] The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday
] that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list
] editors can't be held responsible for libel for
] information they republish, extending crucial First
] Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online
] publishers.
]
] Online free speech advocates praised the decision as a
] victory. The ruling effectively differentiates
] conventional news media, which can be sued relatively
] easily for libel, from certain forms of online
] communication such as moderated e-mail lists. One
] implication is that DIY publishers like bloggers cannot
] be sued as easily.

Just a little good news.

Wired News: Bloggers Gain Libel Protection

] A U.S district court on Thursday ruled for a second time
] that Verizon Communications must give up the identity of
] an anonymous Internet subscriber accused of swapping
] music files online.

Life is about to get very tough for the ISPs..

Verizon has 14 days to ID kazaa user

] We are a group of Tennesseans who are dedicated to
] preserving your online freedoms. We are specifically
] trying to counteract the new "Super-DMCA" legislation
] proposed by the MPAA. In TN, this legislation has
] been proposed through two bills, namely SB213, and HB457.
]
] Our organization has taken shape very (very) quickly,
] and there is still a lot to be done. We need your help
] if we are going to be able to fight this successfully!

TN Digital Freedom - Down With The TN Super-DMCA Bill

] Geeks will look at proposed network regulation and
] immediately ask "How will this affect interoperability?"
] or "Is this consistent with the end-to-end principle?"
] but non-geeks will look at the same proposal and think of
] different questions. They know what interoperability is,
] but it's just not at the front of their minds.

Slashdot | Princeton CS Prof Edward W. Felten (Almost) Live

] Intel e-mail case heads to state high court
]
] Ruling could redefine parameters of free speech rights in
] cyberspace

Intel e-mail case heads to state high court / Ruling could redefine parameters of free speech rights in cyberspace

] The University of Toronto's Internet Censorship Explorer
] permits anyone with a Web browser to test the limits of
] certain national and organizational Internet-blocking
] schemes. Users simply enter a target URL and a country
] into a search field on the Censorship Explorer's website.
] The software then scans the ports of available servers in
] that country, looking for open ones. By using the foreign
] computer as a proxy server, ICE then attempts to visit
] the target URL from behind that country's firewall. The
] result is either the visible website or a "page blocked"
] message is then returned to the user.

Wired News: Does the End Justify the Means?

] Digital Millennium Copyright Act charges may force an
] independent Internet service provider and its
] controversial clients offline next month.
]
] The Thing has provided Internet connectivity, technical
] support and Web design services to New York City artists
] and political activists for over a decade.
]
] But at the beginning of December, Wolfgang Staehle,
] owner and director of The Thing, was notified by his
] service provider, Verio, that The Thing's Internet
] connection would be severed on Feb. 28, 2003.
]
] Staehle said Verio is pulling the plug on The Thing due
] to charges that one of its clients violated the DMCA by
] posting a parody website mocking Dow Chemical company.

Wired News: DMCA: Dow What It Wants to Do