The New York Times is reporting that the ACLU, along with a set of six Muslim groups, is taking the US to court over the USA Patriot Act. The groups contend that the Act violates the privacy, free speech, and due process rights guaranteed by the constitution.

A good article from the Washington Post about the current status of José Padilla, the US Citizen being held incommunicado in a South Carolina military base because he was declared an enemy combatant last year. By way of refresher, Mr. Padilla was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare airport after Defence Department …

An article from CNet provides some evidence that people in the United States are cooling to the idea of having their privacy invaded and warming up to the idea of overturning (or at least limiting) some of the additional powers granted the government after 9/11. The article cites a …

I was reading an article this morning about a cleric in Iraq who is preparing a force to control the city of Najaf (a holy site in the country) and was struck by a particular phrase that should give warning to those who think that it is a waste of …

CNet is reporting about a new house bill, just passed by the House, with a component by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Chris Cox (R-CA), that is designed to fund finding ways to reduce or circumvent internet censorship worldwide. The funding is $16 million over the next two years, down from …

Citing second amendment concerns and personal safety issues in DC, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is calling again for the repeal of the stringent gun control laws in the District of Columbia. An article from the Washington Post describes his position (also available in his press release) Senator Hatch has introduced …

Wired has a good article about a new bill proposed in Congress that would "clarify" that uploading a single copyrighted file to a P2P network would make you eligible for a 5 year prison term and $250,000 fine. The proposed bill (sponsored by two Dem's, John Conyers, Jr. (MI …

In a move that appears specifically targeted at Lexmark and their chip-enabled anti-refill technology, the North Carolina Senate has approved a law that would allow everyone in the state to refill any printer cartridge, regardless of any agreement to the contrary in the purchase agreement. An article from the Herald …

It's not the whole case, but CNet reports that Microsoft has lost an important ruling in the case brought against it by small software and technology company InterTrust Technologies. The case involves the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and patents currently held by InterTrust. The company has a …

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Washington state law prohibiting the sale of violent video games, according to an article from CNet. The law, set to go into effect later this month, is one of the few laws to set a new standard for what is considered to be …

With all of the disruption over copying music online, maybe the record industry should read this article from BBC News, based on information provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The organization claims that over one billion counterfeit CDs will be sold worldwide this year. Now, our friends …

Thanks to a pointer from SlashDot, I found my way to an article from GTW Associates (a firm that consults on international standards and trade policy) about a relatively obscure, but potentially important decision by the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal in a copyright case. The case deals …

An article from CNet relays information about a ruling by the Eastern District Court of Virginia that recently ruled that pop-over advertisements by Gator are legal. The summary judgment was handed down last week, but a complete ruling is expected in the upcoming weeks. The plaintiff in this case was …

An article from CNET, written by security expert Kevin Hanrahan, suggests that instead of throwing out private information to enhance privacy, yet more information should be retained. In particular, he suggests retaining information about access to you information. The idea isn't new, it is required by the recently-effective Health Insurance …

An article from BBC News this morning talks about a new law (taking effect in a little over a year) that will call for significant pay-outs to customers whose flights are delayed or canceled or who are forced off due to overbooking. It remains to be seen what the direct …

A new law that goes into effect this week in California will require that companies that collect and maintain personal information alert customers when that information is inappropriately released.An article from CNet further details that release of information that could be used for identity theft (such as Social Security …

Wired is reporting that the California Supreme Court has overturned a ruling of a lower court against Ken Hamidi, a former Intel employee who sent anti- Intel emails after his dismissal in the 1990s. Originally, Intel went to court in order to stop the email campaign by Hamidi, who was …

From the man who brought us "There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws" and "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines. If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize" the errors of their ways, now comes "that's ironic …

Wired reports about an FTC hearing on personal information privacy. As would be expected, various groups showed up to complain about too much and too little information being available. Privacy groups such as EPIC argued that companies should ask for less information and keep to just what they need to …

The heck with due process, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), powerful head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has come out in favor of destroying the computers of people who swap files on the internet. I'd love to say that this AP article (from Yahoo!) was taken out of context, but the …