An interesting goal for a community that screams blue murder when the White House suggests it might stop hand-feeding them printable news bites.
Pluralistic? When they all print the government line, in minor variations? Free, when they believe that their survival depends on government-handouts ('Link-Tax' is just another word for government subsidy, or, less friendly, government bribes for presenting our leaders in a favorable light).
Ironically, free and pluralistic is what they are trying to destroy with their link - tax: For the first time in centuries, everybody has a platform to publish their information, their view of the world. Some may be fake, some may be questionable - and we all need to learn how to manage this flood of information. Many of the blogs are good reporting, and the fact that Joe Average now has the same or better sources than the 'quality media' is the biggest achievement of the internet - and the biggest threat to publishers and governments.
Maybe next time when some local stakeholder wants to block a chunk of the internet worldwide, the service provider can block all of the internet for the offending country instead?
Solves the problem just as well, and helps the locals to understand the implications of their request.
Coming next: Searching houses does not violate your privacy
With the same reasoning, they can abandon the warrant requirement for searching homes - after all, the keys to the front door are freely available in the accused's trouser pocket or hand bag, and can easily be retrieved with minimal invasion of privacy and no disclosure of knowledge he might have or to speak his guilt.
If the DOJ thinks a government has the right to access data anywhere in the world - why do they have a problem with the Russian government (allegedly) reviewing data on US-servers?
It is amazing how much faith Gladwell and others before him still have in a system that has failed miserably to hold the NSA and other US government agencies accountable:
Thanks to Snowden, all the people Gladwell thinks would have changed something have had the relevant information for several years now, and managed to change - nothing at all.
If the US Government sees it appropriate to charge Dotcom with 'conspiracy to commit copyright infringement', they should come up with more serious charges against a public overseer who abused his role to protect the guilty and covered up serious, possibly criminal activities at one of the most sensitive agencies the US of A operates.
If the Russian FSA faxes a warrant signed by a Russian judge over to the State department, will the FBI close the investigations on the Russian hackers? Following DOJ's rule book, they'd have to: the hacking would be perfectly legit as long as any Judge anywhere in the world agrees it is necessary based on local laws.
Two points: a) The diagram is wrong: Mainstream news were fake, too. Hillary lead in the forecasts? Russian hackers? WTF? b) Never mind Facebook. The real threat are fake news created from the Pentagon's $5 bn PR-budget. The propaganda spread by 'economists'. And the 'news' created by media who find it easier to just copy everybody else without much fact-checking. Printing a lie today and a correction tomorrow means two great stories for the price of one.
After the next terrorist attacks, a scapegoat will need to be sacrificed.
The obvious choice will be Comey, for 'not doing enough'. His only way out is to ask for more support than congress and government are prepared to give him. 'If only you had given me the money/people/encryption breaking powers I told you I need, the massacre would not have happened.'
Refusing Comey's request is not really an option, though: 'If only congress had allowed the FBI to crack terrorist phones, those people would not have died.' So their only choice is to give in, however ridiculous the request may seem.
At which stage Comey has to ask for more powers his base, and the circle begins again ...
Such activity is not new to [Washington]—the [Americans] have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia [- in fact, across the entire world], for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only [America]'s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.
Would that be the same DOJ that let Apple go with a slap on the wrist after Apple defrauded ebook users by billions of dollars when they initiated a criminal copyright cartel?
It is not exactly a vote of confidence into their Ultra-HD 4K Superquality formats if the Sony/Disney folks see Handy-cam copies of half a movie as a threat worth fighting with high-tech weapons and rent-a-cops ...
Maybe the committee did not think this through before writing their report: The report tells us a lot more about the state of the American security apparatus thsn about Snowden. Imagine what a qualified hostile hacker could do if a Highschool failure, army dropout and unreliable employee can walk away with the nations secrets, and the worst the United States of America can do to him is have some clueless politicians write a petty report.
While the University of Manitoba is happy to charge overseas students $17 - 30 K in tuition fees, they do not seem to be prepared to have one of their law professors or the legal department stand up to the trolls and refuse to forward the letters unless their comply with both Canadian and international law.
Supporting the extortion tactics of the trolls, and then have a 'copyright strategy director' explain that probably, they are safe (but take this at your own risk) is nothing less than siding with the extortionists.
>> Publishers might have legitimate concerns about their decreasing revenues.
Indeed they might. On the other hand, their job has changed. Before the internet, it could take millions of Euros and a lot of skill to produce and launch a new album or book in the form of physical copies in every retail outlet in Europe.
Now, Youtube and other have taken over the job, and eliminated most of the upfront investment. What's wrong with Youtube taking a part of the publisher's share in return?
If the Pentagon's Cyberwarriors are as efficient as their boots on the ground in the Middle east, they'll end up with a bloody nose and their tail between the legs in a fight with the Russians.
On the post: 'Blue Lives Matter' Laws Continue To Be Introduced Around The Nation
George Orwell, 1984
On the post: Google Report: 99.95 Percent Of DMCA Takedown Notices Are Bot-Generated Bullshit Buckshot
On the post: European News Publishers Still Believe They Have The Right To Make Google Pay For Sending Traffic Their Way
"free and pluralistic media landscape in Europe"
Pluralistic? When they all print the government line, in minor variations? Free, when they believe that their survival depends on government-handouts ('Link-Tax' is just another word for government subsidy, or, less friendly, government bribes for presenting our leaders in a favorable light).
Ironically, free and pluralistic is what they are trying to destroy with their link - tax: For the first time in centuries, everybody has a platform to publish their information, their view of the world. Some may be fake, some may be questionable - and we all need to learn how to manage this flood of information. Many of the blogs are good reporting, and the fact that Joe Average now has the same or better sources than the 'quality media' is the biggest achievement of the internet - and the biggest threat to publishers and governments.
On the post: Cogent Accidentally Blocks Websites In Global Ham-Fisted Piracy Filtering Effort
All of Spain or some of the world
Solves the problem just as well, and helps the locals to understand the implications of their request.
On the post: New Zealand Court Says Kim Dotcom Still Eligible For Extradition... But Not Over Copyright
Some questions
- exactly what constitutes the 'fraud' and the 'RICO' offenses he is charged with?
- what is the maximum penalty for those charges in the States?
On the post: State Appeals Court Says Unlocking A Phone With A Fingerprint Doesn't Violate The Fifth Amendment
Coming next: Searching houses does not violate your privacy
On the post: Appeals Court Upholds Its Denial Of DOJ's Demand For Microsoft's Overseas Data
On the post: Malcolm Gladwell's Ridiculous Attack On Ed Snowden Based On Weird Prejudice About How A Whistleblower Should Look
Thanks to Snowden, all the people Gladwell thinks would have changed something have had the relevant information for several years now, and managed to change - nothing at all.
On the post: Snowden's 'Proper Channel' For Whistleblowing Being Booted From The NSA For Retaliating Against A Whistleblower
'retailiated against a whistleblower'?
On the post: Bill Introduced To Push Back Approval Of DOJ's Proposed Rule 41 Changes
Following DOJ's rule book, they'd have to: the hacking would be perfectly legit as long as any Judge anywhere in the world agrees it is necessary based on local laws.
On the post: Apple Uploading Call Data, Including From Third-Party Call Apps, To Users' iCloud Accounts
On the post: Yes, There's Lots Of Fake News On Facebook, But Is It Really Changing Anyone's Mind?
a) The diagram is wrong: Mainstream news were fake, too. Hillary lead in the forecasts? Russian hackers? WTF?
b) Never mind Facebook. The real threat are fake news created from the Pentagon's $5 bn PR-budget. The propaganda spread by 'economists'. And the 'news' created by media who find it easier to just copy everybody else without much fact-checking. Printing a lie today and a correction tomorrow means two great stories for the price of one.
On the post: Comey Can't Say How Often Encryption Thwarts Investigations, But Probably A Lot
Comey does not really have a choice
The obvious choice will be Comey, for 'not doing enough'. His only way out is to ask for more support than congress and government are prepared to give him. 'If only you had given me the money/people/encryption breaking powers I told you I need, the massacre would not have happened.'
Refusing Comey's request is not really an option, though:
'If only congress had allowed the FBI to crack terrorist phones, those people would not have died.' So their only choice is to give in, however ridiculous the request may seem.
At which stage Comey has to ask for more powers his base, and the circle begins again ...
On the post: US Gov't Officially Accuses Russia Of Hacking... Question Is What Happens Next
On the post: Immigration Board Says You Can Be Deported For Copyright Infringement
On the post: Movie Theater Security Guards Assault Women, Claim They Were Pirating Movie
On the post: House Intelligence Committee's List Of 'Snowden's Lies' Almost Entirely False
Imagine what a qualified hostile hacker could do if a Highschool failure, army dropout and unreliable employee can walk away with the nations secrets, and the worst the United States of America can do to him is have some clueless politicians write a petty report.
On the post: Copyright Trolls Now Threatening College Students With Loss of Scholarship, Deportation
Supporting the extortion tactics of the trolls, and then have a 'copyright strategy director' explain that probably, they are safe (but take this at your own risk) is nothing less than siding with the extortionists.
On the post: EU Announces Absolutely Ridiculous Copyright Proposal That Will Chill Innovation, Harm Creativity
Indeed they might. On the other hand, their job has changed. Before the internet, it could take millions of Euros and a lot of skill to produce and launch a new album or book in the form of physical copies in every retail outlet in Europe.
Now, Youtube and other have taken over the job, and eliminated most of the upfront investment. What's wrong with Youtube taking a part of the publisher's share in return?
On the post: Pressure Mounts to Punish Russia For Hacking Without Evidence And Before Investigations Are Concluded
Popcorn anybody?
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