Archive for 2010/12/22

“Asking ISP for personal data is last resort” Amsterdam judge rules

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Jurisprudence

Only if all other options have been explored, rights holders can demand ISPs to reveal the identity of misbehaving internet users. So reads the verdict of the court of Amsterdam in an the appeal of a case between ISP Ziggo and 123video, a site similar to YouTube.

123video demanded demanded of Ziggo that it reveal the identity of one of Ziggo’s clients that allegedly posted copyrighted material. 123video started the case against Ziggo after the site was itself the target of a lawsuit, commenced by adult entertainment producer Kim Holland, the rights holders of the material.

More: http://futureofcopyright.com/index.php?page=news&id=1491

Previously:

Court of Amsterdam: 123video.nl can be held liable for content uploaded to their service by its users
http://vrritti.com/2010/11/30/court-of-amsterdam-123video-nl-can-be-held-liable-for-content-uploaded-to-their-service-by-its-users/

Skype outage affecting users around the globe

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

Twitter users around the globe are taking to the social network to report that Skype is down for them. The tweets started hitting Twitter this morning and continue as of this writing. Users are also reporting that their mobile applications, including those on Android and on the iPhone, are inoperable.

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20026408-17.html

Craigslist cuts off adult services worldwide

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Blocking, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Jurisprudence

Craigslist’s adult services section is now out of business around the world.

The ouster of the controversial section was confirmed by Craigslist to the office of Connecticut Attorney General General Richard Blumenthal yesterday, according to the Associated Press. The removal of the section from dozens of countries follows a similar action that saw it taken down in the U.S. four months ago.

Responding to the global takedown, Blumenthal called it “another another important step in the ongoing fight to more effectively screen and stop pernicious prostitution ads,” the AP reported.

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20026379-93.html

Hulu Realizes That It Can’t Go Public Because Its Business Plan Is Hindered

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models

We’ve been pointing out for a while that Hulu, as well designed as the website is, is always going to run into trouble as long as it’s controlled by the TV companies who won’t let the company do the disruptive things it really needs to do to move the industry forward.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101221/03134012357/hulu-realizes-that-it-cant-go-public-because-its-business-plan-is-hindered.shtml

More & Bigger Mistakes Discovered In Homeland Security’s Domain Seizures

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Enforcement

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101222/02112912376/more-bigger-mistakes-discovered-homeland-securitys-domain-seizures.shtml

Google: carriers should give Android users freedom to unlock bootloader

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Google

it’s possible for carriers to support bootloader unlocking without having to endanger mobile networks or compromise security

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/12/google-carriers-should-give-android-users-freedom-to-unlock-bootloader.ars

FCC: Yup, we’re going to stop “paid prioritization” on the ‘Net

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Bandwidth Management, Education / Awareness, Net Neutrality, New Business Models, Public Policy

But how far will the Commission go in making good on this threat?

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/12/fcc-priority-access-deals-unlikely-to-get-past-new-open-internet-rules.ars

See also:

Why everyone hates new net neutrality rules—even NN supporters
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/12/why-everyone-hates-new-net-neutrality-ruleseven-nn-supporters.ars

Google Should Pay for Network Usage, France Says

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Bandwidth Management, Education / Awareness, Google, New Business Models, Public Policy

Google Inc. and other providers of Web content aren’t contributing enough to the costs of telecommunications networks and may be forced to pay, the French minister responsible for the Internet said.

The French government plans to convene a working group including Internet companies with “the objective that services that occupy the largest part of our networks contribute to the deployment and maintenance of those networks,” Industry Minister Eric Besson told reporters in Paris today.

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-21/google-should-pay-for-telecom-network-usage-france-says.html

Sony debuts cloud-based music service

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models

No walled garden, so you can get it on Android and elsewhere

Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity will take on Spotify and the expected cloud music launches from Google and Apple.

The service, powered by Omnifone, will launch with six million songs from Universal, Sony Music, Warner and EMI as well as independent labels and major publishers worldwide.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/39936/Sony-debuts-cloud-based-music-service

CitySights NY Hit by Security Breach – resulted in the theft of 110,000 customers’ credit card data

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data Protection

http://www.esecurityplanet.com/headlines/article.php/3917571/article.htm

Microsoft BPOS cloud service hit with data breach

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data Protection, The Cloud

Company data belonging to customers of Microsoft’s hosted business suite BPOS has been accessed and downloaded by other users of the software.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9202078/Microsoft_BPOS_cloud_service_hit_with_data_breach

When I took a look at the ZeuS config files of the Bozvanovna botnet, I was really surprised as I saw how many financial instutions they are targeting

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Network Security, Organized Crime, Privacy / Data Protection

Below is a list of the targets of this ZeuS campaign which I’ve seen so far:

  • NatWest
  • HSBC
  • Nationwide
  • Lloyds TSB
  • Co-operative bank
  • Bank of Scotland
  • Yorkshire Bank
  • Halifax
  • Postbank
  • Sparkasse
  • Barclays
  • Commerzbank

Much more: http://www.abuse.ch/?p=2986

Analysis: Europe Seen Needing Regulation on Internet Access

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Legislation, Public Policy

Europe’s confidence that it need not follow the United States in adopting rules to ensure fair Internet access may be short-lived, as competition between mobile operators and service providers like Skype intensifies.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12457933&tqkw=&tqshow=

WikiLeaks inflicted very real harm on the public interest in at least three distinct ways

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Public Policy
  • First, they impair frank dialogue and co-operation among countries.
  • Second, those responsible for revealing conversations between US diplomats and sources in less-tolerant societies who put themselves at risk – religious or political activists, opposition leaders, whistleblowers and human rights advocates – have jeopardised those people’s careers, liberties, and in some cases their lives.
  • Third, and most ironically, rather than advancing the cause of transparency, these indiscriminate leaks discourage people from being forthcoming with candid observations and sensitive information, and discourage decision-makers from recording the reasoning behind important decisions for fear of premature disclosure.

More: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/wikileaks-damages-free-expression-by-choking-private-talks-20101222-195hv.html

Spanish dump “three strikes” law plans – Politicians refuse to give in to US pressure

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Blocking, Education / Awareness, Public Policy, Three Strikes

Spanish politicians have decided to abandon a three strike law against file-sharers after Wikileaks revealed how much US pressure was being placed on the government to bring in the laws.

The Ley de Economia Sostenible (Sustainable Economy Act) contained a clause mandating ISPs to block websites suspected of facilitating copyright infringing activities. The clause has been dropped thanks to Wikileaks showing a cable where United States industry representatives threatened to put Spain on a priority watch-list if their demands were not met on the copyright front.

The pressure from the US may have backfired as the Spanish decided that giving into bullying was a bad idea. There are other controversial aspects of the law including mandating ISPs to divulge customer information without a court order among other things but the worst of it is probably over.

The Association of Internet Users dubbed the law as an “invasion” on Spanish democracy and direct and open attack on Spanish citizens by a foreign power.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/21315-spanish-dump-%E2%80%9Cthree-strikes%E2%80%9D-law-plans

See also: http://torrentfreak.com/spain-rejects-proposed-legislation-to-shutdown-p2p-sites-101222/

and:

How Wikileaks killed Spain’s anti-P2P law
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/12/how-wikileaks-killed-spains-anti-p2p-law.ars

WikiLeaks Joins Forces With Lebedev, Gorbachev to Expose Russia Corruption

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

Novaya Gazeta, the Moscow newspaper controlled by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and billionaire Alexander Lebedev, said it agreed to join forces with WikiLeaks to expose corruption in Russia.

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, which publishes secret government and corporate documents online, has materials specifically about Russia that haven’t been published yet and Novaya Gazeta will help make them public, the newspaper said on its website today.

“Assange said that Russians will soon find out a lot about their country and he wasn’t bluffing,” Novaya Gazeta said. “Our collaboration will expose corruption at the top tiers of political power. No one is protected from the truth.”

Novaya Gazeta correspondent Anna Politkovskaya, who wrote about graft under then-President Vladimir Putin and chronicled abuses by military forces in Chechnya, was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building in 2006, on Putin’s birthday.

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-22/wikileaks-joins-forces-with-billionaire-lebedev-gorbachev.html

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange set to become a member in good standing of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA)

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/assange-to-become-meaa-member/story-fn6e0s1g-1225975166651

Douglas McNabb discusses the legal strategy that the US may use to get WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange extradited from Sweden in an expeditious manner

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Legislation, Public Policy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htL1iis8blw

German newspapers publish appeal opposing censorship of WikiLeaks

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

The German media statement declares that the WikiLeaks web site, and the Internet as a whole, is a medium that enjoys precisely the same right to disseminate information as any other form of journalism.

The appeal goes on to declare that while the publication of documents by WikiLeaks can be criticised,

“we are against any form of censorship by government or private agencies. If Internet companies can use their market power to prevent a news organization from publishing, this would mean democracy is defeated through economic means. These attacks show a disturbing idea of democracy, where freedom of information exists only for as long as it hurts no one”.

Much more: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/germ-d22.shtml

Tim Berners-Lee Says WikiLeaks Is Not Open Government Data

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

There is an interesting question, which I don’t know the answer to at the end of the day, as to whether it is very, very important for somebody to be anonymous, or at the end of the day, it’s just very, very important for society as a whole to be able to remove somebody’s anonymity. I think both thing’s true…and they’ll…battle up eventually to occasionally ending up in the Supreme Court because both things are important.

Much more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-howard/tim-bernerslee-on-wikilea_b_798671.html

Reporters Without Borders Will host WikiLeaks Mirror Site

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness

Reporters Without Borders points out that the European Court on Human Rights has ruled that the notion of “complicity” does not apply when it can it be said – as it can in this case – that the release of such documents serves the general interest and the public’s right to be informed.

http://www.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/reporters-without-borders-will-host-wikileaks-mirror-site-2740175.html

Harvard DDoS Report: Hackers Bad Behavior Threatens World Order

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Network Security, Organized Crime, Public Policy

In a new report released this week by Harvard University “Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Independent Media and Human Rights Sites”it seems hacker attacks are far more common that most of us would believe, 1300 attack each day!

Last year amidst the turmoil of the aftermath of the Iranian election opposition forces mounted a huge campaign against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejab bringing down his homepage and other government websites over a 24 hour period.

The campaign did not stop there with twitter’s home page displaying the message “This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army”.  An unbelievable feat for a small band of people to be able to infiltrate such a major site!

As with anything, a successful strategy will be appropriated.  Its believed governments have done exactly the same to quieten opposition.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/2010_DDoS_Attacks_Human_Rights_and_Media.pdf

http://www.cultureclashdaily.com/page1111324.php

“Evil” D0z.me URL Shortener Facilitates DDoS Attacks

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Network Security, Organized Crime, Tech Evolution

D0z.me is  a “proof-of-concept” URL shortener that attacks a server while re-routing links.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/21/d0z/

CIA to examine impact of files recently released by WikiLeaks – W.T.F.

Posted: 2010/12/22 in Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data Protection, Public Policy

The CIA has launched a task force to assess the impact of the exposure of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables and military files by WikiLeaks.

Officially, the panel is called the WikiLeaks Task Force. But at CIA headquarters, it’s mainly known by its all-too-apt acronym: W.T.F.

The irreverence is perhaps understandable for an agency that has been relatively unscathed by WikiLeaks. Only a handful of CIA files have surfaced on the WikiLeaks Web site, and records from other agencies posted online reveal remarkably little about CIA employees or operations.

As recently as two years ago, the agency rejected a request to make more of its intelligence reports available on the SIPRNET, the classified network used by the Pentagon to pass information around the world.

“We simply said we weren’t going to do it,” another former CIA official said. “The consensus was there were simply too many people potentially who had access.”

The former officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss agency security measures.

Among those people with access to SIPRNET was a low-level U.S. Army intelligence analyst, Bradley E. Manning, who has been charged with disclosing classified information and is suspected of using a simple thumb drive to steal the files that were sent to WikiLeaks.

“It’s just a huge vulnerability,” the former high-ranking CIA officer said. “Nobody could carry out enough paper to do what WikiLeaks has done.”

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122105498.html