Monthly Archives: March 2008

Thought that database and privacy problems are limited to your own country/continent? Well, not quite.

As it turns out, dutch government has been threatened by the US to provide access to “some” of their databases or else some economic boycott could follow…
Moreover, the US seems to intend to start enacting “Colombian” style policies in Europe. Setting up own drugs units with police powers to arrest people and transfer them to the US without any evidence put forward in the countries first.

Sorry, did I read that correctly? Unbelievable, but yes. Lets forget Gitmo or any other trustworthy credentials the US has these days. Yeah right.

Sure, when people fly to the US, I can understand discussion regarding information of these kinds. But this is laughable disgusting.
Dutch government apparently needs a HARD beating. They are really still in charge of our OWN legal system I suppose? European databases, legal and police authority should be off-limits for any non-European country.

It is not even an plea for a more federal Europe, it comes down to that very healthy line: “Mind your own business”.

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A nice documentary of how British civil rights are standing. Note the terms they use to violate them: Terrorism. Especially the section shortly after 42 minutes shows clearly why unchecked built up of databases is a bad idea.

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I read in a small item in The Australian that an Australian justice of the peace was swept up in Pakistan and held in Guantanamo for FOUR YEARS. Get that? A justice of the peace in a developed-world democracy. Had you heard of that? Me neither. Keep in mind, to be a justice of the peace in Australia you need to be cleared in a thorough criminal check.

Naomi Wolf on the integrity of the election candidates.

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Not only have finally 30.000 Germans actually defended our hard earned right by going to the courts a few weeks ago.

This week similarly they have shown the limit of traffic control and government data collecting. One German went to the high court, because the government used speed camera data for other purposes. Putting all cars, plus passage data in the databases, for catching just a few stolen cars as an extra, a gross privacy infringement.

He won and the high-court judge nicely explained why such agressive data collecting of government makes people suspicious or even afraid. Interesting case, for sure, since a more limited variant is used in the netherlands. Moreover, the plans of france and the netherlands for pay-by-usage systems in a few years from now goes much further. This is a follow-up story for sure…

Ow and Google will acquire DoubleClick, the EU sees no profiling issues.

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Within one week: Fear Politics, Lies, Smear and Race Politics..

How things can change.

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The fall of the major record labels taught the rest of the corporate world a lesson. In many cases, piracy it is helping people to innovate and create new legitimate market spaces.

Pirates often appear were more unused value lies. Matt points out that rather than wasting much time fighting the pirates, it is wiser to pick up the pirates ideas or hire them. Especially since otherwise other competitors will pick the unused ideas up. Apple’s I-tunes for example became such a success, because they choose to compete with the pirates on more digital music online. Other nice examples of this better method are actually Hollywood and radio.

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