Category Archives: Privacy

How Copyright Extention Really Works

It did not come to a vote last week, but there is a game plan by some of the opposing parties.

    Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Privacy | Comments Off

    TSA Investigates… People Who Complain About TSA

    “CNN has obtained a list of roughly 70 ‘behavioral indicators’ that TSA behavior detection officers use to identify potentially ‘high risk’ passengers at the nation’s airports, and report that arrogant complaining about airport security is one indicator TSA officers consider when looking for possible criminals and terrorists. When combined with other behavioral indicators, it could result in a traveler facing additional scrutiny. ‘Expressing your contempt about airport procedures — that’s a First Amendment-protected right,’ says Michael German, a former FBI agent who now works as legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘It’s circular reasoning where, you know, I’m going to ask someone to surrender their rights; if they refuse, that’s evidence that I need to take their rights away from them. And it’s simply inappropriate.’ Interestingly enough, some experts say terrorists are much more likely to avoid confrontations with authorities, saying an al-Qaeda training manual instructs members to blend in.”

    While we are complaining, here’s more TSA.

      Posted in General Interest, Privacy | Tagged | 1 Comment

      Staatssecretaris Teeven not for open government

      internetfreedom

      Today was the Press-conference of secretary-minister about government plans for banning downloading in the netherlands. This is of course repressive, dumb, to great loss to everyone, policy. Teeven is trying to silently bring it to a vote in Parliament. Avoiding (like above bouncer notes – “No Bits of Freedom people”) the plans to become available to general public and groups as bits of freedom, which are very well informed of the implications and rights people have on the issue.

      Bits of Freedom people are no intrusive activists and well respected. So Teeven, if your arguments are THAT weak, that you cannot be open about it, it cannot be a good idea. If you need to avoid dialogue, even repress the public from knowing the details, are these not more signs of the kind of ideas you have for the public… repressive, unopen.

        Posted in Politics, Privacy | Comments Off

        European Commission wants ISPs and online services to act as copyright cops, snoops and censors

        The European Commissioners are meeting today to decide the future of EU copyright policy. French Commissioner Michel Barnier is pushing for a set of control measures aimed at ISPs, web-hosts, social networking services, and related services that would force them to act as private police for the entertainment lobby, who would be able to direct them to spy on and block domains and users without judicial oversight or due process:

        Oh dear.. not again. More see also ACTA.

          Posted in General Interest, Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

          OpenLeaks 101

          OpenLeaks 101 from openleaks on Vimeo.

            Posted in Politics, Privacy, Webtech | Tagged | Comments Off

            Dutch Privacy getting worse

            k
            (selection of countries)

            According to privacyinternational Dutch society is still getting less careless and more obsessive controlish about its citizens. Some key findings tell good and bad, but looking just at the Netherlands, its not a good trend. More ‘highlights’ of dutch privacy at the Big Brother Awards.

              Posted in Dutch, Politics, Privacy | Tagged , | Comments Off

              What happens with your Online Identity when you Die?

                Posted in General Interest, Politics, Privacy | Comments Off

                De Telegraaf nu bewust achter Wikileaks aan?

                Rol ochtendblad ‘extreem kwalijk’. Met een, aantoonbaar, bij mekaar gelogen artikel lijkt de Telegraaf bewust een foute rol te willen spelen om Gongrijp te laten uitleveren. Gongrijps advocaat, mr Jurjen Pen, stelt dat de wilde beschuldigingen in De Telegraaf de Amerikaanse justitie van dienst kunnen zijn bij het opstarten van een uitleveringsprocedure. De Amerikaanse autoriteiten proberen de mensen rond WikiLeaks aan te klagen als spionage-complot. Een dergelijk complot is strafbaar, het louter openbaren van geheime overheidsdocumenten niet.
                Gongrijp is er even stil.

                Dit lijkt op een georganiseerde campagne.’ (..) De man die al jaren alarmbellen doet afgaan over de macht en methoden van overheden lijkt terecht te zijn gekomen in zijn eigen nachtmerrie. Normaal kan hij overal de humor van in zien. Nu even niet. ‘De mate waarin realiteit en fantasie door elkaar heen lopen wordt nu wel heel snel Kafka.’

                Ondertussen zwendelt dePers, welke bijna verkocht werd aan de telegraaf, net zo hard mee. Is dit een poging om wikileaks cables waarde in discrediet te brengen door wan-informatie? Zo geloofwaardig is het toch niet?
                [meer wikileaks]

                  Posted in General Interest, Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                  US Justice bulk demanding info from twitter #wikileaks

                  twitters

                  The U.S. Justice Department has ordered Twitter to hand over data associated with multiple user accounts (oa. Rob Gonggrijp), in preparation for legal action related to Wikileaks. “There are many WikiLeaks supporters listed in the US Twitter subpoena,” Wikileaks stated over Twitter tonight. Complete news at BoingBoing. (also at nu.nl). Do retweets of #wikileaks now qualify? Or as noted:

                  h

                  Regarding Rob Gonggrijp, his blog has a nice overview of his team latest successes against computer voting (our earlier posts on this topic). Persons make a difference when they can make countries like India (1 billion pp) or Brazil (200 million pp) rethink and legislate their voting system against nontransparent voting. Respect.
                  For the Netherlands: Get a strong constitution-check in your law-making process (like Germany). [while we're at it, add head-counting!]

                    Posted in General Interest, Politics, Privacy | Tagged , | Comments Off

                    Justitie wil(de) sleepnet-onderzoeken op internet testen

                    D
                    Update 2: Nee, ze gaan toch door…

                    hennis

                    Proeven datamining door justitie

                    Het ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie wil proeven gaan doen met sleepnet-onderzoeken op internet, waarbij combinaties van surf- en aankoopgedrag automatisch leiden tot een verdenking. Dat bevestigt een woordvoerder aan Sp!ts.

                    Zo kan bijvoorbeeld een slachtoffer van kindermisbruik dat op latere leeftijd een digitale camera en het programma Photoshop aanschaft, automatisch worden aangeduid als potentiële producent van kinderporno.

                    De voorstellen staan in een vuistdik rapport (pdf) dat begin oktober al klaar was, maar gisteren – midden in het kerstreces van de Tweede Kamer- is gepresenteerd aan de ministeries van VenJ en Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie. Burgerrechtenorganisatie Bits Of Freedom is geschrokken van de plannen.

                    Lees het artikel @ Sp!ts

                    Schandalig dat de belastingbetaler dit rapport heeft moeten betalen, het ergste is dat noobs zoals Faber het beleid beïnvloeden. Het is werkelijk om je kapot te lachen huilen zo slecht, zie deze link

                    Reactie BOF:

                    Alle humor ten spijt: dit advies is een nieuw dieptepunt in al jaren voortschrijdende pogingen van het ministerie van Justitie om haar bevoegdheden steeds verder uit te breiden en het leven van onverdachte Nederlanders in kaart te brengen. Als het ministerie écht werk wil maken van het aanpakken van internetgerelateerde misdrijven, zou ze de broodnodige expertise bij de politie moeten uitbreiden in plaats van alle onverdachte Nederlanders digitaal te oormerken. Het ministerie moet dan ook afstand nemen van dit rapport.

                    Lees meer @ BOF

                      Posted in Politics, Privacy | Comments Off

                      Pilot shows TSA security flaws

                      When even Pilots with special Security batches post videos to tell TSA is over-securing passagers, that should make people think? [more tsa]

                        Posted in Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                        Pragnant? Don’t fly

                        tsa

                        TSA other disadvantage. [more tsa]

                          Posted in Humor, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                          WTF TSA

                          FLY

                          While charging a fee to tourists in order to promote tourism (?), adding to the compulsary finger-printing, the new Touch Someone’s Ass treatment.. seriously What about Canada for vacation guys? (previous posts)

                            Posted in General Interest, Privacy | Tagged | 1 Comment

                            EU is not a “safe habor” for privacy

                            yu

                            We know it is a mess, but here you go for another:
                            For years now, reports have shown that US firms claim to follow privacy rules in order to obtain EU citizen information. However, no control, no checks, no nothing. Just take it. Several critial reports the last 10 years..nothing is done.
                            If there is no reward and only problems for safeguarding privacy, why should you?

                            Update: Public rewards EU parlementarians standing up though.

                              Posted in General Interest, Privacy | Comments Off

                              Dutch wise up?

                              Nederlanders wordt vaak naïviteit verweten als het om privacy gaat. Toch blijkt er sprake te zijn van een significante kentering. Uit een recent onderzoek van ECP-EPN, het Nederlandse platform voor de informatiesamenleving, komt zelfs naar voren dat 89 procent van onze bevolking privacy ‘belangrijk’ vindt, 68 procent vindt het ‘erg’ dat bedrijven en instanties persoonsgegevens verwerken. Ook jongeren gaan steeds slimmer om met hun privacy: 85 procent schermt bijvoorbeeld zijn Facebook-profiel af. Het is een logische ontwikkeling: na de verwondering over en gewenning aan het internet maken steeds meer gebruikers zich zorgen over hun privacy op internet.

                              When the digital world goes mainstream, people finally pick up that digital harm does exist? Some learning curve after 10 years of internet…

                                Posted in General Interest, Privacy | Comments Off

                                we wont fly

                                s

                                We are opposed to the full-body backscatter x-ray airport scanners on grounds of health and privacy. We do not consent to strip searches, virtual or otherwise. We do not wish to be guinea pigs for new, and possibly dangerous, technology. We are not criminals. We are your customers. We will not beg the government anymore. We will simply stop flying until the porno-scanners are history.
                                We will not be abused simply for the privilege of purchasing your services. We demand the airlines make their maximum lobbying effort in support of our, your customers’, rights and liberties. We are eager to fly again, but only when this invasive threat has been contained.
                                This scanner technology has now spilled out of the airports and into the streets. Mobile scan machines may be taking x-rays of you on the way to work or while you drive out of town on vacation. Your kids may be getting x-rayed on the bus. Soon, dangerous backscatter x-ray technology may be everywhere. Resist! Not just passively, but actively with your voice, your vote, your feet and your dollars. Our future, and that of our children, is at stake. – WeWontFly

                                [post copy of cynical-c - because it gets to the point]

                                  Posted in Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                  Oppose and end ACTA, period.

                                  ACTA

                                  The latest news comes that the secret, undemocratic negotiations of ACTA parties has come to a final version. While Wired quotes the plan now as just toothless and watered-down, it still misses the major points that ACTA has been undemocratically developed and also with this last version will undemocratically enforce a fundamentally irrelevant regulatory regime, that would put an end to Net neutrality. It still goes for 3 strikes your out [read the text critical]. It is not a matter of a few bad apples in an odd-created document. No, this is simply still an attempted first (foundation) plan, which directly will harm society.

                                  ACTA should be buried. For sustainable and rightful policy in the EU the issues involved should be considered, following all those vital steps and rules which ACTA for wrong reasons has tried to avoid:
                                  Going through the European parliament, transparancy, respect net neutrality, unbiased regulators and fact checkers, due process (legal rights), respecting privacy and so on.. Play by the rules and put your bloody own citizens common interest first, EU. See also earlier posts.

                                  (more…)

                                    Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                    US continues unacceptable demands of data from EU

                                    d

                                    While I don’t understand how handing over your complete financial information to the US without anything in return hasn’t pushed anger within the EU to the limit, off course the US will continue demanding unsoveign, highly sensitive information. The EU has shown very little on the privacy level and is now just selling-out further apparently. After the finance, comes vingerprints, dna, next up your medical documents, tax return and anything else they can digitally receive. But ow wait, “we are angry of course“! Sure.
                                    Not that the EU would ever get the US data….feeling used yet?

                                    The ridiculous claim that a country as Swiss gives in for pressure of visa requirements is laughable. Not in the last place because countries could simply demand the same in return. It is just another sign that no serious press critics on this part seem to walk around.

                                      Posted in Politics, Privacy | Comments Off

                                      US “freedom list” now up for grabs

                                      censor

                                      It seems that 2010 for the internet is the year of filtering, backroom control buttons and wrong power play. Now up: After those backward countries as China and “advanced” onces as Brittain or Australia, it is now…
                                      The United States ??

                                        Posted in Politics, Privacy | Tagged | 1 Comment

                                        3-Strikes-Rule Mess starts this week in France

                                        sellout france internet

                                        This week the sell-out policy of the 3 Strikes rule is starting. The Multinational copyright companies will require French ISPs turn over 150,000 subscriber names , addresses, mailadresses and phone numbers, per day. Detail: Multinational corporations are already flooding French ISPs with more than 10,000 requests a day for the personal information of accused infringers. Once a user has received three unsubstantiated accusations of infringement, the entire household is cut off from the Internet for a year, and it becomes a crime for any other ISP to connect that family or household.

                                        Unsubstantiated? Well, there is NO check. Not surprising since even if they would check, they are paid by the requester, the corporations, not the government. Due process is already dead there.
                                        But this shitty system will fine ISPs €1,500 per accused “infringer”, if ISPs are not able to turn over 150,000 personal identities per day. And defence comes AFTERWARDS and only in a brief “traffic-court”-like streamlined judiciary. (via oa. boingboing)

                                        Basically Sarkozy makes these corporations now dictorial rulers of internet access in France and deletes a couple of French people constitutional rights. Think privacy rights or legal rights for defence.
                                        It cannot be healthy to just hand over such a huge pile of private information without questions to a bunch of corporations.
                                        This kind of moron power grabbing is unlikely to be sustainable, so let the mess begin….

                                        See also earlier posts.

                                          Posted in Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                          European Parliament passes anti-ACTA declaration

                                          gf

                                          Today 377 members of the European Parliament adopted a written declaration on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in which they demand greater transparency, assert that ISPs should not up end being liable for data sent through their networks, and say that ACTA “should not force limitations upon judicial due process or weaken fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and the right to privacy.” [...]
                                          La Quadrature du Net, a French group that heavily backed the declaration, sees it as a sign that ACTA is doomed.
                                          “Written Declaration 12 is a strong political signal sent by the EP to the Commission that ACTA is not tolerable as a way of bypassing democratic processes. Legislation related to Internet, freedom of speech and privacy cannot be negotiated in secrecy under the direct influence of entertainment industry lobbies,” said spokesperson Jérémie Zimmermann. “Full rejection of ACTA is the only option.”

                                          More at Ars.

                                          In one of the few very visible situations the EU parlement seems to make a strong stand against this very ondemocratic ACTA movement and its backers. Finally.

                                            Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                            EU – how not to make policy

                                            Let’s introduce heavy handed policy based on guesses, not even trying to find the slightest educated guess.

                                              Posted in Politics, Privacy | Comments Off

                                              Acta – How does it feel?

                                              acta

                                              Read @ EFF: http://www.eff.org/issues/acta

                                                Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off

                                                Net neutrality: Google and Verizon

                                                SAN FRANCISCO — Google and Verizon on Monday introduced a proposal for how Internet service should be regulated — and were immediately criticized by groups that favor keeping the network as open as possible.

                                                Ivan Seidenberg, chief executive of Verizon, said the proposal excluded wireless because the companies were “concerned about the imposition of too many rules upfront that would not allow us to optimize this network in a fashion that would supercharge the growth we’ve seen in the past.”

                                                But Gigi B. Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a consumer group, said that by excluding wireless access, a fast-growing portion of Internet traffic, the proposal “sacrifices the future of the mobile wireless Internet as this platform becomes more central to the lives of all Americans.”

                                                Google turns out to be evil … read full article @ NY Times

                                                  Posted in Innovation & Knowledge Economy, Privacy, Webtech | Comments Off

                                                  SWIFT bank database Still handed over to US

                                                  The European Parliament has adopted the so-called SWIFT agreement on 8 July 2010 allowing sharing EU citizens’ bank data with the US authorities, but failing to stick to its initial position on privacy safeguards from February 2010. (..) However, even the data protection European bodies – EDPS and the Article 29 Working Party – have underlined that the current agreement does not meet the European privacy standards. (..) There have been reports that the US Treasury has received up to 25% of all SWIFT transactions, which number in the billions each year. (via)

                                                  Seems that the EP still cannot guard basic privacy rights for EU citizens.
                                                  5 Years more of lack of civil rights as financial privacy. This adds to the believe that the EU is still toothless and doesn’t fend with the power, it really should have!

                                                  See also earlier posts.

                                                    Posted in Politics, Privacy | Tagged | Comments Off