Canadian police and Microsoft have just increased the odds against online pedophiles. They've launched the "Child Exploitation Tracking System," a secure database housed at Ottawa's National Child Exploitation Coordination Center and "designed to help officers link and share huge amounts of information," the Associated Press reports. The database "contains information gathered from international … [Read more...] about Microsoft helps cops catch predators
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Copyright law & our kids
Our children - whether they're listeners, downloaders, composers, or digital-music mashers - are affected by the copyright-law decisions being made these days, including the one the US Supreme Court is expected to announce in June. "When people are willing to line up for nearly 24 hours to hear a copyright case, something far bigger than accessing free music is taking place," writes Internet law … [Read more...] about Copyright law & our kids
P2P & new copyright thinking
Hip-hop is a great example of music that's *so* Digital Age, the Christian Science Monitor points out in a thorough think piece on all Net-based music's shades of gray. "The Internet hasn't only made copying easy, it also has helped foster a culture in which some artists create new work by literally reusing or remixing the work of others. Hip-hop music, built on the idea of 'sampling' the beats or … [Read more...] about P2P & new copyright thinking
US high court looks at P2P
Judging by the media coverage, the Supreme Court justices know a lot more about file-sharing than the average American parent. As they listened to arguments in the landmark MGM vs. Grokster case yesterday, they peppered both sides with questions about "deep house mashups" (I think this means grabbing tracks from various songs and mashing them up to compose something new with sound-editing … [Read more...] about US high court looks at P2P
Gizmondo: The hype & the downside
Great. Just what any parent wants: A portable game device that allows gamers to get a fix on each other's exact physical location. And judging by the news coverage, the Gizmondo is going to be one very popular item. It's now available in the UK. For 229 pounds ($440), "the most tricked-out handheld device yet created ... plays games, music and videos; takes digital pictures; and sends and receives … [Read more...] about Gizmondo: The hype & the downside