Computer Ethics, Fall 2020, Thursdays

October 29

Class 10 Readings

By this point you should have read all of chapter 2.

You should soon begin reading Baase Chapter 3 on Speech.


Another perspective on paper 2:

Who controls the conversation?

YouTube-dl

Late last week, github.com took down YouTube-dl, a Python tool for downloading YouTube videos, upon receipt of what looked like a takedown notice from the RIAA. Github promptly complied, and the YouTube-dl page contained only this: github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2020/10/2020-10-23-RIAA.md.

But there is something missing. Section 512 takedown notices are supposed to be claiming copyright on the hosted content. The RIAA was clearly not doing that.

Microsoft owns Github, so clearly Github has good legal advice. (That might be why the site is back up.) Microsoft is also a member of the RIAA.

What the RIAA appears really to be interested in is expanding the reach of 17 USC 1201 (emphasis added)

No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that—
(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;
(B) has only limited commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title; or
(C) is marketed by that person or another acting in concert with that person with that person’s knowledge for use in circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.

References: Morbius, joindiaspora.com/posts/19279710.

CBP and tracking

Apparently CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) is tracking people (including US citizens) by buying location information from companies (such as Venntel) that gather it from people's phones. See vice.com/en/article/n7vwex/cbp-dhs-venntel-location-data-no-warrant. I am not sure, but I think they can connect that location history with a phone's IMSI signals, as obtained via Stingrays.

Oct 29: Facebook tells Congress it favors changing §230

But that's not quite an indication that, yes, it's time to move forward. Rather, the changes proposed by Zuckerberg would help FB, and harm smaller competitors.

Though maybe not by so much. Supposedly the plan FB favors is similar to the PACT Act proposal: sites would have to post their moderation standards, and create a mechanism for appealing takedowns.

theverge.com/2020/10/29/21537040/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-section-230-hearing-reform-pact-act-big-tech.






Fosta/Sesta

So who is entitled to a §230 exception?

Criminal Libel

McLibel

Threat Speech is different

Licra v Yahoo

Google and being forgotten

Source code as speech