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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 29 declined, 6 accepted (35 total, 17.14% accepted)

Microsoft

MS Update KB951748+ZoneAlarm: Crippled Net Access->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "It looks like a recent Microsoft update, KB951748, does not play nice with certain personal firewalls, most notably ZoneAlarm. Following installation there are problems with ZoneAlarm due to DNS packets being blocked. Certain OS files are updated, but the update evidently neglects to inform the firewall of the new network settings. Simply uninstalling the update gets things back to normal, but one does have to wonder where the QC is these days at Microsoft. ZoneAlarm is one of the most popular personal firewalls out there, and for MS to break it due to lack of testing is inexcusable."
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Businesses

Clean up spyware in Texas, go to jail for a year->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "According to a law passed in the 2007 Texas legislative session, any computer repair that requires the analysis of a customer's data could get the technician a $4,000 fine and a year in jail. That is unless the repair person has a private investigator's license. And how to get the license? A three year degree program in criminal justice or an apprenticeship of a similar length under a licensed investigator. This law was apparently passed as a simple protectionist measure, but the overly broad wording of it has just come to the attention of the Institute for Justice, a libertarian litigation firm which has filed a constitutional challenge to the law. Perhaps it's time to determine how many computer technicians working for the Texas government have their PI license."
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Censorship

Goodbye to Usenet for Millions of Users->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "The Attorney General for New York, Mario Cuomo, has issued a press release concerning an investigation which found child pornography in certain newsgroups. It appears his plan is to force major ISPs to severely curtail Usenet access. Sprint has announced plans to block the ALT. heirarchy, while Time Warner Cable has simply decided to eliminate Usenet access entirely. This measure will of course be completely ineffective, but it does set a nasty precedent: eliminating access to a huge segment of the Internet because of a tiny amount of illegal content. They must have been watching when each of Thailand and Pakistan decided to block YouTube over one video."
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Networking

Is the domain market getting plain silly again?->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "The domain PIZZA.COM is up for auction on Sedo, and already the price has reached $2,505,000 with more than 4 days still to run in the auction. Other recent examples of huge domain prices are PORN.COM ($9,500,000 in 2007) and DIAMOND.COM ($7,500,000 in 2006). It is now impossible to buy any 3 letter .COM combination for less than $5,000 and every single 4 letter is registered, with sale prices averaging $100. Unlikely domains such as "AUCTIONMOOLAH.COM" are listed at $5,000, and we have Network Solutions front running WHOIS searches. Any thoughts on when the domain market will "jump the shark"?"
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Businesses

Most People Have No Idea What Copyright Is For-> 1

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "Question Copyright has posted an interesting video of ordinary people explaining why they think copyright exists. It is pretty clear that most people have no clue why, thinking instead that it has something to do with protecting content or preventing plagiarism. This is not a good thing considering the current attempts to vastly expand and lengthen copyright protections. But our recent copyright turmoil is not new. Far from it according to a recent dissertation concerning copyright in the 19th century. From the dissertation: "This era was rife with copyright-related controversy and excitement, including international squabbling, celebrity grandstanding, new technology, corporate exploitation, and ferocious arguments about piracy, reprinting, and the effects of copyright law". Some engaging reading for those with an interest in the topic."
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Patents

EFF Busts Bogus Online Testing Patent->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "It's taking a while, but the EFF's Patent Busting Project is making progress. In the latest news, the USPTO has now officially rejected one of the 10 awful patents targeted, making the world safe again for administering tests over the Internet. This joins the reexamination of a patent on automated remote access of a computer over a network and the revokation of a patent on recording live performances to CD as notable successes for the EFF."
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Security

Sears Web "Community" is a Spyware Install->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "After several weeks of security alerts from CA and denials by Sears, spyware security researcher Ben Edelman has joined the chorus accusing Sears of surreptitiously installing Comscore tracking software on the PCs of people who join the Sears "community". Kmart (owned by Sears) is apparently involved also. After installation, the software sends details of all online activities — including secure sites such as banking — directly to Comscore, despite the Sears website's assertion that it does not share collected data with anyone. Various technology blogs are likening this breach of online privacy to the recent Facebook Beacon fiasco."
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The Courts

A Normal Day: $Millions In Infringement Liability->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "In simply going about a normal day, the average Internet user tallies up millions of dollars in potential statutory damages. A recent paper from John Tehranian [PDF] demonstrates how far out-of-whack current copyright laws are:

"In the morning, he checks his email ... following common practice, he has set his mail browser to automatically reproduce the text to which he is responding ... each unauthorized reproduction of someone else's copyrighted text — their email — represents a separate act of brazen infringement ... within an hour, the twenty reply and forward emails sent by John have exposed him to $3 million in statutory damages"
Perhaps this paper has an excessively theoretical bent, but perhaps this perspective is needed to demonstrate why concrete change must happen."
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The Courts

Anon. National Security Letter Plaintiff Speaks->

Submitted by
Panaqqa
Panaqqa writes "On Monday, the US government appealed a ruling which struck down a controversial section of The Patriot Act as unconstitutional. The section permitted the FBI to send secret demands to ISPs (called "National Security Letters") for logs and email without first obtaining a judge's approval. The president of the small Plaintiff ISP, identified only as John Doe because of a gag order under the law, said the gag provisions make it "impossible for people ... to discuss their specific concerns with the public, the press and Congress". Given that cases of abuse of Department of Homeland Security data have already surfaced, can anyone give a good reason why these letters should be allowed?"
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It is indeed desirable to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors. -- Plutarch