2/10 defcon: harsh sentences, trojan horse, hotfile

hackers hit nasdaq computers*
hypnosis by lcd becoming increasingly rampant*
pole shift threatens to cause weather chaos*
child porn prosecutions & harsh sentences rising dramatically*
fcc net neutrality is a regulatory 'trojan horse,' eff says*
motion picture association sues hotfile.com for direct copyright infringement & theft 'on a staggering scale'*
twitter valued at $10b as google, facebook & the social network sharks circle; will they be the latest sellout?*

internet splits in two

"The Internet Splits in Two" by Dan Lyons sees the recent Net Neutrality Ruling by FCC leading to a bifurcation of fast internet for the rich and slow crappy internet for the poor and the amounts of information available. Lyons views the ruling as tantamount to having a Bloomberg terminal to do stock trading versus attempting to play day trader from a personal computer. The FCC ruling leaves wireless alone, but eventually, disparities will be even greater for the ascending platform. The writer likes Columbia professor Tim Wu's book, "The Master Switch: The Rise & Fall of Information Empires", who sees a progression in all past technologies such as telegraph, telephone, radio and movies. Lyons agrees we're at the end of phase one a relatively free and innovative period. It remains to be seen what happens from here, "but I’m pretty sure those of us who have been around for Phase One of the Internet are going to look back on these last 15 years as the good old days," says Lyons.

11/11 defcon: brain drain & smart viruses

'vendetta' hacker strikes washington state u*
fcc probing google wi-fi spy scandal*
google's brain drain - employee fired for leaking pay raise info*
'cyber europe 2010' proves successful stress test for public bodies*
new cyber attack linked to fake nobel prize email*
smart viruses threaten global peace*
congresswoman says chance of cyber attack against electric grid is 100%*
oregonhumane.org: lure kittens to play online with (computer) mice*

10/28 defcon: the dark ages & leaking data

one emp burst and the world goes dark*
emp legislation awaits senate action*
communication with 50 nuke missiles dropped in icbm snafu*
feds let google off with warning for wifi–sniffing cars*
google admits street view cars took emails & passwords from computers*
myspace, apps leak user data*
limewire shutters file-sharing services after riaa win*
secret button sequence bypasses iphone security*
netflix admits streaming is the future as system crashes -
netflix now accounts for 20% of downstream bandwidth during peak*
nov30: the day the govt seizes control of the net?*
white house adviser: US must prepare for asteroid*
video: watch fleet of lights at pennsylvania/delaware line*

google-verizon deal: the end of the net as we know it

verizoogle unveils private net neutrality deal
from josh silver: For years, Internet advocates have warned of the doomsday scenario that will play out on Monday: Google and Verizon will announce a deal that the New York Times reports "could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content's creators are willing to pay for the privilege."

The deal marks the beginning of the end of the Internet as you know it. Since its beginnings, the Net was a level playing field that allowed all content to move at the same speed, whether it's ABC News or your uncle's video blog. That's all about to change, and the result couldn't be more bleak for the future of the Internet, for television, radio and independent voices.

How did this happen? We have a Federal Communications Commission that has been denied authority by the courts to police the activities of Internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast; All because of a bad decision by the Bush-era FCC. We have a pro-industry FCC Chairman who is terrified of making a decision, conducting back room dealmaking, and willing to sit on his hands rather than reassert his agency's authority. We have a president who promised to "take a back seat to no one on Net Neutrality" yet remains silent. We have a congress that is nearly completely captured by industry. Yes, more than half of the US congress will do pretty much whatever the phone and cable companies ask them to. Add the clout of Google, and you have near-complete control of Capitol Hill.

A non-neutral Internet means that companies like AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Google can turn the Net into cable TV and pick winners and losers online. A problem just for Internet geeks? You wish. All video, radio, phone and other services will soon be delivered through an Internet connection. Ending Net Neutrality would end the revolutionary potential that any website can act as a television or radio network. It would spell the end of our opportunity to wrest access and distribution of media content away from the handful of massive media corporations that currently control the television and radio dial.

So the Google-Verizon deal can be summed up as this: "FCC, you have no authority over us and you're not going to do anything about it. Congress, we own you, and we'll get whatever legislation we want. And American people, you can't stop us."

This Google-Verizon deal, this industry-captured FCC, and the way this is playing out is akin to the largest banks and the largest hedge funds writing the regulatory policy on derivative trading without any oversight or input from the public, and having it rubber stamped by the SEC. It's like BP and Halliburton ironing out the rules for offshore oil drilling with no public input, and having MMS sign off.

Fortunately, while they are outnumbered, there are several powerful Net Neutrality champions on Capitol Hill, like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Henry Waxman, Jay Rockefeller, Ed Markey, Jay Inslee and many others. But they will not be able to turn this tide unless they have massive, visible support from every American who uses the Internet - whether it's for news, email, shopping, Facebook, Twitter - whatever. So stop what you're doing and tell them you're not letting the Internet go the way of Big Oil and Big Banks. The future of the Internet, and your access to information depends on it.

defcon 6/17: civilization, sun & a stunning interface

nasa: civilization will end in 2013 (possibly)*
what's wrong with the sun?*
video: electronic armageddon on national geographic jun19*
moon has a 100x more water than thought*
fcc eyes first step toward broadband regulation*
supreme court: police officer's texting not private*
video: underkoffler shows off 'minority report'-style computer interface*

defcon 5/13: web tax, hacks & output jacks

fcc lets hollywood turn off your output jacks*
fcc sets plan for limited broadband control*
big brother is watching in high definition*
video: are spies controlling your pc's web cam?*
rogue satellite may impact cable tv in US*
world health org moving ahead on billions in internet & other taxes*
richard clarke says cyber attack will wreck US in 15min*
why former anti-terrorism czar believes a cyber attack could bring US collapse*
white house adviser says no evidence of cyber attack in wall street plunge*
pentagon turns to brain implants to repair damaged minds*
russian generals want their space weapons, too*
the militarization of outer space: the pentagon 'space warriors'*
the ever-growing problem of space junk*
jupiter loses a stripe*
prosecutors cite confidential informant in iphone probe*
nintendo ceo: apple is the 'enemy of the future'*

fcc loses net neutrality battle against comcast

court: fcc had no right to sanction comcast for p2p blocking
from washington post: Comcast on Tuesday won its federal lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission in a ruling that undermines the agency's ability to regulate Internet service providers just as it unrolls a sweeping broadband agenda.

The decision also sparks pressing questions on how the agency will respond, with public interest groups advocating that the FCC attempt to move those services into a regulatory regime clearly under the agency's control.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in a 3-0 decision, ruled that the FCC lacked the authority to require Comcast, the nation's biggest broadband services provider, to treat all Internet traffic equally on its network.

That decision -- based on a 2008 ruling under former FCC chairman Kevin Martin -- addresses Comcast's argument that the agency "failed to justify exercising jurisdiction" when it ruled Comcast violated broadband principles by blocking or slowing a peer-sharing Web site, Bit Torrent.

But it also unleashed a broader debate over the agency's ability to regulate broadband service providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon Communications.

The judges focused on whether the FCC has legal authority over broadband services, which are categorized separately from phone, cable television and wireless services. The agency currently has only "ancillary authority" over broadband services, a decision made by past agency leaders in an attempt to keep the fast-moving Internet services market at an arm's distance from the agency.

update: undaunted by comcast court victory,
fcc moves ahead with broadband plans