Episode43

Scanning your email update

Update to the email scanning story from #41
One of our viewers was so concearned by the encroachment on privacy represented by website blocking at the ISP / email scanning
MP responds stating that there is no reason to change this policy
Nothing wrong with the Internet Watch Foundation Quango (technically a charity) deciding what is and is not unacceptable
- i.e.: Potentially illegal content
This unaccountable 'voluntary' censorship by ISPs will continue unless / until ISPs object - at which point it will become manditory!
Reminder: While the IWF focus on the 'potentially illegal child abuse' element of their remind - they also monitor - and now how have the power to block - any 'potentially illegal content'
Interesting to look at the IWF's annual report from last year - and compare the number or 'reported websites' and the number of cases where illegal content was actually found
- 2003 - 2004 the amount of 'illegal content' found doubled, while reported images only increased by 28% approx (check this)
Over 2,000 - non child related 'adult obscene content' sites were reported last year
His MP's response to email traffic scanning - 'We have noted' no further comment

DRI has written to Min. for Justice, Communications and Garda Commissioner asking for them to cease breaching the Constitutional, statutory and European rights of the citizens of Ireland.
Failing that, their solictors McGarr Solicitors will undertake legal action.

April 2002: Mary O'Rourke tells telecoms providers to retain data generated by their customers supposedly under Section 110 (1) of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983.
December 2002: Data Protection Commissioner deems previous direction as inadequate, constitutionally invalid and was in breach of the Data Protection Act and Data Retention Directive.

Telecoms traffic explicitly protected under European law.
- only for a limited period and only where necessary, appropriate and proportionate in a democratic society.
Irish Government in 2005 gave the Garda Commissoner the power to request a service provider to retain, for a period of 3 years, traffic data or location data or both.
Again in breach of European law,
- Ireland pressed for alteration of European laws
- Result Directive 2006/24/EC.

DRI believes Directive was not adopted in accordance with European Law, a view shared by current Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
Proceedings undertaken my Min. for Justice to declare directive invalid by European Court of Justice.
DRI believe proceedings may be discontinued, meaning unconstitutional laws and directions will remain unchallenged.
They have requested relevant parties in writing to withdraw the directions to the telecoms providers and not apply the unconstitutional laws.
Failing to get a positive response they will prepare for legal proceedings.

Simon McGarr looks at the Terms and conditions of Youtube, blip.tv, Google video and more.
Finds that these sites try and grab any rights you have not explicitly stated you want to retain.
Only way to retain total control is to host the video yourself which costs.

The Heros
- Video Egg
  - They only have a licence to the content until you remove it.
  - Licence only allows them a non-exclusive rights to "reproduce, modify, adapt and publish such Content solely for the purpose of providing the Service."
  - Best licence as licence only provides them the rights needed to host and display the video and only as long as you want them to.

The Villans
- Includes Youtube, Grouper and Motionbox.
- All 3 require you to signing all your rights away to them.
- Includes rights to reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works
- Grouper and Motionbox have perpetual irrecocable licences, hence once given to them you never can regain control of your content.

The In-betweens
Blip.tv.
- Not as bad except
- they want the right to distribute via media other than electronically. Why?
- They also want to display content on affiliated sites. What is an affiliated site?

Google Video
- Explicit clause stating content creator retains ownership of video an Google has non-exclusive rights are good.
- Clause granting Google rights to modify and reformat are cause for worry as both are open to interpretation.
- Reformat could mean changing to different video formats or transferring to cd/dvd. Unclear from the text.

Semler in his new book states that he believes life cannot be divided into work and free time any more.
If you can work on a spreadsheet on Sunday night then you can go to the movies on Wednesday afternoon.
Management works by not interfering and trusting that employees will find a solution.

Online IM service Meebo continues to expand and extend its offerings.
Recently announced Netvibes interoperability.
Now has announced Meebo me. A widget which you can embed on a webpage allowing you to IM anyone who visits the page.
- allows for realtime chat between the creator of a site and his/her audience.
- Visitors appear as buddies in the users page on meebo.com, vistors can simply chat by entering text into the widget.
This marks meebos first move from a instant messaging aggregator to a network provider

Cash-strapped schools sell naming rights to buildings/rooms even principle's offices to corporations for one time payments.
Payments can be in excess of $500,000
Washington D.C considered selling naming rights to its subway stations. Las Vegas sells naming rights for its monorail.
Clark, Texas, council voted in November to rename the town DISH in exchange for a decade of free satellite TV from the DISH Network.
Corporations see naming as way of recruiting future workers.

Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) social networking sites and chat rooms must be blocked by schools and libraries or those institutions will lose their federal internet subsidies
Motivation in the words of Texas Republican Ted Poe "social networking sites such as MySpace and chat rooms have allowed sexual predators to sneak into homes and solicit kids."
Vague law blocks sites that
- allow people to post profiles,
- include personal information
- and allow communication among users.
If law can be enforced it could have an impact on a large number of companies.

Would create big obstacles to accessing sites that pose no risk to children including media and news sites like, Slashdot, Amazon and News.com.
Implies that social networking sites and chat rooms are inherently dangerous to minors.

According to Tech Dirt - the RIAA are refusing to take to court cases where users point out that an IP address is not the same as a person
2 cases have been dropped on this basis
Keeping an open Wifi port has its advantages