There’s two news subjects that have been keeping me busy lately, and I’m starting to think that the first subject could greatly help the world by kicking the ass of the second. Maybe then we can get a handle on the third.
I guess I should clarify that, before the men in white coats arrive: The two subjects I am talking about are hackers and patent trolls. The third one is the defunct patent system.
Patent trolls are greedy, bad people and companies with an (unfortunately non-lethal) deficiency in scruples that use the broken US (and sometimes worldwide) patent system to extort other companies and people. Some examples:
- A quite recently formed company named Kooltol is suing tech companies over a patent they don’t even completely have yet covering “publishing and sending messages using one way or two way messaging and by subscribing to posts of other users of a network. By indexing each message of each user the system provides real time search capabilities to users of the network in turn creating a unique form of communication.” (more info here)
Sounds generic? Yeah, that’s how these $@&!holes usually operate.
- Lodsys, LLC. is suing Apple and a number of small app developers over their claimed patent on in-app purchases, among other things. This one has been dragging on for a while and is especially dastardly because they are going after small entities that do not have the economic means to defend themselves in a lengthy court case. Total douches.
- Visual Interactive Phone Concepts, Inc., a “non-practicing entity” (translation: a company that does nothing but own two rather generic patents and sue people to get rich quick) that holds two “videophone mailbox” patents and has previously instigated patent infringement suits, filed lawsuits against Apple, Google, AT&T, and US Cellular.
The current patent system, specifically the way the USPTO works, is inherently flawed and is a great way for these patent trolls to squeeze money out of others. Don’t get me wrong, there is no love lost between me and the corporations, but I have a great and fiery hatred of these patent troll saddle sniffers.
Now lately the press, some companies and several governments have been in a huff over a handful of very effective hacker groups. These groups have proven their ability to get the real inside secrets from many organisations and bring down a network or two (my PS3 is still recovering). I agree that their work is undoubtedly illegal, but I do see a trend of “white hattery” in their work, so maybe, just maybe, they should be targeting the patent trolls.
Really, how bad could it be? Here’s the pros:
- Patent trolls’ networks may be shut down, hindering their work
- The world may become privy to the inner workings of these companies
- They may get some major egg on their faces
Now before I get a shitload of lawyers or government agencies on my back: I do not condone or support illegal activities. I’m just musing here. Really. Look at this honest face, ok?
I’m not so delusional that I actually think any hackers really read my blog anyway, but a man can dream about a world where patent trolls are digitally spanked and maybe even eradicated.
I know there are many, many people in the US, and the rest of the world for that matter, that are opposing the basically lawless behaviour of governments when it comes to your digital privacy and rights. In fact, the behaviour is not lawless but really based in draconian and human-rights violating laws which is much worse.
Take the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act in the USA for example. This act allows the government to acquire a suspect’s e-mail or other stored content from an internet service provider without showing probable cause that a crime was committed, as long as the content has been stored on a third-party server for 180 days or more. And with other rules ensuring that providers keep your email for longer than that, the US government can look into your email history if they “feel that it is necessary”. No due cause, no warrant needed, easy.
But, to my great surprise, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy has proposed a new bill (PDF here) that would require the government, for the first time, to get a probable-cause warrant to obtain e-mail and other content stored in the cloud. Wow. Another senator stepping up for digital civil rights? Maybe some of the people in power are finally waking up, and even better, daring to stand up for our rights. Amazing.
Hold on to your party hats for now though, the bill is still not far-reaching enough. It is a first step, requiring warrants and probably cause for real-time traffic, not for the content stored for a longer time. Still, a step forward is a step forward.
By the way, if you care about your digital privacy at all, support the EFF. You should be doing that already. Oh, and don’t vote for assholes.
This might be one of the best sleight of hand /card trick performances I’ve ever seen. Set to Sting’s “Shape of My Heart”, this is one mesmerising and amazing routine. Enjoy.
