MPAA Sues to Stop DeCSS Linking DVD & DeCSS6/5/2000; 7:12:31 AM April 5, 2000: It's still true; if you intend to make people responsible for what's on the other end of the link then you will destroy the Internet. First to go will be the search engines and Yahoo.

Yeah, maybe it seems nasty to allow 2600 to link to sites containing the DeCSS program when they can't carry it themselves... but the alternative is just too wrong to even contemplate.

Grim Net Censorship Report Free Speech6/5/2000; 7:11:23 AM March 27, 2000: "Censorship of the Internet by governments is spreading and may become a threat to traditional media liberty, a report on press freedom said on Wednesday.

'The explosion of news and information on the World Wide Web is tempting governments, developed and developing, politically free and not free, to consider restricting content on the Internet,' said the report conducted by human rights group Freedom House."

DVD Player at Apex of Controversy DVD & DeCSS6/5/2000; 7:10:30 AM March 21, 2000: DVD Player at Apex of Controversy: "Unlike other DVD players, the Apex can play DVD movies created anywhere in the world. Regions are assigned specific numbers so, for example, DVDs created in Region 1 –- the United States -– can only be played in that area. But by accessing a hidden menu in the Apex player, users can turn off regional encoding.

A Security Reminder
Humor/Amusing
6/5/2000; 7:11:27 AM March 27, 2000: "It doesn't matter how big a #$%! padlock you put on it when the hasp is made out of cheap metal." This has been a public service announcement courtesy of BirdBrain's Nest.

Write Once, Libel Anywhere Free Speech6/5/2000; 7:10:44 AM March 23, 2000: So what do you get when you allow lawyers to develop technology? Write Once, Libel Anywhere.

Until recently, Bethesda author Humayun Mirza never had to think about international libel law. A financier by trade, Mirza spent three decades working at the World Bank in Washington. He only turned to writing in retirement, devoting years to a biography of his father, the first president of Pakistan. Last November, his first book, "From Plassey to Pakistan: The Family History of Iskander Mirza," was published by the University Press of America.

But early this month, Mirza received a startling letter from a British law firm.

Tagline Update Administrative6/5/2000; 7:10:39 AM March 23, 2000: My tagline for the site (which used to be displayed, and now is again) is "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Freedom", a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson. I took it out because I couldn't quite articulate what I meant by that on this site, but Tom Nadeau took care of that for me in The Trouble With Technology....

In reality, there is a middle ground between the mindless hucksterism of the New Economy and the mindless Luddism of the old. However, occupying this middle ground requires becoming informed and staying up-to-date not only with technology but with the people who are pushing it. It also requires constant mental exertion. This kind of effort is never easy. Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." When it comes to watching for technological tyrants instead of merely ideological ones, these words still maintain their value.

Unloading Windows
Humor/Amusing
6/5/2000; 7:10:36 AM March 23, 2000: The ultimate web app.

Demon 'uncensored Internet' harms child porn clampdown Free Speech6/5/2000; 7:10:33 AM March 21, 2000: Damned if you do, damned if you don't. "But in a strongly worded letter to The Observer, David Kerr, CE of the IWF, said: ...'What if the UK industry had accepted the original position of shutting down newsgroups nominated by the police?

'Might we not have had an article today reflecting on the damage to freedom of speech and the threat to democracy of a situation where the state could dictate what is available on the Internet, irrespective of whether it is legal or not?' said Kerr."

Mixed on Taxes, Not Privacy Privacy from Companies6/5/2000; 7:10:24 AM March 21, 2000: "A federal panel that couldn't agree on Internet taxes managed to tell Congress to pass laws to protect Americans' privacy online.

"Nearly all members of an advisory commission on Tuesday afternoon said that the privacy implications of taxing electronic commerce are worrisome enough that Congress should hold hearings on the topic."

'Tis a start, but I'll believe it when I see it.

GOP Wants Privacy Commission Privacy from Companies6/5/2000; 7:09:24 AM March 16, 2000: "Two congressmen want to create a federal privacy commission that would decide what new regulations should apply to American companies."A bill introduced Wednesday would give the 17-member panel 18 months to review current privacy laws and make 'recommendations on whether additional legislation is necessary.'"Compare this to yesterday's story on Canada. I think they're way ahead.