Wikipedia to be blacked out over anti-piracy bill

The foundation behind Wikipedia has announced on Monday night that it will black out the English language version of its website on Wednesday to protest against anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress.

The website will go dark for 24 hours in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle to a growing base of critics of the legislation. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, and is considered as one of the Internet's most popular websites, with millions of visitors daily.

"If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States," the Wikimedia foundation said.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate are designed to crack down on sales of pirated U.S. products overseas.

Supporters include the film and music industry, which often sees its products sold illegally. They say the legislation is needed to protect intellectual property and jobs.

Critics say the legislation could hurt the technology industry and infringe on free-speech rights. Among their concerns are provisions that would weaken cyber-security for companies and hinder domain access rights.

The most controversial provisions is in the House bill, which would have enabled federal authorities to "blacklist" sites that are alleged to distribute pirated content. That would essentially cut off portions of the Internet to all U.S. users. But congressional leaders appear to be backing off this provision.

Tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, eBay, AOL and others have spoken out against the legislation and said it threatens the industry's livelihood. Several online communities such as Reddit, Boing Boing and others have announced plans to go dark in protest as well.

The Obama administration also raised concerns about the legislation over the weekend and said it will work with Congress on legislation to help battle piracy and counterfeiting while defending free expression, privacy, security and innovation in the Internet.

Wikipedia's decision to go dark brings the issue into a much brighter spotlight. A group of Wikipedia users have discussed for more than a month whether it should react to the legislation.

Over the past few days, a group of more than 1,800 volunteers who work on the site and other users considered several forms of online protest, including banner ads and a global blackout of the site, the foundation said. Ultimately, the group supported the decision to black out the English version of the site.

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia who first announced the move on his Twitter account on Monday, said the bills are a threat to the free, open, and secure web.

"The whole thing is just a poorly designed mess," Wales said in an email to the Associated Press.

Wikipedia is also requesting that readers contact members of Congress about the bill during the blackout.

"I am personally asking everyone who cares about freedom and openness on the Internet to contact their Senators and Representatives," Wales said. "One of the things we have learned recently during the Arab spring events is that the Internet is a powerfully effective tool for the public to organize and have their voices heard."

Wikipedia will shut down access from midnight Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday night until midnight Wednesday.

This is the first time Wikipedia's English version has gone dark. Its Italian site came down once briefly in protest to an Internet censorship bill put forward by the Berlusconi government; the bill did not advance.

"Wikipedia is about being open," said Jay Walsh, spokesman for the Wikipedia foundation. "We are not about shutting down and protesting. It's not a muscle that is normally flexed."

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Senate opens Renato Corona's impeachment trial

Manila, Philippines — The Senate formally began the impeachment trial against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona on Monday (January 16).

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who sits as presiding officer, banged the gavel past 2:00 p.m. to signal the start of the proceedings.

Senator Edgardo Angara opened the 2:11 p.m. proceedings with a prayer asking the heavens to grant him and his colleagues good judgment.

The impeachment complaint against Corona was initiated and signed by 188 members of the House of Representatives last Dec. 12, 2011 and filed in the Senate the following day.

On Dec. 14, 2011, the Senate convened itself as an impeachment court to try the case of Renato Corona.

The 11-man prosecution team was then immediately formed by the House. Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. will be the lead prosecutor while Cavite Representative Joseph Emilio Abaya will manage the prosecution team.

The other members of the Prosecution team are Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas, Akbayan Rep. Arlene J. Bag-ao, CIBAC Rep. Sherwin N. Tugna, Cavite Rep. Elpidio F. Barzaga Jr., Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali, Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza, Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri J. Colmenares and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi B. Aggabao.

Corona's defense team on the other hand is composed of former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas, Ramon Esguerra, Jacinto Jimenez and Tranquil Salvador of Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc and De Los Angeles law offices, German Lichauco III, Dennis Manalo and Noel Lazaro of Siguion Reyna Montecillo and Ongsiako law offices, Jose Roy III, former dean of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila [University of Manila]'s Law School, Joel Bodegon, managing partner of Bodegon Estorninos Guerzon Borje & Gozos law offices, Rico Paolo Quicho, partner in Quicho and Angeles law offices, and Karen Jimeno, a cum laude graduate from the UP College of Law.


Source Inquirer

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Iran sentence a former U.S. Marine to death

Amir Hekmati in Colombia in 2010. Courtesy of Amir's
Family.

The State Department said on Monday that it was working to confirm Iranian state media reports that an Iran revolutionary court had sentenced an American citizen and former U.S. Marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati to death on charges of spying for the CIA.

"If true, we strongly condemn this verdict," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a press statement on Monday. "Allegations that Hekmati either worked for, or was sent to Iran by the CIA, are simply untrue."

Hekmati "has 20 days to appeal the court's decision," the Washington Post's Thomas Erdbrink reported from Tehran, Iran.

Hekmati, 28, a former U.S. Marine Arabic language translator in Iraq, was born in Flagstaff, Arizona of Iranian descent and raised in Michigan. His family in Michigan, former colleagues and American officials say Hekmati never served in the CIA and was in Iran to visit his grandmother.

Hekmati's parents said they "are shocked and terrified" by the news. His mother Behnaz Hekmati wrote at the website the family set up to advocate for Amir's release, FreeAmir. "We believe that this verdict is the result of a process that was neither transparent nor fair."

"Amir did not engage in any acts of spying, or fighting against God, as the convicting Judge has claimed in his sentence," his mother's press statement continues. "A grave error has been committed, and we have authorized our legal representatives to make direct contact with the Iranian authorities to find a solution to this misunderstanding."

Hekmati had the permission of the Iranian interests—the U.S.-based diplomatic outpost for the Islamic republic—in Washington D.C. to travel to Iran in August to visit his elderly grandmother, his family has told Yahoo News. After his arrest on August 29 last year, Iranian officials initially urged the family to keep quiet in order to facilitate his release.

But in December, Iranian state media aired video of Hekmati allegedly confessing to having worked as a CIA agent—charges his family and friends vehemently deny and which they said appear to have been given under duress.

Hekmati joined the Marines in 2001 after graduating from high school. He was posted to Iraq after attending language school in Monterey, California. He left the Marines in 2005, and later worked for various companies, including those based in Kansas for the government contractor BAE Systems from March until September 2010.

Former U.S. Marine Jared Bystrom told Yahoo News on Tuesday that Hekmati called him last year to propose launching a business together. Bystrom and Hekmati had been posted by the Marines to the defense language school in Monterey, California in 2001, where Hekmati studied Arabic.

Another friend and former colleague of Hekmati's, Chase Winter, told Yahoo News last month that Hekmati had told him he was thinking of going back to school to get a business degree. Hekmati visited Winter in South America last September 2010 for a week's vacation, Winter said.

Hekmati's Facebook page until shortly after his Iran TV video confession last month featured photos of himself in various locales he had traveled and worked—hardly demonstrating the behavior of someone trying to conceal his activities, his associates note.

American officials again called on Monday for the Iran government to give Swiss diplomats consular access to Hekmati, to allow him to meet with a lawyer, and to release him without delay.

"Securing the freedom and safety of this young man is the top concern of the U.S. government in this case," a U.S. official who requested anonymity said on Monday. "Unfortunately, the Iranian government is not doing the right thing here. They have a track record of falsely accusing individuals of espionage for leverage."

International human rights groups also called on Iran to reverse the sentence, and raised concerns about the apparent lack of due process Hekmati was granted. Hekmati is the first American to be sentenced to death in Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution, Amnesty International said.

"Like many other detainees in Iran, Amir Hekmati did not receive a fair trial and we question the timing and political circumstances of this decision," said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International's interim director for the Middle East and North Africa. "We know from past experience that the Iranian authorities sometimes rush forward with executions of political prisoners — including dual nationals — at politically sensitive times and we fear that this execution could happen within days or weeks."

"We are seriously concerned regarding the death sentence, secrecy, and continued lack of transparency surrounding the prosecution of Iranian-American citizen Amir Hekmati," the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran's Hadi Ghaemi said in a press release on Monday. "We ask the Iranian judiciary to adhere to international standards of due process and allow independent observers in the courtroom at his appeals trial."


Source Yahoo News

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Luxury Ship aground off Italy: 3 bodies found, 69 missing

Porto Santo Stefano, Italy — According to an Associated Press (AP) report, divers searched the submerged part of a luxury cruise liner that went aground off Italy's coast in case any of 70 people unaccounted for might be trapped inside, a coast guard official said on Saturday, as passengers described a delayed and terrifying evacuation.

Three bodies were recovered from the sea after the Costa Concordia ran aground off the tiny island of Giglio near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, tearing a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in its hull and sending in a rush of water.

One of the victims was a Peruvian crew member, a diplomat from the South American country said, adding that a Peruvian woman was also missing. The ANSA news agency identified the other two fatalities as French passengers, but didn't cite a source.

Passengers described a scene reminiscent of "Titanic", saying they escaped the ship by crawling along upended hallways, desperately trying to reach safety as the lights went out and plates and glasses crashed. Helicopters whisked some survivors to safety, others were rescued by private boats in the area, and witnesses said some people jumped from the ship into the dark, cold sea.

The ship was lying virtually flat off Giglio's coast, its starboard side submerged in the water and the huge gash showing clearly on its upturned hull.

Passengers complained the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate and once the emergency became clear, and delayed in lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily for many of them to be released.

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SOPA Author is a Hypocrite!

While the Stop Online Piracy Act, otherwise known as SOPA, continues to dominate the news, the people responsible for the bill continue to break their own rules.

A few weeks ago, several SOPA sponsors were caught posting copyrighted videos on their personal websites.

Under SOPA, this is considered to be a felony, and is punishable by 5 years in prison.

One of the most prominent "criminals" was SOPA author Lamar Smith, who as it turns out, is a persistent copyright infringer himself.

This was the Lamar Smith's website before it was remodeled.

This was the photo copyright of DJ Schulte.

Vice reports that Smith used a Creative Commons licensed photo on his site without attributing the author.

"I do not see anywhere on the screen capture that you have provided that the image was attributed to the source (me)," photographer DJ Schulte told Vice.

"So my conclusion would be that Lamar Smith's organization did improperly use my image. So according to the SOPA bill, should it pass, maybe I could petition the court to take action against www.texansforlamarsmith.com."

Smith and his team, upon realizing they were caught, were quick to hide all traces to the infringing material, but  not before the screenshot above was captured.


Source TorrentFreak

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Hacktivist Group Anonymous takes out Pirate Bay Nemeses

In the fall of 2010, the hacktivist hacker collective group "Anonymous" started Operation Payback, the longest and most widespread attack on anti-piracy groups, lawyers and lobbyists in history.

Initially, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) assaults were started against the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and anti-piracy company AiPlex Software because these outfits had targeted The Pirate Bay.

Those DDoS attacks were later replicated against many other targets that have spoken out against piracy or for copyright, resulting in widespread media coverage.

Last week, the tag #OperationPayback is appearing once again in several places as "Anonymous" is once again targeting anti-piracy outfits who managed to strike against The Pirate Bay.

Earlier last week, the site of the Finnish CIAPC (Copyright Information and Anti-piracy Centre) went dark after they won a Pirate Bay blockade, and today the same happened to the Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN (Bescherming Rechten Entertainment Industrie Nederland) who won a similar case.

The Pirate Bay, meanwhile, is encouraging users in the blocked countries to get prepared to use TOR (The Union Router) or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

But they may not even have to...

In the Netherlands, the local Pirate Party already set up a proxy at tpb.piratenpartij.nl, and they are determined to provide Dutch users access to the torrent sites in the future.

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The Pirate Bay to stop serving Torrents

After half a decade of loyal service, The Pirate Bay, the biggest torrent site based in Sweden, shut down its tracker in November 2009.

The Pirate Bay (TPB) argued that BitTorrent trackers have been made redundant by technologies such as DHT and PEX. In addition, The Pirate Bay team said they might move away from torrents entirely and switch to offering magnet links instead.

"We're talking to the other torrent admins on doing magnet links and DHT and PEX for all sites. Moving away from torrents and trackers totally - like pick a date and all agree 'from this date, we'll not support torrents anymore'," a Pirate Bay insider told TorrentFreak at the time.

Now, two years later, that date is coming soon.

On January 13, The Pirate Bay made the first step towards this new future by making magnets the default download links instead of torrents. TorrentFreak was also further informed that in "a month or so" the largest torrent site on the internet will stop serving torrent files indefinitely.

The announcement is bound to lead to confusion and uncertainty among many torrent users, but in reality, very little will change for the average Pirate Bay visitor. Users will still be able to download files, but these will now be started through a magnet link instead of a torrent file.

The Pirate Bay team told TorrentFreak that one of the advantages of the transition to a "magnet site" is that it requires relatively little bandwidth to host a proxy. This is topical, since this week, courts in both Finland and the Netherlands ordered local internet service providers to block the torrent site.

Perhaps even better, without the torrent files, everyone can soon host a full copy of The Pirate Bay on a USB thumb drive, which may come in handy in the future.

Unlike the site's users, existing torrent sites that scrape .torrent files from The Pirate Bay will have to make some drastic changes. If they want to continue serving .torrent files they will have to fetch them from DHT. Also, hotlinks to .torrent files will no longer work and will soon redirect to The Pirate Bay's detail page for the files in question.

One of the potential downsides of using magnets is that it could take a bit longer for downloads to start, especially if there are relatively few people sharing a file. This is because the .torrent file has to be fetched from other users instead of being downloaded directly from the site. More background on these and other technicalities can be found here.

The good news is that all mainstream BitTorrent clients support magnet links. This wasn't the case back in 2009, but when TPB hinted that in the future they could become a magnet-only site, all developers quickly made their clients fully compatible.

At the moment, it's hard to predict what the impact of The Pirate Bay's decision will be on the BitTorrent community. Although it is believed that torrents will never disappear completely.

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