vigilant.tv

freedom and technology

archive : 2001-07

cpan: Crypt-OpenPGP
Excerpt: Via the Cryptography list ( see www.mail-archive.com ) , CPAN now has a native Perl implementation of OpenPGP. ( see search.cpan.org )

cnet: BMG tests copy-protection CDs
Excerpt: BMG is testing a new copy protection system for audio CDs. This time the technology comes from SunnComm, which made an unsuccessful attempt earlier this year (vigilant.tv, MSNBC: First...

cbsnews: E-Privacy Test Case
Excerpt: The case against Nicodemo Scarfo, on charges relating to organised crime, could uncover details of the FBI's wiretapping and search procedures. Defense has argued that the keystroke logger...

zdnet: Arrest may spark review of copyright law
Excerpt: ZDNet follows up the arrest of Dmitry Sklyarov (vigilant.tv, cryptome: USA v. Dmitry Sklyarov - Press Statement and Complaint ) with a piece on opposition to the DMCA. And while at...

reuters: New File-Trading Services Expose Kids to Porn
Excerpt: A U.S. Congressional report on peer-to-peer networks warns parents about the availability of pornography. The authors of the report seem aware legislation will be ineffective ("parental...

cryptography: New results on WEP
Excerpt: Adi Shamir has posted details of a new attack on WEP, the crypto used on IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Attached you will find a new paper which describes a truly practical direct...

newsfactor: 'Triangle Boy' Claims to Beat Internet Censorship
Excerpt: Newsfactor reports on Triangle Boy, which allows anonymous web access. The program uses peer-to-peer networking, but appears to rely on a central server. Users who are blocked from...

zdnet: ISPs asked to protect and serve
Excerpt: Despite the lack of clear legal liability, ZDNet reports ISPs are increasingly willing to suspend their customers' access in response to allegations of copyright infringement from music and...

reuters: Court Won't Dismiss Internet Porn Law Challenge
Excerpt: A U.S. appeals court has refused to dismiss a case against the Children's Internet Protection Act, a law that cuts funding to schools and libraries which refuse to use censoring software....

cypherpunks: Weird message from someone named "NIPC"
Excerpt: [Update: it appears likely this was indeed a hoax by the original poster; follow the thread on inet-one for the resulting discussion] First, a little background: NIPC is the FBI's...

politech: Duncan Frissell on why Napster users are federal felons
Excerpt: Politech suggests Napster users are likely breaking a U.S. federal law, the "No Electronic Theft Act." Those outside the U.S. should take heed in the light of the recent arrest of a...

wired: Kiwi Spy Bill Inches Forward
Excerpt: New Zealand moves closer to new computer crime laws which give law enforcement agencies new wiretapping and "hacking" powers. The suggested laws are similar to Australia's Cybercrime Bill...

zdnet: Safe Haven
Excerpt: Via nettime, a PR piece on ZDNet describes some of the work the CryptoRights Foundation is doing in Guatemala helping human rights workers learn cryptography and computer security....

australiain: Military victory for Baltimore's PKI
Excerpt: Baltimore Technologies has won a contract to redevelop the Australian Defence Force's communications systems. Once the new communications system was in place, every defence force...

australianit: Amex first across smart-card line
Excerpt: American Express plans to release a smartcard product in Australia. There isn't much technical detail here; the term "e-cash" is used, but the article later talks about interest rates,...

infoanarchy: Initial release of Herbivore software
Excerpt: Herbivore, a new simple public-key encryption protocol, has been released for Unix. Unlike PGP and S/MIME, it avoids keyservers and PKI altogether, sacrificing forward security in exchange...

cdrfaq: CD audio copy protection
Excerpt: Via slashdot, the CD-R FAQ now includes a section explaining Macrovision's SafeAudio CD copy protection system (vigilant.tv, cnet: Copy-protected CDs quietly slip into stores ) . The...

australianit: Cybercrime Bill 'excessive'
Excerpt: Australian IT quotes the ACS, EFF and NCA on some of the more troubling aspects of the new Cybercrime Bill. The Bill also introduced an "alarming" law enforcement provision requiring...

ecommercetimes: Test Shows Digital Signatures Reduce Risk for Sellers
Excerpt: The "Electronic Payments Association" has completed a brief trial of an online payment system using ATM debit cards and "digital signatures." The article stresses the reduced risk for...

reuters: House Requires FBI to Report on E-Mail Wiretaps
Excerpt: A new bill will require the FBI to produce yearly reports on its use of the Carnivore data wiretapping system. The bill places no limits on its use. It is unclear as to whether the report...

cnet: Microsoft releases Windows CE code
Excerpt: Microsoft has released the source code to Windows CE 3.0 under its Shared Source license. But some developers are concerned that downloading the "shared source" code could lead to...

reuters: Manila to Crack Down on Off-Color Text Messages
Excerpt: The Philippine government has launched new regulations for public servants banning the use of offensive or "embarrassing" mobile text messages. The government on Friday launched new...

reuters: Gaul censors review ''Baise Moi''
Excerpt: French censors are reviewing the classification of an arthouse film under pressure from "family values" and film industry groups. An "over 18 only" rating has been reinstated after it was...

afp: China shuts down nearly 2,000 Internet cafes: Xinhua
Excerpt: The Chinese Ministry of Information Industry has been busy shutting down unregulated net cafes. Another 6,000 Internet cafes have been ordered to suspend operations while they "make...

reuters: Microsoft to Ease New Windows Anti-Piracy Measures
Excerpt: Microsoft plans to soften the "product activation" feature in Windows XP after complaints from users. Rather than require the user to obtain a new key every time a hardware change is made,...

hushmail: HushMail Version 2.0 Released
Excerpt: Hushmail 2.0 has been released. It's unclear as to whether OpenPGP support is available now, or "real soon now." HushMail 2.0's support for OpenPGP marks a major breakthrough in...

infoworld: UCITA running on empty
Excerpt: Infoworld ran an editorial earlier this month on the enactment of the UCITA bill in Virginia. Thanks to Bignose ( see bignose.squidly.org ) for the link. With a few minor differences,...

theage: Watch your words, rap star warned
Excerpt: Musician Eminem has been granted a visa to perform in Australia only after receiving "counselling" and signing an agreement not to "incite discord." Eminem has not yet released a...

reuters: Report: Internet Not a Threat to Repressive States
Excerpt: The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has released a report on the ways China and Cuba are controling political speech online. "Far from hastening its own demise by allowing...

cnet: Copy-protected CDs quietly slip into stores
Excerpt: Copy-protected CDs have been on sale for six months, with one unnamed title selling "close to 100,000" copies. The technology being used supposedly allows original CDs to play normally,...

cryptome: USA v. Dmitry Sklyarov - Press Statement and Complaint
Excerpt: Following the arrest of a Russian programmer on charges of violating Adobe copyright (vigilant.tv, planetebook: FBI Reportedly Detains ElcomSoft Employee in U.S. ) , Cryptome has posted...

australianit: Battle looms over net censorship
Excerpt: EFA is appealing to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over FIO requests for ABA web site takedown notices. The ABA has not released details of sites it has censored since the Australian...

cnet: Sony, Warner license anti-piracy standard
Excerpt: Sony and Warner have licensed a new copy protection standard for use on cable television and digital broadcast systems. In the case of the DTCP, the standard would imbed an...

planetebook: FBI Reportedly Detains ElcomSoft Employee in U.S.
Excerpt: Via slashdot ( see slashdot.org ) , this story claims a Russian software developer has been arrested on DMCA copyright violations after making a presentation at the Defcon 9 conference in...

fairfax: Bid to ban vigilante websites
Excerpt: The Victorian Attorney-General suggests a ban on "vigilante databases" which list the names of convicted child abusers. Like Senator Alston, he seems to have forgotten that the internet...

ecommercetimes: Opinion: Privacy Glitches: Is Anyone Safe Online?
Excerpt: Ecommercetimes trots out an opinion piece on privacy and security. There's a good summary of some recent breaches of customer privacy, but the article is ultimately optimistic about the...

reuters: FullAudio Gets Licenses Amid Industry Publishing Debate
Excerpt: FullAudio wins the race to reach licensing agreements with the five major record labels. Still no evidence people are willing to pay for music which can be disabled by the distributor....

newsfactor: Afghanistan's Taliban Rulers Ban the Internet
Excerpt: Despite once having their own web site, the Taliban places an outright ban on internet access. Arash Raheen, a 26-year-old Afghan who has lived in the U.S. for 15 years, told...

zdnet: Court: Napster needs 'zero rate of error'
Excerpt: The court has set Napster the impossible requirement of blocking every copyrighted work before it will be allowed to resume service. Cohen also pointed out that the music industry...

reuters: MusicMatch Settles with RIAA on Web Radio Rights
Excerpt: After suing "interactive" webcasters for additional licensing fees (vigilant.tv, usatoday: Net radio tangos with the law ) , the RIAA decides to drop the suit and grant a blanket license....

westaustralian: Child porn fiction gets fine of $10,000
Excerpt: A West Australian man has been fined for possessing fictional stories about sexual acts involving minors. The stories were not published or written by him; they were found on his computer...

zdnet: Librarians targeted in latest copyright battles
Excerpt: The publishing industry demonstrates its outstanding powers of perception by realising libraries don't charge for lending books. "They've got their radical factions, like the Ruby...

cnet: Microsoft concessions considered meager
Excerpt: Microsoft's change of heart on OEM licensing seems less of a backdown than claimed. Though the more lax licensing requirements may seem a monumental shift from previous restrictions,...

bbc: The problems of protecting privacy
Excerpt: An EU report on privacy is surprisingly lucid, hinting at an awareness of the distinction between collection and use of information. The report mentions examples such as a bank worker...

reuters: Microsoft to Allow PC Makers to Alter Windows
Excerpt: Microsoft promises not to sue OEMs who alter the Windows configuration on the PCs they sell. Note the use of the word "allow": OEMs have always had the ability, just not the license....

cnet: Box office hits pirated over Web
Excerpt: A "copyright enforcement" company claims 1 million copies of recent films were pirated over the web in June. No evidence is offered to back the claim. MediaForce's list "demonstrates...

theage: Academic faces website charge
Excerpt: An Australian university lecturer had his website removed and faces dismissal charges after posting information originally aired in an ABC television broadcast. The site, originally hosted...

wired: Slinging Shots at Singapore
Excerpt: The publishers of a popular Singaporean satirical web site express concern at forthcoming internet regulations - even though they are located in the U.S. As usual the rules are...

cnet: Can Microsoft weather its HailStorm?
Excerpt: As MSN's Messenger service continues to suffer connectivity problems, CNET raises questions about Microsoft's ability to maintain the centralized authentication services hinted for its...

politech: EFF responds to threats from Barney's attorneys: Get lost
Excerpt: Politech posts the EFF's official response to Barney's lawyers over last week's parody dispute ( see politechbot.com ) . While the response is worth a read for laughs, particularly notable...

a-g: "Privacy and security in the information age" conference
Excerpt: The Australian Attourney General plans to host a conference on privacy and security. The press release is unspecific about how it is "different." This is a conference about meeting the...

nytimes: Dear World: Loose Lips Sink More Than Ships
Excerpt: A New York Times article emphasizes usability problems in mail clients as the cause of email's failure to meet expectations of privacy. While the article acknowledges the failure is human,...

latimes: After FCC Indecency Cases, Stations Are Playing It Safe
Excerpt: U.S. radio stations are censoring themselves in an effort to avoid trouble from the FCC. Two of five FCC commissioners are now in favour of pressing "decency" standards on radio and...

washingtonpost: Cybermania Takes Iran by Surprise
Excerpt: Iranians are using the Internet to express taboo political and religious views as the government struggles to implement its censorship rules (vigilant.tv, reuters: Iran Takes Tough...

law.com: Online 'Browse-Wrap' Software License Agreement Not Binding
Excerpt: A U.S. District Court has found users downloading software were not bound by its license agreement. Note that this is not a finding against click-through licenses in general: in this...

smh: CD swearing crackdown
Excerpt: Australia's OFLC has been asked to review classification and labelling of audio CDs by the Attourney General. Federal ministers are "concerned" by the current code, but they appear to be...

arn: Cybercrime bill 'draconian and dangerous'
Excerpt: Security professionals discuss problems with Australia's proposed "Cybercrime Bill." The bill would make posession of many security tools illegal, and includes provisions which would...

reuters: Australian Site Online in China After Complaints
Excerpt: An Australian government web site which was inaccessible to Chinese users for 18 months has been restored after intervention by government officials. The web site ( see www.dfat.gov.au )...

dispatch: Man's journal ruled obscene
Excerpt: An Ohio man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the unpublished, fictional contents of his personal diary. No pictures, just text. The allusions to Orwell's "1984" are uncanny...

smh: Eminem tour sparks concert classification plan
Excerpt: A NSW State Government Minister calls for an upcoming concert to be censored. It follows a call by the Upper House MP the Rev Fred Nile for Mr Carr to declare the rapper's concert at...

msnbc: Copyrights and copywrongs
Excerpt: MSNBC is running a history of American copyright law. Copyright, when well balanced, encourages the production and distribution of the raw material of democracy. But after more than...

linuxbios: DARPA funding secure Linux efforts?
Excerpt: Via cypherpunks, a post to the LinuxBIOS list suggests DARPA is funding efforts to add crypto hardware support and secure bootstrapping. I essentially solved this problem with a...

usatoday: Net radio tangos with the law
Excerpt: The RIAA spies another chance to sue as net radio stations begin offering interactive services. At this rate, record companies won't have to produce music to be profitable. Users...

Wired: Lawyers: Keep Barney Pure
Excerpt: Lawyers representing the company that owns Barney the dinosaur are threatening a number of organisations, including EFF, over parodies of the cartoon character. Turns out that as part...

ecommercetimes: Movie Studios Take Aim at Aimster
Excerpt: The MPAA follows the RIAA's lead and sues the easiest target: Aimster. Emily Kuttner, spokesperson for the Motion Picture Association of America, told the E-Commerce Times that the...

reuters: EMC Cracks Down on Employee Defectors to Guard Secrets
Excerpt: EMC, a data storage firm, receives a court order allowing it to examine its competitors hard drives after an employee changes sides. Corporate awareness of crypto seems to be on the...

telegraph: Fake CDs flood stores
Excerpt: A major Australian music retailer claims to have been duped by a supplier into selling counterfeit CDs. Sanity is settling a Supreme Court action with one of the three record...

linuxtoday: Eric S. Raymond: Who is "viral" now?
Excerpt: ESR points out that Microsoft's "shared soure" license has implications for developers' IP. What does this mean? Well...suppose you are a developer. You register with Microsoft to get...

newsfactor: Sony's PlayStation 2: The 'Ultimate Weapon'?
Excerpt: According to Newsfactor, the U.S. and Japanese governments have asked Sony to drop plans for manufacturing its Playstation 2 games console in China, over fears the machines could be...

reuters: EU Orders IMS to License German Drug Data System
Excerpt: The European Commission will order a U.S. firm to license its copyrighted sales data to competitors. IMS, the world leader in data collection on pharmaceutical sales and...

wired: Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper
Excerpt: The EU Parliamentary committee investigating Echelon has completed its inquiry. Despite finding that U.S. agencies are capable of easily intercepting voice and data communications inside...

Cryptographically Strong Software Distribution HOWTO
Excerpt: A new HOWTO document suggests standard methods for signing and distributing open-source software. This document describes the protocol and methods for the cryptographically strong...

australianit: Gatekeeper wants 'too much' info
Excerpt: Stephen Wilson, of Price Waterhouse Coopers and the Certification Forum of Australasia, comments on PKI and business authentication. Interestingly, he seems to be hinting towards a...

australianit: Tougher online crime law
Excerpt: The Australian reports on the new Commonwealth Cybercrime Bill. "You've got a quite fundamental change to the nature of search warrants and search and seizure," Mr Corker said....

fairfax: Open source the answer to dog-eat-dog security
Excerpt: Fairfax is running a slightly confused but well-meaning opinion piece on open source security and authentication. The article fails to mention Microsoft's recent posturing (vigilant.tv,...

theage: Melbourne man patents the wheel
Excerpt: A Melbourne patent lawyer has been awarded an Innovation Patent ( see www.ipaustralia.gov.au ) for a "circular transportation facilitation device". Mr Keogh said he patented the wheel...

wired: Who Owns What at Media Lab Asia?
Excerpt: Wired reports that commercial interests are unwilling to invest in a government-backed venture in India, due to the country's vague intellectual property laws. The problem seems to stem...

nytimes: Patent Poses Challenge to Microsoft's New Operating Systems Plan
Excerpt: A software company has been awarded a patent for Rights Management technology, and plans to sue Microsoft for infringement. Microsoft, when faced with similar limitations as the copy...

nytimes: Lessons in Internet Plagiarism
Excerpt: A New York Times article highlights the use of the web in academic plagiarism. Indeed, a scandal last month at the University of Virginia, where 122 students are being investigated...

zdnet: MS Attacks Open Source
Excerpt: ZDNet posts a summary piece on Microsoft's recent strategic maneuvering with .NET and software licenses. Microsoft's Tony Goodhew, project manager for Share Source CLI, said Microsoft...

cnet: Solaris blueprints still open to viewing
Excerpt: Sun has backed away from plans to cancel its Foundation Source Program, which allowed developers and academic users access to Solaris source code. Last week, though, Sun posted a note...

cnet: Napster temporarily halts service
Excerpt: The Napster network ground to a halt Monday as the company upgraded its filtering software and forced members to use a new version of its software. But people logging on Monday morning...

theregister: Microsoft fails to renew its digital certificate
Excerpt: According to The Register, Microsoft UK let one of their SSL digital certificates expire. The certificate appears to have been re-registered on the 29th of June. According to Mozilla,...

zdnet: You can still stop the next MS monopoly
Excerpt: In the wake of the appeals court decision on Microsoft, an opinion piece on ZDNet suggests preventitive measures against future monopolistic practices. The proposed measures are all...

reuters: Hackers Invade Computers of Argentina Rights Group
Excerpt: Malicious crackers destroy hard disks containing the historical records of an Argentinian human rights group. Of course they have backups, right..? "They destroyed everything,...

cnet: Web firms scramble to obey privacy law
Excerpt: Panic sets in over a new U.S. privacy law. Note that while the intent of the law is to "protect against.. unauthorized access", the only real effect is in changes to the wording of privacy...

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