Comcast Told To Stop Blocking Web Tool For User Rights, But DHS Adds To Their Rights
By Nicole Belle Sunday Aug 03, 2008 1:00pmJamie covered this a few weeks ago, but now it's official. Score one for us on net neutrality.
UPI: (h/t Nate)
Broadband Internet customers of cable television giant Comcast should be free to use file-sharing software, the Federal Communications Commission says.
The commission voted Friday to order Comcast to stop blocking its Internet customers from using BitTorrent, an online software application that enables users to share large movie, TV show and music files, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Commission Chairman Kevin Martin split with his Republican colleagues to join the two Democratic members to produce a 3-2 vote against Comcast. The precedent-setting decision was hailed by supporters of so-called net neutrality, which maintains Internet service providers should be barred from discriminating among various types of traffic.
"It was unreasonable for Comcast to discriminate against particular Internet applications, including BitTorrent," Martin wrote in his majority opinion. "They delayed and blocked customers using a disfavored application even when there was no network congestion."
Whodathunk Kevin Martin would stand up against his Republican colleagues for what's right? But that only slightly makes up for the wholly egregious new policies of the Homeland Security office:
The gropers at the Department of Homeland Security, not content with patting you down and rummaging through your underwear, now say that they can confiscate electronics brought into the U.S. for any reason, anytime, and share the devices and their contents with anybody.
Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.
Translation into plain English: Homeland Security can take your stuff for any reason ("without suspicion of wrongdoing"), for however long it wants to ('unspecified period of time").
Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Translation: DHS the information on your electronic devices with anyone it wants to share the information with ("other agencies and private entities").
Lovely. I guess the terrorists can't hate us for our freedoms if we have none left.
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The war on Terror is over. And we lost.
why exactly is this not illegal search and seizure?
NOTE to DHS; Remember those terrorists you and everyone in the Bush administration was wetting your diapers over not so long ago and for which, however briefly, you held the worlds nations as allies??? Well, considering all that YOU people have done since 9/11 by way of eroding specific bills of rights and the bill of rights in general, as well and trashing the nations international reputation for fairness??? ... Well guess what.... Those fucking terrorists have done won.. How? By turning you assholes into one of them.... And you numbskulls allowed this turning willingly... You fucking embraced it... Congrats morons.......NOT!!!! JD
Which makes America's typical holier-than-thou attitude towards China and other "rogue" nations all the more hilarious. Hard to believe other nations aren't leaping at the chance to have a "democracy" just like the good ol' US of A.
I'll be commenting about this mendacious crap in my current blog post in progress. There have also been reports of DHS / Customs peeps taking peoples' cell phones and downloading their call directories and logs.
Jack Damage @ 3:
Absolutely, the terrorists won. And they won big time.
They managed to empty America's wallet, erode our international standing and eliminate many of our freedoms.
I'd say it's game, set and match.
This is a war of terror on people of the third world abroad and a war of terror against our Bill of Rights and our Constitution at home.
As one of my all-time favorite political buttons from past times so artfully said, "U. S. out of North America."
"Lovely. I guess the terrorists can’t hate us for our freedoms if we have none left."
Why does the Bush administration keep appeasing the terrorists ?
first, they closed all the military bases in Saudi Arabia after Bin laden demanded it. And now they erode our freedoms that are so detested by the terrorists. it's like they call up the terrorists and beg them , 'what could we do for you now, please dont hurt us!"
THAT's the policy Americans feel sends the 'strongest message' to our enemies ?
yeesh!
The Truth Hurts @ 6:
Dang !
and all with just one-way-tickets and some box cutters.
amazing!
Notice how much this story is getting played in the regular media.
Not at all...
They don't want to seem to support terrorists and besides, when people start getting used to being treated this way our corporate masters (and don't think for a minute that our government is not bought and paid for) can get by with all kinds of "business friendly" tactics such as unsafe cars/drugs/food/etc. Those consumer advocates that complain will soon (my prediction) be labeled "Terrorists" and detained without trial.
And everyone lives happily every after....
The 'war on terror' is actually the 'war for terror' and dumbya and co have won, hands down.
They've got all the power, all the money, all the oil and a private military to back them up. Not to mention all the private citizens "just doing their jobs" who harass, intimidate and wrongfully imprison all in the name of a dry drunk, awol, warhawk, coke sniffing ass monkey like dumbya.
It's not so much a country as it is a large military/prison system with plenty of shopping.
Unbelievable. Make sure you don't have any compromising photos of yourself with your lover on your laptop before leaving or entering the country. Even though I'm sure DHS agents will use the utmost discretion and would never make copies for themselves...
"I guess the terrorists can’t hate us for our freedoms if we have none left."
Yes, Nicole, now you can truly appreciate the pure genius of Bush's strategy. And once Bush is finished bankrupting what's left of our economy, we'll be in the clear. The terrorists won't care about us anymore. America will have nothing left worth taking.
Pure genius, Mr. President!
The Truth Hurts @ 4:
I had an easier time getting through Chinese airports than I do here in the Good ol' USA. I suspect that we are the only country where you are subjected to these kinds of abuses.
The terrorists are in our White House.
I came to that conclusion around 2:30 PM (Eastern Time) Sept. 11, 2001.
I haven't seen anything since then to change my opinion.
Whether they caused the 9-11 attacks, or chose to let them happen, or simply took advantage of the fact that the attacks did happen is of secondary importance - the Bush administration have used those attacks to terrorize the American population and much of the rest of the world.
THEY are the terrorists.
Wow...
Nada @ 11:
To imprison a population, economic chains are much easier to manage than real chains.
"1t w3nt b4d so 1 cut 1t 0ff 4t th3 wr1st." - Bruc3 C4mpb3ll v3rsus th3 4rmy 0f D4rkn3ss.
S0 m4ny s1m1l4r1t13s w1th 0ur g0v3rnm3nt 1t's n0t 3v3n funny. Bruc3 C4mpb3ll f0r pr3z 2008! 0h N03s.
" I guess the terrorists can’t hate us for our freedoms if we have none left."
I think that was plan one when they began the dept of homeland security. First off, write the patriot act and then go on from there. Get rid of those freedoms just as fast possible.
Let them try. I will carry my copy of the Bill of Rights with me at all times when I travel. It is part of the SUPREME law of the land, our constitution.
Let me remind Homeland Security of the following:
4th Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Take my laptop, ipod, cell phone, or anything else from me without a warrant or probable cause and will sue the living shit out of you.
The fight for freedom begins on your desktop or notebook: Use free open source software
free software foundation
somewhat related, somthing i wrote about the nsa spying last year
http://letters.salon.com/05b3889308559f7048e33c82a07f48f8/author/
i've also thought, this bunch of crooks are just that, crooks first and foremost, the power comes second when you have the money first, but domestic eavesdropping would make stock market picks all the easier – ‘inside info’ when to buy, when to sell, no ?? leverage in mergers and acquisitions to your advantage, no ?? and when you 'own' the justice dept, foreknowledge or deflection of investigations only add to the fun
I don't know about you, but I did experience a DHS official asking me with glee if he can have my laptop for "Patriot Act" security purposes. Needless to say, the laptop never returned.
There goes my recently bought $1000 laptop out the door.
It's plain and simple, legalized daylight robbery, all approved by this Bush admin and Congress.
Makes me wonder why I become an American in the first place !!!!
bill clinton and the GOP congress have created an unquenchable monster that must be destroyed--for it has the potential of wiping away any remnants of democracy we have left (however few).
the telecommunications act of 1996 is detrimental in its impact
this was a multi-billion dollar giveaway to the telecommunications industry, as a gift from the taxpayers. and since then media has become more concentrated and corporate, prices have gone up, and now this BS. less democracy, more corporatocracy.
consider the following:
The Federal Communications Commission has made clear, Cohen writes, that cable service is not a common carrier and therefore is not subject to common carrier guidelines. Cohen summons the FCC's 2002 Cable Modem Declaratory Ruling to back up this argument. The ruling invoked language contained in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to characterize cable as an "information service" rather than a common carrier. After a long court battle, the Supreme Court backed up the FCC in its 2005 Brand X decision. The high court rejected the Brand X ISP's plea that if the FCC did not attach common carrier status to cable, cable providers could exclude smaller competing ISPs from accessing larger networks.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080318-comcast-fcc-lacks-any-auth...
the obama campaign needs to be pressed on this "act", it cannot stand, it must be repealed.
Now, if the FCC would block Comcast from blocking any programming they don't like such as C-Span (when it's covering activities that fall into the realm of protecting the constitution or Olbermann, by making his spot upper tier and dependent upon special equipment which comcast won't supply). the best way to deal with Comcast is to find another supplier. They're an untrustworthy business partner and a bunch of dedicated fascists.
The ACLU needs to challenge the Department of Homeland Security in court. Their policy amount to unreasonable search and seizure and also denial of due process.
Ask Rep. Pelosi if she can say, UNLAWFUL SEARCH AND SEIZURE!
We used to have an amendment that dealt with that, didn't we?
So removable disks/storage are still safe?
the downward slide will continue as the ill-informed
American populace believe that "terror" began on
Sept 11th 2001, conveniently overlooking at least
fifty years of US-sponsored terrorism courtesy of
the CIA and a myriad of other secret agencies in
the United States government, who set the unofficial
yet VERY REAL foreign relations agenda.
well, it's a fact that some folks will push back.
the rest of the world isn't stupid, but it seems we all are.
I'm not saying that the 3000+ people who were
killed in cold blood on that day deserved their fate
but one cannot deny these attacks were exactly what
the PNAC folks said it would take to accomplish their
goals..
I blame the Bush Crime Family for their part, either
out of ignorance, incompetence, or active participation.
blame whoever you want but the fact is the American
public was fooled and exploited and now we're complicit
in the war crimes of the worst-ever criminal administration
in the history of our once-great nation.
who EVER thought Nixon would look so good in comparison??
i travel with at least 500 gigs of electronic info, most of it video . . . while homeland security is slogging through that, who's gonna be watching the bad guys?
sounds like homeland insecurity to me . . . perhaps states need to start suing the dhs, just like they sued the epa for not doing its job
I recycle, and one of the categories is "junk mail". Of course, anything with personal information gets shredded, so the "junk mail" is just that - junk. So keep a big box of junk mail and other useless papers in your trunk. When you cross the border and federal agents ask about it, tell them that it arrived at your house by federal agent, and you are keeping it safe.
When they take it, tell them "thanks." It may be one of the few useful services the government does.
These stories should have been in two different blog posts.
"Comcast Told To Stop Blocking Web Tool For User Rights, But DHS Adds To Their Rights" is a confusing headline.
Aside from the obvious infringements that the founding fathers are rolling in their graves over, it doesn't do a thing to make us safer. What it does is make it nearly impossible to do business travel. We are basically saying "sorry, we can't meet with your people" because I have to be willing to lose a laptop everytime I send one of my people out to the field.
If I put my companies proprietary information on the laptop, confidential information, master copies of intellectual property, I am risking the loss of it, plus risking that someone in the chain of possession might sell the information to my competitor. It's not bad enough that companies spy on each other now, but seriously, we are going to help the spys out by providing a layer of high risk, low-paid government servants between a companies secrets and actual profit realization.
Not to mention that the information the government lackey who reads the information couldn't totally inform stock pricing on related companies.
In a capitalist nation, taking your laptop is the SAME as taking your capital, your land, your title.
Is homeland security so stupid to think
...oop Is homeland security so stupid to think that people with really bad intentions aren't going to bother carrying that information around on a laptop? Seriously, wouldn't you like want them to keep their laptops so you could catch them online? If they really knew who was a bad guy then they wouldn't be out fishing for laptops. The fact that they take these things arbitrarily just proves they know nothing.
"I guess the terrorists can’t hate us for our freedoms if we have none left."
That's what Cheney has been saying all along. The terrorists can't destroy anything if we destroy it first. That'll show those pesky terrorists.
Pat Riot @ 28:
Correct! We seem to have forgotten that is was our own CIA that created, armed and directed the "terrorists" for many years as they fomented unrest in the middle east - Osama bin Laden and his pals at the top of that payroll list.
The "PNAC folks" undoubtedly perpetrated 9/11 - one need only read all of their docs as well as reading/reviewing all of the material available now about 9/11 and what has transpired since then to know that is true.
And, I've always found it rather ironic that the Congress was able to conceive, write, amend and pass the Patriot Act - almost 1,000 pages of very detailed minutia comprising millions of new ruels and regulations in just about a month - it was passed on Oct 26, 2001.
I've recently documented on other C&L threads about additional legislation, presidential directives and HS directives that encompass all of the "legal" means necessary for Cheney/Bush to declare a national emergency and invoke dictatorial powers for themselves. Watch for this happening soon on a TV near you!
BobbyG @ 5:
Why would they have to bother with downloading anything? THey can look at all of our records.
JR @ 13:
Now comes the land sale.
On a related note, anybody here knew that we live in a Crown style state with god given immunity powers for the sovereign !?
Its to do with a DMCA copyright hacking court case between a software company and the US government.
Basically Uncle Sam (USAF) hacked (bypassed the expiry date) of some software that sort of belongs to a private company, which then got upset and tried to sue, to no avail.
ArsTechnica article
Ties up very closely with Chimpy's attitude on telling the courts and Congress to FOAD on any oversight
For some reason, Clash ballad, Should I Stay or Should I Go? keeps playing in my head. Does this make me a coward?
The solution is relatively simple, copy whatever it is you want on a DVD. Put the DVD in an envelope. Put a U.S. stamp on it and it will take a warrant to get into that envelope.
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