Two new top-secret documents related to PRISM and NSA data collection were published yesterday by The Guardian. Detailed within the documents are various stipulations and requirements related to the data collection as it relates to US persons. On the surface, such information is mildly reassuring, but a thoughtful examination illuminates several red-flag issues, which the
While The Guardian undoubtedly garnered attention when it posted court papers detailing data collection rules for the NSA, it also provided a lot of detail that isn’t easy to digest. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is more than willing to break down those rules, however — and it doesn’t like what it sees. It’s concerned that there are too many exceptions letting the NSA store and transmit private information, with little oversight preventing investigators from seeing more US data than they should. Allegedly, the rules could defy American rights to anonymous speech; they may also violate attorney-client privileges both inside and outside of the US. We have a hunch that the NSA might disagree with this interpretation of its authority, but you can see all the points of contention for yourself at the link below.
[Image credit: David Drexler, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Source: EFF
A lot remains uncertain about the number of users affected by the NSA PRISM surveillance program that is taking place, the extent to which companies are involved, and how the NSA handles this sensitive data. Here are some of the biggest unresolved questions.
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Are you worried about Barack Obama reading all your emails and listening to all your phone calls? Beefing up your privacy settings is one thing, but fighting in the greater war to protect your Constitutional rights is another. You should do the latter, y’know, to be a good American. Here’s how to get started.
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The National Security Agency has been on thin ice with the general public lately when whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the US government was spying on American citizens by secretly recording phone calls and tracking users’ online activity with the alleged help from big internet companies like Google and Facebook. Because of this, 86 civil
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released its annual “Who Has Your Back?” report, ranking 18 companies by how well they protect user information from government eyes. Twitter and Sonic.net get high scores from the EFF, as they meet all six of the organization’s privacy guidelines, which include requiring a warrant for sharing content and telling users about government data requests. On the other end of the spectrum are MySpace and Verizon, both of which score zero out of six stars. Meanwhile, Apple and AT&T get one gold star each, and Google, Dropbox and LinkedIn are tied for second place. You’ll find the complete breakdown in the EFF ‘s comprehensive infographic (partially displayed above), and the full report is available via the source link.
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google, Verizon, Facebook
Via: Electronista
Source: EFF
Digital rights advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released their annual report of which companies are the best at protecting its users data from the government, and the results may be surprising to some. The EFF reports that Twitter is the best when it comes to protecting user data, while Verizon, Apple, and didn’t score so great.
The report ranks the policies of various large companies, and see how each company stacks up based on six privacy criteria, including whether or not the company published transparency reports and if they fight for users’ privacy rights in Congress and in court. Twitter came out on top, meeting all six criteria, along with internet service provider Sonic.net.
As for the low scorers, Verizon and MySpace didn’t meet any of the six criteria, while Apple, AT&T, and Yahoo only met one of the criteria. However, other companies that received high marks include Dropbox, Google, and LinkedIn, all of which require a warrant in order for their content to be handed over to government officials.
One of the trends seen in this year’s report is the constant low marks with wireless carriers, with both Verizon and AT&T scoring lowly, and the EFF is calling for wireless carriers to up their game and join the other big companies in doing their users a favor by publishing law enforcement guidelines and regular transparency reports.
EFF praises Twitter, slams Verizon over user data protection is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Digital copyright is broken. We know this inherently, and wheeze exasperation whenever the latest nonsensical DRM news crops up. But fixing it’s not as simple as tossing the whole system out the window. So here’s a breakdown of every way digital copyright has gone wrong, and, with luck and persistence and prevailing sanity, how it can maybe fix itself. More »
Who would’ve thought that letting consumers pay what they think is fair for quality games would prove popular? That’s the concept behind Humble Bundle, and so far, it’s been rather good to developers and charities alike. Now, deals from the company are set to get a whole lot more frequent, as it’s just announced weekly game sales that’ll supplement the monthly bundle offers. You’ll find a new game from Humble Bundle go up for sale each Tuesday, and to kick things off, the company is starting with Bastion, an RPG from Supergiant Games. Just $1 nets you a Steam key to the game, but if common decency isn’t enough of a reason to pay more, you’ll find bonus content and merchandise up for grabs, too. This week’s charities include the EFF and Child’s Play, but you’ve only got seven days to act before another game takes its place. Best start checking it out, and you can start with a demo of Bastion after the break.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Humble Bundle (1), (2)
We’ve heard it shouted from the mountaintops more times than we’d care to mention: the patent system is fundamentally broken. But that manner of righteous indignation can often fail to make an impression on those attempting to live their lives unaffected on the sidelines, as hardware behemoths level a seemingly endless string of suits based on often overly broad language. One’s perspective shifts easily, however, when targets change and the defendants themselves are no longer aggressively litigious corporations with an arsenal of filing cabinets spilling over with intellectual property, as was the case when one company used a recently granted patent to go after a number of podcasting networks.
When we wanted to get to the bottom of this latest example in a long line of arguably questionable patent litigation, we phoned up Julie Samuels, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who has also been designated the organization’s Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents. Samuels has been fighting the battle against dangerously broad patents for some time now, recently traveling to DC to support passage of the SHIELD Act (Saving High-tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes), a congressional bill that would impose heavy fines against so-called patent trolls.
We spoke to Samuels about supposed trolls, podcasts, SHIELD and how those with microphones can make their voices heard.
Note: The owner of the podcasting patent in question declined to comment on the matter.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
