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How the AACS Key Sparked a Digg User Revolt »

It’s no secret that most tech savvy people despise digital rights management (DRM). So it’s not entirely surprising that last week, Digg users revolted.

DVD publishers add DRM to their movie releases so they can control whether the dvds can be copied and even what devices are allowed to play the dvds. In February 2007, Arnezami, a hacker on the Doom9 forum who was frustrated because his purchased HD-DVD movies wouldn’t play on his Linux-based computer (I believe), cracked the code and published the 128-bit number on the web. The Wired blog wrote up an article about what that meant for the future of DRM. Read the rest

Everyone Wants To Sue YouTube »

It’s been a long week for Google. At the beginning of the month, Google finally submitted their response (PDF) to Viacom’s $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit over video content on YouTube. The gist - they’re claiming they’re protected by the DMCA. Search Engine Land and TechDirt have good summaries of the response. Read the rest

Prevent Auction Fraud and Identity Theft with a ‘Sensible’ Password »

Last year, Dov Tenenboim of North Bondi hacked into at least 90 different eBay sellers’ accounts and sold $13,482 worth of non-existent Apple iPods. Last week, he pled guilty. Tenenboim went after eBay users with easy-to-guess passwords - such as those that use their seller name as their password.

When referring to the case, an eBay spokesperson stated the obvious

“What the case highlights is the importance that people need to place in choosing a sensible password,”

Read the rest

Philly Court: Initial Removal of Criticisms Is Not an Agreement To Never Discuss the Matter In the Future »

Imagine this scenario. You’ve just been made legally blind by a group of doctors performing lasik eye surgery. You put up a website that mentions the doctors’ names. The doctors get mad and have their lawyer send you a nasty cease-and-desist. You take the site down while you contemplate your options. Then, a few weeks later, you put the website back up with new content and docs.

Do you still have the right to name the doctors on the site? Read the rest

Google Searches Used As Evidence In Court »

If you’re going to kill your husband, perhaps you should perform your Google searches on someone else’s computer. At least, that’s what Melanie McGuire is learning after the contents of her Google searches are being used against her in Court.

In 2004, McGuire allegedly shot her husband and dismembered his body. This week, she’s on trial for murder. Read the rest