I know it seems like I'm always posting about wife-beaters and sexual predators when it comes to privacy and civil rights, so let me say again, for real, it's not because of sympathy.

As a society, we knee-jerk when it comes to anything about these two button-pushing populations. We will sacrifice anything -- with nary a glance at how it may pan out in the long run -- ostensibly to protect ourselves, and that's what I find troubling.

So it was with interest that I have been following the match.com plan to check their user lists against sex offender registries, in the wake of a lawsuit against the company by a woman who says she was assaulted by a "match." All kinds of wrong, and the stellar Electronic Frontier Foundation (love them so much) says it best:

Sexual Predators, Please Check Here: Match.com’s Deeply Flawed Plan to Screen for Sex Offenders

I've heard people say, "if you don't like the policies, just don't use match (or FB, or insert-social-media-site-here)" but whether these policies are misguided, panic-induced, or actually well thought out ways for companies and the guvmint to work their way into your life, they have implications far beyond simply stringing up those we find distasteful "for the children" blah blah blah, and far beyond sites you just decide not to use.

Opened up the Guardian today and what did I see? Comcast's Secret War on Filesharing.

Or, not so secret, except from me. An article from October on CNET gives excellent background on the story, and a search brought up many tech blogs with their own take.

















(I've never been much for lolcats but, oh, what the hell.)

Anyway, this is my first time hearing about it, and oh my god. I'm so glad I don't use Comcast, but 'tis true what the Guardian piece says -- this is a harbinger of what's to come. I hope the Electronic Frontier Foundation sues those bastards something fierce.

BTW, thank god for the EFF. See here for their excellent report on the matter, and how to check your own ISP for packet injection. I think I know who's getting a donation from me this year.