When the Government Comes Knocking, Who Has Your Back?
Hat tip to Josh Stearns for making us aware of this 2012 report.
Via the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
When you use the Internet, you entrust your online conversations, thoughts, experiences, locations, photos, and more to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook. But what happens when the government demands that these companies to hand over your private information? Will the company stand with you? Will it tell you that the government is looking for your data so that you can take steps to protect yourself?
The Electronic Frontier Foundation examined the policies of 18 major Internet companies — including email providers, ISPs, cloud storage providers, and social networking sites — to assess whether they publicly commit to standing with users when the government seeks access to user data. We looked at their terms of service, privacy policies, and published law enforcement guides, if any. We also examined their track record of fighting for user privacy in the courts and whether they’re members of the Digital Due Process coalition, which works to improve outdated communications law. Finally, we contacted each of the companies with our conclusions and gave them an opportunity to respond and provide us evidence of improved policies and practices. These categories are not the only ways that a company can stand up for users, of course, but they are important and publicly verifiable.
While some Internet companies have stepped up for users in particular situations, it’s time for all companies that hold private user data to make public commitments to defend their users against government overreach. The purpose of this report is to incentivize companies to be transparent about what data flows to the government and encourage them to take a stand for user privacy when it is possible to do so.
Read through for the report’s findings.
Happy Birthday Internet!
20 years ago today CERN published the information on the technology needed to create the world wide web for free allowing the internet to grow and blossom into whatever humanity wanted it to be. Next year the internet can drink!
House passes controversial cybersecurity bill CISPA in 288-127 vote
Almost half of Democrats support info-sharing bill despite Obama’s veto threat.
12 Game of Thrones House Sigils for the Internet [Click for more]
Behold the mighty clans of Web-steros!
Do you know who’s tracking you online?
I just found out about Collusion, a free plugin for Firefox that allows you to see who is tracking you, in real time. Here’s a shot of my trackers after just a few minutes of web surfing.
Try it out, see who’s watching you!
So far I have found that facebook and reddit both continue to track after closing them out. <strike>Tumblr has not tracked at all.</strike> never mind found them.
Meanwhile in the US President Obama has passed an executive order to push Cybersecurity bill forward
“CISPA Strikes Back? Barack Obama’s Cybersecurity Executive Order”~Via TheDailyBeast
It seems President Obama has some seriously legitimate reasons for pushing this would be Cispa bill forward however imho to those pursuing online activism in the US I would recommend you find a new hobby to avoid becoming cannon fodder. Read entire executive order here: CloudDoc
Please help us fix things. We can make a difference.
Call your Representatives and Senators and encourage them to co-sponsor Aaron’s Law —- > (Switchboard: 202-224-3121 / Calling CampaignAaron’s Law would fix the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to prevent the type of prosecutorial abuse that led to the death of Aaron Swartz. The bill is being introduced by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and is only two pages long. You can view a draft here: http://1.usa.gov/13DlJj4
Infographic: Celebrating Internet Freedom Day & The Anniversary Of The SOPA/PIPA Protests
“It’s January 18th, 2013, and that’s a day worthy of note: the one year anniversary of the widespread protests against SOPA and PIPA. Not only did the massive reaction from the internet community succeed in stopping these dangerous bills that would have curtailed free speech and innovation online, the protests sent shockwaves through the world of politics. In a true manifestation of democracy, the combined voice of the people overruled the lobbyists and backroom dealers who, only weeks before, were smugly assured of the new law’s passage.
To celebrate that victory, a bunch of groups involved in the ongoing fight for internet freedom have come together to declare Internet Freedom Day on January 18th. Here at Techdirt, we’re marking the occasion with an infographic looking back at the day the internet community became a political force to be reckoned with…”~TechDirt
US-based anti-piracy outfit Digital Rights Corp has submitted patent app to turn piracy into profit.
Anti-Piracy Chief Patents “Pay Up or Disconnect” Scheme
(Identifying infringers and notifying ISPs)
(Steps after ISP is first notified)
“One of the top executives of the US-based anti-piracy outfit Digital Rights Corp has submitted a patent application that promises to turn piracy into profit. The patent describes a system where Internet users caught downloading will receive a notice from their Internet provider along with a request to pay a small fee to the affected copyright holder. Pirates who refuse to pay risk the ultimate punishment of being disconnected from the Internet.
There are many ways copyright holders approach the “online piracy” problem. Some copyright holders prefer to do it through innovation, others prefer educational messages, warnings or even lawsuits. Another group is aiming for lots of small cash settlements.”~Read More: TorrentFreak
