Electronic Frontier Foundation News

	In our 617th issue: UPDATES MINILINKS ANNOUNCEMENTS Mars Landing Videos, and Other Casualties of the Robot Wars NASA's successful landing on Mars of an SUV-sized nuclear rover from a rocket-skycrane should have marked a high point in collaborative accomplishments between humans and robots. But here on Earth the situation was a bit more tense. That's because, just hours after the celebrated touchdown, Vice Magazine's Motherboard blog broke the news that one of NASA's official clips from the mission had been pulled from YouTube, replaced with a notice from the video site indicating that the "video contains content from Scripps Local News, who has blocked it on copyright grounds." Victory for Speech: Facebook To Allow Marijuana Reform Ads Last week, news outlets reported that Facebook was rejecting ads by advocacy groups working on marijuana policy reform. Several versions of the Facebook ads were submitted by Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Just Say Now, but were initially rejected. After EFF and the ACLU of Northern California reached out to Facebook about the issue, Facebook did the right thing and restored the ads. Speak Out for Ethiopian Blogger Eskinder Nega Google's Opaque New Policy Lets Rightsholders Dictate Search Results Earlier this summer, we applauded Google for releasing detailed stats about content removal requests from copyright holders. Now that we know how they are going to use that data, we are less enthusiastic. Google had announced that it would use copyright takedown notices made under the DMCA as what it calls a "signal" on search results. Specifically, those "signals" will demote certain websites in search results. EFF Updates Senate Anti-Leaks Bill Threatens the Rights of the Press and the Public The U.S. Senate is currently debating a dangerous bill that, if passed, would have broad consequences for press freedom and the public's right to know. EFF asks senators to stand up for government transparency and the First Amendment and vote it down. The bill's provisions, buried in the annual Intelligence Authorization Act, are intended to stop leaks of classified information to reporters—a premise worrying in itself -- but it is written so sloppily it will also severely impair government transparency and prevent the media from reporting on national security issues. myVidster: A Victory for Innovation and Sensible Copyright Law A judge in Flava Works v. myVidster wholly rejected the premise that embedding, linking to, or watching infringing videos constitutes copyright infringement itself. In this case, Flava Works, a video company that makes full-length videos available only behind a paywall, sued MyVidster, a social video bookmarking site that allows users to save videos to a profile and share pages containing embedded videos with other users. The Court held people who download Flava Works videos and then re-upload them to another server (thereby making a copy of the video) may be infringers, but neither myVidster nor the users who watch videos embedded on its site are engaging in or contributing to infringement. All Nations Lose with TPP's Expansion of Copyright Terms EFF has previously written about various troubling provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) that is being negotiated under wraps. One other major concern is that TPP seeks to propagate the excessive copyright terms currently found in American copyright legislation. These terms are detrimental to creativity and innovation and only serve to benefit the major record and movie production companies who lobbied for them in the U.S. Now starting with the Pacific region, these exorbitant counterproductive terms could be imposed on countries with more progressive copyright laws through the force of the TPP. Content Industry War on Sharing Claims Another Victim LendInk, an innovative site dedicated to helping readers share their legally purchased ebooks with one another, has chosen to shut down in the face of legal intimidation. Despite the fact that the site was apparently operating within the terms of service of the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook, its hosting company was targeted with "hundreds of threats," including cease-and-desist letters. Good News: Craigslist Drops Exclusive License to Your Posts In a welcome course correction, craigslist has removed its short-lived provision that required users to grant it an exclusive license to every post -- in other words granting them ownership. We were unhappily surprised to see this click-through demand, but are glad to see that craigslist has promptly removed it. Questioning Copyright's Trade-Off The idea behind copyright is simple -- it is supposed to be a balance in the service of the public interest. There's a trade-off: for accepting a restriction on certain speech, the public benefits from the production of more new creative works each year. But in fact, copyright policies almost universally lack the serious cost-benefit analysis that must precede any evidence-based proposal. And indeed, while the unintended costs are clear to anybody who has observed abuse of, say, the DMCA takedown system, the evidence that these policies create incentives -- or even prevent harm -- is less forthcoming. Negotiations for a 2014 WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Are Back As we noted last June, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Broadcast Treaty -- a restrictive copyright treaty that aims to create and extend rights to signals of broadcasters and webcasters, and possibly creates serious problems for freedom of expression -- is back. Although it has been revamped, it still incorporates the two most controversial proposals from the original treaty text. New Leaked TPP Text Puts Fair Use At Risk EFF believes that it is vitally important that fair use and exceptions and limitations to copyright be protected in international trade agreements. But the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is putting Fair Use at risk with restrictive language in the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (TPP). Court Battles Over Warrantless DNA Collection Heating Up Should the police be allowed to warrantlessly collect and index the DNA of people merely arrested for a crime, while they are still cloaked in the presumption of innocence and have not been found guilty of anything? Over and over again, we've warned courts throughout the country the answer is no, and it now looks like judges are taking notice, including the U.S. Supreme Court. FBI's Facial Recognition is Coming to a State Near You Recently-released documents show that the FBI has been working since late 2011 with four states -- Michigan, Hawaii, Maryland, and possibly Oregon -- to ramp up the Next Generation Identification (NGI) Facial Recognition Program. When the program is fully deployed in 2014, the FBI expects its facial recognition database will contain at least 12 million "searchable frontal photos." BART's Cell Phone Shutdown, One Year Later A year ago this week, responding to planned protests throughout the BART system, the transit authority cut off cell phone service in four stations in downtown San Francisco. We were among many to draw the connection between BART and Hosni Mubarak, former president of Egypt, who was in the midst of disabling communication networks to quell protests around the same time. Repealing French Three Strikes Law is the Next Step to Safeguarding Free Expression Citing extraordinary costs and scant results, a high-level French official has announced intentions to defund Hadopi, the government agency charged with shutting off Internet access of individuals accused of repeat copyright infringement. Under the French three strikes law, Internet subscribers whose connection is repeatedly used to share copyrighted material may be disconnected from the Internet and may even have to continue paying for the service. Defunding Hadopi may mean that France won't be focusing on enforcing its three strikes law anymore, but that's not enough. France needs to repeal the three strikes law altogether. EFF to Jordanian Ministry of Information: Keep the Internet Open In nearly every country there exists a contingent of people that wish for a censored Internet, but the Jordanian government has not heeded their calls -- that is, until recently. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology stated publicly that it was working with an unnamed Australian company to develop a system for filtering pornographic websites. Though, to their credit, the Ministry responded to calls for censorship by offering free filtering software on its website -- an excellent alternative to mandating national filtering -- the action undertaken by the TRC is cause for alarm. International Failure: Are We Going to Let Countries Disenfranchise the Visually Impaired? There is a chronic lack of material in formats accessible to the world's visually impaired and print disabled citizens. Visually impaired people face a "book famine" in which 95% of books published in rich countries and 99% in poorer countries are never converted into accessible formats such as audio, large print or braille. The fastest way to address this famine is to change the copyright law: create exceptions and limitations that permit shifting of content into formats accessible to the blind, and allow cross-border exchange of content in accessible formats. UK Media Company, CEO Drop Bogus Attempt to Out Author of Spoof Twitter Account We've seen many ridiculous lawsuits filed in recent years aimed at improperly unmasking anonymous online speakers; however, an action filed in the Northern District of California last month stands out given its unusually high number of abusive elements (even for a "John Doe" case). miniLinks U.S. Sanctions on Syria and Iran Hurt Activists A Washington Post report covers how sanctions against Syria and Iran are preventing activists from getting crucial communication and security technologies. Does Copyright Matter? Tim Parks takes on copyright law and the creative world. Marijuana Runner Had No Phone GPS Privacy Right, Court Says A man convicted of marijuana trafficking had no reasonable expectation of privacy with the mobile phone he was using when apprehended, a U.S. appeals court ruled. Administrivia ISSN 1062-9424 EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 454 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA 94110-1914 USA +1 415 436 9333 +1 415 436 9993 (fax) eff.org Editor: Adi Kamdar, Activist editor@eff.org Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: info@eff.org Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission. Press releases and EFF announcements & articles may be reproduced individually at will. Back issues of EFFector

Shooting Occurs at Conservative Think Tank

A man opened fire in the lobby of the Washington, DC-based Family Research Council. A security guard was shot in the melee in which the shooter was taken down by the guard and several other people until the police arrived. The Family Research Council is a conservative, Christian think tank, and it is still unclear as to the motives of the shooter.
Here's the report as it's developing from Fox News:

A security guard at the Family Research Council's headquarters in Washington, D.C. is being hailed as a hero after he stopped a gunman posing as an intern, taking a bullet in the arm before wrestling the suspect to the ground.
The gunman entered the lobby of the organization's Chinatown headquarters around 10:45 and expressed disagreement with the conservative group's policy positions, Fox News has learned. When the guard, who was not identified, asked him where he was going, he opened fire, according to police.
"The security guard here is a hero, as far as I'm concerned," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. "He did his job. The person never made it past the front."

According to the news report, the suspect "made statements regarding their policies, and then opened fire with a gun striking a security guard."

Sources told Fox New that after guard took away his gun, the suspect said, "Don't shoot me, it was not about you, it was what this place stands for."
Authorities were treating the attack as a case of domestic terrorism, although James McJunkin, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said authorities do not yet know the gunman's motive.

The Washington Post quotes James McJunkin, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, as saying they don't yet know why the suspect started shooting.

"We don't know enough about him or his circumstances to determine what his connection is to this group [the research council] or his mental state, or what he was doing or thinking of doing," McJunkin said. "So we're going to try to sort this all out, pull the evidence together, do all the interviews we can."
McJunkin and Lanier said they did not yet know whether the FBI or the D.C. Police would take the lead on the shooting investigation.

Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, issued a statement which reads, "The police are investigating this incident. Our first concern is with our colleague who was shot today. Our concern is for him and his family."
In a bizarre report by the Associated Press, the journalist closes the news story by saying that Perkins was "an outspoken defender of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's public stand against same-sex marriage."
What does Chick-fil-A have to do with this story at all? Currently... absolutely nothing. It's just strange what some people will report.
--------
Update: 3:17 pm CDT
Ok... it looks like the AP reporter might have been dropping a hint in his story. Why not just come out and say something rather than make some vague reference to Chick-fil-A. Here's a report by Channel 4 NBC Washington:

Authorities found two loaded magazines with 15 rounds each in the suspect's backpack, as well as Chik-Fil-A promotional materials, NBC4's Jackie Bensen reported.
Fast food empire Chik-Fil-A has been at the center of a recent controversy over gay marriage. Chik-Fil-A President Dan Cathy recently spoke out against it, spurring protests, boycotts and a same-sex "kiss in." Meanwhile, supporters of Chik-Fil-A flooded franchises across the country on Chik-Fil-A Appreciation Day Aug. 1.

We will keep you posted.

Big Health Report News

Big Health Report News August 15, 2012

Top Stories Ryan goes on offense over Medicare, accuses Obama of treating program like 'piggy bank' Oh my: New Romney ad hits Obama on … Medicare Why Doctors Are Targeting Gun Violence as a Social Disease Chocolate with half the fat? Should parents' belief in miracles trump medical expertise in end-of-life decisions? Facebook for doctors?

Tea Party News

		Dem Controlled DHS Preparing for Civil Unrest with Massive Ammo Order VIDEO Fears that federal authorities are preparing for mass civil unrest have increased after it was revealed that the Department of Homeland Security is planning to buy a further ... (more)
		New Black Panthers to RNC: Our 'Feet Will Be On Your Motherf***ing Necks'... http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/08/14/NBP-Threaten-Cracker-Republican-Tampa-Convention-Wont-Be-Tolerated-Our-Feet-Will-Be-On-Your-Necks ... (more)

		Republicans Blast Biden's 'Chains' Gaffe as 'New Low' Vice President Joe Biden told voters in southern Virginia on Tuesday that Republican Mitt Romney wanted to put them "back in chains," sparking outrage from the GOP campaign. Addressing ... (more)
		Over a Million Illegals Poised to Come Out of Shadows Some 1.7 million young illegal immigrants are poised to come out of the shadows and live and work openly in the United States as a result of a sweeping executive order signed by President ... (more)

Zionica News

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

TODAY'S HEADLINES: Obama’s Muslim Dinner Speech Rabbis rap Apple over anti-Semitic app Rise Up Australia Hopes to Preserve Faith Heritage Could the Church Spark a New Renaissance? Good News for Bad Preachers

RECENT NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: Complaints prompt water park to end discounts for church groups Do Good in This World By Loving the Next How God Became King Forced Muslim Marriages in Spain No room at the B&B

NEWS FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LIBERTY ALLIANCE: A New Super-spy Goes Rogue The Liberals Went Flying Squirrel Hunting Christians, silence is not an option

Godfather Politics

Weather Service Buying...Hollow Point Ammunition! 100 Million Americans are in Chains and Joe Biden Wants to Keep them that Way Black Panthers Want to Crush Your Neck Parents, Would You Want To Know If Your 12 Year Old Got Sterilized? Tribute to World War II Veterans Sets Guinness World Record Joe Biden: Conscience of Our Nation's Capital?

The Conservative Byte

August 15, 2012

Today's Politically Incorrect Headlines: Obama to Compel You to Join Union? Obama running campaign of hate Illegals line up at consulates across country for ‘DREAM’-er applications Report finds agency spending on climate change a mess PALIN: Dump Biden, tap Hillary Romney Soars With Young Voters Iran Admits Giving WMDs To Terrorists 2012 Gas Prices Head for Record Romney To Obama: ‘Take Your Campaign of Division And Anger And Hate Back To Chicago’ Obama Admin Blesses GSA Decision Not to Arrest Occupy Protesters Obama Campaign: Ryan ‘Kisses The Ring’ of Jewish Megadonor Adelson Politico Equates Obama Attacks with Romney Self-Defense Spike Lee: Obama Will Do Whatever He Wants In Second Term Do Democrats Know Obama Cut Medicare? Ryan’s Proposal Offers Future Medicare Recipients Same Plan as Federal Employees Flashback: Obama Admits He Cut Medicare Romney and Ryan Take on Medicare Biden: “Gonna Put Y’all Back in Chains” Media Repeatedly Ignores Violent Attacks Against Pro-Lifers

Today's Featured Article: Navy SEALS Start ‘Swift-Boating’ Obama Today's Politically Incorrect Laugh: (Click to Enlarge) Follow Conservative Byte on TWITTER! Join Conservative Byte on FACEBOOK!

POS Arkansas Cops Release Video Showing How A Handcuffed Person Can Shoo...

Political Outcast

Why I am a Radical Liberal Progressive Government Schools Turn Young People into Socialists Why Governments Hate Gold Yellow Journalism is Alive and Well Calling Out the Racists on the Left

American Vision News

Paul Ryan's global vision: an infinite foreign policy boondoggle	Ryan's bank share trading: insider or just amateurish?
Ryan doubletalk exposed on Fed, monetary policy Black box standards for cars; mandates thought next

Woman Fined $5K For Throwing Birthday Party On Family Farm

Vision to America

Vision to America August 15, 2012 Newsletter

Biden Tells Dems that Romney Will Put Blacks 'Back in Chains' Biden Gets in Mud Pit, Plays the Race Card Christian Police Officer Punished for Refusing Shariah Law Indoctrination 74 Percent of Americans Believe Voter I.D. Should Be Required to Vote Sarah Palin: Boot Joe Biden Off the Ticket ABC, CBS, NBC Ignore Chick-fil-A Vandalism Incidents How Michelle 'Marie-Antoinette' Obama Exploits the Gullible Masses Immigration Service Expects Flood of Applications From Youths

Today's Featured Story: Eric Holder: Racial Preferences Needed for National Security New Black Panther: We Must Murder White Babies and Skin White People New Black Panthers to RNC: "Our Feet will be On Your Necks"