Sunday, June 13, 2010

The court seems to be reiterating that public is public and private is private, but privacy on Facebook is indeterminate...

http://www.huntonprivacyblog.com/2010/06/articles/online-privacy/privacy-settings-on-social-networking-sites-may-determine-protection-under-stored-communications-act/

Privacy Settings on Social Networking Sites May Determine Protection Under Stored Communications Act

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On May 26, 2010, the court in Crispin v. Christian Audigier, Inc. quashed portions of subpoenas seeking the disclosure of private messages sent through Facebook and MySpace. The court left open the question of whether Crispin’s wall postings and comments should be disclosed pending a more thorough review of his online privacy settings.

… After a lengthy analysis, the court determined that Facebook and MySpace were each either an ECS or RCS and thus potentially covered by the SCA. The court then referred to a provision in the federal Wiretap Act stating that “[i]t shall not be unlawful under [the SCA] for any person . . . to intercept or access an electronic communication made through an electronic communication system that is configured so that such electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public.” (emphasis added) Based on this provision, the court quashed the subpoena insofar as it sought messages that Crispin sent through the websites’ private messaging services. The court found that those communications are “inherently private” such that the stored messages are not “readily accessible to the general public.”

The plaintiff’s Facebook wall posts and MySpace comments, however, presented a thornier question. Because Crispin’s privacy settings could have determined whether his wall posts were public, the court declined to resolve the issue, instead directing that the parties “develop a fuller evidentiary record regarding plaintiff’s privacy settings and the extent of access allowed to his Facebook wall and MySpace comments.”



As we move toward “the Internet of Things,” remember that those things will communicate with each other.

When Will the Automotive Internet Arrive?

Posted by timothy on Saturday June 12, @04:35PM

"European researchers are developing a cooperative traffic system, known CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems), comprised of vehicle-, roadside-, and central infrastructure-based communications hardware and software, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless. Among other capabilities, cars communicate with each other and with 'smart traffic signals' to smooth the flow of traffic and avoid accidents, or with 'smart traffic signs' to avoid dangerous driving conditions. The CVIS project is in the midst of undergoing field trials in Europe, and Audi has recently deployed 15 test vehicles in a similar project. The ambitious vision of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) includes goals such as reduced traffic congestion and fuel consumption, enhanced safety, and improved driver and passenger comfort. Ultimately, the developers envision a sort of Automotive Internet."



What is most important to most of the world?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20007541-93.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

World Cup pushes Internet to new record



Don't tell my students

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-free-mmo-games-online/

The 3 Best Free MMO Games Available Online

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