US: Craigslist “adult” adverts censored

06 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

Classified ad site Craigslist has closed its “Adult Services” section, after a campaign by 17 states to have it removed. Attorneys general from Montana to Virginia wrote a letter to Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster last month, urging him to shut down the erotic ads section. The link has now been blacked out and replaced with the word “censored”. The decision only affects the US version of the site. Craigslist has previously cited in its defence the federal Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from liability for content posted by users. The company has not yet commented on the recent removal.

USA: Bill would force media to delete stories about convicts

03 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost

Senators in Ohio have introduced a bill which would force media organisations to remove stories about former convicts from the Internet. The new law would allow non-violent criminals with multiple convictions to have records of their offenses sealed by the courts after five years of clean conduct. Individuals and private businesses, including the media, would then be obliged to delete references to those arrests and convictions. Violation of the bill could be punished by fines of up to $1m. Currently, only first-time offenders can have their criminal records expunged. The bill is expected to be passed later this year.

FBI seeks access to private email information

06 Aug 10 | Index Index, minipost

The US government has introduced new legislation which would allow the FBI to demand personal information from private email accounts. The bill would enable FBI field officers to access information regarding the times and dates emails were sent, as well as the private email addresses of correspondents. The FBI would not need to possess a court order and would simply need to deem the information relevant to demand private details from internet providers. ISP’s would be forced to keep the requests secret.

US copyright body rules on video artists

27 Jul 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

The body responsible for interpreting copyright law within the United States has broadened the exemptions available to video artists seeking to re-use copyrighted material in not-for-profit work. The US Copyright Office’s judgment means that short sections of pre-existing footage can now be legally used in new pieces; for example, online video memes (such as the one based on a segment of footage from the film Downfall) would now be protected from copyright claims.