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Security

Submission + - Jail the 'greedy' scam victims, says Nigeria (smh.com.au)

Submitted by AcidAUS
AcidAUS writes: THE Nigerian high commissioner in Australia says people who are ripped off by so-called Nigerian scams are just as guilty as the fraudsters and should be jailed. Responding to a story in yesterday's Herald, which revealed Australians lose at least $36 million a year to the online scams, Sunday Olu Agbi said Australians had failed to heed repeated warnings not to deal with shady characters on the internet.
Censorship

Submission + - Chinese Citizens Can't Actually Use Protest Zones (washingtonpost.com) 1

Submitted by
Dekortage
Dekortage writes: "Upon hearing that the Chinese government would allow limited protests in three parks, a pair of Chinese women applied for the permits to protest — four times. Each time they were denied, as were all 77 protest applications. On the fourth visit, the two elderly women were informed that they would have to serve a year of jail time for 'disturbing the public order'. An International Olympic Committee spokesperson noted the obvious: 'what had been announced publicly [by the Chinese government] doesn't appear in reality to be happening.'"
Privacy

Submission + - FBI to investigate your use of the First Amendment (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
Dekortage
Dekortage writes: "The FBI is set to gain additional powers of investigation under new, yet-to-be-released Justice Department plans. The new attorney general guidelines 'would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps... based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities.' Several senators have formally complained that citizens could be investigated 'without any basis for suspicion,' which the Justice Department denies. An ACLU lawyer says the plan further opens the door to the use of profile data-mining in the so-called fight against terrorism."
United States

Submission + - New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/washington/21fbi.html?hp ). The plan "might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,". As the end of the Bush administration nears, the White House has been seeking to formalize in law and regulation some of the aggressive counterterrorism steps it has already taken in practice since the Sept. 11 attacks. The Justice Department is already expecting criticism over the F.B.I. guidelines. In an effort to pre-empt critics, Mr. Mukasey gave a speech last week in Portland, Ore., describing the unfinished plan as an effort to "integrate more completely and harmonize the standards that apply to the F.B.I.'s activities." Differing standards, he said, have caused confusion for field agents.
Privacy

Submission + - FBI admits to spying on 'switched off' cell phones (youtube.com)

Submitted by
SonicSpike
SonicSpike writes: "Fox News (of all sources) reports that the FBI now admits to listening to citizens via their turned off cell phones. Cell phones are now tracking and monitoring devices so the state can keep track you your whereabouts, you conversations and who you associate with. Not suprisingly FOX News does not question the Constitutionality of this nor do they mention if the FBI obtains a warrant prior to the monitoring. The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QzyL7Hw-BE"
Republicans

Submission + - Video Response to McCain's Anti-D&D Blogger (networkperformancedaily.com)

Submitted by
boyko.at.netqos
boyko.at.netqos writes: "Michael Goldfarb, a McCain staffer has taken to lumping in opponents of McCain's campaign with D&D players on McCain's official campaign blog.

"It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others"

Network Performance Daily editor Brian Boyko videotaped a special comment to those remarks, in which he says:

"Senator McCain, I want to tell you something. I play Dungeons and Dragons. Millions of Americans who are of voting age play Dungeons and Dragons.... Senator, did you know that Dungeons and Dragons games are currently being played by our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq?... Senator, did you know that for a time in 2006, I did live with my parents — I was forced to because the economy was so bad that I couldn't find a job despite having a Master's Degree?... Do you know what I did to keep myself busy? Take a wild guess..."

"
E3

Submission + - The Truth behind EA and id Software (gameplayer.com.au)

Submitted by
SlappingOysters
SlappingOysters writes: "Gameplayer has examined the purchasing and partnership patterns of big game publisher Electronic Arts and noticed a trend that could have major repercussions over the rest of this generation and beyond.

"In fact, with Source, CryEngine, Frostbite and now ID Tech 5, EA has four of the most impressive middleware solutions on the planet under its wing — and let's not forget the company has very publicly tried to secure Take-2 and with it, the Rage Engine. Has anyone else noticed this? Slowly, but in a very calculated manner, EA has ensured a cost effective and quality method of ensuring that at the back-end of this generation they can pump out great games driven by the very best engines. They'll be able to harvest a crop birthed from the richest soil in the land.""
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - NCSoft Doesn't Like Being Proven Wrong (me.com)

Submitted by
Dave Huston
Dave Huston writes: "NCSoft refuses to support their games running on a Mac that's been partitioned using Boot Camp. They go so far as to claim that Boot Camp is a Windows emulator. After I sent them proof about this, they've since blocked my accounts from logging in."
Education

Submission + - Guns for Texas school's teachers (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by OneMadMuppet
OneMadMuppet writes: Teachers in one part of the US state of Texas are to be allowed to carry concealed firearms when the new school term opens this month.

School superintendent David Thweatt is quoted as saying "When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started."

What could possibly go wrong?
Republicans

Submission + - McCain's Tech Policy - Opposes Net Neutrality...

Submitted by halfEvilTech
halfEvilTech writes: According to his official policy:

When Regulation Is Warranted, John McCain Acts. John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like "net-neutrality," but rather he believes that an open marketplace with a variety of consumer choices is the best deterrent against unfair practices.

Other notes of interest.

"John McCain Will Protect The Creative Industries From Piracy. The entertainment industry is both a vital sector of the domestic economy and among the largest U.S. exporters. While the Internet has provided tremendous opportunity for the creators of copyrighted works, including music and movies, to distribute their works around the world at low cost, it has also given rise to a global epidemic of piracy. John McCain supports efforts to crack down on piracy, both on the Internet and off."

— translation —
McCain supports is in favor of big content instead of the general consumer
Security

Submission + - Spy Cam In Wal-Mart Snags Credit Card Info

Submitted by Rio
Rio writes: A mysterious box with an antenna found hidden inside a Wal-Mart was a planted spy camera set up to beam customer credit card numbers to thieves in the parking lot, police told Local6.com in Orlando, Florida. The camera was in place for about an hour before being noticed.
The Courts

Submission + - RIAA pays Tanya Andersen $107,951 (p2pnet.net)

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Well, Phase I of the RIAA's misguided pursuit of an innocent, disabled Oregon woman, Atlantic v. Andersen, has finally drawn to a close, as the RIAA was forced to pay Ms. Andersen $107,951, representing the amount of her attorneys fee judgment plus interest. But as some have pointed out, reimbursement for legal fees doesn't compensate Ms. Andersen for the other damages she's sustained. And that's where Phase II comes in, Andersen v. Atlantic. There the shoe is on the other foot, and Tanya is one doing the hunting, as she pursues the record companies and their running dogs for malicious prosecution. Should be interesting."
Music

Submission + - RIAA and culture kidnapping

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "This refers to http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/12/211218 This morning the 78records site is gone without explanation, as though it had never existed, and I'm concerned that it may have been cease-and-desisted by RIAA. Not only do they get and keep copyright on living artists' works without publishing them — perhaps with intent to suppress their publication — but also do the same with historic works. This is kidnapping of our culture. They haven't paid pols to extend their copyrights for nothing. But it's worse than offering historic recordings at extortionate prices; they are not offering them for sale at all, but instead steering the public to their currently promoted musicians and works. Here's a (pretty obvious) invention of mine free to anyone to implement: Many original works exist only as worn copies. Compare several randomly-damaged copies electronically, using synchronization algorithms developed for encrypted data transmission, and digitize what the majority agree on, bit by bit, to reproduce the original. Then don't copyright it."

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