Why Twitter Was the Only Company to Challenge the Secret WikiLeaks Subpoena Alexander Macgillivray" />Secret subpoenas* information requests of the kind the Department of Justice sent Twitter are apparently not unusual. In fact, other tech companies may also have received similar WikiLeaks-related requests. But what is unusual in this story is that Twitter resisted. Which raises an interesting question: Assuming that Twitter was not the only company to have been served a secret subpoena order, why was it the only company that fought back? The answer might lie in the figure leading Twitter’s legal efforts, Alexander Macgillivray (right), an incredibly mild mannered (really) but sharp-as-a-tack cyber law expert. Twitter’s general counsel comes out of Harvard’s prestigious Berkman Center for Internet and Society, the cyber law powerhouse that has churned out some of the leading Internet legal thinkers. Twitter wooed Macgillivray away from Google in the summer of 2009, and he now heads a 25-person legal team.
Tweeting the word 'drill' could mean your Twitter account is read by government spies Fake profiles used by Department of Homeland Security, says privacy groupList of keywords flags 'danger' signalDHS may attempt to identify users from their accountsKeywords include 'virus', 'drill' and 'illegal immigrant' By Rob Waugh Updated: 09:59 GMT, 28 December 2011 The Department for Homeland Security announced plans to scan social networks for keywords such as 'human to animal', 'outbreak', 'strain' and 'drill', and then identify users, claims an online privacy group The Department of Homeland Security makes fake Twitter and Facebook profiles for the specific purpose of scanning the networks for 'sensitive' words - and tracking people who use them. Simply using a word or phrase from the DHS's 'watch' list could mean that spies from the government read your posts, investigate your account, and attempt to identify you from it, acccording to an online privacy group. The DHS also watches for words such as 'illegal immigrant'.
Stuxnet weapon has at least 4 cousins: researchers FCC’s Genachowski proposes broadband reform - Post Tech Posted at 11:38 AM ET, 01/09/2012 Jan 09, 2012 04:38 PM EST TheWashingtonPost In a Monday speech, Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined a draft proposal that would expand a program that provides affordable telephone service for low-income Americans to include broadband Internet service. “The program is outdated, focused on phone service when high-speed Internet has become our vital communications platform,” he said. In his remarks, Genachowski said the program, known as Lifeline and which provides discounts on monthly telephone bills, has been successful, but has also been plagued by problems of accountability and efficiency. Multiple service providers often claim Lifeline subsidies for the same households, he said, because there is no centralized system. “The order would make Lifeline reimbursement more transparent and streamlined,” Genachowski said, calling the measure common sense. Related stories: FCC approves $4.5 billion broadband fund
The Repression Strengthened Us! One wrong move, forgetting to take your hat off, the interruption of a phone ringing notwithstanding — after a spell, a trip to the bank to pay the light bill — alongside men carrying machine guns — does get to feel normal. Such a transit of mind is a testimony to the human ability to adapt, yes? — and I am reminded of a marvelous tale that dear friend Francis Huxley tells. It was the 1950s, and he was called to transport a Native of the Brazilian Xingu tribe to Sao Paulo for emergency medical treatment. After success with that, they strolled through the streets of the city — for the Native man, the first time ever in such a scene. Upon passing a bank heavily guarded by men in military uniform, bearing epaulets, badges, and heavy black boots and carting machine guns – the man turned and asked what this strange display was all about. And so it is here, just over the border and sixty years later. First the government blocked the road from passage, including the arrival of food and water.
Lawmakers accuse Facebook of ducking questions on its privacy practices Young Turks: Reddit is the Internet’s new activist hotbed By Stephen C. WebsterSaturday, December 31, 2011 11:51 EDT In a segment broadcast Friday night, Current TV’s “The Young Turks” hosts took a look at social media forum Reddit, which has recently become a flashpoint for resistance to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which critics warn will break the structure of the Internet if it becomes law. For Reddit, that threat is very real: one of the site’s managers recent commented that independent analysts have told them that if SOPA passes, Reddit is essentially doomed. Such a small staff cannot possibly police such a massive volume of user-submitted content for links to websites potentially engaged in copyright infringement of any type, they explained, pleading with users to push back against the bill. “I love it,” host Cenk Uygur said Friday night. “It’s incredible, and a lot of people are getting involved,” co-host Ana Kasparian added. This video is from Current TV’s “The Young Turks,” broadcast Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. Stephen C. Stephen C.
5 Things You Should Know About the FBI's Massive New Biometric Database | Civil Liberties January 8, 2012 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. The FBI claims that their fingerprint database (IAFIS) is the "largest biometric database in the world," containing records for over a hundred million people. Ambitions for the final product are candidly spelled out in an agency report: "The FBI recognizes a need to collect as much biometric data as possible within information technology systems, and to make this information accessible to all levels of law enforcement, including International agencies." ( A stack of documents related to NGI was obtained by the Center for Constitutional Rights and others after a FOIA lawsuit.) It'll be "Bigger -- Better -- Faster," the FBI brags on their Web site. "NGI will expand the type and breadth of information FBI keeps on all of us," says Sunita Patel of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Here are 5 things you should probably know about NGI: 1.
The Author of SOPA Is a Copyright Violator US Congressman and poor-toupee-color-chooser Lamar Smith is the guy who authored the Stop Online Piracy Act. SOPA, as I'm sure you know, is the shady bill that will introduce way harsher penalties for companies and individuals caught violating copyright laws online (including making the unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime which you could actually go to jail for). If the bill passes, it will destroy the internet and, ultimately, turn the world into Mad Max (for more info, go here). I decided to check that everything on Lamar's official campaign website was copyright-cleared and on the level. Lamar is using several stock images on his site, two of which I tracked back to the same photographic agency. So I took a look back at an archived, pre-SOPA version of his site. This is a screenshot of his site as it appeared on the 24th of July, 2011. And this is the background image Lamar was using. And whaddya know? Oh dear. We need your help! For more on SOPA, read this.
How to Disappear Completely (From the Internet) If you’ve ever used the Internet, you have an online identity. Maybe it’s slight: a Hotmail account here, a comment on a news story there. Or maybe you’ve been more prolific, leaving a trail of usernames, accounts, messages, and profiles across the digital landscape. Unease about your online identity shouldn’t be limited to how much information is publicly available. While most Internet users seem fine with privacy tradeoffs, the lack of control will lead some to consider the nuclear option: total Internet evacuation. Popular Sites When a website is new, the last thing its creators are thinking about is how to help users leave. If you’ve ever used Gmail, Google Docs, Google+, or Picasa, to name a few, then you have a Google account. Once you’ve copied your important data offline, navigate to your Google account dashboard (google.com/accounts). Until 2008, there was no obvious way to permanently delete your information from Facebook. Smaller Sites
After Historic Protest, Members of Congress Abandon PIPA and SOPA in Droves Yesterday, in the largest online protest in Internet history, more than 115,000 websites altered millions of web pages to stand in opposition to SOPA and PIPA, the Internet blacklist bills. Some sites — Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing Boing, Craigslist and others — completely shut down for the day, replacing their sites with material to educate the public about the bill’s dangers. Others, like Google and Mozilla, sent users to a petition or action center to express their concerns to Congress. While the final results are still being tabulated, EFF alone helped users send over 1,000,000 emails to Congress, and countless more came from other organizations. And members of Congress were quick to react. Republican Marco Rubio started the day by announcing his opposition, despite formerly being a co-sponsor. Democratic Senators also voiced their opposition to PIPA. January 18th was a truly historic day for Internet activism. Unfortunately, PIPA and SOPA are still very much alive.
Here's a list of words Homeland Security searches for when they're monitoring the Internet. Hello, DHS. : conspiracy Mega Indictment 'Piracy' student Richard O'Dwyer loses extradition case over TVShack website The 23-year-old Sheffield Hallam University student faces up to 10 years in a US federal prison for operating TVShack which US authorities say hosts links to pirated and copyrighted video content. Advertisement How we moderate