High-tech

High-tech
Light

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Fwd: Exclusive Series: America Beyond Capitalism

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "t r u t h o u t" <messenger@truthout.org>
Date: Jul 12, 2012 12:14 PM
Subject: Exclusive Series: America Beyond Capitalism
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>

Click here to view this and past newsletters online. Please add "messenger@truthout.org" to your email contacts to ensure delivery.


Dear Readers,

We're excited to bring you a new, exclusive series from groundbreaking economist and author Gar Alperovitz. Truthout will be publishing weekly installments of Alperovitz's paradigm-shifting book, "America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy," which lays out a roadmap for the systemic economic change necessary to build a just society.

Join us in exploring questions of ownership, wealth distribution, cooperation, democracy, and what an economic future might look like that does not assume the dominance of corporate capitalism. Alperovitz suggests "the inherent logic of a very American community-based and community-sustaining direction that moves beyond the theoretical approaches at the heart of both traditional corporate capitalism and traditional socialism." Today, we begin with the introduction, which gives us a first glimpse of Alperovitz's ideology-eschewing vision - and demonstrates why this vision's time has come.

Read it here!

-The Truthout Team


----------
Support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation by clicking here.


To ensure you receive our messages please add the following address to your email address book: messenger@truthout.org


Click here to Subscribe
Our Privacy Policy

Click here to 
Unsubscribe

The Newspaper Guild - Communications Workers of America
Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Help me get justice

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Jimmy Wales" <info@demandprogress.org>
Date: Jul 11, 2012 3:21 PM
Subject: Help me get justice
To: "Daniel Stafford" <aquarianm@gmail.com>

Daniel-

Hi, I am Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, and if you care about justice and the future of the Internet freedom, Demand Progress and I need your help

This will only take a few seconds, but you can really help us change things for the better.
 
Richard O'Dwyer is a 24 year old British student at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. He is facing extradition to the USA and up to ten years in prison, for creating a website – TVShack.net – which linked (similarly to a search-engine) to places to watch TV and movies online.
 
O'Dwyer is not a US citizen, he's lived in the UK all his life, his site was not hosted there, and most of his users were not from the US. America is trying to prosecute a UK citizen for an alleged crime which took place on UK soil.
 
The Internet as a whole must not tolerate censorship in response to mere allegations of copyright infringement. As citizens we must stand up for our rights online.
 
 
When operating his site, Richard O'Dwyer always did his best to play by the rules: on the few occasions he received requests to remove content from copyright holders, he complied. His site hosted links, not copyrighted content, and these were submitted by users.
 
Copyright is an important institution, serving a beneficial moral and economic purpose. But that does not mean that copyright can or should be unlimited.
 
It does not mean that we should abandon time-honored moral and legal principles to allow endless encroachments on our civil liberties in the interests of the moguls of Hollywood.
 
This is but one of several recent attempts by the US government and Hollywood to expand the definition of copyright infringement to include those who simply link to other sites that are accused of housing infringing content.  
 
 
Those who are being prosecuted face huge fines, and multiple years in prison.  These actions represent an unacceptable attack on Internet freedom -- and one of questionable legality.
 
Congress should act to reign in US prosecutors and protect Internet freedom -- and the UK should refuse to extradite O'Dwyer.
 
Richard O'Dwyer is the human face of the battle between the content industry and the interests of the general public.
 
Earlier this year, in the fight against SOPA and PIPA, the public won its first big victory. This could be our second.
 
This is why I am petitioning the UK's Home Secretary Theresa May to stop the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer, and asking the United States to end his prosecution. 
 
 
Thanks.
 
- Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder
 
PS- We'll only win if we get as many people as possible to pressure the authorities.  Please forward this email or use these links to get your friends involved:
[fb] If you're already on Facebookclick here to share with your friends.
[fb] If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet
Paid for by Demand Progress (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

One last thing -- Demand Progress's small, dedicated, under-paid staff relies on the generosity of members like you to support our work. Will you click here to chip in $5 or $10? Or you can become a Demand Progress monthly sustainer by clicking here. Thank you!


You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.

http://act.demandprogress.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?akid=1423.2058961.Cq8zdG

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Criminalizing what?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "OpenMedia.ca" <contact@openmedia.ca>
Date: Jul 5, 2012 7:40 AM
Subject: Criminalizing what?
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>

OpenMedia

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.

As you read this, lobbyists are setting a trap of restrictions that will criminalize daily uses of the Internet. But politicians move when public pressure becomes impossible to ignore. You've already signed the StopTheTrap.net petition. Please take the next step by spreading the word on Facebook, on Twitter, and by forwarding the URL http://stopthetrap.net to everyone you know today.

This week, negotiations are taking place behind closed doors to create the TPP's Internet trap criminalizing our day-to-day use of the Internet through expensive fines.1

You and over 80,000 others around the world pushed back by signing the StopTheTrap.net petition. Yet the list of TPP lobbyists is also growing; over 600 from telecom, media, and other conglomerates are privy to these secret negotiations.2 We need the entire pro-Internet community to push back against the TPP's Internet trap.

Will you take the next crucial step by sharing the petition on Facebook, Twitter, and forwarding the URL http://stopthetrap.net to everyone you know today?

After citizens stood against big telecom and media conglomerates' attempts to push through national laws that would crush free expression and innovation online, their lobbyists decided to go behind closed doors through the TPP. It's an undemocratic, extreme attempt to take decisions about the Internet out of your hands.

But the pro-Internet community is taking the fight global as well. We've assembled a powerful coalition of people and organizations—including experts at Public Knowledge, Public Citizen, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation—who are currently on the ground at meetings in San Diego. They have committed to hand-deliver the StopTheTrap.net petition signatures to leaders, but we need to give them the numbers to have influence.

Please help us hit the crucial 100,000 signatures mark by reaching out on Facebook, on Twitter, and by forwarding the URL http://stopthetrap.net to everyone you know today.

The pro-Internet community is already having an impact across borders. In the U.S., 130 members of Congress just signed a letter calling for secret TPP documents to be made public;3 in Canada the largest federal opposition party has come out against the TPP;4 rifts are also developing between other signatory countries.5

If we work together we could all be part of a foundational achievement of the global pro-Internet community: dismantling this Internet trap before it gets set. Thanks for sharing through the links above.

For the open Internet,

Reilly and Steve, on behalf of your OpenMedia team

P.S. OpenMedia is a small non-profit organization working to safeguard your access to the open Internet. We rely on donations from people like you to maintain our efforts. If you can, please join us by chipping in whatever you can afford today.

 

Footnotes

[1] Public interest groups have obtained the February 2011 draft of the TPP's Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. In it, we can see that the TPP would drastically increase Internet surveillance, Big Media's Internet lockdown powers, and criminalize content sharing in general, with a likelihood of harsher penalties. We know from experts that the TPP's Internet trap provisions could be made even worse. And here's a report back on the meetings from Infojustice.

[2] Find the list of telecom lobbyists here.

[3] Learn more in the National Journal: Lawmakers, Groups Urge Greater Transparency in Trans-Pacific Talks

[4] Find the NDP's press release here.

[5] See The Conversation: A dangerous investment: Australia, New Zealand and the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Support OpenMedia.ca

OpenMedia.ca is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from people like you to operate. Our small but dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way to make your voice heard. Please donate today.


follow us: Twitter logo Facebook logo YouTube logo Flickr logo RSS logo OpenMedia.ca

1424 Commercial Dr.
PO Box #21674
Vancouver, BC, V5L 5G3

You have received this message through your subscription to an OpenMedia e-mail list.
If you did not subscribe or would like to unsubscribe click here.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Fwd: Quick look: The Higgs boson phenomenon

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Network World Daily News AM Alert" <nww_newsletters@newsletters.networkworld.com>
Date: Jul 4, 2012 7:54 AM
Subject: Quick look: The Higgs boson phenomenon
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>

Ciena's software-defined networking play adds breadth to the cloud | Microsoft's Surface tablet announcement causes controversy where there is none

Network World Daily News AM

Forward this to a Friend >>>


Quick look: The Higgs boson phenomenon
Have we found the God particle?? Read More


WHITE PAPER: Silver Peak Systems, Inc.

WAN Optimization eGuide
In this eGuide, articles from Network World examine the maturing WAN optimization market, collect advice from experts and users on how best to implement these products, and look at new trends. Read on to discover how to make the most of WAN optimization in enterprise networks. Read now.

WHITE PAPER: EMC Corporation

Transforming Tier 1 Applications through Virtualization
This Technology Spotlight will explore the benefits of virtualizing tier 1 applications and discuss the role that EMC Consulting plays in virtualizing top tier Microsoft applications (including Exchange, SharePoint and SQL) on the VMware platform. Learn More

Ciena's software-defined networking play adds breadth to the cloud
Network fabrics have been all the rage for the past couple of years. Almost every network vendor now has a "fabric" vision and related product set to address the shift from legacy networks to "cloud-ready" data center networks. Cloud computing, though, is not and should not be isolated to a single physical data center. From a utopian vision, one day, many years from now, computing will be driven... Read More

Microsoft's Surface tablet announcement causes controversy where there is none
Microsoft's recent unveilings of Surface and Windows Phone 8 have set the rumor mill ablaze. Although the announcements were mostly well received, it seems that some people in the tech community are dead-set on creating controversy where there is none and tainting Microsoft's message. Read More


WHITE PAPER: Extreme Networks

Cloud-Scale Networks Using Open Fabric Architectures
Virtualization and cloud are driving new requirements for data center network performance, VM support, automation and simplified orchestration. This paper outlines Extreme Networks® open fabric approach to high speed, low latency networks for modern data centers. Learn more.

How a legal blog survived traffic tidal wave after court's healthcare ruling
When a blog that typically attracts 30,000 visitors a day is hit with 5.35 million, its operators had better have been prepared for what seems way too big to be called a spike. Read More

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade: Your FAQs Answered
When Windows 8 launches later this year you'll be able to upgrade to the pro version of Microsoft's newest desktop OS for just $40 for a limited time. The deal will apply to a broad base of current Windows users including those running Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Microsoft had a similar offer during the launch of Windows 7 but this one is cheaper than its predecessor. (Windows 7 upgrades ranged from $50-$100 at launch.) Read More


WHITE PAPER: Sourcefire, Inc.

The Case for the Next-Generation IPS
Pioneered by Sourcefire®, and now endorsed by Gartner, the NGIPS builds on typical IPS solutions by providing contextual awareness—about network activity, systems and applications, people, and more—to promptly assess threats, ensure a consistent and appropriate response, and reduce an organization's security expenditures. Learn More

Security researchers link second malware program to rogue printing incidents
A computer worm that propagates by exploiting a 2010 Windows vulnerability is responsible for some of the recent incidents involving network printers suddenly printing useless data, according to security researchers from Symantec. Read More

Verizon cites free speech rights in opposing net neutrality rules
Broadband providers have "editorial discretion" to give priority to their own Web content, and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules limiting that discretion is a violation of providers' free speech rights, two carriers said in a court brief filed Monday. Read More

If security were the only factor, a Windows 8 upgrade would be a no-brainer
If moving to Windows 8 were solely a question of security, the answer would be yes – that's how compelling the improvements are, experts say. Security isn't the only consideration, though, because businesses have to weigh other factors, and the decision is likely made based on input from different teams. In that case, "The security group should say, 'We should do it,'" says Wolfgang Kandek,... Read More



SLIDESHOWS

Top CIOs take home seven-figure pay packages
Fortune 500 CIOs and IT SVPs netted multimillion dollar compensation packages in 2011.

JOIN THE NETWORK WORLD COMMUNITIES
As network pros you understand that the value of connections increase as the number of connections increase, the so called network effect, and no where is this more evident than in professional relationships. Join Network World's LinkedIn and Facebook communities to share ideas, post questions, see what your peers are working on and scout out job applicants (or maybe find your next opportunity). Network World on Facebook Network World on LinkedIn

MOST-READ STORIES

  1. 10 top colleges for tech CEOs
  2. Smartphone Survey: iPhone is tops among Network World readers
  3. Why Mark Zuckerberg is a bad role model for aspiring tech execs
  4. NASA: Spacecraft fireworks on Mars will herald and ensure lab landing
  5. Gartner: Top 10 emerging infrastructure trends
  6. Hacker claims to have breached and backdoored antivirus software firm Trend Micro
  7. Microsoft's Surface tablet announcement causes controversy where there is none
  8. Researchers reveal new rootkit threat to Android security
  9. Windows 8 technology shift: The coming end of Win32 apps
  10. Tiger Mom was right about techie teens

Do You Tweet?
Follow everything from NetworkWorld.com on Twitter @NetworkWorld.

You are currently subscribed to networkworld_daily_news_alert as aquarianm@gmail.com.

Unsubscribe from this newsletter | Manage your subscriptions | Subscribe | Privacy Policy

If you are interested in advertising in this newsletter, please contact: bglynn@cxo.com

To contact Network World, please send an e-mail to customer_service@nww.com.

Copyright (C) 2011 Network World, 492 Old Connecticut Path, Framingham MA 01701

** Please do not reply to this message. If you want to contact someone directly, send an e-mail to customer_service@nww.com. **


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Fwd: Demand a free and open Internet | EFFector 25.19

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "EFFector List" <editor@eff.org>
Date: Jul 3, 2012 7:06 PM
Subject: Demand a free and open Internet | EFFector 25.19
To: "Daniel Stafford" <aquarianm@gmail.com>

View as a web page

 
 
EFFector! Electronic Frontier Foundation
 
 

In our 614th issue:

Demand a Free and Open Internet

For too long, Congress has attempted to legislate the Internet to accomodate deep-pocketed corporate lobbyists and heavy-handed law enforcement at the expense of users' basic constitutional rights. Netizens' strong desire to keep the Internet open and free has been brushed aside as naive and inconsequential. Well, no longer. Join EFF and a broad, international coalition in calling on elected officials to sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom. Sign it here.

Three NSA Whistleblowers Back EFF's Lawsuit Over Government's Massive Spying Program

In a recently filed motion, three former National Security Agency analysts confirm that the NSA has, or is in the process of obtaining, the capability to seize and store most electronic communications passing through its U.S. intercept centers, such as the "secret room" at the AT&T facility in San Francisco first disclosed by retired AT&T technician Mark Klein in early 2006. These security experts have come forward to give evidence in the EFF's lawsuit against the government's illegal mass surveillance program.

Internet Users Again Shut Out of Secret TPP Negotiations

Secret, undemocratic trade agreements could put shackles on our free and open Internet. Right now in San Diego, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is being negotiated behind closed doors in a process that excludes civil society, the public, and representatives. EFF's international team is in San Diego fighting for Internet users' interests and transparency. Please join us and tell Congress that there should be no backroom deals to regulate the Internet.

EFF Updates

Bears Good, Cancer Bad. Also Bad: Trying to Punish A Critic by Preventing Him from Giving Money to Charity

The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman fights attorney Charles Carreon's demand for a temporary restraining order on Inman's "BearLove Good, Cancer Bad" fundraising campaign with the help of EFF and co-counsel Venkat Balasubramani.

Ad Biz Claims It Must Disregard User Privacy Choices to Safeguard "Cybersecurity"

Senator Rockefeller dismisses the advertising industry's "cybersecurity" claims as little more than a "red herring" at a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

Obama Administration Holds Out on NSA's Numbers

Since last year, a few members of Congress have been trying to get the Obama administration to answer a simple question: how many Americans' phone calls or emails have been and are being collected and read without a warrant under the authority of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (FAA)?

With Facebook's "Reporting Guide," A Step in the Right Direction

Facebook should be commended for lending transparency to its content reporting process that has long come under criticism for its seeming arbitrariness. This is a step in the right direction, though the fact remains that the concept of "community reporting" is inherently problematic, particularly for high-profile and activist users of a site.

Widespread Participation Is Key in Internet Governance

Several governments are pushing for proposals that seek to draw borders around the global Internet. With big decisions at stake, it's critical that Internet users understand the threats and have a meaningful say in the final outcome.

EU Weighs in on Privacy in Face Recognition Apps

While often fun and convenient for users, facial recognition applications also raise privacy concerns for the individuals whose data is collected and used in the process. It is particularly problematic as personal data in these applications is sometimes used out of context by employers and law enforcement.

EFF Signs Joint Coalition Letter Urging Companies to be Proactive on Export Regulations

EFF continues its campaign to change export controls that prevent important communications technologies from reaching activists and dissidents.

miniLinks

Twitter issues transparency report on government takedown requests

Twitter's first ever Transparency Report covers user information requests and removal requests by country, as well as the number of copyright takedown notices Twitter received in the first half of 2012.

Top EU court upholds right to resell downloaded software

The European Court of Justice rules in software sale case: you buy it, you own it. Yes, even with digital products.

The New York Times' Chinese-language edition caught in China's censors

Soon after The New York Times' Chinese-language edition launched, various blogs reported that the site and its microblog accounts could not be accessed anymore.

Administrivia

ISSN 1062-9424

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA
94110-1914
USA +1 415 436 9333
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
eff.org

Editor: Adi Kamdar, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: info@eff.org

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector

Change your email address

This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

EFF appreciates your support and respects your privacy. Privacy Policy.

Unsubscribe or change your email preferences, or opt out of all EFF email

454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110-1914
United States

Join EFF!
 

Announcements

Software Patents Endanger Innovation

EFF launched a campaign against software patents two weeks ago, and already 8,311 people have spoken out against a broken system. Help us get to 10,000.

Free Software Foundation Hiring for Campaigns Team

Passionate about free software and want to make a change? Our friends at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) are seeking two individuals to join as full-time campaign managers.

TPP Stakeholder Negotiations and Public Kick-Off Rally

The 13th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations are underway at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego. Carolina Rossini and Maira Sutton of EFF's international IP team will participate in the official TPP stakeholder events at the Hilton.
July 2-10, 2012
San Diego, CA

Hope Number 9

Come meet EFF activists, lawyers, and technologists at Hackers On Planet Earth, one of the most creative and diverse hacker events in the world. HOPE Number Nine will be taking place on July 13, 14, and 15, 2012 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.
July 13-15, 2012
New York, NY

OSCON

Stop by the EFF booth at OSCON to learn about our latest work or join the cause! Join the world's open source pioneers, builders, and innovators July 16-20 in Portland, Oregon for five intense days.
July 16-20, 2012
Portland, OR

Black Hat

EFF attorneys Kurt Opsahl, Marsha Hofmann, and Hanni Fakhoury will be attending Black Hat, which brings together thought leaders from all facets of the infosec world -- from the corporate and government sectors to academic and even underground researchers. The environment is strictly vendor-neutral and focused on the sharing of practical insights and timely, actionable knowledge.
July 21, 2012
Las Vegas, NV

From the EFF Community

Our favorite comment from the larger EFF community this week, posted by Eric von Foerster on the Defend Innovation page:
"In order to compete in the global economy the patent system has to be reformed. The current system hurts commerce, stifles innovation, and limits competition. Software should not be treated the same way physical products are. Anyone who codes knows that."

EFF on
twitter facebook
 
     

Monday, July 2, 2012

Something Big

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Josh Levy, FreePress.net" <info@freepress.net>
Date: Jul 2, 2012 10:10 AM
Subject: Something Big
To: "Daniel A. Stafford" <aquarianm@gmail.com>

SavetheInternet.comfreepress.net

Dear Daniel,

When millions of Internet users unite, big things happen.

Earlier this year, we stopped SOPA and fought the powerful interests that sought to limit online innovation and free speech. And for years we've worked together to protect Net Neutrality and fight for universal access to an affordable, high-speed and open Internet.

These battles remind us how fragile the free and open Internet is — and make it clear that if we don't fight to protect it, no one will.

Something big is happening again. Today Free Press and a coalition of more than 100 organizations, academics, startup founders and tech innovators are launching a Declaration of Internet Freedom — five principles outlining the basic freedoms that all Internet users should enjoy.

The Declaration is meant to spark a passionate, global discussion among Internet users and communities about the Internet and our role in protecting it.

Please take a moment to read the Declaration of Internet Freedom, sign it and add your comments.

The release of this document is just the beginning of a movement to secure these five principles — Expression, Access, Openness, Innovation and Privacy — all over the world. We encourage you to respond to this document — you can agree or disagree with it, debate it, translate it, make it your own and broaden the discussion. No platform other than a free and open Internet allows this kind of interaction.

I hope you'll agree that these principles are worth fighting for. Please sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom today.

Thanks, 

Josh Levy, Craig Aaron and the rest of the Free Press Team

P.S. Could you contribute to this fight? This summer Free Press is organizing a massive push to save the Internet for good, and every bit of support counts. Please donate today.

Free Press is a nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. Learn more at www.freepress.net

Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.


You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Help EFF Find Out How Your Local Police Agency is Using Drones | EFFector 25.16

All ways that the current near-fascist (in the textbook sense) collusion of government and un-regulated capitalism is cortupting technology that should be being used to create a better life for everyone instead of control mechanisms for a priviledged few.

Capitalism as currently practiced is failing humanity as a whole, and we need an entirely new system of orgNization that doesn't actively encourage massive greed.

Dan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "EFFector List" <editor@eff.org>
Date: Jun 13, 2012 6:49 PM
Subject: Help EFF Find Out How Your Local Police Agency is Using Drones | EFFector 25.16
To: "Daniel Stafford" <aquarianm@gmail.com>

View as a web page

 
 
EFFector! Electronic Frontier Foundation
 
 

In our 611th issue:

Help EFF Find Out How Your Local Police Agency is Using Drones

Thanks to an EFF lawsuit, Americans now have access to a list of the public agencies that have received FAA approval to fly domestic drones. Yet barely any information is known about what law enforcement agencies plan to do with these unmanned flying vehicles. We want your help to gather this information into one place. Please call your local police department and ask them these simple questions.

What What!: Appeals Court Affirms South Park Parody Was Obvious Fair Use

In an important ruling for free speech, an appeals court affirmed that a parody of a popular online video called "What What (In the Butt)" was a clear case of fair use. EFF filed an amicus brief in support of South Park parent company Viacom, explaining that being able to dismiss a case early in litigation--before legal costs can really add up--is crucial to protect free speech and discourage frivolous litigation.

The Cybersecurity Act Threatens Online Rights - a Handout for Your Senator

Worried about the Lieberman-Collins Cybersecurity Act? You should be. As we've explained before, it poses serious threats to online rights. We've prepared a one-page handout you can use share with friends, hand to Senate staffers, publish online, and use as talking points when explaining the issue to someone for the first time. Download it here and please spread it around!

EFF Updates

Passwords: LinkedIn And Beyond

In light of the recent data breach at LinkedIn, in which 6.5 million unsalted SHA-1 hashes of account passwords were leaked publicly, we thought this would be a good opportunity to remind users about best practices for managing passwords online in order to stay safe. In particular, we want to emphasize that users should never re-use passwords across multiple accounts, and that using a password safe provides an easy way to manage lots of strong passwords across multiple online accounts.

The Defensive Patent License and Other Ways to Beat the Patent System

The patent system is broken. Inventors are shutting down their businesses, small developers are removing their products from the U.S. market to avoid bogus legal threats, and industry groups are warning members that obvious technological improvements might draw lawsuits. But it's not all bleak: we keep learning of more and more ways innovators can navigate the system and hack it to serve its original purpose.

EU and U.S. Consumer Groups Face State Agencies Over ACTA and Other International IP Policies

During the Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue this month, U.S. and European consumer organizations meeting with intellectual property (IP) and trade agencies further exposed some underlying flaws in state policy approaches regulating global IP enforcement. It is clear that IP/trade agencies' biased understanding of what constitutes a "stakeholder" and a "key interest" in agreements like the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) -- as well as their unfounded high valuation of what they call "IP-intensive" industries -- are some of the problems that plague the U.S. global IP enforcement agenda.

A Downward Spiral for Freedom of Expression in Ethiopia

Internet shutdowns, content filtering, arrests of bloggers, and online surveillance in North Africa have been headline news for the past year and a half, while Internet issues in the rest of the African continent haven't received quite as much press coverage. But Internet censorship and content filtering are well-established in Ethiopia.

World's Largest Organization for Computer Professionals Comes Out Against CISPA

The US Public Policy Council of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) has come out against CISPA, the cybersecurity legislation recently passed by the US House. They are joining a diverse group of individuals and organizations opposing this bill, including a wide array of digital civil liberties organizations like EFF, computer scientists like Bruce Schneier and Tim Berners-Lee, and companies like the Mozilla Foundation.

Open Access Victory in Successful Access2Research Petition

An Access2Research petition supporting open access -- specifically free access over the Internet to academic articles arising from taxpayer-funded research -- crossed its target of 25,000 signatures two weeks ahead of schedule. The Obama administration has promised to respond to petitions that pass that threshold, so the issue of access to research should now be firmly on the White House agenda.

miniLinks

The Defensive Patent License

The Defensive Patent License (DPL) is a new legal mechanism to protect innovators by networking patents into powerful, mutually-beneficial legal shields.

TD 64 for breakfast

The so-called ITU "Internet takeover" attempt leaked to the Internet Governance Project in a "mysterious email."

Security warnings for suspected state-sponsored attacks

Google will now notify you if they think your account is the target of a state-sponsored attack.

Administrivia

ISSN 1062-9424

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA
94110-1914
USA +1 415 436 9333
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
eff.org

Editor: Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: info@eff.org

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission.

Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be reproduced individually at will.

Back issues of EFFector

Change your email address

This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

EFF appreciates your support and respects your privacy. Privacy Policy.

Unsubscribe or change your email preferences, or opt out of all EFF email

454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110-1914
United States

Join EFF!
EFF D(EFF)CONTEST

Announcements

The D(EFF)CONtest Rages On

With weeks left to go on our fundraising contest, supporters have already raised over $4,000 in donations to help support EFF and the Coders' Rights Project! Our thanks to The Holy Handgrenades who are leading the pack, with last year's winners ISDPodcast and the dc404 crew following closely behind.

Pioneer Award Nominations Are Now Open

Nominations are now open for EFF's 21st Annual Pioneer Awards, to be presented this fall in San Francisco. EFF established the Pioneer Awards in 1992 to recognize leaders on the electronic frontier who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of information technology.

Speakeasy: London with the Open Rights Group & Tor Project

EFF is proud to host our next Speakeasy with the Open Rights Group (ORG) and the Tor Project in London! Join representatives from digital rights allies ORG, anonymity advocates from Tor, legendary writer and activist Cory Doctorow, and EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn.
June 14, 2012
London, UK

EFF's 5th Cyberlaw Pub Trivia Night

Tech attorneys from throughout the Bay Area will gather to drink beer, eat chicken and waffles, and prove their prowess in summoning obscure tech law minutiae from the very depths of their oversized brains. If you are an attorney and would like to attend, please email Kellie Brownell at kellie@eff.org for details.
June 19, 2012
San Francisco, CA

American Library Association Annual Conference 2012

Could recent cybersecurity bills erode our civil liberties as well as our right to know what our government is doing? Why are these bills of concern for libraries and our patrons? Join Dr. Patrice McDermott, Director of Open the Government, and Rainey Reitman, Activism Director at EFF, in a morning session on CISPA and other cybersecurity bills.
June 23, 2012
Anaheim, CA

HOPE Number 9

For three full days and nights, HOPE hosts hackerspace villages, film festivals, art installations, vintage computers, electronic workshops, the country's biggest supply of Club-Mate, and of course the provocative talks that it has become well-known for offering. This year, many EFF staffers will be attending and speaking.
July 14-16
New York, NY

EFF on
twitter facebook