Google sued as source of porn — Newsday.com
This is yet another example of how uninformed, or misinformed individuals attempt to shutdown or destroy anything they don’t understand. This guy is like the moron who orders the full cable package and then sues the cable company when his kids find the playboy channel.
Wired News: Feds Go All Out to Kill Spy Suit
This is quite possibly one of the worst abuses of power I have seen from this administration. The case brought against AT&T by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (a privacy watchdog organization) accuses the company of collaborating with the federal government to illegally gather wholesale wiretaps of all telephone and data communications traversing some of the company’s network. This isn’t some wild accusation either. The EFF has documentation and firsthand accounts of the setup of the wiretapping equipment. The invokation of the state secrets privilege is the highest card the administration can play to stop the case. Their use of this common law precedent smacks of a facist regime bent on controlling information and directly undermines the judicial system. The only hope we have of learning the truth in this case is the slim chance the Judge will allow it to continue.
The House voted down an ammendment allowing net providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast to block or slow access to some sites on the net while charging for better access to specific content. (something they’ve been lobbying for…) The legislation will come before the Senate which will hopefully include protections to prevent such abuse. The lack of such protections would allow service providers to setup virtual roadblocks and tollbooths online which could stifle innovation and free speech. A petition has been setup to protest the legislation. Please drop by and add your signature. If you feel as strongly about this as I do, please contact your representatives and let them know why this is a bad idea. An article on InfoWorld highlights some of Vint Cerf’s comments to Congress on the issue.