Privacy Commissioner Criticizes Canadian DMCA

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, has criticized the proposed Canadian DMCA in a public letter to Jim Prentice, the Canadian Minister of Industry. Specifically, she's asking them not to protect any DRM from circumvention that gathers and transmits personal data, because that would give abusive DRM makers a legal cudgel to use against anyone who exposes them. The proposed bill, which was recently delayed due to heavy opposition, is thought to contain DMCA-style anti-circumvention provisions that would make it illegal to investigate or remove intrusive DRM, even if that DRM was violating Canadian privacy laws."

Comments

Too lazy to RTFA

[moogied]

Can't someone just tell me what this is all aboot, eh?

Re:Too lazy to RTFA

[nacturation]

Can't someone just tell me what this is all aboot, eh? Yup, I reckon y'all oughta read that 'Merican DMCA hootenanny. Fo shizzle, dem's be dissin your rights like a big nucular bomb! Y'all come back after readin it now, ya hear?

Either install this malware, or break the law!

[Anonymous Coward]

I want to send out some homemade CDs with DRM that installs a rootkit that includes botnet software. That way, when someone tries to STEAL my music with their computer magic, I am compensated by having a computer added to my botnet. Circumventing the installation of the botnet software is illegal, under the DMCA. That way, if someone tries to report me for hacking their computer, I can claim that they were attempting to circumvent my DRM, and get them thrown in jail. In other words, I'm pulling a Sony.

Meanwhile, Back In America...

[Anonymous Coward]

What's all this aboot a privacy commissioner actually arguing for the privacy interests of her fellow citizens? Is Canada some sort of Bizarro America where they do everything backwards?

By God, down here in the benighted South, we do privacy right. First off, it's a Czar, not a Commissioner, because it sounds cooler.

In 2003, we appointed Nuala O'Connor Kelly, formerly of Doubleclick fame, as Chief Privacy Officer of DHS, which is pretty close to Czarina as it gets.

And she then appointed, two years later, J. Reed Freeman to the DHS Privacy Committee, in honor of his heroic efforts to get Gator's spyware on every PC in Am... ummm, I mean the value he added through his work at a opt-in marketing services provider called Claria...

PRIVACY? THREAT DOWN!

Re:Too lazy to RTFA (OT, your sig)

[sm62704]

So basically, -1 troll/offtopic is really slashdots way of saying "I hate that you thought of something before me."

No, generally "troll/offtopic" means that either a) the mod has no sense of humor or b) your joke wasn't funny.

What gets me is when I'm trying to be funny and they mod me "insightful" or "interesting".

-mcgrew

Speaking of insightful and interesting offtopic stuff, today's mcgrew journal concerns my good looking roommate, economics, religion, a hooker, the possibility that the roommate is jealous of the hooker, and a pimp. Family fare!

Re:Circumvention that gathers personal data?

[Pluvius]

And you get a +1 for bashing grammar Nazism (something which I generally condone, despite resorting to grammar Nazism in this case) but -5 for being a whiny coward. So I guess we're even.

Rob

Re:Privacy Commissioner?

[sm62704]

I just got a memo here just now, it says:

"No.

Sincerely,
Your Corporate Overlords"