Archive for p2p

‘P2PNet encourages stealing … ‘

// March 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view P2P:- “P2PNet encourages stealing and other kinds of crime. There are plenty of good sites on the internet. We don’t need you. I am sorry the DDOS attack is finished and I am sorry it did not close you down and I expect it is just the beginning.” The email above was waiting for me this morning when I logged on. I disagree with Dredd that the attack was from “people with both time and money “. Time, yes. But the “money” part suggests a corporation or associated organisation was behind it, and I doubt that was the case. I think it was someone I’ve upset. The same applies to a series of comment whines from someone with a serious hard-on for Google Street View. S/he keeps posting I run pictures without asking permission, but at the same time I criticise Google’s privacy invading SnoopMobile and Snoop-O-Ramas. p2pnet pix and Gargle Sneak Views aren’t even vaguely the same. This same-old same-old grizzling has become boring and over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been deleting the Google-hypes. Here’s what is said a couple of years ago when I was having troll-trouble > > > “An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response” ~ Wikipedia p2pnet went online in 2002 and when I started out, I was virtually by myself in constantly and consistently writing about what was then, and still is, going on with the entertainment cartels as they try to browbeat and terrorise people into becoming unquestioning corporate cash cows. I tolerated trolls. But that’s changed. These days A) they’re just trying to stir up trouble ‘for fun’; or B) , they’re corporate shills trying, and succeeding, to divert attention away from matters at hand. So from now on, I’ll delete all troll posts that I see, together with responses. One of them, Musico, said today , “Show you are truly for freedom and free speach [sic] like you keep saying and leave my posts alone.” I don’t need to ’show’ anything. I’m being sued by a very rich company and, in another separate case, by a very rich individual because I believe people should be allowed to say what they think, whether I agree with them or not. Freedom of speech doesn’t, however, include allowing fools free rein. As I said to Musico, “Disagreement is fine. Deliberate and repeated posts designed solely to create dissension, aren’t.” Cheers! Jon - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi March, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

Encyclopedia Dramatica and ‘racial hatred’

// March 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view Freedom | P2P:- Joseph Evers owns the Encyclopedia Dramatica Blog, a “look inside the lulz”. “Encyclopedia Dramatica is Wikipedia’s evil twin”, says ninemsn , going on, “It’s a site where almost every article is biased, offensive, unsourced, and without the faintest trace of political correctness. A search through its archives will reveal animated images of people committing suicide, articles glorifying extreme racism and sexism, and a seemingly endless supply of twisted, shocking views on just about every major human tragedy in history. “Very few of you know or care about me”, says Evers, going on > > > I’d apologize for that but it doesn’t make a lot of money. What we do at Encyclopedia Dramatica is a labor of love, and we all put in what we can. Largely, the great team of volunteers really makes things work for this website, and your donations and page views have been (barely) making ends meet lately. No matter what the current administration and news will tell you, we are in a worsening depression. The last depositors of my fund left 2 years ago despite year after year profitability with no losses and they haven’t come back. Most everyone I know is broke and unemployed. Things are hard, and if Encyclopedia Dramatica were still relying on my pocketbook it would have died when that particular well dried up. But that isn’t what Evers is writing about. “Among the articles on the website is one lampooning the death of Bundaberg schoolgirl Trinity Bates”, says ninemsn. “Another article, about Australian Aborigines, was deemed so offensive it was removed from Google’s search earlier this year.” And now he’s on the wrong end of a missive from the Australian Human Rights Commission. Encyclopedia Dramatica has been in a lot of trouble in Australia lately, he says, continuing > > > First ED was placed on the ACMA blacklist, a “secret” list of websites to be censored throughout Australia in their upcoming internet filter. After this list was leaked to the public, we all laughed about how we were put on a blacklist with “Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions, Christian sites, and even the websites of a tour operator and a Queensland dentist” . Meanwhile, Australia Communications Minister Stephen Conroy called for the arrests of Australians publishing the list . Next the “ Aboriginal ” article was recently removed from Google Australia’s search engine results. This was right after Google had done a large amount of grandstanding about fighting Chinese censorship. Which proves they’re a bunch of spineless hypocrites. Really, you have to admire the shrewdness of Google. China was a gigantic business failure, and a loss leader. With a bunch of CIA and shareholder money Google went in promising that their search technology was really so much better (FYI: from a perspective of pure technical achievement, Yahoo’s is best in the business right now, though they do poison their search results with paid entries) that the Chinese market would fall in a fortnight. Years and what is likely billions later, Baidu completely dominates the Chinese search market. By spinning an obvious business failure as a failure of RED POLITICS Google was able to pull out of China without losing face. Their idiot shareholders sat there and applauded them for wasting billions of their money. For that I give Google a lot of respect. They are some of the most brilliant marketers around, but as anyone who has used Google’s ad placement can attest, the only thing they really excel at selling is themselves. [Hear hear.] The Human Rights charge is  “an initial investigation into charging me, personally, with the violation of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act”, says Evers, stressing while he’s in compliance with “both the civil and criminal codes of the US”, and is “assured the right of free speech according to our Constitution (which, if not the greatest political document in the entire history of law, is certainly on the top five)” he could be “jailed and fined for the violation of this law”. “Check out the court precedent they [the AHRC) cite, Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick, where a United States paper had to pay 580k for publishing an article about a globalized company headquartered in Australia and its CEO whilst completely in compliance with United States civil precedence”, says Evers, adding: “This isn’t a far-fetched legal theory, they have used it before. Welcome to the one world government, folks. Is this what you wanted? Is this what you had in mind? Cause this is what you’re gettin’. “Encyclopedia Dramatica will never be censored in any way. We will keep publishing this content and our Australian users will be able to view it up until the point that your God-forsaken government blocks it with their soon-to-be-implemented secret list of banned material. ACMA’s child pornography blacklist is only one half child pornography. The rest is religious and political speech. You really want Soviet-style communism as your future? I know some people that had to escape from the GDR. Many of your children will be in that position. The house of cards is about to come down, and they’re making sure your mouths are taped shut first. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. “My counsel has advised me that I can never under any circumstances visit my family in Sydney again, nor otherwise make any appearances on Australian soil. Here’s to the hidden cost of freedom.” Stay tuned. (Cheers, RW ) - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi ninemsn – Interview: Encyclopedia Dramatica moderator, March 9, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

Fess ‘Davy Crockett’ Parker dies

// March 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view TV:- Fess Parker, the man who became famous as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on TV, has died at the age of 85. Once the ‘King of the Wild Frontier’, he “went on to become a Santa Barbara hotel developer and Santa Ynez winery owner”, says a Los Angles Times obituary, going on “A longtime presence — and sometimes controversial figure — in Santa Barbara County, Parker had numerous real estate holdings in the area, including Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara and the Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards and Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa, both in Los Olivos. Building of an “as-yet-unnamed new beachfront hotel in Santa Barbara is also underway.” James Arness was one of the many actors considered for the role “But although Disney watched Arness during a screening of the science-fiction thriller ‘Them!’ another young actor in a small part caught his eye: the 6-foot-6 Parker”, says the obit. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Los Angles Times – Actor played Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on TV, March 19, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

p2pnet World Headlines: March 18, 2010: 2

// March 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

Web inventor calls for government data transparency BBC Countries should be judged on their willingness to open up public data to their citizens, the inventor of the world wide web has told the BBC. He said “openness of data and the neutrality of the network” should be considered as important as free speech. Sir Tim Berners-Lee is an advisor to a UK project – data.gov.uk – that offers reams of previously hidden public sector data for anyone to use. Open data could now be considered a basic right of citizens, he added. “I think obviously there are more fundamental ones, but within a democratic society if the democracy is going to work you have to have an informed electorate,” he told the BBC. Bloggers fight corrupt deals in Russia China Daily It started with a golden bed and African drummers and led to Russia’s latest, surprising, political duel pitting tenacious bloggers against bureaucrats whose excesses went a step too far. Russians typically shrug their shoulders at the lavish lifestyles of government officials, assuming nothing can be done about bureaucrats who take bribes and pocket state funds. But when Russia’s interior ministry announced plans to buy a golden bed, it raised an outcry – and revealed the potential of the Internet for stirring up outrage against entrenched corruption. While the state-dominated media looks the other way, a small but determined group of Russian bloggers is challenging corrupt bureaucrats, rallying public opinion and goading prosecutors into action. Their blogs have attracted unanticipated popularity, reflecting deep-seated anger at some high-handed behavior of officials in Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s government. Mac OS X: “safer, but less secure” H Security Mac OS X Logo Security expert Charlie Miller intends to disclose a potentially record-breaking 20 zero day security holes in Apple’s Mac OS X in one fell swoop. The details are to be revealed in his presentation at the Canadian CanSecWest security conference next week. Miller, who is already known for having discovered a number of bugs in Mac OS X, talked with heise Security, The H’s German associates, about his new findings and about the security of Apple’s operating system beforehand. The approximately 20 zero-day holes are contained in closed source Apple products, said Miller. “OS X has a large attack surface consisting of open source components (i.e. webkit, libz, etc), closed source 3rd party components (Flash), and closed source Apple components (Preview, mdnsresponder, etc). Bugs in any of these types of components can lead to remote compromise”, he emphasised. Do You Want to Pay a ‘National Broadband Fee’? PC Magazine The recently released national broadband plan has grand ideas for hooking people up to high-speed Internet. But the plan also crafts a solution to a problem officials have been trying to solve since 2001 – interoperable communications. On the other hand, the plan also floats the idea of a “national broadband fee,” paid for by taxpayers. The plan, which the Federal Communications Commission presented to Congress this week, calls on the government to use the power of broadband to improve public safety. Specifically, that includes the creation of a nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband communication networks by 2020. Rehab clinic for children internet and technology addicts founded Telegraph Capio Nightingale Hospital, in central London, has launched the first addiction service which allows young people to go ‘cold turkey’ from their technology compulsion. The service, which will be offered for children as young as 12, comes amid growing concerns about children’s behaviour with technology which puts their health at risk and has led to police being called to sort out family disputes. Children will be forced to go ‘cold turkey’ from their technology use as well as being encouraged to cut out any problem use, such as computer games, and restrict the time spent using their phone or computer. They would also be taught face-to face social skills at a residential unit. Dubai jails Indian pair for ’sexy texts’ BBC Steamy text messages have resulted in a three-month jail sentence for an Indian man and an Indian woman in Dubai. Judges ruled that they had planned to “commit sin”, a reference to an extramarital affair – which is illegal in the United Arab Emirates. The unnamed pair, aged 47 and 42, were working as cabin crew for Dubai’s Emirates airline. Their “sexy texts” first surfaced last year, in a divorce lawsuit by the woman’s estranged husband. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi March, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

p2pnet World Headlines: March 18, 2010: 1

// March 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

Google and Partners Seek TV Foothold New York Times Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform called Google TV to bring the Web into the living room through a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes. The move is an effort by Google and Intel to extend their dominance of computing to television, an arena where they have little sway. For Sony, which has struggled to retain a pricing and technological advantage in the competitive TV hardware market, the partnership is an effort to get a leg up on competitors. Blockbuster Again Warns Of Possible Bankruptcy Filing Dow Jones Newswire Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) again warned it may have to file for bankruptcy protection as the movie-rental giant continues to lose money. In its annual report filed Tuesday, Blockbuster said its declining sales and cash flow, coupled with increasingly competitive industry conditions, “raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” Blockbuster provided similar warnings nearly a year ago before it was able to refinance its long-term debt in the fall. Nonetheless, the latest warning reminds investors of the serious challenges that the company faces. Blockbuster is scrambling to expand in new distribution channels as rentals and sales at its 6,500 stores worldwide continue to decline amid intense competition from by-mail movie-rental services such as Netflix Inc. (NFLX) and rental kiosks such as those operated by Coinstar Inc.’s (CSTR) Redbox unit. How to get DRM-free PC games: Just wait CNET News Gamers have long known that patience is rewarded with cheaper, less-buggy games. But does that adage hold true for the inclusion of digital rights management as well? Not always, but history does show us that time makes even the strictest of DRM less sucky. This could become especially important given the latest round of DRM implemented by both Ubisoft and EA, a system that requires players to have a constant connection to the Internet in order to play. Otherwise, they’re simply kicked out to the main menu until a connection can be had again. Needless to say, this new requirement has caused the ire of the PC gaming community, especially those who play games on a computer that may not always have an Internet connection, such as a laptop. So far, Ubisoft’s solution, dubbed the “Online Services Platform” can be found in two of Ubisoft’s titles, Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin’s Creed 2. The system has already seen its first setback, a pair of opening weekend denial of service (DDoS) attacks on Ubisoft’s servers that left European players of Assassins Creed 2 unable to use either piece of software for approximately six and a half hours. More employers use tech to track workers USA TODAY Almost every worker has done it: gotten in a little Facebook updating, personal e-mailing, YouTube watching and friend calling while on the clock. Such indiscretions often went undetected by company management everywhere but the most secure and highly proprietary companies or governmental agencies. Not anymore. Firms have become sharp-eyed, keenly eared watchdogs as they try to squeeze every penny’s worth of their employees’ salaries and to ensure they have the most professional and lawsuit-proof workplaces. Managers use technological advances to capture workers’ computer keystrokes, monitor the websites they frequent, even track their whereabouts through GPS-enabled cellphones. Some companies have gone as far as using webcams and minuscule video cameras to secretly record employees’ movements. Memphis music loses ‘Big Star’ — singer, songwriter Alex Chilton dies at 59 The Commercial Appeal Alex Chilton, the pop hitmaker, cult icon and Memphis rock iconoclast best known as a member of 1960s pop-soul act the Box Tops and the 1970s power-pop act Big Star, died Wednesday at a hospital in New Orleans. The singer, songwriter and guitarist was 59. “I’m crushed. We’re all just crushed,” said John Fry, owner of Memphis’ Ardent Studios and a longtime friend of Chilton’s. “This sudden death experience is never something that you’re prepared for. And yet it occurs.” Chilton had been complaining about his health earlier Wednesday, Fry said. He was taken by paramedics from his home to the emergency room but could not be revived. Swedish MPs take Disneyland ’study’ tour The Local Swedish parliament rules providing for expenses paid educational trips up to a value of 50,000 kronor ($7,000) per annum have prompted three Social Democrat MPs to use the system to ’study tourism’ at California’s Disneyland. In general, regulations for how MPs can dispose of their allotted funds have been interpreted generously, a review by the Expressen tabloid has shown. Other approved excursions have included a trip to the Faroe islands to experience “how it is to live on an island in the middle of the Atlantic”, ten days in Canada to “study the situation of youth in a broader perspective”, and a trip to the Caribbean to “study Cuban environmental policy”. “Some of these travel itineraries would appear to be a little far-fetched,” said Gullan Gidlund, a professor of political science at Örebro University to the newspaper. Social Democrat MPs Hans Stenberg and Claes-Göran Brandin are members of the parliamentary transport and communications committee. Their party colleague Krister Örnfjäder is a substitute on the same committee and is also a member of the industry and trade committee. The trio spent a day together at Disney’s Los Angeles theme park as part of an expenses paid trip to California to study “communications, energy, the environment and the tourism industry.” DA can’t bring ’sexting’ charges Associated Press A U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday that a northeastern Pennsylvania prosecutor may not pursue felony charges against a teenage girl who appeared in a racy cell-phone photo. In the first criminal “sexting” case to reach a federal appeals court, the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled against Wyoming County District Attorney Jeff Mitchell, whose predecessor had threatened to pursue felony charges against the girl unless she agreed to participate in a diversionary program and write an essay explaining what she did and why it was wrong. That violated the teen’s constitutional right to be free from compelled speech and infringed on her parents’ right to direct her upbringing, the court said. The district attorney also had no evidence that the teen was involved in the photo’s distribution, the court said. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi March, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

NDP iPod tax: ‘misleading blog commentary’

// March 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view P2P | Politics:- James Gannon again. That’s him on the right and in a promo piece thinly disguised as a genuine news item and prominently linked to, not at all coincidentally, by the Big 4’s IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry), “I was dismayed, but really not surprised, to see how quickly the Haiti benefit album ‘Hope for Haiti Now cropped up on all the popular BitTorrent indexing sites like ThePirateBay and Torrentz” he wrote recently. “Not only that, but out of the 9 front-page Google results for ‘Hope For Haiti Now torrent’, a dismaying 5 out of the 9 results (Torrentz, IsoHunt, BTJunkie, Monova, TorrentZap) are hosted or have some connection to Canada”, he said, adding: “Looks to me like the Pirates of the Caribbean can be found right here in Canada.” Now his name has cropped up vis-a-vis Michael Geist ’s post on the Charlie Angus private copying levy bill. “It seems necessary to dispel certain inaccurate and misleading blog commentary about what actually happened in the Heritage Committee yesterday concerning the NDP’s proposed iPod ‘tax’,” Howard Knopf says in Excess Copyright , quoting Gannon as stating in his blog : “To be clear, the MPs who voted in favour of this motion were not voting ‘for’, or signalling any kind of ’support’ for, this amendment to the Copyright Act, but merely voting for the Committee to consider the amendment at a later time.” But, “That’s not what happened”, says Knopf. Rather, “according to the official source, which is Parliament itself” and “according to the Committee’s official website ” the Heritage Committee actually said: “Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), that the Committee report the following to the House as soon as possible: “That the Committee recommends that the government amend Part VIII of the Copyright Act so that the definition of ‘audio recording medium’ extends to devices with internal memory, so that the levy on copying music will apply to digital music recorders as well, thereby entitling music creators to some compensation for the copies made of their work.” (Emphasis added by Knopf.) “That seems pretty clear to me and quite clearly contradicts Mr. Gannon’s speculation”, he says, noting: “Mr. Gannon, who was called to the bar in 2009, is an associate at McCarthy, Tétrault, working under Barry Sookman , a well known lawyer/lobbyist for some very politically savvy clients, i.e. CRIA, CMPDA, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. While Mr. Gannon may very well have been speaking on his own, Mr. Sookman was very quick to tweet  a link to his blog.” - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi genuine news item – Big Music plugs RIAA into Haiti tragedy, March 6, 2010 Michael Geist – Angus Introducing Private Copying Levy Bill, Flexible Fair Dealing Motion, March 16, 2010 Excess Copyright – The iPod “Tax”: Misinformation re Heritage Committee’s Report, March 17, 2010 blog – Depoliticizing the iPod levy, March 17, 2010 working under Barry Sookman – Bazza Sookman and the 3 Strikes Plan, January 22, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

UK Digital Economy Bill ‘legislation on the hoof’

// March 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view P2P | Politics:- “The fear is that no one will know what is being cooked-up before it becomes law. It’s legislation on the hoof.” That’s a senior ISP executive quoted by the Guardian on the news that the House of Lords has passed Britain’s Digital Economy Bill. ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) and its Three Strikes and You’re Off The Net element comprise the entertainment industry’s last-ditch effort to gain global control of the internet, how ‘product’ is distributed, and direct power over users. It would make governments taxpayer funded copyright agents, turn ISPs into enforcement units working against their own customers, and make way for supposed file sharers to be disconnected from the internet on entertainment industry say-so. In Britain, the Three Strikes section is being shoe-horned in via the Digital Economy Bill, which gives “effective control to the House of Commons with regards to various controversial clauses within the bill”, says Financial Advice , going on > > > Many believe that the bill has been passed with indecent haste as we approach the next general election and many are mystified as to why the government seems so determined to push through this revolutionary and controversial bill. But there’s no mystery. It’s acting on orders from Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures, as are France and other similarly weak-minded administrations which lack the courage or will to stand up to the cartels on behalf 0f their voters. If there’s any doubt about that, consider that the Big 4 organised music gang’s BPI actually wrote part of the bill . In another element of the operation BASCAP, the vested-interest Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy coalition, has issued a ‘report’ claiming illegal downloading of music, films and television programmes cost Britain 39,000 jobs and retail losses of £1.4 billion in 2008. And across Europe, “the growing impact of ‘digital piracy’ could add up to 1.2 million lost jobs and £215 billion in lost revenue” it says. Controlling members include the MPA, the offshore version of Hollywood’s MPAA, Big Music’s IFPI, Holland’s BREIN,  the BSA (Business Software Alliance) and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe, with a few organisations such as Toy Industries of Europe included for effect. Using Virgin Media as the messenger, BASCAP says the document “comes ahead of a European Parliament vote on a report enforcing intellectual property rights in the EU single market”. However, the European parliament has already throw ACTA out, voting 663 to 13 against . “This Parliament will not sit back silently while the fundamental rights of millions of citizens are being negotiated away behind closed doors”, said Stavros Lambrinidis (GR, S&D) who, with Zuzana Roithova (CZ, EPP) , Alexander Alvaro (DE, ALDE) and Françoise Castex (FR, S&D), made the message clear in their earlier written declaration opposing ACTA. “We oppose any ‘legislation laundering’ on an international level of what would be very difficult to get through most national legislatures or the European Parliament,” he said. And “MEPs will go to the Court of Justice if the EU does not reject ACTA rules, including cutting off users from the Internet ‘gradually’ if caught stealing content”, European parliamentarians told Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Picture, said EurActiv . Meanwhile, in a move “that will dismay privacy campaigners and ISPs, websites with pirated content could be blocked as Tories collaborate with government to rush bill into law before election”, says the Guardian, continuing > > > The government is planning to introduce controversial measures, backed by the Conservatives, that would force internet companies to block websites that host substantial amounts of pirated content as it scrambles to get its digital economy bill through parliament. But because of the truncated timetable for getting the bill into law before a looming general election, the government’s as-yet unwritten clause is unlikely to face any major scrutiny before coming into force. It will be the product of a deal done behind closed doors between the government and opposition in the so-called “wash-up” of legislation hurried through before the dissolution of parliament. Its progress into law, however, seems assured after the shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said yesterday that he had spoken to Stephen Timms, minister for digital Britain. “We are trying to find a policy that allows the blocking of websites set up to promote illegal downloading of copyrighted digital content but does not impact on the vast majority of legitimate web users,” he said. He said the new legislation should encourage firms to find new business models “rather than look to legislation to protect their current business models”. But the news will dismay privacy campaigners, as well as internet companies, who thought they had managed to defeat many of the more draconian measures in the bill. “It’s a deeply unsatisfactory and very worrying development,” said one senior executive from the internet service provider (ISP) industry tonight. And no one in Britain seems to care. So what’s it all about? The BBC ’s Rory Cellan-Jones offers his break-down of ‘Technical Measures’, to wit > > > 1) The Secretary of State may direct OFCOM to– (a) assess whether one or more technical obligations should be imposed on internet service providers; (b) take steps to prepare for the obligations; (c) provide a report on the assessment or steps to the Secretary of State. (2) A “technical obligation”, in relation to an internet service provider, is an obligation for the provider to take a technical measure against some or all relevant subscribers to its service for the purpose of preventing or reducing infringement of copyright by means of the internet. (3) A “technical measure” is a measure that– (a) limits the speed or other capacity of the service provided to a subscriber; (b) prevents a subscriber from using the service to gain access to particular material, or limits such use; (c) suspends the service provided to a subscriber; or (d) limits the service provided to a subscriber in another way. Clause 18 (this is the one that the government has promised to amend) 18 Preventing access to specified online locations for the prevention of online copyright infringement In Part 1 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, after section 97A insert– “97B Preventing access to specified online locations for the prevention of online copyright infringement (1) The High Court (in Scotland, the Court of Session) shall have power to grant an injunction against a service provider, requiring it to prevent access to online locations specified in the order of the Court for the prevention of online copyright infringement. (2) In determining whether to grant an injunction under subsection (1), the Court shall have regard to the following matters– (a) whether a substantial proportion of the content accessible at or via each specified online location infringes copyright, (b) the extent to which the operator of each specified online location has taken reasonable steps to prevent copyright infringement content being accessed at or via that online location or taken reasonable steps to remove copyright infringing content from that online location (or both), (c) whether the service provider has itself taken reasonable steps to prevent access to the specified online location, (d) any issues of national security raised by the Secretary of State, (e) the extent to which the copyright owner has made reasonable efforts to facilitate legal access to content, (f) the importance of preserving human rights, including freedom of expression, and the right to property, and (g) any other matters which appear to the Court to be relevant. (3) An application for an injunction under subsection (1) shall be made on notice to the service provider and to the operator of each specified online location in relation to which an injunction is sought and to the Secretary of State. (4) Where– (a) the Court grants an injunction under subsection (1) upon the application of an owner of copyright whose copyright is infringed by the content accessible at or via each specified online location in the injunction, and (b) the owner of copyright before making the application made a written request to the service provider giving it a reasonable period of time to take measures to prevent its service being used to access the specified online location in the injunction, and no steps were taken, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 Digital Economy Bill [HL] 23 the Court shall order the service provider to pay the copyright owner’s mcosts of the application unless there were exceptional circumstances justifying the service provider’s failure to prevent access despite notification by the copyright owner. (5) In this section– “copyright owner” includes a licensee with an exclusive licence within the meaning of section 92 of this Act, “infringing content” means content which is produced or made available in infringement of copyright, “online location” means a location on the internet, a mobile data network or other data network at or via which copyright infringing content is accessible, “operator” means a person or persons in joint or sole control of the decisions to make content accessible at or via an online location, and “service provider” has the meaning given to it by section 97A(3) of this Act. (6) Subsections (1) to (5) shall come into force on such day as the Secretary of State may by order appoint not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months after subsections (1) to (5) have been notified to the Commission of the European Communities (”the Commission”) in accordance with the obligations of notification imposed by Directive 98/34/EC. (7) If any comments are received from Member States of the European Union or the Commission after subsections (1) to (5) have been so notified and the Secretary of State reasonably considers amendments are necessary to give effect to such comments, he may make the necessary regulations within the period referred to in subsection (6)(a), to amend subsections (1) to (5).” Stay tuned. Jon Newton - p2pnet - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Guardian – Digital economy bill: Online piracy law unlikely to face major scrutiny, March 16, 2010 ACTA – ACTA transparency score card, February 27, 2010 Financial Advice – House of Lords passes Digital Economy Bill, March 17, 2010 wrote part of the bill – Intriguing new BPI Three Strikes leak, March 13, 2010 Virgin Media – Illegal downloading ‘cost £1.4bn’, March 17, 2010 663 to 13 against – EU parliament trashes secret ACTA treaty, March 11, 2010 EurActiv – Parliament threatens court action on anti-piracy treaty, March 10, 2010 BBC – Do we need a digital Parliament?, March 17, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

p2pnet World Headlines: March 17, 2010

// March 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

Hi all: I’m still feeling frayed around the edges from bronchitis with flu on top, so I’m taking the rest of the day off. Normal service should be resumed tomorrow. Cheers! And thanks … Jon __________________ MPAA boss Glickman says goodbye to Hollywood Associated Press Dan Glickman spent his Hollywood years aiming to improve the ratings system that tells Americans what to expect in a movie — and fighting pirates. Glickman, the outgoing chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, inherited a tough job from longtime predecessor Jack Valenti to defend Hollywood against counterfeiters distributing illegal copies of movies, first on videotape and DVD, now on the Internet. For studios, “the protection of their content is the No. 1 issue. Without question, it’s piracy,” Glickman said in an interview at ShoWest, a convention for theater owners, as he prepares to take a new job April 1 as head of Refugees International. “But it’s broader than just piracy. It’s how to protect content in this digital world, particularly on the Internet. The Internet is ubiquitous. Kids can access it. It’s all available in their homes, and they feel it’s theirs. Our job has been to try to educate people that in fact it’s not theirs, unless there’s some form or system for paying for it. At the same time, it’s our responsibility to provide it in ways that are easily accessible and at reasonable prices.” As Internet speeds increase to the point where huge movie files can be downloaded easily, Hollywood has scrambled to avoid the sort of free sharing of songs that bulldozed the music industry. Parental locks will be compulsory for digital TV news.com.au (Australian) Manufacturers are split over plans to make parental locks mandatory on digital TVs and set top boxes. Parental locks let families control access to programs on digital TV based on their classification, such as G, PG or M. To watch a program above a certain classification requires a PIN. The Australian Communication and Media Authority says it plans to make the locks a compulsory feature of all digital TV receivers sold in Australia. Two solicitors accused over file-sharing ‘bully tactics’ Law Society Gazette The Solicitors Regulation Authority has referred two solicitors from London firm Davenport Lyons to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over claims that the firm sent ‘bullying’ letters accusing hundreds of people of illegal file-sharing. Consumer group Which? complained to the SRA in 2008 that Davenport Lyons partner David Gore and former partner Brian Miller had engaged in ‘bullying’ and ‘excessive’ conduct, while acting on behalf of client copyright holders. It said the firm had sent out hundreds of letters, demanding compensation and costs for copyright infringements, and threatening court action. Ari Lobbies Obama On Illegal Downloading Deadline Hollywood News Corp’s James Murdoch and WME’s Ari Emanuel both talked tough at the recent Abu Dhabi Media Summit about the illegal downloading of movies and TV shows. You’d have to look hard through all the James stuff to find the Ari stuff, but I thought it would be of more interest to DH readers: Emanuel said he’s been speaking to President Obama about the U.S. adopting France’s 3-strikes-and-you’re-out stance. (Last year, France introduced a rule allowing legal action once Internet users had been caught illegally downloading 3 times.) The agent, whose brother Rahm is White House chief of staff, told delegates he expects there will be a ‘fight with ISPs’ over the showbiz industry lobbying. Pope to Address Abuse in Letter New York Times As hundreds of new allegations of sexual abuse surface in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday that he hoped a forthcoming letter dealing with one part of the scandal in Ireland would help ‘repentance, healing and renewal.’ The pope, the former Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, was addressing his weekly general audience at the Vatican after days of disclosures concerning the German church, where one case happened on his watch before he became pope in 2005. The pope’s comments on the scandal in Ireland came a day after a top Vatican official acknowledged on Tuesday that, with only 10 people handling such cases, his office might not be adequate for the task. But the official, Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, who is effectively the Vatican’s internal prosecutor, said the church was working to bring more ‘transparency’ to the delicate and emotional process of settling allegations of abuse by priests, which have severely damaged the church’s moral standing. PayPal says sorry to Cryptome The Register PayPal’s chief of legal affairs has apologised to Cryptome after the eBay-owned payment service confiscated its funds without explanation. John Muller, ultimately responsible for setting PayPal’s guidelines, says the payment company made a mistake. He adds that he was a fan and former donor to Cryptome. Operator John Young says it’s not enough. Insult was added to injury when a PR contacted The Register last week, falsely claiming the account had been restored, but more importantly alleging unspecified illegal activity. Police seize copies of Steampunk magazine and kombucha in raid Boing Boing I’m a kombucha homebrewer and a user of nettles (for hay fever). So I was interested in this Common Dreams article about a police / Secret Service raid on a pair middle-aged housemates who were using Twitter to communicate with G20 summit protestors in Philadelphia. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi p2pnet – A CS:Law-type scams ‘big business’, J andanuary 28, 2010 March, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

CAP internet cash cuts a ‘misunderstanding’

// March 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view P2P | Politics:- Stephen Harper’s government was  “quietly cutting funding to hundreds of community groups and even hospitals that provide free Internet access to Canadians who might not otherwise have a chance to get online”, said the Canadian Press on Tuesday. “Organizations that benefit from Industry Canada’s 16-year-old Community Access Program began receiving letters last week informing them that sites located within 25 kilometres of a public library would no longer be eligible for cash”, it said, going on: “Groups had been receiving between $4,000 and $5,000 a year to buy computers and other hardware, such as printers and wireless routers; to pay for technical support and skills training; and sometimes to pay for the connection bills.” But “Reaction to the funding-cut notice was swift,” says the Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald . The Conservative government “now says it was all a misunderstanding” it says, continuing: “Industry Minister Tony Clement told reporters Tuesday that $13 million in funding for the gutted Community Access Program will survive under a different name, at least for this year. “We certainly regret any confusion that has been caused to some of the recipients of this money,” said Clement. “It is being funded through a different program, and it is in fact continuing.” Says the CAP site : “Industry Canada’s Community Access Program ( CAP ) gives thousands of Canadians affordable access to the Internet in places like schools, community centres and libraries. It provides access to those people who might not have computers or Internet access in their homes or workplaces.” CAP sites active as of December 31, 2007: Newfoundland and Labrador (Excel format, 38.5 KB) New Brunswick (Excel format, 26.0 KB) Nova Scotia (Excel format, 47.5 KB) Prince Edward Island (Excel format, 22.0 KB) Quebec (Excel format, 101.0 KB) Ontario (Excel format, 135.0 KB) Manitoba (Excel format, 47.0 KB) Saskatchewan (Excel format, 64.0 KB) Alberta (Excel format, 70.5 KB) British Columbia (Excel format, 80.0 KB) Yukon (Excel format, 20.5 KB) Northwest Territories (Excel format, 20.0 KB) Nunavut (Excel format, 19.5 KB) Stay tuned? - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Press – Tories cut funding for library Internet access, March 15, 2010 Chronicle Herald – CAP program to continue , March 15, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

Michael Jackson death syringe: for sale

// March 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view Music:- Now this is sick. The syringe that allegedly administered the fatal dose to Michael Jackson is being touted around auction houses in Las Vegas with a price tag of up to $5million (£3.3million), says The Mirror . “It was obtained secretly and could go under the hammer on June 25 – the first anniversary of the 50-year-old singer’s death in Los Angeles”, says the story, going on: “His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, 57, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and is set to face trial this year.” The person who has possession of the needle “has been in meetings with his legal team, making sure it is legitimate and his to sell”, says The Mirror, adding: “The plan is to flog it for up to $5million in a big Vegas casino but he’s been told he may have to sell it somewhere that doesn’t have ‘reciprocal legal agreements with the United States’, such as Brazil or even Libya.” If Murray is found guilty, he could face up to four years in prison. He’s denied the manslaughter charges. (Cheers, HEH USA ) - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi The Mirror – Michael Jackson drugs syringe set to be auctioned for $5million, March 16, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? - Click here to learn what technologies might help you bypass censorship in your area.

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