Man Falsely Convicted of Hacking

Yesterday, I posted a piece about the anguish of a Googler being banned from all Google services. Now imagine yourself in the shoes of a falsely convicted ‘hacker’. This is the same hacking statute internet sensation Aaron Swartz was accused of before he committed suicide in January.

‘…Defendant David Nosal was convicted by a San Francisco federal jury on all six charges ranging from theft of trade secrets to hacking, despite him never breaking into a computer. Nosal remains free pending sentencing later this year, when he faces a potential lengthy prison term.

‘Nosal, a middle-aged man wearing a dark suit, sat stone faced as a clerk read “guilty” on all counts. Jurors deliberated for little more than two days.

‘After U.S. District Judge Edward Chen dismissed the 12-member jury, Nosal’s defense team demanded a hearing to urge the judge to set aside the verdict. A hearing was set for later this year.

‘“We think, legally, these counts can’t stand,” Steven Gruel, a Nosal lawyer, said outside the courtroom. Prosecutors declined comment…’
wired

Ethics and Legalities of Linking
A manual retweet is unethical but a normal retweet attracts more libel charges
‘…The author concludes firmly that “it could not be more clear that the ‘naked retweet’ — that is, pushing the ‘Retweet’ button to circulate somebody else’s tweet to one’s own followers … would not trigger republisher liability for defamation.” Previous court rulings on aspects of the CDA suggest the law “protects social media users when they share defamatory information with others.” However, there is also the issue of modifying retweets or providing additional commentary on the original tweet. Here there is some legal gray area. It may be the case that “retweets with added content would be protected as long as the republisher does not add new content that is independently defamatory,” but there is a 2008 Ninth Circuit decision, in the Roommates.com case, that could open the door to a libel prosecution in certain situations…’
full story

The New Face of Law-Enforcement Media
‘When we talk about branded content, we often talk about companies and corporations. But content marketing and the strategies that come with it apply to the municipal and law-enforcement world as well.

‘Police departments across the country are changing how they communicate with, and respond to, the communities they serve and the news media that covers them…’
contently

A Snapchat For Whistle-Blowers
Ephemeral messaging isn’t just for sexting

‘When most people think of ephemeral messaging, they think of Snapchat, which allows people to send basic self-destructing photos and messages. It’s perfect for goofing around with friends, or, as the media has been eager to point out, sexting. But a slew of new ephemeral apps, like Wickr, TigerText, BurnNote, GiGi, and S2end extend the ephemeral messaging concept in a much more serious direction. They’re positioned to make leaking sensitive information easier and safer for all parties involved…’
Wickr

Lettrs
App Lets Users Write & Send Physical Letters From Phones [Video]
Lettrs allows users to send actual mail to friends and family.
psfk