p2pnet World Headlines: Oct 29, 2009
UK Will Urge EC To Legalise Mashups, Format-Shifting, Content Sharing paidContent
Lord Mandelson’s three-strikes proposal may have gobbled all the headlines. But a parallel package published Wednesday, aimed at liberalising copyright, may prove just as important for some creators … © The Way Ahead, an Intellectual Property Office paper steered by junior culture minister David Lammy MP, says: “Education and enforcement remain important, but aren’t the whole story … There is no doubt that overall simplification of the copyright system would be beneficial.” Broadly, the report concedes: “The digital environment is confusing.” So what is it proposing… ? “The copyright system cannot be expected to command public support unless consumers can use works in the ways they want, such as sharing photos with friends on the web. This means rights holders offering works with broader terms of use.” It acknowledges that individuals resent restrictions on personal, non-commercial uses of material, and advocates an EU-level distinction between commercial and non-commercial copying…
Police website falls victim to cyber attack The Local
A number of major Swedish websites were rendered inaccessible on Thursday in what is believed to be a malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The Swedish authorities have thus far had no success in locating the source of the attack. The Swedish police’s website was down late on Thursday afternoon as it became inundated with external requests. “We’re the victims of an ongoing DDoS attack,” said spokesperson Linda Widmark, shortly before the site, polisen.se, became accessible again at around 5pm. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is on full alert following a twelve
Wayne Newton hints latest Vegas show may be last Associated Press
Wayne Newton is telling fans “Danke schoen” after 50 years in Las Vegas and hinting that his latest run could be his last. But the singer synonymous with Sin City says he’s leaving himself an opening in case he wants to perform after April. The man known throughout the world as “Mr. Las Vegas” says retirement is possible, but that decision won’t hinge on the success of his new show that opened Wednesday night at the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
States mismanage student information, study concludes Washington Post
States often collect far more information about students than necessary and fail to take adequate steps to protect their privacy, a national study concludes. The dossiers go far beyond test scores, including Social Security numbers, poverty data, health information and disciplinary incidents. The study from the Fordham University Center on Law and Information Policy, released Wednesday, casts light on data systems created at the urging of the federal government to track student progress. One finding: States often fail to spell out protocols for purging records after students graduate.
Massive bot attack spoofs Facebook password messages Computerworld
A massive bot-based attack has been hitting Facebook users, with nearly three-quarters of a million users receiving fake password reset messages, according to security researchers. The attack, which began Monday afternoon, according to e-mail security vendor Cloudmark, targets Facebook users with a spoofed message that claims recipients’ Facebook passwords have been reset as a security measure. The messages, which come bearing subject lines such as “Facebook Password Reset Confirmation,” include a file attachment that supposedly contains the new password.
Telstra to cut broadband price as customers drop off Australian IT
Telstra will soon cut its broadband prices as it reacts to falling customer take-up of its fixed-line broadband services. The move comes as Telstra itself faces being chopped up as the federal government attempts to clear the way to build its $43billion national broadband network. Telstra boss David Thodey admitted at the company’s update for investors in Sydney that the drop in new customers coming on to its fixed broadband products was “not good”. Fixed-line internet sales growth dropped from 20.5 per cent last year to 13.3 per cent this year. Price cuts were “imminent”, Mr Thodey said. He would not say by how much or exactly when the telco would get out the red pencil.
Drugs chief: Alcohol more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis BelfastTelegraph
The British Government’s chief drug adviser has sparked controversy by claiming ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, attacked the decision to make cannabis a class B drug. He accused former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of “distorting and devaluing” scientific research. Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness. And he claimed advocates of moving ecstasy into class B from class A had “won the intellectual argument”.
Demand surges for H1N1 shot in Toronto Globe and Mail
An overwhelming demand for the H1N1 vaccine has thousands lining up in Toronto today and is forcing road closures near a clinic west of the city. With only two locations operating in Toronto, thousands turned out — some as early as 6 a.m. — and many decried what they called a lack of organization.
DSi LL: Nintendo supersizes its gaming handheld CNet News
Nintendo has taken the wraps off a new version of the DSi handheld that sports larger 4.25-inch dual screens. The portable gaming unit will be considerably bigger than current and previous DS and DSi models. It will be dubbed the DSi LL in Japan where it goes on sale on November 21 for 20,000 yen (about $220). In Europe, the unit will be known as the DSi XL when it appears on store shelves in the first quarter of 2010. Nintendo did not provide details on a possible North American launch.
October, 2009
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http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-uk-will-urge-ec-to-legalise-mashups-format-shifting-content-sharing/
Lord Mandelson’s three-strikes proposal may have gobbled all the headlines. But a parallel package published Wednesday, aimed at liberalising copyright, may prove just as important for some creators … © The Way Ahead, an Intellectual Property Office paper steered by junior culture minister David Lammy MP, says: “Education and enforcement remain important, but aren’t the whole story … There is no doubt that overall simplification of the copyright system would be beneficial.” Broadly, the report concedes: “The digital environment is confusing.” So what is it proposing… ? “The copyright system cannot be expected to command public support unless consumers can use works in the ways they want, such as sharing photos with friends on the web. This means rights holders offering works with broader terms of use.” It acknowledges that individuals resent restrictions on personal, non-commercial uses of material, and advocates an EU-level distinction between commercial and non-commercial copying…
Police website falls victim to cyber attack The Local
http://www.thelocal.se/22950/20091029/
A number of major Swedish websites were rendered inaccessible on Thursday in what is believed to be a malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The Swedish authorities have thus far had no success in locating the source of the attack. The Swedish police’s website was down late on Thursday afternoon as it became inundated with external requests. “We’re the victims of an ongoing DDoS attack,” said spokesperson Linda Widmark, shortly before the site, polisen.se, became accessible again at around 5pm. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is on full alert following a twelve
Wayne Newton hints latest Vegas show may be last Associated Press
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113146086
Wayne Newton is telling fans “Danke schoen” after 50 years in Las Vegas and hinting that his latest run could be his last. But the singer synonymous with Sin City says he’s leaving himself an opening in case he wants to perform after April. The man known throughout the world as “Mr. Las Vegas” says retirement is possible, but that decision won’t hinge on the success of his new show that opened Wednesday night at the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
States mismanage student information, study concludes Washington Post Staff Writer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703562.html
States often collect far more information about students than necessary and fail to take adequate steps to protect their privacy, a national study concludes. The dossiers go far beyond test scores, including Social Security numbers, poverty data, health information and disciplinary incidents. The study from the Fordham University Center on Law and Information Policy, released Wednesday, casts light on data systems created at the urging of the federal government to track student progress. One finding: States often fail to spell out protocols for purging records after students graduate.
Massive bot attack spoofs Facebook password messages Computerworld
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140058/Massive_bot_attack_spoofs_Facebook_password_messages
A massive bot-based attack has been hitting Facebook users, with nearly three-quarters of a million users receiving fake password reset messages, according to security researchers. The attack, which began Monday afternoon, according to e-mail security vendor Cloudmark, targets Facebook users with a spoofed message that claims recipients’ Facebook passwords have been reset as a security measure. The messages, which come bearing subject lines such as “Facebook Password Reset Confirmation,” include a file attachment that supposedly contains the new password.
Telstra to cut broadband price as customers drop off Australian IT
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,26272386-15306,00.html
Telstra will soon cut its broadband prices as it reacts to falling customer take-up of its fixed-line broadband services. The move comes as Telstra itself faces being chopped up as the federal government attempts to clear the way to build its $43billion national broadband network. Telstra boss David Thodey admitted at the company’s update for investors in Sydney that the drop in new customers coming on to its fixed broadband products was “not good”. Fixed-line internet sales growth dropped from 20.5 per cent last year to 13.3 per cent this year. Price cuts were “imminent”, Mr Thodey said. He would not say by how much or exactly when the telco would get out the red pencil.
Drugs chief: Alcohol more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis BelfastTelegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/drugs-chief-alcohol-more-dangerous-than-ecstasy-lsd-and-cannabis-14544981.html
The British Government’s chief drug adviser has sparked controversy by claiming ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, attacked the decision to make cannabis a class B drug. He accused former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of “distorting and devaluing” scientific research. Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness. And he claimed advocates of moving ecstasy into class B from class A had “won the intellectual argument”.
Demand surges for H1N1 shot in Toronto Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/demand-surges-for-h1n1-shot-in-toronto/article1344098/
An overwhelming demand for the H1N1 vaccine has thousands lining up in Toronto today and is forcing road closures near a clinic west of the city. With only two locations operating in Toronto, thousands turned out — some as early as 6 a.m. — and many decried what they called a lack of organization.
DSi LL: Nintendo supersizes its gaming handheld CNet News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10385975-1.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0
Nintendo has taken the wraps off a new version of the DSi handheld that sports larger 4.25-inch dual screens. The portable gaming unit will be considerably bigger than current and previous DS and DSi models. It will be dubbed the DSi LL in Japan where it goes on sale on November 21 for 20,000 yen (about $220). In Europe, the unit will be known as the DSi XL when it appears on store shelves in the first quarter of 2010. Nintendo did not provide details on a possible North American launch.
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