February 2016 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

A look at the latest French laws on intelligence collection

by Alberto Cammozzo

A look at the latest French laws on intelligence collection <http://zonedinteret.blogspot.it/2016/02/a-look-at-latest-french-laws-on.html> Over the last year, The French parliament passed new laws granting additional powers to intelligence services regarding interception of communications and data requests. This is part of a broader reform aimed at creating a legal framework for intelligence practices which were not formally authorized by law before 2015. In the press, it was said that these laws allowed sweeping new surveillance powers, legalizing highly intrusive methods without guarantees for individual freedom and privacy. This article will focus on the provisions related to communications intelligence (COMINT), including targeted telephone tapping (lawful interception or LI), metadata collection and data requests to internet service providers (ISPs). Targeted interception of the content of internet communications is not regulated by these new laws, but only by older decrees which are still a bit unclear. The new laws are only about collection the metadata of internet communications. In France, communications interception is authorized under two distinct frameworks : * *Judicial interceptions* ordered by a judge of inquiry (juge d'instruction) during a criminal investigation. These interceptions can be done both by the police, the gendarmerie (a military force charged with police duties) and by DGSI. * * * *Administrative interceptions*, also known as security interceptions, which are requested by both the domestic security and the foreign intelligence services. Administrative interceptions are approved by the Prime Minister for various motives, such as defending and supporting major national interests including national defense, foreign policy interests, economical and industrial interests, or preventing terrorism and organized crime. Whereas the Unites States strongly denies conducting commercial espionage in the sense of stealing trade secrets for the benefit of individual companies, France is known for being less strict on this. [...]

Feb. 29, 2016

Geert Lovink a Roma

by donna d.r.

Ciao a tutt* Geert Lovink é a Roma per tutta questa settimana con incontri e workshop per chi fosse interessato buona giornata donatella

Feb. 29, 2016

JOHN MCAFEE: NSA back door gives every US secret to enemies

by J.C. DE MARTIN

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-nsa-back-door-gives-every-us-sec… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

Feb. 29, 2016

Reuters: "United States sets out limits on its spying as part of new data pact with EU"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

A quanto pare verrà reso pubblico lunedì. juan carlos ------ Sat Feb 27, 2016 7:04am EST *United States sets out limits on its spying as part of new data pact with EU* BRUSSELS | By Julia Fioretti The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, according to documents seen by Reuters. A clear explanation of what information could be used for -- preventing its "indiscriminate" and "arbitrary" use -- was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States. Under the deal, Washington agreed to create a specific new role within the State Department to deal with complaints and enquiries forwarded by EU data protection agencies. There will also be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve grievances and a joint annual review of the accord. […] Continua qui: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-dataprotection-usa-idUSKCN0W00G5

Feb. 27, 2016

"Pioneering Stanford computer researcher and educator Edward McCluskey dies"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Stanford Report, February 25, 2016 *Pioneering Stanford computer researcher and educator Edward McCluskey dies** */The professor emeritus who paved the way for everything from complex chips to crash-proof computers, and who trained 75 PhDs, also loved quirky hats and nature.// / BY TOM ABATE Edward J. McCluskey, a professor emeritus at Stanford whose research helped pave the way for electronics and computing, died on Feb. 13. He was 86. Born on the eve of the Great Depression, McCluskey graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1953, earning honors in mathematics and physics, then went on to study electrical engineering at MIT, where he earned his doctorate in 1956. But the experience that set him on the path toward professional greatness occurred during the period from 1955 through 1959, when he worked first as an MIT intern and later as a staff researcher at Bell Telephone Laboratories during its heyday. […] Continua qui: https://news.stanford.edu/news/2016/february/ed-mccluskey-obit-022516.html

Feb. 26, 2016

sentenza italiana sulle CC - commento di Roberto Caso

by Simone Aliprandi

Scopro con viva e vibrante soddisfazione (cit.) che Roberto Caso ha pubblicato su "Il diritto dell'informazione e dell'informatica" un breve articolo di commento della sentenza che mi ha visto parte attrice contro la casa editrice Franco Angeli, intitolato "Il debutto in sordina delle licenze Creative Commons: questioni di responsabilità precontrattuale". Qui trovate qualche breve estratto: http://aliprandi.blogspot.it/2016/02/aliprandi-francoangeli-creativecommons…. Un cordiale saluto. -- Simone Aliprandi - http://www.aliprandi.org | http://www.array.eu

Feb. 26, 2016

IPRED - EU consultation on Intellectual Property Rights

by Alberto Cammozzo

Se era passato in lista mi è sfuggito. Have your say on the enforcement of intellectual property rights: <http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_…> EDRI: In order to make it easier for individuals to answer the consultation, EDRi has created an “answering guide” – an online tool with the European Commission’s questions and our analysis to guide your responses. The answering guide can be found here: <http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/limesurvey/index.php/829127?lang=en> Alberto

Feb. 25, 2016

The tales of Facebook’s jurisdiction: Nudes, Cookies and Schrems

by Alberto Cammozzo

<https://edri.org/the-tales-of-facebooks-jurisdiction-nudes-cookies-and-schr…> Which law governs Facebook activities? Can any Facebook user bring a case against the social media platform anywhere in the European Union? These are some of the questions that are starting to be resolved in 2016, 12 years after the launch of Facebook. As everyone probably knows, Facebook legally established its non-US headquarters in Ireland. Fewer users know that the opening an account on the platform amounts to a contract with Facebook Inc. registered in Menlo Park, making California the only jurisdiction under which cases against Facebook can be brought. Or at least, this is what Facebook argued. However, a French Court ruled this month that it has jurisdiction to rule on a case against Facebook. The case, brought in 2011, was initiated by a French user whose account had been censored by Facebook after posting a image of a 19th century painting by realist painter Gustave Courbet, “The Origin of the World”. The French Tribunal de grande instance and Paris Court of Appeal have found Facebook’s clause that forces all users to agree that any litigation must be based in California to be “abusive” and therefore declared it void. This decision sets an important legal precedent which could potentially impact other pending cases against Facebook in the European Union. Facebook is for instance seeking the invalidation of a Belgian Court decision from last November requesting the social media to stop tracking users. According to Facebook, the Belgian Court did not have the jurisdiction to judge this case as its headquarters are located in Ireland. Facebook also added a linguistic element to this jurisdiction battle by claiming that the Court could violate Belgian law by using the word “cookie” in the ruling, as this word does not exist in French. It is true that French people tend to translate every single English word, but this might be one of the few exceptions, as “cookies” haven’t become “madeleines” in French, at least not yet. Soon, perhaps, Facebook’s reliance on US jurisdiction will soon be little more than remembrance of things past. Dispute over jurisdiction also continues in Austria where Facebook’s best friend, Max Schrems is seeking to bring a class action case against the company. This case, in which Facebook argues that the entire lawsuit cannot is neither admissible in Vienna, nor in fact anywhere else in the world, has now reached the Austrian Supreme Court. Facebook is therefore arguing in France that it can only be judged in California, in Belgium that it can only be judged in Ireland and in Austria that no-one can bring class action casesat all. The saga continues. Ordonnance du juge de la mise en état du 5 mars 2015 – Tribunal de grande instance de Paris (in French, 05.03.2015) http://www.legalis.net/spip.php?page=jurisprudence-decision&id_article=4515 Facebook appeals Belgian cookie rule because it says ‘cookie’ (28.01.2016) http://www.politico.eu/article/facebook-appeals-belgian-cookie-rule-because… “Facebook Class Action” reaches Austrian Supreme Court http://www.europe-v-facebook.org/sk/PA_OGH_en.pdf

Feb. 25, 2016

NYT: "Crackdowns on Free Speech Rise Across a Europe Wary of Terror"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

*Crackdowns on Free Speech Rise Across a Europe Wary of Terror* By RAPHAEL MINDER FEB. 24, 2016 MADRID — A puppet show at an open square in Madrid during Carnival festivities this month featured a policeman who tried to entrap a witch. The puppet officer held up a little sign to falsely accuse her, using a play on words that combined Al Qaeda <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/al_qaed…> and ETA <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/eta/ind…>, the Basque separatist group. Angry parents complained, and the real police stepped in. They arrested two puppeteers, who could now face as much as seven years in prison on charges of glorifying terrorism and promoting hatred. Paradoxically, the puppeteers say in their defense, the police proved their point: that Spain <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/sp…>’s antiterrorism laws are being misapplied, used for witch hunts. […] Continua qui: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/world/europe/spain-europe-protest-free-sp…

Feb. 25, 2016

"I dared two expert hackers to destroy my life. Here’s what happened."

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Realistico? juan carlos *I dared two expert hackers to destroy my life. Here’s what happened.** * by Kevin Roose | February 24, 2016 5:33 p.m. This is Episode 8 of Real Future, Fusion’s documentary series about technology and society. More episodes available at realfuture.tv. Several months ago, while I was typing a few e-mails at my dining room table, my laptop spoke to me. “You…look…bored,” it said in a robotic monotone, out of nowhere. Startled, I checked my browser tabs and my list of open applications to see if anything had been making noise. Nothing had. I hadn’t been watching any YouTube videos, browsing any pages with autoplay ads, or listening to any podcasts when the voice appeared. Then I realized: this was the hacker. The same hacker who, for the prior two weeks, had been making my life a nightmare hellscape — breaking into my email accounts, stealing my bank and credit card information, gaining access to my home security camera, spying on my Slack chats with co-workers, and—the coup de grâce—installing a piece of malware on my laptop that hijacked my webcam and used it to take photos of me every two minutes, then uploaded those photos to a server owned by the hacker. […] Continua qui: http://fusion.net/video/271750/real-future-episode-8-hack-attack/

Feb. 25, 2016