Reclaim The Commons is a manifesto launched at the World Social Forum (Belem, Brazil, January 27-February 1, 2009). …

“Humankind is suffering from an unprecedented campaign of privatization and commodification of the most basic elements of life: nature, culture, human work and knowledge itself. In countless arenas, businesses are claiming our shared inheritance - sciences, creative works, water, the atmosphere, health, education, genetic diversity, even living creatures - as private property. A compulsive quest for short-term financial gain is sacrificing the prosperity of all and the stability of the Earth itself. …”

Source: Open Access News

The Family Online Safety Institute is calling for more research into the phenomenon of ’sexting’ as it warns of the extra responsibilities and implications of expanding internet services for all.

In a conference designed to coincide with the launch of the Digital Britain report, FOSI is bringing together academics, corporate experts and industry trade bodies to discuss online safety for children, particularly around mobile phones.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Next week authors and composers meet in Washington DC for their biennial summit. The conference brings together big copyright users - broadcasters, digital companies - under the same roof as the creators and the member’s societies. It can get pretty lively. As a preview, we asked Eric Baptiste, head of the International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies (CISAC), to run over the hot topics.

Source: The Register

On November 26th 2008 there will be a small protest at the ICO Privacy by Design conference in Manchester.

If you’re in the Manchester area, please come and join us.

The purpose of the event is to leaflet attendees, to highlight plans by BT Group PLC, Virgin Media and Car Phone Warehouse to deploy intrusive technology across their broadband networks for the purpose of profiling the behaviour of their customers, and the private communications with the web sites they use.

Source: No Deep Packet Inspection