I have been reading an eye-opening paper by mathematicians Dorit Ron and Ami Shamir, looking at the entire transaction history of the Bitcoin network. For those unfamiliar with Bitcoin, it is a cryptographic currency that was created with the stated intention of generating a decentralised payment system for the Internet Read more…
The Internet is going through one of its cyclical soul-searching periods, prompted by a spat between popular websites Reddit and Gawker. A journalist for Gawker published an article in which the identity of a notorious troll on Reddit was doxxed, that is, his real identity was revealed. In real life, Read more…
Durante los últimos días hemos presenciado un lamentable ataque contra el Congreso y la Fuerza Pública por parte de elementos opuestos al veto presidencial de la Ley 17342 que reforma varios artículos de la legislación vigente de observancia de derechos de propiedad intelectual. El ataque ha sido propiciado por una Read more…
I am in Vancouver attending the conference Memory of the World in the Digital age: Digitization and Preservation, organized by UNESCO. Here is the prezi of my presentation. Licensing Options for Digitization on Prezi Enjoy… unless you suffer from motion sickness, in which case I’d give it a miss.
I have been reading a lot about the problems with the iOS 6 map application, as Apple decided to remove the Google Maps app and roll their own. I thought they were exaggerating until I tried the application with my iPad. Apple, we have a problem… Here is my current Read more…
In a Rogue’s Gallery of copyright legislation, many efforts deserve mention. The DMCA is surely there, together with Japan’s new copyright law, the Digital Economy Act, and Ley Sinde. But a new Panamanian copyright bill is giving those laws a run for their money. The excellent project at Infojustice.org have Read more…
I have been seeing different versions of the following legal-looking privacy statement on Facebook popping up through my timeline: “Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you post to this site. It is recommended that you and Read more…
I have been playing World of Warcraft again in preparation for the forthcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion (two words: panda monks!). For years I played in European servers the same character, an Alliance Human mage who then switched sides and joined the Horde as a Blood Elf, and finally settled Read more…
A recent blog post by the Students for Free Culture has been making the rounds in social media in the last few days. The article calls for an end to Creative Commons non-free licences, namely those with non-commercial (NC) and non-derivative (ND) elements. The blog is based on the dislike Read more…
Internet openness is all the rage these days. From call signs on buildings to Declarations of Internet Freedom, an important sector of informed users is catching on to the relevance of keeping the Web open. This openness movement has been prompted in part by the perceived and real threats coming Read more…