Vanishing from the Net a difficult task: Phone numbers, addresses and directions to homes and offices, county real estate tax information, and lots more personal data, all available using search engines as well as free and fee-based public records sites. Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: September 2003
Report Documents Staff of Homeland Security Department
The report and data listed below were published by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), who issued this related news advisory on August 25 about their research on the Department of Homeland Security, which is ongoing and will result in further documentation. Department of Homeland Security – The First Months Department of Homeland Security, Location of… Continue Reading
RIAA Press Release on P2P File Sharing Lawsuits
“Recording Industry Begins Suing P2P File Sharers Who Illegally Offer Copyrighted Music Online.” This press release, from the RIAA website, may be difficult to access as the site has been intermittently unavailable, due no doubt to the volume of press attention to these lawsuits. Continue Reading
District Court Rules in Favor of Pop-Up Ads
Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, of the US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia released a decision on September 5 that stated “Alas, we computer users must endure pop-up advertising,” in the case of U-Haul International, Inc., v. WhenU.com, Inc., et al., Civ. Act. No.03-1469-A. Partial summary judgment had already been granted on June 23 against… Continue Reading
Mergers in Publishing Industry Under Scrutiny
Information Access Alliance “The Information Access Alliance (a group that includes AALL, ALA, SLA, ACRL, MLA, and SPARC) believes that a new standard of antitrust review should be adopted by state and federal antitrust enforcement agencies in examining merger transactions in the serials publishing industry. When reviewing proposed mergers, antitrust authorities should consider the decision-making… Continue Reading
Another Guide on Info Syndication Format
RSS – A Primer for Publishers & Content Providers: “This document is aimed at publishers and content providers with the intention of introducing & explaining the concepts behind RSS and addressing some commonly expressed concerns…the guidelines do provide recommendations for good practice, case studies on RSS production and links to tools and specifications which will… Continue Reading
Software Apps to Block Spam
Interesting article about several companies that provide their anti-spam software to dozens of ISPs, which is in turn used to block billions and billions of unwanted emails each month on the enterprise and home user level. Continue Reading
Proposed House Bill On Database Protection Subject of Upcoming Hearings
Reuters reported that House Committees, Judiciary and Energy and Commerce, will hold joint hearings in the near future on a proposed bill “that would prevent wholesale copying of school guides, news archives and other databases which do not enjoy copyright protection.” Thanks to Marv Johnson for the link to the draft of this bill, the… Continue Reading
Arrest Warrant Issued for Hacker of Major Websites
According to this report on SecurityFocus.com, the FBI is trying to locate and arrest computer hacker Adrian Lamo, who “has become famous for publicly exposing gaping security holes at large corporations” that include the New York Times, AOL and Yahoo. Mr. Lamo has apparently agreed to turn himself in. See Title 18 USC PART I,… Continue Reading
Timing is Right for Legal Music Download Sites As RIAA Issues New Lawsuits
Via Kuro5hin.org, links to websites for legal music downloads, which is a timely resource in light of this news from the RIAA today that states in part: “..its member companies have filed the first wave of what could ultimately be thousands of civil lawsuits against major offenders who have been illegally distributing substantial amounts (averaging… Continue Reading
Airline Passenger Data Conflict Between US and EU
From Statewatch.com: “European Commission tells USA that demands for access to data on airline passengers breaches EU Data Protection Directive – correspondence reveals that USA is also asking for Advance Passenger Information to vet those flying.” Continue Reading
DOJ Objects to Website Statement on Patriot Act
The DOJ took issue with a statement on the Patriot Act posted to the ABCNews Nightline website yesterday, resulting in this press release. The following “correction” now appears on the Nightline website: Correction – Yesterday, a promo for Nightline posted on the ABCNEWS homepage incorrectly read: “Imagine a nation where police can search your home… Continue Reading
