New in Technology Review

Here's part 2 of Surveillance Nation by Dan Farmer and Charles Mann in MIT's Technology Review. (Part 1 was here.) Excerpt:

... Repurposing surveillance information is subject to so many pitfalls that ìwe need to build restrictions on the way data are used,î says Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford University law professor who is the author of Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. Ideally, in Lessigís view, ìyouíd want to have a situation like what goes on with credit reportsówe can see them, and know something about who is using them and why, and potentially remove any errors.î

The technology to provide such protections is already emerging. The Malaysian government is rolling out a multifunction smart card with 32 kilobytes of memory that can store up to seven types of data, including details about a personís identity, driverís license, bank account, and immigration status. Embedded software encrypts and compartmentalizes the information and keys it to the cardholderís biometric data, ensuring that when an authorized government or business official accesses one type of data, the other types remain off-limits. If introduced into the United States, such cards could be set to tell bartenders that their bearers ìare over 21 and can drink alcohol; but thatís all,î explains Lessig. ìAnd if a police officer stops you, the card should only tell her that you have a valid driverís licenseîóand not, say, your Social Security number.

The same kinds of access controls should be applied to large, centralized databases, Lessig believes. Users logging onto a sensitive database should have to identify themselves, and their access should be restricted solely to data they are authorized to examine. To further deter misuse, the database should preserve a record of its users and their actions. Such precautions are not only technically feasible but, to Lessigís way of thinking, simply good policy. Still, he sees ìnext to no chanceî that such precautions will be implemented, because terrorist attacks have changed the governmentís attitude toward privacy and because ordinary people have demonstrated their willingness to embrace the technology without understanding the consequences. ...

There's also a Q&A with UC Berkeley professor and EFF board member Pamela Samuelson on the subject of Curbing Peer-to-Peer Piracy. Some embarrassing gaffes here, such as the misspelling of Jack Valenti as Valente and suggesting he is the head of the RIAA. Ever hear of editing, folks?

Access to the site, alas, is restricted to subscribers to the print magazine. Here's an excerpt:

TR: How much damage is [peer-to-peer file sharing] doing?

Samuelson: The question of harm from the kind of file sharing thatís happened so far is widely debated. If you think that every unauthorized copy is a copy that should have a commercial value attached to it and the failure of the copyright owners to get that particular value is a harm to their market, then itís easy to multiply the number of illicit copies times the value of whatever was shared and say, Oh, a kazillion kazillion kazillion dollars. However, a number of economists have looked at this and said, Gee, you know, itís not so convincing that that actually is a fair interpretationóthat thereís been substantial harm. Even if thereís been some harm, there has been a lot less harm than the copyright industries are claiming.

TR: What kinds of things are copyright owners doing to fight file sharing?

Samuelson: Copyright owners right now are using phony files, decoys, and other chaff to try to frustrate the experience on peer-to-peer networks, where users share files. For instance, it could be a file with the name of the latest Madonna song, but when a person opens it and tries to listen to it, it might contain something that says, Youíve just engaged in copyright infringement; this is illegal; youíre harming the artist; donít do it anymore. The theory is that if you make peer-to-peer file sharing an unpleasant experience where users canít always get what they want, then people will stop. However, use of such chaff in the network seems not to be working very well. So the copyright industries want Congress to do something to help them step up the attack on file sharing.

New doings at J-Log

kpaul's been making some enterprising improvements to his valuable J-Log, including a remodeled books section and Game Goons, a game review site/blog.

Legal issues and emerging technology

Here are Cory's running, impressionistic notes from Fred von Lohmann's tutorial from O'Reilly Emerging Technology 2003 conference, "Legal Issues and Emerging Technology."

And a cool lineup on journalism issues tomorrow, with:
Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News
Marc Canter, Broadband Mechanics
Chris DiBona, Open Source Development Network
Glenn Fleishman, Unsolicited Pundit
Doc Searls, Linux Journal

Music, movie downloading 'not stealing'

A majority of young Canadians reject the notion that downloading music and movies off the Internet can be equated to physical theft, according to an independent consumer trend study on technology, media and entertainment conducted by Solutions Research Group Consultants Inc. (See 2-page press release in PDF format.)

The survey asked Canadians about their views on "unauthorized use of copyrighted material such as music, movies and software, without payment."

* 55% of Boomers (now in their 40s through to mid-50s) agree that "downloading songs off the Internet" is theft - in contrast, a minority, 31%, of Canadians 12-24 (Gen Y) agrees.

* When asked about "downloading movies off the Internet," 59% of Boomers say it's "theft," versus only 43% of Gen Y.

* Gen Y opinion is split on "making copies of computer software" - just over half, 54%, say it's "theft." However, the generation gap persists - 67% of Boomers say it's stealing.

* The one area where there is little generational difference is views on the "use of an unauthorized satellite dish to view TV signals" (satellite signal piracy). When asked if they believe this activity is "theft," 68% of Boomers and 62% of Gen Y agree.

Classmates.com coming to Fox

Classmates.com, the site that helps old schoolmates reconnect with each other, is coming to a Fox TV station near you.

Thanks to IWantMedia for the pointer.

Deep Throat ID'd?

Who was Deep Throat? Bill Gaines' investigative reporting class at the University of Illinois has narrowed the field to a single possible candidate, and Eric Meyer's online publishing class has created a multimedia online site to present the results.

The verdict? Fred Fielding, deputy counsel to President Richard Nixon.

Dead bloggers live on

In Wired News, a report by Christopher Null (how's that for a tech reporter byline?): Online, Some Bloggers Never Die. The messengers are gone, but their messages live on. The final posts from webloggers now deceased have become a popular topic of discussion on some weblogs.

Can Apple corner the music market?

Wired News: Can Apple corner the music market? The rumored online service would sell Mac users songs from top record labels and integrate seamlessly with iPod players and iTunes software, insiders say. Record execs swoon over another feature: The service -- expected to be unveiled next week -- would pay royalties to troubled music biz.

We're losing the spam battle

Saul Hansell in today's Times: Internet Is Losing Ground in Battle Against Spam. You ain't kiddin'.

Why Bush's tax cut will cost jobs

Paul Krugman in today's NY Times: Why President Bush's tax cut will actually cost jobs.

Of course, what do facts have to do with anything?