Archive for 2012/03/31

China has reportedly arrested six people and shut 16 websites for spreading misinformation that military vehicles were on the streets of Beijing

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Blocking, Education / Awareness, Public Policy

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/03/31/29-China-arrests-6-blocks-websites-for-spreading-rumours-of-military-entering-Beijing-.html

China’s two most popular microblogs, Sina Weibo and Tencent QQ, on Saturday blocked web users from posting comments on the sites, saying they were acting to stop the spread of rumours

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1638885/China-blocks-comments-on-microblogs

Beijing police have arrested 1,065 suspects and deleted more than 208,000 “harmful” online messages during a crackdown on internet-related crime since mid-February, a state news agency said Saturday.

The operators of more than 3,117 websites have received warnings after police targeted the smuggling of firearms, drugs and toxic chemicals, and the sale of human organs and personal information, Xinhua news agency said.

China has recently stepped up efforts to “cleanse” cyberspace, in what many see as a restriction on web freedom in the country, where a vast censorship system known as the “Great Firewall” blocks sites including Twitter and Facebook

http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/1-000-arrests-in-China-internet-crackdown-20120331

EFF Slams CEO For Pretending He Can Ignore Court Orders (no, they’re not talking about piracy facilitators)

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness, Litigation

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120330/03575018300/eff-slams-righthaven-ceo-pretending-he-can-ignore-court-orders.shtml

EFF: The existence of a marketplace for such transactions does not legitimize the practice (no, they’re not talking about piracy)

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness

Regardless of who the buyers are, any security researcher selling zero-day exploits to those who take advantage of vulnerabilities rather than fixing the software is responsible for making the Internet less secure for users. The existence of a marketplace for such transactions does not legitimize the practice, and security researchers should never turn a blind eye to their ethical responsibility to help improve technology. We should help ensure the Internet promotes freedom and safety, and is not a system to control and oppress.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/03/zero-day-exploit-sales-should-be-key-point-cybersecurity-debate

Cybercriminals use Twitter, LinkedIn, Baidu, MSDN as command and control infrastructure

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/cybercriminals-use-twitter-linkedin-baidu-msdn-as-command-and-control-infrastructure/11210

Half of US households own an Apple product

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness, Stats / reports

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/half-of-us-households-own-an-apple-product/19409

Australia calls WikiLeaks ‘irresponsible,’ delays Assange-related cables publication

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness

The Australian government has blamed WikiLeaks for a “reckless, irresponsible and potentially dangerous” disclosures of secret information. It is also delaying the release of diplomatic cables on the matter after the US expressed concern.

Last week Anna Harmer, an official of Australia’s Attorney General wrote to a legislator that “debate about the WikiLeaks matter is not about censoring free speech or preventing the media from reporting news,” The Sydney Morning Herald reports. She also confirmed the government’s focus on WikiLeaks’ “reckless” and “unauthorized” disclosure of classified material.

In the meantime, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has delayed the release of sensitive diplomatic cables related to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks until Assange’s extradition from the UK to Sweden has been finalized.

The move came after US authorities expressed concerns over the disclosure of US-Australian cables regarding WikiLeaks. They asked Australia that Washington be consulted on future Freedom of Information releases.

More:

http://rt.com/news/wikileaks-cables-us-assange-905/

Anonymous was being used (like a useful idiot is used) as an excuse by the government as it continue to roll out increasingly draconian surveillance programs under the aegis of “cyber security” and terror prevention

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Public Policy

http://www.infowars.com/fbi-exec-calls-for-changes-in-internet-technology/

Russian intelligence director accused West of cyber attacks as NATO conducts cyber attack exercise

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness

http://freebeacon.com/transmit-this-information-to-your-hackers/

Every Major Credit Card Provider Is Potentially Hacked Right Now

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness

http://gizmodo.com/5897872/every-major-credit-card-is-potentially-hacked-right-now

A “Big Data” Problem Could Be Starving Artists of Revenue

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models

For nearly 100 years, performing rights organizations have tracked the music played on the radio, then the television, and now the internet. Their goal: to figure out who should get paid.

http://gizmodo.com/5897889/musics-big-data-problem-could-be-starving-artists-of-revenue

Minnesota Senator warns American Bar Association audience about privacy implications when monolithic tech firms become unaccountable

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness, Google

Al Franken rings alarm over Facebook, Google

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57407347-93/no-joke-al-franken-rings-alarm-over-facebook-google/

White House calls for new law targeting ‘offshore’ Web sites

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, File Sharing, Illegal File Sharing, Public Policy

The White House today reignited the congressional debate by throwing its weight behind legislation targeting offshore Web sites. “We believe that new legislative and non-legislative tools are needed to address offshore infringement,” today’s report (PDF) says.

The report, prepared by U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel, who President Obama appointed to the job in 2009, lists Protect IP and SOPA as “examples of recent attempts by Congress to address the issues of counterfeiting and piracy online.” It also endorses the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and lauds Internet providers, including Comcast, Cablevision, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable, for agreeing last summer to become Internet copyright cops.

More:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57407356-281/white-house-calls-for-new-law-targeting-offshore-web-sites/

White House pressures AOL, Google over pirate sites

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, File Sharing, Illegal File Sharing, New Business Models, Online advertising, Public Policy

AOL, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo already prohibit pirate Web sites from joining their ad networks. But the White House says those four companies “are being encouraged” to do more.

A White House report (PDF) released today singles out those four companies by name, arguing that they and others should “act as checkpoints for infringing activity and reduce the distribution of infringing content.” Here’s an excerpt:

Ad networks and exchanges, including Google, Microsoft (Bing), Yahoo!, and AOL are being encouraged to develop best practices for online advertising networks and exchanges, in order to ensure that they do not place any advertisements on infringing Web sites, and to remove such Web sites from their ad networks.

More:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57407401-281/white-house-pressures-aol-google-over-pirate-sites/

Where Are The Top 5 “Rogue” Cyberlockers Services Located?

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, File Sharing, Illegal File Sharing, Stats / reports

WUPLOAD.COM. IP addresses: 78.140.190.177, .190.180, .191.155, .181.198
Network WHOIS (RIPE): WebaZilla B.V.  - Netherlands
(WebaZilla’s most popular sites: http://en.wikipopia.org/as35415 )

DEPOSITFILES.COM. IP addresses: 78.140.135.4, .135.5
Network WHOIS (RIPE): WebaZilla B.V.  - Netherlands
(WebAzilla’s most popular sites: http://en.wikipopia.org/as35415 )

FILESERVE.COM. IP address: 209.222.23.221
Network WHOIS (ARIN): Choopa.com - United States
(Choopa’s most popular sites: http://en.wikipopia.org/as20473 )

PUTLOCKER.COM. IP address: 89.238.130.247
Network WHOIS (RIPE):  Open Hosting Telecom – United Kingdom
(M247′s / Open Hosting’s most popular sites: http://en.wikipopia.org/as33970 )

MEDIAFIRE.COM. IP addresses: 205.196.120.13, .120.12
Network WHOIS (ARIN): Mediafire  - United States
(Link Right’s / Mediafire’s most popular site: http://en.wikipopia.org/as46179 )

Previously:

MPAA wants more criminal cases brought against ‘rogue’ sites – Top five ‘rogue’ cyberlocker services named
http://vrritti.com/2012/03/31/mpaa-wants-more-criminal-cases-brought-against-rogue-sites-top-five-rogue-cyberlocker-services-named/


MPAA wants more criminal cases brought against ‘rogue’ sites – Top five ‘rogue’ cyberlocker services named

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Illegal File Sharing, Stats / reports

A Paramount Pictures exec said today that the studios continue to make criminal referrals against cyberlocker services dedicated to enabling piracy and identifies the top five ‘rogue’ sites.

Alfred Perry, Paramount Pictures’ vice president of worldwide content protection.

In the wake of the MegaUpload indictment, the top Hollywood film studios are pushing for more cyberlocker services to be charged with crimes.

“We continue to make criminal referrals,” said Alfred Perry, vice president for worldwide content protection at Paramount Pictures, during a panel discussion at the On Copyright conference here yesterday. Later he added that “more than 41 billion page views (yearly) are generated by the top 5 rogue cyberlocker services. That’s five page views for every person on the planet.”

After the panel, Perry provided CNET with the names of the top five “rogue” cyberlocker services. They are (in no particular order): Putlocker, Wupload, Depositfiles, FileServe and MediaFire. He did not say whether any of those sites are under investigation or face criminal prosecution, so it is still unclear whether the MegaUpload case will trigger a wave of criminal copyright prosecutions.

His comments, however, are consistent with what my film-industry sources have told me since MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom was tossed in a New Zealand jail in January. There’s no question that the film studios and major music labels want more arrests made and to link some forms of Internet piracy to criminal conduct.

See also:

Where Are The Top 5 “Rogue” Cyberlockers Services Located?
http://vrritti.com/2012/03/31/where-are-the-top-5-rogue-cyberlockers-services-located/

Much more:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57407346-261/mpaa-wants-more-criminal-cases-brought-against-rogue-sites/

Megaupload user asks for his perfectly legal videos back

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, File Sharing, Illegal File Sharing, Litigation, Stats / reports

The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a brief on behalf of an Ohio man in a federal court case brought by the United States against Kim Dotcom, founder and owner of the file-sharing locker Megaupload. The brief requested that Kyle Goodwin, and users like him, be allowed access to the files they had stored on the currently shuttered site.

Goodwin is a local high school sports reporter and the sole proprietor of the company OhioSportsNet, who stored his video footage on Megaupload.com as a backup to his video library on his hard drive. He had paid €79.99 (about $107) for a two-year premium membership. Just days before the government seized the site, Goodwin’s hard drive crashed. The brief states that his lost videos include footage to make highlight reels for parents to send to their children’s prospective colleges, and an unfinished full-length documentary about the Strongsville girls soccer team’s season.

More:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/03/megaupload-user-asks-for-his-perfectly-legal-videos-back.ars

Dutch Minister For Immigration And Asylum Gerd Leers Wants To Deport 19-year-old Angolan Asylum Seeker Mauro Anyway

Posted: 2012/03/31 in Education / Awareness, Public Policy

The Minister agues that – the now famous – Angolan asylum seeker Mauro will probably have to return to Angola by the end of the year. Curiously, the Minister argues that Mauro has been lying about his surname and date of birth, while previously the same Minister had made a formal statement, that he wouldn’t blame Mauro for having submitted false information as the boy was around 10 years old at the time and said information most probably has been submitted by others.

Minister For Immigration And Asylum Gerd Leers recently made a visit to Angola and may have decided that the local weather is nice enough for Mauro to return. The Dutch ambassador in Luanda, Cor van Honk, has noted that Mauro doesn’t have to worry upon his return to Angola because the country has changed since the end of the civil war in 2002 and thanks to the oil industry there’s significant economic growth, of benefit to the approx. 4,000 Angolan refugees that have returned to their home country between 2006 and 2010. Most of them are doing well over here, Honk Stated. The Dutch have also financed an orphanage in Angola with the aim to send back children to Angola whenever they arrive in The Netherlands to seek refuge.

No mention of the fact that Mauro by now has become part of Dutch society after so many years of never-ending bureaucracy.

No reference to the fact that according to UNICEF, deportation of a minor who has been in The Netherlands for more than 5 years (8 years in this case) is in breach of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights.

See also:

Study: Leaving The Netherlands – Twenty years of voluntary return policy in the Netherlands (1989-2009)

So far, none of the cabinets seem to have been able to find an effective reconciliation of the need for negative action to ensure that asylum seekers take their own responsibility to leave the Netherlands, and the reality that not all of them will do so and present local communities with an imperative to assist them, even if this undermines the concept of return policy.

http://www.iom-nederland.nl/dsresource?objectid=3842&type=org

Dutch language news articles:
http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4500/Politiek/article/detail/3233765/2012/03/31/Leers-is-van-plan-Mauro-terug-te-sturen.dhtml
http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/1719941233/Leers+Mauro+gaat+terug+naar+Angola.aspx

Dutch language news articles where the Ministry for Immigration and Asylum states that Mauro is not to be blamed for having submitted false information:
http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/165834992/Andere+naam+en+geboortedatum+in+paspoort+Mauro.aspx
http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2011/12_december/02/binnenland/fouten-in-dossier-mauro.xml

Previously:

Dutch government deports 18-year-old asylum seeker to Angola. He had spent the last 8 years in The Netherlands, has culturally assimilated and only speaks the Dutch language
http://vrritti.com/2011/10/26/dutch-governments-deports-18-year-old-asylum-seeker-to-angola-he-had-spent-the-last-8-years-in-the-netherlands-has-culturally-assimilated-and-only-speaks-the-dutch-language/

UNICEF: Deportation of a minor who has been in The Netherlands for more than 5 years (8 years in this case) is in breach of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights
http://vrritti.com/2011/10/31/unicef-deportation-of-a-minor-who-has-been-in-the-netherlands-for-more-than-5-years-8-years-in-this-case-is-in-breach-of-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child-and-the-european-convention-on-huma/