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2012-11-20 21:06:14 (18 comments, 46 reshares, 40 +1s)

UPDATE: He's called it off!

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552687-38/leahy-scuttles-his-warrantless-email-surveillance-bill/?ttag=gpwl

Warrantless E-Surveillance Bill In The Senate: Act Now To Stop It Passing

A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans' e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law.

He broke his promise

Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans' e-mail, is scheduled for next week. This is a reversal of the pledge to give Americans more privacy online.

We have little time

CNet says... more »

2012-11-19 18:23:48 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 7 +1s)

EU Unitary Patent: Secret Meetings And The Public interest

We have been informed that the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) of the European Parliament will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 19.00 with an exchange of views on the state of play with regards to the unitary patent package. Discussions are likely to focus on a compromise found with the Council about a potential solution to the controversial removal of Articles 6 to 8 from the regulation on the unitary patent. Although the content of such compromise is not publicly disclosed, we have every reason to think that it would still not comply with EU law. Moreover, such harsh and secrecy raises serious doubts about any chance for the coming result to come up to a sound solution.

They're trying to erode our rights

On June 29th, 2012, the Heads of State and government of the... more »

2012-11-15 17:08:25 (1 comments, 7 reshares, 9 +1s)

EU Unitary Patent: Secret Meetings And The Public interest

We have been informed that the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) of the European Parliament will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 19.00 with an exchange of views on the state of play with regards to the unitary patent package. Discussions are likely to focus on a compromise found with the Council about a potential solution to the controversial removal of Articles 6 to 8 from the regulation on the unitary patent. Although the content of such compromise is not publicly disclosed, we have every reason to think that it would still not comply with EU law. Moreover, such harsh and secrecy raises serious doubts about any chance for the coming result to come up to a sound solution.

They're trying to erode our rights

On June 29th, 2012, the Heads of State and government of the... more »

2012-10-29 23:08:58 (2 comments, 16 reshares, 33 +1s)

Do You Own What You Bought?

The answer SHOULD be, "Well, duh! I paid for it, didn't I?" The case before the Supreme Court, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, 11-697, is about a Thai graduate student in the U.S. who resold the publisher’s copyrighted books on eBay after relatives first bought nearly identical, cheaper versions abroad. Kirtsaeng asserts that Wiley lost its right to control resale of the books once his relatives bought them legally. He used eBay to sell $900,000 worth of books published abroad by Wiley and others and made about $100,000 in profit.

The issue

The issue at the Supreme Court concerns what protection the holder of a copyright has after a product made outside the United States is sold for the first time. In this case, the issue is whether U.S. copyright protection applies to items that are made abroad, purchased abroada... more »

2012-10-25 18:16:29 (2 comments, 12 reshares, 14 +1s)

EU Commission: "We Need More Surveillance!"

The trouble with all-pervasive surveillance is that it requires a large staff to collate the information gathered and work out what to do with it. The EU Commission, therefore, has decided in its infinite wisdom that we need more surveillance to justify the amount of surveillance we have already. In the middle of an austerity-driven recession.

Precognition technology?

New techniques for intelligent analysis of data will allow recognizing such situations, and giving alert before it is too late. The objective is also to recognise danger events that could lead to terrorist attacks (e.g. left luggage at an airport, automatic recognition of dangerous tools). The definitions of situations and their parameters will be provided by police department.

Oh, well that's alright, then. The people who want... more »

2012-10-22 16:47:10 (1 comments, 11 reshares, 15 +1s)

Americans, This Is Your Chance To Have A Say!

The Copyright Office is reviewing the problem of orphan works under U.S. copyright law in continuation of its previous work on the subject and to advise Congress on possible next steps for the United States. An "orphan work" is an original work of authorship for which a good faith, prospective user cannot readily identify and/or locate the copyright owner(s) in a situation where permission from the copyright owner(s) is necessary as a matter of law.

They know that change is necessary

The Office has long shared the concern with many in the copyright community that the uncertainty surrounding the ownership status of orphan works does not serve the objectives of the copyright system.

Techdirt calls these "hostage works" because they are being held hostage to the whims of the collections... more »

2012-10-11 11:40:35 (1 comments, 8 reshares, 27 +1s)

Are We Not Entitled To See Draft Bills?

The Australian Federal Attorney-General’s Department has rejected a request by the Pirate Party of Australia to release draft legislation associated with the Government’s controversial data retention and surveillance proposal, with the department stating that public interest factors did not outweigh the need to keep the material private as it was still being deliberated on.

http://blog.serkowski.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/FOI-Request-Mr-Rodney-Serkowski-Re-Draft-Legislation-Decision-Letter.pdf

This is undemocratic

The denial of the Pirate Party’s FoI request comes as opposition to the data retention and surveillance proposal continues to grow. This week, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull broke his silence regarding the package, declaring that he has “grave misgivings” about a projectwhich he ... more »

2012-10-09 18:30:46 (0 comments, 16 reshares, 30 +1s)

Philippines Censorship Law On Hold

Thanks to activism, the Cybercrime Prevention Act 2012 has been suspended. This is why we post these items and this is why we share them. Sharing lets more people know about the petitions to be signed and representatives to contact which results in changed minds and better laws.

Proof that pressure works

What do we at +Internet Freedom Movement keep on saying? Pressure works. It really, truly does. Be a part of it. Get involved each time we have a campaign on so that, every time we win yet another victory you can say you were part of it. But for now, fill a glass with your favourite drink and make a toast to activism — and to yourself if you've been involved.

Read + Share + Remember with pride that pressure works!

2012-10-04 16:08:12 (6 comments, 10 reshares, 20 +1s)

Stop The Philippines Censorship Law: It's SOPA On Steroids

The Cybercrime Prevention Act, which just came into effect, is so broad and loophole-ridden that a wide range of online activity could be considered libelous. Even if you don't write the material, just sharing it with someone online could land you in prison for up to 12 years.

Why?

Critics of the law are against a provision that criminalizes libel. The law is so vague it is being interpreted in many ways — comparing 'liking' something on Facebook to an investigative exposé or a satirical piece. Existing libel laws of the Philippines were dubbed "excessive" by the United Nations in October 2011.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/04/world/asia/philippines-cyber-law-protest/index.html

What else is there to fear?

It's basically #SOPA fo... more »

2012-10-03 23:53:10 (18 comments, 10 reshares, 11 +1s)

Brazil's Plans For Nationwide Vehicle Tracking System

+Lauren Weinstein shared a link today that sent shivers down our spines at yet another threat to our privacy. As usual, it's a well-meaning effort to control traffic and vehicle taxation and insurance. What worries us is the plan to monitor traffic in real time and the fact that it will be compulsory. The chips will be cheap and easy to install, and they expect to have all cars in Brazil fitted with them by June 30, 2014. Local and national transport departments will be responsible for implementing this.

It's not been widely reported

Although this has been going on for six years, no well-known English-language website or publication has reported on it till someone submitted it to Slashdot. We have already alerted the people we believe should be informed, namely +glyn moody, +Michael Masnick, and... more »

2012-09-29 20:17:55 (3 comments, 46 reshares, 61 +1s)

This!

2012-09-23 12:14:42 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 31 +1s)

Help Us Keep The Internet Free!

+Rick Falkvinge  says that campaigns alone are not enough, we need to make politicians fear for their jobs. You see, if we only do campaigns, interest runs out after a while. We can't be occasional campaigners and expect to see change. That's hit and run politics.

Some politicians are on our side

We need internet guardians. In Europe, that means voting for the Pirate Party. The Greens are pretty good on net freedom too. Some of the Socialists and Liberals have joined the Greens to help us (internet freedom advocates) in our struggle. The Conservatives are the problem because they side with the corporations who want to make us pay for each item we use online, and fine us or send us to prison if we find ways around it.

In Australia, they're the only ones doing anything about it. It was a Green Senator, Scott... more »

2012-09-17 17:09:07 (2 comments, 10 reshares, 19 +1s)

Stop The EU's Unitary Patent And Unified Patent Court

We've been hearing rumbles for some time about +European Commission's plan to set up a Unitary Patent and a Unified Patent Court. We fear that if that happens, software patents will become more common in Europe, and we'll end up having the same destructive software patent wars as in the USA.

They think they can deceive us

The European Patent Office (EPO)'s uses the deceiving term of “computer-implemented inventions” to describe the areas it plans to extend patents to. This is wholly unacceptable. The lack of transparency and accountability is shocking. We already have a European Court of Justice. It may be that the ECJ's habit of clamping down on the spurious activities of patent trolls is driving this attempt to circumvent its authority, which is all the more reason to opposethi... more »

2012-09-17 12:08:09 (0 comments, 11 reshares, 22 +1s)

Would TPP Transparency Affect The Election?

Truthout reports on the secrecy behind TPP and the race to get it signed off before the elections. So-called "Free Trade Agreements" may bring benefits to the corporations, but not to the rest of us.

Republicans and Democrats are in cahoots

As corporatism tightens its grip on our respective countries, we need to sit back and think about the harm it's doing. The lack of transparency, the corporate courts and the process of congressional review will also undermine democracy. The Obama administration is expected to avoid debate, committee hearings and amendments in Congress by 'fast tracking' the legislation. The the U.S. Trade Representative knows that if the TPP is debated it will not become law as it only serves the interests of transnational corporations and undermines the interests of everyone... more »

2012-09-13 10:25:45 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 12 +1s)

Breathing Space Opens In TPP Over Japan

The TPP is in stalemate at the moment. The United States, seeking market-opening measures in the automobile, insurance and beef industries, has not yet approved Japan’s participation. Among other TPP states, Australia and New Zealand remain unclear on whether they will allow Japan’s entry. Meanwhile, Japan is uncertain about wanting in because of the concessions they'd have to make in agriculture.

There's a lot at stake

TPP countries could end up like Australia, which is fending off a challenge to its plain cigarette packets legislation from Philip Morris International, if they agree to allow corporations to sue governments in international courts.

“The Philip Morris company’s persistence with the investor state dispute settlement case shows such procedures are a threat to democratically enactedlegisla... more »

2012-09-12 23:53:26 (0 comments, 10 reshares, 21 +1s)

Is Senator Leahy On Our Side, For Once?

As surprising as it seems, it looks as though the co-sponsor of SOPA and CISPA is actually in favour of keeping our emails private and requiring a warrant to search them. Leahy’s new amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act 1986 (ECPA) would provide a major change to the privacy standard of all electronic correspondence by finally requiring a probable cause-driven warrant. If this bill does pass, it would instantaneously provide significantly more privacy to everyone in America who sends e-mail, uses Facebook, Twitter, Google Docs, or communicates online in essentially any way.

We actually want this

"This has created uncertainty the Leahy amendment would replace with clarity: law enforcement officers would no longer wonder whether they should seek communications content without a warrant, or whethert... more »

2012-09-11 22:22:34 (0 comments, 21 reshares, 18 +1s)

As HADOPI Winds Down, US Plans To Launch Six Strikes Law

The copyright lobby keeps on going, and like the Terminator, you can't reason with it and it won't stop till it reaches its goal. When SOPA failed to get through earlier this year the copyright collections agencies RIAA and MPAA decided to approach our ISPs to ask them to implement a voluntary system called The Copyright Alert System.

It's for education

Instead of updating their business practices to work with the internet and the ease of copying and sharing, they've decided to collude at locking down the internet and attempting to discourage copying and sharing. The idea is "_to help subscribers understand the significance of protecting copyright in the digital environment, to advise them about the importance of avoiding inadvertent or intentional online distribution of copyrighted... more »

2012-09-11 12:13:43 (3 comments, 9 reshares, 21 +1s)

Lamar Smith is back and we have to stop him!

 On Thursday the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a five-year reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act (FAA), the 2008 law that legalized the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program and more. It permits the government to get year-long orders from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans’ international communications—including phone calls, emails, and internet records—for the purpose of collecting foreign intelligence.  The orders need not specify who is going to be spied on or even allege that the targets did anything wrong.  The only guarantees that the FAA gives are that no specific American will be targeted for wiretapping and that some (classified) rules about the use of intercepted information will be followed.

*Read +Share + Sp... more »

2012-09-08 16:29:50 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

Join Global Advocates: Oppose Expanding ITU Authority to the Internet

Today, CDT (Center for Democracy and Technology) is releasing a letter drafted and signed by an international group of NGOs calling on governments to reject expansion of ITU regulatory authority to the Internet. The letter also calls on governments to open their preparatory processes so that technical experts, academics, and human rights advocates may voice their concerns and ideas about the proposals, along with business and government entities.

Keep the internet free

CDT believes the government-dominated structure of the ITU is ultimately inadequate for making Internet policy – by its nature, the ITU cannot provide the open, voluntary, decentralized, and inclusive processes that good Internet policymaking requires.

This is your opportunity to help set policy
more »

2012-09-08 00:35:11 (4 comments, 25 reshares, 28 +1s)

TPP Talks Have Resumed

This is your opportunity to have a say in the talks of the secret trade agreement that will almost certainly affect us all. The shameful secrecy that locks out public interest groups has continued, to nobody's surprise. The USTR's unwillingness to compromise is actually helping us because they can't agree on it. Yet.

Japan has caved in to ACTA

A few days ago, Japan's parliament signed ACTA despite some opposition. The treaty went unreported in the press and only Anonymous are doing anything about it, as far as we know. They're holding a rally tomorrow. This is important; we've got to make it clear that we're not going to tolerate our governments acting on our behalves without our consent.

Take action now

Fill out the form linked below with a short message — or send a message onT... more »

2012-09-07 15:50:05 (2 comments, 22 reshares, 29 +1s)

ACTA has passed in Japan

While we've been gloating about our success here in Europe, and watching the Mexicans fight it off in their congress, ACTA has been slipped into law in Japan. The ruling government attempted to ram it through without discussion, but the opposition resisted, delaying the vote until August 31st. In spite of a few dissenting legislators, ACTA passed the committee vote and was put up for plenary vote on September 4th (later delayed until September 6th).

No effort was made to keep the public informed

ACTA may have been passed, but it could hardly be said to reflect the will of the people, as the Japanese media has left it virtually unreported, and the government has made zero effort to keep the public informed. Most people who hear about ACTA and what it'll do join our campaign, but the wall of public ignorance and apathy can only be... more »

2012-09-05 19:43:07 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 11 +1s)

Colombians: Have A Say In Your IPR Laws!

In an unprecedented action the Colombian Copyright Office opened a consultation process for citizen participation on the instrument for limitations and exceptions to copyright for the visually impaired that is currently in discussions at WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights.

This is important

People who take part in these have the opportunity to have a say in how the Government's policy on intellectual property rights laws are made. Whether you have visual impairments or not, this is your chance to have a say in how the laws of your country are made.

Only for Columbians

The Colombian’s Copyright Office’s mechanism uses a form that seems to allow foreign comments, but asks for “cedula” (which is the citizen identification number in Colombia).  This probablymeans th... more »

2012-09-04 13:52:41 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 15 +1s)

Australia's Snooper's Charter

They refuse to give up; Australia's government, despite being told to "rack off!" by its population, is determined to bring in a law similar to Britain's Snooper's Charter. Worry not, they pinkie promise not to invade your privacy.

The Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse are upon us!

Yes indeed, it's for the kids, money launderers, organised crime... the usual suspects. No mention, of course, about who's going to run this massive entitlement program for surveillance companies or how much it will cost.

A bit of common sense

There are, of course, reasonable measures in Ms. Roxon's proposals, linked here:... more »

2012-08-31 17:38:52 (2 comments, 13 reshares, 26 +1s)

Who wants Global SOPA?

ITIF does. Funded by the MPAA, they are pushing for support of IP maximalism in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. In their report, they say,

But while the TPP has the potential to be a model 21st century free trade agreement, it will only become so if it both includes and holds the nations that sign it to the very highest standards, including those regarding intellectual property rights (IPR) protection; liberalized trade in services; transparency and openness in government procurement practices; restrictions on preferential treatment toward state-owned enterprises (SOEs); elimination of a host of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), including barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI); and at least equal, if not greater, emphasis on enforcement as on market access.

http://www2.itif.org/2012-ensuring-tpp-gold-standard-trade-agreement.pdf... more »

2012-08-30 15:25:53 (0 comments, 10 reshares, 21 +1s)

A clean and open Internet: Public consultation on procedures for notifying and acting on illegal content hosted by online intermediaries

Time is running out to take part in this so if you haven't done so yet, do it today. This is your chance to make ACTA2 impossible by exerting your influence on European policy where ISPs are concerned.

This is important

The legal underpinning for notice and action in the EU is the Article 14 limited liability provision of the E-Commerce Directive, which is vague to say the least.

Essentially an online host is not liable for the information stored or posted by users, if the host does not have “actual knowledge” of the illegal activity or information, and the host, upon obtaining such knowledge, acts “expeditiously” to remove or to disable access to the information.
http:... more »

2012-08-28 11:30:39 (3 comments, 10 reshares, 13 +1s)

Help Shape Australia's Copyright Regime

Australians, you have an opportunity to have a say in the laws being made to deal with copyright. There's a list of questions to answer: http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/copyright-and-digital-economy-ip-42/questions and they want these submitted to http://www.alrc.gov.au/content/copyright-and-digital-economy-online-submission before 16 November 2012.

It might derail TPP

The Trans-Pacific Partnership's intellectual property chapter contains some very harsh restrictions, even with fair use factored in. By making a case for reform in the opposite direction, you could make it difficult for your government to sign it.

Don't let the opportunity pass

This is your chance to take some responsibility for the way your country's laws are made. Encourage other people to get involved.... more »

2012-08-24 18:30:09 (12 comments, 8 reshares, 14 +1s)

Pressure Works — If There's Enough

We have just learned that the Tax Office in Australia wants access to real-time telecommunications data. This comes after the Senate passed a "lite" version of the data retention law we told you about two days ago.

Enforcing your rights is your responsibility

We have proved over and over again that pressure works if we push hard enough, if we have the numbers — and the will. That a fair few people joined Senator Scott Ludlam's campaign to push against the data retention proposal is evidenced by the fact that they got a targeted "lite" version that fell short of what both the Government and the Opposition wanted. That it could have been thwarted altogether if more people had joined in is indisputable.

We can only do so much

First the Tax Office wants free rein forfis... more »

2012-08-22 10:58:43 (2 comments, 13 reshares, 26 +1s)

Help Defeat The Data Retention Proposal in Australia

Since the September 11 attacks, cyberspace has become steadily more militarised. In Australia, increasingly expansive and poorly defined surveillance powers are regularly passed through the Parliament with minimal debate.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

"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."

Not any more, it seems.

Reverse the erosion of our rights

The one-way militarisation of the internet is steadily eroding some of the very freedoms that our security agencies were intended to protect. From straightforward privacy concerns to wider questions of... more »

2012-08-17 14:22:24 (4 comments, 9 reshares, 15 +1s)

Australian Government AND Opposition Sell Out To TPP!

The Federal Government and opposition have jointly voted down a Greens-led motion to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations available to the public.

Why do both of them want to keep it secret?

The plan, they say, is to keep the trade negotiations confidential until all countries have agreed to it. The idea is a tactic to advance the negotiations, though we don't see how not letting us know what's happening can achieve that. In any case, there's not a a final approved Australian government position.

Well, Australia is fighting the intellectual property chapter, isn't it?

Yes, but the US trade policy is that draft texts of the agreement are selectively aired to AT&T, Verizon, Cisco, the Motion Picture Association of America and other industry... more »

2012-08-15 11:25:19 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 10 +1s)

Tell the UK Government To Get Rid Of The Snooper's Charter!

The UK Government has a public consultation out for the Communications Data Bill. They're asking for submissions on whether or not people actually want this bill to pass.

How to take part

Here's what it is looking for:

Written submissions should be provided to the Committee as a Microsoft Word document [sic] and sent by e‐mail to draftcommunicationsdatabill@parliament.uk

Please do not submit PDFs (if you do not have access to Microsoft Word you may submit in another editable electronic form). If you do not have access to a computer you may submit a paper copy to the Clerk to the Lords Draft Communications Data Bill Joint Committee, Committee Office, House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW, fax 020 7219 4931.

We don't have much time

Thed... more »

2012-08-13 00:09:25 (1 comments, 17 reshares, 19 +1s)

Remember ACTA? Here's the Indian version

The European Union has been secretly negotiating a free trade agreement with India since 2007 that is worryingly similar to ACTA. Intellectual property rights enforcement would include border detention and seizure measures of goods being imported by India, exported by India or in transit via India's ports or airports.

TPP-style procurement policies included

The EU wants greater commitment by India to allow foreign investment in services such as retail, legal and postal. This is the problem: foreign corporations go in with promises of investment opportunities and exploit the people till the government pushes back, then the foreign investor takes them to an international trade court.

Read + Share + Push for transparency in international treaties = Freedom and fairness for all

2012-08-12 00:04:42 (3 comments, 61 reshares, 35 +1s)

WIPO's Broadcasting Treaty will end the public domain, fair use, and Creative Commons

Five years after the EFF killed the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization's Broadcasting Treaty, it's back. If this goes through, broadcasters would have property rights over transmission AND copyright, so if you record something from TV, the Internet, cable or satellite, you'd have to get permission from the creator and the broadcaster to re-use it.

Freehold property rights on broadcasting

The broadcast right would never expire, so even public domain videos can't be used without permission from the original creator. Fair dealing rights would differ from nation to nation, so even if you want to reuse video that's protected by fair use (such as parody, quotation, commentary or education), the broadcast right version of fair use might prohibit... more »

2012-08-11 18:58:27 (4 comments, 6 reshares, 19 +1s)

Australia's Snooper's Charter Falters

The Australian government's plan for mass data retention has been shelved till after the next election due to a public backlash.

Spooks and paper-pushers want it, but the people say "No"

Security bureaucrats have drafted legislation to expand internet surveillance and security powers, but Attorney-General Nicola Roxon decided to first refer a discussion paper to a parliamentary committee. Senior intelligence officials, who have been pushing for the increased powers, complain the legislation will be delayed until after the election due next year.

It seems Ms. Roxon is not convinced of the benefits of mass surveillance and although the national security officials are pushing for it, she's pushing back.

This proves what we've been saying all along: pressure works... more »

2012-08-11 13:03:17 (8 comments, 18 reshares, 29 +1s)

CleanIT: Europe's SOPA Plan

The idea is simple: create a flagging program to identify possible terrorist websites to be taken down or blocked on a voluntary basis by ISPs. What could go wrong? Well, mission creep is a documented fact and what's for sorting out the terrorists today may well be for silencing critics tomorrow.

We don't have much time

Delegates from Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Europol — the European Union's criminal intelligence agency — will gather in London this September as part of a project to cleanse the Internet (or at least the European section of the Internet) from "terrorist websites."

We need to explain the dangers of mission creep and censorship. Today, the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse (don't forget the perverts, gangsters and drug dealers!), tomorrow,leg... more »