31 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
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The Telecom Digest for December 25, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 299 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
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We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
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Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2012 19:40:52 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: 2012 in Review: EFF's Fight Against Secret Surveillance Law
Message-ID: <p0624082dccfd54dc8eae@[10.0.1.10]>
DECEMBER 22, 2012 | BY MARK RUMOLD
2012 in Review: EFF's Fight Against Secret Surveillance Law
As the year draws to a close, EFF is looking back at the major trends
influencing digital rights in 2012 and discussing where we are in the
fight for free expression, innovation, fair use, and privacy. Click
here to read other blog posts in this series.
It seems like a fairly straightforward principle: when the government
interprets a law in a way that affects citizens, the public is
entitled to know the interpretation and understand its effects.
But when it comes to the federal government's interpretation of
electronic surveillance laws, apparently, the general rule just
doesn't seem to apply (or so the Department of Justice seems to
think). In 2012, EFF pushed back, taking the DOJ to court for refusing
to disclose how they interpret various surveillance laws. Over the
past year, EFF litigated three Freedom of Information Act lawsuits --
each concerning a different law used, and secretly interpreted, by the
government but shielded from disclosure and the public's scrutiny.
...
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/2012-review-effs-fight-against-secret-surveillance-law
***** Moderator's Note *****
Here's my question: why is the EFF using SSL to protect a publicly
available website that they want (I think) to have widely read?
Before anyone jerks their knee, yes, I know that the EFF has a
published statement on the issue, but I don't see the logic in
preventing anyone from scanning a web retrieval when the whole
"secret" is written into the URL.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2012 09:38:25 -0800
From: John Reiser <jreiserfl@comcast.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: SSL for authenticity
Message-ID: <XuWdnV7CosdND0XNRVn_vwA@giganews.com>
> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>
> Here's my question: why is the EFF using SSL to protect a publicly
> available website that they want (I think) to have widely read?
To reduce the chance that your ISP (or anybody else) might alter
the pages in transit, insert an advertisement, etc. Authenticity
can be valuable to the sender as well as to the receiver.
--
***** Moderator's Note *****
Oh. Duh.
(Slaps forehead) Never mind.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2012 19:40:52 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: First Sale Under Siege: If You Bought It, You Should Own It
Message-ID: <p0624082cccfd54927d57@[10.0.1.10]>
DECEMBER 23, 2012 | BY CORYNNE MCSHERRY
First Sale Under Siege: If You Bought It, You Should Own It
As the year draws to a close, EFF is looking back at the major trends
influencing digital rights in 2012 and discussing where we are in the
fight for free expression, innovation, fair use, and privacy. Click
here to read other blog posts in this series.
The "first sale" doctrine expresses one of the most important
limitations on the reach of copyright law. The idea, set out in
Section 109 of the Copyright Act, is simple: once you've acquired a
lawfully-made CD or book or DVD, you can lend, sell, or give it away
without having to get permission from the copyright owner. In simpler
terms, "you bought it, you own it" (and because first sale also
applies to gifts, "they gave it to you, you own it" is also true).
Seems obvious, right? After all, without the "first sale" doctrine,
libraries would be illegal, as would used bookstores, used record
stores, etc.
But the copyright industries have never liked first sale, since it
creates competition for their titles (you could borrow the book from
a friend, pick it up at a library, or buy it from a used book seller
on Amazon). It also reduces their ability to impose restrictions on
how you use the work after it is sold.
...
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/first-sale-under-siege-if-you-bought-it-you-should-own-it
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:23:56 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Businesses, consumers are discovering that apps can expose private data to outsiders
Message-ID: <p0624080cccfe314de69e@[10.0.1.3]>
Businesses discover the dark side of apps
Some programs expose secret data
By Michael B. Farrell | GLOBE STAFF
DECEMBER 24, 2012
Beware of the app.
The digital downloads that fill smartphones and tablets might also be
recording and selling your personal data, tracking your every step,
and potentially sending spam to your contacts.
Sometimes, app makers load their little programs with extra functions
that gather information they can sell on the side to marketers;
others design the software to enter your contact list and promote
their businesses.
Some apps are more invasive than others, and most alarming, certain
apps can trigger an unintended consequence that might expose
sensitive data and documents.
...
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/12/23/businesses-consumers-are-discovering-that-apps-can-expose-private-data-outsiders/vv0M9KZjJFzh46bQHb8uyH/story.html?s_campaign=8315
-or-
http://tinyurl.com/ceraykf
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:48:24 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: All the World's a Game, and Business Is a Player
Message-ID: <p06240813ccfe61be4149@[10.0.1.3]>
All the World's a Game, and Business Is a Player
By NICK WINGFIELD
December 23, 2012
Congratulations. Reading the first paragraph of this article has
earned you a badge.
If this made-up award makes you feel good about yourself, then you
are on your way to understanding gamification, a business trend -
some would say fad - that aims to infuse otherwise mundane activities
with the excitement and instant feedback of video games.
Many businesses are using these game tricks to try to get people
hooked on their products and services - and it is working, thanks to
smartphones and the Internet.
Buying a cup of coffee? Foursquare, the social networking app that
helped popularize the gamification idea, gives people virtual badges
for checking in at a local cafe or restaurant.
Conserving energy? More than 75 utilities have begun using a service
from a company called Opower that awards badges to customers when
they reduce their energy consumption. Customers can compare their
progress with their neighbors' and broadcast their achievements on
Facebook.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/technology/all-the-worlds-a-game-and-business-is-a-player.html
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