Fiber customers have two months to opt out of binding arbitration clause.
Source: Like Comcast, Google Fiber now forces customers into arbitration | Ars Technica
Month: June 2016
Google’s Arbitrary Morality Police Threaten Us Yet Again; Media Sites Probably Shouldn’t Use Google Ads | Techdirt
In the last two weeks we’ve received two notices of violations from AdSense, each of which seems more ridiculous than the other in some way, and which has us reconsidering our use of AdSense as a media property, as Google fails at distinguishing between reporting on bad things and celebrating those same things. In both cases, the “violation” involved a post that was many years old, so it’s unclear why Google suddenly discovered them. In both cases, the posts were basic reporting on something that had happened, and no rational and reasonable person would conclude they violated any policy that AdSense has. And, yet, in both cases, Google claimed they violated its policies, and threatened that if we were unable to sort through the 64,000 other posts on Techdirt to weed out the ones that somehow violate Googles bizarre and arbitrary morality police policies, we risk losing our account.
U.S. ISP Sues Music Group Over Piracy Allegations – TorrentFreak
U.S. based Internet provider RCN is suing music rights group BMG. The Internet provider has asked the court to declare that it is not responsible for copyright infringements allegedly committed by its customers. Among other things, RCN argues that the notices sent by BMG’s anti-piracy partner Rightscorp are flawed.
Source: U.S. ISP Sues Music Group Over Piracy Allegations – TorrentFreak
Mortgage Companies Seek Time Travelers to Find Missing Documents
They’re looking for people who can “complete” chains of title that were irreparably ruptured during the securitization craze, so they can proceed with foreclosures.
Source: Mortgage Companies Seek Time Travelers to Find Missing Documents
AMC threatens spoiler site over what Walking Dead comics already say | Ars Technica
EFF: “Copyright probably doesn’t cover revealing a single fictional detail.”
Source: AMC threatens spoiler site over what Walking Dead comics already say | Ars Technica
Dad of student slain in Paris terror massacre sues Google, Twitter, Facebook for their ‘material support’ of ISIS • The Register
No tweets, no YouTube, no likes, no killings, court told
Non-US encryption is ‘theoretical,’ claims CIA chief in backdoor debate
No choice but to use American gear, grins spymaster
Source: Non-US encryption is ‘theoretical,’ claims CIA chief in backdoor debate
Oklahoma Cops Debut Tool That Allows Them To Drain Pre-Paid Cards During Traffic Stops | Techdirt
[T]he Oklahoma Highway Patrol has a device that also allows them to seize money in your bank account or on prepaid cards.It’s called an ERAD, or Electronic Recovery and Access to Data machine, and state police began using 16 of them last month.Here’s how it works. If a trooper suspects you may have money tied to some type of crime, the highway patrol can scan any cards you have and seize the money.
Source: Oklahoma Cops Debut Tool That Allows Them To Drain Pre-Paid Cards During Traffic Stops | Techdirt
Spies In Denial: GCHQ Boss Says Snowden Didn’t Kick Off Debate Over Surveillance | Techdirt
No, Edward Snowden had not sparked a global debate about privacy – that had been under way already – but terrorist targets GCHQ had been tracking had learned from his revelations with heavens knows what consequences, he said.
Source: Spies In Denial: GCHQ Boss Says Snowden Didn’t Kick Off Debate Over Surveillance | Techdirt
Web Sheriff Accuses Us Of Breaking Basically Every Possible Law For Pointing Out That It’s Abusing DMCA Takedowns | Techdirt
Remember Web Sheriff? That’s the wacky firm that claims it will send DMCA takedowns on your behalf or protect your online reputation by taking down stuff you don’t like. The company is somewhat infamous for being a joke and not doing its job particularly well. A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the company abusing the DMCA to try to get Google to delist stories relating to that “celebrity threesome” media injunction in the UK that has been making news for a few months. We highlighted just how ridiculous this was on many accounts, including using a copyright takedown notice on an issue that wasn’t about copyright at all. And they even tried to take down the company’s own Zendesk request to remove content from Reddit.