Episode: 930
Title: HPR0930: TGTM Tech News for 2012-02-20
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr0930/hpr0930.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-08 05:07:00

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right now.
You're listening to Talk Geek 3 News, number 61, record for February 20, 2012.
You're listening to the Tech Only Hacker Public Radio Edition, to get the full podcast,
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And now the tech roundup for me, ff.org, dated February 16, 2012 by Peter Echersley, Rainey
Wrightman, and Lee TN.
Google circumvent Safari Privacy Protections.
This is why we need to not track.
Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal published evidence that Google has been circumventing
the privacy settings of Safari and iPhone users, tracking them on non-google sites despite
Apple's default settings, which were intended to prevent such tracking.
This tracking, discovered by Stanford Researcher Jonathan Mayer, was a technical side effect,
probably an unintended side effect, of a system that Google built to pass social personalization
information, like, quote, your friend Susie plus one, this ad about TANDI, unquote,
from thegoogle.com domain to the double-click.net domain, further technical explanation can
be found below.
Coming on the heels of Google's controversial decision to tear down the privacy protective
walls between some of its other services, this is bad news for the company.
It's time for Google to acknowledge that it can't do a better job of respecting the
privacy of web users.
One way that Google can prove itself as a good actor in the online privacy debate is
by providing meaningful ways for users to limit what data Google collects about them.
Specifically, it's time that Google's third-party web servers start respecting do-not-track
requests and time for Google to offer a built-in do-not-track option.
Meanwhile, users who want to be safe against web tracking can't rely on Safari's well-intentioned
but circumventable protections.
Until do-not-track is more widely respected, users who wish to defend themselves against
online tracking should use ad-block plus for Firefox or Chrome or tracking protection
lists for internet explorer, ad-block needs to be used with easy privacy and easy lists
in order to offer maximum protection to read the technical details about the tracking
follow links in the show notes.
From torrentfreak.com by Winston-TPB, day of February 17, 2012, Pirate Bay, the RIA is
delusional and must be stopped.
Senior Executive Vice President of the RIA, wow, what a long title.
Mitch Glazier has published a blog post on YTPB is quote, one of the worst of the worst.
The piece gives us ample information on just how delusional the recording industry really
is and shows why they must be stopped.
In the very first sentence, Glazier uses the phrase copyright theft.
It's an interesting concept if anyone in history ever stole copyright.
It must be the record industry.
At least they tried as in the Swedish TPP case where they sued over a record they did not
have the copyright to.
A small lesson to Mr. Glazier, if someone steals something, you don't have it anymore.
If you copy it, both have it.
This means if someone steals your copyright, aka copyright theft, you don't have the copyright
anymore.
I'm having a hard time to see that happening, though, since copyright isn't really physical.
The jobs that you say are being stolen in the US are somewhat physical, though, and if
someone steals them, where do they go?
Maybe they just aren't needed anymore.
That's what technology does.
Sorry, it's 2012, not 1912.
Do you want to forbid robots as well since they steal jobs?
Let me quote the title of Peter Sun's latest piece in Wired, its evolution.
If you search for it, you'll find the rest of the title for that piece.
It might be illegal for me to put that in print, since a nuke censorship law was passed
in Syria.
Since you apparently think that US law should control people around the world, shouldn't
we follow the laws in Syria as well?
Yes, Glacier is upset that the Pirate Bay moves away from US-controlled domain names.
He doesn't seem to understand that there is a worldwide problem when one single country
tries to take control over a global infrastructure.
The Pirate Bay has no connections to the US, so why should the US be able to control it?
It's a very undemocratic procedure, which obviously the RAA is supportive of.
Apparently, escaping US laws means not being born in the US, not living there, not working
there, or not wanting to kiss your ass.
And, Mr. Glacier, talking about the countries in the EU that you have forced ISPs to block
the Pirate Bay and other sites is interesting, as the European Court has just decided that
these types of censorship are just that censorship and should be treated as illegal.
Would we see your view on the matter as the RAA is clearly supporting illegal censorship?
The RAA wants the tech industry to sit down and talk to them.
Fuck that.
You're not in charge.
If you want the help of the tech industry, ask for it.
You'll probably get it since most tech people are nice.
You're not in charge anymore, and that's probably why you're pissed off.
Please stop calling yourself the creative community.
You're not a community.
You're a coalition of some of the richest companies in the world, and the only thing you
seem to be creative with is your accounting procedures.
The recording industry is like a kid screaming for candy.
The problem is that the kid has diabetes.
From torrentfreak.com, by a Nick Mech's day in February 14, 2012, I.I.P.A. reports bit
torrent sites and cyber lockers to US government.
The I.I.P.A., which counts major entertainment groups, such as the MPAA and RIAA, among
its members, has listed many bit torrent and cyber lockers services in its latest submission
to the US trade representative.
Hong Kong-based mega-upload neighbor File Sonic is listed as an infringing distribution
hub, while Pirate Bay, ISO Hunt, Demonoid, and others get notable mentions.
The International Intellectual Property Alliance, the I.I.P.A., has just published its written
submission to the Office of the US Trade Representative, listing countries that it believes
should be identified in the annual Special 301, the report that details the adequacy and
effectiveness of US training partners, protection of intellectual property rights.
The I.I.P.A., which counts the Association of American Publishers, BSA, ESA, Independent
Film and Television Alliance, MPAA, National Music Publishers Association, and the I.I.A.A,
among its members, has listed its grievances against the whole host of countries.
Unsurprisingly, especially given its members' focus, the main complaints concern movie,
music video game, and software piracy.
The complaints about infringement in the digital realm are numerous.
From the priority watch list, the file sharing focus fails on Canada, China, Russia, and
Ukraine.
Canada.
According to the I.I.P.A., Canada is a haven where technologically sophisticated international
piracy organizations can operate with virtual impunity in the online marketplace.
This is due, says the group, to Canada's reputation for having weak and effective or non-existent
laws to outlaw infringement.
The I.I.P.A. notes correctly that Canada plays host to a large number of BitTorrents
sites, including perhaps its most famous ISO Hunt.
The group says that the site has operated with impunity for more than eight years despite
being the subject of an injunction issued by a U.S. court, of course, by definition the
U.S. is outside Canadian jurisdiction.
Other major Torrents sites mentioned as having Canadian connections include kick-ass torrents
and torrents.eu.
It's also noted that many French language torrent sites are operated from Quebec.
File sharing related actions I.I.P.A. recommends Canada takes in 2012.
Establish clear liability and effective remedies against those who operate elicit file sharing
services, or those whose actions are otherwise directed to promoting infringement.
An act strong legal incentives for internet service providers to cooperate with copyright
owners and combatting online piracy, including by limiting the scope of liability safe
harbors in accordance with international best practices.
China.
The I.I.P.A. lists the main source of online piracy as music portal sites, P2P services,
deep linking services, A.K.A. search engines, forms, blogs, and cyberwalkers.
File sharing client, zoomly, and other services offered by its operas are mentioned several
times.
The situation in China has improved over the last 12 months, with the I.I.P.A. noting
that major P2P sites have cleaned up their pirated content.
Elicit streaming services are described as problematic as the increase in conception of elicit
content via cell phones.
To read the file sharing related actions, the I.I.P.A. recommends China takes in 2012.
Read the full article.
Russia.
The I.I.P.A. singles out two Bitcoin torrent trackers as especially problem at rutracker.org,
the renamed torrent.ru and game torrent, a tracker alleged owned by a Russia national
but hosted in Estonia.
According to the submission, Russia is home to the world's two most prolific criminal
release groups, who camcorder movies in local theaters and upload them to the internet.
The unnamed groups are said to have been responsible for 77 exceptional quality camcorder movies
in 2011.
A streaming video links site listed as offering such movies is the popular video2k.tv.
On the music front, Russia's Facebook equivalent, the Kuntakhti, is singled out for criticism
despite apparently responding correctly to take down demands.
Quote.
While the Kuntakhti will generally take down specific content when notified that is an
inappropriate enforcement mechanism for a problem of re-kuntakhti's own making, unquote,
the submission states.
Sites that charge a nominal amount for music such as the numerous all of MP3-type clones
are described as an important source of piracy, which have grown to more than 30 in number
since the site's demise.
To read the file showing related actions IAPA recommends Russia takes in 2012 read the
whole article.
Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, demonoid.me is a focus of the IAPA's and bit torn sentiments in Ukraine that
claims that the site offers 75,000 movies and 47,000 TV shows for free.
Cyberlocker EX.ua, which was rated in January but is now back online, leads the IAPA's
file hosting complaints.
To read the recommendations for the Ukraine, read the full article.
To read the paragraphs on Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Hong Kong, read the full article, linked
to in the show notes from techdirt.com by Mike Masnick, date February 17, 2012.
Congrats US government, you're scaring web businesses into moving out of the US.
The federal government has been paying lip service to the idea that it wants to encourage
new businesses and stops in the US, and this is truly important to the economy as studies
have shown that almost all of the net job growth in this country is coming from internet
startups.
Thankfully, some politicians recognize this, but the federal government seems to be going
in the other direction.
With the JOT form situation unfolding where the US government shut down an entire website
with no notice or explanation, people are beginning to recognize that the US is not safe for
internet startups.
Lots of folks have been passing around this rather reasonable list of activities for US
based websites.
Quote, today's cis-admin to-do list, zero, get corporate membership with EFF, one, identify
all applications with user-generated content, two, move all associated domains to a non-US
based registrar, three migrate DNS, web-serving, and other critical services to non-US based
servers, four migrate yourself to a non-US controlled country.
I'm sorry for US sites and users, your government has held bent on turning the internet into
a read-only device like TV, easily regulated and controlled, the population will be required
to sit quietly and keep their eyes glued on the screen so they don't miss the ads with
any infringers deemed terrorists and pedophiles and less deserving of summary punishment
by DHS squads.
Hopefully the internet will route around the damaged segment and the rest of us can continue
to enjoy the amazing interactivity it has brought to society.
End block quote.
What's amazing is the, what's the big deal attitude the government has taken to all of this?
For most of us this situation is shocking, the US government should never be able to flat
out shut down a business with no notice or explanation.
Only to say sorry a couple of days later.
It's done, this in the past and insisted that it would be more careful in the future,
so far it doesn't appear to be living up to that promise.
While these may be mistakes, the wider impact should be frightening to federal officials,
then now actively scaring startups away from the US businesses at a time when they should
be doing exactly the opposite.
From TechDote.com, by Glenn Moody, date February 17, 2012, Australian government holds secret
anti-piracy meetings, the public is not invited.
As TechDote noted recently, policy making behind closed doors is no longer acceptable.
Until the end of the 20th century, it was hard for the general public to make their
views heard, and so governments didn't really bother asking them.
But that's no longer the case, the internet has blown government wide open, and there is
now no excuse for not consulting as widely as possible, including the public before passing
legislation or signing treaties.
That's a lesson that the Australian government seems not to have learned yet, judging from
the following story.
The federal government has reportedly held a second closed door meeting held between the
content and telecommunications industries to address the issue of illegal file sharing
on the internet through avenues such as BitTorrent.
The first meeting took place at the end of last year, and as part of the content industry's
attempt to circumvent the Australian court's refusal to order ISPs to act as a private copyright
police force.
According to another report, the argument now seems to be mainly about who will pay for
a proposed graduate response, three strikes scheme.
Quote once was familiar with the discussion said, local film industry representatives are
concerned that the cost of operating graduate response schemes is too high.
As was said, the content industry's response was to try to push the cost of managing infringement
notices and an appeals mechanism for customers who felt they had been wrongly accused onto
internet service providers, unquote.
Never mind the fact that the content industry is not only one is kind of extrajudicial punishment.
They wanted for free.
What's really appalling here is that three strikes seems to have been settled upon without
any qualms about whether it is fair, or would work, or whether it might be a good idea
to conduct some research to find out.
It's the usual evidence-free policy making that has been doubled this area for decades,
but that's hardly surprising, since the most important stakeholder here, the public,
wasn't invited to the meetings to offer its views on moves that would have a major impact
on using the internet, on privacy, and on civil liberties.
It's not only unacceptable, it's extremely unwise, in view of what the Australian government
plans to do next, quote.
If the content and internet industry's reach agreement on a scheme to deal with copyright
infringement, the Attorney General's Department is expected to put a draft proposal out for
public consultation, unquote.
Given the way that such a draft proposal is being drawn up, any public consultation is likely
to be seen as a sham, since the terms of the debate have already been set, and when
the draft, with a few token but irrelevant tweaks, finally becomes law, guess how much
public support that is going to have.
News from iWW.org, RoarStory.com, the audio moment of clarity number 116, and tech.com,
use them to arrange permission.
News from eFF.org, and torrentfreak.com, use them to permission of the Creative Commons
by Attribution License.
News from peoplesworld.org, use them to permission of the Creative Commons by Attribution, non-commercial,
no derivative license.
News from indibay.org, use them to terms of the web page.
News from takewithsquare.net is copy left, translation from Greek courtesy, the Reddit community.
News sources retain their respective copyrights.
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