Chronicle of Higher Ed: How It Does It: The RIAA Explains How It Catches Alleged Music Pirates. [via]

In the process, RIAA spokesperson Cara Duckworth admits that they can only detect the “offering” and not the actual downloading of illegal files.

Apparently, as a result of the USA PATRIOT Act, if you use Gmail,  you violate Canadian and European privacy laws. [via]

Just thought we’d let you know…

Ars Technica: AG Mukasey says “piracy funds terrorism.” Well, sort of.

In a recent speech, Mukasey - a man with eerily deliberate tastes - doesn’t go so far as to suggest the average P2P file-sharer is totally complicit. The article provides a good overview of various government initiatives aiming to crack down on commercial piracy and, believe it or not, hacking.

FOX to FCC: Fuck you!

FOX always leaves me dumbfounded. The spectrum of their “values” - from O’Reilly to The Simpsons - is totally baffling. Thankfully, their stance on strippers covered in whipped cream is clear: totally decent.

Totally.

Check out this 10 minute presentation by Nick Bertozzi, creator of graphic novel The Salon, and Charles Brownstein, executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (sd&if is totally thrilled to find out that such an organization actually exists),  on why a Georgia law that prohibits the free distribution of “obscene materials” (aka comic books) to minors might actually be unconstitutional.

We snagged the video from this great GalleyCat article. I bet you didn’t know that comic books and graphic novels were among the fastest growing acquisitions for a lot of libraries these days, huh? Look for Ben rejoicing in the comments.

NSFW concerns: The video contains some fleeting images of a cartoon Pablo Picasso painting in the nude and a half-naked model. And we do mean fleeting.

Here you go folks…

Ars Technica: Major cellular carrier giving FBI wide-open access to all calls on its network.

(more…)

Ars Technica: Wikileaks restraining order a failure, judge says.

Yeah, well. Welcome to the internet, sir.

Can you believe that, once the site was shut down, the documents in question popped up all over the web? Seriously! The AT article subheading puts it best:  On the internet, injunctions make you famous.

Ars Technica: Possible sanctions against RIAA lawyers.

Dumping a load of John Does who share the same ISP into one single lawsuit has made things simpler (and cheaper) for music industry lawyers for quite some time. We’re glad a judge has finally questioned their fallible logic: “They share the same ISP therefore they engage in the same behavior.”

Sneaky, sneaky.

Ars Technica: FCC “spanks” ABC - ‘Keep Your Pants On.’

Sofachip: What about Dennis Franz’s butt?

I know what you’re thinking: Is sd&if actually discussing Dennis Franz’s butt?

Yes. Yes we are.

Privacy from another angle…under the stall:

“ACLU Statement In Support of Senator Larry Craig’s Efforts To Withdraw His Guilty Plea“

The statement, understandably, focuses on the Minnesota law under which Craig was arrested. If the bathroom stall is a private space, as the ACLU claims Minnesota courts have found, then the sting operation that busted Craig could be said to have invaded a private space.

These sorts of operations could, potentially, lead to reactionary arrests that suppress free speech - including the solicitation of sex…for free, of course.