This month, Australia’s law mandating telecommunications data retention went into effect. It is clear that Australia learned absolutely nothing from Europe’s abysmal 10-year failure…
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With laptops banned onboard aircraft, your data is no longer yours if you fly
New US regulations ban laptops on board some aircraft, requiring laptops to be in checked luggage. One of the first things you learn in…
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Airport: “We’re tracking every single footstep you take and can connect it to your mail address, but your privacy is safe because we say so”
A sign on the revolving entrance to a European airport, one sign among many, says “the airport employs wi-fi and bluetooth tracking; your privacy…
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Would U.S. Congress find it acceptable that their phonecalls were recorded, sold, and published?
The United States Congress has decided that Internet Service Providers shall be Common Carriers but without the obligations of a Common Carrier. Specifically, which…
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With shock appeals ruling, the United States has effectively outlawed file encryption
An appeals court has denied the appeal of a person who is jailed indefinitely for refusing to decrypt files. The man has not been…
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Great: Now your sex toys are used to spy on you and sell your private habits, too
The makers of an Internet-connected sex toy have settled to pay a small amount to some 300,000 owners of a vibrator which was used…
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Old world squanders opportunity to tame bitcoin a little
The American SEC, which oversees financial institutions, has rejected a bid to create a traditional trading fund (an ETF) based on bitcoin. The trading…
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How cryptocurrency will cripple today’s governments – and they won’t see it coming
Cryptocurrency will cripple governmental ability to collect taxes, and they won’t see it coming. When it’s already happened, expect major changes to take place…
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In an EU without Britain and France, weaker and sensible copyright policy would emerge
Britain and France have been the primary copyright hawks in the EU, pushing for stronger distribution monopolies and harsher penalties at every turn. With…
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Told you so: Airport-style identity checks coming to train travel
Several European countries will start requiring photo ID from passengers to ride trains, similar to airport identity checks. The requirement concerns the high-speed Thalys…
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