How to Protect Your Internet Privacy
The U.S. Government is one of the leading threats to Internet freedom.
In 2011, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized more than 100 domains, often without any basis in law.
Some politicians–most notably Joseph Lieberman–have called for an Internet Kill Switch whereby the executive branch of the United States Government would be given the "legal authority" to "kill" or terminate some or all of the Internet for any reason.
More recently, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a draconian measure supported by much of Hollywood, threatens to subvert what little freedom remains on the Internet.
However, legislation targeting Internet freedom must be construed in a broader context: since September 11th, 2001, the Patriot Act has essentially sundered the rights and freedoms afforded by the United States Constitution. And, in many ways, it has given birth to the National Security State.
In light of the various threats to Internet privacy, it is necessary to protect yourself not only from governments, but multinational corporations, internet service providers, universities, employers, and criminal networks.
ENCRYPTED INTERNET
Every connection to the Internet has an Internet Protocol (IP) address issued by an Internet service provider (ISP). The IP address may not only reveal who the internet service provider is, but more importantly, the approximate city, state, and country of a particular user.
In addition, every search made and every website visited (in particular, online banking, email logins, et al) record a person’s IP address and saves it indefinitely.
It is this number that uniquely identifies every user on the Internet. And since the ISP has a record of the subscriber (name, tax identification number, home address, et al) , every connection is traceable–traceable, that it is, unless the data is first encrypted by a proxy or a VPN service before passing through the internet service provider, making the data unreadable to the ISP.
In addition to encrypting data, proxies and VPNs can hide a person’s IP address and replace it with a different IP.
Although many services on the Internet promise privacy and anonymity, few deliver on such a promise. All web based proxies, such as yourcheat.com, anonymouse.com, and shadowsurf.com, for example, are ineffective and consequently must be avoided.
Web based proxies do not encrypt an Internet connection and simply cannot handle third party plugins such as JavaScript, Flash, Java, et al. More importantly, many web based proxies are in fact run by criminal networks, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), unlike proxies, encrypt the whole Internet; however, like proxies, VPNs can be good or bad, depending on the service provider. A VPN connection typically encrypts data from a person’s computer through the ISP to a VPN server.
How to choose a VPN:
• Always read the privacy policy of a VPN provider. Avoid services that keep data logs.
• Understand that all VPN services, regardless of the privacy policy, offer private–not anonymous–connections. VPNs are not anonymous because all data passed from users’ connections are visible to the VPN provider; ultimately, VPNs require a certain amount of trust on the user’s end.
• Avoid Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) services. PPTPs are considered less secure than OpenVPN services.
• OpenVPN is open source VPN technology that encrypts Internet connections with high grade encryption. http://www.vpn4all.com and http://www.cyberghostvpn.com are a few popular VPN services.
Proxy Services:
• Only use network proxies that are open source programs.
• Onion Proxy services (such as Tor) are the most anonymous Internet connections but also are among the slowest.
• Proxies have limitations on the ports they can anonymize. In order to anonymize all ports, proxies require third party software known as Socksifiers.
Email messages resemble a post card–there is nothing preventing anyone from reading it in transit. Here are some precautions you can take:
• Always encrypt sensitive emails with either PGP or S/MIME standards.
• Avoid popular email services offered by http://www.google.com, http://www.yahoo.com, and http://www.hotmail.com. Those services are neither private nor anonymous.
• Be cautious of certain email services claiming to be private (i.e. http://www.safe-mail.com) but are in reality intelligence honeypots.
• Always read the privacy policy of email services. It is almost always preferable to use an email service outside of local jurisdiction. http://www.vekja.net; http://www.cryptoheaven.com; and http://www.lavabit.com are popular choices.
• To avoid spam, preserve privacy, and protect against potentially dangerous email, always use a disposable email service for forum logins, online coupons, and other online activities. http://www.mailinator.com and http://www.dispostable.com are good choices. However, please remember that most throwaway email services are not intended for sensitive data, since anyone may be able to read the contents of the email.
ONLINE PURCHASES
• It is always preferable to use a prepaid gift card (American Express, Visa, et al) for anonymous online purchases than a debit or credit card.
• It is preferable to use an alias when purchasing online products.
Credits and Source:http://www.henrymakow.com/anonymity.html
Toilet on tap: Panel recommends Americans drink more waste water to combat future shortages
Next time you pour a glass of water from the tap try not to think about this – you might be about to drink what you once flushed away.
Rising numbers of Americans are consuming wastewater, or ‘toilet on tap’, without even realising it, according to an official report.
Even though it once contained human waste, food scraps and bath scum, the National Research Council claims that it could actually be better for you than fresh water.
It also says says that only wastewater that has been treated gets back into circulation, although the last industry-wide study was done was back in 1980.
Waste not, want not: Water flushed down the toilet, or emptied from sinks, bathtubs, washing machines and dishwashers heads to a treatment plant where materials like oils, soaps and chemicals is filtered out
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, wastewater is nothing more than ‘used water’.
It includes substances such as oils, soaps and chemicals and comes from sinks, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers.
Businesses and industries also contribute their share of used water that must be cleaned.
Wastewater is sent to a treatment plant where large material is filtered out before it is oxygenated to make it safe for human consumption.
The NRC looked at water drawn from a normal source that had five per cent wastewater and compared it to a sample which had been completely treated.
FBI Admits That It Uses Carrier IQ For Law Enforcement Purposes; Won’t Say How
So remember Carrier IQ? That would be the company that is providing what’s been deemed a root kit on a ton of mobile phones. While the company has sought to downplay the security and 
privacy risks of its software (to the point of threatening the main researcher behind the revelation), further research suggested that the software likely tracked actions down to the keystroke. Again, Carrier IQ has insisted that its only purpose was to help mobile operators get data and information to help out when users are having problems. For example, it notes the ability to highlight when and how users have dropped calls. And if this was all it really does, then the software might be slightly reasonable (though, the fact that it’s hidden and almost impossible to remove represents a significant problem no matter how benign the software might be).
However, Michael Morisy over at the site Muckrock, decided he might try a different angle to learn about Carrier IQ and whether it was used for surveillance: he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI to find out if and how it uses Carrier IQ data. Not too surprisingly, the FBI won’t provide him any details, but the way in which it turned him down was actually quite telling. Rather than just saying there were "no responsive documents," it instead said that it did have responsive documents "but they were exempt under a provision that covers materials that, if disclosed, might reasonably interfere with an ongoing investigation." That may imply, contrary to Carrier IQ’s suggestions, that its software isn’t for monitoring and spying, that the FBI views it quite differently, and already makes use of some Carrier IQ data. Of course, Morisy notes that there is another possible explanation: the FBI could be investigating Carrier IQ itself following these allegations, and it won’t reveal the data for fear of compromising that investigation. Either way, it at least raises some significant new questions concerning Carrier IQ and how its data is being used.
Update: Carrier IQ has come out with a response insisting that it has never given out info to the FBI. I would imagine that’s true, but it’s besides the point. The issue is whether or not the FBI uses Carrier IQ data that it receives via the mobile operators.
‘Mother of all bank runs’ has already begun in eurozone
Uncertainty over the future of the eurozone runs high, despite last week’s high-on-hot-air agreement on moving towards greater fiscal union. And that uncertainty is driving European banks into a severe liquidity crunch that could cause the region’s entire banking system to collapse, analysts fear.
The early warning signs of such a liquidity seizure are already showing up in the troubles that European banks face in raising short-term liquidity. French, Italian and Spanish banks have run out of collateral (typically US Treasures) that they put up to finance short-term loans, and have been forced to pledge their gold reserves in order to secure dollar funding, reports The Telegraph.
Some European banks have resorted to selling foreign assets to meet their capital requirements; others have cut back on their lending to industry.
Money is to the economy what blood is to the human body. So long as both are circulating smoothly, they’re doing fine. But when liquidity starts to choke in the veins of the economy, as is happening now, it points to a coming seizure. Which is the worry that keeps bankers and analysts up at night these days.
Investors are beginning to lose their faith in the banking system, and have begun a ‘bank run’ that could snowball into a full-blown crisis.
The “collateral crunch” has come about because the banks’ traditional means of raising funds are running dry as investors, worried about the survival of the euro, are pulling out their savings or are easing up bank bond purchase.
Essentially, what this signals is that investors are beginning to lose their faith in the banking system, and have begun a ‘bank run’ that could snowball into a full-blown crisis.
Read More:http://www.firstpost.com/world/mother-of-all-bank-runs-has-already-begun-in-eurozone-154124.html
EU’s Van Rompuy says sees fiscal compact signed by March
An intergovernmental treaty among up to 26 European Union countries on stricter fiscal rules will be finalised by March 2012, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said on Tuesday.
"Early March at the latest, this fiscal compact treaty will be signed," he said in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
A review of the adequacy of the 500 billion euro ceiling on the euro zone’s combined bailout funds will also be completed by March, Van Rompuy said.
The so-called fiscal compact is designed to allow closer surveillance of countries’ spending, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the euro zone’s debt crisis.
Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/eu-treaty-idUSB5E7N101T20111213
“Finally elites get have thier way with the european population, who are happily busy in bashisng muslims, baning veils, yet european bankers are saying ALL YOUR ASSES BELONG TO US”
Microsoft admits Patriot Act can access EU-based cloud data
Microsoft’s UK head admitted today that no cloud data is safe from the Patriot Act — and Microsoft will hand it over to U.S. authorities.
LONDON — At the Office 365 launch, Gordon Frazer, managing director of Microsoft UK, gave the first admission that cloud data — regardless of where it is in the world — is not protected against the USA PATRIOT Act.
It was honestly music to my ears. After a year of researching the Patriot Act’s breadth and ability to access data held within protected EU boundaries, Microsoft finally and openly admitted it.
The question put forward:
“Can Microsoft guarantee that EU-stored data, held in EU based datacenters, will not leave the European Economic Area under any circumstances — even under a request by the Patriot Act?”
Frazer explained that, as Microsoft is a U.S.-headquartered company, it has to comply with local laws (the United States, as well as any other location where one of its subsidiary companies is based).
Though he said that “customers would be informed wherever possible”, he could not provide a guarantee that they would be informed — if a gagging order, injunction or U.S. National Security Letter permits it.
He said: “Microsoft cannot provide those guarantees. Neither can any other company“.
While it has been suspected for some time, this is the first time Microsoft, or any other company, has given this answer.
Any data which is housed, stored or processed by a company, which is a U.S. based company or is wholly owned by a U.S. parent company, is vulnerable to interception and inspection by U.S. authorities.
Last week, Microsoft opened up its Online Services Trust Center which explained in great detail how data was managed, handled and if necessary, handed over to the authorities.
Invasion of the Vein Scanners for Cashless Society
In an article I wrote in late October 2011 (“NJ Transit Ushers In Cashless Society With Google Wallet App For Smartphone Payment), I detailed a new policy being implemented at New Jersey Transit stations and Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station, as well as in Penn Station and the 
New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. At the time, I deemed the program, “the most recent Orwellian Big Brother policy under the guise of greater traveler convenience; a cover story for privacy intrusion that is becoming more and more popular when attempting to introduce the hi-tech police state security grid.”
Essentially, the new procedure being introduced is a wireless payment program that allows passengers to wave their smartphones in front of a special sensor in order to purchase a ticket for travel. The sensor is located on the ticket vending machine and both the train and bus tickets are accessed via Google Wallet – an app that provides for wireless payment capabilities. In the article mentioned above, I argued that the implementation of such technology is the foreshadowing of the coming cashless society which itself will play a major role in the totalitarian police state control grid being established right before our eyes.
Read More:http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/invasion-of-vein-scanners.html
Why Is Pesticide Used As An Ingredient In Infant Formula?
‘Why is cupric sulfate — a known herbicide, fungicide and pesticide — being used in infant formula? And why is it displayed proudly on product labels as a presumably nutritious ingredient?
Used to kill fungus, aquatic plants and roots of plants, parasitic infections in aquarium fish and snails, as well as algae and bacteria such as Escherichia coli, cupric sulfate hardly sounds fit for human consumption, much less for infants.
Indeed, infants are all too often looked at as “miniature adults” from the perspective of toxicological risk assessments, rather than what they are: disproportionately (if not exponentially) more susceptible to the adverse effects of environmental exposures. Instead of reducing or altogether eliminating avoidable infant chemical exposures (the precautionary principle), the chemical industry-friendly focus is always on determining “an acceptable level of harm” – as if there were such at thing!’
Read More:http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/why-is-pesticide-used-as-ingredient-in.html
Anonymous on The National Defense Authorization Act
Anonymous on The National Defense Authorization Act . The Patriot Act along with the National Defense Authorization Act could be precursors to declaring Martial Law. I guess this really explains the Fema Camps now….terrifying.The predictions of America being destroyed from the inside are starting to come true.Orwell was off by about 27 years. 1984 is happening now. Really who the hell is coming up with all these bills breaking the first 10 amendments? hopefully now republicans, democrats, and everyone else will stand up and voice their concerns!
Dear brothers and sisters. Now is the time to open your eyes! In a stunning move that has civil libertarians stuttering with disbelief, the U.S. Senate has just passed a bill that effectively ends the Bill of Rights in America. The National Defense Authorization Act is being called the most traitorous act ever witnessed in the Senate, and the language of the bill is cleverly designed to make you think it doesn’t apply to Americans, but toward the end of the bill, it essentially says it can apply to Americans "if we want it to. Bill Summary & Status, 112th Congress (2011 — 2012) | S.1867 | Latest Title: National Defense Authorization Act for. This bill, passed late last night in a 93-7 vote, declares the entire USA to be a "battleground" upon which U.S. military forces can operate with impunity, overriding Posse Comitatus and granting the military the unchecked power to arrest, detain, interrogate and even assassinate U.S. citizens with impunity. Even WIRED magazine was outraged at this bill, reporting: Senate Wants the Military to Lock You Up Without Trial …the detention mandate to use indefinite military detention in terrorism cases isn’t limited to foreigners. It’s confusing, because two different sections of the bill seem to contradict each other, but in the judgment of the University of Texas’ Robert Chesney — a nonpartisan authority on military detention — "U.S. citizens are included in the grant of detention authority." The passage of this law is nothing less than an outright declaration of WAR against the American People by the military-connected power elite. If this is signed into law, it will shred the remaining tenants of the Bill of Rights and unleash upon America a total military dictatorship, complete with secret arrests, secret prisons, unlawful interrogations, indefinite detainment without ever being charged with a crime, the torture of Americans and even the "legitimate assassination" of U.S. citizens right here on American soil! If you have not yet woken up to the reality of the police state we’ve been warning you about, I hope you realize we are fast running out of time. Once this becomes law, you have no rights whatsoever in America. — no due process, no First Amendment speech rights, no right to remain silent, nothing. The US senate does not want us to speak. I suspect even now orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice…intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance, coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told…if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War. Terror. Disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you and in your panic, you turned to the now President in command Barack Obama. He promised you order. He promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. More than four hundred years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness. Justice, and freedom are more than words – they are perspectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek…then I ask you to stand beside one another, one year from November 5th, 2011, outside the gates of every court house of every city DEMANDING our rights!! Together we stand against the injustice of our own Government. We are anonymous. We are Legion. United as ONE. Divided by zero. We do not forgive Censorship. We do not forget Oppression
Stallman: Facebook IS Mass Surveillance
The father of free software philosophy spoke to RT on evil developers, spying social networks, the almost-legitimacy of Anonymous hacks and the condition under which he would take a proprietary program and a million dollars.
Stallman is the man behind the concept that every computer program must be free for users to study and modify as they want. This is the only way to ensure that by using the software users do not compromise their human rights, he says.
“Free software literally gives you freedom in the area of computing. It means that you can control your computing. It means that the users individually and collectively have control over their computing. And in particular it means they can protect themselves from the malicious features that are likely to be in proprietary software,” he told RT.
Source:http://www.infowars.com/stallman-facebook-is-mass-surveillance/
New WikiLeaks ’spy files’ show global surveillance industry
"The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has begun releasing sensational information on the multi billion dollar global spying industry. The database contains hundreds of documents shining a light on the methods being used by secret services all over the world. Here’s the video of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaking to journalists and students at a press conference at City University London in central London on December 1, 2011. Along with a number of other guest speakers, Mr Assange spoke of the Wikileaks ongoing investigation of surveillance software companies and their alleged use by governments around the world."
"The whistleblowing website Wikileaks has begun releasing sensational information on the multi billion dollar global spying industry. The database contains hundreds of documents shining a light on the methods being used by secret services all over the world."
Your Android & iPhone Phone are Secretly Recording Everything You Do
It was discovered that most (but not all) Android phones (and BlackBerries, and others) are recording every keystroke you make. Now, references to the same software have been discovered in Apple’s iOS. But in this case, it only logs technical data and it’s off by default.
Last night, prominent iOS hacker chpwn tweeted that he had found reference to the same, now notorious Carrier IQ software in iOS 3. After just a little more poking and prodding, it was confirmed that these references exist all the way up to modern day iOS 5, they’re just under a different name: /usr/bin/awd_ice2. But wait, before everyone starts returning their iPhones (none of you were going to do that anyway), there’s a bit of good news.
It seems that the data Carrier IQ has access to is much more limited than it is on Android. From chpwn’s blog: "…it does not appear the daemon has any access or communication with the UI layer, where text entry is done." That is extremely good news if it proves to be true, because it would mean that iOS wouldn’t be logging your passwords, emails, SMS messages, etc. Even more good news: CarrierIQ only kicks in when the iPhone is in Diagnostic Mode, which is off by default. So you’d have to actively tinker with settings you never use for it to work.
When activated, though, CarrierIQ does appear to log your name, phone number, carrier information, some info about the calls you are making, and your location (if Location Services are enabled). There may well be more, they just haven’t found it yet. We’ll update as we learn more.
What Is Carrier IQ?
Last week, 25-year old Eckhart discovered a hidden application on some mobile phones that had the ability to log anything and everything on your device—from location to web searches to the content of your text messages. The program is called Carrier IQ, and unlike the Android malware that’s been causing such a stir, it actually comes preinstalled by the manufacturer of your phone. In fact, you can find it on a bunch of different devices, including Android, Nokia, and BlackBerry phones. It’s what’s known as a rootkit—a program with massive amounts of privileges that hides its presence from the user. It was originally designed to log things like dropped calls and bad data connections for troubleshooting purposes, but manufacturers like HTC and Samsung have modified it to run in the background, completely undetectable, with no option to opt out of its "services". At best, it slows down your phone, and at worst, anyone on the other end of the application could, in theory, read your text messages, see what you search on the web, and much more.
Worst of all, after being confronted, phone manufacturers, wireless carriers, and Carrier IQ themselves have tossed around blame, saying they aren’t doing anything wrong. Some have and their privacy policies aren’t super specific on what they collect and use. Sprint claims they are "unable to look at the contents of messages, photos, or videos" using Carrier IQ, but Eckhart claims differently. I highly recommend reading Eckhart’s article for a deeper look at how Carrier IQ works and how it’s manifested itself on certain devices.
Update: Our original article stated that the software also came preinstalled on iPhones and dumphones, which has not been confirmed. That information came from this article at Geeks.com, and we actually believe that to be a typo. Considering it hasn’t been mentioned in any other source, and that the iPhone isn’t on Eckhart’s list of affected devices, we’re removing it until other sources say otherwise. Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.
Update #2: It looks like Carrier IQ does, in fact, run on iOS, but in a much more stripped down version that isn’t so offensive to the privacy-conscious. It’s also very easy to turn off. Check out this blog post for more information.
How to Tell If It’s Running On Your Phone
Right now, Android users are the only ones able to detect and remove the program. However, depending on your phone, you may have to be rooted to do so. Once rooted, running the "CIQ Checks" task in this app on XDA will tell you whether it’s running on your system. On HTC phones, you can also search for the app in Settings > Applications as described in the video above, but using the Logging Checker app is the most reliable way to check.
Note also that if you’re running an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) based ROM—like CyanogenMod—you do not have Carrier IQ installed on your system. These apps are based on the original, open source version of Android, and don’t include any carrier or manufacturer additions like Carrier IQ. If you’re using a modded version of your manufacturer’s ROM, however—for example, a modded HTC Sense or Samsung TouchWiz ROM—you could still have it installed. To avoid this, either flash AOSP based ROMs, or flash ROMs with Carrier IQ specifically removed (many will say NOCIQ or something similar on their description pages).
How to Remove It From Your Device
If you want to remove it from your device, you have two choices. Either flash a custom ROM that doesn’t contain Carrier IQ (as described above), or use Eckhart’s Logging Test App to remove it. Both solutions require rooting your phone.
To remove it with the Logging Test App, download the original app and then buy the $1 pro license from the Android Market. Then, open it up, hit the Menu button, and tap "Remove CIQ". This will completely remove it from your device.
Update: Some of you are noting problems with this function of the Logging Test App, So be wary if your phone isn’t one of the devices it’s confirmed to work on. As always, make a backup before you use anything with heavy root permissions. If you’d rather not deal with the Logging Test App, I highly recommend flashing a custom ROM like CyanogenMod instead.
Apple iTunes flaw ‘allowed government spying for 3 years’
An unpatched security flaw in Apple’s iTunes software allowed intelligence agencies and police to hack into users’ computers for more than three years, it’s claimed.
A British company called Gamma International marketed hacking software to governments that exploited the vulnerability via a bogus update to iTunes, Apple’s media player, which is installed on more than 250 million machines worldwide.
The hacking software, FinFisher, is used to spy on intelligence targets’ computers. It is known to be used by British agencies and earlier this year records were discovered in abandoned offices of that showed it had been offered to Egypt’s feared secret police.
Apple was informed about the relevant flaw in iTunes in 2008, according to Brian Krebs, a security writer, but did not patch the software until earlier this month, a delay of more than three years.
“A prominent security researcher warned Apple about this dangerous vulnerability in mid-2008, yet the company waited more than 1,200 days to fix the flaw,” he said in a blog post.
"The disclosure raises questions about whether and when Apple knew about the Trojan offering, and its timing in choosing to sew up the security hole in this ubiquitous software title."
Aussie ISPs Propose Copyright Enforcement Scheme
Five major Australian internet service providers (ISPs) — iiNet, Internode, Primus, Optus and Telstra — have released a proposal for dealing with online piracy. It’s an education-based scheme that doesn’t force ISPs to cut off customers accused of piracy by movie studios, but there’s a way to go before it becomes reality.
Picture by Guillermo R. Loizaga
ISPs have resisted an ongoing push by the entertainment industry to make providers primarily responsible for enforcing copyright laws against people who download movies and TV shows via torrents. The general argument is that making ISPs responsible for activities conducted by their users would be like holding a phone company responsible if two burglars plan a robbery on a mobile call. That view has generally been supported by the courts, but it’s clear that without some kind of system in place, brawls over the issue will continue.
The Notice Scheme, which the five ISPs are proposing through industry body Communications Alliance, isn’t yet an enforceable policy — the group has released it for public discussion to stimulate further debate over the issue. Under this proposal, which would run as an 18-month trial:
- Rights holders will have to demonstrate that they have effective, accurate piracy detection technology before they can take part in the scheme.
- If rights holders provide evidence of infringement by an IP address associated with that ISP, ISPs will send “education and warning notices” to a customer associated with that IP address (assuming they can be identified).
- After four notices are sent, rights holders may choose to pursue legal action by serving a “discovery notice” to identify the customer. However, the ISP will not impose sanctions on customers or cut off their access.
- Customers will be able to appeal if they are sent a notice but believe no copyright laws have been broken.
In the trial phase, the ISPs propose that no more than 100 notices per month should be served on any one provider, to ensure they’re not flooded with huge volumes of requests. One big bone of contention: who should pay for establishing and running such a scheme.
The paper also argues that offering more effective and timely legal access to movies, music and TV online will ultimately be more effective than suing the pants off everyone, which is hard to argue with.
Does this sound like a reasonable proposal for handling online copyright issues? Share your thoughts in the comments.
G20 case reveals ‘largest ever’ police spy operation
RCMP collaborated with provincial and local police to monitor activists
Police Police organizations across the country co-operated to spy on community organizations and activists in what the RCMP called one of the largest domestic intelligence operations in Canadian history, documents reveal.
Information about the extensive police surveillance in advance of last year’s G8 and G20 meetings in southern Ontario comes from evidence presented in the case of 17 people accused of orchestrating street turmoil during the summits.
The court case ended Tuesday before it went to trial. Six of the defendants pleaded guilty to counselling mischief and two of those to an additional count of counselling to obstruct police, while 11 people had their criminal charges dropped.
Testimony previously under a publication ban describes how two undercover police officers — one male, one female — spent 18 months infiltrating southern Ontario community groups ahead of the June 26-27, 2010, gathering of world leaders.
They were part of a much larger so-called joint intelligence group (JIG) operation that the RCMP, in its internal post-summit review, called "likely the largest JIG ever assembled in Canada."
Undercover operatives
The Crown built its case against the 17 around the work of the two officers, Ontario Provincial Police members Bindo Showan and Brenda Carey. It was a massive case: 59 criminal charges in all, more than 70,000 pages of Crown evidence disclosed to the defence, and months of scheduled testimony.
Read the files
Documents obtained under freedom of information legislation reveal the extensive police surveillance operation against political groups and activists.
- G8 summit intelligence report.
- Undercover and plainclothes police.
- RCMP’s post-G20 internal review.
- Organizational diagrams.
Earlier this fall, Showan told the court about how he attended a meeting prior to the Toronto summit. There, a protest-planning group that included several of the 17 main G20 defendants was discussing whether to lend their support to a First Nations rally.
Adam Lewis, one of the 17 accused conspirators in the G20 case, interjected, “Kill whitey!” The group chuckled. Lewis, like all but one of his co-accused, is white.
When a Crown lawyer asked the officer what he thought Lewis meant, Showan said in complete seriousness, to "kill white people."
"Deliberately or accidentally, the undercover officers misinterpreted hyperbolic jokes as literal statements of belief," said Kalin Stacey, a community organizer, friend and supporter of the defendants. "This undercover case highlights the incentive for undercovers to ensure that charges are laid."
Read More:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/22/g20-police-operation.html
Signs of ageing halted in the lab
The onset of wrinkles, muscle wasting and cataracts has been delayed and even eliminated in mice, say researchers in the US. 
It was done by "flushing out" retired cells that had stopped dividing. They accumulate naturally with age.
The scientists believe their findings could eventually "really have an impact" in the care of the elderly.
Experts said the results were "fascinating", but should be taken with a bit of caution.
The study, published in Nature, focused on what are known as "senescent cells". They stop dividing into new cells and have an important role in preventing tumours from progressing.
These cells are cleared out by the immune system, but their numbers build up with time. The researchers estimated that around 10% of cells are senescent in very old people.
Cleanup
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic, in the US, devised a way to kill all senescent cells in genetically engineered mice.
The animals would age far more quickly than normal, and when they were given a drug, the senescent cells would die.
The researchers looked at three symptoms of old age: formation of cataracts in the eye; the wasting away of muscle tissue; and the loss of fat deposits under the skin, which keep it smooth.
Researchers said the onset of these symptoms was "dramatically delayed" when the animals were treated with the drug.
When it was given after the mice had been allowed to age, there was an improvement in muscle function.
One of the researchers, Dr James Kirkland, said: "I’ve never seen anything quite like it."
His colleague Dr Jan van Deursen told the BBC: "We were very surprised by the very profound effect. I really think this is very significant."
The treatment had no effect on lifespan, but that may be due to the type of genetically engineered mouse used.
Eternal youth?
The study raises the tantalising prospect of slowing the signs of ageing in humans. However, senescent cells cannot be just flushed out of human beings.
Dr Deursen said: "I’m very optimistic that this could really have an impact. Nobody wants to live longer if the quality of life is poor."
Citizen Spy Recruitment Program Launches in U.S. Hotels
Homeland Security has been working closely with hotels on many levels as private partners in the war on terror, as part of the expanding If You See Something, Say Something program. Manuals such as the 84-page, Protective Measures Guide for the U.S. Lodging Industry (pdf) have been sent out to teach owners and staff how to properly spot potential terrorists. Typical suspicious behavior includes paying with cash and “insisting on privacy” among a plethora of other dangers.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that hotel guests are secretly being assessed by untrained intelligence assets of Homeland Security, now guests are to be subjected to psy-op recruitment techniques via their TV sets in major hotels such as “Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and other hotels in the USA,” according to an article published in the travel section of USA TODAY.
It is only a 15-second public service announcement, but follows similar PSA programming that aims to create fearful masses willing to call authorities over the flimsiest of suspicious activities, such as the innocuous example below.
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1
Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/citizen-spy-recruitment-launches-today.html
New trials show naked body scanners have up to 40%
Recently trials of the naked full-body scanning machines in Australia have revealed that the highly invasive technology has a huge error rate of up to 40%, but Australian government officials plan to set up the scanners in airports regardless.
These radiation-launching machines, also known as Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), have once again been proven completely incompetent and absurd even though Australian Transport Minister Anthony Albanese described the scanners as the “most advanced passenger screening technology available in the world.”
The Australian Office of Transport Security announced this week that out of 23,500 scans carried out at Melbourne and Sydney airports throughout the months of August and September, around 20 to 40% of the alarms set off were done so in error. What’s even more ridiculous is the lack of certainty as to what exactly caused the machines to raise false alarms in the first place.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034034_naked_body_scanners_errors.html#ixzz1caM6Tyqn
German hackers discover government spying
“The German Chaos Computer Club has uncovered two recent instances of police using trojan spying programs on the computers of suspects they later arrested. The programs allowed remote users to take over webcams, listen in on internet phone calls and take screenshots every 30 seconds.
All that would exceed the laws currently on the books in Germany, which only allow authorities to tap computers for phone calls.
Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the government would re-examine the software it was using but that internet telephone monitoring would continue.
Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer reports from Berlin.”
Free Speech Zone 