p2pnet World Headlines: March 11, 2011
CRTC refuses bid to widen Internet review Vancouver Sun
Canada’s telecom regulator said Friday there’s no need to review the billing practices of retail Internet services because market forces are working just fine. After the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced plans last month to review its decisions on billing practices that would have applied to the residential customers of small Internet Service Providers (small ISPs), several groups, including consumer advocates, requested the probe be widened to include the billing practices for retail Internet services. “The CRTC will not be expanding the scope, as requested by several parties, to include the billing practices for retail Internet services. There is no evidence that market forces are not working properly in this unregulated market,” the commission said in a statement. [In other words, screw you ... ]
Clearwire Sued Over WiMAX Throttling Slashdot
Wireless operator Clearwire has had a bumpy few months, and now things are getting worse. A lawsuit has been filed by 15 users over the company’s throttling practices, accusing Clearwire of not delivering advertised ‘high-speed Internet’ services to customers and charging them termination fees when they walk away unsatisfied. The complaint focuses heavily on Clearwire’s advertising, which not only highlights the speed of the connection, but also the fact that there are no limits on data usage. ‘Usage is unlimited — believe it. You can upload, download, and surf as much as you want for one low price with any of the CLEAR Internet plans. We don’t slow down your connection — the way some Internet providers do — if we think you are using too much bandwidth,’ the complaint quotes from Clearwire’s website. (That text appears to have been removed at the time of publication).
IIA Fastracks Industry Copyright Code IIA
In the wake of the landmark iiNet appeal decision, the Internet Industry Association today announced it would immediately start work on an industry code of practice for internet intermediaries, including ISPs, search, hosting and social media providers. IIA chief executive, Peter Coroneos explained the basis of the IIA’s annoucement: “Having closely reviewed the recent decision of the Full Federal Court, we’ve concluded it’s both necessary and appropriate to develop a code of practice to give a wider range of internet intermediaries greater certainty around their legal rights and obligations. The iiNet case has provided us with welcome guidance on where responsibilities should begin and end, but falls short in defining reasonable steps intermediaries should take in responding to allegations of infringement by their users. The Code will address this gap.”
Spurned lover is first person jailed for stalking by blog Telegraph
A hospital administrator has made legal history as the first man to be jailed in Britain for using an internet blog to stalk a woman. Stephen Andreassen, 38, compiled up to 35 website blogs in which he insulted Rebecca Pattinson after she ended their month-long relationship. The couple met in 2006 through friends and began dating three years later when Miss Pattinson, went to see Andreassen perform on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of the “one and other” exhibition by the artist Antony Gormley. Miss Pattinson, 36, a mother of two and a mature university student, ended the relationship after four weeks when Andreassen asked her to view a flat with him.
Authors demand drive to raise readers’ awareness of book piracy’s cost Guardian
A campaign is needed to educate the new wave of e-reader owners that downloading illegal ebooks from torrent sites is theft, amid signs that the piracy of books is increasing, authors claim. Crime writer David Hewson, author of the Italy-set Nic Costa novels, said a campaign along the lines of “People Who Love Books Don’t Steal Books” was urgently required – because readers who consider themselves his fans are downloading pirated copies of his ebooks and audiobooks. Hewson’s latest hardback The Fallen Angel was available online on torrent sites within a week of its publication in February. His agent, Carole Blake of Blake Friedmann, confirmed that “every day without fail” she receives Google alerts of pirated editions of her authors’ work. “It’s like a war on many fronts,” she lamented.
Google & Bing Have Whitelists – “Exception Lists” – For Some Algorithm Signals SearchEngineLand
During the Spam Police panel at the SMX West conference, both Google and Bing said they have “exception lists” for sites that might get hit by some algorithm signals. Neither suggested that such lists were used to boost sites in their search results nor exempt them from any overall algorithm changes. However, in the case of Google, sites might be excluded from the impact of particular ranking signals, said Google’s spam chief, Matt Cutts.
MNR forms Agent Orange review panel Lake of the Woods Enterprise
Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey has initiated an inquiry into the use of the herbicide 2, 4, 5-T during the 50s, 60s and 70s in forestry operations. The chemical was banned in Canada more than 25 years ago after it was linked to human health problems. Also known as Agent Orange, the herbicide was used by the U.S. military as a chemical defoliant during the Vietnam War. “I am very concerned about reports that link current health problems of forest workers with the possible exposure,” Jeffrey stated in a news release. “I’ve asked the ministry to gather as much information as possible on our use of this herbicide. We are going to continue to collect information and share our findings with the public.” MNR stopped using 2,4,5-T in 1979 and the federal government removed it from the herbicides registry in 1985, effectively banning use of the herbicide in Canada.
Illinois Has Abolished the Death Penalty! Human Rights Now
Today, with the signature of Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the death penalty, and the third state to do it in four years. The Governor also commuted the sentences of the 15 men currently residing on Illinois’ death row.
New 6.6-magnitude quake hits Japan: reports Globe and Mail
A powerful tsunami spawned by the largest earthquake in Japan’s history slammed the eastern coast Friday, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control. Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.
March, 2011
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan
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March 11th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Justin Bieber TRAPPED — ‘Possible Riot Situation’
3/10/2011 9:11 AM PST by TMZ Staff
Justin Bieber is currently holed up in his hotel in Liverpool, England — with hundreds of screaming girls outside … and cops have warned Bieber that it could turn in to a “possible riot situation” and have even threatened to arrest him.
March 16th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
” nd cops have warned Bieber that it could turn in to a “possible riot situation” and have even threatened to arrest him. ”
Yeah, I think the kid is a dork, but arresting HIM for what his fans do ?
That’s just stupid.