Archive
Category: Intermediaries
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Saudi Arabia blocks Facebook
First Pakistan, then Bangladesh, Iran and — if anecdotal reports are to be believed — China. Now Saudi Arabia has reportedly blocked Facebook, on the basis that the website “crossed a line” in not conforming to the “values” of the country. It could turn out to be just another Mohammed-cartoon incident, but this raises a… Read more →
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Tax strategies under the microscope
Fascinating article on the strategies employed by multinational technology firms to minimise corporate income taxation by funneling income into tax havens: Google’s income shifting – involving strategies known to lawyers as the “Double Irish” and the “Dutch Sandwich” – helped reduce its overseas tax rate to 2.4 per cent, the lowest of the top five… Read more →
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Botnet hosts strongly clustered around safe haven providers
Interesting survey of the connection between website hosts and botnet ‘command and control’ servers, which are used to direct networks of malware-infected clients: For the first half of 2010, almost a quarter of botnet CnC servers were hosted by service providers in the US, with the top three countries (US – 23.9 per cent, Germany… Read more →
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The decline of intermediary immunity under EU law
Out-Law has an interesting op-ed piece about the decline of intermediary safe harbours under the E-Commerce Directive. The basic premise of the article is that a combination of factors — the increasingly broad meaning given to constructive knowledge, liability for repeat uploads, duties to monitor for infringement — means that the notice-and-takedown system is providing… Read more →
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A summary of the ACS:Law data leak
On 24 September 2010, an archive of emails from London-based law firm ACS:Law was leaked onto the internet. The archive was unencrypted, and had been obtained as part of an ongoing campaign by internet activists to expose the firm’s copyright enforcement practices. The emails contained a great deal of personal information — which I won’t… Read more →
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Fraudulent transfers of title and Nigerian scammers
It looks like the Nigerian 419 scammers are getting more sophisticated. A South African investor found his Australian property sold to third party purchasers without his knowledge after having his email account hacked: Fraudsters swiped Mildenhall’s email login credentials and obtained personal property documents before selling a house and sending funds to Chinese bank accounts.… Read more →
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UK ISPs to pay 25% of copyright enforcement costs
An agreement reached between UK ISPs and rights-holders will see ISPs footing 25 per cent of the bill for implementing the new graduated response regime required under the Digital Economy Act 2010 (UK), the UK Government announced today. Rights-holders, represented by music and film industry associations, will pay the remaining costs. The ISPs are (understandably)… Read more →
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iiNet wins: Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v iiNet Ltd [2010] FCA 24
Justice Cowdroy of the Federal Court of Australia has just handed down judgment in Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v iiNet Ltd [2010] FCA 24 (iiNet Case), finding in favour of the respondent. As you’re probably aware, the iiNet Case centres on allegations of copyright infringement in connection with unauthorised downloads of films by iiNet’s subscribers… Read more →
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Secret talks for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement continue
Some interesting comments from Michael Geist concerning the now-infamous Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is being negotiated in secret by representatives of most developed countries. This piece considers the extent to which states party to ACTA would be required to amend their domestic laws: most [representatives] have sought to dampen fears by implausibly claiming that… Read more →
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Australian government to filter refused classification internet content
Despite widespread public opposition, reasoned technical and policy arguments, and international condemnation by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others, the Australian government looks set to proceed with its misguided plan to censor prohibited internet content. In December, the government released details of how the censorship (euphemism of choice: ‘filtering’) scheme will work. It’s not pretty,… Read more →