Technology

Steve’s CISPA Roundup

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OK, a lot of us at FTP have been insanely busy, so we didn’t do any really good job covering CISPA, which some see as a bastard child of SOPA.  Here’s what I’ve dug up.

CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing And Protection Act) came onto the scene pretty quick earlier this month.  It seemed to be an odd mix of overly broad language, added some privacy reviews, and troublingly, let people off the hook for sharing data with the government.  It also had a lot of sponsors.

The odd thing with the bill is it seemed “less” SOPA-like than I’d expect, but then had some huge back doors and odd language revolving around security.  It seems broad enough that it could be massively misused.  The EFF has a roundup here, including amendments.

I’m not sure this is so much the “return of SOPA” as it is “general broad powers.”

It didn’t seem to cause nearly the kerfluffle that SOPA/PIPA did.  That was kind of worrysome.  Heck, *I* should have been more aware.

The bill got amended like crazy later, which the EFF found pretty lame.

It passed the house on April 26th.

It’s now on to the Sentate to do their own bill, and there’s at least two competing ones: The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 (Leiberman/Collins) and  The SECURE IT Act of 2012 (McCain).  There’s a nice roundup here.

The Obama Administration is backing the Leiberman/Collins Act, though there’s obviously plenty of concern about it (though from what I can tell it has some legitimate ideas which may be good).  The White House issued a veto threat against CISPA.

So that’s where we stand.  I can’t say this is “son of SOPA,” its’ broader in a way, which is probably why we didn’t get as much of a firestorm.  It’s bad enough (and CISPA supersedes some past law) that I’m concerned.

– Steven Savage

Hands Off The Passwords

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Well here’s a refreshing breath of rationality: Two representatives, Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced a bill to make it illegal for employers and educational facilities to ask for passwords to social networks.

I don’t know how widespread the practice is, as we have isolated reports, but this seems to be a relatively sane thing to make a law out of.  I’m glad to see something that looks savvy like this being done, though I’m sure there’s at least some bandwagon-jumping here.

The good news is that some respect for privacy in America’s IT laws bodes well for the other fights, like CISPA.  Yeah, I know we didn’t touch on that like we did SOPA, I’ll try to rectify it.

– Steven Savage

Holograms, Personalities, And New Awareness?

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So the Tupac Hologram is getting plenty of attention as well as some menage. This is causing people to notice Hatsune Miku, Japan’s Holo-pop princess who’s being doing this so long she’s old by hologram standards. Also, she does not feel Obi-Wan Kenobi IS her only hope.

Some time ago I wrote a series of columns on the viability of virtual stars. I stand by this fact and the article above notes the phenomena and some advantages.

Most telling is the comment in the above Daily Beast article about virtual stars that they don’t age, get old, have scandals, etc. They’re pure entertainment mixed with a strange kind of purity overall. Hatsune Miku will not die, or OD, or get into a scandal, or even age. There’s something people will doubtlessly find refreshing.

The use of Tupac in a hologram, a man who died an unpleasant death, further reinforces that divide. Though I’m sure his many fans were thrilled to see him “resurrected”, this technical incarnation also reinforces the gap between real stars and entirely virtual ones. Also, I think some people may find the “resurrection” a bit creepy.

However, Tupac’s holographic return is bringing new attention to Virtual Stars, and I’d like to add some additional analysis.

  • This is getting increased attention for Japanese virtual stars, so I’d pay attention and see if increases interest further.
  • In addition, the resurrection of such a popular singer may increase interest in other “holoncarnations” of stars or the creation of “native” holo-singers.
  • The technology certainly remains viable to create virtual stars, and social media’s increasing relevance means its easier to create fast viral marketing and recognition. Attempts to make new stars can take off quickly (as witnessed by the Tupac hologram).
  • The fact they can be created quickly could appeal in this world of ever-increasing short-term thinking and desire for quick results.

Tupac is back? He may well be just the start.

– Steven Savage