Kazaa's Zero Hour Approaches
Judge Wilcox did find however, Sharman Networks was in violation of
Section 101 of the Australian Copyright Act... [he] surmised that
Sharman Networks took largely anemic steps in its attempt to thwart
piracy on its network. Judge Wilcox also found that Sharman Networks
used subversive methods to increase its population at the expense of
the music label’s profit margin. This method included the clever PR
campaign called the “Kazaa Revolution”, where users were encouraged to
“Join the Revolution.” Although not explicitly encouraging copyright
infringement, it sits as well as billboard of Joe Camel in a middle
school parking lot...
http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=979
Sony's Rootkit
On October 31, 2005, the Internet community learned how ugly [DRM]
techniques could get. Mark Russinovich, an expert on the internals of
Windows and one of the writers behind Sysinternals.com, discovered
evidence of a rootkit on one of his computers. Rootkits are sneaky
pieces of software that hide on one's computer. They are virtually
invisible to most, if not all, conventional anti-spyware and anti-virus
software... After a lengthy and clever investigation, Mark Russinovich
discovered the Rootkit was part of a [Sony] DRM copy protection scheme.
http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=977
Obsoleting Virus-Scanners?
It's become something of a joke when you look at just how many anti-
something software products you need these days just to keep your
computer safe (anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewall, anti-
trojan, anti-phishing, anti-hijack, etc., etc., etc.), but the list
usually begins with anti-virus software. According to one security
researcher, though, anti-virus software may have just become a lot more
insecure...
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20051104/1229210_F.shtml
How the MPAA killed the movie theater experience: a first-hand report
Last night (November 3rd), my girlfriend brought me along to see a
screening of Derailed at the Paramount Theatre in Toronto... the line
was moving slowly because they were asking customers to raise their
arms so that they could be electronically frisked with a metal
detector, and women's purses were being searched by uniformed security
guards... People who submitted to the search (everyone from what I
could tell) had their cellphones taken from them and checked...
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/11/04/how-the-mpaa/
101 Ways to Save the Internet
Where's a superhero when you need one? The Net, which once seemed so
invincible, is under attack by the forces of evil. Viruses knock
servers to their knees. Spammers hijack our inboxes. Hackers and
identity thieves menace our collective security and personal privacy.
Desperate solutions range from abandoning email to requiring a license
to log on...
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/internet.html
Big Win for Fair Use in Colorado
For years, EFF has been following a case in Colorado District Court
involving Family Flicks and Play it Clean Video -- companies that make
and distribute copies of movies with sexual and violent content
removed... When Family Flicks and Play it Clean Video make their
"clean" copies, they first make an "intermediate copy" of the entire
movie in order to edit it. The MPAA claimed that the copy was an
infringement as well as the final product. In an amicus brief filed in
August, EFF argued that as long as making clean movies is not itself an
infringing activity, the practice of making intermediate copies should
be considered non-infringing also...
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004127.php
ISPs: Now Spying on Users?
An unidentified UK ISP Blueyonder employee let slip to one of our
readers that they routinely receive lists of IP addresses that are to
be monitored for various “law enforcement” purposes, and that the
resultant data was processed and provided to those requesting it.
According to the information received, the Business Software Alliance
and the BPI are amongst many requesting such information...
http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=978
Does Live.com mean the end of MSN?
One of the most frequently asked questions following the Windows Live
launch on Tuesday has been: "What happens to MSN?" Microsoft executives
were quick to reassure that the online brand will survive. But with
Messenger, Search, Mail and more becoming Windows Live services, what's
left for MSN?
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/5886/Does+Live.com+Mean+the+End+of+MSN%3F/
Making Phishers Solve a Captcha
You know captchas: they're the odd-looking images representing
stretched or melted alphanumeric text that can (presumably) be read by
humans, but not malicious bots. What if a captcha could be used to
prevent phishing attacks? Here's one proposed solution:
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2005/06/making-phishers-solve-captcha-problem.html
Next Steps
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