News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
StartPage Claims Search Engine Privacy — Tom Flocco has sent us a link for Holland-based StartPage, which bills itself as the world’s most private search engine.
StartPage says it doesn’t store your IP address, use tracking cookies or make a record of searches; claims to protect you from NSA spying and gives 100 percent real Google results in complete privacy.
We’ve been using DuckDuckGo, which claims similar things. We are happy with DDG but StartPage sounds fine too.
Thanks Tom.
Duck Duck Go Independence Day — Here is an Independence Day Eve update regarding internet privacy from DuckDuckGo, the excellent Pennsylvania-based search engine that is competing with Google and Bing.
The last few weeks have seen a lot of privacy news around the United States’ PRISM program. Some great alternatives to most affected services can be found here: http://prism-break.org/
We’d encourage you to join us along with Mozilla, reddit, the ACLU and others in seeking answers about these programs and calling for major reform: optin.stopwatching.us/
As part of this campaign, we’d like to alert you to in-person meet-ups happening around the U.S. (and beyond) this week. Please use this guide to locate your area’s closest rally: http://www.restorethefourth.net/protests/
In other privacy news, updates to the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) went into effect this past Monday. Some notable changes that strengthen privacy for kids online include:
-Cookies and other persistent identifiers are now covered under COPPA
-The definition of, “personal information” has been expanded to include geo-location data, photos, videos, and audio files of children.
-Additional methods by which service providers can obtain parental consent
-Expanded definitions of what’s considered a, “website or online service directed to children”
Here’s a video explaining more about the updates to COPPA: http://www.ftc.gov/video-library/index.php/for-businesses/privacy-and-security/protecting-childrens-privacy-under-coppa/2519304827001 and, if you’re looking for a more in-depth view, check out this page: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/12/coppa.shtm
Finally, if you’re interested in a bit of entertainment, check out the new film, Terms and Conditions May Apply: http://tacma.net/. This documentary makes its New York debut on July 12th with other cities and dates to follow. We had the opportunity to watch this and can say it’s worth seeing.
Thank you,
The DuckDuckGo Team
DuckDuckGo, a search engine competing with Google and Bing that was all but unknown two weeks ago, is getting a big boost from the revelations that the Obama administration has been in cahoots with those corporate one-percenters at Google/Microsoft/Facebook etc. to learn the web histories of just about everybody in America.
DDG boasts that it keeps no records of personal information of those making searches hence authorities have nothing to find in the event they should be subpoenaed. It says its revenue is from those paying for keywords in searches.
CEO Gabriel Weinberg explains it here.
The engine can be found here. It’s easy to make it the default with Firefox. One suspects, though, not so much with Chrome or Safari.
Mosques Were Exempted By Obama Spymasters — If you were among those wondering how with the Obama Administration’s surveillance of just about everybody in the United States they missed the Boston bombers, well it turns out they were exempting mosques.
Since October 2011, mosques have been off-limits to FBI agents reports Investors Business Daily. No more surveillance or undercover string operations without high-level approval from a special oversight body at the Justice Department dubbed the Sensitive Operations Review Committee.
And the names of the chairman, members and staff are kept secret says IBD..
The panel was set up under pressure from Islamist groups who complained about FBI stings at mosques.
Hat tip Bob Guzzardi
Hiya NSA
Dear NSA,
Constitution Allah Ackbar Tea Party bomb abortion patriot gun IRS Islam dog whistle Obama prayer tax surveillance.
Just wanted to get your attention and say hey.
Patriot Act Author Says Obama Abused Law — Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama Administration have used the cover of the Patriot Act to collect the phone records of essentially every call made by millions of Verizon customers.
Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc) is the author of the law.
Here is what he says about what the Obama Administration has done:
Online Impersonation Bill Passes Pa. House — The Pennsylvania House, last week, sent to the Senate a measure to help prevent individuals from creating fake profiles online with the intent to maliciously harm another person, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).
House Bill 764 would make it a crime to use the name or identifying information of another person to create a web page; post messages or open an account/profile on a social networking site; send an email or text; or open an email account while engaging in any of the following underlying offenses: harassment, terroristic threats, stalking, and witness or victim intimidation or retaliation.
The offense would be graded as a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000, or as one grade higher than the underlying offense, whichever is greater. In addition, the bill would allow a court to award actual civil damages (such as loss of money, reputation or property) or $500, whichever is greater, as well as attorney fees, court costs and restitution.
Internet Radio Fight Concerns Crony Capitalism –Internet radio promises convenience and variety unimaginable to those whose thinking is limited by the finite bands of the broadcast spectrum. One of the things that keeps it from fulfilling its potential is copyright regulation namely a government mandate that it pay a higher set of royalties than its broadcast brothers
Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) Jared Polis (D-CO) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) are trying to change this.
The usual powerful and greedy crony capitalists are fighting them, however. Hollywood and the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) like things as they are because it gives them more control and more money. Sensitive liberal activists Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Rihanna have signed a letter that the unfair existing structure be kept.
When are people going to realize that those who call themselves “liberal” are not. When a celebrity says he or she “cares” he or she means about himself.
Stop Internet Sales Tax — The Independence Hall Tea Party Association is asking all to call the congressman to stop the Internet Sales Tax bill, known as the ‘Marketplace
Fairness Act,’
The bill passed the US Senate in lopsided vote 69-27 vote but can be stopped in the US House.
“Please continue to call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to be connected to your Congressman/woman. Tell your Representative to oppose the Internet Sales Tax bill,” says Association President Teri Adams. “Then, use the same number to call Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Tell them not to move the bill forward.”
She also suggest a call be placed to House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) as that committee can deal a lethal blow to the tax bill.
Cyber Bully Bill Before Full House — The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved legislation, May 7, to address cyber harassment of a child, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).
HB 1163 would make it a third-degree misdemeanor to use electronic communications to repeatedly make statements or offer opinions about a child’s sexuality or sexual activity “whether true or not”. The bill also would make it a misdemeanor to make statements that significantly ridicule, demean or cause serious embarrassment to a child under the circumstances or offer a threat of unlawful harm.
Child is defined as someone under the age of 18.
It exempts communications made for “medical, education or other legitimate purposes, if the actor is an adult”.
House Bill 1163 now goes to the full House for consideration.