Despair Suing 7,000,000 Email Users Over :-( (TM)
Humor/Amusing
1/26/2001; 11:33:36 PM 'DALLAS, TX - January 2nd, 2001 - In a move that has millions across the Internet community frowning, Despair, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had awarded them a registered trademark for the 'frowny' emoticon which serves as their logo.

'At a press conference, Despair's COO, Dr. E.L.Kersten, announced his intentions to sue "anyone and everyone who uses the so-called 'frowny' emoticon, or our trademarked logo, in their written email correspondence. Ever."'

Hands Off My Web Site
Free Speech
1/26/2001; 2:02:07 PM 'But lately, I've run into a rather annoying something about the Web's "fixability." It has emboldened certain companies to try to cross the line between what, in journalism, is called the separation of church and state.

'In the last few weeks, on separate occasions, two writers on our staff have approached me to say they were getting grief from the companies they interviewed, with the way a story had been written and appeared on the Web site. Not on factual matters, mind you, which we will always correct, but on matters of style, or emphasis, or, in the most recent case, who got the headline. And they wanted it changed.'

Web-filter data is put up for sale
Privacy from Companies
1/26/2001; 1:38:15 PM

'Few companies know more about what children do on the Internet at school than N2H2 Inc. The company’s Web-filtering software, called Bess, is used by more than 12 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and new federal rules are likely to push the number higher.

'BECAUSE IT TYPICALLY is installed as a school’s gatekeeper to the Internet, Bess knows where the students go on the Web and how long they spend there. It also knows when students try to access a site that’s on N2H2’s blacklist for being too violent or containing pornography.

Ego Surfing: Is your Online Personality Preventing Hiring?
Misc.
1/26/2001; 1:27:34 PM

'What do your online activities say about you to potential employers?

'Recently I entered my name into a search engine to see what would turnup - a practice called "ego surfing." Within seconds I was browsing through scholarly letters I`d posted to the Linguist List in 1995, websites whose address books I`d signed, listings for my own web site - and a VERY dirty joke I posted to the Humor List. The Humor List is a moderated, subscription-based e-mail discussion list, but apparently they had posted their archives on the Web. And there was my dirty mind displayed for all the world to see, in the form of a joke titled "Blowing Chunks."'

U.S. vs. Europe on Online Privacy
Privacy from Companies
1/26/2001; 12:54:15 PM

'A group called Consumers International has released a report about online privacy in the U.S. and Europe. The report's sound-byte conclusions - "U.S. beats Europe in online privacy protection" - have been widely reported in tech media, but I'd like to take issue with the report in a brief analysis below.'

Unusually insightful critique of an article for Slashdot. Is perhaps the criticism of their recent sloppiness started to get through to them? I can't really add anything to it, and that's unusual! Well worth the read.

Etoy Wants Trademark 'Closure'
General IP Issues
1/26/2001; 12:41:06 PM 'A European Internet artists group called etoy -- with all lower-case letters -- said on Thursday it has filed a complaint in a U.S. court against online toy retailer eToys Inc. alleging trademark infringement.

'The action, filed in the U.S. District Court of Southern California in San Diego, is the latest shot fired between etoy, an international artist's collective whose medium is the Internet, and the U.S.-based online toy retailer.'

EU Initiative Funds Filters
Free Speech
1/26/2001; 11:18:44 AM

'The European Union and a group of European companies and organizations have launched a new project aimed at creating Internet filtering technology tailored for users in several European countries.

'The World Wide Web Safe Surfing Project is part of a $23.4 million initiative launched by the European Union in 1999 to help users surf the Web without encountering illegal or objectionable content. As part of the initiative, the EU is providing funding for several projects exploring different types of filtering technologies.'

AMICI CURIE in the 2600 Linking and DeCSS case
DVD & DeCSS
1/24/2001; 4:23:09 PM 'It cannot seriously be argued that any form of computer code may be regulated without reference to First Amendment doctrine. The path from idea to human language to source code to object code is a continuum. As one moves from one to the other, the levels of precision and, arguably, abstraction increase, as does the level of training necessary to discern the idea from the expression. Not everyone can understand each of these forms. Only English speakers will understand English formulations. Principally those familiar with the particular programming language will understand the source code expression. And only a relatively small number of skilled programmers and computer scientists will understand the machine readable object code. But each form expresses the same idea, albeit in different ways.'

FTC Clears DoubleClick
Privacy from Companies
1/23/2001; 4:57:59 PM

'The Federal Trade Commission told an attorney for DoubleClick (DCLK) on Monday that the commission has closed its investigation of the company's data-handling practices....

'The FTC had been investigating whether DoubleClick's data handling constituted an "unfair or deceptive" trade practice. According to Monday's FTC letter to Christine Varney, a Washington attorney and a former Federal Trade Commissioner who represents DoubleClick, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection staff now believes that the company "never used or disclosed consumers' [personal data] for purposes other than those disclosed in its privacy policy."'

Justices To Review Virtual Porn Ban
Free Speech
1/23/2001; 4:40:36 PM 'Taking on a child pornography dispute, the Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether Congress can ban computer-altered pictures that only appear to show minors involved in sexual activity.

'The court said it will hear the government's argument that by banning sexual images that do not actually portray children, a 1996 law ``helps to stamp out the market for child pornography involving real children.'''