[A2k] Re: A2k digest, Vol 1 #903 - 4 msgs

[Mike Godwin]

Poor Cory -- all these years, and it still gets listed as "Electronic
Freedom Foundation."


--Mike




On Dec 12, 2007, at 12:00 PM, a2k-request@lists.essential.org wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Canada: copyright reform bill critics eye victory (Teresa
> Hackett (eIFL))
>   2. More on Canada Cyber-movement (Manon Ress)
>   3. More on Canada good news... (Manon Ress)
>   4. EU advertisers organizing vs. targeting privacy (jeff@democraticmedia.org
> )
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:46:32 +0000
> From: "Teresa Hackett (eIFL)" <teresa.hackett@eifl.net>
> To: A2K list <a2k@lists.essential.org>
> Subject: [A2k] Canada: copyright reform bill critics eye victory
>
> http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2007/12/10/tech-copyright.html?ref=rss
>
> Copyright reform bill critics eye victory
>
> Last Updated: Monday, December 10, 2007 | 2:47 PM ET
> CBC News
>
> A controversial bill that seeks to reform Canadian copyright laws,
> expected to be introduced early this week, may be quashed after a
> groundswell of opposition erupted over the past week.
>
> The government last week filed a notice indicating the bill would be
> introduced this week, leading industry experts to expect it to
> happen on
> Tuesday. But a spokesperson for Industry Minister Jim Prentice, who
> was
> to introduce the bill, said it would not happen on Tuesday and could
> not
> say if it would happen this week.
>
> Minister of Industry Jim Prentice has said his proposed copyright
> reform
> bill will bring Canada in line with its international
> obligations.Minister of Industry Jim Prentice has said his proposed
> copyright reform bill will bring Canada in line with its international
> obligations.
>
> The House of Commons will take a break until January after Friday's
> session.
>
> Cory Doctorow, co-editor of influential technology blog Boing Boing
> and
> a former director of the Electronic Freedom Foundation advocacy, on
> Monday wrote that the government's plan is now in disarray.
>
> "Word is that the minister had no idea that this would be such a big
> deal for Canadians," he wrote. "Word is that the minister and his
> advisers are scrambling, rethinking the entire matter because of the
> public outcry."
>
> At an open house in his Calgary constituency office on Saturday,
> Prentice defended the bill to an angry crowd of about 50 by saying it
> would bring Canada up to date with the World Intellectual Property
> Organization treaty it signed in 1997. Canada signed the treaty but
> has
> not yet implemented or ratified it, which has provoked criticism from
> its trading partners, he said.
> Continue Article
>
> Critics have said the proposed legislation will mirror the U.S.
> Digital
> Millennium Copyright Act and take a hard line against the copying of
> digital materials, making illegal acts such as the television time
> shifting enabled by digital video recorders, file-sharing of music and
> video files, and copying files to DVDs or MP3 players.
>
> Michael Geist, the Canada research chair of internet and e-commerce
> law
> at the University of Ottawa, has led the charge against the bill and
> has
> accused Prentice of caving in to lobbying from U.S. entertainment
> companies, who are seeking to curtail digital copying in all its
> forms.
> He has also accused the minister of ignoring the wishes of regular
> Canadians and for not including the public in his consultations.
>
> Geist started a Facebook group to protest the bill a week ago, which
> more than 12,000 people have so far joined. On his blog Monday, Geist
> wrote that the group has resulted in hundreds of letters and phone
> calls
> to Prentice and other MPs from every political party.
>
> "Something exceptional happened this past week. Fair copyright in
> Canada
> found its voice," Geist wrote. "It will be silent no more."
>
> The previous Liberal government tried to pass its own contentious
> copyright reform bill, C-60, in 2005 but it was quashed when the
> opposition brought down the minority government in a no-confidence
> vote.
>
> Doctorow said the public would continue opposing bills that strengthen
> the rights of copyright holders at the expense of the people.
>
> "We will do it a third time, a fourth, a fifth, and forever, until
> Canada's politicians start drafting balanced copyright laws that
> protect
> Canadian artists, scholars, critics, schools, libraries and the public
> interest," he wrote.
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 2
> To: a2k discuss list <a2k@lists.essential.org>
> From: Manon Ress <manon.ress@keionline.org>
> Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:10:01 -0500
> Subject: [A2k] More on Canada Cyber-movement
>
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Tories blink on copyright law change
> http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?
> id=3Da2d52e40-96cd-4329-abfb-45382e522363&p=3D1
>
> 'Cyber-movement' forces Prentice to delay plans for bill
> Deirdre McMurdy, The Ottawa Citizen
> Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2007
>
> Kempton Lam, Corey Doctorow, Michael Geist and Howard Knopf aren't
> exactly familiar names in Ottawa's political power circles.
>
> But yesterday, those four -- along with thousands of other Canadians
> -- managed to throw a spanner into the works of the Harper government.
>
> As leaders of an increasingly vocal and organized grassroots cyber-
> movement against controversial, anticipated changes to the federal
> Copyright Act, their persistent efforts derailed Industry Minister
> Jim Prentice's plan to introduce an amended bill this morning.
>
> "I'm the last guy in the world to be an activist," admits Mr. Lam, a
> Calgary-based technology consultant and blogger
> (www.ideasrevolution.com) who organized a rally at Mr. Prentice's
> Calgary riding office over the past weekend. "The copyright issue of
> fair use and dictating who can have access to what information really
> bugged me. And instead of just bitching, I figured I'd better do
> something."
>
> That something resulted in about 50 people -- some of whom drove from
> Edmonton to Calgary -- gathering and confronting Mr. Prentice about
> his proposed copyright legislation.
>
> That, along with heated blogs, online discussions and the delivery of
> thousands of
>
> e-mails and letters, has apparently led the minister to ask for the
> revision of sections of the document dealing with digital rights
> management (DRM) and anti-circumvention technology.
>
> (That's the technology that blocks users from gaining access to
> information without paying for it and imposes stiff penalties on
> those who break through the barriers. It's a key part of the U.S.
> Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DCMA), which many believe to be the
> template for the Canadian legislation.)
>
> Clearly, for a fragile minority government, the chorus of angry
> voices was too loud to ignore. Although many are demanding a broad-
> based public consultation process on copyright, the objective is now
> to table a revised version of the bill within the few remaining days
> before Parliament breaks for Christmas.
>
> Although Industry Canada shares the copyright file with the Heritage
> Department, Mr. Prentice has been the lead minister on it. He not
> only has more clout in caucus because of the nature of his portfolio,
> but he's known to have the ear of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
>
> There's no question that over the past several weeks that acute
> pressure -- much of it below the surface in the world of blogs and
> chat rooms -- has been building around the copyright file.
>
> Michael Geist, a professor at the University of Ottawa who
> specializes in Internet and e-commerce law, set up a Facebook page on
> Dec. 1 as a focal point for the opinions and efforts of Canadians who
> were concerned about the direction of copyright law. As of yesterday,
> there were 13,000 members of Fair Copyright in Canada and the pace of
> growth has been averaging more than 1,500 names every day.
>
> "It's not just the numbers, it's the amount of discussion around this
> issue," he says. "Copyright may be a complex technical issue, but
> people understand the basic issues and how everyone is affected by
> them."
>
>  Tories blink on copyright law change
> 'Cyber-movement' forces Prentice to delay plans for bill
> Deirdre McMurdy, The Ottawa Citizen
> Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2007
>
> Certainly, the advent of Facebook and YouTube have made it easier for
> such special interest groups to form and to galvanize their members.
> (A recent study by Solutions Research Group of Toronto indicates that
> eight million Canadians -- or one in four -- now have pages on
> Facebook.)
>
> Mr. Lam, for example, consulted with Mr. Geist about his plan for a
> rally, and he credits the law professor's popular blog and Facebook
> for quickly spreading the word.
>
> "It's remarkable, but it's not surprising," says Cory Doctorow, an
> activist and editor of the popular blog BoingBoing.net. "It shows
> that the Internet has developed its own immune system now and when
> it's attacked, it will be defended."
>
> He adds: "It's a pretty tough sell for any government to convince
> people that scarcity of access to culture and knowledge is somehow
> good for them."
>
> In particular, Mr. Doctorow insists that the apparent emulation of
> the U.S. model and the huge pressure from the U.S.-based
> entertainment lobby is a big part of what makes the copyright issue
> so resonant in Canada.
>
> "People are asking guys like Jim Prentice who he really works for,"
> he says. "And what recording industry are we protecting when so many
> Canadian musicians and labels have left the recording industry lobby
> group."
>
> Yet another faction in the copyright underground is represented by
> Ottawa lawyer Howard Knopf, who writes a regular blog defending the
> premise that the less copyright regulation we have, the better.
>
> That's actually the view that was favoured by the previous industry
> minister, Maxime Bernier, who, true to his libertarian ideals, openly
> favoured limited government intervention in all sectors.
>
> A lawyer by training and experience, Mr. Prentice -- who acquired the
> Industry beat in August -- was apparently poised to take a much
> harder and more pro-regulation stance. That is, until he got blogged
> down by the grassroots.
>
> dmcmurdy@thecitizen.canwest.com
>
>
>
> ************************************************************************
> ***
> Manon Anne Ress
> manon.ress@keionline.org,
>
> 1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
> Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673
>
> 1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
> Tel: +41 22 791 6727
>
> 24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK
> Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607
>
> Il vaut mieux remuer une question, sans la d=E9cider, que la
> d=E9cider,
> sans la remuer.
> Pens=E9es, essais, maximes et correspondance de J. Joubert  p.249
> http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=3DGallica&O=3DNUMM-88671
> Translation: It is better to debate a question without settling it
> than to settle a question without debating it
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 3
> To: a2k discuss list <a2k@lists.essential.org>
> From: Manon Ress <manon.ress@keionline.org>
> Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:17:11 -0500
> Subject: [A2k] More on Canada good news...
>
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Since there's not that many good news re copyright these days, here's
> a bunch on   the good Canadian news. Enjoy.
> Manon
>
> Copyright amendments cause Internet stir for government
> http://canadianpress.google.com/article/
> ALeqM5jvt3LW3hjo1fIaaiwZACBiZ0R3wA
>
> Canadian DMCA Bill Withdrawn
> http://politics.slashdot.org/index.pl?issue=3D20071210
>
> New copyright law starts Web storm
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.
> 20071209.WBmingram20071209191018/WBStory/WBmingram
>
> ************************************************************************
> ***
> Manon Anne Ress
> manon.ress@keionline.org,
>
> 1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
> Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673
>
> 1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
> Tel: +41 22 791 6727
>
> 24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK
> Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607
>
> Il vaut mieux remuer une question, sans la d=E9cider, que la
> d=E9cider,
> sans la remuer.
> Pens=E9es, essais, maximes et correspondance de J. Joubert  p.249
> http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=3DGallica&O=3DNUMM-88671
> Translation: It is better to debate a question without settling it
> than to settle a question without debating it
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:01:33 -0500 (EST)
> From: jeff@democraticmedia.org
> To: a2k@lists.essential.org
> Subject: [A2k] EU advertisers organizing vs. targeting privacy
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> New Media Age
>
>
> December 6, 2007
>
>
> ANALYSIS;
> Ad industry is sure privacy fears are unfounded
>
> SECTION: Pg. 14
>
> LENGTH: 1069 words
>
> With the news that the EU is looking into privacy issues of targeted
> online ads, the industry is confident it will find their policies
> don't
> infringe individuals' rights
>
> Last week the UK online ad industry revealed it was uniting to defend
> itself against an EU investigation into invasion of privacy by
> targeted
> ads.
>
> The move was in response to Gabriele Loewnau, head of the EU's Article
> 29 Working Party on data issues, who said his party will be
> concentrating next year on the "hot topic" of invasion of privacy
> issues
> by targeted online advertising.
>
> Networks and suppliers including Adknowledge, Advertising.com, Revenue
> Science, Tacoda and Wunderloop are planning to form a UK trade body,
> backed by the IAB, to address the EU's concerns.
>
> The main thrust of criticism of targeted advertising is that it
> monitors
> user habits, including potentially sensitive information like IP
> addresses and online purchases.
>
> Matt Simpson, the Starcom director responsible for P&G's online
> planning/buying in EMEA, says, "The privacy issue doesn't apply to all
> behavioural targeting. Browser-based behavioural targeting is okay.
> But
> when an advertiser retargets someone who has just opened a credit card
> based on that sensitive information, then it's a problem."
>
> Jeremy Mason, European director of client services at Revenue Science,
> believes the EU will clamp down in three ways. "I believe it will tell
> networks they'll have to be audited by an independent party, they'll
> have to have a highly visible privacy policy, and the user will have
> to
> have the ability to opt out. A UK trade body to address these issues
> would definitely be welcome."
>
> Taking action
>
> To date in the UK there has been little or no action on combating
> fears
> of privacy invasion because behavioural targeting is relatively new.
> In
> the US, however, where most behavioural targeting networks originate,
> the privacy issue has reared its head a number of times.
>
> Social network Facebook was forced to make changes to its Beacon ad
> model following criticism from its users and US civil action group
> MoveOn (nma.co.uk 30.11.07). A petition against the targeted ad
> platform
> - which tells members of their friends' online purchases - reached
> 20,000 members before Facebook added an opt-in box that users must
> check
> before any sensitive information can be sent to their friends.
>
> "Sites like Facebook are revolutionising how we speak to each other,
> but
> we need too make sure they place the needs and privacy rights of their
> users ahead of the needs of corporate advertisers," says Adam Green, a
> spokesman for MoveOn.
>
> In response to privacy complaints, AOL, owner of Advertising.com and
> Tacoda, has started running banner ads in the US telling users how to
> opt out of having their journeys tracked by behavioural targeting
> software.
>
> Meanwhile, the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) - a group of
> network
> advertisers including Atlas, Blue Lithium, DoubleClick and Revenue
> Science formed in 1999 - educates consumers about privacy issues and
> allows them to opt out of targeted advertising by clicking the 'opt
> out
> request' button on its website.
>
> Paul Goad, MD of Tacoda, says this would be the best model to
> replicate
> in the UK. "The NAI is a very good initiative. Any network can be a
> member, but it's also a platform where the public can go to opt out."
>
> Revenue Science's Mason goes one step further and claims that a UK or
> European arm of the NAI has already been mooted.
>
> "Discussions about launching the NAI over here were held earlier this
> year," he says. "With the news that the EU is planning to investigate
> privacy issues, and UK networks and suppliers uniting, I'm sure these
> discussions, involving the IAB and perhaps IAB Europe, will escalate."
>
> J Trevor Hughes, executive director of the NAI, confirms this.
> "We're a
> global programme and hope to see many more European companies engage
> with the programme in the future," he says.
>
> No concerns
>
> Despite the behavioural targeting industry realising it could face
> intense media scrutiny when the EU begins its investigations next
> year,
> several UK companies appear not to be phased by the developments.
>
> Bruce Daisley, head of online sales at Emap, which uses Revenue
> Science
> for its behavioural targeting, believes the investigations will come
> to
> nothing.
>
> "No behavioural targeting technology can identify who someone is
> because
> it considers groups of tens of thousands," he said. "The networks
> have a
> very high moral code and I'm sure when the EU investigates them it
> will
> come back saying they're whiter than white."
>
> Donald Hamilton, MD of Wunderloop, says, "I have no qualms about the
> investigations as our product isn't infringing any privacy laws. As
> long
> as we keep looking at people as audience segments, we're fine. If we
> start looking at IP addresses and blending information about who that
> person is, then it becomes an issue."
>
> Tim Brown, MD of Blue Lithium, says, "The benefit of behavioural
> targeting is that we can provide users with more relevant advertising
> and content. Surely this is a good thing."
>
> Goad points out that Tacoda's behavioural targeting reaches groups of
> people in their hundreds and thousands, not individuals, so doesn't
> infringe on privacy. Despite this, he believes there's still a need to
> ease consumers' worries.
>
> "I definitely think our industry needs to be more proactive at
> educating
> consumers about targeting online, such as what cookies are and how
> they
> track users," he says. "Most of it's anonymous and this needs to be
> made
> clear to the public."
>
> While the precise details of the EU investigation are not yet known,
> the
> EU has previously been quick to clamp down on companies it has found
> guilty of invasion of privacy.
>
> In June Google bowed to pressure from the EU Article 29 Working Party
> and reduced the maximum time it could keep users' personal search data
> to 18 months, from its previous 30-year policy. The internet giant had
> originally suggested a two-year policy, which the EU rejected.
>
> Guy Phillipson, CEO of the IAB, which is backing the UK trade body,
> says, "Privacy is clearly going to be on everyone's agenda next year.
> It's a key issue we'll need to address."
>
> The Article 29 Working Party has confirmed that it's meeting this week
> to discuss the issue of targeted online advertising in greater detail,
> but couldn't comment until after discussions have taken place.
>
> Whatever it concludes, it looks certain to have an impact on the way
> digital advertising regulates itself in the future.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
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