Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
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'Privacy Killer' CISPA Is Coming Back, Whether You Like It Or Not
Dubbed a "privacy killer" by online activists, love it or hate it, the cyber-security CISPA bill will likely be brought into law—whether it's from the reintroduction of the bill by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, or President Obama issuing (yet another) executive order. Read More »
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'The Internet's Own Boy' Is A Powerful Homage To Aaron Swartz
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz received a standing ovation at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival this week just a few days after the one-year anniversary of the web pioneer's death rattled the Internet. Read More »
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A Reminder: Online Free Speech Is A Matter Of Human Rights
If, just a few short decades ago, someone had proposed that the Internet would be instrumental in the promotion and maintenance of human rights around the world, their proposal would have been met with skepticism. And yet, examples of Internet users campaigning for human rights abound [...]. Read More »
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Aaron Swartz's Work, Computer Crime Law, And "The Internet's Own Boy"
It’s been more than a year since Aaron Swartz’s tragic death, and now Aaron’s life is the subject of a new documentary, The Internet’s Own Boy, directed by Brian Knappenberger. The documentary has received much acclaim and deservedly so...
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Beyond SOPA: Rep. Darrell Issa's Big Plans For Digitizing Democracy
Over the past six months, Issa's launched an interactive subcommittee livestream, produced a new form of online polling, and sponsored a bill to make government spending trackable. Read More »
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Boycott Of Publishing Giant Elsevier Gathers Pace
Frustrated by what they call an exploitative business model and unreasonable prices, researchers at [University of Toronto] have joined a growing movement asking: how much must we pay for knowledge?
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Brian Knappenberger On Capturing The Life And Death Of Aaron Swartz In The Internet’s Own Boy
In 1986, the U.S. Congress, spooked by the fictional film War Games — in which a hacker unwittingly almost kicks off the Third World War by breaking into NORAD’s supercomputer — enacted the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). Nearly three decades later, that same anachronistic law became the basis of the overzealous prosecution and ultimate suicide of one of the online world’s most prodigious sons.
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Calling On Congress: Time To Fix Copyright
[Over] and over, Congress has failed to engage in an informed discussion over which copyright policies advance the public interest, and which ones cause harm. That's why we're supporting our friends at Fight for the Future in their launch of a campaign to urge Congress to engage in a reality-based debate about our copyright policy. Read More »
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CISPA Is Dead, Long Live CISPA
After stirring up trouble for months, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) died a quiet death in the Senate on Thursday. Despite the bill's passage in the House, Senators decided to pigeonhole the legislation... Read More »
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Congress Shouldn't Debate Copyright In A Reality-Free Zone
Just a few days ago, an unusual thing happened in the halls of Congress: somebody made a case for a copyright policy grounded in reality. The Republican Study Committee (RSC) — an organization that represents more than two-thirds of all GOP Congressmembers — issued a report challenging longstanding copyright myths and offering ideas for potential reforms. [...] Read More »
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Darrell Issa Probing Prosecution Of Aaron Swartz, Internet Pioneer Who Killed Himself
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is investigating the Justice Department's prosecution of Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who committed suicide on Friday after fighting felony hacking charges for two years. [...] Read More »
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Death Of A Hacktivist
Aaron Swartz was an Internet prodigy and a trouble-maker. The new documentary The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is not only about Swartz, but about why we should care about the issues he cared about, and the trouble that triggered his suicide...
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Death Of An Open-Access Activist
The tragic suicide of a well-known Internet open-access advocate has sparked protests against the highly protected system that limits public access to knowledge. Read More »
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Google, Facebook, Amazon Warn FCC Rules Pose 'Grave Threat To The Internet'
The world's largest technology companies are coming out in force against the Federal Communications Commission's proposed regulations of Internet access. In a letter to the FCC Wednesday, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, Netflix, and dozens of other companies warned that the FCC's plan to allow Internet service providers to charge websites for faster service in some cases "represents a grave threat to the Internet."
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How The Legacy Entertainment Industry Poisoned The Well For The Innovation It Desperately Needs
Soon after the death of SOPA, we wrote about a great post from entrepreneur Tyler Crowley (which, sadly, seems to have disappeared from the internet) discussing his reactions to some entertainment industry execs trying to "make peace" with entrepreneurs. He does a great job discussing different "islands of opportunity" for entrepreneurs, noting that certain "islands" are very welcoming for enterpreneurs and developers: [...] But, of course, when it comes to "music biz island" the "natives" are not particularly welcoming.
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