doom of the internet

2007-02-16T03:10:00.000-08:00

The RIAA

2006-08-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

boycott-riaa.com - Facts - The Truth

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2006-08-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Recording Industry vs The People

2006-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

anotherdayiniraq.jpg (JPEG Image, 225x305 pixels)

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Congo

2006-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

a guy called Bertrand Bisimwa, a fantastic Congolese human rights activist. He said to me -- I thought he summarized the situation brilliantly -- he said, “You know, people have looked to Congo for over a hundred years, and they've seen a great big pile of riches with some black people inconveniently sitting on top of them.” And he said to me just before I left, you know, “It's your country and the developed world that has been doing this to Congo. So, tell me, who are the savages, you or us?”AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Johann Hari. He’s a journalist with the Independent in London. The piece that he did is called “A Journey into the Most Savage War in the World : My Travels in the Democratic Vacuum of Congo.” You know, this period now, August 6th through 9th, is the anniversary of the U.S. dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to Wikipedia, the uranium mine for those bombs came from the Congo. Is that true?JOHANN HARI: That is true, and unfortunately I couldn't get to the uranium mines. It's one of the very few parts of Congo that is actually quite well guarded, but it’s interesting, because the -- so many of the terrible problems that confronted the world actually, you find, cables back to Congo, whether it's the fact that the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were made with material stolen from the Congolese people, the fact that the earliest known cases of AIDS that we have were reported in Congo.

Democracy Now! | “The War The World Ignores”: A Look at War-Devastated Congo & The Country’s First Multi-Party Elections in 45 Years

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Friday, August 04, 2006

2006-08-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today, the headline of the print edition of the New York Times reads: "12 Israelis die." First, notice that in mentioning Israeli casualties, the New York Times does not distinguish between military and civilian casualties because even those who attack Israeli military targets are considered terrorists. Also, there is no mention of Lebanese casualties. I even looked inside to no avail.

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب

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2006-08-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hanady Salman (editor at As-Safir in Beirut) sent this:Last night , at two am or so, Sahar , my friend and colleague , called me. I jumped to the phone ( didn't want the ringing sound to wake Kinda) and my first question to her was "what's happening? ( shou fi?) ", and she replied with a question "where are you?" . I laughed, she had left the office at midnight and I was still there. "Home, in bed" , I said, "why?" . So she said " So , you're not in Baalback?" .At that point I said to myself that either she's drunk or she has lost her mind , almost no one can reach Baalback during the day, let alone a night trip there. When she heard how ridiculous her question sounded , she tried to laugh and told me she was calling because someone told her they heard on the news that Hanady Salman was killed in Baalback. And since my home town is in that region , she go tworried. At that point we both laughed and I warned her to stop disturbing my when I'm sleeping before she double- checks her sources. I'd forgotten about this incident, until I saw the pictures attached. The woman killed is Hanadi Sleiman ( not salman) . She was killed in an air raid on Burdai , near Baalback. Besides the resemblance in our names, we have , had, one more thing in common, that woman and I : she both , each , have ( she had) a two year old baby gir

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب

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2006-08-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

From Egyptian poet's Amal Dunqul's Ending (my translation):"Oh...who will stop the windmills in my head?Who will remove the knives from my heart?Who will kill my poor children...?In order that they do not...grow up in the redfurnished apartments..servants..catamites..pimps...who will kill my poor children?"

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب

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US plan to establish a missile base that would be immune from Polish control. The Bush administration is insisting

2006-08-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Lese Artikel VII, Paragraph 3 völlig durch.ARTICLE VII1.SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE,(A) THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES OF THE SENDING STATE SHALLHAVE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE WITHIN THE RECEIVING STATEALL CRIMINAL AND DISCIPLINARY JURISDICTION CONFERREDON THEM BY THE LAW OF THE SENDING STATE OVER ALLPERSONS SUBJECT TO THE MILITARY LAW OF THAT STATE;(B) THE AUTHORITIES OF THE RECEIVING STATE SHALL HAVEJURISDICTION OVER THE MEMBERS OF A FORCE OR CIVILIANCOMPONENT AND THEIR DEPENDENTS WITH RESPECT TOOFFENCES COMMITTED WITHIN THE TERRITORY OF THERECEIVING STATE AND PUNISHABLE BY THE LAW OF THATSTATE.2.—(A) THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES OF THE SENDING STATESHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OVER PERSONS SUBJECT TO THE MILITARY LAW OF THAT STATE WITH RESPECT TO OFFENCES, INCLUDING OFFENCES RELATING TO ITS SECURITY, PUNISHABLE BY THE LAW OF THE SENDING STATE, BUT NOT BY THE LAW OF THE RECEIVING STATE.(B) THE AUTHORITIES OF THE RECEIVING STATE SHALL HAVETHE RIGHT TO EXERCISE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OVERMEMBERS OF A FORCE OR CIVILIAN COMPONENT AND THEIRDEPENDENTS WITH RESPECT TO OFFENCES, INCLUDINGOFFENCES RELATING TO THE SECURITY OF THAT STATE,PUNISHABLE BY ITS LAW BUT NOT BY THE LAW OF THE SENDING STATE.(C) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH AND OFPARAGRAPH 3 OF THIS ARTICLE A SECURITY OFFENCE AGAINSTA STATE SHALL INCLUDE (I) TREASON AGAINST THE STATE; (II) SABOTAGE, ESPIONAGE OR VIOLATION OF ANY LAW RELATING TO OFFICIAL SECRETS OF THAT STATE, OR SECRETS RELATING TO THE NATIONAL DEFENCE OF THAT STATE.3.IN CASES WHERE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE JURISDICTION ISCONCURRENT THE FOLLOWING RULES SHALL APPLY:(A) THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES OF THE SENDING STATE SHALLHAVE THE PRIMARY RIGHT TO EXERCISE JURISDICTION OVER AMEMBER OF A FORCE OR OF A CIVILIAN COMPONENT INRELATION TO(I) OFFENCES SOLELY AGAINST THE PROPERTY OR SECURITY OFTHAT STATE, OR OFFENCES SOLELY AGAINST THE PERSON ORPROPERTY OF ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE FORCE OR CIVILIANCOMPONENT OF THAT STATE OR OF A DEPENDENT;(II) OFFENCES ARISING OUT OF ANY ACT OR OMISSION DONE INTHE PERFORMANCE OF OFFICIAL DUTY.(B) IN THE CASE OF ANY OTHER OFFENCE THE AUTHORITIES OFTHE RECEIVING STATE SHALL HAVE THE PRIMARY RIGHT TOEXERCISE JURISDICTION.(C) IF THE STATE HAVING THE PRIMARY RIGHT DECIDES NOT TO EXERCISE JURISDICTION, IT SHALL NOTIFY THE AUTHORITIES OF THE OTHER STATE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE. THE AUTHORITIES OF THE STATE HAVING THE PRIMARY RIGHT SHALL GIVE SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION TO A REQUEST FROM THE AUTHORITIES OF THE OTHER STATE FOR A WAIVER OF ITS RIGHT IN CASES WHERE THAT OTHER STATE CONSIDERS SUCH WAIVER TO BE OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE.4.THE FOREGOING PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE SHALL NOTIMPLY ANY RIGHT FOR THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES OF THESENDING STATE TO EXERCISE JURISDICTION OVER PERSONSWHO ARE NATIONALS OF OR ORDINARILY RESIDENT IN THERECEIVING STATE, UNLESS THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE FORCEOF THE SENDING STATE.5.-- (A) THE AUTHORITIES OF THE RECEIVING AND SENDINGSTATES SHALL ASSIST EACH OTHER IN THE ARREST OFMEMBERS OF A FORCE OR CIVILIAN COMPONENT OR THEIR

Poland Undecided on U.S. Offer to Build Anti-Missile Shield

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Poland Undecided on U.S. Offer to Build Anti-Missile Shield

2006-08-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Poland Undecided on U.S. Offer to Build Anti-Missile Shield

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Flights protest targets Prestwick

2006-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow and West | Flights protest targets Prestwick

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Bush 'apology' over bomb flights

2006-08-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Bush 'apology' over bomb flights

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow and West | Bush 'apology' over bomb flights

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Coalition: Vast Majority Of Iraqis Still Alive

2006-08-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Coalition: Vast Majority Of Iraqis Still Alive | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

technorati tags:news

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2006-08-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Coalition: Vast Majority Of Iraqis Still Alive | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

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2006-08-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Andy Borowitz: Man in Coma for 19 Years Asks to Go Back to Sleep

Truthdig - Reports - Andy Borowitz: Man in Coma for 19 Years Asks to Go Back to Sleep

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2006-08-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Beckett protest at weapons flight

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Innocent people put on federal air marshal watch list

2006-07-31T05:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 25, 2006Innocent people put on federal air marshal watch list to meet quotaDave says: "This is an article describing how federal air marshals are placing innocent people on watch lists to meet quotas that require them to file at least one surveillance detection report (or SDR) per month." "Do these reports have real life impacts on the people who are identified as potential terrorists?" 7NEWS Investigator Tony Kovaleski asked. "Absolutely," a federal air marshal replied. 7NEWS obtained an internal Homeland Security document defining an SDR as a report designed to identify terrorist surveillance activity. "When you see a decision like this, for these reports, who loses here?" Kovaleski asked. "The people we're supposed to protect -- the American public," an air marshal said. What kind of impact would it have for a flying individual to be named in an SDR? "That could have serious impact ... They could be placed on a watch list. They could wind up on databases that identify them as potential terrorists or a threat to an aircraft. It could be very serious," said Don Strange, a former agent in charge of air marshals in Atlanta. He lost his job attempting to change policies inside the agency.Link

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/9559707/detail.html

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2006-07-31T04:49:00.000-07:00

Tiger Wabbit

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Untitled

2006-07-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Boing Boing: Image of the day: children send messages on missiles

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Mideast Conflict

2006-07-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Mideast Conflict on Yahoo! News Photos

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From the 'pain ray' to the 'death ray': By Brett Wagner

2006-07-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing in my training or experience as a national security specialist prepared me for what I witnessed last month when viewing a newly released documentary news video concerning an extremely controversial new generation of U.S. weaponry which may have already been secretly deployed in Iraq. This sort of thing is not for the faint of heart.For the past few years the U.S. military has been developing new technology based on "directed energy" yielding two new types of weapons.The first, "Active Denial System," has been nicknamed the "pain ray" -- and with good reason. It fires out millimeter waves -- a sort of cousin of microwaves, in the 95 GHz range. The invisible beams penetrate just 1/64th ofan inch beneath the skin, directly affecting the nerve endings, and a 2-second burst can heat the skin to 130 degrees. Charles Heal, a widely recognized authority on nonlethal weapons who has dubbed the ray the "Holy Grail of crowd control," likened it to having a hot iron pressed against the skin.Deploying the pain ray would be a clear violation of international law, which prohibits weapons whose primary intention is to inflict pain. Earlier this year, a U.S. military commander in Iraq requested that, despite the ban, the weapon be deployed immediately. But following the efforts of our organization and others opposing that request, Washington has indefinitely delayed any deployment pending further testing and analysis.The second form of directed energy weaponry fires out microwaves, a form of energy well known for its use in modern kitchen appliances. I have nicknamed this weapon the "death ray" -- and with good reason. Exposing mammals to microwaves is known to make them explode.The documentary news video in question, which was released online recently (16 May 2006) by a major Italian news service, examines evidence that the U.S. military has deployed – dating back to the 2003 battle for Baghdad Airport – a new generation of weaponry likely based on firing microwaves. Viewer discretion is advised: even as a former professor for the U.S. Naval War College, this goes way beyond my comfort zoneJudging from the reported effects of the weaponry, it likely includes "speed of light" technology defying the generic term "laser" and it is my professional opinion that it also likely includes the use of microwaves, judging from the descriptions of bodies that seem to have inexplicably exploded.However, I cannot imagine the scientific explanation for the cadavers that reportedly shrunk to the size of approximately one-meter in length after being exposed to some sort of ray (the cause of death) and then inadvertently struck by bullets. Neither do I have an explanation for what one eyewitness describes as a bus transformed "like a cloth, like a wet cloth" and shrunk tothe size of a Volkswagen. To me, it sounds like a very intense form of microwaves.The statements by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and General Myers excerpted from a 2003 archived press conference are especially revealing:JOURNALIST: Mr. Secretary, can I ask you a question about some of the technology that you're developing to fight the war on terrorists, specifically directed energy and high-powered microwave technology? When do you envision that you can weaponize that type of technology?DONALD RUMSFELD (appearing noticeably uncomfortable with the question): In the normal order of things, when you invest in research and development and begin a developmental project, you don't have any intention or expectations that one would use it. On the other hand, the real world intervenes from time to time, and you reach in there and take something out that is still in a developmental stage, and you might use it.JOURNALIST: But you sound like you're willing to experiment with it.GENERAL MYERS: Yeah, I think that's the point. And I think we have from the beginning of this conflict… I think General Franks [commander of U.S. forces in Iraq] has been very open to looking at new things, if there are new things available, and has been willing to put them into the fight, even before they've been fully wrung out… And we will continue to do that.Also noteworthy was the inclusion of footage, albeit very brief, near the end of the documentary of the "pain ray" being tested on a person identified as an American soldier. The person exposed to the ray obviously experienced excruciating pain before ducking quickly out of the line of fire.The closing remarks in the documentary by highly-respected military analyst William Arkin echo my widely-publicized concerns regarding the implications ofthe pain ray for use in crowd control in the U.S. – and the potential threat to our basic civil liberties, such as our First Amendment rights of peaceable assembly and to petition the government for a redress of our grievances (not to mention undermining the norms expressed by Sixth Amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment).These types of weapons pose a dire threat to the world as we know it and their deployment must be prevented at all cost. At the very least, they could ignite a new global arms race, which in turn would lead to increasing global instability or worse.We simply must not allow this "Brave New World" to enter our own._______________________________________Brett Wagner is president of the California Center for Strategic Studies (www.TheCaliforniaCenter.org).Additional research was provided by CCSS analysts Jacob Shepard and Clay Fordahl.(The video cited can be viewed in English, Italian or Arabic by clicking onhttp://www.rainews24.it/ran24/inchieste/guerre_stellari_iraq.asp)_______________________________________The California Center for Strategic Studies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt educational institute as recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and is incorporated in the State of California.

OneWorld UK / News / World News from OneWorld UK - US using 'dangerous new form of weapon'

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2006-07-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

EFF:

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2006-07-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Report: Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs

2006-07-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Report: Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs

Boing Boing: Report: Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs (UPDATED)

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2006-07-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Boing Boing: Report: Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs (UPDATED)

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2006-07-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Boing Boing: Report: Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs (UPDATED)

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2006-07-17T02:43:00.001-07:00

Alleged Copyright Infringement Suspension and Disclosure of Customer Information Thank you for your letter dated 10 July 2006, notifying us of your allegations that certain customers of Tiscali UK Limited ("Tiscali") have and continue to infringe the copyright in various sounds recordings owned or controlled by certain members of The British Phonographic IndustryLimited ("BPI"). In your letter, you request that Tiscali: 1. suspends the relevant customers until such time as they enter into an undertaking with the BPI in the form required by you; 2. discloses the personal details of the relevant customers to the BPI; and 3. itself enters into a legal agreement with the BPI obliging it to do the above. I will deal with each of these issues in turn below. Firstly, however, I would like to be clear that Tiscali does not support or condone use of its network for abuse or infringement of copyright. Tiscali has a history of co-operating with those investigating any such matters, within the limits of its own legal obligations and whilst respecting the legal rights of our customers. Moreover, Tiscali has done a great deal of work to further the development of the legitimate online music community and has developed and enjoys an excellent working relationship with most of the major record labels in the UK and many independent labels, the majority of which are your members. Suspension You have sent us a spreadsheet setting out a list of 17 IP addresses you allege belong to Tiscali customers, whom you allege have infringed the copyright of your members, together with the dates and times and with which sound recording you allege that they have done so. You have also sent us extracts of screenshots of the shared drive of one of those customers. You state that such evidence is "overwhelming". However, you have provided no actual evidence in respect of 16 of the accounts. Further, you have provided no evidence of downloading taking place nor have you provided evidence that the shared drive was connected by the relevant IP address at the relevant time. Similar requests we have dealt with in the past, have included such information and, indeed, the bodies conducting those investigations have felt that a court would consider it necessary to see such evidence, supported by sworn statements, before being able to grant any order. Therefore, in order to assist you, we will require the following information from you: 1. in respect of the remaining 16 IP addresses, please provide screenshots of each user's shared drive so that you can prima facie establish communication to the public; 2. in respect of all 17 IP addresses, please provide evidence that shows that the user id is connected via the IP address concerned at the relevant date and time; 3. if you wish to establish that downloading is taking place, please also provide evidence of this; and 3. as these IP address are dynamic and are allocated to a user upon connection for the duration of the connection only, please confirm that the timings provided are all BST, so that we may accurately identify the customer details. In the meantime, we have contacted the customer, in respect of whom you have provided partial evidence of communication to the public of copyrighted sound recordings and have given such customer seven days from the date of receipt of our letter to provide an explanation. Should we not receive an adequate explanation during such period, we shall suspend the user's account pending resolution of your investigation, assuming by that time we have received evidence from you of a link between the user account and the IP address at the relevant time. At this point, I would like to make it clear that a similar procedure will be followed in respect of the remaining 16 customers, once you have provided proper evidence. Tiscali does not intend to require its customers to enter into the undertakings proposed by you and, in any event, our initial view is that they are more restrictive than is reasonable or necessary. However, should you wish our customers to enter into your undertakings, you will need to approach them directly. It is a matter for them to decide whether they wish to enter into such undertakings or defend proceedings against them in the courts. It is not for Tiscali, as an ISP, nor the BPI, as a trade association, to effectively act as a regulator or law enforcement agency and deny individuals the right to defend themselves against the allegations made against them. Disclosure of Customer Details As you will already be fully aware, Tiscali will not be able to disclose customer details to you unless you obtain a court order requiring us to do so. To disclose without a court order would put Tiscali at risk of breaching the terms and conditions of its customer agreements, and the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Tiscali Undertakings As we have mentioned above, Tiscali has always co-operated with investigations into alleged infringement conducted by copyright owners, whilst observing its own legal obligations and respecting the legal rights of its customers. In the circumstances, we do not consider it necessary nor desirable to enter into such undertakings nor do we believe that, in circumstances where we are co-operating with your investigation in the manner we have outlined in this letter, that a court would require us to do so. Furthermore, we do not believe that you have at present satisfied the requirements of section 97A of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 with the information you have provided. We look forward to receiving the information requested above. Yours sincerely Tiscali UK Limited

http://craphound.com/tiscalibpiresponse.txt

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2006-07-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

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2006-07-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

RIAA loses in file sharing case

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2006-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Business | Open net calls fall on deaf ears

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2006-06-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Free Press : Web's Fate May Hinge on ISPs' Neutrality

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2006-06-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

TALES OF IRAQ WAR by Latuff (ALWAYS UPDATED!!!)

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2006-06-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

The Best Thing We Have Ever Posted: Reader Tries To Cancel AOL - Consumerist

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2006-06-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Aborigines fight for their money back

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2006-06-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

o

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | US memo reveals Iraqis' grim life

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2006-06-17T04:03:00.000-07:00

BBC to Brits: Need a license to watch us online, too | CNET News.com

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2006-06-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

Wired News: Stumbling Into a Spy Scandal

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2006-06-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Government Adds Consumer Databases To Mining Queries

mrraven writes "According to an article in the Washington Post the government is increasingly using consumer databases for surveillance purposes. " From the article: "It is difficult to pinpoint the number of such contracts because many of them are classified, experts said. At the federal level, 52 government agencies had launched, or planned to begin, at least 199 data-mining projects as far back as 2004, according to a Government Accountability Office study."

EFF Can Use Critical AT&T Documents in Surveillance Lawsuit

2006-06-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2006 EFF Can Use Critical AT&T Documents in Surveillance Lawsuit Evidence For Illegal Spying Case Will Remain Under Seal for Now San Francisco - A federal judge in San Francisco ruled today that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) can use critical evidence in its class-action lawsuit against AT&T. However, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said the evidence -- three documents that AT&T alleges are proprietary and contain the company's trade secrets -- will be kept under seal for now. EFF's suit accuses AT&T of illegally handing over its customers' telephone and Internet records and communications to the National Security Agency (NSA). The evidence at issue was filed as support for EFF's motion for a preliminary injunction against AT&T, seeking to stop the company's ongoing violations of the law and the privacy of its customers. AT&T had requested that the evidence be returned to AT&T, and not used in the case. Wednesday, Judge Walker denied that request. Although the allegedly proprietary documents will remain under seal, Judge Walker instructed AT&T to work with EFF to narrowly redact any confidential material from EFF's brief and supporting declarations so that they can be made public as soon as possible. "We're very pleased that the court refused AT&T's unreasonable demand that this critical evidence be returned to AT&T and struck from the record. And, although the evidence itself will stay under seal, the court has asked AT&T to work with us in providing public versions of our legal papers," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "Taken together with the court's refusal to close the courtroom as AT&T had requested, we think today was a real victory for the public's right to know, and for our ability to litigate this case." The next hearing in this case -- about AT&T and the U.S. government's motions to dismiss the lawsuit -- is set for June 23. For more on the AT&T lawsuit: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/ Contact: Rebecca Jeschke Media Coordinator Electronic Frontier Foundation press@eff.org Posted at 03:56 PM

EFF: Breaking News

Government Files Secret Motion to Dismiss AT&T Surveillance

2006-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2006 Government Files Secret Motion to Dismiss AT&T Surveillance Case DOJ Intervention Comes Just Days Before Hearing on Sealed Evidence San Francisco - Early Saturday morning, the United States government filed a motion to dismiss the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) class-action lawsuit against AT&T for illegally handing over its customers' telephone and Internet records and communications to the National Security Agency. The government claims that its legal brief and two affidavits from senior intelligence officials that accompanied the motion are classified, preventing even the parties to the lawsuit, EFF and AT&T, from seeing them. While EFF was not permitted to see the government's entire brief, in a redacted version made publicly available the government said that the case against AT&T should be immediately terminated because any judicial inquiry into the whether AT&T broke the law could reveal state secrets and harm national security. "The government is trying to lock out any judicial inquiry into AT&T and the NSA's illegal spying operation," said EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl. "It is illegal for major telecommunications companies to simply hand over private customer information to the government. They should not be allowed to hide their illegal activity behind government assertions of 'state secrets' to prevent the judiciary from stepping in to expose and punish the illegal behavior. If the government's motion is granted, it will have undermined the freedoms our country has fought so hard to protect." EFF's federal lawsuit against AT&T alleges that the telecommunications company has given the NSA secret, direct access to the phone calls and emails going over its network, and has been handing over communications logs detailing the activities of millions of ordinary Americans. This week, a USA TODAY report bolstered key allegations in EFF's lawsuit, detailing how AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth provided phone call records about of tens of millions of their customers to the NSA without any legal authorization. The same week, lawyers at the Justice Department were forced to halt their probe into the DOJ's involvement in the spying program because they were refused security clearance by the NSA. "The press has already widely reported on the illegal domestic surveillance that is the basis for our case. Allowing a court to determine whether AT&T broke the law would in no way harm national security. Indeed, our case is meant to protect Americans -- by requiring that the AT&T follow the law and protect its customers from unchecked spying into their personal communications," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. On Wednesday, May 17, at 10 a.m., a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco will hear oral arguments about the unsealing of critical documents in the lawsuit. The sealed evidence at issue includes a declaration by Mark Klein, a retired AT&T telecommunications technician, and several internal AT&T documents that support EFF's allegations. AT&T wants the documents returned and argues that they should not be used as evidence in the case. For more information about attending the hearing, please email press@eff.org. For the redacted government motion: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/GovMotiontoDismiss.pdf For USA TODAY's story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm For more on the AT&T lawsuit: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/ Contact: Rebecca Jeschke Media Coordinator Electronic Frontier Foundation press@eff.org

EFF: Breaking News

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2006-06-13T04:56:00.000-07:00

Flock

2006-06-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS Technology Defeat for net neutrality backers

2006-06-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our Open Letter to AOL

2006-06-07T08:26:00.001-07:00

Independent News Portal COAnews: coanews.org : netfreedom

2006-06-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Independent News Portal COAnews: coanews.org : netfreedom

2006-06-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

EFF:

2006-06-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

2006-04-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Free Hao Wu » Day 36: Hao’s sister is blogging.

2006-04-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Boing Boing: HK lawmaker: Yahoo unit had role in Shi Tao's jailing

2006-04-04T08:20:00.001-07:00

Boing Boing: Smithsonian becomes Showtime's exclusive first-refusal archive

Tuesday, April 4, 2006Smithsonian becomes Showtime's exclusive first-refusal archive The Smithsonian has sold exclusive first-refusal rights to its enormous film archive (including tons of public-domain material) to Showtime, a commercial network. This means that anyone who wants to use Smithsonian footage in a documentary will have to take a back seat to Showtime's execs.
What's more, if the US signs the evil WIPO "Broadcast Treaty," it means that Showtime will get a new, 50-year copyright over the public domain material they air as part of this deal, so doc-makers won't even be able to piece together works from the crumbs that Showtime chooses to air.
"I find this deal terrifying," [Ken] Burns said in a telephone interview from San Francisco, where he is filming interviews for a documentary on the history of the national parks. "It feels like the Smithsonian has essentially optioned America's attic to one company, and to have access to that attic, we would have to be signed off with, and perhaps co-opted by, that entity."
On March 9, Showtime and the Smithsonian announced the creation of Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture to develop television programming. Under the agreement, the joint venture has the right of first refusal to commercial documentaries that rely heavily on Smithsonian collections or staff. Those works would first have to be offered to Smithsonian on Demand, the cable channel that is expected to be the venture's first programming service. Link (Thanks, Fred!)

2006-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

2006-03-26T04:14:00.000-08:00

Dvorak Uncensored » Bush shuns Patriot Act requirement

2006-03-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

Network Neutrality Facts - Hands Off My Internet! - Common Cause: "limitations imposed by their Internet service providers (ISPs)."
You think the Internet will always be the great freewheeling information superhighway you've grown to love? Well, think again. Media giants want to privatize our Internet.

Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress for the right to control where you go on the Internet, how fast you get there, and how much you pay for the service.

Tell them to keep their hands off our Internet!

If successful in Congress, these companies would open the door to violate what techies call "net neutrality." It is the principle that Internet users should be able to access any web content they want, post their own content, and use any applications they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service providers (ISPs).

Net neutrality is the reason this democratic medium has grown exponentially, fueled innovation and altered how we communicate. We must make certain that for-profit interests do not destroy the democratic culture of the web.

But some big telecommunications executives just don't get it. For them it is all about their bottom lines. They already charge us higher prices for slower connections than their counterparts in other parts of the world. Now they say that they should get to double-charge for Internet access - collecting fees not just from us, but also from websites like Google and Yahoo.

And what about websites like CommonCause.org or your favorite blog that can't afford to pay up? They might be left in the slow lane of the information superhighway.

Common Cause is ready - with your help - to fight the telcom giants in the halls of Congress. A major rewrite of telecommunications law is on the agenda this spring. We need to push back hard at the telecom lobbyists who want to write Internet freedom out of the law.

Our first step is to send a strong message now to the big industry execs. Tell them that the principle of net neutrality needs to be honored, and that Internet service providers (ISPs) should not play gatekeepers.

Take Action Now!

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Read More:

Fact Sheets & Reports:
Quotes from Media Executives on Net Neutrality
Keep the Internet Free and Open
What's at Stake in the Telecom Act
The Importance of the Internet and Public Support for Network Neutrality: National Survey Results

News:
Free American Broadband (Salon)
Internet Freeloaders (Slate)
The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet (Washington Post)

Blogs:
Jeff Pulver
Reve News
Free Government Information
Weblogsky
Isen.blog
Sine.Qua.Non's Journal
News Hounds
Dispatches from FOH
Mark Frankenberg
Yarns Spun from Ink
NJVetCaucus
Democracy for Metro Detroit

2006-03-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Boycott the RIAA! Skip these Record Labels.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Countdown for nasty Windows virus

2006-01-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

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Symantec, Kaspersky criticized for cloaking software - Computerworld

2006-01-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

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Police blotter: Alleged eDonkey pirate gets trial | Tech News on ZDNet

2006-01-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

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EconoCulture - Going Underground

2005-12-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

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