CITP Blog is hosted by Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy, a research center that studies digital technologies in public life. Here you’ll find comment and analysis from the digital frontier, written by the Center’s faculty, students, and friends.
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John T. Mitchell at InteractionLaw writes about the potential antitrust implications of backroom deals between copyright owners and technology makers. If a copyright holder were to agree with the manufacturers…
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Programs vs. Data
Maximillian Dornseif asks how one can draw the line between programs and data. This is important because the law often treats the two differently. He concludes that no clear line…
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Wacky Biometrics
I heard a presentation today by an expert on biometric security devices. He mentioned two new biometric devices under development. The first one uses body odor, detecting the unique combination…
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Man vs. Machine
Chess whiz Garry Kasparov has started another match against an electronic opponent. Much has been made of the man vs. machine battle, with right-thinking humanists everywhere lining up on Kasparov’s…
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Microsoft De-Names Palladium
Microsoft has renamed its controversial Palladium initiative, giving it the forgettable title “Next-Generation Secure Computing Base” (NGSCB). The official reason for this is the discovery that another company had trademarked…
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More on Targeting File-Sharers
Seth Finkelstein suggests a follow-the-money approach to thinking about the RIAA’s strategy in enforcing against file sharers. He reaches the same conclusion as I do (though for a slightly different…
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File Sharers Targeted Next?
Declan McCullagh, at CNet news.com, predicts that we will soon see criminal prosecutions of a few people who make extensive use of file sharing software. He cites RIAA rhetoric and…
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Sony, At War with Itself
The February issue of Wired has an interesting feature on Sony’s struggle to figure out its position on technology, media, and copyright. As a consumer electronics maker, Sony wants to…
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RIAA Site Hacked Again
Once again, somebody has attacked the RIAA’s web site, knocking it out this time for three days. The bozos who did this probably think it’s a clever way to retaliate…
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No Injunction for SearchKing
The judge in the SearchKing v. Google case has denied SearchKing’s request for a preliminary injunction. (See the bottom of this posting for background on the case.) James Grimmelmann at…