Alternative News

Paleo Diet Blogger Loses Round One of Free Speech Case

"A federal judge has thrown out Paleo-diet blogger Steve Cooksey’s lawsuit against the North Carolina state agency he claims censored his blog and violated his freedom of speech. U.S. District Court Judge Max Coburn agreed with the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition that Cooksey has no grounds to sue because he has not been injured yet. Nearly 10 months ago, the board’s director Charla Burill told Cooksey he was under investigation for 'practicing nutrition' without a license. A week later she went through his website with a red pen telling him what he could and couldn’t say legally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaleo Diet Blogger Loses Round One of Free Speech Case

Microsoft DMCA Notice ‘Mistakenly’ Targets BBC, Techcrunch, Wikipedia and U.S. Govt

"Over the last year Microsoft asked Google to censor nearly 5 million webpages because they allegedly link to copyright infringing content. While these automated requests are often legitimate, mistakes happen more often than one might expect. In a recent DMCA notice Microsoft asked Google to censor BBC, CNN, HuffPo, TechCrunch, Wikipedia and many more sites. In another request the software giant seeks the removal of a URL on Spotify.com. In recent months the number of DMCA takedown requests sent out by copyright holders has increased dramatically, and it’s starting to turn the Internet into a big mess." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMicrosoft DMCA Notice ‘Mistakenly’ Targets BBC, Techcrunch, Wikipedia and U.S. Govt

Free Online Education Is Illegal in Minnesota

"The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the state has decided to crack down on free education, notifying California-based startup Coursera that it is not allowed to offer its online courses to the state’s residents. Coursera, founded by Stanford computer science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, partners with top-tier universities around the world to offer certain classes online for free to anyone who wants to take them. You know, unless they happen to be from Minnesota. State law prohibits degree-granting institutions from offering instruction in Minnesota without obtaining permission from the office and paying a registration fee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFree Online Education Is Illegal in Minnesota

Pirate Bay and Mega: Treating the State as Damage and Routing Around It

"Most recently, it’s come out that The Pirate Bay has moved to the cloud, thus rendering itself invulnerable to website takedowns. TPB has already taken considerable countermeasures against government raids, backing its site up on several servers and concealing the location of some of them. Meanwhile Kim Dotcom of MegaUpload is rolling out Mega, a new service duplicated on a network of servers in countries all around the world, and therefore far less vulnerable to takedowns by any national government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPirate Bay and Mega: Treating the State as Damage and Routing Around It

Textbook Publisher Pearson Takes Down 1.5 Million Teacher And Student Blogs With A Single DMCA Notice

"From shuttering a legitimate ebook lending site to removing negative reviews to destroying a user's Flickr account to knocking a copyright attorney's site offline, the DMCA notice continues to be the go-to weapon for copyright defenders. Collateral damage is simply shrugged at and the notices continue to fly at an ever-increasing pace. And now because Pearson somehow feels that a 38-year-old questionnaire is worth $120, ServerBeach felt compelled to take down 1.5 million blogs over a single DMCA notice." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTextbook Publisher Pearson Takes Down 1.5 Million Teacher And Student Blogs With A Single DMCA Notice

Boston Police Tracking Protesters

"The Boston Regional Intelligence Center is one of more than 40 so-called 'fusion centers' around the country that were set up after Sept. 11, 2001 to share intelligence among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The documents show that the center has conducted extensive surveillance and investigations of lawful political activities. Members of the Boston Police Department are tracking the internal workings of political groups, interrogating peaceful activists, and filming demonstrations, such as an Occupy Boston protest from last year. In it, Occupy activists chant as the police video slowly pans the faces of those demonstrating." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBoston Police Tracking Protesters

Iowa: Proposed Citizen Initiative Would Ban Traffic Ticket Drones

"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is taking up the fight against red light cameras and speed cameras in Iowa. Earlier this month, lawyers from the left-leaning activist group sent an affidavit to the city council in Iowa City containing the text of a proposed initiative banning the use of all forms of photo enforcement -- including license plate recognition cameras (ALPR or ANPR) and the use of drones. Residents had called the ACLU for help after city attorney Eleanor M. Dilkes took action to block citizens from ever voting on the topic." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIowa: Proposed Citizen Initiative Would Ban Traffic Ticket Drones

State Dept. admits passport form was illegal, but still wants it approved

"Ignoring massive public opposition, and despite having recently admitted that it is already using the 'proposed' forms illegally without approval, the State Department no longer wants you to tell the passport examiner about the circumstances of your circumcision, but does still want to know the dates and locations of all of your mother’s pre- and post-natal medical appointments, how long she was hospitalized for your birth, and a complete list of everyone who was in the room when you were born." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingState Dept. admits passport form was illegal, but still wants it approved

Now Mexico Bans Cash Transactions

"Outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon has signed into law a ban on large cash transactions. Under the law, a Specialized Unit in Financial Analysis operating within the Attorney General's Office will be created to investigate financial operations 'that are related to resources of unknown origin.' For real estate transactions, cash payments of more than a half million pesos ($38,750) will be forbidden and, for automobiles or items like jewelry, art, and lottery tickets, cash payments of more than 200,000 pesos ($15,500) will be forbidden. The law carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow Mexico Bans Cash Transactions

In Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”

"When Michael came out of the house he was forced to kneel with his back to a deputy who was pointing the muzzle of an assault rifle at his head. With Michael in handcuffs and Marcela under armed guard, the deputies – led by Sheriff Chuck Rolland – conducted an illegal search of the home, finding what they thought was a marijuana growing operation. It proved to be an indoor nursery for organic tomatoes. The pretext for this assault was a 911 call from a neighbor reporting that Michael and Marcela had an argument. En route, one of the deputies suggested that a paramilitary approach would be justified, saying of Michael: 'He’s a constitutionalist.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”