Rights | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 20 Dec 2016 11:51:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Rights | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 UK VPN usage explodes as Digital Economy Bill progresses https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-vpn-usage-explodes-as-digital-economy-bill-progresses/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-vpn-usage-explodes-as-digital-economy-bill-progresses/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2016 11:51:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=315175 The use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has increased dramatically in the UK as the controversial Digital Economy Bill and Investigatory Powers Bill have progressed through parliament. In the case of some VPNs, UK customers have more than doubled, with many concerned for their privacy and access to content. The Investigatory Powers Bill, often nicknamed …

The post UK VPN usage explodes as Digital Economy Bill progresses first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has increased dramatically in the UK as the controversial Digital Economy Bill and Investigatory Powers Bill have progressed through parliament. In the case of some VPNs, UK customers have more than doubled, with many concerned for their privacy and access to content.

The Investigatory Powers Bill, often nicknamed the Snooper's Charter, will allow for the mass hacking of UK consumer devices if required by a police investigation and will force ISPs to keep ‘internet connection records' of their customers, essentially a 12 month record of their browser history. The Digital Economy Bill is currently being debated in parliament, but will if enacted, allow for the blocking of porn sites if they don't check ages properly.

nordvpn

Neither piece of legislation is one that has received much public support, but they look set to become law anyway. With that in mind, many British consumers have been heading to VPN providers to try and protect their privacy. KitGuru spoke to NordVPN‘s head of communications, Jodi Myers, who told us that UK customers using the service had more than doubled in recent months.

In the mind of her and her company though, that's a good thing, as with NordVPN not storing customer logs and based in Panama, it should help users avoid potential pitfalls created by the aforementioned bills.

“NordVPN is concerned about the potential side effects of the Digital Economy Bill, such as the possibility of blocking popular sites – Reddit or Tumblr – that might include content not approved by the UK government,” she said. “We are worried about the consequences this might have on net neutrality and Internet freedom.”

NordVPN isn't the only company which has seen a lot more interest from British consumers as these bills have progressed however. We also received a statement from ExpressVPN about the bills and their influence on VPN interest from the public:

“Since the bill was announced earlier this year, we have seen a steady increase in signups from UK customers,” said David Lang, ExpressVPN's communications manager. “Internet users in the UK are rightly concerned about the consequences of their ISP logging their browsing activity and sharing such data with a wide range of government agencies. Using a VPN is a perfect way to fight back and maintain one’s anonymity online.”

express

Although the Investigatory Powers Bill has now become an official Act with Royal Assent, the Digital Economy Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords. There is still a chance they could add further amendments, but it seems unlikely.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I have a VPN subscription in place to protect my privacy and make sure I have free access to content online. Freedom of expression and information are some of the cornerstones of our society. Infringing upon those with these bills which use the age old scare tactics of protecting the children and protecting against terrorism, are breaching some of our most important rights as British citizens. They are a complete travesty. 

The post UK VPN usage explodes as Digital Economy Bill progresses first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-vpn-usage-explodes-as-digital-economy-bill-progresses/feed/ 3
Open Rights Group calls on members to combat GCHQ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/open-rights-group-calls-on-members-to-combat-gchq/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/open-rights-group-calls-on-members-to-combat-gchq/#respond Fri, 27 Feb 2015 13:23:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=237937 The Open Rights Group is a big proponent of, above all else, open rights. That means it champions the rights of individuals online, including freedoms of expression, freedoms of speech, information and privacy. With all of the Edward Snowden revelations and similar in the past couple of years, it's had its work cut out for …

The post Open Rights Group calls on members to combat GCHQ first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The Open Rights Group is a big proponent of, above all else, open rights. That means it champions the rights of individuals online, including freedoms of expression, freedoms of speech, information and privacy. With all of the Edward Snowden revelations and similar in the past couple of years, it's had its work cut out for it, with many a politician, lobby group and often individuals uttering the line: “if you've nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.”

The ORG spends a lot of time combating these sorts of claims, but with the election campaign coming and the recent revelation that GCHQ had been hacking into people's sim cards, it's put the call out for members to contact the press, business leaders and their local politicians to try and explain just why the government's current interest in undermining basic digital freedoms and effective encryption are so wrong.

According to the government, GCHQ has apparently done nothing substantially wrong. Hacking into legitimate businesses, stealing data or SIM encryption keys is ok. 0wn1ng [sic] Belgacom’s networks with GCHQ malware is just targeting terrorists. Who cares if it costs them £12 million to clean up the mess GCHQ has made?” said Jim Killock, executive director of the ORG in a letter to members.

org

“Digital businesses depend on customer trust, including trust of encryption tools, which are used for all kinds of secure transactions. Cloud services need to be trusted as secure, rather than surveillance platforms, or they won’t be used.”

He later went on to ask all the group's members to get in touch if they feel strongly enough to contact influential people to explain the problems. The ORG is even offering to help coach them in how best to talk to their politicians and how to put the issues across in a concise and effective manner.

“If you have experience of this, or simply think politicians are getting this wrong, and are willing to speak up, please let us know,” the letter concludes.

You can also contact the Mr Killock using his jim.killock@openrightsgroup.org email address, and can even do so privately using his publicly available PGP key if you prefer.

KitGuru Says: My local MP is probably fed up with the number of times I've contacted him to address issues I have with his style of governance. Do any of you make a point of contacting your MP when someone bothers you?

The post Open Rights Group calls on members to combat GCHQ first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/open-rights-group-calls-on-members-to-combat-gchq/feed/ 0
Brazil creates ‘Internet Constitution’ enshrines privacy https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/brazil-creates-internet-constitution-enshrines-privacy/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/brazil-creates-internet-constitution-enshrines-privacy/#respond Thu, 24 Apr 2014 09:59:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188837 In the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations, it's become clear that the online world is a lot less private than we once thought, with governments and corporations often in secret collusion to provide information on their customers and citizens to intelligence agencies, whether you've done something wrong or not. However in Brazil they clearly do …

The post Brazil creates ‘Internet Constitution’ enshrines privacy first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
In the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations, it's become clear that the online world is a lot less private than we once thought, with governments and corporations often in secret collusion to provide information on their customers and citizens to intelligence agencies, whether you've done something wrong or not. However in Brazil they clearly do things very differently, as the senate there has just signed in something dubbed the “Internet Constitution,” which protects the privacy of online users and net neutrality.

The bill still needs to be signed in by current president Dilma Rousseff, but as Reuters points out, this is essentially a formality as she's a big fan of the rights put forward in the constitution and championed several of them after becoming a victim of US spying herself.

thumbsup
Right on guys. Source: Thumbs and Ammo

The bill features many stipulations that web users around the world have been crying out for for a long time, including: an intrinsic right to privacy, net neutrality for all traffic types, protection of freedoms of expression and information – meaning no website will be held liable for content posted by users. It also limits the amount of metadata that can be gathered and forces companies doing business with Brazilian citizens to be subject to Brazilian laws.

To get this bill through, the government had to ignore calls from telecoms companies to allow for the charging of higher rates for higher bandwidth services, though it did have to rescind a plan to force companies to store data on Brazilians in Brazil.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is the sort of forward thinking you want from your politicians. Not more tabloid pandering and nanny state hand-holding. 

The post Brazil creates ‘Internet Constitution’ enshrines privacy first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/brazil-creates-internet-constitution-enshrines-privacy/feed/ 0
German music rights law blocks many Youtube videos https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/german-music-rights-law-blocks-many-youtube-videos/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/german-music-rights-law-blocks-many-youtube-videos/#respond Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:00:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=125985 We've talked about the trouble with German music law in the past. It's the reason that Spotify took so long to launch in the country and why other music services have such a hard time. The biggest performance rights group in the country, GEMA, is tyrannical in its protectionism of artists and without a fair usage law …

The post German music rights law blocks many Youtube videos first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
We've talked about the trouble with German music law in the past. It's the reason that Spotify took so long to launch in the country and why other music services have such a hard time. The biggest performance rights group in the country, GEMA, is tyrannical in its protectionism of artists and without a fair usage law like you find in countries like the US, it's leading to many high profile Youtube videos be blocked by Google as a precautionary measure.

For example, Meteor videos filmed last week from Russian dashboards were blocked in most instances, as they had car radios playing in the background. According to Wired, around 1,000 of the most popular Youtube videos are blocked in the country because it is assumed that they contain GEMA owned music.

While you might think this is an over reaction, Google has publically said why it takes such protective measures: “YouTube has no insight into what rights GEMA represents. Due to the legal and financial risks that result from these processes in the context of GEMA's [published royalty fee structure], music videos are blocked in Germany.”

Youtube GEMA
This is what German Youtube users are greeted by when trying to watch certain videos

Currently the rights group is demanding a per-stream cost of 0.004 euros. For a video with hundreds of millions of plays, this could represent millions of dollars that Google would have to pay out if it happened to contain part of a GEMA protected track.

Rights groups are suggesting that GEMA's attitude is preventing freedom of expression and freedom of the press within Germany, since so many videos end up blocked within the country.

GEMA has said it is prepared to work with Google but only on its terms.

KitGuru Says: This just seems silly. GEMA and German artists are missing out on revenue because of this over the top system and the German people are unable to view content that is available everywhere else in the world.

The post German music rights law blocks many Youtube videos first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/german-music-rights-law-blocks-many-youtube-videos/feed/ 0