Techrights

Links 29/08/2024: Books Banned in China, Topics Banned Online

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Aug 29, 2024

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Contents

=> https://techrights.org/#m2919355711 HTTPS: Defence/Aggression

=> https://techrights.org/#m2919355715 HTTPS: Finance

Leftovers

Hackaday ☛ Boss Byproducts: Fordites Are Pieces Of American History

Some of the neatest products are made from the byproducts of other industries. Take petroleum jelly, for example. Its inventor, Robert Chesebrough, a chemist from New York, came upon his idea while visiting the oil fields of Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859. It took him ten years to perfect his formula, but the product has been a household staple ever since. Chesebrough so believed in Vaseline that he ingested a spoonful of it every day, and attributed his 96-year longevity to doing so.

Hackaday ☛ A Non-Musical Use Case For 8-Track

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when magnetic tape was the primary way of listening to and recording audio. Most of us are familiar with the cassette tape, a four-track system that plays first one side of the tape, then the other. There was the eight-track tape as well which did not have quite as much popularity or longevity but did have a few interesting features that [Serial Hobbyism] took advantage of to make an interactive game.

Science

New York Times ☛ The Mosquito-Borne Virus Keeping People Indoors at Night

Recent infections from the Eastern equine encephalitis virus are worrying health officials. Severe cases can be deadly or leave lasting injuries.

Education

NYPost ☛ Fed up with your job? Consider becoming a teacher

Over the next decade, 180,000 new teachers will be needed to meet the needs of New York State, according to Angela Pagano, senior assistant provost for educator prep and partnerships for SUNY systems.

Adriaan Roselli ☛ Talkin’ Tables — WebAIM Conference 2024

I spoke at the 2024 Web Accessibility in Mind Conference (in partnership with PopeTech). As soon as the video is available I will embed it.

This post is a stub to hold the links during my talk and will be updated sometime within a few days after my talk with more nuggets if needed.

Rlang ☛ openstatsware at UseR!2024

The first in-person UseR! conference after the Covid pandemic took place between 8 and 11 July 2024 in Salzburg, Austria. Hosted by Roche and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Munich) with support by the R Consortium and Linux Foundation, this event brought together about 500 in person attendees as well as virtual participants and presenters. See here for the conference website which also links to the conference agenda (includes slides for download, where made available by the presenters) and free recordings. See also UseR! talks assembled by rOpenSci.

Hardware

Hackaday ☛ The Commodordion Gets A Big Usability Upgrade

The chiptune scene is dominated by Game Boys and other Nintendo hardware, but one should never forget the gorgeous, beautiful tones that come from the hallowed Commodore 64. [Linus Åkesson] knows this well, and it’s at the heart of his work on the Commodordion. Now, he’s built an even better version.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

Science Alert ☛ Diet And Exercise Could Outsmart Your Genes in Risk For Type 2 Diabetes

Genetics don't always have to seal your fate.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Canonical ☛ Join industry experts at Data and Hey Hi (AI) Masters

Canonical’s new event brings you hands-on workshops from NVIDIA, Intel, Google, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and Dell Join us this October 1-2 as we host our inaugural Data and Hey Hi (AI) Masters event. Streamed online, the conference will be a two-day deep dive into the latest innovations in machine learning, data science, and data solutions.

Data and risk issues undermine generative AI expansion, Deloitte study reveals

Despite this, Deloitte's investigation reveals that corporate investment in generative AI is still rising.

EFF ☛ Americans Are Uncomfortable with Automated Decision-Making

Consumer Reports recently released a national survey finding that Americans are uncomfortable with use of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic decision-making in their day to day lives. The survey of 2,022 U.S. adults was administered by NORC at the University of Chicago and examined public attitudes on a variety of issues. Consumer Reports found:

The survey findings indicate that people are feeling disempowered by lost control over their digital footprint, and by corporations and government agencies adopting AI technology to make life-altering decisions about them. Yet states are moving at breakneck speed to implement AI “solutions” without first creating meaningful guidelines to address these reasonable concerns. In California, Governor Newsom issued an executive order to address government use of AI, and recently granted five vendors approval to test and AI for a myriad of state agencies. The administration hopes to apply AI to such topics as health-care facility inspections, assisting residents who are not fluent in English, and customer service.

The vast majority of Consumer Reports’ respondents (83%) said they would want to know what information was used to instruct AI or a computer algorithm to make a decision about them.  Another super-majority (91%) said they would want to have a way to correct the data where a computer algorithm was used.

Security

Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

Zimbabwe ☛ OneMoney System Glitch Allows Customer To Steal $10K

A OneMoney system problem allowed customers to transfer money to each other without their balance deducted.

Privacy/Surveillance

“Sustainably” Surveilling and Tokenizing Nature: The Case of O.N.E. Amazon

The architect of BlackRock’s ETFs has teamed up with a group of companies tied to US intelligence and US government debt trading to tokenize the Amazon rainforest and borgify it with a large-scale sensor network in order to create a new form of “digital gold.”

ACLU ☛ Why Kamala Harris Must Break the Cycle of Unlawful and Abusive Government Surveillance

Since this nation’s founding, the executive branch has been granted — or has claimed — immense power to enforce the law, including the power to surveil, investigate, and impose criminal or other sanctions that deprive individuals of their freedoms. Today, national security agencies — including those with law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security, and defense functions — combine their expansive authorities with unprecedented digital tools that peer into our lives and collect immense amounts of information about us.

Campaign-trail promises to review and rein in the use of executive authority and surveillance tools are too often broken when a presidential candidate — Republican or Democrat — wins office, much to the detriment of our system of checks and balances, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. We’re calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to break this cycle if she’s elected in November. Her administration must protect us from Big Brother digital surveillance; end unjustified and discriminatory domestic surveillance and investigation of activists, communities of color, and disfavored groups; and implement strong safeguards for artificial intelligence and data privacy.

Confidentiality

Bruce Schneier ☛ Matthew Green on Telegram’s Encryption

Matthew Green wrote a really good blog post on what Telegram’s encryption is and is not.

Defence/Aggression

JURIST ☛ Former Malaysia PM Yassin charged with sedition

Muhyiddin Yassin, the former prime minister of Malaysia and current leader of the opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional, was formally charged Tuesday with sedition for allegedly insulting the country’s previous monarch. This marks the first time a former prime minister has been prosecuted under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.

New York Times ☛ U.S. and Chinese Officials Discuss Future Talks Between Biden and Xi

In talks in Beijing, the two sides made clear that many differences remain over Taiwan, technology export controls and trade disputes.

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UN says China’s ‘problematic’ policies in Xinjiang ongoing 2 years after report citing possible ‘crimes against humanity’

The UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday “problematic” policies persist in China, two years on from its bombshell report citing possible “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. China has been accused of incarcerating more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the northwestern Xinjiang region — charges Beijing vehemently rejects.

NYPost ☛ NY hate crimes skyrocket to record high — with Jews targeted in majority of Big Apple incidents last year

Hate crimes have skyrocketed a record-shattering 69 percent in New York State since 2019 — much of it fueled recently by antisemitic acts against Jews.

New Yorker ☛ “Incident” Shows How Officers React When a Police Killing Is Caught on Tape

A collection of surveillance and body-camera footage offers a raw look at the 2018 shooting of Harith Augustus, and at the immediate attempts to shape the story.

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

RFERL ☛ Belarusian Man Arrested In Homeland After Being Denied Asylum And Deported By Sweden

Swedish state radio reported on August 28 that a Belarusian man who was denied political asylum in Sweden has been arrested after Swedish authorities deported him and his mother.

RFERL ☛ Navalny Supporter Handed Prison Term In Russia For Extremism

A Russian court on August 28 sentenced a supporter of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny to 30 months in prison on charges of "taking part in an extremist group's activities" and "vandalism."

Environment

Energy/Transportation

H2 View ☛ Start-up aims to deliver low-carbon hydrogen from oil wells for less than $1/kg

Canadian start-up ProtonH2 is pressing ahead with plans to produce up to 500 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen per day from disused oil and gas assets, at prices it believes could be less than $1/kg.

Finance

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Inexpensive dining and shopping the main reason for Hongkongers ‘heading north,’ survey finds

Inexpensive dining and shopping were the main reasons Hongkongers gave for visiting mainland China, a survey has found. The Asia Tourism Exchange Center (ATEC) published the results of a survey on the travel habits of Hong Kong and Macau residents pertaining to mainland China visits on Tuesday.

Latvia ☛ Wage growth ran ahead of inflation in second quarter in Latvia

Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) working-day and seasonally non-adjusted data show that in the second quarter of 2024 (Q2) average gross wages and salaries amounted to EUR 1 671.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

RFA ☛ Kiribati defends travel ban during government formation fearing ‘checkbook diplomacy’

International observers were not invited to oversee the Pacific island nation’s general election.

RFA ☛ Pacific leaders back regional police force amid China concerns

The deal’s endorsement comes a day after Melanesian nations warned against misuse for geostrategic aims.

Marcy Wheeler ☛ As Maggie Haberman Unabashedly Joins the Kayfabe, Tim Walz Sings the Menards Jingle

The "influencers" that Kamala Harris has prioritized up to this point not only reach audiences that many mainstream audiences do not, but they provide other ways to communicate that will be critical to any attempt to beat Donald Trump.

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong appeal court quashes man’s acquittal over 2019 Yuen Long attacks

A man who was cleared of rioting and wounding charges over a mob attack in Yuen Long in 2019 has had his acquittal overturned. Wong Chi-wing appeared at High Court on Wednesday to hear the verdict in an appeal against his acquittal launched by the Department of Justice.

Censorship/Free Speech

RFA ☛ Banned in China, storied bookstore opens new chapter in the US

New York Times ☛ Sarah Palin Is Granted New Libel Trial Against The New York Times

A federal appeals court said the judge overseeing the original trial, which Ms. Palin lost, had wrongly excluded evidence and might have swayed jurors as they were deliberating.

RFA ☛ Game-makers warn ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ players to stay off banned topics

No politics, no nudity, no COVID-19 – and no ‘feminist propaganda,’ notice warns.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

Press Gazette ☛ Regional daily ABCs: Print circulation down by average of 17% in first half of 2024

More than half of the regional daily newspapers included in the ABC report had a circulation below 5,000.

Press Gazette ☛ Daily Telegraph tops the table for most Editors’ Code breaches in 2023

There were 8,045 complaints made in 2023, down from 36,658 in 2022.

Press Gazette ☛ IPSO rejects complaint from Michael Jackson nephew over ‘child porn stash’ report

Taj Jackson argued the singer's estate did not accept the sealed files contain "child pornography".

Civil Rights/Policing

RFA ☛ Chinese rights attorney Yu Wensheng and his wife stand trial

Another prominent rights lawyer is incommunicado, while 'key personnel' are targeted ahead of a forum.

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Macau’s top judge Sam Hou-fai announces bid to become city’s next leader

Macau’s top judge Sam Hou-fai announced on Wednesday his bid to run in an October election for chief executive of the Chinese casino hub.

France24 ☛ Pacific Island leaders endorse contentious regional policing plan

Australia announced on Wednesday that Pacific Island leaders at a Tonga summit endorsed a regional policing plan to curb China's influence. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the agreement to establish up to four police training centres and a multinational crisis force, comprising 200 officers for regional emergencies and disaster response.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

APNIC ☛ Tonga Communications Corporation IPv6 project

Guest Post: Lessons learned during TCC’s IPv6 deployment.

Public Knowledge ☛ A Sustainable Path Toward Digital Equity Must Prioritize Broadband Affordability Assistance

Congress must prioritize addressing the broadband affordability crisis in order to close the digital divide.

Ruben Schade ☛ Why some might not want to publish web feeds

I regularly talk about why I love web feed formats like RSS an Atom, and how my words have been available via such feeds for two decades. But I don’t think I’ve ever acknowledged why people might not want to publish them.

Theft is likely the biggest reason, unfortunately. Feeds are machine-readable, which is simpler and more predictable to use for a script kiddie than writing a web scraper, and can be updated easily. My words have appeared wholesale on dozens of knockoff sites over the years—even before generative Hey Hi (AI) tools normalised plagiarism—the most benign of which merely wrap them with ads. Publishers can opt to only include summaries, or include authorship info at the end of each post, but these can also be easily detected and worked around.

APNIC ☛ VPP with loopback-only OSPFv3: Part 1

Guest Post: With a small change to OSPFv3 it may be possible to avoid using IPv4 P2P transit networks.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

New York Times ☛ Google Sued by Yelp in Antitrust Case

Yelp complained for more than a decade that Surveillance Giant Google tilted the search market in its favor. After its rival’s landmark legal loss, it finally decided to sue.

Patents

Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ One Bite at the Apple: WARF’s Second Infringement Theory Gets Precluded

In a significant ruling that underscores the importance of strategic litigation planning in patent monopoly cases, the Federal Circuit has affirmed a district court’s judgment barring Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) from pursuing  doctrine of equivalents infringement claims against Fashion Company Apple after the patentee’s failed bid to show literal infringement. Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation v. Fashion Company Apple Inc., No. 22-1884 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 28, 2024).  The case addresses two separate but related disputes: WARF I, concerning Apple’s A7 and A8 processors, and WARF II, involving Apple’s A9 and A10 processors. The Federal Circuit’s decision hinges on three key legal principles: waiver, issue preclusion, and the Kessler doctrine. In particular, the court expanded the scope of both issue preclusion and the Kessler doctrine in favor of accused infringers.

Kangaroo Courts

JUVE ☛ Tesla on road to success against Broadcom/Avago [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional; the EPO grants many fake patents for this kangaroo court to process them and bribed media to treat that as "OK"]

In the dispute over EP 1 612 910, the UPC’s local division Hamburg upheld the patent-in suit to a limited extent (case ID: UPC_CFI_54/2023, ACT_463258/2023). The judges Sabine Klepsch (chair), Stefan Schilling, Walter Schober and Hergen Kapels (technical judge) ruled that the patent monopoly was not infringed to this degree.

Trademarks

TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is "LIP TAR" Confusable with "THE LIP BAR" for Lip Gloss?

The parties to this opposition proceeding filed cross-motions for summary judgment but stipulated that the Board could decide the case on the merits based solely on the summary judgment papers, including resolution of any genuine disputes of material facts. The Board treated these stipulations as an agreement to go forward under the Accelerated Case Resolution (ACR) procedure. Applicant Metro1 sought registration of the mark LIP TAR for "lip gloss" [LIP disclaimed]]. Opposer claimed likelihood of confusion with its registered mark THE LIP BAR for, inter alia, lip gloss [LIP disclaimed]. How do you think this came out? The Lip Bar, Inc. v. Metro1 Solutions, LLC, Opposition No. 91289231 (August 22, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman).

Copyrights

Digital Music News ☛ Anthropic Fires Back Against Music Publisher Injunction Demand, Says Publishers Haven’t Suffered ‘Irreparable Harm’ From ‘Fair Use’ LLM Training

Anthropic claims that using copyrighted lyrics to train Hey Hi (AI) is fair use, and publishers haven’t suffered ‘irreparable harm’ from their doing so. The battle between Hey Hi (AI) company Anthropic and a group of music publishers led by Concord Music Group continues to heat up.

EFF ☛ Copyright Is Not a Tool to Silence Critics of Religious Education

LifeWise produces controversial “released time” religious education programs for public elementary school students during school hours. After encountering the program at his daughter’s public school, Mr. Parrish co-founded “Parents Against LifeWise,” a group that strives to educate and warn others about the harms they believe LifeWise’s programs cause. To help other parents make fully informed decisions about signing their children up for a LifeWise program, Mr. Parrish obtained a copy of LifeWise’s elementary school curriculum—which the organization kept secret from everyone except instructors and enrolled students—and posted it to the Parents Against LifeWise website. LifeWise sent a copyright takedown to the website’s hosting provider to get the curriculum taken down, and followed up with an infringement lawsuit against Mr. Parrish.

EFF filed a motion to dismiss LifeWise’s baseless attempt to silence Mr. Parrish. As we explained to the court, Mr. Parrish’s posting of the curriculum was a paradigmatic example of fair use, an important doctrine that allows critics like Mr. Parrish to comment on, criticize, and educate others on the contents of a copyrighted work. LifeWise’s own legal complaint shows why Mr. Parrish’s use was fair: “his goal was to gather information and internal documents with the hope of publishing information online which might harm LifeWise’s reputation and galvanize parents to oppose local LifeWise Academy chapters in their communities.” This is a mission of public advocacy and education that copyright law protects. In addition, Mr. Parrish’s purpose was noncommercial: far from seeking to replace or compete with LifeWise, he posted the curriculum to encourage others to think carefully before signing their children up for the program. And posting the curriculum doesn’t harm LifeWise—at least not in any way that copyright law was meant to address. Just like copyright doesn’t stop a film critic from using scenes from a movie as part of a devastating review, it doesn’t stop a concerned parent from educating other parents about a controversial religious school program by showing them the actual content of that program.

Early dismissals in copyright cases against fair users are crucial. Because, although fair use protects lots of important free expression like the commentary and advocacy of Mr. Parrish, it can be ruinously expensive and chilling to fight for those protections. The high cost of civil discovery and the risk of astronomical statutory damages—which reach as high as $150,000 per work in certain cases—can lead would-be fair users to self-censor for fear of invasive legal process and financial ruin.