INTERNET 2 - The Imminent Privatization of the World Wide Web / Censorship

[wvoutlaw2002]

When using open source makes you an enemy of the state
The US copyright lobby has long argued against open source software - now Indonesia's in the firing line for encouraging the idea in government departments

It's only Tuesday and already it's been an interesting week for the world of digital rights. Not only did the British government changed the wording around its controversial 'three strikes' proposals, but the secretive anti-counterfeiting treaty, Acta, was back in the headlines. Meanwhile, a US judge is still deliberating over the Google book settlement.

As if all that wasn't enough, here's another brick to add to the teetering tower of news, courtesy of Andres Guadamuz, a lecturer in law at the University of Edinburgh.

Guadamuz has done some digging and discovered that an influential lobby group is asking the US government to basically consider open source as the equivalent of piracy - or even worse.

What?

It turns out that the International Intellectual Property Alliance, an umbrella group for organisations including the MPAA and RIAA, has requested with the US Trade Representative to consider countries like Indonesia, Brazil and India for its "Special 301 watchlist" because they use open source software]http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/software]software.

What's Special 301? It's a report that examines the "adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights" around the planet - effectively the list of countries that the US government considers enemies of capitalism. It often gets wheeled out as a form of trading pressure - often around pharmaceuticals and counterfeited goods - to try and force governments to change their behaviours.

Now, even could argue that it's no surprise that the USTR - which is intended to encourage free market capitalism - wouldn't like free software, but really it's not quite so straightforward.

I know open source has a tendency to be linked to socialist ideals, but I also think it's an example of the free market in action. When companies can't compete with huge, crushing competitors, they route around it and find another way to reduce costs and compete. Most FOSS isn't state-owned: it just takes price elasticity to its logical conclusion and uses free as a stick to beat its competitors with (would you ever accuse Google, which gives its main product away for free, of being anti-capitalist?).

Still, in countries where the government has legislated the adoption of FOSS, the position makes some sense because it hurts businesses like Microsoft. But that's not the end of it.

No, the really interesting thing that Guadamuz found was that governments don't even need to pass legislation. Even a recommendation can be enough.

Example: last year the Indonesian government sent around a circular to all government departments and state-owned businesses, pushing them towards open source. This, says the IIPA, "encourages government agencies to use "FOSS" (Free Open Source Software) with a view toward implementation by the end of 2011, which the Circular states will result in the use of legitimate open source and FOSS software and a reduction in overall costs of software".

Nothing wrong with that, right? After all, the British government has said it will boost the use of open source software.

But the IIPA suggested that Indonesia deserves Special 301 status because encouraging (not forcing) such takeup "weakens the software industry" and "fails to build respect for intellectual property rights".

From the recommendation:

    "The Indonesian government's policy... simply weakens the software industry and undermines its long-term competitiveness by creating an artificial preference for companies offering open source software and related services, even as it denies many legitimate companies access to the government market.

    Rather than fostering a system that will allow users to benefit from the best solution available in the market, irrespective of the development model, it encourages a mindset that does not give due consideration to the value to intellectual creations.

    As such, it fails to build respect for intellectual property rights and also limits the ability of government or public-sector customers (e.g., State-owned enterprise) to choose the best solutions.

Let's forget that the statement ignores the fact that there are plenty of businesses built on the OSS model (RedHat, Wordpress, Canonical for starters). But beyond that, it seems astonishing to me that anyone should imply that simply recommending open source products - products that can be more easily tailored without infringing licensing rules - "undermines" anything.

In fact, IP enforcement is often even more strict in the open source community, and those who infringe licenses or fail to give appropriate credit are often pilloried.

If you're looking at this agog, you should be. It's ludicrous.

But the IIPA and USTR have form here: in recent years they have put Canada on the priority watchlist.

[Brocke]

Schoogle?

Google maps, Google phones, now Google schools? The Silicon Valley giant is offering free technology to public schools all over the country. We'll take you inside a Bay Area high school to see how it works.

VIDEO
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/station/shows/Schoogle__Bay_Area.html

[Brocke]

Conroy's website removes references to filter

    * By Andrew Ramadge, Technology Reporter
    * From: news.com.au
    * February 25, 2010 6:32PM



stephen conroy

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy during Question Time in the Senate / Ray Strange Source: The Australian

THE minister in charge of the Government's web censorship plan has been caught out censoring his own website.

The front page of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's official website displays a list of topics connected to his portfolio, along with links to more information about each one.

All the usual topics are there – cyber safety, the national broadband network, broadcasters ABC and SBS, digital television and so on.

All except one.

It was revealed today a script within the minister's homepage deliberately removes references to internet filtering from the list.

In the function that creates the list, or "tag cloud", there is a condition that if the words "ISP filtering" appear they should be skipped and not displayed.

The discovery is unlikely to do any favours for Senator Conroy's web filtering policy, which has been criticised for its secrecy.

According to Google's cache records, the exception has been included on the minister's homepage since at least February 14.

A message on the page says it was last updated in October last year.

Melbourne web developer David Johnson told news.com.au the code was intended to remove references to internet filtering.

"The code is a quick fix," said Mr Johnson of creative agency Lemonade.

"If the developers of the minister’s site had wanted to do it properly they would have placed the 'ISP filtering' keyword exclusion on the server side where it is inaccessible to the public, instead of the front-end code which can be seen by anyone and understood by people with even a basic knowledge of scripting."

The function, written in web scripting language Javascript, appears to have been first discovered by a user on the Whirlpool broadband discussion forum.

Senator Conroy's office has been contacted for comment.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/conroys-website-removes-references-to-filter/story-e6frfro0-1225834474153


Web developer asks Conroy to remove script

    * By Andrew Ramadge, Technology Reporter
    * From: news.com.au
    * March 02, 2010 12:05PM

Screenshot of Aleks Bochniak's blog, requesting his code be removed from Senator Conroy's official site.

THE web developer whose code was modified to remove references to internet filtering on a government website has asked for it to be taken down.

"I would appreciate it if you could remove my Javascript Tag Cloud from your website," said developer and blogger Aleks Bochniak in a letter to the office of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

"I do not want in any way to be associated with yourself, your office or your policies."

Mr Bochniak is the original author of a script on Senator Conroy's official website that was modified to remove mention of the words "ISP Filtering".

The script first came to light last week. Since then, details of who wrote it, who modified it and when it was modified have been removed from the site.

Mr Bochniak publishes a web development tutorial blog from which he says the script was originally taken.

"This is one usage of my code which I would have appreciated them asking my permission, because if I had known the final outcome I would not have let them," he said.

Senator Conroy's office has not said whether it intends to take the code down.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/web-developer-asks-conroy-to-remove-script/story-e6frfro0-1225836054709

[Brocke]

Bing blocks online sex searches in Middle East: study

    * From correspondents in New York
    * From: AFP
    * March 09, 2010 9:02AM

THE Open Net Initiative (ONI) said Microsoft's search engine Bing is more prudish than government censors when it comes to sex-related online queries.

A January test of a Bing version tailored for users in Arab countries showed that it filtered Arabic and English words for sexually explicit content along with queries related to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender material.

Attempts to use filtered keywords prompted a message reading "Your country or region requires a strict Bing SafeSearch setting, which filters out results that might return adult content," according to ONI.

The message seemed at odds with the fact that while political censorship is widespread in the Middle East, not all countries there mandate filtering of sex, nudity, homosexuality and other such "social content," ONI reported.

"A more targeted approach - either country-based or preferably, defined by the user - is more generally consistent with minimizing the impact on freedom of speech," ONI study authors concluded.

"Microsoft has signaled its willingness to be at the forefront in protecting freedom of expression around the world. It is difficult to reconcile this position with Bing's current filtering standards."

The report noted that Bing didn't impose search settings based on IP addresses indicating where computers are located, so users can get around filters by choosing versions of the engine crafted for other countries.

Microsoft did not return an AFP request for comment.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/bing-blocks-online-sex-searches-in-middle-east-study/story-e6frf7ko-1225838527715

[Brocke]

Analysing the internet filter

    * Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
    * From: The Courier-Mail
    * March 03, 2010 12:00AM

GOOGLE is against it. Librarians and civil libertarians are also opposed to it. YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter might disappear because of it, and experts argue it will make web access slow and expensive.

It's the Federal Government's proposed internet filter and it's due in Parliament this month. If passed, it could come into effect next year.

WHAT IS IT?

The Federal Government's proposal for an optional "clean feed" is now a mandatory web filter for Refused Classification (RC) content.

The scheme would be the first widespread internet filter in a democratic country.

Federal Communication Minister Senator Stephen Conroy says the filter is designed to reduce "the risk of Australians being inadvertently exposed to RC-rated material when they are online". Internet experts dispute its effectiveness.

The web filter would be enforced by internet service providers (ISPs) and would block websites black-listed after complaints from the public and law-enforcement agencies. Up to 2000 sites are now on this secret list.

WHAT WILL BE BLOCKED?

The government's filter would only block websites, rather than general internet traffic. Electronic Frontiers Association vice-president Colin Jacobs says the filter will not reach much of the illegal activity on the net and could give parents a false sense of security.

Google Australia policy head Iarla Flynn says the company is also "deeply concerned" about what websites would be blocked, because RC-rated content could include "educational content on safer drug use" and "politically controversial crimes such as euthanasia".

"This type of content may be unpleasant and unpalatable, but we believe that the Government should not mandate the blocking of information which can inform debate on controversial issues," Flynn says.

WILL IT SLOW WEB ACCESS?

The web filter could also slow web access, with tests last year showing speed drops of up to 17 per cent.

Report author Enex also warned trying to block material on "very high traffic sites, such as YouTube" could overload a filter.

Flynn says this could have implications for access to many popular websites, including Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter in Australia, and warns Google would not remove material from YouTube without "a valid legal request like a court order".

WILL IT COST MORE?

The Government's plan will impose new costs on ISPs, including hardware and software purchases and installation, and ongoing maintenance which could be passed on to internet users.

Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos says the costs would be "not insignificant".

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/technology/analysing-the-internet-filter/story-e6frep1o-1225836455296

[Brocke]

iiNet confident it will defend appeal in download case

    * From: AAP
    * March 18, 2010 1:32PM


iiNet Michael Malone

iiNet managing director Michael Malone at the company's Network Operations Centre in Perth. Picture: Colin Murty Source: HWT Image Library

INTERNET service provider iiNet says it is confident it will not only succeed in defending an appeal in its legal stoush over illegal downloading but that it will emerge in an even stronger position.

iiNet on Thursday filed a notice of contention in the Federal court seeking to reaffirm the court's finding in February that the internet provider could not be held responsible for what its customers did online.

A consortium of 34 movie studios that took the original action against iiNet are appealing Justice Dennis Cowdroy's ruling.

The studios are headed by Village Roadshow and include News Ltd's Twentieth Century Fox and Seven Network.

They are seeking to prove iiNet failed to take steps to stop illegal file-sharing by customers, and breached copyright itself by storing the data and transmitting it through its system.

"We go into this latest legal round anticipating we will come out in an even stronger position than when we won last month," iiNet chief executive Michael Malone said.

"Justice Cowdroy's judgement was unequivocal and we are confident the full court will confirm his ruling and strengthen it."

The original judgement found against iiNet on several points. The company will ask the Federal Court to reconsider those points, he said.

Prolonging the legal action would not stop piracy, Mr Malone said.

He urged that new models be adopted for online content usage by major movie and television studios.

"More legal proceedings are not the solution, but we have filed the notice of contention to secure and strengthen the original judgement," Mr Malone said.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/iinet-confident-it-will-defend-appeal-in-download-case/story-e6frfro0-1225842337689

[Brocke]

'Suicide voyeur' nurse William Melchert-Dinkel allegedly talked people into death online

    * From: The Australian
    * March 22, 2010 9:14AM

Police say William Melchert-Dinkel (pictured) posed as a female nurse online in suicide chat rooms offering "expert knowledge" on the most effective way to commit suicide / AP Source: AP
William Melchert-Dinkel

Police say William Melchert-Dinkel (pictured) posed as a female nurse online in suicide chat rooms offering "expert knowledge" on the most effective way to commit suicide / AP Source: AP
Nadia Kajouji

An undated file photo of suicide victim Nadia Kajouji provided by her mother / AP Source: AP
Nadia Kajouji

An undated file photo of suicide victim Nadia Kajouji provided by her mother / AP Source: AP
Mark Drybrough suicide

A family photo taken May 1, 2005 of suicide victim Mark Drybrough at his home in Coventry, England / AP Source: AP
Mark Drybrough suicide

A family photo taken May 1, 2005 of suicide victim Mark Drybrough at his home in Coventry, England / AP Source: AP

    * Victims "coerced into suicide pacts online"
    * Suspect allegedly watched suicides
    * 64-year-old grandmother investigated

A BRITISH man allegedly addicted to watching others kill themselves online could be charged with encouraging and assisting suicide.

William Melchert-Dinkel, 47, an American nurse with a loving family, allegedly spent years posing as a 20-something woman while trawling the internet for people he could persuade to kill themselves while he watched, the Daily Mail reports.

He has allegedly admitted to US police that he was involved in at least five deaths. A US prosecutor is still deliberating over whether to charge the Minnesota man with assisting suicide.

On the day Mr Melchert-Dinkel was arrested he was admitted to hospital. His medical notes record that he told nurses he was addicted to suicide chatrooms and had "posed as a 28 yo female formed suicide pacts with some that he had no attention (sic) of following thru... 4 yrs suicide fetish offered medical advice for assisted suicide x2".

Mark Drybrough received his final email at 10.32am. It asked: "Are you all right?"

Seconds later he switched off his computer, walked to his bedroom and hanged himself from a decorator's ladder.

When Mr Drybrough's sister later read through the months of emails and chatroom posts stored on the computer, it appeared the message was part of a suicide pact with a young female nurse.

His mother, Elaine Drybrough, 61, refuses to read the exchanges in which her 32-year-old son, an IT technician, was persuaded to take his own life.

"My daughter told me that a nurse called Li encouraged Mark to kill himself and said that some people had allowed her to watch before," she said.

Her son had suffered from depression since a bout of glandular fever about eight years earlier.

In the months before his death he became increasingly withdrawn from his friends and family, spending hours every day using the internet on his home-built computer.

Police believe that the "young woman" who befriended him was the "suicide voyeur" Mr Melchert-Dinkel, who was unmasked by two British women.

Mrs Drybrough said: "This man appointed himself Mark's executioner. He whispered in his ear each time he logged on to the computer. Because of his medical experience he knew exactly who he was looking for, what he was doing, the buttons he needed to push."

Vigilante grandmother

Mr Melchert-Dinkel was exposed by Celia Blay after police refused to intervene.

It was a remarkable achievement for a grandmother in the Wiltshire village of Maiden Bradley, western England, who confesses to having little knowledge of the internet and who relies on her son for technical support.

Four years ago a teenage friend admitted she had entered a death pact with a nurse. Hours before the planned suicide, Mrs Blay discovered the pact was with an internet user known as Li Dao, who had agreed to other pacts.

She convinced the teenager to delay her plans and the girl is alive today.

Mrs Blay contacted members of internet groups used by Li Dao and discovered she used the pseudonyms Falcon Girl and Cami D to persuade people to enter pacts in which they would hang themselves in front of webcams and watch each other die. At the crucial moment there was always a problem with Li Dao's webcam so that it was just her watching.

"When I went to the police they just said if it bothers you, look the other way," she said.

Risky investigation

A friend of Mrs Blay, Kat Lowe, a mother of two from Wolverhampton, central England, contacted Li Dao to discover the predator's identity. It was a risky decision as Ms Lowe was feeling suicidal. But her condition gave the insight allegedly needed to gain Mr Melchert-Dinkel's trust.

Ms Lowe, 37, said even though she was aware what Li Dao's methods were, she was persuaded to buy a rope and alcohol.

"I was really scared he might talk me into hanging myself," she said.

She obtained information that allowed Mr Melchert-Dinkel's home address to be traced. He told her his work in the emergency room of a US hospital had given him knowledge of the most effective ways to kill oneself.

He allegedly described watching an unidentified man hang himself in Birmingham, central England, in about 2006.

"He asked me to watch as he was all alone," Mr Melchert-Dinkel was reported by The Daily Mail as saying.

"I didn't want to, thinking it was some perverted ploy of his, but after many hours of talking I agreed to watch him die so he would not die alone."

He later admitted he had made previous suicide pacts but promised Ms Lowe he was ready to carry out his part of the deal.

"I hope we can... go somewhere close to the same time if possible. It's good to have support at this time of need... hugs and love."

Drawn to the edge

Mrs Blay's file of evidence was rejected by British police and the FBI said it lacked the power to investigate. Police in Mr Melchert-Dinkel's home city of St Paul, Minnesota, agreed to take the case.

Mrs Blay says she is aware of several deaths that occurred between the time she identified Mr Melchert-Dinkel and police seizing his computer. He is suspected of entering a pact with Nadia Kajouji, an 18-year-old Canadian student who killed herself in 2008.

During the online conversation with Nadia he allegedly advised her on the best length and diameter of rope for hanging and said that he wanted to watch.

In one message he wrote: "If you wanted to (go) for hanging we could have done it together online so it would not have been so scary for you."

She later drowned herself.

Assisting suicide carries a prison sentence of 15 years in Minnesota.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/suicide-voyeur-nurse-william-melchert-dinkel-allegedly-talked-people-into-death-online/story-e6frfro0-1225843594833

[wvoutlaw2002]

Internet threatens rare species, conservationists warn

-------------------------------------------------------------

To them, anything which promotes freedom is bad for the environment. Next thing you know, they'll say NaturalNews.com and Mercola.com cause global warming.

[Brocke]

Google stops censoring search results in China

    * By Andrew Ramadge, Technology Reporter
    * From: news.com.au
    * March 23, 2010 8:54AM

THE world's biggest search engine has stopped censoring the results of the world's largest group of internet users.

After months of verbal stoushes with the Chinese Government, Google has effectively shut down its mainland Chinese search engine.

All users who try to access it are now being directed to Google's Hong Kong engine, which is uncensored.

A search for "tiananmen", in reference to the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre of 1989, returns millions of results on the site.

"It's entirely legal and will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China," said Google executive David Drummond in a blog post.

"We very much hope that the Chinese Government respects our decision, though we are well aware that it could at any time block access to our services."

Mr Drummond also announced a new service showing which of Google's products were blocked in China at the present moment.

At the time of writing it showed that web search, image search, news and Gmail were available while YouTube and Blogger were blocked.

'We couldn't play ball anymore'

Mr Drummond said Google had decided to stop censoring search results after a string of worrying incidents in China.

First was the revelation that Google was among a group of US companies targeted by a "sophisticated cyber attack originating from China".

Then, during an investigation into the attack, Google discovered that the Gmail accounts of "dozens" of human rights activists seemed to be under surveillance.

Evidence suggested the accounts "were being routinely accessed by third parties, most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on their computers", said Mr Drummond.

Lastly, Mr Drummond named the "persistent" blocking of sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by authorities as contributing to the decision.

China had about 380 million internet users at the end of 2009, according to the China Internet Network Information Centre.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/google-stops-censoring-search-in-china/story-e6frfro0-1225844123228

[Brocke]

Debt is control...



iiNet to acquire Netspace for $40m

http://player.video.news.com.au/couriermail/?Daufnway9b_bw753UmrH9NQuPfqxaO2c

iiNet Ltd says it has entered into an agreement to acquire rival Netspace for $40 million.


iiNet to acquire rival Netspace for $40 million

From: AAP
March 29, 2010 1:06PM


    * iiNet will purchase Netspace for $40m
    * Provider has about 80,000 customers
    * More: Technology news and reviews

INTERNET service provider iiNet says it has entered into an agreement to acquire rival Netspace for $40 million.

The deal would be funded by debt, iiNet said.

iiNet chief executive officer, Michael Malone, said the acquisition would consolidate the company's position as the leading challenger brand in the Australian telecommunications market.

"This acquisition will bring iiNet closer to our target of 15 per cent market share in the fixed line broadband market prior to the commencement of the national broadband network," Mr Malone said.

"Netspace is a natural fit for iiNet given the strong alignment of the company's products, networks and cultures.

"It is a great business, having grown strongly in the residential market and has a loyal customer base given its customer service focus."

The Melbourne-based internet and fixed telephone services provider, Netspace, has about 80,000 business and residential customers.

The takeover lifts iiNet's market share to 12.4 per cent and towards its 15 per cent target.

This an increase of over 70,000 broadband customers to more than 520,000 broadband customers and an increase of over 120,000 active services to around 920,000 total active services, the company said.

The geographic footprint of Netspace is complementary to iiNet, extending its presence in the key markets of Victoria, NSW, and Tasmania, the company said.

Mr Malone said it had been two years since iiNet's acquisition of Westnet, which was a "great success" and demonstrated iinet's ability to undertake successful acquisitions.

"Our strong balance sheet has placed us in a unique position to remain at the forefront of industry consolidation," he said.

"We are committed to delivering on our growth strategy, and Netspace is a logical and sensible acquisition for us."

Netspace was established in 1992 and provides more than 105,000 services, including broadband, ADSL, ADSL2+, Naked DSL, Midband Ethernet, Wireless and VPN internet access as well as fixed line telephony services.

It has more than 180 staff located in Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/iinet-to-acquire-netspace-for-40-million/story-e6frfro0-1225846896462

[Brocke]

God forbid we should actually know what you are supposedly protecting us from!


Banned website 'blacklist' won't be made public

    * From: AAP
    * March 30, 2010 6:42AM


Stephen Conroy

Federal Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy admits the web censorship process needs transparency. Source: The Australian

    * Conroy admits scrutiny of list needed
    * However he rules out making it public
    * More: Technology news and reviews

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy has agreed that greater oversight of which websites will be banned under the Government's mandatory internet filter is needed but has ruled out making the list public.

The Federal Government plans to introduce a filter aimed at blocking access to illegal material such as child pornography or content refused classification (RC) by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

But the blacklist put together by the communications watchdog has not been made public, raising concerns that governments can impose censorship without proper oversight.

Senator Conroy said conceded greater transparency was needed in terms of what was deemed RC material.

"We have a discussion paper that we've issued calling for increased transparency measures," he said.

The measures were needed to make sure governments could not slip things onto the list, he said.

However, Senator Conroy said making the list public would undermine what the internet filter policy was designed to achieve.

"Out of all the issues in the filter (policy) this is the one that's caused me the most thought because a URL address is just that, it's an address," he told ABC Radio.

"When you publish a list of titles of books that are banned, or movies that are banned, you don't give access to the materials by producing that list.

"The problem when you produce a list of URLs is you are actually giving the address of where to go and look."

Some of the world's largest providers of internet services, including Google and Yahoo, have criticised the Government's plans to introduce a filter, describing the move as heavy-handed.

Google said last week that while protecting the free exchange of ideas and information could not be without some limits, people should retain the right to freedom of expression.

The US administration has also raised concerns about the plan.

A State Department official has reportedly said it was contrary to US foreign policy of encouraging open internet access and the spread of economic growth and global security.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/banned-website-list-wont-be-made-public/story-e6frfro0-1225847193801

[Brocke]

I like the "cloud" reference that congers up weather or Global Warming 


Coal fuels much of internet cloud, says Greenpeace

    * From correspondents in San Francisco
    * From: Reuters
    * March 31, 2010 10:24AM

THE "cloud" of data which is becoming the heart of the internet is creating an all too real cloud of pollution as Facebook, Apple and others build data centers powered by coal, according to a new Greenpeace report.

A Facebook facility will rely on a utility whose main fuel is coal, while Apple, expecting the US iPad launch on April 3, is building a data warehouse in a North Carolina region powered by coal, the environmental organization said in the study to be released this week.

"The last thing we need is for more cloud infrastructure to be built in places where it increases demand for dirty coal-fired power," concluded Greenpeace, which argues that web companies should be more careful about where they build and should lobby more in Washington, DC for clean energy.

The growing pile of home movies, pictures and business data has ballooned beyond the capabilities of personal computers and even average corporate data centers, spurring the creation of massive server farms with tens of thousands of specialised machines that make up the "cloud".

The report comes in the middle of a new federal debate whether to create caps or other measures to cut use of carbon-heavy fuels like coal and curb climate change.

Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google all have at least some centers with heavy use of coal power, said Greenpeace.

 The companies declined to give details of their data centers, but all said they considered the environment in business decisions, and most said they were aggressively pursuing efficiency.

Cheap and plentiful, coal is the top fuel for US power plants, and its low cost versus alternative fuels makes it attractive, even in highly efficient data centers.

Technology companies say they support the environment. Apple releases its carbon footprint, or how much greenhouse gases it produces, and Facebook said it chose the location for its center in order to use natural means to cool its machines.

Microsoft said it aimed to maximize efficiency, and Google said it purchased carbon offsets - funding for projects which suck up carbon - for emissions, including at data centers.

Yahoo, which is building a center near Buffalo, New York that Greenpeace saw as a model, will get energy from hydroelectric facilities, but the company said efficiency was the top goal, with a long narrow and tall building that looks like a "chicken coop" and promotes air circulation.

Data center energy use already is huge, Greenpeace said.

If considered as a country, global telecommunications and data centers behind the cloud would have ranked fifth in the world for energy use in 2007, behind the United States, China, Russia and Japan, it concluded.

And the cloud may be the fastest growing portion of technology growth between now and 2020, said Greenpeace.

The group based its findings on a mix of data including a federal review of fuels in US zip codes in 2005 and a 2008 study by the Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, which Greenpeace updated in part with US Environmental Protection Agency data.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/coal-fuels-much-of-internet-cloud-says-greenpeace/story-e6frfro0-1225847852574

[Kilika]

So what stops Google from pulling out of Australia for censorship like they did with China? Aren't they doing the same thing as China?

[wvoutlaw2002]

Microsoft said it aimed to maximize efficiency, and Google said it purchased carbon offsets - funding for projects which suck up carbon - for emissions, including at data centers.

LMFAO! Anybody who believes Microsoft is environmentally-friendly has to be either a mental midget, a fluoride-head, or a brainwashed deluded yuppie. For one thing, Microsoft's forced obsolesence results mainly in older PCs being thrown in the garbage and piling up in landfills.

The article mentions that Apple is accused of causing global warming. Mark my words: There will be some schmuck who will realize that Apple's Mac OS X is based on FreeBSD UNIX, and they will automatically assume that UNIX and anything derived from UNIX (BSD, Linux, etc.) "causes global warming". It's sad that the real polluters are viewed by the sheeple as "eco-warriors" while the ones who truly want to save the environment are viewed by the sheeple as "eco-terrorists".

[Brocke]

Court rules FCC doesn't have authority to impose net neutrality

By Nilay Patel posted Apr 6th 2010 11:16AM

No hard details yet, but opponents of net neutrality just scored a big victory -- the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has sided with Comcast and ruled that the FCC doesn't have the authority under current law to impose regulations on internet service providers. Obviously we're super interested in the wonky minutae, so we'll be digging for them -- stay tuned.

Update: Okay, we're reading the opinion (PDF below) and basically it boils down like this: the FCC ordered Comcast to stop filtering Bittorrent on its network in early 2008, and Comcast filed suit, saying the FCC didn't have the authority to intervene like that. Since there's no specific law giving the FCC the authority to regulate the internet, the FCC told the court it was using its "ancillary powers," which allow the agency to take actions needed to fulfill its role -- and the FCC was interpreting its role as promoting net neutrality based on the policy statements of Congress. The court said that wasn't good enough, obviously -- we'd bet this gets appealed immediately while Congress goes to work on a specific law authorizing the Commission to impose net neutrality.

Yahoo, Opinion (PDF)
http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/engadget/files/fcc_comcast.pdf

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/06/court-rules-the-fcc-doesnt-have-authority-to-impose-net-neutral/

[Brocke]

Death Of The Internet: Unprecedented Censorship Bill Passes in UK

"Wash-up" process used to rush through draconian legislation as a pitiful handful of MPs attend debate

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Thursday, April 8th, 2010

A draconian Internet censorship bill that has been long looming on the horizon finally passed the house of commons in the UK yesterday, legislating for government powers to restrict and filter any website that is deemed to be undesirable for public consumption.

The "Digital Economy Bill" was rushed through parliament in a late night session last night after a third reading.

In the wake of the announcement of a general election on May 6, the government has taken advantage of what is known as the "wash-up process", allowing the legislative process to be speeded up between an election being called and Parliament being dissolved.

Only a pitiful handful of MPs (pictured below) were present to debate the bill, which was fully supported by the "opposition" Conservative party, and passed by 189 votes to 47 keeping the majority of its original clauses intact.

The bill will now go back to the House of Lords, where it originated, for a final formal approval.

The government removed a proposal in clause 18 of the bill, which openly stated that it could block any website, however it was replaced with an amendment to clause 8 of the bill which essentially legislates for the same powers.

The new clause allows the unelected secretary of state for business, currently Lord Mandelson, to order the blocking of "a location on the internet which the court is satisfied has been, is being or is likely to be used for or in connection with an activity that infringes copyright".

Opposing MPs argued that the clause was too broad and open ended, arguing that the phrase "likely to be used" could be used to block websites without them ever having been used for "activity that infringes copyright". Other MPs argued that under the bill, whistleblower websites, such as Wikileaks, could be targeted.

The legislation will also allow the Home Secretary to place “a technical obligation on internet service providers” to block whichever sites it wishes.

Under clause 11 of the proposed legislation “technical obligation” is defined as follows:

    A “technical obligation”, in relation to an internet service provider, is an obligation for the provider to take a technical measure against particular subscribers to its service.

    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.

In other words, the government will have the power to force ISPs to downgrade and even block your internet access to certain websites or altogether if it wishes.

The legislation is part of an amplified effort by the government to seize more power over the internet and those who use it.

For months now unelected "Secretary of State" Lord Mandelson has overseen government efforts to challenge the independence of the of UK’s internet infrastructure.

The Digital Economy Bill will also see users' broadband access cut off indefinitely, in addition to a fine of up to £50,000 without evidence or trial, if they download copyrighted music and films. The plan has been identified as "potentially illegal" by experts.

The legislation would impose a duty on ISPs to effectively spy on all their customers by keeping records of the websites they have visited and the material they have downloaded. ISPs who refuse to cooperate could be fined £250,000.

As Journalist and copyright law expert Cory Doctrow has noted, the bill also gives the Secretary of State the power to make up as many new penalties and enforcement systems as he likes, without Parliamentary oversight or debate.

This could include the authority to appoint private militias, who will have the power to kick you off the internet, spy on your use of the network, demand the removal of files in addition to the blocking of websites.

Mandelson and his successors will have the power to invent any penalty, including jail time, for any digital transgression he deems Britons to be guilty of.

Despite being named the Digital Economy Bill, the legislation contains nothing that will actually stimulate the economy and is largely based on shifting control over the internet into government hands, allowing unaccountable bureaucrats to arbitrarily hide information from the public should they wish to do so.

Mandelson began the onslaught on the free internet in the UK after spending a luxury two week holiday at Nat Rothschild's Corfu mansion with multi-millionaire record company executive David Geffen.

Over 20,000 members of the public have written to their MPs in the last week to lobby against the bill being rushed through, however, their concerns have fallen on deaf ears and the government has been allowed to deal a devastating blow to the last real vestige of free speech in this country.

The Wider Agenda Of Internet Control

The Digital Economy Bill is intrinsically linked to long term plans by the UK government to carry out an unprecedented extension of state powers by claiming the authority to monitor all emails, phone calls and internet activity nationwide.

IN 2008, the government announced its intention to create a massive central database, gathering details on every text sent, e-mail sent, phone call made and website visited by everyone in the UK.

The programme, known as the "Interception Modernisation Programme", would allow spy chiefs at GCHQ, the government’s secret eavesdropping agency, the centre for Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) activities (pictured above), to effectively place a “live tap” on every electronic communication in Britain in the name of preventing terrorism.

Following outcry over the announcement, the government suggested that it was scaling down the plans, with then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith stating that there were "absolutely no plans for a single central store" of communications data.

However, as the "climbdown" was celebrated by civil liberties advocates and the plan was "replaced" by new laws requiring ISPs to store details of emails and internet telephony for just 12 months, fresh details emerged indicating the government was implementing a big brother spy system that far outstrips the original public announcement.

The London Times published leaked details of a secret mass internet surveillance project known as "Mastering the Internet" (MTI).

Costing hundreds of millions in public funds, the system is already being implemented by GCHQ with the aid of American defence giant Lockheed Martin and British IT firm Detica, which has close ties to the intelligence agencies.

A group of over 300 internet service providers and telecommunications firms has attempted to fight back over the radical plans, describing the proposals as an unwarranted invasion of people's privacy.

Currently, any interception of a communication in Britain must be authorised by a warrant signed by the home secretary or a minister of equivalent rank. Only individuals who are the subject of police or security service investigations may be subject to surveillance.

If the GCHQ's MTI project is completed, black-box probes would be placed at critical traffic junctions with internet service providers and telephone companies, allowing eavesdroppers to instantly monitor the communications of every person in the country without the need for a warrant.

Even if you believe GCHQ's denial that it has any plans to create a huge monitoring system, the current law under the RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) allows hundreds of government agencies access to the records of every internet provider in the country.

In publicly announced proposals to extend these powers, firms will be asked to collect and store even more vast amounts of data, including from social networking sites such as Facebook.

If the plans go ahead, every internet user will be given a unique ID code and all their data will be stored in one place. Government agencies such as the police and security services will have access to the data should they request it with respect to criminal or terrorist investigations.

This is clearly the next step in an incremental program to implement an already exposed full scale big brother spy system designed to completely obliterate privacy, a fundamental right under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Death Of The Internet In Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

Similar efforts to place restrictions on the internet are unfolding in Australia where the government is implementing a mandatory and wide-ranging internet filter modeled on that of the Communist Chinese government.

Australian communication minister Stephen Conroy said the government would be the final arbiter on what sites would be blacklisted under “refused classification.”

The official justification for the filter is to block child pornography, however, as the watchdog group Electronic Frontiers Australia has pointed out, the law will also allow the government to block any website it desires while the pornographers can relatively easily skirt around the filters.

Earlier this year, the Wikileaks website published a leaked secret list of sites slated to be blocked by Australia's state-sponsored parental filter.

The list revealed that blacklisted sites included "online poker sites, YouTube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions such as satanic sites, fetish sites, Christian sites, the website of a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist."

The filter will even block web-based games deemed unsuitable for anyone over the age of fifteen, according to the Australian government.

In neighbouring New Zealand, the government has quietly implemented an internet filter and is urging the leading ISPs in the country to adopt the measure, in a move that would give the authorities the power to restrict whichever websites they see fit.

The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) reportedly turned on the internet filter on February 1st without making any announcement, prompting critics to charge that the measure had been activated in stealth.

It was no coincidence that around the same time the government’s Internet filter went live, Infowars began receiving notification from readers in New Zealand that their access to Alex Jones’ flagship websites Infowars.com and Prisonplanet.com had been suddenly blocked.

The broad attack on the free internet is not only restricted to the UK, New Zealand and Australia.

The European Union, Finland, Denmark, Germany and other countries in Europe have all proposed blocking or limiting access to the internet and using filters like those used in Iran, Syria, China, and other repressive regimes.

In 2008 in the U.S., The Motion Picture Association of America asked president Obama to introduce laws that would allow the federal government to effectively spy on the entire Internet, establishing a system where being accused of copyright infringement would result in loss of your Internet connection.

In 2009 the Cybersecurity Act was introduced, proposing to allow the federal government to tap into any digital aspect of every citizen’s information without a warrant. Banking, business and medical records would be wide open to inspection, as well as personal instant message and e mail communications.

The legislation, introduced by Senators John Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) in April, gives the president the ability to “declare a cybersecurity emergency” and shut down or limit Internet traffic in any “critical” information network “in the interest of national security.” The bill does not define a critical information network or a cybersecurity emergency. That definition would be left to the president, according to a Mother Jones report.

During a hearing on the bill, Senator John Rockefeller betrayed the true intent behind the legislation when he stated, “Would it have been better if we’d have never invented the Internet,” while fearmongering about cyber attacks on the U.S. government and how the country could be shut down.

The Obama White House has also sought a private contractor to "crawl and archive" data such as comments, tag lines, e-mail, audio and video from any place online where the White House "maintains a presence" – for a period of up to eight years.

Obama has also proposed scaling back a long-standing ban on tracking how people use government Internet sites with "cookies" and other technologies.

Recent disclosures under the Freedom Of Information Act also reveal that the federal government has several contracts with social media outlets such as Youtube (Google), Facebook, Myspace and Flickr (Yahoo) that waive rules on monitoring users and permit companies to track visitors to government web sites for advertising purposes.

The U.S. military also has some $30 Billion invested in it's own mastering the internet projects.

We have extensively covered efforts to scrap the internet as we know it and move toward a greatly restricted "internet 2" system. All of the above represents stepping stones toward the realisation of that agenda.

The free internet is under attack the world over, only by exposing the true intentions of our governments to restrict the flow of data can we defeat such efforts and preserve what is left of the last vestige of independent information.

http://infowars.net/articles/april2010/080410net.htm

[Brocke]

Leading UK ISP Says It Will Defy Government's Net Censorship Bill

Says bill partially written by music industry is on a par with communist Chinese censorship

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Friday, April 9th, 2010

A leading internet service provider in the UK has declared that it will refuse to follow government orders to restrict, slow down or cut off its customers' internet access under rules set out in Lord Mandelson's (pictured) Digital Economy Bill.

The provider, TalkTalk, which has over 4 million internet users, has declared the legislation "draconian" and says it will not cooperate with its provisions.

Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk's director of strategy and regulation has said the company will repel any instructions to disconnect customers unless instructed to by the courts.

"If we are instructed to disconnect an account due to alleged copyright infringement we will refuse to do so and tell the rightsholders we’ll see them in court." Heaney wrote on the company blog.

Heaney also makes it clear that TalkTalk will not turn over details of its customers' online activities to the government.

“Unless we are served with a court order we will never surrender a customer’s details to rightsholders. We are the only major ISP to have taken this stance and we will maintain it,” Heaney asserted.

Under the legislation, the government will impose a duty on ISPs to effectively spy on all their customers by keeping records of the websites they have visited and the material they have downloaded. The bill states that ISPs who refuse to cooperate could be fined £250,000.

Heaney described the provisions in the legislation as a pretext to communist China style internet censorship:

"...many draconian proposals remain such as the responsibility on customers to protect their home networks from hacking at a collection cost of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, the presumption that they are guilty unless they can prove themselves innocent, and, as in China, the potential for legitimate search engines and websites to be blocked." he urged.

Heaney added that TalkTalk will "continue to battle against these oppressive proposals", pointing out that the Digital Economy Bill measures will require secondary legislation before they can be implemented and made law.

The TalkTalk director also highlighted the fact that the bill was passed under considerable influence from the record and film industries and that only five per cent of MPs even bothered to turn up to debate the bill in Parliament.

"This is made all the more appalling by the ability of big music and film companies to influence government and the absence of any proper debate or scrutiny by MPs – only 5% of MPs turned up for the brief debate yesterday and the other important parliamentary stages will be bypassed in the wash-up process," Heaney concluded.

The bill was universally lauded by the music industry, after it was rushed through the legislative procedure via the "wash up" process. No wonder, given the fact that a key amendment of the bill was drafted by the BPI, which represents UK major record labels.

During the process, it was revealed that Stephen Timms, the minister for Digital Britain, was under the impression that "IP address" referred to "intellectual property", rather than internet protocol, highlighting just how outmoded and ignorant of their actions ministers are on this issue.

The Digital Economy Bill became the Digital Economy Act overnight, as it was given Royal Assent and formerly passed into law.

The majority of the Act’s provisions will come into effect in two months, with some effective immediately. As previously indicated, the online infringement of copyright provisions of the Act will require secondary legislation before they can be implemented.

The British law firm Eversheds commented:

"We can expect opposition to intensify as the clampdown on copyright infringement begins in earnest and consumers find themselves accused of breaking the law. Meanwhile some commentators have already pointed out that technology savvy infringers can - and will - take steps to circumvent detection, leaving open the question, who is the government really targeting?"

Mass protests against the Act will continue with online campaign site 38 Degrees, working in conjunction with digital liberties watchdog The Open Rights Group.

Jim Killock, executive director of ORG called the passage of the bill "an utter disgrace", adding "This is an attack on everyone's right to communicate, work and gain an education. Politicians have shown themselves to be incompetent and completely out of touch with an entire generation's values. There are thousands of activists working with ORG planning to show up at hustings, demand answers from candidates, and who are willing to punish those who voted for this at the ballot box."

http://infowars.net/articles/april2010/090410ISP.htm

[Brocke]

"I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she's too young to have logged on yet.

Here's what I worry about.

I worry that 10 or  15 years from now, she will come to me and say 'Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?'"
-Mike Godwin, Electronic Frontier Foundation-

[DAVIDE MTL]

I know someone who works for telus in Montreal , high up who confirmed to me what we already know, internet 2 is offiical, something about a lawsuit which at&t won..he says by the end of the summer ..you tube for one  will be so slow

[Brocke]

Google goes to Washington on filter

    * Fran Foo
    * From: Australian IT
    * April 15, 2010 3:41PM

GOOGLE Australia has voiced its concerns over the Rudd Government's controversial mandatory ISP filtering plan directly to the US State Department.

One of the internet giant's biggest worry is the filter's scope, which it believes to be too broad.

It is understood the matter was raised just over a week ago with representatives from the State Department.

The filter is meant to block content rated Refused Classification (RC) that includes, but is not limited to, child sexual abuse imagery, bestiality, sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use and material that advocates terrorist acts.

Google and various internet experts believe the RC list could also potentially contain legitimate material.

The revelation comes following a report in The Australian on March 29 that the State Department had raised the filtering issue with Australian government officials.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's spokeswoman this week confirmed that Australian and US officials have discussed ISP filtering.

The US government is against internet censorship -- a view reinforced this week by the country's ambassador to Australia, Jeff Bleich, who said he believes child pornographers can caught without resorting to mandatory internet filters.

Google Australia's head of public policy and government affairs, Iarla Flynn, said the company has both privately and publicly aired its views to various parties, including the US State Department.

Mr Flynn could not elaborate on those discussions.

"Our primary concern is the scope of the filter. We think it's too broad because RC goes well beyond child sexual abuse material and has a whole number of grey areas," he said.

"For example, it would seek to block material promoting or providing instruction in any crime and that would capture videos showing how to do graffiti ... in certain circumstances graffiti can be a crime, (but filtering) that to us seems excessive."

Mr Flynn said the boundaries of the proposed filtering were "very vague" and had the potential to go further through scope-creep.

"Euthanasia is a crime, therefore material which talks about or promotes euthanasia can also be captured within the scope of this filter," he said. "On an issue like euthanasia -- which is politically and socially controversial -- we think governments should be very, very slow to be blocking access to information on a subject like that."

Online free speech advocate Irene Graham has said that RC includes material deemed to "offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults".

The depiction of actual sexual activity between consenting adults involving lawful fetishes could also be classified as RC content and blocked by the filter.

The Classification Board decides what publications, films and computer games can be sold in Australia; there is no category for the internet.

State and federal attorney's-general decide on the guidelines for RC markings based on "community standards".

Senator Conroy has maintained that ISP filtering is one of many weapons in the government's cyber-safety armada.

His spokeswoman could not say if the minister agreed or disagreed with the US Ambassador's comments, but she reiterated the government's stance: it does not support RC content being available on the internet.

"RC material is already prohibited on Australian websites," she said.

"Under Australia’s existing Classification regulations this material is not available in newsagencies, it is not on library shelves, you cannot watch it on a DVD or at the cinema, and it is not shown on television.

"As we have consistently said, ISP-level filtering is just one part of the government’s $125.8 million cyber-safety policy, which also includes education, research and international cooperation. Importantly, the policy (provides) $49m for law enforcement by providing 91 additional Australian Federal Police officers to the Child Protection Unit."

Under the government's policy, RC material hosted here or overseas would be added to the filtering blacklist based on a public complaint to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

"The policy does not apply to X18+ material and no material other than RC-content will be blocked," she said.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-goes-to-washington-on-filtering/story-e6frgakx-1225854179389

[H0llyw00d]

no more thumbdrives allowed on ships @ sea, somebody ended up infecting ships server w/ chinese virus....SO NO MORE
this is according to my bro-in-law who is Navy, computer division

[Brocke]

Secretly proposed digital copyright treaty released by the European Union
Submitted by Ashok Rao on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 17:07.

European-Union A previously secret proposed digital copyright treaty, that would give immunity to ISPs that help stop violations, was released by the European Union on Wednesday.

It was reported that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has been under negotiation for some time. Participants in the talks include the United States, the European Commission, Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

One of the most controversial sections would encourage Internet service providers to serve as enforcers by "disabling access" to material posted in violation of copyright. The ISPs would be granted immunity from lawsuits.

Release of the text of drafts was refused by both the Bush and Obama administrations. But the European Union voted 633-13 last month to disclose the document.

It was also noted by the report that groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation had been pressing for disclosure of the document's provisions.

He does not believe the treaty would infringe on free speech, Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said in a statement on the EU Web site. (With Inputs from Agencies)

http://www.topnews.in/secretly-proposed-digital-copyright-treaty-released-european-union-2259499

[Brocke]

Centre hopes to tame power hungry internet

    * Mitchell Bingemann
    * From: Australian IT
    * April 28, 2010 5:17PM

Alcatel-Lucent, the University of Melbourne and the Victorian government have established a new research centre to investigate how to build energy efficient telecomunications networks.

The new centre, which has been dubbed the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET), will be jointly operated by Alcatel- Lucent's research arm Bell Labs and the University of Melbourne.

The centre will hire 22 research and techology experts over the next three years to lead research into new and more energy efficient ways to design the network technologies at the heart of today's internet. The centre's main aim will be to develop energy efficient network infrastructure that will be able to scale with the exponential growth of data consumption over the internet.

"The problem is that telecommunications networks and the internet are growing their capacity at 40 per cent per annum. That means that by the end of 2020, the capacity of the internet will be 30 times what it is today," University of Melbourne professor Rod Tucker said.

"Today the Internet consumes 2 per cent of the world's electricity. If we don't do anything about that then in 10 years when the Internet is 30 times the size it is today it will be consuming 60 per cent of the world's electricity. That is totally unsustainable."

"That's what we at CEET are going to solve. We are going to ensure that the Internet can grow and expand and provide the types of services that benefit the community."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/centre-hopes-to-tame-power-hungry-internet/story-e6frgakx-1225859554293

[Brocke]

Guy's response to UK's Digital Economic Act 2010

VIDEO
http://www.wimp.com/digitalact/

Dear Mandy: complaining to Peter Mandelson through the power of song

What's a good way to get politicians to listen to your point of view? Writing letters? Signing petitions? Inviting them over for dinner in your holiday villa in Greece?

Or, if none of that works - for example, if you don't have a villa in Greece - you could try singing a song at them.

That's the approach Dan Bull has taken, with a musical letter to Lord Mandelson politely suggesting that he might like to reconsider his proposals to cut off the internet of households if they are accused of filesharing.

http://theridiculant.metro.co.uk/2009/11/dear-mandy-complaining-to-peter-mandelson-through-the-power-of-song.html



Interview With Dan Bull, Creator of Dear Lily and Dear Mandy
http://freakbits.com/an-interview-with-dan-bull-creator-of-dear-lily-and-dear-mandy-1127

The song and album FREE! (Thanks Dan, your awesome)
http://www.freshnut.co.uk/index.php?p=shop

[iks83]

"Today the Internet consumes 2 per cent of the world's electricity. If we don't do anything about that then in 10 years when the Internet is 30 times the size it is today it will be consuming 60 per cent of the world's electricity. That is totally unsustainable."

That kinda reminds me about a quote I cant seem to find anymore. It was from the 60s or 70s when somone said that its impossible to have a computer 100x more powerful because then you need a whole block to house it and the niagara falls to cool it. Something like that.

[iks83]

A few months ago I replayed System Shock 2 for some nostalgic feelings. The game was released in 1999. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Shock_2

Shodan is mentioning a New World Order near the end of the game and I thought hmmm... cut a bit out in the middle, replace a word and it kinda fits for what is being planned for the internet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYU0EGElTk

[Brocke]

Facebook fury over pro-rape page

    * By Lanai Vasek
    * From: The Australian
    * May 25, 2010 1:00AM
   
Facebook is facing another public relations disaster after an Australian pro-rape page sparked calls for the social networking site to be more closely monitored Source: AAP

AN Australian Facebook page that advocates rape has prompted further calls for the social networking site to be more closely monitored.

The page, which has attracted almost 10,000 "fans" and has been active since May 6, is another public relations disaster for Facebook, which has recently been criticised for its failure to deal with the security concerns of its users.

The page, titled "Alf Stewart Rape Dungeon", refers to the character in the Seven Network's Home and Away played by Gold Logie winner Ray Meagher.

Seven said yesterday the page was not worthy of a response. "No one from Channel Seven will even be dignifying its presence," a spokeswoman said.

Facebook declined to comment specifically on the page, but did say it wanted the social networking site "to be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views".

"When sharing an opinion turns into direct statements of hate or threats against an individual, for example, or when users upload nudity, pornography, or violent photos or videos, the professional reviewers on our team take quick action to respond to reports," Facebook said.

Executive director of the New South Wales Rape Crisis Centre, Karen Willis, said she feared if similar pages appeared on the internet the prevalence of sexual abuse would rise.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/facebook-fury-over-pro-rape-page-sparking-calls-for-site-to-be-more-closely-monitored/story-e6frfrnr-1225870805566

[Brocke]

People prepared to pay for news - Jobs

    * From: AFP
    * June 02, 2010 6:28PM

APPLE chief executive Steve Jobs said he believes that democracy hinges on a healthy press and that people will pay for news delivered on iPads and other internet-linked gadgets.

"I don't want to see us descend into a nation of bloggers," Jobs said during an on-stage interview at an All Things Digital conference in the Southern California coastal town of Rancho Palos Verdes.

"One of my beliefs very strongly is that any democracy depends on a free, healthy press."

Jobs said he is "all for" anything Apple can do to help news gathering organisations find new ways of expressing themselves and getting paid so they can keep news gathering operations intact.

Apple's vision for its iPad tablet computers includes the devices serving as Digital Age platforms on which newspapers and magazines can build profitable new business models.

"We all know what has happened to the economics of those businesses, and some of them are in real trouble," Jobs said of traditional journalism operations.

"This is a potential opportunity to provide even more value than just a web page and start to charge a little bit for that. I think people are willing to pay for content. I believe in media and I believe in news content."

Jobs had some advice for news operations regarding how to wring revenue out of stories hawked online.
"Price it aggressively and go for volume," Jobs said.

"I'm trying to get these folks to take more aggressive postures than what they charge traditionally for print."

Apple, now the largest US technology company by stock market value, said on Monday it had sold two million of its iPad tablet computers, outdoing even the iconic iPhone on its launch.

Apple said it had sold 1.4 million iPads since it went on sale exclusively in the United States on April 3.

On Friday, the iPad -- a flat, 25cm black tablet computer that Apple claims will revolutionise the industry -- went on sale in Australia, Japan, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Demand in the US was so strong that the company pushed back the global roll-out.

The iPad goes on sale in nine additional countries in July, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

http://www.news.com.au/business/breaking-news/people-prepared-to-pay-for-news-jobs/story-e6frfkur-1225874685002

[Brocke]

Cyber crime may chase business offline, Attorney-General Robert McClelland says

    * From: AAP
    * June 10, 2010 4:33PM

CYBER crime is on the rise, but consumers persist with a false belief that it won't happen to them, Attorney-General Robert McClelland says.

"The global cyber security environment of the 21st century continues to deteriorate,'' Mr McClelland said in a speech today.

He and other cabinet colleagues have spent plenty of time on the cyber crime issue since Labor was elected in 2007.

This week Mr McClelland and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy have been focused on raising awareness of online consumer security as thousands of Australians continue to fall prey to internet scams.

The Government has also spent plenty of money improving national defences against the threat of cyber warfare.

Mr McClelland said one of the major problems remained a "false sense of confidence'' among consumers.

"Collectively we have a responsibility to get all online users - businesses and consumers - to lift their game.

"Eventually public awareness of cyber security risks will develop, through bitter experience if necessary, to the point where people look to move their business - merchants and consumers - elsewhere, potentially, offline.''

Ultimately, Mr McClelland said, any major unwinding of consumer confidence would affect international competitiveness.

"Australian companies have a critical role in managing cyber security risks across the broader Australian online economy.''

The attorney-general also said the soon-to-be-created computer emergency response team (CERT) would be completely under the control of his department.

"CERT Australia will be fully established within the Attorney-General's Department rather than through the partly contracted model that was previously envisaged,'' Mr McClelland said.

http://www.news.com.au/business/breaking-news/cyber-crime-may-chase-business-offline-attorney-general-robert-mcclelland-says/story-e6frfkur-1225878052977

[Brocke]

Govt wants ISPs to record browsing history
By Ben Grubb, ZDNet.com.au on June 11th, 2010 (1 day ago)

Companies who provide customers with a connection to the internet may soon have to retain subscriber's private web browsing history for law enforcement to examine when requested, a move which has been widely criticised by industry insiders.

The Attorney-General's Department yesterday confirmed to ZDNet Australia that it had been in discussions with industry on implementing a data retention regime in Australia. Such a regime would require companies providing internet access to log and retain customer's private web browsing history for a certain period of time for law enforcement to access when needed.

Currently, companies that provide customers with a connection to the internet don't retain or log subscriber's private web browsing history unless they are given an interception warrant by law enforcement, usually approved by a judge. It is only then that companies can legally begin tapping a customer's internet connection.

In March 2006, the European Union formally adopted its data retention directive (PDF), a directive which the Australian Government said it wished to use as an example if it implemented such a regime.

"The Attorney-General's Department has been looking at the European Directive on Data Retention, to consider whether such a regime is appropriate within Australia's law enforcement and security context," a statement from the Attorney-General's Department to ZDNet Australia said yesterday. "It has consulted broadly with the telecommunications industry."

The EU regime requires that the communications providers from certain EU member states retain necessary data as specified in the Directive for a period of between six and 24 months.

One internet service provider (ISP) source told ZDNet Australia that the Australian regime, if implemented, could go as far as recording each URL a customer visited and all emails.

That source said such a regime "would be scary and very expensive".

Another industry source said Australians should "be very f***ing afraid".

They said the regime being considered by the Australian Government could see data held for much longer than EU Directive time of 24 months — it would be more like five or ten years.

"They seem quite intent [on implementing the regime] and they keep throwing up the words 'terrorism' and 'paedophiles'," the source said. "We're talking browsing history and emails, way beyond what I would consider to be normal SMS, retaining full browsing history and everything."

Internet Industry Association (IIA) chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Coroneos also confirmed that the industry was having discussions with the Attorney-General's Department.

"There has been some preliminary discussions with the Attorney-General's Department about a proposal for a data retention regime in Australia, but I think those discussions are at a very early stage," Coroneos said. He said the IIA hadn't "seen any firm proposals yet from the government".

"It's more along the lines of [the Attorney-General's Department asking] 'What do you see the issues of being if we were to move to a position similar to the EU'," he said.

"But as I say, there wouldn't be any intention, I wouldn't think, to move to any policy position on this unless there was a full public debate about the proposal."

If the idea were to move to a more "serious proposal", Coroneos said the IIA's view would be "to engage not only with the industry but also the community in a proper discussion".

Electronic Frontier Australia (EFA) chair Colin Jacobs said the regime was "a step too far".

"At some point data retention laws can be reasonable, but highly-personal information such as browsing history is a step too far," Jacobs said. "You can't treat everybody like a criminal. That would be like tapping people's phones before they are suspected of doing any crime."

He added that browser history could reveal all sorts of personal information. "And furthermore, the way the internet works, it's a huge amount of data to be kept and it requires some snooping on the part of the ISPs into which [web] pages people are looking at."

In February, the senate passed a Bill allowing ISPs to intercept traffic as part of "network protection activities". According to an ISP source, it's likely another Bill would be required for a data retention regime to be implemented.

"It is likely that new legislation will be required to put any [data retention] obligations in place," the source said. "It seems to be early days yet, and we have an election looming, which means there will be some time required to get any new law in place."

http://www.zdnet.com.au/govt-wants-isps-to-record-browsing-history-339303785.htm

[Femacamper]

128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78

[Brocke]

128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78

Yes they are. 

[H0llyw00d]

0110010001101111011011100111010000100000011101000110100001101001011011100110101100100000011101000110100001100101001000000110100101101110011101000110010101110010011011100110010101110100001000000111011101101001011011000110110000100000011001110110010101110100001000000110001101100101011011100111001101101111011100100110010101100100

[Brocke]

0110010001101111011011100111010000100000011101000110100001101001011011100110101100100000011101000110100001100101001000000110100101101110011101000110010101110010011011100110010101110100001000000111011101101001011011000110110000100000011001110110010101110100001000000110001101100101011011100111001101101111011100100110010101100100

d2h5IG5vdD8gZXZlcnl0aGluZyB3ZSBhcmUgc2VlaW5nIG5vdyBwb2ludHMgdG8gYSB0b3RhbCBpbnRlcm5ldCBndWxhZy4=

[Freeski]

WTF?

[attietewd]

Posted by: Freeski 

WTF?

what she said!

[Brocke]

WTF?

Just playing around with encryption. It's pointless really, they can crack most encryption in minutes if not seconds. 

Look here
http://home2.paulschou.net/tools/xlate/

[H0llyw00d]

d2h5IG5vdD8gZXZlcnl0aGluZyB3ZSBhcmUgc2VlaW5nIG5vdyBwb2ludHMgdG8gYSB0b3RhbCBpbnRlcm5ldCBndWxhZy4=

dHJ1ZSwgYnV0IGlmIGVuZ2xhbmRzIHJhaXNpbmcgYSBmdXNzIHRoZW4gQW1lcmljYSBzaG91bGQgcmFpc2UgaGVsbA==

[H0llyw00d]

Just playing around with encryption. It's pointless really, they can crack most encryption in minutes if not seconds. 

Look here
http://home2.paulschou.net/tools/xlate/

lmao...same site i been using for years from back in the Sathak daze...

[Femacamper]

d2h5IG5vdD8gZXZlcnl0aGluZyB3ZSBhcmUgc2VlaW5nIG5vdyBwb2ludHMgdG8gYSB0b3RhbCBpbnRlcm5ldCBndWxhZy4=

41 6c 6c 20 79 6f 75 72 20 62 61 73 65 20 61 72 65 20 62 65 6c 6f 6e 67 20 74 6f 20 4e 53 41 2e