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Bad news in Canada: Yesterday Bill C-61 was tabled and it doesn’t bode well. Among the rights at risk:

• time shifting (no, not sci-fi time travel but recording television now to view later
• transferring media (music, video, etc) you own to a portable music/video device that you own (like an iPod)
• format shifting — transferring media from analog to digital (records to dvd, vhs tapes to dvd)
• unlocking a cellphone — want to switch providers? you’ll have to buy a new phone
• unlocking media so you can watch it on a Linux machine or Mac. If it’s made to only work under windows then you’re breaking the law to run it on anything else

Find your MP here: Members of 39th Parliament - Canada, list updated March 2008. Call them!

The legalese details of Bill-C61 here: Bill C-61

There’s a a Facebook group called Fair Copyright Canada started back in December by Michael Geist. It’s a great place for updates. He also has a list of 30 Things You Can Do — so check it out and Do Something. In general, Michael Geist’s blog is an incredible place to keep up with Canadian laws on copyright, technology, internet, etc and the activism necessary to make Canada a great place to live.

I joined the facebook group a few months ago and I phoned my MP, Brian Masse, this morning. I’m going to go through that list and see what else I can do. Canada’s dropped the ball this time around. Instead of a leading model of fair use and fair copy protection we have big business protection and jail time in our futures.

This story today announces that the word “podcast” has made it into the New Oxford American Dictionary 2006. Originally coined as a combo of ‘ipod’ and ‘broadcast’ the word has spread into popular culture and beyond. My extended family now knows what a podcast is. My children know. Their friends know. The widespread popularity has legitimized the word and the practice and it’s no longer some geeky 1337 thing. Read more »

I went to a session today on the how-to and why university faculty should incorporate audiocasts into their classrooms. What better way to share this info thought I then by creating an audiocast covering the major topics of the workshop. Read more »

An individual’s ability to operate anonymously in cyberspace must be protected. Anonymity is fundamentally linked to free speech, privacy and personal security. Instances where an individual might seek anonymity include communication, political action, research, and shopping. Anonymity/pseudonymity provides protection from persecution and creates a measure of physical safety. This paper explores why anonymity is necessary, how it can be compromised, the debate surrounding anonymity and cybercrime, and whether anonymity on the Internet is really possible. Read more »