Slashdot Mirror
Defending Privacy Doesn't Pay: Canadian Court Lets Copyright Troll Off the Hook
An anonymous reader writes: A Canadian court has issued its ruling on the costs (PDF) in the Voltage — TekSavvy case, a case involving the demand for the names and address of thousands of TekSavvy subscribers by Voltage on copyright infringement grounds. Last year, the court opened the door to TekSavvy disclosing the names and addresses, but also established new safeguards against copyright trolling in Canada. The court awarded only a fraction of the costs sought by TekSavvy, which sends a warning signal to ISPs that getting involved in these cases can lead to significant costs that won't be recouped. That is a bad message for privacy. So is the likely outcome for future cases (should they arise) with subscribers left with fewer notices and information from their ISP given the costs involved and the court's decision to not compensate for those costs.
A lot of people *CHOOSE* Teksavvy because they're known to support privacy, and offer better customer service than competitors (up to a point, they're still subject to the same shitty service from the line providers). When I was in eastern Canada I chose them for those reasons as well.
Maybe it costs to take the trolls to court, but what price-tag do you put on your reputation?
Really I am not so sure. Look how quick Ferguson and other protests have gotten ugly. Its only a tiny step from there to storming the Bastille.
Occupy kind of fizzled, but for the most part the #blacklives matter people are the same group. I am going to a great deal of heat for this suggestion (so going A/C): I for one very much doubt there is as much racism in policing as there is class-ism. We see it racism because a for historical reasons blacks make up disproportionately the poor urban population. I don't think police pick on this population because they are black but more because they belong to an economic class that isn't likely to push back usually. They are not going to hire a lawyer and file suit against the city (they haven't the means), they don't know their rights in many cased (lack of educational opportunity) etc. Blackness in certain regions just serves as a proxy for telegraphing belonging to this class. In the 50's or 60's a black person could roll up in a nice car dressed to the nines and still expect the local constabulary to hassle them. That isn't so likely today, unless they are mistaken for a pimp.
So there is already pretty oppressive class warfare going on in this country. The angry white male sterotype comes from the same place. The behavior has to do with the perception they don't have the opportunities they once did, and about that they are correct the chance at a good life putting in 40hrs a week at the plant and retiring after 30 years are gone. The powers that be misdirect their anger at this at various racial groups and policy strawmen. That occupy happened at all though show the farce is getting thread bare in places. The shardade which has been in place since the late 70's is breaking down.
Which is in turn pushing the spying and big brother behavior. The powers are scared. A few good rabble rousers could ignite something they can't control anymore. Hence they spying on everyone and the militarization of police.
We are worse than the US I believe, we combine the worst aspects of laissez-faire capitalism with the high taxes of a socialist state, but with the benefits of neither.
Mostly random stuff.