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Search Engines & Copyright Holders Ready Voluntary Anti-Piracy Code

Google and other search companies are close to striking a voluntary agreement with entertainment companies to tackle the appearance of infringing content links in search results. Following roundtable discussions chaired by the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, all parties have agreed that the code should take effect by June 1, 2017.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

For several years the entertainment industries have blamed companies like Google for not doing enough to prevent instances of Internet piracy. At times, Google has even been accused of fueling it.

The problem is with search results. Whether they’re presented by Google, Bing or Yahoo, copyright holders wish that more could be done to prevent the appearance of infringing links, particularly in the first crucial pages of results. To its credit, Google has taken a number of measures over the years but in the eyes of copyright holders, it’s never been enough.

Instead, Google has been flooded with a billion takedown requests in the last year alone, each demanding that links to infringing content be removed. When the notices are accurate, Google always complies but there have been rumblings in recent years, particularly in the UK, that search engines could find themselves on the end of legislation that forces them to do more.

With that eventuality a daunting prospect, companies like Google and representatives from the entertainment industries have been trying to reach some kind of voluntary agreement. Their meetings generally aren’t spoken about in public, but the UK government has played a strong role in bringing the groups together. What we now know is that a deal is extremely close to being signed.

This week, during a Digital Economy Bill committee, discussion again turned to the role of service providers when it comes to infringing content. For example, should they enjoy reduced safe harbors if they optimize the presentation and promotion of copyright-protected works?

A draft amendement to the bill would allow the government to impose a code of practice on search engines, forcing them to deal with infringement – a proposal has proven popular in parliament. However, when the matter was raised again this week it was revealed that the imposition of such a regime probably won’t be needed.

“Since the idea was last discussed in [parliament], Intellectual Property Office officials have chaired a further round-table meeting between search engines and representatives of the creative industries,” Baroness Buscombe said.

“While there are still elements of detail to be settled, the group is now agreed on the key content of the code and I expect an agreement to be reached very soon.”

According to Buscombe, all parties involved (that’s the search engines and entertainment industry companies) have agreed that the code should come into effect within four months.

“All parties have also agreed that the code should take effect, and the targets in it be reached, by 1 June this year,” the Baroness said.

With no such meetings ever documented in public by either the companies involved or the government, TorrentFreak reached out to Google – who are definitely at the hub of the agreement – with a few questions.

What companies are involved in the agreement, both from the search side and entertainment industries? What are the basics of the voluntary code and how will it affect the visibility of allegedly-infringing results? How will the agreement manifest itself to Google’s users come June 1?

At the time of publication, Google had not responded to our request for comment. However, without mentioning them by name, Baroness Buscombe was complimentary about Google and the other search engines involved, noting that cooperation with entertainment companies is ongoing.

“The search engines involved in this work have been very co-operative, making changes to their algorithms and processes, but also working bilaterally with creative industry representatives to explore the options for new interventions, and how existing processes might be streamlined,” she said.

“I understand that all parties are keen to finalize and sign up to the voluntary agreement, and so we believe there is no need to take a legislative power at this time.”

Noting that moving forward on a co-operative basis now is better than introducing legislation later, the Baroness said that other options could always be revisited in the future, should things not work out. At this stage, however, it seems unlikely that Google et al would prefer legislation over a voluntary code.

Due to the worldwide nature of the web, it will be extremely interesting to see how any UK-based agreement plays out overseas. It seems unlikely that Google will be able to implement strictly local measures without coming under pressure to follow suit in the United States, for example.If you can do it in the UK, you can do it everywhere, the company will be told.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Freie Software: Gemeinnützigkeit-as-a-Service gibt es auch in Europa

Viele Open-Source-Projekte können oder wollen sich nicht selbst um rechtliche Verpflichtungen kümmern. Zum Glück gibt es dafür nun auch in Europa Menschen, die diese “langweilige” Arbeit als Dienstleistung übernehmen – im Interesse aller, auch der Nutzer. Von Sebastian Grüner (Fosdem 2017, Internet)

Viele Open-Source-Projekte können oder wollen sich nicht selbst um rechtliche Verpflichtungen kümmern. Zum Glück gibt es dafür nun auch in Europa Menschen, die diese "langweilige" Arbeit als Dienstleistung übernehmen - im Interesse aller, auch der Nutzer. Von Sebastian Grüner (Fosdem 2017, Internet)

A rash of invisible, fileless malware is infecting banks around the globe

Once the province of nation-sponsored hackers, in-memory malware goes mainstream.

Two years ago, researchers at Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab discovered their corporate network was infected with malware that was unlike anything they had ever seen. Virtually all of the malware resided solely in the memory of the compromised computers, a feat that had allowed the infection to remain undetected for six months or more. Kaspersky eventually unearthed evidence that Duqu 2.0, as the never-before-seen malware was dubbed, was derived from Stuxnet, the highly sophisticated computer worm reportedly created by the US and Israel to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program.

Now, fileless malware is going mainstream, as financially motivated criminal hackers mimic their nation-sponsored counterparts. According to research Kaspersky Lab plas to publish Wednesday, networks belonging to at least 140 banks and other enterprises have been infected by malware that relies on the same in-memory design to remain nearly invisible. Because infections are so hard to spot, the actual number is likely much higher. Another trait that makes the infections hard to detect is the use of legitimate and widely used system administrative and security tools—including PowerShell, Metasploit, and Mimikatz—to inject the malware into computer memory.

"What's interesting here is that these attacks are ongoing globally against banks themselves," Kaspersky Lab expert Kurt Baumgartner told Ars. "The banks have not been adequately prepared in many cases to deal with this." He went on to say that people behind the attacks are "pushing money out of the banks from within the banks," by targeting computers that run automatic teller machines.

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Matoi Imagno: Wenn die Holzklötzchen zu dir sprechen

Zunehmend müssen sich Eltern von Kleinkindern entscheiden: Traditionelles Holzspielzeug oder moderne Smartphone-App fürs Kind? Imagno will beide Welten zusammenführen. (Spielzeug, Games)

Browser: Vivaldi 1.7 erhält Screenshot-Funktion

Der Browser Vivaldi erhält mit der Version 1.7 eine eingebaute Screenshot-Funktion. Das Anlegen von Bildschirmfotos soll damit bequemer als über die Funktionen des Betriebssystem möglich sein. Passende Tastenkürzel sind gleich mit dabei. (Vivaldi, Browser)

Smart Gurlz: Programmieren lernen mit Puppen

Um Mädchen fürs Programmieren zu interessieren, hat ein Unternehmen auf der Nürnberger Spielwarenmesse 2017 einen naheliegenden und doch unüblichen Ansatz gezeigt: die Siggy-Programmiersets. (Digitale Bildung, Games)

Apple TV: Apple setzt auf Amazons Knowhow

Apple hat Amazons langjährigen Chef der Fire-TV-Abteilung übernommen. Er ist künftig für das Apple TV verantwortlich. Es wird erwartet, dass Apple seiner Streaming-Box künftig mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkt. (Apple TV, Apple)

Steal This Show S02E10: In Surveillance Valley

Today we bring you the next episode of the Steal This Show podcast, discussing renegade media and the latest file-sharing and copyright news. In this episode, we talk to journalist and writer Yasha Levine .

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

stslogo180 ^{If you enjoy this episode, consider becoming a patron and getting involved with the show. Check out Steal This Show’s Patreon campaign: support us and get all kinds of fantastic benefits!}

This episode features journalist and writer Yasha Levine discussing some of the topics covered in his forthcoming book, Surveillance Valley.

Yasha argues that the biggest threat to our privacy comes not directly from the government, but via the ubiquitous corporate platforms we all use every day – including Google, Facebook, eBay and others – and the ‘data brokers’ that buy and sell the most intimate information about our lives.

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Steal This Show aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary, and analysis.

The guests for our news discussions will vary, and we’ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds.

Host: Jamie King

Guest: Yasha Levine

Produced by Jamie King
Edited & Mixed by Riley Byrne
Original Music by David Triana
Web Production by Siraje Amarniss

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Ludicrous Mode+: Tesla Model S beschleunigt stärker als alle anderen

Der per Easter Egg freischaltbare Modus Ludicrous Mode+ für das Tesla Model S erlaubt einen Spurt von 0 auf 60 Meilen pro Stunde in 2,276 Sekunden. Das ist schneller als Tesla versprochen hat und macht das Elektroauto zum spurtstärksten Auto auf dem Markt. (Tesla Model S, GreenIT)

Sony: Smartphone-Sensor für Full-HD-Zeitlupe mit 1.000 fps

Sony hat einen CMOS-Sensor entwickelt, der rund 1.000 Bilder pro Sekunde bei voller HD-Auflösung machen kann. Er ist für Smartphones gedacht und verfügt über einen DRAM-Layer zwischen Pixeln und Schaltkreisen, um große Datenmengen zwischenzuspeichern. (Cmos, Smartphone)