p2pnet World Headlines: Feb 9, 2010
Iran’s resistance keeps up cat-and-mouse web game Reuters
With their paths through the Internet increasingly blocked by government filters, Nooshin and her fellow Iranian opposition-supporters say their information on planned protests now comes in emails. They say they don’t know who sends them. Internet messages have been circulating about possible rallies on February 11, when Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. But the climate in the Islamic Republic is much harder than before last year’s post-election protests.
$1.5m fine for illegal game upload Daily Telegraph
It’s game over for an over-zealous Brisbane player who was fined $1.5m for illegally copying and uploading a pre-release version of a popular game. James Burt, 24, received an early copy of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros Wii and made it available for download from a website, which has since been shut down. As a result of his actions the Federal Court ordered Burt to pay Nintendo $1.5m in damages and also cover the $100,000 in court costs.
Online safety push for five-year-olds BBC
Children as young as five are being targeted in a new online safety campaign backed by the government. The campaign uses cartoons to show five to seven-year-olds that people are not always what they seem. It is thought 80% of children in this age group use the web and one-in-five parents of this age group worry about who their children contact online. Experts say that by raising awareness of web risks at an early age, children will be better protected. The campaign run by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety – a coalition of industry, charity and government groups – is launched as part of EU Internet Safety Day.
Ingrid, 79, declared dead by Swedish tax authorities The Local
79-year-old Ingrid Ståhl of Malmö in southern Sweden found out to her surprise that she had been registered as dead after a mistake by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). Ingrid Stål and her husband have now been awarded 40,000 kronor ($5,400) in compensation for the error. It was in March 2009 that an administrator at the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) was tasked with registering a person as deceased. A mix up in identification numbers meant that Ingrid Ståhl was entered erroneously as having died, while her husband was labelled a widower. The couple only found out about the mishap in April when supermarket chain Ica and state gambling monopoly Svenska Spel got in touch to ask for the return of Ingrid’s charge cards.
Verizon temporarily blocks some 4chan sites CNet News
Verizon temporarily blocked traffic from some Web sites affiliated with the 4chan online forum on Monday after finding that some affiliate sites were apparently launching network attacks. “Our network security system found traffic from some 4Chan Web sites that had strong potential to disrupt the Verizon Wireless network, affecting our customers’ use of their services,” Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson wrote in an e-mail to CNET. “With continuing investigation, and ensuring no current risk of harm, we are giving the green-light to all 4Chan traffic. We will continue to monitor for any possibility of network harm.” He also posted an explanation on Twitter: “Never a block on 4Chan but some of its other sites were launching network attacks.”
Google Cuts Nexus One Termination Fee Mobiledea
Google has reduced by $200 the fee it charges subscribers who cancel a T-Mobile contract for its new Nexus One smartphone, following a federal inquiry investigating unfair charges consumers face when breaking their service early. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said its “equipment recovery fee” has been lowered to $150 from $350, but consumers that break their service contracts will still have to pay a T-Mobile early termination fee of $200. Subscribers who break the contract after 120 days will not have to pay any fee. Google’s decision to lower the fee comes after the Federal Communications Commission sent a letter asking why Nexus One consumers have to pay fees to both companies if they break a contract.
Gmail, Too, Seeks to Rival Facebook Wall Street Journal
Google Inc. is taking a swipe at Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. with a new feature that makes it easier for users of Gmail to view media and status updates shared online by their friends. Google could announce the new Gmail feature as soon as this week, said people familiar with the matter. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment. The change adds a module to the Gmail screen that will display a stream of updates from individuals a user chooses to connect with, said one of these people. It is a format popularized by Facebook and Twitter.
China Anti-Malware Alliance Set Up In Tianjin China Tech News
Initiated by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, the China Anti-Malware Alliance has been launched in Tianjin. Focusing on fighting websites that harbor spammers, spyware and malware, the newly launched alliance aims to fight computer viruses and malware and to promote the construction of a malware monitoring and warning system in China.
..… and identi.ca
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
February, 2010
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Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
February 9th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/articles/acs-law-asked-to-account-for-their-actions-by-the-sra-on-letters-sent-to-alleged-illegal-file-sharers
Hopefully this will come to something (fingers-crossed).
February 9th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Ill pass on Super Mario if the game Costs 1.5mil
lol @ Verizon, Was it only for 4chan.org? or other sites like chan4chan.com? Dont upset the Channers lol
February 9th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Jon, here is a tip for you:
class action against television networks (who look familiar to p2pnet readers).
”
If you are age 40 or over and wrote or were interested in writing for television, a proposed settlement may affect your rights.
Seventeen television networks and studios and seven talent agencies have agreed, subject to Court approval, to settle age discrimination allegations in connection with the hiring and representation of television writers age 40 or over, in nineteen separate class action lawsuits, for a collective payment of $70,000,000. (Insurance carriers are paying approximately two-thirds of the settlement amount.) If you qualify, you may send in a claim form to get benefits and may comment on or object to the settlement. If you do not want to be part of the settlement, you can exclude yourself.
The separate lawsuits all claim that the networks, studios and talent agency discriminate on the basis of age in their employment and representation decisions. The defendants (including ABC, APA, Carsey-Werner, CBS, Columbia TriStar Television, Inc., DW SKG TV LLC, formerly known as DreamWorks SKG TV LLC, Fox, NBC Universal, Paradigm, Shapiro-Lichtman, Sony Pictures Television Inc., Spelling Television, The Gersh Agency, The Endeavor Agency, The WB Television Network, Touchstone Television, TriStar Television, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, UTA, Warner Bros. Television, William Morris Agency, and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment LLC) deny that they discriminate, but believe it makes sense to end the litigation, which has been pending since 2000. The Court did not decide which side was right.
”
http://www.tvwriterscounsel.com/home.html
February 10th, 2010 at 8:47 am
The purpose of a $1.5M fine is not to recover damages, but to put a person into bankruptcy.