Tag Archives: Big Data

Spain Shuts Down Google, Confronts the Internet

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“Spanish legislators have decided that any time someone reproduces even a few words of someone else’s writing, it is now considered stealing unless compensation is paid. Germany previously passed an unsuccessful law of this sort, but the difference is that most media companies waived their right to charge for excerpts because Google created so much traffic.  To make sure that the Spanish version was more successful, language stipulates that media companies MUST charge! There is no choice in the matter.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/35907/Shock-Spain-Shuts-Down-Google-Confronts-the-Internet/

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Bill to Restrict N.S.A. Spying Blocked By Senate Republicans

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“Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a sweeping overhaul of the once-secret National Security Agency program that collects records of Americans’ phone calls in bulk.  Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, worked hard to defeat the bill, which had the support of the Obama administration and a coalition of technology companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.  ‘This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our backs,’ Mr. McConnell said before the vote, expressing the concerns of those who argued that the program was a vital tool in the fight against terrorism.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/us/nsa-phone-records.html

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US gov’t threatened Yahoo with $250K daily fine if it didn’t help spying

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“Yahoo reports that it is on the verge of releasing 1,500 pages of documents related to a long court battle over its participation in the PRISM program, a National Security Agency program revealed last summer as part of the Snowden leaks.  A leaked top-secret slide about PRISM shows that Yahoo was one of the first participants, having begun contributing to the database in March of 2008. It did so under severe duress. Company executives believed the government’s demand for data was ‘unconstitutional and overbroad’ and fought it in court.  After it lost, Yahoo was threatened with $250,000 per day fines if it didn’t comply with the program.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/09/us-govt-threatened-yahoo-with-250k-daily-fine-if-it-didnt-use-prism/

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Google Analyst: Bitcoin Could Be ‘The Internet of Money’

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“Bitcoin holds potential to act as ‘the Internet of money’ if regulated correctly, according to a new report from Google policy advisor Andy Yee.  In an article for Internet Policy Review, Yee, who works as an analyst for Google’s Asia-Pacific division, arguesthat certain sectors of the bitcoin economy should be targeted with regulation modelled on existing digital frameworks. The paper goes on to advocate for a regulatory approach that allows innovation to take place while addressing the concerns of consumer safety advocates, financial regulators and law enforcement agencies, adding that the block chain actually provides regulators with a trove of useful information.”

http://www.coindesk.com/google-analyst-bitcoin-regulation/

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Microsoft ordered to hand over US customer e-mails stored abroad

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“A federal judge ruled Thursday that Microsoft must hand over e-mails stored on an overseas server to US authorities. The case gives the Obama administration approval to reach into servers abroad.  The judge sided with the Obama Administration claims that any company with operations in the United States must comply with valid warrants for data, even if the content is stored overseas—in this case Dublin, Ireland. It’s a position Microsoft and companies like Apple contended was wrong, arguing that the enforcement of US law stops at the border.  The Redmond, Washington-based company said its consumer trust is low in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/microsoft-ordered-to-give-us-customer-e-mails-stored-abroad/

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Apple Allows the World’s Most Popular Bitcoin Wallet Back Into Its Store

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“It looks like Apple has finally changed its stance on bitcoin.  Six months after Apple removed Blockchain from its online App Store—effectively preventing people from using the popular bitcoin wallet app on the iPhone and the iPad—the tech giant has now allowed the app back into the store. ‘This seems to be the first strong and real sign they are ready to accommodate future digital currency development,’ the makers of Blockchain said a statement, referring to Apple. ‘It goes a long way to legitimizing bitcoin and now provides hundreds of millions of iOS users access to bitcoin applications.’  Blockchain CEO Nicolas Cary thinks Apple’s new attitude comes down to one thing: Android.”

http://www.wired.com/2014/07/blockchain-back/

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Former NSA exec: The goal of the NSA is total population control

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“‘At least 80% of fibre-optic cables globally go via the US’, Binney said. ‘This is no accident and allows the US to view all communication coming in. At least 80% of all audio calls, not just metadata, are recorded and stored in the US. The NSA lies about what it stores.’  Unlike Snowden, Binney didn’t take any documents with him when he left the NSA. He now says that hard evidence of illegal spying would have been invaluable. The latest Snowden leaks detail private conversations of average Americans with no connection to extremism.  It shows that the NSA is not just pursuing terrorism, as it claims, but ordinary citizens going about their daily communications.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/11/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-nsa-is-total-population-control

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CISPA returns as CISA — and it’s just as terrible for privacy

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“Leave it to Congress to keep recycling the same old, rejected ideas.  You remember the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act: introduced in 2011 but failed to pass the Senate, then reintroduced in 2013 only to be beaten back a second time.  Senators, unlike weatherman Phil in ‘Groundhog Day,’ seemingly learn nothing from past experience.  If CISA seems out of step with the pushback against government surveillance, keep in mind that while threatening to veto CISPA last year for not adequately preventing the sharing of irrelevant personal information, President Barack Obama has also championed the idea of increased data sharing between government and the private sector.”

http://www.infoworld.com/t/federal-regulations/cispa-returns-cisa-and-its-just-terrible-privacy-244679

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Germany Said to Review ‘No-Spy’ Buying Rules Amid U.S. Row

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“Germany’s Interior Ministry is reviewing rules for awarding government contracts for computer and communications equipment and services as a political rift with the U.S. widens, people familiar with the matter said.   Details are being worked out and may require suppliers of components of a bidder’s goods or services to guarantee they don’t hand over confidential data.  Any tightening of procurement procedures could affect U.S. technology companies such asInternational Business Machines Corp. (IBM), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) as they vie for government contracts.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-11/germany-said-to-review-no-spy-purchasing-rules-amid-u-s-row.html

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We need to talk about Europe’s ‘right to be forgotten’: Google

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“The European court found that people have the right to ask for information to be removed from search results that include their names if it is ‘inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive’. In deciding what to remove search engines must also have regard to the public interest. These are, of course, very vague and subjective tests.  The court also decided that search engines don’t qualify for a ‘journalistic exception’.  The examples we’ve seen so far: former politicians wanting posts removed that criticise their policies in office; serious, violent criminals asking for articles about their crimes to be deleted; bad reviews for professionals like architects and teachers; comments that people now regret.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/10/right-to-be-forgotten-european-ruling-google-debate

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