Your Rights as an Internet User

September 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
internet

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When you use the Internet, there are certain rights you have. In fact, the APC Internet Rights Charter in 2001 addressed seven major themes.

  1. Internet access for all. You have the right to affordable Internet. With this right, you can access materials to improve your knowledge no matter where you are from, what class you are in society, and whether you are male or female. This holds true publicly, as well as in the workplace.
  2. Freedom of expression and association. It doesn’t matter what you think or believe, you have the right to express your thoughts and opinions. With this right, you can organize and engage in online protests if desired.
  3. Access to knowledge. With this right, you can use publicly relevant information from local government, national, and publicly funded international organizations. This includes social and scientific research.
  4. Shared learning and creation. Shared resources, like free and open-source technology development, helps you to share your content with others. This technology includes tools and applications. You can encourage local innovation by using free and open source software using open technology.
  5. Privacy, surveillance and encryption. Privacy is critical, and you have the right to have your information kept away from the general public. Both private and public organizations can take your personal information, but only the minimal amount necessary and only for a minimal period of time. You also have the right to use encryption.
  6. Governance of the Internet. All governance should be democratic and transparent.
  7. Awareness, protection and realization of rights. Internet users have the right to know their rights.

It’s important for internet users to know and understand what rights they have. Websites such as LawQA offer insight into legalities. Understanding yields freedom in usage.

Filed Under: Human Rights Tagged With: , , , ,

Seeking Truck Crash Attorneys Online

August 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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If you have been the victim of an accident involving a truck driver who was under the influence of drugs, you might be entitled to some significant compensation. Of course, legal battles can be a lengthy and costly affair, so you want to make sure you have the best legal advice available to you. Luckily, there are many ways you can find the necessary lawyers you need online.

Be Aware of the Law                                                                               

Before you start looking for a lawyer, you should  familiarize yourself with the law so that you can understand the basic concepts and rules. Official motoring organizations are a good place to start as they will have lots of helpful information on drunk driving laws.

Get a Lawyer in your State

Although many of the blanket national laws about drug driving appear in all US states, it is worth getting a lawyer who specializes in your area to make sure they know of any regional differences and changes to the law. Florida may have different rules regarding road safety than Texas, for example. You can get around this issue by selecting a Florida truck accident lawyer to handle your case.

Have you Been Injured?

In many cases of drug driving, innocent people find themselves badly hurt, or worse. You may need to secure additional legal services to best represent the fact that you were injured. Truck crashes are an expensive business, with the average accident costing the country $4,900 each second. Making sure you’ve got the best representation is the only way to make sure you’re not out of money when the case is over.

Filed Under: Natural Law Human Rights Tagged With: ,

Rights on Using Online Directories

August 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

With so many online directories, it’s easier than ever to find information with a simple click. But how concerned should you be about privacy and security?

You have the right to access and search an online directory, like Canada 411, without worrying about infringements of your privacy. Some directories state up front that they use your personal information for the sole purpose of sending you e-mails, updates, and other forms of communication.

They may also use cookies to improve the sites you are being presented with. Although this type of information collection is generally done via a third party, your personal information is only used in accordance with the directory’s privacy policy unless you specify otherwise.

You also have the right to refuse or withdraw consent if you find yourself receiving unnecessary e-mails from directory affiliates. If you want to avoid this type of contact, refer to the website’s privacy information on how to go about opting-out.

Online directories are very beneficial and work best when every bit of data is collected for public record and search, but you can contact the directory to have your name, address, phone number, and other contact information removed, if necessary.

In most instances, online directories may store your GPS location if you enter it into the system, although you have the right not to enter that information. As long as you abide by the directory’s terms and conditions and are aware of your rights, listing yourself or your company in a widely-used directory is a smart way to make your business more accessible.

Filed Under: Human Rights Tagged With: , ,

When to Hire an Attorney

July 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Attorney Chuck Hobbs

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You have rights. For those who believe there is a risk that someone stole those rights, whether in business or personal affairs, it is critical to take steps to fix those underlying problems. The best way to do that is by hiring an attorney. However, an attorney can be expensive. It is important to know when to hire and when not to.

Protecting Your Rights

In any situation, you have rights. If you believe that someone has violated those rights, it is up to you to fight for them. Yet, it is also important to know when you may not have a case that will stand in court. The following tips can help.

  • Is there a real violation of your rights occurring? If you cannot show a law where the specific action violated your rights, you may not have a case. Where and what is the law broken?
  • Do you have evidence? Before you hire an attorney, be sure you have the evidence necessary to prove what you say. Otherwise, you could be liable. This is not something you want to happen.
  • Finally, go in for a consultation. Many attorneys will discuss your case with you without actually taking it on. This is a good time to see if you do have a case.

In situations where someone took your idea or defamed you, it is a good idea to take action. However, the courts do require evidence beyond the he said she said story. Find out what you can do when you speak to an attorney about your case.

 

Filed Under: Human Rights Law Enforcement Tagged With: , ,

Television and Its Progression through Time

June 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A communication device that has kept people in the know since the early 1920’s is the television. Since then, the television has changed from black and white, to Technicolor, to currently HD. Despite all the changes that television has been through, it still provides us with current news and happenings.

So, how has television changed throughout the years? The idea of electronic transmitted images spurred about in 1878. Since its actual use in 1881, the picture of the television transmission has been perfected and rasterized even finer for quality pictures. In the 1920’s many homes owned the traditional CRT, big boxed and heavy television set.  During the 1950’s it provided not only current news, but also cheap entertainment. In the mid-fifties, forms of reality television shows began to broadcast. The unexpectedness of these reality TV shows changed the expectation of scripted shows.

Advertising began to get a hold of television during the 50’s as well. Various corporations began to look at it as a way to mass advertise to the general public. They found they could get more sales and popularity this way. Companies also started to sponsor certain big hit TV programs which only gave them more publicity. Even the presidential voting during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s election, television served as a way to advertise their campaigns. Since then, candidates for most government official positions rely on television to gain more voters.

In addition to a wider range of programming and different advertising, television’s face has changed. TV screens are wider, sleeker and able to perform a myriad of tasks. They come in all shapes and sizes, though they are much thinner than their ancestors. Internet can now be accessed on most TV’s using advanced technologies like direct tv etc. Pictures, movies and video games are played on mostly high quality HDTV’s. The demand for better picture, programming and quality has drastically changed how we view television today.

Filed Under: General Law & Legal Tagged With: , ,

Know the Laws that Protect Internet Patents

June 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Gavel 

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Regardless of the size of your business, it’s very wise to know something about the laws that relate to Internet patents. These patents protect your business processes and ensure no other company or individual can steal them from you.

The United States offers Internet patents under Class 705 through the federal patent office. There’s been a good deal of litigation over what is eligible to be patented. In a 1998 case involving State Street Bank and Signature Financial Group, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that business processes such as those used for online sales are able to be patented. However, a 2008 ruling by the Court of Appeals, known as In re Bilski, muddied the waters quite a bit. Still, the details of this opinion make up the legal interpretation that dictates what is, in fact, considered to be a business process that’s eligible for a patent. In 2009, federal judges split over the implications of Bilski.

It can be overwhelming to sort through these regulations and the case law yourself. So, if you’re unsure about patent law Los Angeles and other large metropolitan areas have experienced attorneys who can go over the details with you. This is an evolving area of the law. It’s possible that more clarity will come from the courts or Congress could take up the matter and lay out more specific guidelines.

Don’t let a competitor snag an Internet patent for a business process you perfected, and make sure you are going to attempt to patent a process that is eligible under the current holdings of U.S. courts.

Filed Under: General Law & Legal

Stopping Digital Crime

May 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Digital crime has been a growing problem ever since the advent of the Internet. Digital crime is when a person or a group of people steal information or use services for free that they should actually be paying for. There are digital rights put in place to prevent this type of behavior from happening, but there is still a lot of digital crime that slips through the cracks.

Many people probably remember the fiasco that was caused by Napster, a company that allowed people to share music files with anyone through the Internet. There were numerous problems with this, the biggest being that music artists were not making the money that they should have off of CD sales. Napster was infringing on media rights. There are still a lot of people, however, that are sharing music files with others, even though it is unethical and against the law.

Police officials are allowed to use digital forensics to help uncover people who are involved in digital crime. They sometimes run into problems, however, because of privacy issues. This is why digital crime is such a controversial subject – it is against the law, yet it is hard to catch individuals who are at fault because of privacy laws.

The best way to stop digital crime is the honor system. Whenever you see a digital crime being committed, speak out about the matter. The more people there are that are ethical, the less it will be a problem. Besides, there are severe penalties for being involved in digital crime if you are caught, and it’s not worth the risk.

Filed Under: Protecting Of Human Rights Tagged With: , ,

Where is Television Heading?

May 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
“In fact, Osama bin Laden is a pilot of Americ... 

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There is a lot of crap on television these days. It’s hard not to flip through your television’s set of channels and not come across something that most would consider cheap and tawdry.

One thing that is not going away is television news. It’s hard to imagine not being glued to the television to watch the events of a 9/11 or to see the pictures and hear the news that Osama Bin Laden was killed on CNN. Even at the local level, people will still turn in to their community station(s) to watch the weather and hear the latest news about local events.

Like it or not reality television shows are here to stay. Many of them like the Bad Girls Club are devoid of any purpose, yet young people are tuning in and watching in droves.

One of the trends in reality television lately is that of self improvement. NBC’s Biggest Loser has taken the weight loss and self-help regime to an entirely new level. It’s not surprising then that ABC has followed their hit show Extreme Makeover with and Extreme Makeover Weight-loss edition. As the world gets more obese, people are sure to tune in and gather tips and information from those that have lost the weight and fought the battle.

While newspapers might be struggling, television is thriving. With unlimited possibilities in the ‘reality’ genre there is sure to be bigger and better version of self-help, home improvement, cooking and celebrity meltdowns.
Stay tuned, your new favorite show is sure to be just around the corner.

Filed Under: General Law & Legal Tagged With: , ,

Before social networking, broadcast television and radio were the sources

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

“Social media” are getting a lot of attention for connecting people and credit for helping spark people-power democratic revolutions.

What’s being left out in these discussions is the progenitor networks of radio and television. Before the country was connected by these two communication forms, the main source of information was newspapers. While they did (and still do, despite the changes in delivery systems) provide a valuable service, the new media provided an immediacy newspapers couldn’t match.

The telegraph helped speed the spread of news, but still it might be the next day before word of a disaster or an assassination got from to New York to Topeka, Kansas. Over-the-air broadcasting, especially after the networks were formed in the early 20th century, could bring an event live. It was days or weeks before the extent of the Titanic sinking could be understood in 1912; 25 years later, people listening to the radio got a moment-by-moment account of the Hindenburg disaster.

World War II was brought home by radio and the Vietnam conflict entered America’s houses through television – and perhaps help plant the seeds of opposition. The assassination of John F. Kennedy became a time of national mourning during the 24-hour coverage. It also brought one shocking moment when Kennedy’s assassin was assassinated on live TV.

The other nationally – and internationally – shared event was the landing on the moon. President Nixon told the nation he was resigning on national TV and the terrible events of Sept. 11, 2001 have been seared into the collective consciousness by all those images sent worldwide by broadcast and cable networks.

Today, the audience is fragmented by cable and satellite networks, but for now, most people are still turning on the TV to get their news.

The social networks might be closing in on those numbers, but the way was paved by the national radio and television broadcast networks.

Filed Under: General Law & Legal Tagged With: , ,

Understanding the Privacy Policy of a Website

March 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Most websites contain what is called a privacy policy. It’s usually found on banking sites, shopping sites and service websites. They’re almost always found on any site that requires your personal or credit card information. What does this policy do? To put it blatantly, it helps your consumer know exactly what they’re getting into.

A law that Congress passed in ‘01 allows businesses to give their customers privacy during transactions over the internet. And, since they must follow this law, they are also required to provide their consumers a copy of their privacy policy. It fully details how their information is used between companies. This can also include bank operations.

The information these institutions are receiving from you is very important. They often consist of your name, social security, your address and all the transactions you have done using this private information. They’re making it known to you that this information can and will be shared between other institutions. There is a way to not participate in some of these so your private information won’t be shared. But, some privacy policies are so confusing people overlook this and simply sign over their information.

Many of the big, brand named businesses readily have their privacy policy where consumers can see it. It’s ideal to read through it carefully to assure you know where your information will be sent. However they can be very long and tedious. A new law coming into effect will be available to make privacy policies easier for the consumer to understand. Website owners may think they don’t need a privacy policy. But, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It can also be an overwhelming task to write one. Have a lawyer compose one for you. It’ll be a bit pricey, but you’ll be securing yourself and your consumers.

Filed Under: General Law & Legal Tagged With: , ,
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