Apple
iOS 6 maps
I have been reading a lot about the problems with the iOS 6 map application, as Apple decided to remove the Google Maps app and roll their own. I thought they were exaggerating until I tried the application with my Read more…
Copyright gone mad
Is Panama about to pass the worst copyright law in history?
In a Rogue’s Gallery of copyright legislation, many efforts deserve mention. The DMCA is surely there, together with Japan’s new copyright law, the Digital Economy Act, and Ley Sinde. But a new Panamanian copyright bill is giving those laws a Read more…
Facebook
Facebook privacy statement hoax
I have been seeing different versions of the following legal-looking privacy statement on Facebook popping up through my timeline: “Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you Read more…
Virtual worlds
Do avatars dream of digital rights?
I have been playing World of Warcraft again in preparation for the forthcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion (two words: panda monks!). For years I played in European servers the same character, an Alliance Human mage who then switched sides and Read more…
Creative Commons
Defending non-commercial licences
A recent blog post by the Students for Free Culture has been making the rounds in social media in the last few days. The article calls for an end to Creative Commons non-free licences, namely those with non-commercial (NC) and Read more…
Governance
In search of an open Internet
Internet openness is all the rage these days. From call signs on buildings to Declarations of Internet Freedom, an important sector of informed users is catching on to the relevance of keeping the Web open. This openness movement has been Read more…
Off-topic
7 Reasons Why Numbered Lists Are Bad for Blogging
1. Reality does not easily comply with numbered lists. 2. They are created mostly to attract easy traffic using SEO-friendly keywords. 3. They are the hallmark of lazy thinking. 4. Arbitrary number choice. 5. They are shallow. 6. After the Read more…
Wikileaks
The Rise and Fall of Wikileaks
Back in 2010, Wikileaks was at the peak of its power and influence. The release of the Collateral Murder video, of the Afghanistan logs, and of the US diplomatic cables have to be seen as the zenith of the struggle Read more…
Default
Are smart buildings the next cyber-threat?
For years Eben Moglen has been warning about potential dangers of proprietary software in embedded computers, from trusted computing to chips running software nobody can access. Moglen’s warnings are more relevant, as builders and architects are racing to implement intelligent Read more…
Announcements
SCRIPTed August 2012
The latest issue of SCRIPTed, A Journal of Law, Technology & Society, is now online. Plenty of good things on this issue, including an excellent article on the Chilean Free Trade Agreement, several on Internet regulation, and an interesting take Read more…