Olives @olives@qoto.org

If something can be done locally on a device, it shouldn't be done remotely in a "cloud". Good heuristic for better privacy, security, and to avoid surprising users in nasty ways.

https://ij.org/press-release/victory-virginia-regulators-clarify-home-bakers-can-advertise-online-after-letter-from-public-interest-law-firm/

"Today, regulators at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) clarified that home bakers are free to advertise their products online. VDACS’ reversal comes after the Institute for Justice (IJ) sent a letter to the department, on behalf of Virginia home baker Kelly Phillips, calling on them to lift their ban against home bakers advertising their products online.

Last month, IJ confronted VDACS about its ban after regulators told Kelly, the owner of KP’s Kake Pops & Treats, that she couldn’t use her website or social media accounts to advertise her business without being permitted as a food establishment."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.techdirt.com/2024/03/01/ridiculous-journalist-held-in-contempt-for-not-revealing-sources/

"It appears that the FBI falsely believed that Chen was a Chinese spy and investigated her, but let it go when they couldn’t support that claim. However, someone (likely in the FBI) leaked the info to Herridge, who reported on it. Chen sued the FBI, who won’t reveal who leaked the info."

"If a ruling like this stands, it means that no journalist can promise confidentiality, when a rush to court can force the journalist to cough up the details. And the end result is that fewer whistleblowers will be willing to speak to media, allowing more cover-ups and more corruption. The impact of a ruling like this is immensely problematic."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/02/29/catherine-herridge-held-contempt-cbs-fox-journalist/

"In a case that has worried press advocates, veteran journalist Catherine Herridge was held in contempt on Thursday and ordered to pay $800 per day until she reveals the source for stories she wrote about Chinese American scientist Yanping Chen."

"Herridge’s attorney, Patrick Philbin, said he and his client “disagree” with the judge’s decision and intend to appeal it.

“Holding a journalist in contempt for protecting a confidential source has a deeply chilling effect on journalism,” Fox News said in a statement. “Fox News Media remains committed to protecting the rights of a free press and freedom of speech and believes this decision should be appealed.”"

#FirstAmendment

https://ij.org/press-release/public-interest-law-firm-urges-honolulu-to-change-sign-regulations-to-save-businesses-protect-free-speech-rights/

"Today, the Institute for Justice (IJ) sent a letter to city officials in Honolulu, Hawaii, calling on them to change a city ordinance that’s driving several popular restaurants in Honolulu’s Waikiki District out of business.

One of those restaurants is EbiNomi, which was opened by Stewart Chung and his brother Andy. The brothers opened the restaurant just before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. The restaurant’s comfort-style cuisine helped it survive the pandemic, but EbiNomi is now weeks away from closing due to a city ban on portable signs. Since opening, Stewart has relied on a small A-frame sign (also known as a menu board sign) to help guide customers to his restaurant, which is tucked away in a private courtyard, nearly invisible to pedestrians from the street.

However, last September a city inspector told Stewart he could no longer use his sign because Honolulu bans certain businesses from using portable signs, even if they’re on private property near sidewalks."

"In a letter to Honolulu city leaders, IJ warned that Honolulu’s ban is almost certainly unconstitutional."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.aclu.org/cases/commonwealth-v-kurtz
"“Reverse searches” are a novel surveillance technique where the police can obtain records reflecting everyone who used a search engine to look up a particular word or phrase. In this case, the lower court approved the police using a reverse search, ruling that people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy for any query they enter into a search engine. The ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project and State Supreme Court Initiative along with the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court urging the court to reverse the lower court’s decision and hold that search history data is protected by the state and federal Constitution."
#privacy #FourthAmendment

Big Snack Is Watching You.

https://www.aclu.org/cases/hm-florida-orl-llc-v-griffin
"On January 24, 2024, the ACLU and ACLU of Florida filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit supporting HM Florida-ORL, which operates the restaurant and bar Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando, in its lawsuit alleging that a Florida law infringes upon minors’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting them from attending drag performances."
#FirstAmendment

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-aclu-of-south-carolina-challenges-state-law-that-seeks-to-silence-the-incarcerated

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of South Carolina filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) total ban on news media interviews with incarcerated people on First Amendment grounds. In addition to filing a complaint, the ACLU of South Carolina is seeking emergency relief that will allow the organization the right to interview incarcerated clients and publish their speech.

“Incarcerated peoples’ speech has long played a critical role in our public discourse,” said Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina. “If applied historically, SCDC’s rule would suppress publication of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, and four books of the New Testament. Today, it operates to insulate SCDC from real public accountability and to suppress the public’s knowledge about the violence committed against prisoners — wrongs that are committed in the public’s own name.”"

#FirstAmendment

https://reclaimthenet.org/clearview-ai-ohios-ongoing-use-of-a-controversial-photo-collection-firm-for-facial-recognition-searches
"Despite facing substantial civil-liberties concerns, Ohio has chosen to forge ahead with its utilization of facial-recognition software in state crime investigations. This decision could see the technology in use until at least 2025, courting help from a company with a contentious track record."
#privacy #FaceRecognition

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/fisa_section_702_wyden/
"The Biden Administration has asked a court, rather than Congress, to renew controversial warrantless surveillance powers used by American intelligence and due to expire within weeks."

#privacy

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/push_notification_privacy/

"More than 130 petitions seeking access to push notification metadata have been filed in US courts, according to a Washington Post investigation – a finding that underscores the lack of privacy protection available to users of mobile devices."

"App developers can encrypt these messages when they're stored (in transit they're protected by TLS) but the associated metadata – the app receiving the notification, the time stamp, and network details – is not encrypted."

#privacy

https://reason.com/2024/03/01/town-says-burger-joints-mural-cant-show-any-burgers/
"Is a painting of a giant burger a sign or a mural? The answer to that question could determine whether Steve Howard can keep some half-finished burger art on the side of his restaurant or be forced to take it down."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/black_box_government/
"Democratic lawmakers once again have proposed legislation to ensure that the software source code used for criminal investigations can be examined and is subject to standardized testing by the government."

"The bill, introduced in 2019 and in 2021 to no avail, aims to guarantee that criminal defendants have the opportunity to assess the fairness of software used against them."

#SixthAmendment