Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Declan: Legislator warns FCC on digital TV. A key legislator in the House of Representatives warns that copy protection used in the transition from analog to digital television broadcasts must protect "fair use" rights. In a carefully worded speech, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing copyright law, said that future Federal Communications Commission regulations involving digital TV should not have an adverse affect on how consumers may legitimately use lawfully acquired entertainment products. Smith also signaled his firm opposition to a bill introduced last year by Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., which would implant mandatory copy-protection technology in PCs and consumer electronics devices. I am skeptical of government mandates on the technology industry...Until evidence shows otherwise, I believe existing copyright law is adequate. [CNET News.com] 9:54:18 PM    comment []

Radio ID tags get Microsoft backing. The software titan says it is joining a venture to help develop standards for radio frequency tags intended for use in tracking retail goods. [CNET News.com] See also this coverage here on the blog, on Benneton backing off its RFID plans, and on the CFP2003 session on RFID, Auto ID: Tracking Everywhere, with Katherine Albrecht, Mark Roberti, Richard M. Smith and J.D. Abolins. 6:21:22 PM    comment []

The Social Web. In this special report published today, BusinessWeek Online says: "In more ways than ever before, people are incorporating the Net into all corners of their lives." Here are the contents. The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It Every year, millions more people around the world use the Internet to interact in more ways than ever before, incorporating it into all corners of their lives. Finding Love Online, Version 2.0 The latest generation of matchmaking sites is starting to show some promise in helping 21st century singles hook up. The Wild World of "Open-Source Media" Web logs, or blogs, offer everyone a platform for political commentary, diary writing, and sharing links. And the best are truly influential. Before Spam Brings the Web to Its Knees To halt the scourge ISPs, Congress, tech outfits, and big thinkers are chewing over charging for messages, regulations, smarter filters, and more. The Web, According to Google It's becoming the dominant way to search the Net, and that worries critics who see problems with its privacy practices and ranking methods. [Smart Mobs] 4:17:38 PM    comment []

China tightening control over Internet cafes (Reuters). 1:02:19 PM    comment []

Microsoft Acts on Apple's Complaint: The computer giant says that as part of its California antitrust settlement schools can decide whose software they will receive. Microsoft Corp., which agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle antitrust claims in California, said Thursday that it dropped a provision in the agreement that would have given the company's software to schools at no charge. Schools that are awarded vouchers under the revised settlement can receive any manufacturer's technology product, according to court documents filed in San Francisco. Previously, Microsoft had planned to give schools either free Microsoft software or cash to buy any computer products. 9:01:41 AM    comment []

What will a weblog bring?. Dave: "A business contact. A bug report. An old friend finds you again. You get a job. You hire someone. You get an answer to a question. These are the benefits of running a weblog." [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog] 7:26:00 AM    comment []

The Pain of Pain, Persistent and Chronic. Pain, however low-grade, adds up. The continuum of discomfort can be an unrelenting, constant companion. By Richard M. Cohen. [New York Times: Science] 7:24:19 AM    comment []

Denise Howell blogged my keynote. It went pretty well. My closing line, delivered by accident (I didn't know it would be the closing line) was good enough to be a Scripting News motto. First a canned line. "Idealism is okay. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it." And then the killer. "Idealism has practical real-world applications." [Scripting News] 7:23:20 AM    comment []

What Would Jesus Do? Sock It to Alabama's Corporate Landowners. Alabama's Republican governor thinks he can convince the voters that Christian theology calls for a tax system that is fairer to the poor. By Adam Cohen. [New York Times: Opinion] 7:19:33 AM    comment []

Court ruling weakens privacy of e-mail by Paul Waldie, The Globe and Mail . According to documents filed in the Court of Queen's Bench, someone obtained confidential payroll information for a number of managers and then sent an e-mail to employees with the details. The company traced the source of the e-mails to an account with Aliant Telecom, which provides telephone and Internet service across Atlantic Canada. This week, after a brief hearing, the court ordered Aliant to give Loblaw all information about the e-mail account. . . . The case is one of the first of its kind in Canada, but Michael Power, an Ottawa lawyer who specializes in privacy issues, said Canadians better get used to having their e-mail accounts subject to these kinds of challenges. I think you will find more and more lawyers are quite comfortable seeking electronic evidence and accordingly applying to the courts for orders seeking the production of information, he said. Internet service providers are not immune to this trend and they are really a target since they may hold information, i.e. e-mails or records of communications. He added that in the past [request for e-mail accounts] have come in the criminal context. But as lawyers get more and more comfortable with the idea of dealing with electronic evidence you are going to see it come up more in the civil context. 4:00:56 AM    comment []