An organized crowd of protesters numbering more than a thousand have convened outside the U.S. Capitol in protest of mass surveillance programs by American spy apparatuses. The rally, which was organized by Stop Watching Us, focuses largely on Internet data gathering efforts by the NSA and other agencies. It is supported by Edward Snowden, the […]
CISPA, the bill that grants legal immunity to large information-collecting companies from being sued for sharing the personally identifying information of all their customers with the US government, has risen from the grave once again. The “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act” was introduced in the Senate by Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). […]
What a year for technology, what with all its tiny tablets and overhauled operating systems. But for every Nexus 7 triumph, a Nexus Q disaster reared its gruesome head. Here are the worst screw-ups the tech industry endured in 2012. Advanced warning: They’re not for the faint of heart. More »
SOPA is dead, but its author, Lamar Smith, is still very much alive. In fact, he’s just been named the head of Congress’ Science, Space, and Technology Committee. That’s very bad. More »
Today in things that will never happen, Republican Representative Darrell Issa has proposed a new bill called the Internet American Moratorium Act (IAMA) that would put a stop to any internet-related lawmaking for the next two years. More »
SOPA, the bill that was stopped by the internet because it practically made the internet illegal, has returned. Instead of a piece of legislation, though, it’s a nasty virus that uses the bill to scare its victim. It locks down your computer and then offers to unlock it for $200–not too different from other scams we’ve seen–but it uses a whole bunch of American government seals to make it extra intimidating. It warns the victim that their IP address is on a blacklist after distributing illegal content, which is something that could actually happen by the end of the year. It tells the victim to send a MoneyPak or a Western Union wire to pay up, or they’ll lose their data. Of course, it won’t actually delete your data, but you should get it off your computer as soon as possible. It’s easy; TorrentFreak recommends that you Google “Stop online piracy Automatic protection system removal.”
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Most American ISPs are implementing a Copyright Alert System, SOPA Protest Day: the largest digital protest ever (infographic),
If you thought SOPA was dead, well, you’d be mostly right. Its bloated corpse, however, has been resurrected by hacker puppeteers for the valiant purpose of scamming people out of their cash. More »
It’s been a long time coming, but the United States’ major internet service providers are finally implementing a system which will disrupt internet service for alleged copyright infringers. Although Washington failed to pass anti-piracy bills like SOPA and the Protect IP act, this new system is effective at the industry-level. Partners include AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. The system is referred to as a “six strikes” plan, because most subscribers have six chances before their internet connection is terminated.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: US court to decide whether an IP address identifies a person, YouTube’s automated copyright takedowns aren’t broken anymore,
TorrentFreak has posted a supposedly leaked presentation by the RIAA’s chief lawyer that says that it defended SOPA and PIPA even though it knew the censorship legislation wouldn’t be effective against music piracy. Is the RIAA for real or are they just covering their asses, and what does it mean for your freedom going forward? More »
Political lobbying is often a mixed bag at best. Still, there’s a cautious amount of optimism surrounding the Internet Association, a soon-to-start lobbying group that plans to advocate for an “open, innovative and free” internet among US politicians. The unsurprising (if well-intentioned) aim is to prevent another SOPA or PIPA with more formal opposition than even the Internet Defense League can manage. Who’ll be pulling the strings is nebulous — officially, the Association will only say that former Congressional staff director Michael Beckerman is at the helm until a formal September 19th launch. That internet openness must extend to some very leaky representatives, however, as the National Journal, AFP and Reuters all claim that Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Google are charter members. None of them are talking on the record; we certainly wouldn’t be shocked if the roster is real, knowing how much Google and other partners have fought takedown laws that would bypass much of the normal legal system. We’re hoping that whatever manifests a genuinely rational counterbalance to media and telecom influences that often aren’t very interested in protecting internet-only business models or due process.
Filed under: Internet
Internet Association to lobby Washington, may tout Amazon, Facebook, Google among its ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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