shouting loudly

building a healthy information ecosystem

These are the posts from August 2006

August 23, 2006
Posted by Bill Herman

Qwest supports data retention laws

In a shocker yesterday, Qwest Communications supported proposed federal laws that would force ISPs and others to retain data about customers’ internet traffic.
Under one proposal by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), ISPs would be required to retain customers’ records for the length of the service contract and at least one year after. Other possible requirements could [...]

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Posted Under Internet policy Privacy Surveillance

August 22, 2006
Posted by Bill Herman

I’ve updated my net neutrality paper

With apologies for the delay in sharing the news, I’ve updated my network neutrality paper at SSRN. It was a semi-final draft due with FCLJ.
Here’s the link: Opening Bottlenecks.
It updates a lot of the debate, to say the least. When I sat down to write the journal revisions, the previous draft (completed in April) seemed [...]

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Posted Under Uncategorized


Posted by Bill Herman

Telecom consultant issues fake consumer report opposing NN

Yesterday, the American Consumer Institute inaccurately assailed network neutrality proponents for pretending to represent the voice of consumers while actually representing the voices of very large and powerful companies. The report’s author, who is no neutral observer, uses decontextualized economic data to obscure the political reality on the ground.

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Posted Under Activism Congress Internet policy Network neutrality Telecommunications Industry Telecommunications policy

August 17, 2006
Posted by lokman

the NSA wiretapping program ruled unconstitutional

This blog is not all about bad news! Judge Anna Diggs Taylor from Detroit is the first judge to rule about the legality of the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program – it was justified as necessary for battling terrorism but is now found to violate the rights to free speech, privacy as well as [...]

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Posted Under Constitutional Privacy Surveillance Terrorism


Posted by Bill Herman

Wired News: Secrets of the Pirate Bay

Yesterday, Wired ran an awesome story about the Pirate Bay, probably the most popular BitTorrent tracker in the world right now.
I particularly liked the story’s theme of civil disobedience. Whether you support strong copyright law, believe it should be scrapped, or hold any position in the middle, you have to be impressed by these folks’ [...]

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Posted Under Uncategorized


Posted by Bill Herman

UPDATE: RIAA to Scantlebury Fam: Nevermind

In my last post, I joined a chorus of bloggers who shamed the RIAA for their callousness, pursuing the family of a deceased defendant.
Now, it appears as though the public shaming has worked. The RIAA has since dropped the suit entirely, citing “an abundance of sensitivity.” (You can’t make this stuff up.)
Here’s Cory Doctorow’s recap [...]

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Posted Under Copyright Uncategorized

August 13, 2006
Posted by Bill Herman

RIAA defendant dies; they’ll depose his family in 60 days

Larry Scantlebury was sued by the recording industry for infringement. He died before the case was resolved. Most decent human beings would offer their condolences to the family and call it a day. Emphasis on decent.
These plaintiffs filed to stay the case for 60 days. Here is a quote from their filing:
3. Plaintiffs do not [...]

1 Comment

Posted Under Uncategorized

August 9, 2006
Posted by Bill Herman

Fastest. Mac. Ever. (Drool)

On Monday, Apple announced the latest and most powerful addition in its line of machines built with Intel chips.
The new Mac Pro has eye-popping specs (though the specs on the G5 quad were still pretty tight). I’d detail it in all its glory, but if you care, you’ve probably already read up on it.
Here’s the [...]

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Posted Under Uncategorized


Posted by Bill Herman

AOL Searcher No. 4417749: Thelma Arnold of Lilburn, GA

That didn’t take very long.
Over the weekend, AOL released 3 months of search records for thousands of people. Each individual person’s searches were tied to a specific number.
In this morning’s New York Times, we learn the identity of Searcher Number 4417749. Thelma Arnold’s searches left a breadcrumb trail back to her.
There are queries for “landscapers [...]

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Posted Under Uncategorized

August 8, 2006
Posted by Bill Herman

Dual post: AOL and AEJMC

I’ve just returned from the AEJMC convention in San Francisco. Something exciting (other than my job interviews) happened there, but first let’s talk about AOL.
Over the weekend, AOL decided it was a good idea to release mountains of search results from users who did not consent. User names were replaced by numbers, but this still [...]

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Posted Under Internet policy Privacy

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