Obama and Warrantless Wiretapping

The EFF has released an article with a [plethora of links describing warrantless
wiretapping under the Obama administration][0], spurred by Obama's response to
Jon Stewart's questioning on The Daily Show last Thursday. (Readers should also
be aware of the [NSA spy center][1] discussed earlier in the year, as is
mentioned in the EFF article.)

It is clear that the United States government has no intent on protecting the
freedoms of individuals and instead is actively resisting attempts to correct
the problems. While we can hope that this will change, and we can be confident
that organizations like the EFF will continue to fight for our liberties, one
immediate option is to limit as much as possible what the NSA and other agencies
can discover about you. Consider using [Tor][2] for all of your network traffic
(at the very least, use HTTPS connections to prevent agencies and ISPs from viewing
specific web pages on a particular domain; HTTPS is unnecessary if using Tor.)
PGP/GPG can be used to encrypt e-mail messages to the intended recipients. Etc.

It's unfortunate that such precautions are necessary. Privacy is important even
if you have nothing to hide; any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely
absurd.

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/fact-check-obamas-misleading-answer-about-warrantless-wiretapping-daily-show
[1] http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
[2] http://torproject.org
Stingrays: Cell Phone Privacy and Warrantless Surveillance

How would you feel if law enforcement showed up in your living room, demanded
your cell phone, and started writing down your call history and text messages?
How would you feel if you didn't even know that they were in your home to begin
with, let alone stealing private data? [This is precisely what is happening when
law enforcement uses ``Stingrays'' to locate individuals][0], collecting data of
every other individual within range of the device in the process. Even *if* you
are the subject of surveillance, this is still an astonishing violation of
privacy. (Of course, law enforcement could always demand such records from your
service provider, but such an act at the very least has a paper trail.)

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/stingrays-biggest-unknown-technological-threat-cell-phone-privacy
GNU Trick-Or-Treat---FSF Crashes Windows 8 Launch

The FSF decided to [crash the Windows 8 launch even in New York City][0],
complete with [Trisquel][1] DVDs, FSF stickers and information about their
[pledge to upgrade to GNU/Linux instead of Windows 8][2].

I find this to be a fun, excellent alternative to blatant protesting that is
likely to be better received by those who would otherwise be turned off to
negativity. At the very least, the [walking gnu][3] would surely turn heads and
demand curiosity.

Here is the e-mail that was sent to the info at fsf.org mailing list:

    Happy (almost) Halloween, everybody,

    You've probably been noticing Microsoft's ads for their new operating
    system -- after all, they've spent more money on them than any other
    software launch campaign in history. In fact, everything about the
    campaign has been meticulously planned and optimized, so you can
    imagine journalists' surprise when an unexpected guest showed up at an
    invite-only launch event on Thursday.

    Our volunteer, Tristan Chambers, was there and caught the whole thing
    on camera! Pictures here:
    <http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnus-trick-or-treat-at-windows-8-launch>.

    Reporters and security guards at the event weren't sure how to react
    when they were greeted by a real, live gnu. The gnu -- which, on
    closer inspection, was an activist in a gnu suit -- had come for some
    early trick-or-treating. But instead of candy, she had free software
    for the eager journalists. The gnu and the FSF campaigns team handed
    out dozens of copies of Trisquel, a fully free GNU/Linux distribution,
    along with press releases and stickers. Once they got over their
    confusion, the reporters were happy to see us and hear our message --
    that Windows 8 is a downgrade, not an upgrade, because it steals
    users' freedom, security and privacy.

    Free software operating systems are the real upgrade, and they don't
    need a zillion-dollar launch event to prove it. To show Microsoft that
    their ads won't change our minds, we're starting an upgrade pledge:
    switch to a free OS, or if you're already using one, help a friend
    switch. We can pay Microsoft a chunk of change for their new,
    proprietary OS, or we can stand up for our freedom. The choice isn't
    as hard as Microsoft wants you to think.

    Sign the pledge now! -- <http://www.fsf.org/windows8/pledge>.

    Thanks for making a commitment to free software.

    PS - If you'd like more details about the action, you can check out
    our press release here:
    <http://www.fsf.org/news/activists-trick-or-treat-for-free-software-at-windows-8-launch-event-1>.

    -Zak Rogoff
    Campaigns Manager

[0] http://www.fsf.org/news/activists-trick-or-treat-for-free-software-at-windows-8-launch-event-1
[1] http://trisquel.info/
[2] http://www.defectivebydesign.org/windows8
[3] http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnus-trick-or-treat-at-windows-8-launch
Jailbreaking and DCMA---EFF Touts Victory, FSF Warns Of Failure

While the [EFF is pleased to announce][0] that the Copyright Office has [renewed
DMCA exceptions upholding jailbreaking rights for cellphones][1], the FSF
cautions that [this right has not been extended to tablets, game consoles or
even PCs with restricted boot][2].

It should be noted that the EFF also successfully gained protection for the use
of short copyrighted clips in remixing,[0] and while this is a positive step
forward in its own, the implications of the first paragraph should not be
ignored.

[0] https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-renewal-smartphone-jailbreaking-rights-plus-new-legal-protections-video
[1] http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2012/77fr65260.pdf
[2] http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/copyright-office-fails-to-protect-users-from-dmca
Abolishing Patents

My issue with patents exceeds the [obvious case against software patents][0];
indeed, I have long pondered the problems with patents in other fields. When I
hear the phrase ``patent pending'' or ``patented technology'' touted in ads, I
have never thought positive thoughts; instead, I have thought ``you are damning
this otherwise excellent work to stagnation''. What if someone has an excellent
idea to improve upon that particular product? Well, they'd better be prepared to
jump through some hoops or shell out some hefty licensing fees. Or maybe it's
just easier to abandon the idea entirely and forget that it had never happened.

However, I thought, it's not a simple case of ridding the world of patents.
How would that affect the incentive to innovate? How would people recoup
expensive R&D costs, especially in industries like pharmacy (both my parents are
pharmacists)? What about the incentive to describe your invention to the world?
Then again, nobody *has* to get a patent for their invention. It may be worth
keeping it secret if nobody can figure it out.

The answers to all of these questions appeared in one place: [The Case Against
Patents][1], which I found referenced in an article regarding the [Swedish Pirate
Party's opinions on patents, trademarks and copyright][2]. While it is still a
draft at the time of this writing, I encourage you to give it a read, as it is
very enlightening.

[0] http://patentabsurdity.com/
[1] http://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2012/2012-035.pdf
[2] http://falkvinge.net/2012/10/13/what-the-swedish-pirate-party-wants-with-patents-trademarks-and-copyright/
Ubuntu 12.10 Privacy: Amazon Ads and Data Leaks

The EFF [cautions that Ubuntu 12.10 leaks user information to Amazon by
default][0] rather than requiring the user to opt *into* the system.

Of course, I cannot recommend that you use Ubuntu, as it encourages the
installation of non-free device drivers, readily enables non-free software
repositories and contains non-free components in its kernel.[1] Instead,
consider a [fully free GNU/Linux distribution like Trisquel][2].

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks
[1] http://www.fsfla.org/svnwiki/selibre/linux-libre/
[2] https://trisquel.info
``Trademark'' Bullying

There's two problems with this post from the EFF describing [The Village Voice
suing Yelp for ``Best of'' trademark infringement][0]: firstly, there's the
obvious observation that such a trademark should not have been permitted by the
USPTO to begin with. Secondly---why do entities insist on gaming the system in
such a terribly unethical manner? It takes a special breed of people to do such
a thing.

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/stupid-lawyer-tricks-and-government-officials-who-are-helping-them
OpenWireless.org

The EFF [announces the launch of openwireless.org][0], which encourages users to
[share their network connections][1] to create a global network of freely
available wireless internet access.

This is a noble movement. This reminds me of a point in history when MIT began
password protecting their accounts, which were previously open to anyone.
Stallman, disagreeing with such a practice, encouraged users to create empty
passwords.[2] Stallman would even give out his account information so that
remote users may log into MIT's systems, all with good intent.

Of course, with malice rampant in today's very different world, Stallman's
actions, although noble, would be both naive and a huge security risk.
Fortunately, [opening your wireless network isn't necessarily one of these
risks][3] and, if done properly, does not equate to opening your private network
to attack.

Consider using [DD-WRT][4] as your router's firmware, if supported by your
device, as it is itself [free software][5].

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/why-we-have-open-wireless-movement
[1] https://www.openwireless.org/
[2] http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-as-in-freedom-2/
[3] https://openwireless.org/myths
[4] http://dd-wrt.com
[5] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Ban On Public Rallying and Demonstrations in Bahrain

The government of Bahrain found that the best solution to preventing violent
protests was to [ban all public rallying and demonstrations][0].

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/bahrain-goes-bad-worse
EFF Elaborates On DCMA Ruling

In addition to my aforementioned links, the EFF has provided [a more detailed
analysis][0] of the decision.

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/2012-dmca-rulemaking-what-we-got-what-we-didnt-and-how-to-improve