WELCOME to Connected Rights, your ruby slippers on the yellow-brick road of digital rights news and analysis. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GDPR HAS BEEN nothing if not dramatic, so what the heck, let's focus on that today. (Don't worry, there's a bit of non-GDPR-related stuff towards the end.) The complaints: One of the GDPR's fun bits … Continue reading GDPR special: How was the end of the world for you?
Who knew it was Content Moderation Transparency Week?
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your chip on the shoulder of digital rights news and analysis. IT SEEMS TO BE CONTENT MODERATION TRANSPARENCY WEEK, judging by the output of both Facebook and YouTube in the last couple days. For those who worry about how the big platforms regulate our online activity, there's a fair bit to digest … Continue reading Who knew it was Content Moderation Transparency Week?
Let’s talk about encryption. Again.
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your fire in the hold of digital rights news and analysis. RUSSIA IS PROVIDING A HORRIFYING/HILARIOUS CASE STUDY into the effects of trying to censor a popular service that doesn't want to be censored. After a court ordered the blocking of encrypted messaging app Telegram (for not being willing/able to share encryption … Continue reading Let’s talk about encryption. Again.
The Facebook scandal and the decentralisation conundrum
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your hat in the ring of digital rights news and analysis. THANKS TO CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA AND FACEBOOK, the purpose of data protection seems to have finally broken through into the public consciousness this past week. Here are several factors that have made this particular scandal exceptional and potentially game-changing. 1. This is … Continue reading The Facebook scandal and the decentralisation conundrum
Germany’s anti-digital-rights chief is finally gone
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your knock at the door of digital rights news and analysis. FAREWELL THEN, HEIKO MAAS. Germany's erstwhile justice minister is off to become foreign minister in the new coalition government: http://bit.ly/2p6A3SO While Maas's opposition to far-right extremism is an obvious plus, from a digital rights perspective it's nonetheless good riddance. Maas was … Continue reading Germany’s anti-digital-rights chief is finally gone
Apple makes another worrying China decision
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your pinch on the cheek of digital rights news and analysis. APPLE HAS ALARMED PRIVACY ACTIVISTS by agreeing not only to store its Chinese customers' iCloud data on Chinese servers, but to store the encryption keys for that information in the country too: http://on.wsj.com/2ESetY6 The company claims that the keys will be … Continue reading Apple makes another worrying China decision
Dirty spying tools for dirty clients
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your jack in the box of digital rights news and analysis. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to a friend or get them to sign up. I'm David Meyer, aka @superglaze on Twitter and @davidmeyerwrites on Facebook. Don't forget to check out the Connected Rights website. Kaixo! THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF SUPPLYING surveillance equipment to the brutal … Continue reading Dirty spying tools for dirty clients
The hacking of net neutrality. Plus: My book, Control Shift, is finally on sale
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your ghost in the machine of digital rights news and analysis. First things first… I'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! It's called Control Shift: How Technology Affects Your and Your Rights, and you can buy it now on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2Adw7WF (That's the link to the US store – it's in the others too, in … Continue reading The hacking of net neutrality. Plus: My book, Control Shift, is finally on sale
NSA surveillance threatens Facebook’s European operations yet again
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your cog in the wheel of digital rights news and analysis. THE EU'S HIGHEST COURT IS GOING TO HAVE TO DECIDE whether the legal mechanism used by Facebook (and others) to send personal data to the U.S. is kosher or not: http://for.tn/2g8d0T2 This is essentially the same case that brought down the … Continue reading NSA surveillance threatens Facebook’s European operations yet again
Online anonymity is under threat, and not just in China
WELCOME to Connected Rights, your toe on the tripwire of digital rights news and analysis. CHINA IS TRYING (AGAIN) TO MAKE ONLINE ANONYMITY a thing of the past. According to new rules from the country's "cyberspace administration", website operators have to ensure that anyone commenting on their site is using their real name – which they … Continue reading Online anonymity is under threat, and not just in China