Blogging for the 5th of July Foundation on Security, Privacy and Liberty
It is not acceptable that EU consumers can only call on a court in California to resolve a dispute. Nor can we accept that users are deprived of their right to withdraw from an online purchase. Social media companies also need to take more responsibility in addressing scams and fraud happening on their platforms.
• Reuters: EU authorities demand changes from Facebook, Google, Twitter »
• Engadget: EU orders Facebook and Google to prevent consumer scams »
The past week, German government put forward its controversial bill to fight online hate speech – threatening social platforms with fines up to € 50 million.
Politico:
Under the rules proposed, social media companies must clearly explain rules and complaint procedures to users and follow up on each complaint. Blatantly illegal content must be deleted within 24 hours, while other law-breaking content must be taken down or blocked within seven days.
Politico: Germany unveils law with big fines for hate speech on social media »
From almost a standing start, Sweden has a copyright troll crisis on its hands. Following a ruling by the Patent and Market Court, ISP Telia must hand over the personal details of individuals behind 5,300 IP addresses to companies known to make a business out of settlement fees. In all, around 20,000 persons could be sucked into the controversy.
Torrentfreak: Court Orders ISP to Hand Identities Behind 5,300 IP Addresses to Copyright Trolls »
“It’s like this perfect test case,” says Andrew Ferguson, a professor of law at the University of the District of Columbia. “Alexa is only one of the smart devices in that guy’s house. I don’t know if all of them were on or recording, but if you were going to set up a hypothetical situation to decide if the internet of things could be used as an investigative tool, you’ve got this mysterious hot tub murder.”
Techcrunch: Can your smart home be used against you in court? »
How the EU set up a private-public forum to censor the Internet – and denied EDRi access to documents, as it would expose the bureaucracy’s »decision-making process«.
Which pretty much is the whole idea. You should not have extrajudicial censorship, especially not without democratic accountability.
EDRi: The tale of the fight for transparency in the EU Internet Forum »
WikiLeaks will give technology companies access to information it has about the CIA’s hacking tools, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Thursday.
Assange said the organization will give details to let technology companies “develop fixes” before the information is published more widely, USA Today reported.
The Hill: WikiLeaks will give info on CIA hacking to tech companies »
Just in, regarding the EU Copyright package:
It seems as if the rapporteur in the European Parliament has killed off the proposed EU »link tax« (art. 11) and the demand for ISP:s to filter and censor user generated content (art. 13).
Julia Reda: MEP: European Parliament poised to reject EU copyright expansion plans »
The Trump administration does not want to reform an internet surveillance law to address privacy concerns, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday, saying it is needed to protect national security.
• Reuters » White House supports renewal of spy law without reforms: official »
• Techdirt » Trump Administration Wants A Clean Reauthorization For NSA Surveillance »
An anonymous comment at Techdirt: This wouldn’t be the same guy who was screaming bloody murder about Trump towers being under surveillance, would it?