When the first Pirate Party was founded, it was with the realization that activism alone had come to the end of the road. Everybody was discussing net liberty issues and how they were being restricted by the copyright industry – everybody except the politicians. We needed to take the fight to these politicians. But how?
More:
http://torrentfreak.com/why-activism-is-necessary-but-isnt-enough-to-save-net-liberty-120923/
The coding work for the new Megaupload is nearly finished, the servers have been ordered, and investors are lining up. A return of the file-hosting site appears to be looming.
Dotcom previously announced that he planned to bring Megaupload back to life, and new information suggests that this may happen rather quickly. In an update this weekend he tweets that most of the work on the second incarnation of the site is already done.
“Quick update on the new Mega: Code 90% done. Servers on the way. Lawyers, partners and investors are ready,” Dotcom teases.
“Be patient it’s coming,” he adds.
From the brief progress update it’s clear that the site is on schedule for launch later this year. In addition, it’s interesting to note that despite the ongoing criminal case, partners and investors are happy to be involved.
In recent weeks Dotcom has delivered several hints about the new Megaupload, which he says will be bigger and better than the file-hosting service that was taken down.
“We are building a massive global network. All non-US hosters will be able to connect servers & bandwidth,” he explained earlier.
According to Dotcom we can expect a Megaupload with an even greater range of applications than just file-sharing. While developers of file managers are being encouraged to get in touch for early API access, Dotcom is also calling out to those involved in email and fax tools, VOIP and video apps.
It’s clear that Dotcom doesn’t have the slightest urge to throw in the towel.
“They abused the wrong guy. I am going to turn this world upside down. Power to the people. Bye bye Echelon. Hello Freedom,” Dotcom added.
It will be at least a few more weeks before the new Megaupload appears online, but there are exciting times ahead. MEGA exciting.
More:
http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-readies-for-comeback-code-90-done-120923/
Guess why…
Dutch language news article:
http://www.powned.tv/nieuws/media/2012/09/niemand_kijkt_naar_game_of_thr.html
If country A would regard ‘the internet’ as a tool to spy and distribute propaganda, that same ‘internet’ would most definitely be seen as a threat by country B.
Iran is expected to block Google, YouTube and Gmail shortly.
“In recent days, all governmental agencies and offices … have been connected to the national information network,” deputy communications and technology minister Ali Hakim-Javadi was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.
The second phase of the plan would be to connect ordinary Iranians to the national network, he said.
According to Iranian media, the domestic system would be fully implemented by March 2013 but it was not clear whether access to the global Internet would be cut once the Iranian system is rolled out.
Even using VPNs, many Iranians suffered serious problems accessing email and social networking sites in February, ahead of parliamentary elections.
Communications and Technology Minister Reza Taqipour said last month Iran needed to develop its own network to ensure the safety of the country’s information.
“Control over the Internet should not be in the hands of one or two countries,” he said. “Especially on major issues and during crises, one cannot trust this network at all.”
US officials have condemned the idea – but Washington is in a bit of a fix, being partly responsible for Iran’s cyber paranoia. “The problem for the state department is that Iran is doing this because of attacks instigated primarily by Washington under its so-called Olympic Games programme. The US and Israel have embraced cyber-espionage with an eagerness that is being emulated by countries around the globe.”
More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/no-more-internet-in-iran-8167074.html
Kim Dotcom too big…for NZ…to fail?
Prime Minister John Key today announced he has requested an inquiry by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security into the circumstances of unlawful interception of communications of certain individuals by the Government Communications Security Bureau.
Mr Key says the Crown has filed a memorandum in the High Court in the Megaupload case advising the Court and affected parties that the GCSB had acted unlawfully while assisting the Police to locate certain individuals subject to arrest warrants issued in the case. The Bureau had acquired communications in some instances without statutory authority.
After being informed about the matter by the Director of the GCSB on September 17, the Prime Minister referred the Bureau’s actions to the Inspector-General, Hon Paul Neazor. The Inspector-General is an independent statutory officer with the power to enquire into any matter related to a government intelligence agency’s compliance with the law.
Mr Key says he has also asked the Inspector-General to recommend any measures he considered necessary to prevent the issue from happening again.
Mr Key expressed his disappointment that unlawful acts had taken place.
“I expect our intelligence agencies to operate always within the law. Their operations depend on public trust.
“I look forward to the Inspector-General’s inquiry getting to the heart of what took place and what can be done about it,” says Mr Key. “Because this is also a matter for the High Court in its consideration of the Megaupload litigation, I am unable to comment further.”
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/prime-minister-requests-inquiry
New business models do not seem to offer the definitive solution. Who should be helping out the content industries? Those transporting the bits and bytes, or those putting advertisements next to (copies of) those bits and bytes? Or both?
Having survived more than 40 years at the coalface of British journalism (longer than a term of service in the ancient Roman army), I have been feeling a bit depressed lately by the insistent predictions of media pundits that the internet is killing off quality newspapers. There are very few people in the trade who are prepared to bet that all our daily papers will still be publishing newsprint copies in five years’ time.
According to conventional wisdom, print is doomed. Circulations are collapsing because readers can get everything they want on the internet. Not only do those readers dislike the idea of paying to read online, but the existence, among other sites, of the rival licence-fee-payer-funded BBC website guarantees that they will never actually need to pay for a supply of reliable day-to-day news. Paywalls will never really work in a UK context for that reason.
Yet when the day comes that the newspapers are forced to stop printing altogether, it will be a disaster for democracy. The lean pickings from web advertising on a free newspaper site will only pay for a fraction of the high-quality investigative journalism that commercial newspapers generate. We’ll just get the timid BBC on the one hand, and superficial junk on the other.
In this glum frame of mind, I read the latest National Readership Survey figures. To my surprise, what leaped out from them was that there is now in existence a perfectly easy way to rescue newspapers, ensure media plurality, and monetise the web.
Much more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/sep/23/broadband-levy-save-newspapers
The revolution will not benefit only rural dwellers but also their fellow countrymen who live in urban areas. From micro transactions such as purchasing a cinema ticket to those on a larger scale such as paying for white goods, m-commerce will enable people living in African cities to make the transactions and payments necessary for everyday living at the push of a button, without the need for cash.
This will also open the door for many online businesses to emerge, and the ease of purchase that will follow will spur consumption, create new jobs and help African companies to develop markets beyond their existing borders and the borders of the continent.
Much more:
http://burksonandbampoh.com/2012/09/21/making-mobile-money-pay-in-africa/
And he has used it for a period of nine months. Moreover, the ID card was very obviously fake. He created the non-existent ID at the 28c Chaos Communication Congress hacker conference in Germany in 2011 and has recorded his efforts to use the card when trying to gain access to various organizations.
Brenno de Winter was able to gain access to:
He was also able to access a voting booth during the latest elections in the Netherlands, have packages being sent off at the post office, book rooms at hotels, use it for public transport services and buy SIM cards (multiple times) at Vodafone and T-Mobile stores.
Government officials and experts in ID documents are amazed at this situation. Especially since the ID card is clearly fake: the ‘Lichtbildausweis’ (German word for ID card that contains a photo) contained ridiculous texts like Bigwobber (referring to De Winter’s practice of making FOIA requests) and was lacking any marks of authenticity as the card had been created by a card printer.
Dutch language news article:
http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2916703/id-bewijzen-slecht-gecontroleerd.html
Dutch language video:
