The Center for Internet and Society

International Cybercrime (Of The Horse)

Ryan Calo — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:46:18 -0700

A colleague and I were just discussing a new international working group, chaired by the FBI, which has “band[ed] together to fight cyber crime in a synergistic way.” The group is called the Strategic Alliance Cyber Crime Working Group; it even has a tagline: “Cyber Solidarity: Five Nations, One Mission.”

Assistant Professor Barbara van Schewick testifies on the Future of the Internet

Amanda Smith — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:36:19 -0700

Transcripts attached below of oral and written testimony by Assistant Professor Barbara van Schewick at the 4/17 FCC Hearing.

The People's Court - RAW

Colin Rule — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:46:32 -0700

Jeff Bercovici on Conde Nast's Portfolio.com: "Over the weekend, I stumbled across what appears to be a stealth-marketing campaign for a new website, People's Court Raw.

Create a personal website in 2 minutes

Zohar Efroni — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:54:53 -0700

Israel is a buzzing hive of small start-up technology companies that produce great ideas and original solutions. One of them is WIX, which offers a (free - as far as I could judge) web-based tool for creating personal and business websites within minutes. The tool is designed for people having no technical background whatsoever. There is also a clip demonstrating how it works. It's a lot of fun, but what they don’t tell you is how to create great content…

Prof. Lessig's testifies on the Future of the Internet

Amanda Smith — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:46:46 -0700

Prof. Lessig's testimony at 4/17 FCC Hearing on Network Neutrality.

Prof. Lessig's testimony on 4/22 on the Future of the Internet before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

No Cause Needed to Search Laptops at the Border

Jennifer Granick — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:13:05 -0700

On April 21st, the Ninth Circuit held in United States v. Arnold (pdf) that the Fourth Amendment does not require government agents to have reasonable suspicion before searching laptops or other digital devices at the border, including international airports.

Facebook 'Em, Dano

Ryan Calo — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:06:54 -0700

EPIC fellow Guilherme Roschke writes about the sophisticated Facebook presence of Greater Manchester Police and its ramifications for citizen privacy. He notes that "[l]aw enforcement use of applications will significantly expand the reach of what law enforcement can see, and also provide a more surreptitious viewing ability."

Please find his post here.

Rowling v. RDR Books Trial Concludes Under Media Spotlight

Anthony Falzone — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:27:30 -0700

The trial of J.K. Rowling's copyright claims against RDR Books concluded last Wednesday after three days of testimony. Full transcripts of each day's proceedings are attached below. The Hon. Robert P. Patterson will decide the case following post-trial submissions from the parties.

The trial generated a flurry of interest from press and public alike, and was covered extensively by the New York Times as well as the Wall Street Journal and other major news outlets. Here are links to some of the coverage by these, and other, publications:

Bork, Blockbuster & Beacon

Ryan Calo — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:38:24 -0700

Ars Technica reports:

"Texas native Cathryn Elaine Harris has filed a lawsuit against Blockbuster, alleging that the company is actively and knowingly violating the Video Privacy Protection Act by reporting users' activities back to Facebook. The suit seeks to be certified as a class action, and asks that Blockbuster pay out $2,500 per incident in which it disclosed personally identifiable information."

Trying to find common ground on Tibet

Colin Rule — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:45:35 -0700

Shaila Dewan in the NYT: "Ms. Wang, who had friends on both sides, tried to get the two groups to talk, participants said. She began traversing what she called “the middle ground,” asking the groups’ leaders to meet and making bargains.