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Anti-Piracy Lobby Gains Power Over Internet Subscribers
The deals between ISPs and anti-piracy organizations are a worrying trend. In just a few months entertainment industry representatives managed to convince ISPs and governments that they should have the right to accuse and warn Internet subscribers, without solid proof. The question that remains unanswered is whether these warnings will have any effect.
The power of the entertainment industry and anti-piracy lobbyists is growing rapidly. In the UK, six major ISPs have teamed up with the music industry to start mass warning filesharers. France has gone even further, recently adopting a law that will enable the entertainment industry to disconnect alleged pirates on their third warning. Similar methods are proposed throughout the rest of the world.
It’s quite scary if you think about it. In France the right to access the Internet now rests on the shoddy evidence of anti-piracy units, evidence that is known to be inaccurate. Christine Albanel, the French Minister for Culture recently quoted research that allegedly found that 97% of all file-sharers will stop downloading copyrighted content when they receive a warning, but this seems to be very unlikely.
Unfortunately, the minister failed to name the resource for the study, but it does raise some interesting questions. All these new agreements and policies have strong faith in the deterrent function of these so called warnings, but thus far there is no evidence that these actually have any effect. That’s right, millions of people are now receiving warnings (sometimes even threats), and they may very well lead to nothing.
You would think that the government would at least get some solid proof of the deterrent effect of these letters but, perhaps even more importantly, check the validity of the anti-piracy evidence before they allow the entertainment industry to start contacting millions of citizens with intimidating letters. It might turn out that thousands of users receive a letter for something they didn’t do, and that wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. On the other hand, even those who are correctly accused might not change their behavior so easily.
Warning letters will most likely make most pirates more cautious, and they will find ways to get what they want more anonymously. Whatever happens, it wont stop the most of them from getting what they want. As Justin Milne of Telstra BigPond, Australia’s largest Internet provider put it: “There’s no one thing that you can do that is going to fix the problem (but) when people think about this area, they often look to ISPs to provide the silver bullet.”
So how can “pirates” be stopped then? This is not an easy question to answer. Right now, 50% of all BitTorrent traffic is generated by people who download TV-episodes, something that’s available for free in most countries, but not available on demand. It might be a good start for the entertainment industry to rethink their outdated business models, experiment and use peer-to-peer technology to fulfill the ever growing demand for media online. The deals between ISPs and anti-piracy organizations are a worrying trend. In just a few months entertainment industry representatives... more -
Chemical used in children's toys is banned, parents still worry
"Samantha Rosenberg eyed the toy plastic cellphone that her 9-month-old daughter has chewed so much, the color is fading. She wondered if the shiny plaything, and others that fill her home, are endangering Addison's health.
Congress this week approved a ban on a family of chemicals widely used in soft plastic toys and other baby products. Health advocates say the compounds, known as phthalates, have been linked to kidney and liver cancer and to reproductive disorders in fetuses and infants, especially boys.
Toymakers and the chemical industry ran an expensive lobbying campaign trying to block the legislation, arguing that phthalates have been used commercially since the 1950s, that they are safe and that the ban is an overreaction.
Rosenberg and other consumers are not sure what to think.
"Am I being neurotic, or is it really not safe?" Rosenberg, a 30-year-old District resident, said about the toy cellphone. "It just gets compounded, because everything is plastic and made in China. You end up worrying about lead paint, plastics, all these things our parents never worried about.""
What do you think? Are these chemicals safe for children, or should we take more precaution with what we put in toys? "Samantha Rosenberg eyed the toy plastic cellphone that her 9-month-old daughter has chewed so much, the color is fading. She won... more -
Menthol is used to hook young smokers
I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose.
Tobacco companies manipulate the amount of menthol in cigarettes to make those first few puffs more palatable to young smokers, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could fuel support for more tobacco regulation.
"Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lung and oral pharynx," said Dr. Gregory Connolly of the Harvard School of Public Health. "It makes smoking easier."
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, comes as the U.S. Congress considers legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate tobacco.
It would appear this report is simply an effort to push support for federal regulation of the tobacco industry, not a scientific review of the menthol category," said David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American Inc (RAI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and maker of Camel and Kool cigarettes.
Lorillard Inc (LO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) spokesman Michael Robinson said in a statement: "The American public should view this report for what it is, a politically motivated lobbying tool."
The article is four pages long, but these paragraphs sum it up well. What do you think? Comment below. I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose. ... more -
Lobbing a Bruxelles.
Ingresso ufficiale dei lobbysti in Parlamento Europeo, in Commissione e nel Consiglio dei Ministri. lo scorso lunedì è stato istituito presso Bruxelles il registro per le lobbing che ha già visto raddoppiare il numero dei lobbisti presso le istituzioni europee.
Piovono già critiche. Ingresso ufficiale dei lobbysti in Parlamento Europeo, in Commissione e nel Consiglio dei Ministri. lo scorso lunedì è stato istituito... more -
Appeals Court throws out conviction in Abramoff scandal
A U.S. appeals court today ordered a new trial for a former White House aide who was convicted on charges of lying and obstructing justice in the investigation of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
A three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this morning threw out David H. Safavian's conviction on charges of lying to an ethics officer at the General Services Administration, where he had been chief of staff, and an investigator for the GSA's inspector general.
Safavian was convicted in June 2006 of covering up his efforts to assist Abramoff in acquiring two properties controlled by the GSA, including the historic Old Post Office in the District. He also was convicted of concealing information about a lavish golfing excursion to Scotland and London with Abramoff in the summer of 2002. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison but has been free while he appealed.
Writing for the unanimous panel, Circuit Judge A. Raymond Randolph ruled that Safavian was under no legal obligation to disclose details of his dealings with Abramoff when he asked for an opinion from the GSA's ethics officer about accepting free air fare on a chartered jet for the golf vacation. He told the ethics official he was paying for his hotels, meals and greens fees. A U.S. appeals court today ordered a new trial for a former White House aide who was convicted on charges of lying and obstructing jus... more -
CA Broke, but has $75 million to spray citizens with toxic synthetic pheromone
The CA Dept of Food and Agriculture plans to begin spraying untested synthetic pheromones and other ingredients that are known endocrine disrupters and/or carcinogens all delivered in tiny "time release" capsules made of polyurea plastic. The size in microns of these capsules (when actually measured and contrary to the manufacturer's claims) is such that over half of them are small enough (under 10 microns) to be inhaled and to lodge in the lungs.
Also worth noting is that the manufacturer of the synthetic pheromone, Suterra Inc, has donated almost $150,000 to Governor Schwarzenegger's campaign fund for his 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
When a similar spray was used in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties there were hundreds of reports of reactions, ranging from rashes and difficultybreathing or asthma like symptoms, to headaches,dizziness, stinging eyes, sore throat and tremors. A private citizen was documenting these reactions in theabsence of any other monitoring by the state orfederal government. There was a significant increase in emergency room visits in the days following the spray.
This is supposedly to combat the Light Brown Apple Moth which the CDFA claims has just "invaded" CA in the last year. According to Dr. Daniel Harder of the UCSC arboretum & ecology dept the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) has likely been here for between 30 to 50 years. The LBAM is a leaf curling moth that does not nest in, eat or otherwise damage fruit, does not defoliate,does not even target fruit trees. There has been no crop damage to date.
The LBAM was originally classified as a threat in order to restrict apple importations from new zealand,which were an economic threat to California's applegrowers and had less to do with any actual threat than it does with trade politics. (There is amovement in congress to reassign or reclassify LBAM inorder to stop the proposed spray).
Eradication by means of pheromone has never been achieved under any circumstance, and eradication itself is extremely unlikely given the insect's range.
This issue has gotten little national media attention, but has created a large grassroots movement as seen on blossoming websites of organizations such as www.playnotspray.org, www.stopthespraysf.org, www.cassonline.org (CA Alliance to stop the spray), among others. The CA Dept of Food and Agriculture plans to begin spraying untested synthetic pheromones and other ingredients that are known endocri... more -
Walmart: Largest Retail Lobby in Washington
Walmart now spends more than any other retail company on lobbying in Washington. What are the short term and longterm implications of this trend? How much influence do these big spenders have on national and international policy? Walmart now spends more than any other retail company on lobbying in Washington. What are the short term and longterm implications of ... more
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