Darknet

Encrypted laptop raises privacy issues in porn case

Associated Press: Encrypted laptop raises privacy issues in porn case.

Sony pays $1.5 million over hidden programs

Wire services:

Sony pays $1.5 million over hidden programs

Sony BMG Music Entertainment will pay $1.5 million and refund thousands of dollars to customers to settle lawsuits brought by California and Texas over music CDs that installed a hidden anti-piracy program on consumers' computers.

The settlements, announced Tuesday, cover lawsuits over CDs loaded with one of two types of copy-protection software -- known as MediaMax or XCP. Under the terms of the separate settlements, each state will receive $750,000 in civil penalties and costs.

Sony BMG also agreed to reimburse consumers whose computers were damaged while trying to uninstall the XCP software.

'Child Internet Act' deserves to die

Associated Press: Online publishers, advocates argue against the ill-conceived Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Internet privacy options are few

Associated Press: Internet privacy options are few.

Protecting the right to be anonymous online

Good editorial in today's San Jose Mercury News: Protecting the right to be anonymous online.

Much of the anonymous babble that fills Internet chat rooms, discussion groups, bulletin boards and blogs is not terribly interesting. Some of it is outright distasteful.

Yet most of it must be protected to preserve free speech. Indeed, a robust, unfettered conversation in which a diversity of views is freely expressed is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy and is guaranteed by the First Amendment.

That principle was reaffirmed last week by the Delaware Supreme Court, which drew a clear shield around anonymous political speech on the Internet. It's the first state supreme court to do so, and it should hearten Internet users and free-speech advocates everywhere.

Efforts to pass a law offering similar protections in California stalled last year and ought to be revived by the Legislature. ...

Secret code in color printers that lets the government track you

If I hadn't heard this on NPR tonight, I might have missed it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a new finding about a secret code in color printers that lets the government track you.