The Recording Industry Association of America today announced that 838 of the 60 million Americans who file-share have accepted its "Clean Slate" offer. "At such a paltry uptake rate, the RIAA program looks more like a blank slate," says EFF Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer.
EFF applauds the introduction last week of legislation that would repeal USA PATRIOT Act provisions that threaten citizens' privacy rights. The Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act (HR 3171), introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich along with 20 Congressional cosponsors, would repeal more than ten sections of USA PATRIOT, including those authorizing "sneak & peek" searches, surveillance of Internet activites without probable cause, and warrantless searches of library, medical and financial records.
"The USA PATRIOT Act, passed immediately after the September 11th attacks with practically no debate, represented a severe blow to our civil liberties," said EFF Attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow Kevin Bankston. "The Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act offers Congress the opportunity to undo the damage that was done then, and take back the broad surveillance powers it so hastily granted to the Justice Department in 2001."
Internet services company Verisign, which controls portions of the Domain Name System (DNS), has abruptly implemented a scheme in which people who mistakenly enter a non-existent domain name are redirected to Verisign advertising. This move has shocked and outraged network administrators.
"Verisign's unilateral action harms the Internet," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. "It interferes with the delivery of e-mail, causes security software to malfunction, and creates extreme confusion for Internet users. This is a brazen abuse of Versign's power as .com and .net operator."
A federal district court in Chicago has rejected an effort by garage door opener vendor Chamberlain to use the DMCA to ban its competitor, Skylink, from selling replacement "clickers" for Chamberlain openers.
"The Court properly rejected Chamberlain's use of the DMCA (PDF) to lock people out of their own garages," said EFF Attorney Gwen Hinze. "If I buy a Chamberlain garage door opener, I have the authority to open my garage any way I please."
