Month: June 2014

Oh just fuck off already…

Selfie is a new creative Social Network with the Safest environment for sharing your pictures and messaging

We asked users about social and messaging applications, what they liked, what they didn’t like and if there is anything they like to change or add to them. We listened to user feedback and now we are introducing “SELFIE”. an all new social and messaging application.

We have more than enough of both “social networks” and self-obsessed idiots posting pictures of themselves on the internet, so would you please do us all a favor and fuck off?

Link (Kickstarter)

House votes to partially defund the NSA

Techdirt writes

(…) this amendment only fixes two specific problems. It stops the very questionable use of “backdoor searches” of information collected under the Section 702 program. This is the very questionable setup by which the NSA spies on Americans while insisting that they don’t actually spy on Americans. It also blocks the NSA from mandating that any technology companies create backdoors in their software or hardware to enable wiretapping (such as the NSA forcing Skype to no longer be encrypted end-to-end).

In many ways, this is more important as a symbolic gesture than for the specifics — but it should have a much wider impact as well. This is the first time that Congress has overwhelmingly voted to defund an NSA program. Last year’s Amash Amendment came very, very close to defunding a different program (the Section 215 bulk records collection program), but by passing by an overwhelming margin, this vote is a pretty big sign that the House (on both sides of the aisle) is not happy with how the NSA has been spying on Americans. As mentioned above, it’s also a big slap in the face to the White House and certain members of the House leadership who conspired to water down the USA Freedom Act a few weeks ago, stripping it of a very similar provision to block backdoor searches.

This amendment still have to pass the Senate and White House, so it’s far from certain it will pass in it’s current form, or at all. If it does, I’m not really optimistic about the NSA really caring what the law makers say at all. My guess is that the NSA will simply continue as before and just lie about it, as usual.

Link (Techdirt)

German Newspapers want to get paid to receive traffic from Google

Hans-Joachim Fuhrmann, a spokesman for the German Newspaper Publishers Association, said the Web sites of all German newspapers and magazines together made 100 million euros, or $143 million, in ad revenue, while Google generated 1.2 billion euros from search advertising in Germany.

“Google says it brings us traffic, but the problem is that Google earns billions, and we earn nothing,” Mr. Fuhrmann said.

Techdirt further notes:

As Danny Sullivan writes about this latest lawsuit, the true hypocrisy is apparent in the fact that the German newspapers, supposedly so upset about Google listing them without paying, have not only done nothing to remove themselves from Google’s index (as can be easily done), but have actually made use of Google’s tools to enhance their appearance within Google.

As Sullivan notes, these newspapers aren’t being “swept up into Google’s results against their wills,” but rather appear to be “actively trying to gain more placement and visibility in them.” And that’s why this move for a cut of the revenue is so ridiculous and cynical. Basically, they’re getting an incredibly valuable service from Google for free and are now demanding to get paid for it as well.

Link (Techdirt)

Details Leak On How Secret Global Treaty Will Force Countries To Further Deregulate Financial Sector

Techdirt published an article on how Wikileaks has leaked a draft copy of the new Trade In Services Agreement (TISA). The draft seems like a wet dream for investment bankers and spies, and a disaster for just about everyone else.

A sample of provisions from this leaked text show that governments signing on to TISA will: be expected to lock in and extend their current levels of financial deregulation and liberalisation; lose the right to require data to be held onshore; face pressure to authorise potentially toxic insurance products; and risk a legal challenge if they adopt measures to prevent or respond to another crisis.

(…)

The crucial provision is Art X.4, which would apply a standstill to a country’s existing financial measures that are inconsistent with the rules. That means governments must bind their existing levels of liberalization for foreign direct investment on financial services, cross-border provision of financial services and transfers of personnel. The current rules will be the most restrictive of financial services that a government would be allowed to use. They would be encouraged to bind in new liberalization beyond their status quo.

 

patenting “… on a computer” is not allowed

says the US Supreme Court.

The court ruled unanimously that all of patent-holder Alice Corp.’s claims were invalid, because they simply added computer language to a basic idea: using a financial intermediary to create trust in transactions. The 9-0 opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, is the clearest statement yet from the Supreme Court that adding technological-sounding language to existing ideas isn’t enough to get a patent.

Some advocates were hoping the case would go so far as to eliminate software patents altogether. If that were to happen, this would have likely been the case to do it. But the court didn’t go that far, instead suggesting that software patents could still be allowed when they “improve the functioning of the computer itself” or “improve an existing technological process.”

Link (Ars Technica)

Destroy only copy of new Wu-Tang Album by Chris Everhart

tremendous idea if all the proceeds went to poor artists or cancer research or Autism or something. Instead it goes to the pockets of artists who have the entire world at their ear. Music and visual art are art. Art should be shared with the world. Especially to poor people and the culturally disadvantaged. I don’t see how this project isn’t mutually inclusive to denying that this work is art and should therefore be destroyed.

And therefore he wants to pay $6m to Wu-Tang.

Logic probably wasn’t this guys strongest suit.

Thanks to Your Kickstarter Sucks
Kickstarter link

DC Court Confirms That Government Agents Can Abuse US Citizens’ Rights With Impunity If They Leave The Country

In other words, if a foreign citizen in a foreign country violates US law, he needs to be punished, however, if US officials violates US law in a foreign country, everything is just fine?

Link (Techdirt)