CyberLaw Blog

Archive for November 13th, 2008

Data retention laws: what they mean for ISPs: “Under an anti-terrorism law passed after September 11 2001, details of every website visited, email sent and phone call made in the UK can be made available to authorities. For ISPs faced with storage and retrieval, it is cause for financial concern.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Burma activists sentenced to 65 years each in draconian crackdown: “An internet blogger and a writer who disguised an attack on Burma’s dictator
in the form of a love poem were among dozens of activists sentenced to
draconian jail terms as the junta ordered a fresh crackdown on dissidents.”

(Via Tech and Web from Times Online.)

UK Government consults on consumer protection law overhaul: “The Government has asked businesses whether they back a set of consumer protection laws proposed by the European Commission. If the proposals become law then retailers across Europe will have to offer the same consumer rights.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Consultation on the EU Proposal for a Consumer Rights Directive

Starting Date: 10-11-08

Closing Date: 02-02-09

On Wednesday 8 October the Commission published a proposal for a new Consumer Rights Directive. The Consumer Rights Directive would repeal four existing European consumer Directives; the Doorstep Selling Directive (85/577/EEC), the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Directive (93/13/EEC), the Distance Selling Directive (97/7/EC) and the Consumer Sales and Guarantees Directive (1999/44/EC); and replace them with a single horizontal Directive.

BERR published a consultation on the EU proposals on 10 November 2008.

The consultation will close on Monday 2 February. Please send responses to euconsumerdirective@berr.gsi.gov.uk.

Consultation Documents
* Consultation on EU proposals for a consumer rights directive
* EU consumer rights directive: distance and off-premises selling, and consumer remedies [impact assessments]

ISP boss pledges to undermine Great Aussie Firewall: “

Stupid plan is stupid

The Australian technology industry is starting to fight back against the government plan to force all ISPs to filter everyone’s internet access.…

“

(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

The dangers of Internet censorship – The Boston Globe

By Harry Lewis, November 5, 2008

SUPPOSE that government regulators proposed to read all postal mail in order to protect families from things they should not see. Anything not legally prohibited would be delivered. Any unlawful words, pictures, or videos would be thrown away.

Sound like Orwell’s “1984,” or China? Perhaps.

(more…)

Good article.

Techdirt: Technology Moral Panics: But Think Of The Children!

Denial of Service and distributing hacking tools finally criminalised: “A law criminalising denial of service attacks and the supply of hacking tools has been brought into force in England and Wales after a number of delays. The law was already in force in Scotland.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)