BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

When I was still a devout Catholic (which I was until my late-30s) the one practice I hated and never could get the "hang" of was the Sacrament of Confession. Why should have to tell my 'sins' to some priest?, I thought. I always felt I had an intimate relationship with God, so why tell some guy with a collar? And the hypocrisy of behavior I saw in the priests I knew was enough to send me running. Besides, that dark booth - where the little screen slides open and then you pour your heart out? No way. When I got older and little more worldly it reminded me of some disgusting peep-show booth on the old 42nd Street. Creepy. But now you can CONFESS online. Sorry, but in the first place I don't think confession clears anyone. The person you should be dialoging with is the person you harmed. Not projection, not smearing and certainly not telling asking a priest to give you absolution -- but the person you used, abused, crapped all over or lied to. Yes, THAT pers...

WHO'S WATCHING US ONLINE? "This is damning evidence that privacy is being destroyed by the very nations that proclaim to respect our rights," he said. "It is clear that there is a systemic failure of legal mechanisms to protect us against the emerging surveillance society. Those responsible for protecting our rights have failed to do so ... Australia, Britain and the United States have not only performed abysmally but they are embracing surveillance at an alarming speed." LINKS ON PRIVACY, THE FIRST AMENDMENT and THE INTERNET LEGAL ENFORCEMENT VERSUS DATA MINING JUST BECAUSE ITS LEGAL DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT BLOGGING SAFELY GOOGLE FINALLY! DECIDES TO KEEP IT PRIVATE! KEEP IT VERIFIABLE One for ATLAS : A statement that the plaintiff is a "Dumb Ass," even first among "Dumb Asses," communicates no factual proposition susceptible of proof or refutation. TEXT MESSAGE SNAGGING: CHILD'S PLAY OR CLOAK AND DAGGER by Bob Sullivan Lost in ...

Privacy, Free Speech and Anonymity on the Internet On Friday, January 11, 2008; 12:00 PM -- Daniel J. Solove, associate law professor at George Washington University and author of "The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet," will be online Friday, Jan. 11 at Noon ET to resume his discussion about the Megan Meier-MySpace suicide case and the growing concern over the "Google Generation." Daniel J. Solove, Associate Law Professor, George Washington University and Author, 'The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet' CLICK HERE FOR HOW TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS & JOIN THE DISCUSSION READ MORE: DEATH BY 1000 PAPERCUTS - MEGAN MEIER/MYSPACE LIBRARY

BLOGGERS: WELCOME TO "MEDIA" & YOUR ANONYMITY A couple stories worth sharing in readers to the status of bloggers and their anonymity came up in the news - and I want to share them with my readers and the blogosphere. Political Bloggers: Welcome to the “Media” Political Bloggers can now “breathe a sigh of relief” according to Eric Sinrod on CNET. A ruling just came down from the Federal Election Commission that classifies bloggers as media and volunteers - doesn’t matter if you’re a big operation or working solo. From the article: Political bloggers can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has just resolved two complaints by determining that Internet blogging activities are not within FEC regulation because such activities fall within media and volunteer exemptions to the Federal Election Campaign Act. The first matter resolved was in regards to DailyKos.com: The site has charged a fee to place advertising on its Web site. It also has...

Freeing Afghan Women Will Take More Than Allowing Them to Take off Their Burqua Michele Toomey, PhD The graphic pictures of Afghan women walking around covered and hindered by their burqua is so painful to see, but as they become free to take them off, that may be pain that we don't see. They have not only been forced to be hidden, they have grown accustomed to it and to the violence directed at them as women. What will exposure feel like? Will it feel freeing or frightening? I would like to address the prospect of fear. These women have been raped, beaten, and even shot, at a moments notice and at a man's whim. They have known slavery and captivity, all because they are women. Now they are going to uncover for all the men to see. How safe is that going to feel? How freeing does that seem? For some, probably not freeing at all, only more frightening at the prospect of such exposure. If we really do care about the plight of Afghan women, we had better provide them with psycholo...

BETRAYED BY THE INTERNET! With all the recent buzz in the JBlogsphere on the Orthomom case and in the Domestic Violence Blogsphere (and I'm fairly certain every other blog niche on the net) on anonymity, free speech and intellectual property law - I felt this article was important enough and 'scary' enough to warrant reposting it here. Be glad this isn't us... or is it? Read EFF's Legal Guide for Bloggers YAHOO BETRAYED MY HUSBAND! By Luke O'Brien (excerpts) FAIRFAX, Virginia -- Early one Sunday morning in 2002, a phone rings in Yu Ling's Beijing duplex. She's cleaning upstairs; her son is asleep, while downstairs, her husband, Wang Xiaoning, is on the computer. Wang writes about politics, anonymously e-mailing his online e-journals to a group of Yahoo users. He's been having problems with his Yahoo service recently. He thinks it's a technical issue. This is the day he learns he's wrong. Wang picks up the phone: "Yes?" "Are...