The United Persons » Ethics

The United Persons » Ethics http://theunitedpersons.org helping you to save the world... & some of your tax money;) Tue, 08 May 2012 11:24:14 +0000 en hourly 1 It wasn’t a case of ‘We caught you… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/it-wasnt-a-case-of-we-caught-you-you-skunk http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/it-wasnt-a-case-of-we-caught-you-you-skunk#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 09:18:39 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7901

“It wasn’t a case of ‘We caught you, you skunk.’ It started with a guy who stood up and said, ‘I got a problem, I made the problem, let’s fix the problem.’ If you’re gonna kill a guy like LeMessurier, why should anybody ever talk?” http://www.duke.edu/~hpgavin/ce131/citicorp1.htm Cf. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/nyregion/21lemessurier.html

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/it-wasnt-a-case-of-we-caught-you-you-skunk/feed 0 US Bill To Update Key Digital Privacy Law… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/us-bill-to-update-key-digital-privacy-law http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/us-bill-to-update-key-digital-privacy-law#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 07:28:12 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7832 US Bill To Update Key Digital Privacy Law – Summary: http://leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=b6d1f687-f2f7-48a4-80bc-29e3c5f758f2#Summary

“[...] The upshot? If the government wants to track your cell phone or seize your email or read your private IMs or social network messages, the bill would require that it first go to court and get a search warrant based on probable cause. [...]

The bill isn’t absolutely free of problems: although it clearly would require a warrant for ongoing tracking of your cell phone, it would also and unfortunately preserve the current statutory rule allowing the government to get historical records of your location without probable cause. It also expands the government’s authority to use National Security Letters https://www.eff.org/issues/national-security-letters to obtain rich transactional data about who you communicate with online and when, without probable cause or court oversight. You can count on EFF to press for these problems to be fixed, and for all of the DDP principles to be addressed, as the bill proceeds through Congress.

However, as the start of the process of updating ECPA for the always-on, location-enabled technology of the 21st century, Senator Leahy’s bill represents an incredibly important step in the right direction, and we at EFF look forward to working with Senator Leahy and others in Congress as they work to create new laws to better protect your online and mobile privacy. [...]” https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/05/eff-applauds-new-electronic-privacy-bill-tells

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/us-bill-to-update-key-digital-privacy-law/feed 0 David J Chalmers The Singularity A Philosophical Analysis… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-singularity-a-philosophical-analysis http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-singularity-a-philosophical-analysis#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 06:42:52 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7716

David J. Chalmers: The Singularity – A Philosophical Analysis http://consc.net/papers/singularity.pdf

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-singularity-a-philosophical-analysis/feed 0 Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in the United States… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/netflix-is-killing-bittorrent-in-the-united-states http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/netflix-is-killing-bittorrent-in-the-united-states#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:14:58 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7647

Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in the United States http://torrentfreak.com/netflix-is-killing-bittorrent-in-the-us-110427/

Competing with free: anime site treats piracy as a market failure http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/competing-with-free-anime-site-treats-piracy-as-a-market-failure.ars

Cf. http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-only-way-to-stop-piracy-is-to-cut-prices

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]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/netflix-is-killing-bittorrent-in-the-united-states/feed 0 iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go http… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/privacy-sucks http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/privacy-sucks#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:10:00 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7626

iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/20/iphone-tracking-prompts-privacy-fears

iPad’s privacy sucks http://privacysucks.com/blog/2011/04/ipads-privacy-sucks/

Your privacy sucks: http://privacysucks.com/

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/privacy-sucks/feed 0 The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems Joint… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-uk-approach-to-unmanned-aircraft-systems http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-uk-approach-to-unmanned-aircraft-systems#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:36:11 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7573

“There is a danger that time is running out, is the technological genie already out of the ethical bottle, embarking us all on an incremental and involuntary journey towards a Terminator-like reality?”

The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems – Joint Doctrine Note 2/2011 http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DDE54504-AF8E-4A4C-8710-514C6FB66D67/0/20110401JDN211UASv1WebU.pdf

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-uk-approach-to-unmanned-aircraft-systems/feed 0 What would help is if the Supreme Court… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/a-clear-principle-when-it-comes-to-the-analogy-between-artificial-persons-and-real-ones http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/a-clear-principle-when-it-comes-to-the-analogy-between-artificial-persons-and-real-ones#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:18:03 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7449 What would help is if the Supreme Court (and indeed corporate law in general) adopted a clear principle when it comes to the analogy between artificial persons and real ones: that companies should be treated as people only in so far as it is expedient. They clearly need to be able to enter into contracts just like individuals. But they should not be treated as if they experience such essentially human emotions as embarrassment and a desire for self-expression. Thus they should not have the same rights to privacy and political freedom as a citizen, but should have only as much of a right to confidentiality and political participation as is helpful for the efficient functioning of business (including letting firms contribute to the public debate on the regulation of business). Companies—or rather their bosses and owners—should welcome such constraints: any further “rights” would, sooner or later, be matched by onerous responsibilities.

Schumpeter

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]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/a-clear-principle-when-it-comes-to-the-analogy-between-artificial-persons-and-real-ones/feed 1 social media bill of rights Honesty Honor your… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/social-media-bill-of-rights http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/social-media-bill-of-rights#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:33:40 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7241

social media bill of rights:

“Honesty: Honor your privacy policy and terms of service

Clarity: Make sure that policies, terms of service, and settings are easy to find and understand

Freedom of speech: Do not delete or modify my data without a clear policy and justification

Empowerment: Support assistive technologies and universal accessibility

Self-protection: Support privacy-enhancing technologies

Data minimization: Minimize the information I am required to provide and share with others

Control: Let me control my data, and don’t facilitate sharing it unless I agree first

Predictability: Obtain my prior consent before significantly changing who can see my data.

Data portability: Make it easy for me to obtain a copy of my data

Protection: Treat my data as securely as your own confidential data unless I choose to share it, and notify me if it is compromised

Right to know: Show me how you are using my data and allow me to see who and what has access to it.

Right to self-define: Let me create more than one identity and use pseudonyms. Do not link them without my permission.

Right to appeal: Allow me to appeal punitive actions

Right to withdraw: Allow me to delete my account, and remove my data” http://snubillofrights.com/

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/social-media-bill-of-rights/feed 0 Taxes & Voting Thoreau argues that people should… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/taxes-voting http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/taxes-voting#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:11:50 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7210

Taxes & Voting: “[...] Thoreau [...] argues that people should be allowed to decide to not pay their taxes if they decide to withdraw from the political system. He does, however, make a point of saying that people should pay for what they use, such as paying the highway tax if one uses the highway. [...]” http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=2695

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/taxes-voting/feed 0 Seven Laws of Noah This code is a… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/seven-laws-of-noah http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/seven-laws-of-noah#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:02:00 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7205

Seven Laws of Noah: “This code is a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the “children of Noah” – that is, all of humankind. According to Judaism, any non-Jew who lives according to these laws is regarded as a Righteous Gentile, and is assured of a place in the world to come (Olam Haba), the final reward of the righteous.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/seven-laws-of-noah/feed 0 Experimental Philosophy and the Problem of Free Will… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/experimental-philosophy-and-the-problem-of-free-will http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/experimental-philosophy-and-the-problem-of-free-will#comments Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:01:25 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=7073

Experimental Philosophy and the Problem of Free Will: “A deterministic universe [is one] in which “Every decision is completely caused by what happened before the decision—given the past, each decision has to happen the way that it does.” … One group of participants was asked whether it is possible for anyone to be morally responsible for their actions in such a universe. These participants tended to say that it is not possible to be morally responsible in that universe. That question about moral responsibility is, of course, pitched at an abstract level.

Another group of participants was presented instead with a concrete case of a man who killed his family. That provoked a much different response. When presented with a concrete case of man performing a reprehensible action, people tended to say that the man was fully morally responsible for his actions, even when set in a deterministic universe. Indeed, concrete cases of bad behavior lead people to attribute responsibility, even when the action is caused by a neurological disorder. […]

People are pulled in different directions because different mental mechanisms are implicated in different conditions.” https://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6023/1401.abstract via http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/03/responsibility-is-near.html

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/experimental-philosophy-and-the-problem-of-free-will/feed 0 The only way to stop piracy is to… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-only-way-to-stop-piracy-is-to-cut-prices http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-only-way-to-stop-piracy-is-to-cut-prices#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:11:34 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=3383

“The only way to stop piracy is to cut prices. That’s the verdict of a major new academic study that reckons copyright theft won’t be halted by ‘three strikes’ broadband disconnections, increasing censorship or draconian new laws brought in under the anti-counterfeiting treaty ACTA.

The Media Piracy Project, published last week by the Social Science Research Council, reports that illegal copying of movies, music, video games and software is “better described as a global pricing problem” – and the only way to tackle it is for copyright holders to charge consumers less money for their wares.

The three-year study into media piracy in emerging economies concentrated on countries such as Russia, Mexico and India, where piracy is endemic.

The academics concluded that societies where piracy is rife are no more immoral, or less willing to pay for content – the problem is that in those parts of the world, legitimate CDs, DVDs and software are five to ten times higher relative to local incomes than they are in the US and Europe.

No amount of anti-piracy enforcement will change the economics that drive copyright theft, say the report’s authors. They claim to have seen, “little evidence – and indeed few claims – that enforcement efforts to date have had any effect whatsoever on the overall supply of pirated goods. Our work suggests, rather, that piracy has grown dramatically by most measures in the past decade. [...]

The report condemns what it calls the “strong moralization of the debate” about an issue that the authors claim is really a matter of price and consumer demand.

Interestingly, the report itself is distributed under a ‘Consumer’s Dilemma’ licence that charges $8 to residents of ‘high-income’ countries – but offers it free for non-commercial use everywhere else.” http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/3/15/cutting-prices-only-way-stop-piracy/”

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/the-only-way-to-stop-piracy-is-to-cut-prices/feed 2 Ten Reasons Not to Abolish Slavery http mises… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ten-reasons-not-to-abolish-slavery http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ten-reasons-not-to-abolish-slavery#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:48:30 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=3274

Ten Reasons Not to Abolish Slavery http://mises.org/daily/5076/Ten-Reasons-Not-to-Abolish-Slavery

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ten-reasons-not-to-abolish-slavery/feed 0 “security concerns” are the new black out –… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/security-concerns-are-the-new-black-out http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/security-concerns-are-the-new-black-out#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:09:38 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=3269 “security concerns” are the new black(out) – the means by which those who are meant to enforce the law equally instead pre-emptively reward bullying mobsters who have total contempt for it.

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/security-concerns-are-the-new-black-out/feed 0 Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE has… http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ice-arrests-operator-seized-domain http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ice-arrests-operator-seized-domain#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:30:13 +0000 mazsa http://theunitedpersons.org/?p=3223

“Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [...] has now arrested someone and charged him with criminal copyright infringement, such that he’s now facing five years in jail (as well as fines). This is interesting, because when that domain was seized, we had noted that channelsurfing did not appear to host any content itself, but merely embedded content from other sites (Cf. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110202/01203012918/homeland-security-domain-seizures-raise-more-questions-is-embedding-video-criminal-infringement.shtml?cid=195 ). That raises an awful lot of serious questions: specifically, what part of copyright law is infringed here. The site does not host any of the content. It does not make any copies. It does not distribute the content. All it does is put in a snippet of code that a user’s web browser then uses to request content from another site.” http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110303/16584013356/ice-arrests-operator-seized-domain-charges-him-with-criminal-copyright-infringement.shtml

]]> http://theunitedpersons.org/blog/ice-arrests-operator-seized-domain/feed 0