:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Thursday, January 14, 2010 ::

google.cn

Forgot to pass this on a couple of days ago...

I guess its good news for those concerned about Google's presence in China. Seems things are getting worse rather than better (the official line was the hoped to improve the situation over time) so they are as good as giving up. Shame the goal of bringing information to the people wasn't reached and sad to see the extent the government (presumably) will go to to infringe human rights and prevent activism.

"Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significant one--was something quite different.

"First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarly targeted. ...

"Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. ...

"Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers."

Click through to read on.

Labels: Censorship, IT, Liberty, News, Politics

:: Dan 14.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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European court condemns police misuse of stop and search
The Guardian reports on "Officers using Terrorism Act against citizens on 'a hunch' means serious risk of discrimination, say judges"

"The home secretary, Alan Johnson, app­ears to be in serious trouble over a ruling today by the European court of human rights against the unlawful police use of ­counter-terrorism stop and search powers on peace protesters and photographers."

Labels: Law, Liberty, News, Photography

:: Dan 13.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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A message from Simon Singh:

“It has been 18 months since I was sued for libel after publishing my article on chiropractic. I am continuing to fight my case and am prepared to defend my article for another 18 months or more if necessary. The ongoing libel case has been distracting, draining and frustrating, but it has always been heartening to receive so much support, particularly from people who realise that English libel laws need to be reformed in order to allow robust discussion of matters of public interest. Over twenty thousand people signed the statement to Keep Libel Laws out of Science, but now we need you to sign up again and add your name to the new statement.

The new statement is necessary because the campaign for libel reform is stepping up a gear and will be working on much broader base. Sense About Science has joined forces with Index on Censorship and English PEN and their goal is to reach 100,000 or more signatories in order to help politicians appreciate the level of public support for libel reform. We have already met several leading figures from all three main parties and they have all showed signs of interest. Now, however, we need a final push in order to persuade them to commit to libel reform.

Finally, I would like to make three points. First, I will stress again - please take the time to reinforce your support for libel reform by signing up at www.libelreform.org. Second, please spread the word by blogging, twittering, Facebooking and emailing in order to encourage friends, family and colleagues to sign up. Third, for those supporters who live overseas, please also add your name to the petition and encourage others to do the same; unfortunately and embarrassingly, English libel laws impact writers in the rest of the world, but now you can help change those laws by showing your support for libel reform. While I fight in my own libel battle, I hope that you will fight the bigger battle of libel reform.”

Signed. View the pledge wall.

Labels: Freedom, Law, Liberty, science

:: Dan 11.12.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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I'm undecided about the DNA database. Some human rights groups (and EU law) say it an erosion of civil liberties, that your DNA is private. Is it? I'm struggling to think of ways that could be abused.

Anyway, Channel 4 News have created a map showing how many samples are held by each police force in the UK. (Some are estimates.)

What Strasbourg ruling means for UK
More from The Guardian.

Labels: ID, Liberty, Maps, Privacy

:: Dan 5.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Betraying the fact that I was away on work most of last week the yawning gap in posts is now filled with a link dump of Radio 4 listening and Independent articles that I collected whilst on the road:

The Moral Maze - Should a person's political views ever disqualify them from doing a job?

"This week the Moral Maze asks should a person's political views ever disqualify them from doing a job?

"Some members of the BNP in professions like the police and prison service, face losing their job after the leaking of the party's membership list. While others, for example, teachers will not.

"Where do we draw the lines over freedom of belief and expression?

"Should we have a right not to be offended or have we lost our nerve over freedom of expression and are we becoming a more intolerant, illiberal society?"

Very interesting listening, it's a massive grey area. I found myself sat in a carpark for 20min listening to this as I didn't want to miss any of it when I was checking into a hotel.

Woman found guilty in 'cyber-bully' case

"A housewife who posed as a teenage boy to send hostile emails to a neighbour's daughter was found guilty yesterday of several minor charges related to the "cyber-bullying" that prompted the girl's suicide.

"The case made legal history because it revolved around charges that Ms Drew lied on the fake MySpace profile, violating the site's terms of service which require users to provide "truthful and accurate" registration information.

"Ms Drew had throughout the trial denied that she was using her computer when the fateful, final message to Megan was sent. While she knew of the existence of "Josh Evans", she claimed the hostile emails were sent by her daughter, Sarah, and several friends."

Yes, that's right. Blame your own daughter. Nice one.
RIP

The phone that says bling bling

"Frank Nuovo cradles in his palm what is, if not the world's most costly mobile phone, then perhaps its most elegantly conceived. It's the Vertu Boucheron 150, designed by Nuovo himself, a dapper, serious Californian whose passion for his product is entirely unapologetic. Formerly head of design at Nokia, he is the founder and chief designer of Vertu, the world's leading maker of luxury mobile phones."

I commented on these back in 2005 and apparently showed myself to be a lowlife (see comments). My opinion hasn't changed.


Crusher
Originally uploaded by gusset.

How turtles got their shells

"The fossilised remains of an ancient reptile that lived 220 million years ago may have solved the puzzle of how the turtle got its shell and, in the process, cleared up one of the most enduring mysteries of animal evolution.

"The latest discovery, made by palaeontologists excavating in China's fossil-rich province of Guizhou, shows that the shell of the turtle evolved from bony growths that expanded from the spine and ribs, rather than the merging of bony plates found in the skin of some reptiles."

Labels: evolution, Fashion, Law, Liberty, science, Secuirty

:: Dan 2.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Stop and Search Form
Originally uploaded by gwalton1.


Remember, if you ever are stopped and searched you DO NOT have to give your name and address or show ID.

Bruce Schneier - Are photographers really a threat?
[via the Bristol flickr group discussion about "security" at Cabot Circus. The Radio Bristol link in the first post is worth a listen]

Labels: Flickr, Liberty, Photography, Secuirty

:: Dan 2.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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