p2pnet World Headlines – Aug 7, 2009
Legal threat to WikiLeaks from investment bank Millennium Finance Corporation, 6 Aug 2009 WikiLeaks
Summary – Yet another investment bank has sent legal threats to WikiLeaks. This time Washington DC lawyers were briefed by the Dubai registered Millennium Finance Corporation, who have the jitters over “Dubai based Millennium Finance Corporation investment bank unethical and out of cash, 4 Aug 2009″. The latest threat comes six days after that from failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing. Related attacks against WikiLeaks include those of Swiss bank Julius Baer, which subsequently cancelled its US IPO, Northern Rock, which was taken over by the UK government, and those of the billionaire financier Nadhmi Auchi. The attacks were unsuccessful. The documents will not be removed.
Censored story from the National Business Review of New Zealand on Vodafone interconnection deal, 5 Aug 2009 WikiLeaks
Summary – This is the text to a National Business Review (nbr.co.nz) article written by Chris Keall, detailing a secret interconnection deal ordered by former Labour Minister of Communications, David Cunliffe, between Vodafone New Zealand and mobile operator 2 Degrees. The file contains information that directly affects public policy (telecommunications regulation). However, the regulator, the New Zealand Commerce Commission, has used its powers under section 100 of the Commerce Act to suppress the story, and have ordered New Zealand media not to publish any details of the deal. NBR was forced to take down the story as a result of this state censorship. The the New Zealand public that needs to know how telecommunications industry regulation is done.
Reward for capture of trio in duck shooting video Montreal Gazette
A YouTube video featuring three unidentified young men giggling while gunning down ducklings from a parked car has prompted an offer of reward money from several groups hoping to apprehend the men. The Saskatchewan and Alberta governments, the Canadian Humane Society and a small Saskatchewan hunting outfit have all offered rewards for information that helps authorities identify the three men in the video.
Be careful what you post online, career counselors warn Reuters
People concerned about their careers should be extra careful about what they post on the Internet during a recession, career counselors say…. Kurt Weyerhauser, an executive recruiter at Kensington Stone in Los Angeles, said one human resources department “found a picture online of a candidate smoking what appeared to be pot, and in another case a company found a few severely off-color jokes that a candidate had posted dealing with race and gender.” He said the blunders can be roadblocks to being hired, regardless of the candidate’s ability to perform the basic functions of the job. Hiring people with that kind of public record online may even put a company in legal jeopardy. “If there is ever a problem with drug use or the harassment of coworkers the company could be liable,” he told Reuters. [Comment: The youtube duckling killers above may want to take note.]
Give privacy laws teeth National Post
Policing the Wild Web: Keeping our secrets secret – This week, the National Post brings you a three-part series on the rocky place where the Internet meets the law. The question put to today’s contributors: Given the proliferation of personal information on the Internet, especially on social-networking sites such as Facebook, how must Canada’s laws adapt to ensure our privacy online?… This is not good enough. Privacy laws should apply to non-commercial as well as commercial activities. They should prohibit collection and use of kids’ data, other than in exceptional cases. They should require meaningful consent, not just an easily overlooked opt-out check box. And we should be able to hold others accountable under privacy laws without undue effort and cost — it’s time to put some teeth into our privacy laws. [Comment: Of note, this article is by Philippa Lawson Ex-CIPPIC Chair]
‘Family Guy’ abortion show pulled Canoe
An upcoming episode of animated comedy hit Family Guy will not air on TV in America – because network bosses felt the plot was too outrageous. Show creator and writer Seth MacFarlane admits he thought TV chiefs would find his abortion-themed episode a little too much, but he’s grateful they allowed him to make it before passing judgment. He says, “They seemed to feel that we walked the line as delicately as possible, but my hunch is this was simply a corporate decision that this subject matter wouldn’t fly on air.” [Comment: P2P anyone?]
‘Xena’ takes it off for ‘Spartacus’ Canoe
Lucy Lawless, who forever will be known as Xena: Warrior Princess, will be partially naked in her new TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand… Spartacus: Blood and Sand will air on the U.S. cable network Starz. No Canadian network has picked it up yet. [Comment: P2P anyone? Isn't she like over 40 by now? @ Marc - Over 40? So? - Jon 
]
Blogger claims nude Hudgens pics Canoe
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2009/08/06/10375696-wenn-story.html
Lawyers acting on behalf of High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens are battling to remove a series of pictures from the internet which allegedly show the actress posing nude – because they were reportedly taken when she was underage. Gossip websites were sent into a frenzy on Wednesday when pictures appearing to show Hudgens naked leaked online. It was unclear whether the blurry shots were of Hudgens – but celebrity blogger Perez Hilton claims they are. [Comment: No kiddie porn upload/download, or distribution charges? WTF! If this was you or me and not some Hollywood gossip website... Also see Vanessa Hudgens naked again. Again. ]
Apple working on device abuse detection technology appleinsider
Apple has investigated a system where portable devices like iPods and iPhones would detect and store into memory “consumer abuse events” such as exposure to extreme cold, heat or moisture in void of warranty, a new patent application reveals. The invention, entitled “Consumer Abuse Detection System and Method,” was discovered by AppleInsider in a new patent application disclosure this week. Apple originally filed for the patent on Feb. 1, 2008. The concept aims to detect issues, like a dropped iPhone, that might void the warranty on the device. Apple already includes liquid submersion indicators in its MacBook Pros, iPhones and iPods. They irreversibly change color once they come in contact with a liquid, thereby offering the company’s retail store staff and authorized repair specialists an easy way to determine if a customer caused damage to their product with liquids — incidents that aren’t covered under Apple’s standard warranties. Rather than the physical indicator, the new system would save information of damage digitally into memory.
Rejected By Apple, iPhone Developers Go Underground Wired
Apple is the exclusive gatekeeper to its iPhone App Store, able to reject apps at will â as it did July 28 with Google Voice. But some developers aren`t taking the rejection lying down: They`re turning instead to an unauthorized app store called Cydia, where forbidden wares continue to exist â and even earn developers some money. That store is operated by Jay Freeman, more fondly known in the iPhone Jailbreak community as Saurik. Only five months old, his app store Cydia specializes in selling apps that Apple would reject or ban (or already has). To use Cydia or the apps available through it, customers need to jailbreak their phones â hack them to work around Apple-imposed restrictions â a process that Apple claims is illegal. Indeed, you can even get a Google Voice app, GV Mobile, through Cydia. After Apple pulled the app from its App Store, developer Sean Kovacs (who is not affiliated with Google) made it available for free through Cydia. [Comment: Are the the same militant Apple fans giving Apple the finger?]
Bing And Rogue Pharmacy Ads? Digital Trends
A new study says that most of the sponsored pharmaceutical ads on Bing lead to pharmacies that don’t require prescriptions.Is Bing helping the rogue pharmacy trade? That’s the assertion implicit in a new report by anti-spammers KnujOn and online verification firm LegitScript, which claims that 90% of the sponsored pharmaceutical ads on the recently renamed search engine “led to ‘rogue’ internet pharmacies…. [Comment: Cool! See below for more.]
RCMP break up counterfeit drug ring in Montreal Montreal Gazette
The RCMP seized thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit pills and arrested nine people during raids Thursday in the Greater Montreal region…. The fake medications, which included treatments for cancer and erectile disfunction, were being sold in stores, on the street and over the Internet, police said. [Comment: hmm, Bing!]
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Explains How Recording Industry Milked CD Business TechDirt
“There’s a process of natural selection going on right now. The music business was waiting to die in its current form about twenty years ago. But then, hallelujah, the CD turned up and kept it going for a bit. But basically, it was dead.”
Murdoch Now Demanding Names Of Kindle Subscribers TechDirt
Fresh off vague and undefined plans to put up a paywall on various news sites, it seems that Murdoch’s latest misguided target for digital angst is Amazon. ikonoclasm alerts us to the news that Murdoch is angry and threatening to remove all News Corp. material from the kindle unless Amazon is willing to hand over subscriber names and info to News Corp., [Comment: LOL]
Students take Carleton to rights tribunal Ottawa Citizen
Group says school trampled its freedom of expression – Carleton University was only trying to keep campus political discourse civil. Now, it looks as if it will face Ontario`s human rights tribunal. In March, a campus group advertised Israeli Apartheid Week with vivid signs of an Israeli fighter jet targeting a Palestinian toddler. Carleton told the group, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, to come up with something less pointed…. Ben Saifer, a member of Students Against Israeli Apartheid, said the group would not back down. The days of administrative intimidation and sophism are counted at Carleton University, and the tides are turning in North America against the supporters of the illegal Israeli occupation and apartheid regime.
Student didn’t do enough to prevent brutal sex attack: Carleton Ottawa Citizen
The victim of a violent and still-unsolved sex attack in a Carleton University chemistry lab nearly two years ago has filed a half-million-dollar lawsuit against the university. In a statement of claim, the 25-year-old Ottawa woman says university officials were negligent by failing to take adequate security measures, including equipping laboratory buildings with security devices such as swipe cards and ensuring that door and tunnel entrances to the building were visibly monitored by security cameras…. She failed to take appropriate or any action for her own safety, says the statement of defence.
Concordia bans credit card use for tuition CBC
Montreal’s Concordia University will no longer let students pay their tuition using credit cards, a spokeswoman for the college said Friday. The university said it’s trying to reduce costs, and credit-card transaction fees cost the school about $1.3 million a year. She said students have been informed of the new policy on the internet. That should give them enough time to find other ways to pay their tuition in the fall, she said. [Comment: wait a second, is this university saying that a note via the internet is enough to reach thousands of student, and only this method is suitable? Sounds like the internet should be classified as essential, maybe a utility?]
UK National ID Card Cloned In 12 Minutes SlashDot
“The prospective national ID card was broken and cloned in 12 minutes, the Daily Mail revealed this morning. The newspaper hired computer expert Adam Laurie to test the security that protects the information embedded in the chip on the card. Using a Nokia mobile phone and a laptop computer, Laurie was able to copy the data on a card that is being issued to foreign nationals in minutes.”
Hundreds see AC/DC for free after security breach CBC
A security breach at Thursday night’s AC/DC concert in Moncton allowed several hundred fans to see the legendary Australian rock band for free…. There is still no official estimate on how many people attended the outdoor concert. Organizers said as of Wednesday evening, 55,000 tickets had been sold and they were expecting more than 60,000 fans to show up.
Call for licence to spy on citizens The Australian
The Defence Signals Directorate should be given new powers to spy on Australians at home or overseas to deal with evolving security threats including terrorism and cyber warfare, according to a leading national security expert. Ross Babbage, an adviser to the Rudd government, says the DSD’s charter, which strictly prohibits it from spying domestically on Australian citizens, should be changed to reflect the more fluid and dynamic outlook facing Australia. His call for a change in the DSD’s powers and a restructuring of the current tightly separated Australian intelligence community is backed by a number of senior government officials in Canberra. [Comment: With the Aussie great firewall along comes state spying. Writing was on the wall.]
Marc – p2pnet
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
August, 2009
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
August 7th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Pro-Georgian blogger target of massive Internet attacks
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Georgian+blogger+target+massive+Internet+attacks/1871058/story.html
==============
A pro-Georgian blogger was the target of cyber attacks that disrupted Twitter and hampered services at Facebook and Livejournal, Internet security company F-Secure said on Friday.
Massive distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks intended to silence a blogger known as “Cyxymu” hammered Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Livejournal, F-Secure researcher Mikko Hyponnen said in a message at the firm’s website.
“Launching DDoS attacks against services like Facebook is the equivalent of bombing a TV station because you don’t like one of the newscasters,” Hyponnen wrote.
“The amount of collateral damage is huge. Millions of users of Twitter, Livejournal, and Facebook have been experiencing problems because of this attack.”
Effects of the attacks were still being felt Friday, with Facebook and Livejournal not accepting connections to Cyxymu’s online pages, according to Hyponnen.
“Whoever is behind this attack, they had significant bandwidth available,” the Internet security specialist said.
“Our best guess is that these attacks were done by nationalistic Russian hackers who wanted to silence a visible online opponent.”
In “tweets” at popular micro-blogging service Twitter, Cyxymu blames Russian authorities out to stifle his online commentary.
The attacks may have had the opposite effect, with the number of people signed on to follow Cyxymu tweets nearly doubling to 642 in the wake of the cyber assaults.
=============
So what has “Cyxymu” blogged about?
August 7th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Anyone speak Russian?
http://twitter.com/Cyxymu
August 8th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
“Lawyers acting on behalf of High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens are battling to remove a series of pictures from the internet which allegedly show the actress posing nude – because they were reportedly taken when she was underage.”
Yeah, good luck with that…
“pple has investigated a system where portable devices like iPods and iPhones would detect and store into memory âconsumer abuse eventsâ such as exposure to extreme cold, heat or moisture in void of warranty, a new patent application reveals.”
Great, now electronic devices will come with spyware pre-installed.