Category: Global Domination

Signal, MEPs urge EU Council to drop law that puts a spy on everyone’s devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Thursday, the EU Council is scheduled to vote on a legislative proposal that would attempt to protect children online by disallowing confidential communication. The vote had been set for Wednesday but got pushed back [PDF]. Known to detractors as Chat Control, the proposal seeks to prevent the online dissemination of child sexual abuse material Read more about Signal, MEPs urge EU Council to drop law that puts a spy on everyone’s devices[…]

If Creepy Spyware Clearview AI scanned your face, you may get equity in the company

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI has agreed to an unusual settlement to a class action lawsuit, The New York Times reports. Rather than paying cash, the company would provide a 23 percent stake in its company to any Americans in its database. Without the settlement, Clearview could go bankrupt, according to court documents. If Read more about If Creepy Spyware Clearview AI scanned your face, you may get equity in the company[…]

Sonos draws more customer anger — this time for its privacy policy. Now they will sell your customer data, apparently

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s been a rocky couple of months for Sonos — so much so that CEO Patrick Spence now has a canned autoreply for customers emailing him to vent about the redesigned app. But as the company works to right the ship, restore trust, and get the new Sonos Ace headphones off to a strong start, Read more about Sonos draws more customer anger — this time for its privacy policy. Now they will sell your customer data, apparently[…]

Mozilla caves to public and restores Firefox add-ons banned in Russia that circumvent Russian censorship

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Mozilla has reinstated certain add-ons for Firefox that earlier this week had been banned in Russia by the Kremlin. The browser extensions, which are hosted on the Mozilla store, were made unavailable in the Land of Putin on or around June 8 after a request by the Russian government and its internet censorship agency, Roskomnadzor. Read more about Mozilla caves to public and restores Firefox add-ons banned in Russia that circumvent Russian censorship[…]

Mozilla Firefox Blocks Add-Ons which Circumvent Censorship in Russia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Mozilla Foundation, the entity behind the web browser Firefox, is blocking various censorship circumvention add-ons for its browser, including ones specifically to help those in Russia bypass state censorship. The add-ons were blocked at the request of Russia’s federal censorship agency, Roskomnadzor — the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Read more about Mozilla Firefox Blocks Add-Ons which Circumvent Censorship in Russia[…]

We are losing vast swathes of our digital past, and copyright stops us saving it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It is hard to imagine the world without the Web. Collectively, we routinely access billions of Web pages without thinking about it. But we often take it for granted that the material we want to access will be there, both now and in the future. We all hit the dreaded “404 not found” error from Read more about We are losing vast swathes of our digital past, and copyright stops us saving it[…]

First-mover advantage found in the arts shows copyright isn’t necessary to protect innovative creativity

Posted on by Robin Edgar

One of the arguments sometimes made in defence of copyright is that without it, creators would be unable to compete with the hordes of copycats that would spring up as soon as their works became popular. Copyright is needed, supporters say, to prevent less innovative creators from producing works that are closely based on new, Read more about First-mover advantage found in the arts shows copyright isn’t necessary to protect innovative creativity[…]

Japan’s Push To Make All Research Open Access is Taking Shape

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Japanese government is pushing ahead with a plan to make Japan’s publicly funded research output free to read. From a report: In June, the science ministry will assign funding to universities to build the infrastructure needed to make research papers free to read on a national scale. The move follows the ministry’s announcement in Read more about Japan’s Push To Make All Research Open Access is Taking Shape[…]

documents scattered

Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has accidentally collected childrens’ voice data, leaked the trips and home addresses of car pool users, and made YouTube recommendations based on users’ deleted watch history, among thousands of other employee-reported privacy incidents, according to a copy of an internal Google database which tracks six years worth of potential privacy and security issues obtained Read more about Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents[…]

Adobe changes TOS, says it can republish what you made for free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Adobe has decided that if you use its software, it can re-use anything you create. Considering you pay to use the software, that’s a bit grating. 4.2 Licenses to Your Content. Solely for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable, license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, Read more about Adobe changes TOS, says it can republish what you made for free[…]

YouTube’s Crackdown on Adblockers Makes Videos Unwatchable – now skips to end of video

Posted on by Robin Edgar

YouTube has been at war with adblockers for quite some time now and has employed various tactics to keep users off those extensions. Its most recent defense strategy is to skip right to the end of the video you’re playing. If you try replaying it, it’ll do that again. If you tap anywhere on the Read more about YouTube’s Crackdown on Adblockers Makes Videos Unwatchable – now skips to end of video[…]

Samsung Requires Independent Repair Shops to Share Customer Data, Snitch on People and destroy phones Using Aftermarket Parts, Leaked Contract Shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In exchange for selling them repair parts, Samsung requires independent repair shops to give Samsung the name, contact information, phone identifier, and customer complaint details of everyone who gets their phone repaired at these shops, according to a contract obtained by 404 Media. Stunningly, it also requires these nominally independent shops to “immediately disassemble” any Read more about Samsung Requires Independent Repair Shops to Share Customer Data, Snitch on People and destroy phones Using Aftermarket Parts, Leaked Contract Shows[…]

Netflix app update for Windows PCs will ditch downloads and offline viewing but give you stuff you never wanted.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the past few weeks, users have received notifications on their Netflix Windows indicating that a new update is coming. The update will ship with many new features and quality-of-life improvements, including support for watching live events, improved streaming quality, compatibility with ad-supported plans, and more. Wait – who wants any of this stuff? What Read more about Netflix app update for Windows PCs will ditch downloads and offline viewing but give you stuff you never wanted.[…]

Adobe threatens to sue Nintendo emulator Delta for its look-alike logo

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Delta, an emulator that can play Nintendo games, had to change its logo after Adobe threatened legal action. You’d think it would face trouble from Nintendo, seeing as it has been going after emulators these days, but no. It’s Adobe who’s going after the developer, which told TechCrunch that it first received an email from Read more about Adobe threatens to sue Nintendo emulator Delta for its look-alike logo[…]

Top EU court says there is no right to online anonymity, because copyright is more important

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A year ago, Walled Culture wrote about an extremely important case that was being considered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the EU’s top court. The central question was whether the judges considered that copyright was more important than privacy. The bad news is that the CJEU has just decided that Read more about Top EU court says there is no right to online anonymity, because copyright is more important[…]

Patent troll hits Microsoft with $242 million US verdict in Cortana lawsuit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft (MSFT.O) must pay patent owner IPA Technologies $242 million, a federal jury in Delaware said on Friday after determining that Microsoft’s Cortana virtual-assistant software infringed an IPA patent. The jury agreed with IPA after a week-long trial that Microsoft’s voice-recognition technology violates IPA’s patent rights in computer-communications software. IPA is a subsidiary of patent-licensing Read more about Patent troll hits Microsoft with $242 million US verdict in Cortana lawsuit[…]

iPhone users report deleted photos reappearing after update – turns out for Apple, delete doesn’t mean delete

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Some iPhone users are reportedly seeing photos they had previously deleted resurface on their devices ever since updating to the latest version of iOS. The user reports originate from Reddit, and it’s not just a couple of Apple users experiencing issues. By our count, 16 people who deleted their photos say they’ve come back. The Read more about iPhone users report deleted photos reappearing after update – turns out for Apple, delete doesn’t mean delete[…]

FCC fines America’s largest wireless carriers $200 million for selling customer location data without permission

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Federal Communications Commission has slapped the largest mobile carriers in the US with a collective fine worth $200 million for selling access to their customers’ location information without consent. AT&T was ordered to pay $57 million, while Verizon has to pay $47 million. Meanwhile, Sprint and T-Mobile are facing a penalty with a total Read more about FCC fines America’s largest wireless carriers $200 million for selling customer location data without permission[…]

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team Read more about Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it[…]

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team Read more about Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns[…]

Russia arrests in absentia former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on foreign agent and terrorist charges

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Russia has arrested Garry Kasparov and charged him in connection with foreign agent and terrorist charges – much to the former chess champion’s amusement. The city court in Syktyvkar, the largest city in Russia‘s northwestern Komi region, announced it had arrested the grandmaster in absentia alongside former Russian parliament member Gennady Gudkov, Ivan Tyutrin co-founder Read more about Russia arrests in absentia former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on foreign agent and terrorist charges[…]

People Are Slowly Realizing Their Auto Insurance Rates Are Skyrocketing Because Their Car Is Covertly Spying On Them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last month the New York Times’ Kashmir Hill published a major story on how GM collects driver behavior data then sells access (through LexisNexis) to insurance companies, which will then jack up your rates. The absolute bare minimum you could could expect from the auto industry here is that they’re doing this in a way that’s clear to car Read more about People Are Slowly Realizing Their Auto Insurance Rates Are Skyrocketing Because Their Car Is Covertly Spying On Them[…]

Ring Spy Doorbell customers get measly $5.6 million in refunds in privacy settlement

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a 2023 complaint, the FTC accused the doorbell camera and home security provider of allowing its employees and contractors to access customers’ private videos. Ring allegedly used such footage to train algorithms without consent, among other purposes. Ring was also charged with failing to implement key security protections, which enabled hackers to take control Read more about Ring Spy Doorbell customers get measly $5.6 million in refunds in privacy settlement[…]

When You Need To Post A Lengthy Legal Disclaimer With Your Parody Song, You Know Copyright Is Broken

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a world where copyright law has run amok, even creating a silly parody song now requires a massive legal disclaimer to avoid getting sued. That’s the absurd reality we live in, as highlighted by the brilliant musical parody project “There I Ruined It.” Musician Dustin Ballard creates hilarious videos, some of which reimagine popular Read more about When You Need To Post A Lengthy Legal Disclaimer With Your Parody Song, You Know Copyright Is Broken[…]

Europol asks tech firms, governments to unencrypt your private messages

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a joint declaration of European police chiefs published over the weekend, Europol said it needs lawful access to private messages, and said tech companies need to be able to scan them (ostensibly impossible with E2EE implemented) to protect users. Without such access, cops fear they won’t be able to prevent “the most heinous of Read more about Europol asks tech firms, governments to unencrypt your private messages[…]