“Any technology whose exclusive goal is to stop users from being able to make use of the content they have purchased is, in my opinion, unethical. DRM takes away users’ rights. For example, if I buy a TV show and want to criticise a scene from the show it on my blog, but the TV […]

Pretty reasoned analysis by the developers at Panic of Apple’s new GateKeeper feature. Like many of the commenters I’m not convinced. It’s clear to me that Apple will revoke the ability to install non app-store apps as soon as it makes financial sense for them. No other considerations need apply. From the post: “Although security […]

It is not surprising to me that Google, Facebook and others have been tracking users even when they’ve configured the Do Not Track feature of their browsers. I’ve long considered sites such as Facebook and Google to be malware sites. The best course of action when dealing with these sites is to use them in […]

In order to justify the crippling of its Unlimited data plans, AT&T executive John Donovan has taken to denigrating advanced users for making use of the bandwidth their contract provides them, calling them a burden on their beleaguered and weary network. This blatantly contradicts the massive surplus of network availability across the United States and […]

Free software will always prove more trustworthy than that handed out by proprietary vendors simply by virtue of the democratic nature of its development. The more I make use of smartphones the less I trust them overall. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/02/15/0036242/unauthorized-ios-apps-leak-private-data-less-than-approved-ones

“Internal e-mails from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police show they could find “no good examples” to support their demand for greater access to private Internet communications.” http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/02/14/vic-toews-draws-line-on-lawful-access-youre-with-us-or-the-child-pornographers/

From the article: ‘Entitled “an Act to enact the Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code and others Acts,” the law would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to install equipment that would allow them to monitor and preserve the Internet surfing activities of their customers.’ http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/politics/Ottawa+Bill+allows+police+more+easily+view+your+surfing+What+think/6139149/story.html

I’m loathe to pay for music (though not television programming or movies) because I know I’m not rewarding the artist. Artists for a century or more have become victims of flim flam men selling them predatory deals which usually impoverish them in the long run unless they’re among a tiny minority of superstars. I’d love […]

What the article fails to mention is that these computers are often equipped with malicious proprietary software, some of which is documented as having been used by an education system to photograph students while they used them in their private homes, even in various states of undress. “It’s great to suggest that every student should […]

As censorship spreads, it’s important to note that corporations are composed of human beings who really ought to care about what they’re doing to their neighbors. Bowing to repressive regimes helps no one. “Google said last month it was directing users to localized country domains on Blogger to provide it flexibility to comply with content […]