Archive for 2012/02/15
Statement by Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, on freedom of expression and information via the Internet, attempts to block websites, “three-strikes-laws”, and ACTA
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Blocking, Copyright, Enforcement, Legislation, Three StrikesSee for Yourself: The Pentagon’s $51 Billion ‘Black’ Budget
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Education / AwarenessBook Publishers Shut Down Library.nu and iFile-it
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Blocking, Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Illegal File Sharing, Jurisprudence, Stats / reportsThe book download portal Library.nu and cyberlocker ifile.it appear to have shut down voluntarily after a coalition of book publishers managed to get an injunction against the two sites. According to the complaint, the sites offered users access to 400,000 e-books and made more than $11 million in revenue in the process.
The publishers obtained an injunction against Library.nu and the cyberlocker ifile.it from the regional court in Munich.
http://torrentfreak.com/book-publishers-shut-down-library-nu-and-ifile-it-120215/
SURFcert Security Award 2012 handed to Team High Tech Crime of Dutch National Police
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, EnforcementThe award was handed over by Team Cymru representative Dave Monnier to the Dutch Team High Tech Crime which was represented by Senior Adviser Peter Zinn.
The report of the jury stated that the Team High Tech Crime (THTC) deserves the award for its increased attention to the issues caused by organized crime in cyberspace. The jury appreciates the way THTC is investigating and successfully combating these issues. Especially noteworthy is the fact that the THTC is cooperating with industries which can contribute to the fight against serious and organized cyber criminality online.
Representatives of SURFnet, KPN, the National Cyber Security Center, Deutsche Telekom and XS4ALL were members of the jury. Last year the award was handed to Team Cymru and in 2010 online civil rights organization Bits Of Freedom received the award.
Dutch language news article:
http://www.surfnet.nl/nl/nieuws/pers/Pages/KLPDontvangtSURFcertSecurityAward2012.aspx
UK ISP TalkTalk Joins BT and Sky in Blocking the Newzbin Piracy Website
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Blocking, Education / AwarenessCustomers of budget broadband ISP TalkTalk have this week joined those of BT and Sky Broadband (BSkyB) in having their access to the controversial Newzbin (Newzbin2) piracy website blocked. The unsurprising move follows last year’s warning letter (here) by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which was sent to all of the largest ISPs.
Orange UK Blocks Civil Society Group from its Mobile Broadband Customers
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Blocking, Education / AwarenessThe France-based La Quadrature du Net (LQDN), an often outspoken civil society group that promotes the online rights and freedoms of people across Europe, has been blocked (censored) on pay-as-you-go handsets by mobile operator Orange UK.
The move, which is likely to spark consternation among similar organisations, was apparently confirmed by the Open Rights Group (ORG) today after customers reported (via ORG’s blocked.org.uk site) that the group’s website was no longer accessible to them.
Any iPhone App Can Steal Your Contacts Now—Against Steve Jobs’ Will
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data ProtectionSomeone found out that Path—and most probably other apps—was stealing your contacts’ information from your iPhone and iPad without telling you about it. This happened because of Path’s greediness, but also because Apple is not protecting your privacy as it should.
http://gizmodo.com/5885245/your-iphones-privacy-sucks-because-of-appleand-even-steve-jobs-agrees
You Can Buy Ikea Products on Amazon
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Education / Awareness, New Business ModelsFrom encryption to darknets: As governments snoop, activists fight back
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Education / AwarenessEC presents Roadmap “Digital Agenda- Mid Term Review”
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Education / Awareness, Public PolicyThe co-founder of Megaupload, Mathias Ortmann, has been freed on bail by a judge in New Zealand
Posted: 2012/02/15 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Jurisprudenceathias Ortmann will be the subject of strict conditions including no Internet access. The US will now rely on a United Nations treaty to extradite the Mega team. Separately, it was revealed that the FBI remotely monitored last month’s raids and congratulated New Zealand police on their work.
Ortmann, from Germany, was released earlier today and will now join his co-accused Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato at the former’s Auckland home. Bail conditions for all three are strict and include a complete ban on Internet access.
http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-co-founder-released-on-bail-120215/
