Digital Rights
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A meeting held in February by a working party of the European Union has gained widespread criticism after minutes from the meeting, published this week, revealed plans for a "single secure European cyberspace." The plans were proposed by the Law Enforcement Working Party (LEWP), which discusses and promotes cooperation on issues such as counterterrorism and fraud. The LEWP discussed plans to create a "virtual Schengen border" to block content deemed "illicit" from outside the area, although there has been no discussion on what content would be considered illicit or how the measures would be enforced. Civil rights groups have deemed the plan an "absurd" and "illegitimate suggestion," drawing parallels to China's extensive censorship measures. Similar plans have been proposed in Australia, where IT minister Stephen Conroy admitted that there was a justifiable concern over the possibility of "mission creep," resulting in the filtering of legal content.
Proposed EU Internet Filtering Condemned by Civil Liberties Groups
Another New Study Shows That Filesharing Doesn’t Deter Artists From Making Music
Further proof that the recording industry’s oft-repeated claims of the downfall of the entire music industry hold no water: a new report finding that filesharing has led directly to "reduced costs of bringing works to market and a growing role of independent labels."
Le Parlement Européen soutient des communications sans-fil libres
Paris, 12 avril 2011 – La commission « Industrie » du Parlement Européen a adopté des amendements au programme de politique du spectre de l'Union Européenne soutenant une utilisation libre des ondes radio par les citoyens.
Neutralité en Europe: laissez-faire et petits pas
En Europe, la neutralité suscite peu d'intérêt, la Commission n'ayant de cesse de repousser le livre blanc censé se consacrer au sujet.
Neutralité du Net: La Commission européenne lâche utilisateurs et innovateurs
Paris, le 19 avril 2011 – La Commissaire européenne à l'économie numérique, Neelie Kroes, a remis au Parlement européen son rapport sur la neutralité du Net. Ce document extrêmement décevant écarte toute mesure immédiate contre les opérateurs télécom qui restreignent en permanence l'accès à Internet des citoyens européens. En se cachant derrière de faux arguments libéraux, Mme Kroes laisse faire des pratiques anti-concurrentielles qui portent atteinte à la liberté de communication et à l'innovation dans l'environnement numérique.
La justice italienne a de nouveau frappé. Après avoir obtenu le blocage de The Pirate Bay en 2010, c'est au tour de BTJunkie d'être pris pour cible. Le tribunal a suivi les recommandations du procureur de Cagliari, une ville de Sardaigne, et a ordonné à tous les fournisseurs d'accès à Internet de bloquer le site de liens BitTorrent.
La justice italienne ordonne le blocage de BTJunkie
Twitter Spambots: An Emerging Tactic for Silencing Speech
On April 18, Anas Qtiesh wrote about spambots targeting the #Syria hashtag in an effort to drown out speech calling for, or reporting on, protests. While this specific case has received an abundance of attention, on Al Jazeera, Fast Company, and elsewhere, it is representative of a larger problem on social networks: the use of automated accounts, or bots, targeting a search term in an effort to silence a certain type of speech. But why does this matter?
The Elysée asked me to be part of a group of 18 to 20 experts for the French Conseil National du Numérique , or CNN (National Digital Council).
Hacking digital public policy: Director of OWNI joins government debate
Spyware