Slashdot: Your Rights OnlineNews for nerds, stuff that mattersDell Colludes With RIAA, Disables Stereo Mix- July 11, 2008 RCTrucker7 writes with a link to a Maximum PC story, which begins: "Details of Dell's surreptitious collusion with RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) have emerged. Apparently, the computer manufacturer disabled the Stereo MixMono MixWave Out sound recording function on certain notebooks to assuage RIAA. The hardware functionality is being disabled without any prior notice and one blogger has even alleged that he was asked by Dell's customer support staff to shelve out $99 if he...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/332257136/article.pl Obama Losing Voters Over FISA Support- July 10, 2008 Corrupt writes "I've admired Obama, but I never confused him with a genuine progressive leader. Today I don't admire him at all. His collapse on FISA is unforgivable. The only thing Obama has going for him this week is that McCain is matching him misstep for misstep."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331790272/article.pl Australian Ban On Fallout 3 – Why- July 10, 2008 LSU_ADT_Geek writes "What could possibly be so controversial in upcoming E3 2008 headliner Fallout 3 that the Australian government would impose a dreaded 'RC' rating on Bethesda's upcoming tertiary post-apocalyptic RPG No one knows for sure, but speculation is that the optional use of drugs in the game — specifically the option to employ morphine as a stimulant — may underlie the Aussie classification board blacklisting."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331498389/article.pl Workplace BlackBerry Use May Spur Lawsuits- July 10, 2008 An anonymous reader writes "From an article on cnbc.com: 'As employers hand out electronic devices to their employees at a greater pace, there are growing concerns that workers eligible for overtime pay, known as non-exempt employees, could begin suing their employers for overtime hours earned while tapping on their devices during after-work hours. As a result, lawyers are advising their corporate clients to update their policies and handbooks related to BlackBerry use and reconsider who gets a.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331331103/article.pl RIAA's SafeNet Caught In a Lie- July 10, 2008 NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "For the past 2 years, the RIAA and its attack dog SafeNet (formerly known as MediaSentry) have been trying to avoid disclosure in UMG v. Lindor by telling the judge that MediaSentry is NOT an expert, that it does not use any technical expertise to get the 'evidence', and that it does only 'what any other Kazaa user does'. We have just discovered that in administrative proceedings in Michigan, attacking it for engaging in the business of investigation without a...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331258124/article.pl Follow-up On Texas PI Law For PC Techs- July 9, 2008 boyko.at.netqos writes "Network Performance Daily has put out an in-depth series on the Texas law that requires private investigator licenses for computer repair techs, network analysts, and other IT professionals. It includes an interview with the author of the law, Texas Rep. Joe Driver, the captain of the Texas Private Security Bureau, RenEarl Bowie, and Matt Miller at the Institute for Justice, which is suing the state over the law. Finally, there's a series summary and editorial."Read more.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331218592/article.pl Referee Recommends Disbarment For Jack Thompson- July 9, 2008 spielermacher writes "GamePolitics is reporting that Jack Thompson — the lawyer every gamer loves to hate — has apparently lost his court case and is facing disbarment. The Referee in the case has gone beyond the Florida Bar's request for a 10-year disbarment and is recommending a lifetime ban. From the Final Report issued by the court: '... the Respondent has demonstrated a pattern of conduct to strike out harshly, extensively, repeatedly and willfully to simply try to bring as...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331177161/article.pl Senate Passes Telecom Immunity Bill- July 9, 2008 zehnra writes "The U.S. Senate this afternoon passed the FISA Amendments Act, broadly expanding the president's warrantless surveillance authority and unconstitutionally granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the president's illegal domestic wiretapping program. The House of Representatives passed the same bill last month, and President Bush is expected to sign the legislation into law shortly." The New York Times has a story, as does the Associated...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331093582/article.pl Sweden's Snoop Law Targets Russia- July 9, 2008 praps writes "There's been much controversy lately over Sweden's new law which allows the signal intelligence agency (FRA) to monitor all data traffic within the country's borders. The Swedish government has kept curiously quiet about the new law's objectives but sources close to the intelligence community say that Russia is the prime target. '"80 percent of Russia's contacts with large parts of the world travel through cables in Sweden. That is the core of the issue," said one source.'"...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/331059755/article.pl Nancy Pelosi vs. the Internet- July 9, 2008 selil writes "A story popped up on the ChicagoBoyz Blog. It says 'Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who would like very much to reimpose the old, so-called, "Fairness Doctrine" that once censored conservative opinion on television and radio broadcasting, is scheming to impose rules barring any member of Congress from posting opinions on any internet site without first obtaining prior approval from the Democratic leadership of Congress. No blogs, twitter, online forums —...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/330989609/article.pl |