Yeah, those folks mean that we need to become terrorists to fight terrorists or, as an 1980s' French interior minister put it, we have to terrorize the terrorists... in a democracy (and/or republic.) Is this all what we are left with? Mawaki --- Carlos Afonso <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/750 > > MPAA Demands "License To Lie," But Wants To Make You 'Fess Up On > WHOIS > > Submitted by Harold Feld on December 4, 2006 - 12:35pm. > > I say this for the Intellectual Property Mafia; they do not allow > either > consistency or scrupples to get in the way of what they want. Like > characters out of too many mob movies, “it’s just business” whether > you > need to disclose your real identity or not. Unsurprisingly, the IP > Mafia > reserve the right to lie to themselves, while wanting big time > penalties > for everyone else who tries to mainatin anonymity. > > According to this article, the MPAA lobbied hard to kill an > anti-pretexting bill proposed in the California Legislature. > “Pretexting,” as folks who followed the recent scandal over at HP > know, > is pretending you are someone else in order to gain access to that > other > person’s personal information. > > Why would the MPAA fight hard to kill a pro-privacy, pro-consumer > protection bill? Because they assert they need to use pretexting to > investigate allegations of piracy. And if investigating into > possible > piracy means puting consumers everywhere at greater risk for > identity > theft or other violations of privacy? “Sorry, it’s just business. > Ya know?” > > On the , consider the never ending flap over WHOIS data at ICANN. > The IP > Mafia have continued to press for requiring all registrants of > domain > names to provide completely honest information about the identity > of the > registrant and contact info. No use of third parties to shield > privacy > interests, despite very real concerns from individuals and free > speech > organizations in countries that routinely imprison and execute > critics > (or, in light of recent events involving the apparent poisoning of > Putin > critic Litvinenko, concerns about their personal safety abroad). > > Back in July, the Software Information Industry Alliance told a > Congressional Committee that organizations concerned about their > privacy > just shouldn’t bother to register domain names. In other words > “We’re > sorry our policy gives you a choice between exercisin’ your Free > Speech > rights or putting your personal safety at risk. But hey, it’s just > business. Ya know?” > > I hope the folks attending the ICANN meeting in Sampa, Brazil this > week > will ask the defenders of a wide open WHOIS why the MPAA and the > rest of > the intellectual property mafia fights so hard for a license to lie > for > themselves, while demanding that everyone else espose themselves to > identity theft and personal risk. > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com