The fight to secure copyrights on the internet will always be an ongoing one, but the most recent dilemma is that being faced in the UK with the proposed Digital Economy Bill that has just recently seen a number of amendments that are cause for concern (to say the least).
What do we want to be?
Category Archives: Communications & Technology
Google conviction sparks debate over internet freedom
I’ve had a few posts recently that revolve around multi-national technology giant Google, both for positive and negative reasons, and today’s news has once again brought the company right into the ethical spotlight. An Italian judge has convicted three Google executives and given each a six-month suspended sentence because of a video of an autistic boy being bullied that was uploaded onto Google’s video service in 2006.
Does Google profit from ‘typo-squatters’?
I found this fascinating article over at New Scientist, which looks at projections on how much Google might be earning from typo-squatters – those annoying people who buy up wrongly spelled domain names in order to make a quick buck.
Chip-and-PIN security flaw highlights blind faith in technology
This is an interesting type of story that we hear about in mainstream media every now and then – and that is the finding of security weaknesses in widespread technology, particularly those that deal with financial transactions of one kind or another. This time around, it’s flaws in the Chip-and-PIN technology that is widely used in credit and debit cards throughout Europe and particularly the UK.
500 followers! A thank you and an update
Well, the Future Conscience Twitter stream has just passed 500 followers today so I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to those who are following us and give you a brief update as to the direction that Future Conscience will be taking over the coming months.
Nanotechnology Education Act put to U.S. Congress
An interesting news update courtesy of Nanowerk News – House representative David Wu has introduced a Nanotechnology Education Act to US Congress that seeks to encourage U.S. students into the field of nanotechnology research and engineering.
Friday Link Roundup: Hackers and Cyberwarfare
I’m bringing back the Friday Link Roundup today with an interesting topic that is starting to see more coverage across various media outlets again: Cyberwarfare.
Aircruise: the future of luxury travel?
London-based design group Seymourpowell, in conjunction with Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T), have released some very interesting and original design plans for the ‘Aircruise’ project – a new mode of transportation which is essentially a floating apartment block. The designs are causing some interesting reactions, and certainly gaining the kind of press that they were seeking, if only because the concept is a highly original one when we consider our current modes of transportation.
Shell and Cosan form new $7bn biofuel venture
Multinational petroleum company Royal Dutch Shell, has just signed a new agreement with Brazilian company Cosan – promising $2bn of the petroleum giant’s cash to merge with $5bn worth of assets already in place.
Site of the Week: Electronic Frontier Foundation
Given the focus over the last few posts on internet censorship and freedom of expression, I wanted to highlight an organisation that has been at the forefront of the fight for liberty ever since the early days of the internet’s public use – the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
