April 16, 2004SCO v. Linux: Year One
Solid reporting from Salon on the story so far.
Senators Ask TSA to Come Clean
The agency has been flip-flopping over its role in a passenger data-transfer scandal.
RealNetworks Gives Apple the Eye
The streaming company wants Apple to open the iPod to another flavor of proprietary DRM.
Flying Through Airline Security
A man recently flew round-trip between the UK and Italy, showing a passport several times. Unfortunately, security personnel didn't notice that it was his wife's passport.
Bad IDea
Bruce Schneier tells us why national ID cards are bad for security.
April 14, 2004How Apple Can Afford to Take a Loss on the iTunes Music Store
The company's profits tripled on a 900% increase in iPod sales.
GMail - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
According to danah boyd.
This Just In: Another Reason to Love Google
The company is considering changes to Gmail after hearing critics' concerns - a classy move that companies make only once in a google.
April 13, 2004FL Reconsiders Ban on Recounts
You read that right - the Florida legislature had been planning to address the inauditability of e-voting machines by making some recounts illegal.
Iraqster: Soldiers Swap Music During Wartime
The New York Times on the hottest music in Iraq.
Microsoft Creates RFID Council
A booster club for tiny radio-tracking chips, run by a company known for its security expertise. We feel better about the little buggers already.
Bad Idea Alert: CA Lawmaker Seeks to Regulate Gmail
CA Senator Figueroa wants to do something about Gmail; we're not sure what, but we hope it's not what we think it is. We'll keep you posted.
FCC Taking TV Down the Tubes
Public Knowledge's Gigi Sohn with a great editorial on (some of) what's wrong with the FCC's approach to regulation.
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Rave Reviews for ClearPlay's New DVD Player
We love that it can eliminate both violence AND "vain references to deity." That would make The Passion, oh, 17 seconds long?
DHS Seeks Participants for Privacy Group
The Department of Homeland Security is now accepting applications for the Data Integrity, Privacy and Interoperability Advisory Committee.
Cable Decision Held Until Supremes Weigh In
The FCC and cable ISPs are appealing the 9th Circuit loss that would have forced cable companies to open up to competition.
Copyright for Facts? Judge Tells Boat Company to Pound Sand
Boats.com tried to stop price-scrapers with a copyright claim, but the case didn't float.
April 12, 2004A Unified Theory of Filesharing and CD Sales
Ed Felten reconciles different studies and disparate methods.
April 11, 2004American Airlines: 1.2 Million Passengers Served to Gov't Contractors
AA is the third airline to admit to secretly turning over passenger data for government surveillance research - this time to four companies competing for a CAPPS II contract. No matter where you stand on passenger profiling, this shouldn't be happening in secret and neither the airlines nor the government should be lying about it. Ask Congress to hold hearings by clicking here.
Canada Rejects Copyright Extension Bill
As Larry Lessig asks, "Will the sanity ever stop?"
Musing About the Coming Panopticon
Jamais Cascio's "scenarios and anticipations" for a world in which we surveil ourselves.
Claria Files Leathery, Reptilian IPO
The adware company formerly known as Gator is going public.
Brussels to Sprout Anti-Software Patent Rally
On April 14th, FFII will stage a demonstration/conference/dinner to protest the evils of software patents.
April 10, 2004Another Study Suggests P2P Is Good for Album Sales
This one, from a Princeton honors student, finds that Internet adoption has a positive correlation to music sales.
VoteHere for Transparent Elections
The election security company has released its source code, documentation of known issues and a host of other materials for public review. Bravo!
Broadcast Flag for Digital Radio?
The technology is very young, but according to Public Knowledge and Digital Consumer, the FCC may already be preparing to slap a broadcast flag on it.
Canada Makes P2P an Election Issue
The leader of Canada's New Democratic Party thinks P2P is good for society and may not lead to lost record sales.
April 09, 2004Fighting Censorship with P2P
Ross Anderson envisions a future in which government censors and news syndicates don't regulate what news we view.
PlayFair Fouled by DMCA
An open source project that offered tools to strip the DRM from your legally purchased files is now offline because of a DMCA notice.
April 08, 2004Info Activism Comes of Age
Siva Vaidhyanathan on the recent history of copyright and what activists are doing to change it.
Broad Coalition Asks FCC to Leave VoIP Alone
The group focused on economic arguments, opting not to comment on the FBI's request for surveillance access in VoIP services.
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Canada Moves Toward VoIP Regulation
Our northern neighbors don't have a CALEA-styled surveillance future hanging in the balance, but they nevertheless want more control over the services.
Gmail Runs into Trademark Trouble
Is Goomail taken?
Wal-Mart Joins the Copyfight?
The company will soon sell DVD players equipped with ClearPlay - an on-the-fly editing technology designed to excise racy scenes. Directors claim that it violates copyright law and unacceptably drains the films' mojo.
Court Allows Challenge in Copyright Boomerang Case
A Colorado court has allowed a group of artists to continue its case fighting the re-copyrighting of public domain work.
Unfriendly Skies: ACLU to File Suit Over No-Fly Lists
The class-action suit will challenge the lists that keep supposedly dangerous people - and those with similar names - permanently grounded.
Ohio Wants Paper Trails
Ohio's Joint Committee on Ballot Security, comprised of bipartisan legislators, voted 7-1 that all Ohio voting machines should have voter-verified paper audit trails by 2006. It's now up to the legislature and Secretary of State to act on that recommendation.
April 07, 2004Lord of the Sims
Reason on unexpected patterns of social (mis)behavior in "The Sims Online."
Op-ed: Florida's E-Day Tech Still Flawed
Mark Grossman of The Miami Herald with a scathing editorial on the e-voting situation in Florida.
Gmail May Violate EU Privacy Laws
Not unlike a certain federal passenger-screening program we know.
No More Recording "American Idol" for Cousin Vera
A Hollywood panel is pushing for locked-down set top boxes that can record television only onto encrypted, device-specific DVD discs.
Search Engines Won't Gamble on Net Casinos
Google and Yahoo will no longer carry ads for online casinos - many of which may be illegal for use by U.S. citizens - because of a "lack of clarity" in the legal and regulatory environment.
WIPO Broadcast Treaty Hits the Fan
It's only a draft - perhaps they're waiting for the final version to remove the evil?
Both Hands on the Wheel
The Tennessee legislature is considering a bill that would ban drivers from watching pornography in cars.
Weinberger's Three Horsemen of the Infopocalypse
The noted author says that DRM, digital identity technologies and trusted computing will significantly damage our ability to work with digital content.
France Moves Forward on "Digital Economy" Bill
The controversial legislation increases ISP liability for material that they host and lowers protections for email privacy.
April 05, 2004The RIAA Has No Clothes
The NYT on the recent study that found file sharing doesn't hurt album sales.
Gov't Clarifies Rule on Editing Foreign Work
A recent rule seemed to ban scientists from editing the work of colleagues in embargoed countries; the feds say that's not their intent.
Industry Standardizes DRM
ISO has codified MPEG Rights Expression Language - an expandable DRM-signaling system - into a standard.
Lee Tien's Talk @ the Yale Cybercrime Conference
As blogged by Cardoza law professor Susan Crawford.
Music to Our Ears: Donating to Bands You Download
A Wilco fan got the group's latest album by downloading it from the Net, so he set up a site where others could donate to the band.
DIY Guide to Building a Better Personal Video Recorder
Too bad that high-definition versions of these boxes will be illegal to sell once the broadcast flag goes into effect.
B-Flag Burns Open Software Radio Projects
Software-defined radio makes it possible for one device to use many bands of spectrum, reducing the need to partition and sell swaths of the public airwaves to corporate squatters. Too bad the FCC's broadcast flag would make open source projects like this illegal.
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April 02, 2004RIAA Gets Burned in the Sunshine State
An Orlando court ruled that the recording industry can't go after 25 P2P users - who don't know one another - with a single suit. Yet another court reminds the RIAA about that pesky "due process" concept.
Gmail Bad for Privacy? Larry Page Calls Us Crazy
But then points out that the scenarios we envision might be possible and should be investigated.
iTunes Under Scrutiny
Harvard's Digital Media Project with a study of the norms and laws around Apple's iTunes.
April 01, 2004Google Wants to Deliver, Read Your Mail
Their new email service reportedly will analyze its subscribers messages and display ads based on their content.
FCC Loses Bid to Call Cable "Information Services"
Instead, the 9th Circuit held that cable providers look an awful lot like telecom services - a distinction that may force the coaxial giants to share their networks with competitors.
EU Grounds US Request for Passenger Data
The EU Parliament says that US requests for passenger data would violate privacy laws. Really?
Circuit City Buys MusicNow for Undisclosed Sum
They didn't actually use the words "fire sale," but we're still guessing that they paid in nickels.
A Tale of Two PDEAs
Rep. Lofgren's "Public Domain Enhancement Act" would restore some balance to copyright law, while the "Piracy Deterrence and Education Act" is a super-sampler of bad IPR enforcement. Unfortunately, it's the second PDEA that just got the green light from a House panel.
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