US-Kongress: evakuiert statt debattiert
Nach dem Sturm auf das Kapitol verzögert sich die Zertifizierung der Wahlmännerstimmen
Nach dem Sturm auf das Kapitol verzögert sich die Zertifizierung der Wahlmännerstimmen
Month: January 2021
Lilbits: Facebook smart glasses, GPD Win 3, and Linux smartphone news
Facebook’s first set of smart glasses may arrive this year and, despite the company’s investments in virtual reality (Facebook owns Oculus) and augmented reality, they’re not expected to be AR glasses. Honestly, so far they sound mor…
Facebook’s first set of smart glasses may arrive this year and, despite the company’s investments in virtual reality (Facebook owns Oculus) and augmented reality, they’re not expected to be AR glasses. Honestly, so far they sound more like Snap spectacles than anything else… but maybe that’s just because Bloomberg’s article on the upcoming wearables is […]
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Liveticker zum "Putschversuch" in Washington
Trump-Anhänger stürmen Kapitol und dringen in Büros von Abgeordneten ein. Evakuierungen nach Bombendrohungen. Senator spricht von versuchtem Staatsstreich
Trump-Anhänger stürmen Kapitol und dringen in Büros von Abgeordneten ein. Evakuierungen nach Bombendrohungen. Senator spricht von versuchtem Staatsstreich
Why don’t PCs use error correcting RAM? “Because Intel,” says Linus
Artificial market segmentation may have suppressed demand for ECC in desktops.
Enlarge / We've been enjoying a kinder, gentler Linus Torvalds for the past couple of years... but that doesn't mean he stopped having opinions. (credit: aaltouniversityace / kjerish)
This Monday, Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds went on a frustrated rant about the lack of Error Correcting Checksum (ECC) RAM in consumer PCs and laptops.
... the misguided and arse-backwards policy of "consumers don't need ECC", [made] the market for ECC memory go away.
The arguments against ECC were always complete and utter garbage. Now even the memory manufacturers are starting to do ECC internally because they finally owned up to the fact that they absolutely have to.
If you're not familiar with ECC RAM, it's probably because you don't build or spec dedicated servers using server-grade CPUs and motherboards—which, unfortunately, is about the only place you actually find ECC. In a nutshell, ECC RAM includes a tiny amount of extra memory used for detection and correction of errors.
Memory errors and probability
In most modern implementations, this means for every 64-bit word stored in RAM, there are eight checking bits. A single bit error—a 0 flipped to 1, or a 1 flipped to 0—can be both detected and corrected automatically. Two bits flipped in the same word can be detected but not corrected. Three or more bits flipped in the same word will probably be detected, but detection is not guaranteed.
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Pro-Trump reporter gloats over access to fleeing Hill staffer’s computer
A violent mob invaded the US capitol building at the behest of Donald Trump.
Enlarge (credit: Elijah Schaffer)
Members of Congress fleeing a pro-Trump mob left their offices so quickly that at least one staffer left their computer on and logged into their official email, according to a screenshot posted by a conservative reporter. Elijah Schaffer, a reporter for the Glenn Beck publication The Blaze, wrote that he was "inside Nancy Pelosi’s office" with what he called "revolutionaries" who have "stormed the building."
"To put into perspective how quickly staff evacuated, emails are still on the screen along side a federal alert warning members of the current revolution," Schaffer wrote.
A text box on the lower-left corner of the staffer's screen read "Capitol: Internal Security Threat: Police Activity."
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Trump deletes tweets after being banned from Twitter [Updated]
Snapchat has also banned Trump’s account after insurrection at US Capitol.
Enlarge / Supporters of US President Donald Trump breach the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (credit: Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images)
Update, 10:15am EST Jan. 7: President Donald Trump deleted the three tweets Twitter suspended him for around 2am, Bloomberg was first to report. His 12-hour temporary suspension from Twitter will therefore expire somewhere around 2pm today. His 24-hour Facebook ban will not expire until later this evening.
Snapchat also suspended Trump's account last night, without specifying when or if they would lift the ban.
Update, 8:40pm EST: Facebook has now suspended Trump from posting on its site for the next 24 hours, Axios reports.
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Frontier agrees to fiber-network expansion in plan to exit bankruptcy
350,000 homes and businesses in Calif. to get fiber after Frontier bankruptcy.
Enlarge / A Frontier Communications van. (credit: Getty Images | jetcityimage)
Frontier Communications has agreed to expand its fiber-to-the-premises network and improve its poor service quality as part of a bankruptcy settlement in California. Frontier committed to deploy fiber to 350,000 homes and businesses within six years on a schedule that would require the first 100,000 by the end of 2022, 250,000 by the end of 2024, and the full 350,000 by year-end 2026.
The settlement, filed in late December, is pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Frontier agreed to the terms with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a union that represents Frontier employees; The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a consumer-advocacy group; and Cal Advocates, the public-advocate office at CPUC.
To ensure that Frontier doesn't build only in wealthy areas, the 350,000-location deployment must include 150,000 customer locations where Frontier estimates it would receive less than a 20 percent "internal rate of return." For those 150,000 locations, Frontier will have to consult with the CWA, TURN, Cal Advocates, and tribal-government leaders "to discuss the potential areas for deployment, including tribal lands and tribal communities," the settlement said.
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Daily Deals (1-06-2021)
Samsung will likely unveil the Galaxy S21 smartphone series next week, but the current-gen Galaxy S20 is still a heck of a phone… and right now you can pick one up for a heck of a price. If you’re a Google Fi customer or thinking of becomi…
Samsung will likely unveil the Galaxy S21 smartphone series next week, but the current-gen Galaxy S20 is still a heck of a phone… and right now you can pick one up for a heck of a price. If you’re a Google Fi customer or thinking of becoming one, you can save $600 on the purchase […]
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WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using the app
The Facebook-owned messenger with 2 billion users revamps its privacy policy.
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)
WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messenger that claims to have privacy coded into its DNA, is giving its 2 billion plus users an ultimatum: agree to share their personal data with the social network or delete their accounts.
The requirement is being delivered through an in-app alert directing users to agree to sweeping changes in the WhatsApp terms of service. Those who don’t accept the revamped privacy policy by February 8 will no longer be able to use the app.
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Share and share alike
Shortly after Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, its developers built state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption into the messaging app. The move was seen as a victory for privacy advocates because it used the Signal Protocol, an open source encryption scheme whose source code has been reviewed and audited by scores of independent security experts.
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Company Demands $10K to Retract Facebook Copyright Claim on 20-sec Chinchilla Clip
Comedian “Ozzy Man Reviews” kicked off the new year with an entertaining video compilation of relaxing animals. However, because he included an unlicenced 20-second clip of a chilling chinchilla, things spiraled out of control. A rightsholder of the clip asked Facebook to remove the video, demanding $10,000 from the comedian to restore it.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Over the years we have reported on numerous ‘speculative invoicing’ schemes where copyright holders demand money from alleged copyright infringers.
This includes hundreds of thousands of settlement offers that were sent to suspected pirates, but we have also seen similar threats against people who use copyrighted photos on their personal sites.
The issue with these schemes isn’t the fact that rightsholders are enforcing their copyrights. That’s something they are entitled to do. It’s often the aggressive and sometimes even extortion-like nature of the threats that’s problematic.
Yesterday, comedian “Ozzy Man Reviews” shared one of his recent experiences on this front. With millions of subscribers on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media, Ozzy Man has a dedicated following. But, it’s not just people interested in his entertaining videos keeping an eye on his work.
‘Pirated’ Chinchilla Clip
After posting a new compilation commenting on some ‘relaxing animals‘, the Aussie comedian received a notification from Facebook that the video had been removed after a copyright holder complained. As it turns out, the 20-second clip of a chilling chinchilla was the culprit here.
While there are fair use defenses for this type of video, the takedown request by itself is justified. However, there is more to the story.
The chinchilla clip was originally shot by Instagram user ompt_gram but the takedown request came from someone else. As it turns out, it is at least partly ‘owned’ by the Facebook page “Go Animals” and that page is operated by the digital video marketing outfit “Creative Stage”.
Because takedown requests on social media may eventually lead to heavy account penalties, Ozzy Man hoped to resolve the matter. The good news was that Creative Stage was also open to retract the claim, but at quite a steep price.
$10,000 to Retract Claim
“Your violation caused the company damages and in order to retract we demand to receive a monetary compensation of $10,000,” a representative from Creative Stage wrote back.
Needless to say, this wasn’t how Ozzy Man expected the release of his first video of the year to go.
“I immediately responded to the attorney representing Creation Stage/Go Animals and outlined that the amount they were asking for is unjustified. It’s very similar to Speculative Invoicing,” Ozzy Man informs TorrentFreak.
Creator Not Involved
While the comedian admits that he didn’t clear the rights, he points out that the original creator of the clip didn’t have a say either. This is not uncommon as many viral videos are ‘exploited’ by licensing companies.
“The person who originally shot the video should get a say. I think it’s unclear to many people submitting videos to licensing companies or Facebook publishers online that the company is also asking to be a rights manager or an ‘attorney-in-fact’ for their content,” Ozzy Man tells us.
Account at Risk
The comedian shared his frustration on Facebook and stressed that this takedown put his entire account at risk. However, he had no intention of paying $10,000 for a 20-second chinchilla clip.
In theory, he could rely on a fair-use or fair-dealing defense, but copyright holders are usually not sensitive to that. This also applies to Creative Stage which showed little sympathy for the ‘trouble’ their takedown caused.
“I spoke to them in detail about the effect their DMCA takedown legal action had on me and it did not faze them. Takedowns trigger both YouTube and Facebook to penalize an account instantly by default. This includes restrictions on features, loss of monetization, and throttling of organic reach. It’s brutal,” Ozzy Man says.
The Web of Infringements
Stepping back, the above nicely illustrates the copyright complications many online creators and regular social media users face today, often without knowing. When all ‘infringements would be removed from social media and user-generated video platforms, very little remains.
Ozzy Man was in the wrong when he used the clip, but the same can be said for millions of others who post mashups, reviews, edits, or commentary online. Not to mention the millions of copyrighted photos that are published every day, without permission.
“It doesn’t get easier as you get bigger or more popular either, you simply end up with more sharks around ya,” Ozzy man notes.
Paying License Fees
The comedian is not an outright pirate though. He tries to balance the risk of using multiple source videos and also pays licensing fees for many clips.
“For instance, I do pay established licensing companies like Jukin Media and ViralHog. On average I’ll pay $100 USD for a clip. If I’m doing a compilation commentary and license 6 videos for 600 bucks USD, I know that my risk level goes down.
“And if these companies are genuinely sharing a cut of the financial pie with the original posters that shot the content then it’s nothing but a win for all of us.”
Ozzy Man’s problem isn’t so much the payment part but if he does pay for something, a share of that should go to the original creator. Right now, there are too many third-parties exploiting others’ content.
Have Some Ethics
“If ya looking to start a video licensing company online in 2021 have some damn ethics, integrity and discretion in how you operate and assess ‘damages’ or ‘market harm’.
“I think the idea of ‘market harm’ over a chinchilla being groomed video is ludicrous. It’s farcical. Don’t go gung-ho in the Content ID systems on YouTube, Facebook, etc and expect zero criticism for doing so.”
It appears that after making the matter public, things moved in the right direction. An army of followers defended the comedian and after a few hours the video was restored. We have to wonder, however, if the same would have happened to someone with a smaller following.
Ozzy Man is happy with the outcome and confirms to us that he didn’t pay anything. While his risk assessment with the chinchilla clip was a bit off, this doesn’t mean that he will stop using unlicensed clips on occasion.
“I hate being restricted, so I’m always gonna take SOME risks in the pursuit of comedy gold,” he concludes.
Enjoy.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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