Government spies could scan every call, text and email

(Telegraph.co.uk) - The huge eavesdropping programme would involve the creation of a mammoth central computer database to store hundreds of billions of individual pieces of communications traffic.

Supporters say it would become one of the security services’ most comprehensive tools in the fight against terrorism but critics described it as “sinister”.

MI5 currently has to apply to the Home Secretary for warrants to intercept specific email and website traffic but, under the new plan, internet and mobile phone networks could be monitored live by GCHQ, the Government listening post.

The Home Office said no decision had been taken but security officials claim live monitoring is necessary to pick up terrorist plots.

It would allow them to capture records like chat room discussions on password-protected Islamic extremist websites.

The annual number of phone calls and other electronic communications in the UK is predicted to nearly double from 230 billion in 2006 to 450 billion by 2016.

Last year 57 billion text messages, or 1,800 a second, were sent. That rose from one billion in 1999.

The number of broadband internet connections rose from 330,000 in 2001 to 18 million last year. Three billion e-mails are sent every day, or 35,000 every second.

One of the spurs for a central database is a concern over how that electronic communications data is currently stored by hundreds of different internet service providers and private telephone companies.

Records may only be held for limited periods of time and are then lost which makes it impossible for police and the security services to establishing historical links, or so-called “friendship trees”, between terrorists.

If all communications information was centrally stored then links could be made between terrorist cells and other sympathisers could be identified.

The telephone and internet companies are currently required to give records of calls or internet use to law enforcement agencies if a senior officer authorises that it is needed for an inquiry.

Last year there were more than half a million such requests.

The cost of monitoring everything, and keeping it on a central database, has been estimated at £12 billion and would dwarf the proposed cost of the identity cards programme.

Critics also claim it would be virtually impossible to keep such a vast system secure and free from abuse by law enforcement agencies.

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said: “It would mark a substantial shift in the powers of the state to obtain information on individuals.

“Given the Government’s poor record on protecting data, and seeing how significant an increase in power this would be, we need to have a national debate and the Government would have to justify its need.”

The Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, has already called for a public debate about Government proposals for the state to retain people’s internet and phone records.

A spokesman for the commissioner said: “He warned that it is likely that such a scheme would be a step too far for the British way of life. Proposals that threaten such intrusion into people’s lives must be properly debated.”

Richard Clayton, a security expert at Cambridge University, said the proposal would mean installing thousands of probes in telephone and computer networks which would re-route data to the central database.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Telegraph.co.uk, Nick Allen, Oct 5, 2008 ]

Researchers warn of Facebook malware

(vnunet.com, 08 Sep 2008) - A group of Greek security researchers has created a tool to turn Facebook into an attack platform.

The researchers are from the Institute of Computer Science at the Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, along with a researcher from Singapore’s Institute for Infocomm Research.

In a paper entitled Antisocial Networks (PDF) the researchers demonstrated an application that causes Facebook users to unknowingly participate in denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against other sites.

The ‘Facebot’ tool was disguised as a National Geographic ‘picture of the day’ application which users install into their Facebook profile page, thus allowing it to access account information and request new photos.

When users access the application to view a new photo, they unwittingly become internet attackers.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: vnunet.com, Sept. 8, 2008 ]

Are Contractors in War Zones Above the Law?

(AlterNet.org) - In January of 2008, Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, was electrocuted while showering in his Baghdad barracks. His death prompted last week’s congressional report concluding that defense contractor KBR, (until a year ago a subsidiary of the oil services giant Halliburton) was well aware that the electrical system in Maseth’s complex was faulty. An accident like this, the report found, was bound to happen. But this report also now raises a larger and thornier question about military defense contractors: can they be held legally liable for their actions — or inactions? Will anyone be held responsible for Maseth’s death?

This is an increasingly important question as the U.S. government hires ever more military contractors to do work that used to be done by U.S. soldiers. The war in Iraq has already involved more outsourcing of military functions than any previous war in American history. An estimated 180,000 civilian contractors now work in Iraq and Afghanistan to support the U.S. government there. They do everything from guard U.S. officials and dignitaries to truck fuel, food and other supplies to military bases — all jobs that used to be done by soldiers.

Private contractors operating in Iraq are not subject to U.S. military authority, or to U.S. or Iraqi law. Their employees are not subject to the rigors of Army basic training; and their superiors are not held to the strict rules and ethics that apply to the U.S. military.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: AlterNet.org, Daphne Eviatar, Washington Independent, August 7, 2008 ]

U.S. agents can seize travelers’ laptops: report

(StopThePropaganda.com) - Careful what you keep on your laptop or even your iPod when travelling to the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents have been given new powers to seize travelers’ laptops and other electronic devices at the border and hold them for unspecified periods the Washington Post reported on Friday.

 

Under recently disclosed Department of Homeland Security policies, such seizures may be carried out without suspicion of wrongdoing, the newspaper said, quoting policies issued on July 16 by two DHS agencies.

 

Agents are empowered to share the contents of seized computers with other agencies and private entities for data decryption and other reasons, the newspaper said.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Reuters ]

Bush Signs Bill To Take All Newborns’ DNA

(InfoWars.net) - President Bush last week signed into law a bill which will see the federal government begin to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. within six months, a move critics have described as the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database.

Described as a “national contingency plan” the justification for the new law S. 1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is that it represents preparation for any sort of “public health emergency.”

The bill states that the federal government should “continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening” and “maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening… ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly”.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: InfoWars.net, Steve Watson, May 2, 2008 ]

Canadian open source community upset over proposed copyright law

Bell moves to limit internet downloads of competitor ISPs

(CBC.ca) - Bell Canada Inc. is moving to impose download limits on customers of independent internet providers, an act the smaller firms say is designed to eliminate broadband competition and prevent the introduction of new television services.

The Montreal-based company, which cut its own Sympatico customers off from unlimited downloading last year, has proposed extending that plan to firms renting portions of its network in order to provide their own services. That would include a number of smaller wholesale ISP customers such as Chatham, Ont.-based TekSavvy Solutions Inc., Cobourg, Ont.-based Eagle.ca and Mississauga-based Acanac Inc.

The limits would range from two gigabytes per month for customers with slower connections of 512 kilobits per second up to 60 GB for those with the faster speeds of five megabits per second, according to Acanac president Paul Louro. Customers who exceed those limits would incur extra charges, much like cellphone subscribers do when they surpass their monthly minutes.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, Peter Nowak ]

Bill C-51, Codex and the SPP

(IntelStrike.com) - On April 8, 2008, Canada’s Health Minister introduced Bill C-51 which proposed sweeping changes to the Food and Drugs Act. The Canadian government has since been forced to make amendments because of intense grassroots pressure. There are fears that this Bill could lead to some vitamins, herbs, minerals, and dietary supplements no longer being available in the country. Through the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), Canada, the U.S., and Mexico are already busy harmonizing food and drug regulations into a North American Union structure. Some have suggested that this Bill would also bring Canadian law into compliance with the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Bill C-51 has the potential to take away the rights of people to freely choose natural medicine as an alternative to expensive drug-based products and treatments.

Bill C-51 will further encroach on civil liberties and increase police state measures. There is reason for concern because of the Bills ambiguous language in regards to raids and seizures. It has been referred to as a police state bill masquerading as a health bill.  It will make it easier for Canadian officials to seize natural health products and remove them from store shelves. It grants inspectors the power to raid homes and businesses without a warrant and the power to seize bank accounts and property. Some might recall that in the early 90’s, the FDA engaged in paramilitary raids on American health food stores, holistic treatment centers, and other nutritional supplement businesses. This behavior created such a public outcry and backlash, leading Congress to pass the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to protect the right of American consumers to purchase and use nutritional supplements.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: IntelStrike.com ]

Telemarketers face ‘do-not-call’ axe on Sept. 30

(CBC.ca) - Canadians will be able to give telemarketers the slip as of Sept. 30 when the national do-not-call-list officially begins operating.

Under the new rules, announced Wednesday by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, telemarketers will not be allowed to call anyone who registers either by phone with Bell Canada Inc., which is administering the list on behalf of the CRTC, or online at www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca.

Telemarketers will have a grace period of 31 days to contact people who have registered, but after that will be eligible for fines of $1,500 in the case of an individual or $15,000 for corporations should a registrant complain.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca ]

Olympic journalists face web restraints

(CBC.ca) - Journalists covering the Beijing Games will not have uncensored internet access, Chinese and Olympic officials have confirmed.

Foreign media had complained about being unable to access politically sensitive websites such as that of Amnesty International, which on Tuesday accused China of failing to live up to its promise to improve human rights.

China is known for rigid internet controls, but said during the Olympics bidding process that foreign media would have “complete freedom to report” at the Summer Games, which begin Aug. 8.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca ]

Copyfight Attracts Local Attention

(Michael Geist Blog) - The Tri-City News in Maple Ridge, B.C covers local Fair Copyright for Canada activity. NDP MP Dawn Black describes the bill as a "massive failure."

"A Coquitlam man frustrated with the Conservative government’s plan to implement sweeping changes to Canada’s copyright legislation is drumming up local support to fight the bill.

Jesse Betteridge, an organizer with Fair Copyright, is hoping Tri-City residents concerned about Bill C-61 will attend an upcoming meeting with the group."

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

New Orleans Public Housing Defenders Face Terror Charges

(Alternet.org) - As activists continue to fight for people's rights to keep their homes in New Orleans, repression by local authorities is brutal.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Alternet.org, Bill Weinberg ]

Olympics Journalists Urged To Use Crypto, to Thwart Chinese Spying

(Wired: Threat Level) -  Journalists covering the Olympics in Beijing ought to consider using virtual private networks and avoiding the use of instant messenger to interview subjects for stories, says Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN's former Beijing bureau chief and University of Hong Kong new media professor.

"If you are trying to work on sensitive stories that may be beyond topics that perhaps the Chinese government might be happy about you reporting, if you’re communicating with sources who might be under surveillance, you  need to make sure that you’re using secure e-mail and that you’re using a secure internet connection," she says.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Wired: Threat Level, Sarah Lai Stirland, stirland@gmail.com ]

The Canadian Copyfight 2.0

(Michael Geist Blog) - Last week, I delivered a talk to the Toronto Fair Copyright for Canada chapter that chronicled the Canadian copyfight and stressed how important it is for Canadians to speak out now on the Canadian DMCA.  Audio and slides of that talk have been posted on Blip.tv and embedded below.  A video version of the talk can be accessed  at MDialog or at Google Video.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 28: TPMs - Interoperability Exception, Linux and DVDs

(Michael Geist Blog) - The emergence of open source software as a powerful alternative to proprietary software models has been an important business and societal development.  Open source software is today widely used by consumers (e.g., Firefox browser) and businesses (e.g., Linux operating system, Apache web server).  From a policy perspective, the Canadian government's professed goal is to create a level playing field so that the marketplace rather than laws will determine marketplace winners.  It has opposed attempts to create policy preferences for open source (over the objection of some advocates and countries) instead favouring a more neutral approach.

Notwithstanding the claims of neutrality, Bill C-61 creates significant marketplace impediments for open source software.  Achieving a level playing field requires interoperability so that differing computer systems can freely exchange data.  The bill includes an interoperability provision at Section 41.12 which states that the anti-circumvention provisions do not apply to:

a person who owns a computer program or a copy of it, or has a licence to use the program or copy, and who circumvents a technological measure that protects that program or copy for the sole purpose of obtaining information that would allow the person to make the program and any other computer program interoperable.

The problem with this provision is that it does not extend far enough to maintain a level playing field. 

The classic example involves the use of Linux as a consumer operating system (Ubuntu has become a popular version).  Unfortunately, this operating system cannot officially play DVDs since most commercial DVDs contain a digital lock and the entity that controls the lock does not license the necessary locks to play DVDs on Linux.  Programmers have developed alternatives, but all involve circumventing the digital lock, an act that becomes illegal under Bill C-61. 

The interoperability provisions do not help address this issue, since DVDs may not be considered computer programs and many of the circumventing programs have functionality beyond playback of commercial DVDs.  The net effect, as noted by the Canadian Software Innovation Alliance, is that Bill C-61 erects an enormous barrier to open source software adoption, thereby harming innovation and a competitive marketplace.  The solution - as proposed by the Computer and Communications Industry Association in 2000 - is to create an exception the substantially broadens the interoperability exception.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

The Shield Law: Truth or Fear Mongering?

(Wired: Threat Level) - Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell is again playing the "we're-all-going-to-die" card.

On Monday, in a USA Today op-ed piece, the director wrote that a proposed reporter's federal shield law "will gravely damage our ability to protect national security information."

"The intelligence community recognizes the critical role that the news media plays in our democratic society," the director wrote. "However, this bill would upset the balance established by current law, crippling the government's ability to investigate and prosecute those who harm national security."

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Wired: Threat Level, David Kravets, dkravets@wired.com ]

Congress Reconsiders Ban on Gays in the Military

(Alternet.org) - The hearing was an important first step in repealing an un-American law that hurts the military by pushing away talented gays and lesbians. READ MORE HERE [ Source: Alternet.org ]

OPINION: TCM Community Sucked In by StopC51 Propaganda

Here is an alternative opinion provided by Barry Green of OttawaSkeptics.org.

(ottawaskeptics.org) - StopC51 continues to play on the fears of natural health product (NHP) users.  This time, the people who have been duped appear to be the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) community, according to articles in the Vancouver-based The Province (”Feds want to restrict traditional cures“) and CBC news online (”Traditional Chinese doctors fight federal regulation under Bill C-51“).  It’s too bad that, with just a little fact-checking by the journalists, the stories could have been balanced and factual instead of just outlets for StopC51’s unchallenged propaganda.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: ottawaskeptics.org, Barry Green ]

Privacy breaches on the rise in B.C.

(Vancouver Sun) - The number of privacy breaches in B.C. is on the rise, partly due to a spate of stolen laptops and personal records swiped from employee cars last year, according to the provincial privacy commissioner.

Commissioner David Loukidelis said Tuesday his office investigated 92 privacy breaches last year, up from 86 a year earlier and 34 in 2005-06.

Most of the incidents related to “inadvertent breaches” with laptops and personal records left in cars that were stolen or broken into. One public body alone recorded 10 such incidents, according to Loukidelis’s annual report, released Tuesday.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Vancouver Sun, Kelly Sinoski ]

Viacom agrees to YouTube privacy deal

(vnunet.com) - Google and Viacom have reached an agreement to omit user information from a YouTube log which the search giant has been forced to hand over.

The agreement means that Viacom will not be able to see precisely which videos have been accessed by each viewer, nor will it be able to see a specific user’s viewing history.

Additionally, all users’ IP addresses and visitor ID information will be removed from the list.

The agreement will allay fears that the logs would be used to pursue individual cases against users who had uploaded or shared pirated content.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: vnunet.com, Shaun Nichols ]

Bill C51 in Canada is a MAJOR WARNING to all of us. Fascism is coming in through food and health products.

(OpedNews.com) - Activists in Canada have wrung some changes from the government in regard to Bill C51 it but the bill is so draconian that it stands as a warning to all of us of what corporate/government agencies will do to destroy alternative movements that are growing, whether in health or in food, and the means that they are using.

The bill derives its forces from the Codex Alimentarius, created by the United Nations in 1962, through a series of relationships between The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as the American FDA and USDA.

The dangerous elements of the Codex are first, that these standards are devised as international rules intended for world-wide adoption, and second, that they classify nutrients as toxins.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: OpedNews.com, Linn Cohen-Cole ]

Clement wants Parliament to dig into food legislation

Clement was commenting on Canwest News Service reports about an internal government review showing big gaps in Canada’s safety checks on imported foods and a draft plan to transfer key parts of domestic meat and other food inspection to industry.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Canwest News Service, Juliet O'Neill ]

Varsity on C-61

The Varsity focuses on the effects of the Canadian DMCA on students.

Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Challenges National Chamber IP Approach

(Michael Geist Blog) - As Copyright Watch recently chronicled, local Chambers of Commerce have been singing from the same songbook as Industry Minister Jim Prentice in letters to the editor on Bill C-61.  This is consistent with the national Chamber, which earlier this year formed a new lobby group to push for copyright reform and issued a press release supporting the introduction of the copyright bill - complete with local quotes - within 90 minutes of the tabling of the bill.

Notwithstanding these lobbying efforts, a crack in the coalition has emerged.  At least one chamber of commerce has decided that it wants to look at the bill with an eye to the impact on small and medium sized businesses. The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce had adopted a resolution that it is hoping to get the Ontario and Canadian Chambers of Commerce to adopt seeking studies on the impact that IP legislation would have on SMEs. The concern is that SMEs would bear the burden of enforcement directed at businesses. The Hamilton chamber argues:

• The estimates of piracy used in support of the Canadian and Ontario policies are unsupported by verifiable Canadian data;
• Most small businesses are not aware of IP issues and would likely be at a disadvantage if action were ever taken against them on any alleged IP infringement;
• Small businesses would have a disproportionate increase in expenses in complying with the costs that the policies would create;
• In Canada, many large owners of IP have ‘over-reached’ the protection that IP has given them to the detriment of small businesses;
• The proposed change in laws does nothing to favour Canadian businesses;
• Many IP users are funded by tax dollars (i.e. education, libraries, archives) and an increase in enforcement is likely to increase their costs, which will, in turn, lead to higher taxes which disproportionately affects small business.

The Hamilton Chamber expands on each of these concerns and issues five recommendations:

1. Verify the quantum of unlawful copying in Canada through the independent collection of statistics based on facts arising in Canada; 
2. The impacts and benefits that any changes will have on all businesses in Canada including small businesses;
3. The financial and administrative burden that will be created for businesses - and especially small businesses - to ensure that they can successfully and inexpensively defend unsupported allegations of infringement;
4. A consideration of how IP enforcement regimes can - within international and national limits - favour and encourage Canadian businesses;
5. A consideration of how IP enforcement regimes will affect the costs of educational, archival and library uses of IP in Canada and how those costs paid by public funds can be reduced.

Sources indicate that the the Hamilton Chamber will present this resolution for debate in the fall by the full Chamber movement at its annual general meeting.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

Kerr on Privacy Idealism

(Michael Geist Blog) - My colleague Ian Kerr posts a great speech he recently delivered on the importance of privacy "idealism" in advocacy. Excerpt: "On june 19th, i had the good fortune of being invited to give a dinner speech to all of the speakers at UofA’s annual access and privacy conference, performing at the speed of change.  although i fully understood the drill – they wanted a lighthearted and entertaining  20 minute speil – something happened to me on the plane that turned into a jerry mcguire moment. i decided instead to take a more heartfelt look at a difficult and often unaddressed set of issues in privacy advocacy. [...]" READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog, Ian Kerr ]

Bell’s internet throttling is like reading people’s mail, ISPs say

(CBC.ca) - Bell Canada Inc.’s slowing of internet speeds is the equivalent of the post office opening people’s mail and deciding when they should get their letters, a group of small service providers have said in their final volley at the company.

The Canadian Association of Internet Providers, a group of 55 companies that rent portions of Bell’s network to provide their own broadband services, made its last plea Wednesday to regulators to force Bell to end its speed throttling.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, Peter Nowak ]

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 23: TPMs - No Exception for Obsolete or Broken Digital Locks

(Michael Geist Blog) - The inclusion of a right to circumvent in the event that the TPM breaks or becomes obsolete should be relatively uncontroversial.  The U.S. Registrar of Copyrights has included a specific exception that addresses this situation since 2000.  The exception reflects the recognition that the continual evolution of technology places the investment that consumers make in entertainment and software products or that libraries make in materials at risk in the event that a TPM ceases to function or becomes obsolete.  While products do not come with a guarantee to function forever, the law should not impair consumers and libraries that seek to circumvent techologies that are no longer supported and thus create a significant barrier to access to their property.

Despite the obvious, recognized need for such an exception, Bill C-61 does not address the issue.  There is an limited exception for software interoperability, but that provision does not come close address the concerns associated with obsolete or broken TPMs.  Given the frequent changes in technology, it is a question of when, not if, technologies become obsolete.  The Canadian DMCA must anticipate these technological changes by providing a right of circumvention due to obsolete or malfunctioning TPMs.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

Net Censorship Law Struck Down Again

A federal appeals court struck down as unconstitutional a Clinton-era law that would have forced websites with adult material to verify visitors' ages, dealing another blow to the government in a 10-year court battle over net censorship.

The 3rd U.S. Circurt Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a 2007 lower-court decision that the Child Online Protection Act violated the First Amendment since it was not the most effective way to keep children from visiting adult websites.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Wired: Threat Level, Ryan Singel, ryan@ryansingel.net ]

News You Might Have Missed: Court Confirms President’s Dictatorial Powers

(Alternet.org) - A 5 to 4 ruling in the case of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri legitimizes the president's right to indefinitely imprison "enemy combatants."

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Alternet.org ]

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 22: TPMs - No Exception for Filtering Programs

(Michael Geist Blog) - As part of the U.S. Copyright Office's DMCA rulemaking procedure (under which it identifies non-infringing uses that are hampered by the DMCA), the Office has twice issued an exemption for circumvention of filtering software programs in order to identify the list of sites included within the program.  Filtering programs can be used to filter or block inappropriate material, yet the same programs have been subject to considerable criticism over concerns that they may be overbroad and block perfectly legitimate material.  The only way for a party to ascertain whether their site is included on the block list is to access the lists contained in the software program, a process that typically requires circumvention.

In 2000, the Copyright Office found that an exception for filtering programs was needed.  It reaffirmed the decision in 2003.  In 2006, Seth Finklestein, the primary supporter of the "censorware" exception abandoned the fight for another renewal and the exception was dropped.  The same concerns remain, however, which is why a clear exception for the circumvention of filtering programs is needed within Bill C-61. 

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

Fair Copyright for Canada: The Friendfeed

(Michael Geist Blog) - As the amount of online activity related to fair copyright in Canada grows, it is becoming increasingly difficulty to track everything.  With that in mind, I've created a new Friendfeed channel for Fair Copyright for Canada.  The channel currently includes aggregated blog postings, videos from YouTube, photos from Flickr, the Google Fair Copyright for Canada calendar, and bookmarks to relevant media coverage on Delicious.  There are also two active search services that will gather blog postings and YouTube videos tagged FairCopyright4Canada.  If you want your posting included in the feed, simply add the tag.

If this sounds useful, you can subscribe to the rss feed, bookmark the page, embed the feed on your blog, or become a member of Friendfeed and track it.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

Murray on the C-61 Lowdown

(Michael Geist Blog) - Queen's prof Laura Murray's recent talk on the C-61 lowdown has been posted online.

Councillor wants town on record opposing Bill C-51

(Alliston Herald) - New Tecumseth Coun. Jim Stone believes changes to the Canadian Food and Drugs Act takes away freedom of choice and he wants to do something about it.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Alliston Herald, Metroland Media Group Ltd., Maija Hoggett ]

Bill C-51 tries to fix things that aren’t broken in Canada’s health food industry

(The Huntsville Forester) - Regarding Bill C-51: if it is not broken, don’t fix it. The system is not broken. People are not dying in the street or in the hospitals from products sold in health food stores. But they are dying from prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: The Huntsville Forester ]

Get your hands off my iPod!

Big brother is watching you and your iPod. Think about it. If customs officials can inspect the contents of your laptop and your iPod, they might as well see what else is in there.

(Guardian News and Media Limited ) - An agreement on intellectual property rights to be ratified by the G8 heads of government highlights conflicts between ownership and privacy.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Guardian News and Media Limited, Charles Arthur ]

Senate Approves Telecom Amnesty, Expands Domestic Spying Powers

(Wired Blog Network) - The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to grant retroactive amnesty to the telecoms that aided the President Bush's five-year secret, warrantless wiretapping of Americans, and to expand the government's authority to sift through U.S. communications, handing a key victory to the Bush administration.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Wired Blog Network, Ryan Singel, ryan@ryansingel.net ]

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 13: Music Shifting Provision and One Copy Per Device

(Michael Geist Blog) - Today's proposed reform comes directly from a reader of the blog who writes:

While I was reading your latest entry in "61 Reforms to C-61," I realized that the "one copy per device" limitation on "format shifting" as described in Section 29.22(1)(d)(i) makes a common practice of mine illegal - one that I don't believe has been touched upon yet. I rip (err, "format shift") some of my audio CDs in two different formats: a lossless encoding (such as Apple Lossless or FLAC) and a lossy encoding (such as AAC or MP3).  I keep both copies in my iTunes music library on my computer.  I use the lossy versions on my iPod shuffle and iPod touch where space is in short supply and the lossless versions on my iPod classic and Mac. Although only one copy usually exists on any of my iPods (although sometimes I'll accidentally get both versions with my Smart Playlists), both copies always exist on my Mac within iTunes as it acts as my sole repository.

I don't know if this is common or not, however, it is another example of how the strict requirements penalize purchasers of music. In this case, the law effectively limits users to a single format since making duplicate copies in different formats is forbidden.  These examples do not involve commercial infringement but rather target individual, private uses, yet Bill C-61 scarcely differentiates between the two. 

READ MORE HERE [ Source: MichaelGeist.ca ]

Copyright Watch on Prentice’s Parrots

(Michael Geist Blog) - Copyright Watch notes the striking similarity between Industry Minister Jim Prentice's talking points and some letters to the editor from local chambers of commerce.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Michael Geist Blog ]

Kitimat Sentinal on C-61

The Bill C-61 saga keeps heating up. Even the media in Kitimat is getting on board. Read the Kitimat’s article about Canadians ‘foaming at the mouth’ over Bill C-61.

READ MORE HERE

Bell’s internet throttling illegal, Google says

Just when you thought nobody was listening about Net Neutrality - the search engine giant Google Inc. steps up to the plate and throws a Bell a legal hard ball. What do you think?

(CBC) - Google Inc. says Bell Canada Inc. is breaking Canadian telecommunications law by slowing certain internet traffic, and is urging the CRTC to take action against the company.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, Peter Nowak ]

Rights like free speech don’t always extend online

Freedom of speech? Is there such a thing anymore?

NEW YORK (AP) — Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won’t eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative. Say it on the Internet, and you’ll find that free speech and other constitutional rights are anything but guaranteed.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: Wired Magazine, By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer ]

Toronto Gallery Features Exhibit Highlighting C-61’s Dangers

(Michael Geist) - BlogTO notes that the Edward Day Gallery in Toronto is currently exhibiting a new show called "Appropos," featuring appropriation art. The Gallery says:

The Appropos group exhibition is based on the work of artists whose use of imagery integrates existing popular culture products/icons. One of the purposes of the exhibition is to emphasize the crucial relevance of appropriation to contemporary visual artists and their studio practice. As revisions to Copyright Act legislation, known as the Act to Amend the Copyright Act, are currently underway by the Canadian government, there are valid concerns that the elements of contemporary artistic practice such as appropriation and "quoting" could potentially be outlawed by draconian legislation.

The exhibition runs until July 27th (thanks Rob).

[ Source: MichaelGeist.ca, mgeist@uottawa.ca ]

Fair Copyright on the Menu at Prentice Stampede Breakfast

(MichaelGeist.ca) - The first photos have begun to appear online from this morning's Prentice Stampede Breakfast in Calgary.  By early accounts, a strong crowd (including some media) attended with signs, t-shirts, and handouts to increase awareness of Bill C-61 and to have a chance to to speak directly with Industry Minister Jim Prentice.  Photos online from Grant Neufeld (on Flickr) and on the Facebook event page.  If you were in attendance, feel free to provide your thoughts in the comments.

Update: Coverage and photos of the event at NowPublic,