ORG Press Coverage/2008

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December

2008-12-29 - The Irish Independent - The aXXo files
Summary: To Hollywood executives, he's public enemy number one. To film fans around the world, he's a modern-day Robin Hood. As the internet's most prolific pirate makes his 1,000th illegal film download available to the masses, Tim Walker investigates the mysterious figure known only as aXXo... The biggest problem for anti-piracy groups is the growing social acceptability of illegal filesharing. "The easier you make it for people to download, the more people do it," says Price, "and the less moral or ethical concerns they have about it. I talk to teachers and solicitors who'll say they streamed something from the internet, without realising it's illegitimate." The entertainment industry is still seen as bloated and greedy. Downloading movies is an apparently victimless crime, and if there is a victim, it's "The Man". "We also never see how their data is calculated," says Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, a civil liberties group devoted to the digital universe. "Policymakers trot out figures, but we're never sure of their provenance. There is a meme sloshing around that suggests they overestimate the numbers. They used to equate the cost of piracy to the [entertainment] industry as a multiple of how many files were being shared illicitly online, which assumes that if you didn't get the stuff for free, you'd go out and buy all of it - which simply doesn't hold."
2008-12-27 - Bloomberg.com - Beatles Violinist Cries for Help as Copyright Ends
Author: Kristen Schweizer
Summary: Patrick Halling is fighting to keep the few pence he earns every time The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” airs on the radio. The Beatles song was released in 1966 and under European Union law will enter the public domain in 2016, meaning Halling’s violin-led string background on the song will lose its copyright protection and royalties will end... “Labels have vast back catalogues and each of those labels will be in receipt of millions of euros” if the law were to change, said Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, a London-based organization that campaigns for digital rights. “Recorded music and royalties are also not a pension fund and should not be relied on as a pension fund.”
2008-12-18 - FT.com - Yahoo outshines rivals on data privacy
Author: Tim Bradshaw
Summary: Yahoo has stepped up pressure on Google and Microsoft’s online privacy policies after announcing that it would remove personally identifiable information from its database after 90 days. Yahoo currently anonymises user log data after 13 months, compared to nine months for Google search data. Microsoft keeps its users’ search data for 18 months but had pledged to lower that to six months if other search engines did the same... Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, a campaigning organisation in London said: “Limiting how much personal data you collect, what you process it for, and how long it’s retained are key data protection principles.”
2008-12-16 - BBC News - Directors demand film piracy ban
Summary: Some of the biggest names in film and TV have called on the government to prevent internet piracy. Kenneth Branagh and Richard Curtis are among the directors and producers who have signed a letter demanding action be taken on illegal file sharing... Becky Hogge, executive director of digital rights campaign body Open Rights Group, said: "The Open Rights Group does not condone illicit file sharing, but pushing the problem onto internet service providers is not going to make it go away. The creative industries need to play their part too, by making content available in ways consumers in the digital age want to watch it. Illicit file sharing is a business-model problem as much as it is a law enforcement one."
2008-12-12 - Ars Technica - UK ignores logic, backs 20-year music copyright extension
Author: Nate Anderson
Summary: After a UK government-led commission said that the current 50-year term for musical copyrights was fine, and the government last year publicly agreed that there was no need to extend the term, culture minister Andy Burnham yesterday made the logical follow-up announcement that yes, the government would now push for a 20-year extension on copyright. Turns out, it's the moral thing to do... In both the UK and EU cases, the worry is that most of the money will actually go to labels and to the richest artists like Sir Cliff. The Open Rights Group, which is bitterly opposed to extension, claims that 80 percent of all artists would receive under €30/year from the EU plan, while music labels would share 90 percent of the cash coming in.
2008-12-09 - The Guardian - Internet ban on 'child p*rn' album sleeve
Author: Bobbie Johnson
Summary: Britain's rules on internet censorship have come under scrutiny following a decision to block pages on Wikipedia after a page on the site showing the image of a naked young girl on an album cover from 1976 was declared "potentially illegal"... "The question is how far this episode challenges current UK practice around censoring content online," said Becky Hogge of campaign organisation the Open Rights Group.
2008-12-08 - Metro - Net nannies break Wikipedia in album cover kerfuffle
Author: Tom Phillips
Summary: Several major Internet Service Providers have managed to break Wikipedia for a large number of British internet users after they started quietly censoring its content - apparently because the encyclopaedia contains a tasteless album cover by a seventies German heavy metal band... Becky Hogge, Executive Director of the digital civil liberties organisation The Open Rights Group, said: 'Consumers ended up trapped between two content regulations systems - the ISP's and Wikipedia's. To their credit, Wikipedia were more transparent - there's a public discussion going on there about how to deal with the situation.'
2008-12-01 - Ars Technica - UK consumers, Big Content battle over three-strikes rules
Author: Nate Anderson
Summary: Although France's "graduated response" proceedings have attracted the most attention, the UK is in the midst of a consultation of its own on how to involve both content owners and ISPs in some sort of response to P2P file-sharing. ... UK digital rights groups are appalled, however. In its comments to BERR (PDF), the Open Rights Group tried to depict the issue largely as a business issue, not a criminal one (as noncommercial song-swapping is a civil offense only). ... So what about creating a third party that would judge the requests for information? We already have one, says ORG, and it's called the legal system. A new process would likely be just as expensive for everyone involved, something that UK Music admits as well.

November

2008-11-25 - The Guardian - Cory Doctorow: willing science fiction into fact
Author: Cory Doctorow
Summary: Cory Doctorow's office lies behind a featureless, black security door in a north London side street, deep in a converted post-industrial warehouse, down echoing corridors and concrete stairways... As one of the founders of the Boing Boing blog, and a columnist for the Guardian's technology site, Doctorow is no stranger to contemporary debates on internet security, electronic copyright and privacy. A fellow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Doctorow also serves on the board of the Open Rights Group and the Participatory Culture Foundation.
2008-11-19 - Telecom TV - '3 Strikes' could be back for a second innings warn rights groups
Author: Ian Scales
Summary: The important amendments to the European Parliament's Telecoms Package, passed at the end of September, may end up being for nothing if the Commission and the Parliament 'do a deal', say observers... To add to the suspicion, the UK's Open Rights Group points out that those good amendments have apparently been deleted by the Commission in the proposed final text... Just to reinforce the real and current danger posed by the Telecoms Package, the Open Rights Group has completed a legal analysis and says it provides a set of "crucial obligations' on Europe's telecoms companies and ISPs to "co-operate" with the copyright industries. It shows how the various tendrils of the package could all be brought together at the end of the process to give a green light to European governments to proceed with 3 strikes laws.
2008-11-18 - IAB UK - Online advertising ‘does not compromise privacy’
Summary: After a lively debate in a packed Grand Committee Room at the House of Commons last night, the Parliamentary Debating Group and assembled audience voted to oppose the motion “online advertising compromises privacy”... [Next] was Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, a grassroots campaign for civil liberties in the digital world. “I’m not here to debate that advertising is an intrusion”, Hogge began. Indeed she explained that she was there to oppose what she sees as “something more sinister”, namely “the harnessing of data about our browsing habits online”. Hogge’s argument centred around “the right to disclose selectively”. She attacked Walmsley’s comments about “geeks and technofiles” and argued that it shows “advertisers are falling into the trap of thinking they are cleverer than consumers”. For her the crucial point is that providers are “intercepting” communications “to sell advertising”. This she said is “as bad for advertisers as it is for the market”.
2008-11-13 - The Stage - The Stage: Insight
Author: Kay Smith
Summary: The EU Commission has accepted proposals to extend musician’s copyright from 50 to 95 years, despite unfavourable independent reports and fierce campaigning from the Open Rights Group.
Note: Doesn't seem to be available online.
2008-11-05 - Mac User - ORG: file sharing talks have locked out" consumers
Author: Simon Aughton
Summary: Consumers have been locked out of discussions on how to tackle unauthorised file sharing, according to the Open Rights Group's contribution to the government's consultation process.

October

2008-10-27 - PC Pro - E-voting vetoed for 2009 election
Author: Stuart Turton
Summary: The Government says it has no plans to roll out e-voting for the next election, potentially signalling an end to its interest in the technology... Trials of the technology have already drawn heavy criticism, with its use in London's 2008 mayoral election described by the Open Rights Group as "weak in design and testing."
2008-10-17 - Computer World UK - Government backtracks on electronic surveillance plans
Author: Jeremy Kirk
Summary: The proposal, in the Communications Data Bill, would allow the government to collect data on phone calls and other electronic communication. The government planned to put the proposal in Parliament's upcoming legislative agenda, but opted instead on Wednesday to conduct a consultation next year due to concerns about intrusive monitoring of private citizens. "It's a sensitive issue, and there needs to be a proper public debate," a Home Office spokesman said. ... The Open Rights Group, a pressure group that monitors Internet-related privacy and legal issues, said it supported the government's decision for a consultation. "Creating this database would drastically alter the relationship between the citizen and the state, handing national security and law enforcement agencies immense power to invade the private lives of ordinary people," wrote Becky Hogge, the group's executive director.
2008-10-16 - PC World - UK Slows Down Plan for Sweeping Electronic Surveillance
Author: Jeremy Kirk
Summary: The British government is slowing down a proposal that would give law enforcement sweeping power to collect electronic data as a measure to prevent terrorism. ... The Open Rights Group, a nongovernmental group that monitors Internet-related privacy and legal issues, said it supported the government's decision for a consultation. "Creating this database would drastically alter the relationship between the citizen and the state, handing national security and law enforcement agencies immense power to invade the private lives of ordinary people," wrote Becky Hogg, the group's executive director.

Note: Also reprinted in Macworld, [Computerworld]

2008-10-08 - The Guardian - Democracy needs spontaneity
Author: John Ozimek
Summary: Fear not Freedom day will publicise our drift towards a surveillance society, as our freedom to demonstrate is being undermined. ... This Saturday is Fear not Freedom day. It is a day intended to publicise our gradual drift toward a surveillance society - not just in the UK, but across Europe. Some 23 countries are likely to be participating in activities of one form or another. In the UK, one event will take place in Parliament Square. It will be a collage of photos intended to illustrate the extent of surveillance, and will be organised by NO2ID and the Open Rights Group. It is an arts event. An image. Whatever else it is, it is not a demonstration.

September

2008-09-26 - Ars Technica - EU Parliament: Only judges can order 'Net disconnections
Author: Nate Anderson
Summary: France's much talked about "three strikes" law receive a spirited non! from the European Parliament this week, but French and EU officials are already claiming that the vote won't ultimately impact so-called "graduated response" schemes. The EU Parliament voted Wednesday to pass the "Telecom Package," a major overhaul of European telecom rules that will turn the entire region into a single market for the purposes of selling mobile, landline, and Internet services... Hundreds of amendments were tabled, making the entire legislative process difficult to follow, but two of the key changes proposed were Amendments 133 and 138. As the UK's Open Rights Group points out, 133 would have prevented EU countries from requiring local ISPs to filter content.
2008-09-26 - Audioholics - EU 45 Year Copyright Extension Plan to Net Aging Musicians a Cool €30
Author: David Waratuke
Summary: With compact disc sales tanking year over year and recording artist long abused by the system becoming independent via the Internet, the recording industry is in a world wide frenzy to grab whatever source of cash they can. Looking to get the kind of copyright extension that they enjoy in the States, courtesy of Sonny Bono and Mickey Mouse, the recording industry has recently convinced the European Commission (EC) that an additional 45 years of copyright are just what poor, aging musicians need to make it through their Golden Years. Responding to a request for comments on the EU copyright proposal from the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), the UK based Open Rights Group (ORG) has taken a bit harder look at music industry claims about who actually benefits from copyright than the EC.
2008-09-08 - Ars Technica - 80% of artists would get <€30/year from copyright extension
Author: Nate Anderson
Summary: The EU is considering a plan to extend musical copyrights for another 45 years, ostensibly to help out aging performers who are being cut off when the current 50-year terms expire. But those musicians (can someone introduce them to the concept of saving for retirement?) won't see much of the new cash, according to the UK's Open Rights Group. Most performers will make less than €30 a year, even as major labels and big stars take far more. ... Given the EU's proposal, ORG can't help but wonder if facts weren't the primary determinant in choosing to go forward with a term extension fight; the evidence "strongly suggests that [the Commission] has been swayed by special-interest lobbying," says the group.
2008-09-08 - OUT-LAW.COM - Copyright changes would only earn fifty cents a year for artists, say activists
Summary: The European Commission's proposal to extend copyright protection for musicians is a windfall for record companies that will net performers as little as €0.50 a year, according to a digital rights pressure group. The Open Rights Group (ORG) has produced an analysis of the figures used by the Commission itself to conclude that the move is designed to benefit the music industry and not, as Commissioner Charlie McCreevy asserts, performers. The ORG figures show that all but the top 20% of earning performers in the music industry can expect to earn between an extra 59 cents and €26.79 a year under the extension from 50 to 95 years. Record labels, though, will earn an extra €200,000 to €4.1 million a year each under the new scheme, it said. "Now at least we get to the heart of the matter that this is a windfall for record labels," said ORG's research.

August

2008-08-19 - Reuters Blogs - Is file-sharing morally wrong?
Author: Peter Griffiths
Summary: A woman who shared a pinball game online has been ordered to pay 16,000 pounds in compensation and legal costs to its creator. ... Cracking down on file sharers will simply drive them further underground, making it even harder for companies to make money out of their content, according to contributors on the Open Rights Group website.
2008-08-19 - BBC - Game sharers face legal crackdown
Summary: A British woman who put a game on a file-sharing network has been ordered to pay damages to the game's creator. Topware Interactive has won more than £16,000 following legal action against the woman who shared a copy of Dream Pinball 3D. ... Becky Hogge, director of the Open Rights Group that campaigns on cyber liberties issues, said: "An open court process with a full report is certainly preferable to justice of the type being mooted by the government on P2P, where activity takes place behind closed doors through industry action." She added that awards for damages had to be realistic and not made to act as a "deterrent". "In relation to the orders for release of personal data, it is important that court processes do not become rubberstamps for industry action but retain judicial safeguards and independence," said Ms Hogge.
2008-08-01 - The Register - Electoral Commission criticises London e-counting
Summary: The Electoral Commission has registered concerns over the electronic counting of votes in London's recent elections. ... Its findings reflect those of an earlier (pdf) from the Open Rights Group, which it accredited as an observer to the elections. This says that over-sensitive scanners could have caused some blank ballots to record votes, and that the screens by the scanners provided data that was meaningless to observers.

July

2008-07-31 - Kable - Commission joins e-count critics
Summary: The Electoral Commission has registered concerns over the electronic counting of votes in London's recent elections. It highlights a number of issues in a report on the elections for the mayor and the London Assembly. Among these are apparent discrepancies between the number of ballot papers recorded as having been issued and the number scanned. ... Its findings reflect those of an earlier report from the Open Rights Group, which it accredited as an observer to the elections. This says that over-sensitive scanners could have caused some blank ballots to record votes, and that the screens by the scanners provided data that was meaningless to observers.
2008-07-25 - The Sun - You a music pirate, son?
Author: Leon Watson
Summary: Hundreds of of thousands of kids face being grilled by their parents — as warning letters are sent to internet music pirates. ... But Becky Hogge, chief executive of consumer champions Open Rights Group, said: "This is a disproportionate response." "It will have the effect of driving illicit file sharing further underground."

At least 66 news sources around the world ran The Associated Press article that contained quotes from Becky.

2008-07-24 - The Telegraph - Parents face fines if children illegally download music or films from web
Author: Robert Winnett and Nicole Martin
Summary: Parents face having their internet viewing restricted if their children continue to illegally download music or films, under a Government-backed crackdown. ... Becky Hogge, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, which campaigns for internet freedom, said: "Disconnection is not a good option - either for internet users or for the artists whose livelihoods are harmed by illicit file-sharing." "Not only is the punishment disproportionate to the crime, in most households, an internet connection is shared by a number of people. What's more, as soon as law enforcers start snooping for IP addresses to pass on to ISPs for disconnection, hardcore file-sharers will simply start using encryption and IP-masking to obfuscate their identities."
2008-07-24 - The Guardian - Transcript from BPI call with journalists this morning
Author: Charles Arthur
Summary: A (rough) transcript of what the BPI said. No per-month "tax"; and both up- and downloaders will be targeted with "hundreds of thousands" of letters ... Q: The Open Rights Group says consumers' voices haven't been heard in this, just industry. GT: we don't have to worry about groups not making their views heard, the consultation is going on, government was alive to the interests of consumers. We as an industry are very focused on finding ways to with this problem. But we can't duck this issue. It's vital to the future.
2008-07-24 - BBC Radio 4 Today Show - Internet firms tackle music piracy
Summary: Six of the UK's biggest internet service providers are believed to be backing a government plan to tackle music piracy online. Andy Burnham, culture secretary, musician Billy Bragg and Becky Hodge, of consumers' digital rights campaign the Open Rights Group, discuss whether this will stop the illegal downloading of music files.
2008-07-22 - Ars Technica - Experts attack Big Content's EU copyright power-grab
Author: Nate Anderson
Summary: Now that the EU plan to retroactively add 45 years of copyright protection to old sound recordings looks set to keep the work of the 50s and 60s locked up for another half century, resistance is solidifying... The UK's Open Rights Group has some strong words of its own for the plan, which it sees as more of a rights grab than an attempt to help poverty-stricken musicians. "While granting unending intellectual property rights may sound good," said the group, "a fair and balanced approach means that legislators must avoid dismissing economic rationale and the traps of faith based policy and voodoo economics that simply grant IP rightsholders requests for more."
2008-07-18 - ZDNet - E-voting flawed in London election, say campaigners
Author: Tom Espiner
Summary: Digital rights campaigners have repeated assertions that the May 2008 London mayoral election results were potentially flawed due to e-voting problems. The mayoral elections were won by Conservative candidate Boris Johnson. However, Open Rights Group (ORG) campaigners asserted that as many as 41,000 votes could have been miscounted, and that the final result could, therefore, have been skewed.
2008-07-17 - Computer Active - EU moves to extend copyright for performers
Author: Dinah Greek
Summary: Musicians will retain copyright on sound recordings for 95 years if proposals from the European Commission (EC) are made law. ... However ,opponents argue that sound recordings of 50 years old or more should be released from copyright in order to benefit all society. A review carried out in 2006 for the UK Government by Andrew Gowers, former editor of the Financial Times, dismissed the music industry’s call for this extension; he even said he had considered shortening the term. His decision to leave it at 50 years was backed by an EC report on copyright, The Recasting of Copyright & Related Rights for the Knowledge Economy as well as the Open Rights Group and some musicians' groups. They argue that not only will it stifle creativity but the record labels, rather than the performers, are the ones most likely to benefit
2008-07-07 - BBC News - Europe votes on anti-piracy laws
Summary: Europeans suspected of putting movies and music on file-sharing networks could be thrown off the web under proposals before Brussels. The powers are in a raft of laws that aim to harmonise the regulations governing Europe's telecom markets... The UK's Open Rights Group said the laws would be "disproportionate and ineffective".
2008-07-06 - The Register - Europe drafts law to disconnect suspected filesharers
Author: Jan Libbenga
Summary: France has suggested an amendment to the pan-European Telecoms Package, which would bar broadband access to anyone who persists in illegally downloading music or films... Action groups Netzpolitik.org, Open Rights Group and La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) have been actively campaigning on the issue. They believe the amendments will "pave the way for the monitoring and filtering of the internet by private companies, exceptional courts and Orwellian technical measures".
2008-07-04 - Hendon Times - Polling allegations to be investigated
Author: Kevin Bradford
Summary: Problems at the polls during this year's London elections will be investigated as part of a review of the election process. The London Assembly's elections review committee will look into reasons why ballot papers arrived late to five polling stations in Mill Hill and investigate claims that some residents were unable to vote for up to an hour at one location in Friern Barnet... The review will also investigate a claim made by the Open Rights Group (ORG) that problems with the counting technology could have resulted in up to 41,000 ballot papers being unaccounted for.
2008-07-03 - BBC News - Warning letters to 'file-sharers'
Summary: Virgin Media has sent about 800 letters to customers warning them that they should not be downloading illegal music files via file-sharing sites. ... Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, said the letters were a disproportionate response from the music industry. "We need to protect users from punitive measures," she said. She said the music industry had to be in a position of offering a viable alternative before it clamped down on the activities of some users. "Stopping illicit file-sharing might not be as effective a measure as trying to monetise it," she said.
2008-07-02 - This Is London - Investigation launched into '41,000 missing votes'
Summary: An investigation has been launched into claims that there is "insufficient evidence" that the results of London elections were accurate. The London Assembly Elections Review Committee will question individuals and institutions responsible for administering May's vote and count at a City Hall meeting on July 17. The Open Rights Group, which raised concerns about the way the poll was conducted, will also give evidence.
2008-07-02 - 24dash - Thousands of ballots 'miscounted' in London Mayoral election
Author: Jon Land
Summary: The legitimacy of Boris Johnson's victory in the London Mayoral elections was today thrown into question by a new report into how the count was carried out. According to the report, published by the Open Rights Group, electronic voting methods used in the May ballot could have miscounted up to 41,000 ballot papers. The ORG report stated: “There is insufficient evidence available to allow independent observers to state reliably whether the results declared in the May 2008 elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly are an accurate representation of voters’ intentions.”
2008-07-02 - PC Pro - London election "lost up to 41,000 votes"
Author: Matthew Sparkes
Summary: Electronic voting methods used in the recent London Mayoral elections may have miscounted or mislaid up to 41,000 ballots, claims the Open Rights Group... "On count day, efforts towards transparency around the recording of valid votes were nothing more than a pretence: hundreds of screens were set up by the scanners to show almost meaningless data to observers, party candidates and agents, while officials admit that underneath the system was likely to be recording blank ballots as valid votes," says a report from the ORG.
2008-07-02 - Guardian Technology - London mayoral election: doubts over 41,000 votes counted by machine
Author: Bobbie Johnson
Summary: The results of the London mayoral elections have been called into question after independent observers cast doubt on the hi-tech process used to count ballot papers. A report today from the Open Rights Group (ORG), which closely monitors the use of electronic voting systems, claims that problems with the technology could have resulted in as many as 41,000 ballots going unaccounted for in the May elections. "The system threw up a number of problems and an unacceptable level of uncertainty," said Becky Hogge, executive director of the organisation, which campaigns on technological issues that affect members of the public.

June

2008-06-19 - Guardian Technology - Call Doctor Who: BBC's Highfield stuck in a time warp
Author: Bobbie Johnson
Summary: Never let it be said that the BBC's head of digital Ashley Highfield is behind the times. In a posting on the BBC website today, he ponders the question of net neutrality and whether ISPs should have any liability for illegal content that is being shared on their networks. A hot topic, to be sure... Not only that, but the response he quotes at length from the Open Rights Group, which he says was issued "last week" was actually from (yes) two years ago (July 2006, to be precise.)
2008-06-12 - The Word Magazine - Hello. Here comes a music tax
Author: David Hepworth
Summary: In other words the music industry would get the people who run ISPs or manufacture iPods to pay them a sum of money to compensate them for the loss of revenue that these technologies entail. I'm no lawyer but I don't see how this can work. ... The BPI's argument is here. The counter-argument, from the Open Rights Group, is here. What do you think?
2008-06-10 - Computer Weekly BCS urges opt-in policy for Phorm to build trust
Author: Justin Richards
Summary: The British Computer Society (BCS) is urging Phorm and other profile-based internet advertising systems to adopt an "opt-in" approach to help build consumer trust... The Foundation for Information Policy Research and the Open Rights Group, a campaigning organisation that raises the awareness of digital rights and civil liberties issues, has produced an analysis of Phorm's system, highlighting potential privacy issues.
2008-06-06 - PC Pro - Virgin begins file-sharing offensive
Author: Simon Aughton
Summary: Virgin Media and the British Phonographic Institute are to begin sending warning letters to Virgin broadband subscribers who they allege have been illegally sharing music files... A Virgin spokesman [says], "We want people to enjoy music online without infringing the rights of musicians and music companies. This campaign is about helping our customers understand how they can do this." But the ISP is not yet threatening to disconnect persistent sharers, though it will warn them that this is a possibility... Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group says that she welcomes Virgin's commitment not to disconnect its customers, but warned the threats may yet cause problems: "A hard core of dedicated illicit file-sharers will instantly route around any IP sniffing that goes on by using encryption. Then they'll develop tools for less tech-savvy users to take advantage of encryption. And then we'll be back where we started."
2008-06-04 - Computeract!ve - Facebook lets people “sniff out their friends”
Author: Andrea-Marie Vassou
Summary: People will soon be able to find their friends using their mobile phone signals... It works through similar technology used by the police to track down suspects or missing children via their mobile phone... However, Michael Holloway, a representative for privacy organisation the Open Rights Group, warned that the technology could be dangerous. He said: "The technology to track people via their phones has been available for quite some time, but as with all systems, the devil is in the detail, of which we are unaware. One interesting and useful implication of Sniff would be addressing the concept of 'friend' in the context of social networks, which has been until now largely meaningless.”

May

2008-05-22 - New Statesman - Protected species
Author: Becky Hogge
Summary: The story was so British it hurt. A keen knitter, who also happened to be a Doctor Who fan, designed a set of knitting patterns and posted them on her blog so that other knitters, who might also be keen Doctor Who fans, could knit their favourite characters from the current series. Not David Tennant or Catherine Tate, but the Adiposes - little creatures bred from human fat by an alien "Nanny" - and the Oods - a telepathic race lobotomised and subjected to willing slavery by the humans of the 25th century. But you will know the story of Doctor Who and the knitting by now. It was so British that when my organisation, the Open Rights Group, publicised it, it went national almost instantly.
2008-05-20 - Age Concern - Monster knitter warned
Author: Adfero Ltd
Summary: A Dr Who fan who created and gave away online knitting patterns for the show's monsters has been told to remove them from her website. ... Following the warning the sci-fi fan approached the Open Rights Group for advice and it publicised her case. This week the BBC replied, saying: "We are not heavy-handed when it comes to fans creating their own products out of a love for the show."
2008-05-19 - Experian QAS - Data privacy groups attack planned employers' 'black-list'
Summary: Data security experts and workers' organisations have hit out at plans to introduce an online database which would allow employers to list former employees accused of misconduct. ... However, according to the NGO The Open Rights Group, such a database would "undermine the courts" and allow employers to punish former workers in a "non-judicial manner". Becky Hogge, executive director of the organisation, explained: "This proposal seems like it is wide-open to being abused against both workplace rights activists and whistle-blowers. A throwback to darker times made all the more sinister with 21st-century data-breach and mining technologies. She added: "The Information Commissioner's powers are weak and ineffectual, and his office is completely without the resources to police and act as an alternative 'after the fact' industrial tribunal, which appears to be what is proposed."
2008-05-18 - Sunday Herald - The sorry yarn about Dr Who’s Knitted Ood™
Author: Roxanne Sorooshian
Summary: Beware, Dr Who fans. Auntie Beeb can get heavy if you mess with The Brand. So discovered a 26-year-old, known only by her online moniker Mazzmatazz, who became embroiled in a row with the corporation last week over knitting patterns. ... Her case was publicised by the Open Rights Group, a lobbying organisation specialising in digital rights issues. Executive director Becky Hogge said: "In the offline world, what she's doing would be fine. But because she's doing it online, which is a public space, it causes a problem." Best hide behind the sofa.
2008-05-17 - The Times - BBC chiefs soften over Doctor Who fan's toys
Author: Dan Sabbag
Summary: A report in The Times and a very British public outcry yesterday persuaded the BBC to adopt the knitting patterns used to create the Doctor Who monsters - instead of threatening to force them out of existence. ... Becky Hogge, from the Open Rights Group, said: "This is great news for Mazzmatazz, but this does not change the law. It is very easy for media companies to threaten fans of their content, and we'd like the law changed to give fans more rights".
2008-05-15 - The Stage - Woolly Thinking
Author: Mark Wright
Summary: A Doctor Who fan who is known only as Mazzmatazz has fallen foul of the BBC’s legal arm for posting some really very cute knitting patterns on the internet, giving instructions on how to knit your very own Ood or adorable Adipose. ... “We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off hand-bags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future.” Becky Hodge, executive director of the open rights group, has said in relation to this story.
2008-05-15 - Channel 4 - Knitter needles the BBC
Summary: A Doctor Who fan has been told by the BBC to stop producing knitting patterns from the sci-fi TV series. The Open Rights Group, an advocacy organisation for civil and consumer rights, is helping to publicise the case. Becky Hogge, the group's executive director, said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off handbags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future."
2008-05-15 - ITV - Knitter needles the BBC
Summary: BBC Worldwide contacted "Mazzmatazz", after she began creating patterns of creatures like the Ood and the Adipose for her online knitting circle. ... The Open Rights Group, an advocacy organisation for civil and consumer rights, is helping to publicise the case. Becky Hogge, the group's executive director, said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off handbags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future.
2008-05-15 - The Sun - Beeb tries to extermi-knit!
Author: Colin Robertson
Summary: A DOCTOR Who fan has been banned from giving away KNITTING patterns of the show’s characters. ... Ood ... stitched up ... Becky Hogge of campaigners The Open Rights Group, which advised her, said: "It is not causing the BBC to lose money. It is actually enriching their output."
2008-05-14 - United Press International - Fan knits tribute to 'Dr. Who,' BBC irked
Summary: A British fan of the long-running BBC show "Doctor Who" was threatened with legal action for creating knitted versions of the show's monsters. ... Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group -- a British organization that advocates on digital rights and civil liberties issues -- suggested copyright law needs to be changed to protect fan tributes to popular movies, TV shows and books. "We need to recognize that there is a difference between selling knock-off hand-bags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future," said Hogge.
2008-05-14 - RTE - Beeb bans Dr Who fan's knitting patterns
Summary: The BBC has told a 'Doctor Who' fan to stop making knitting patterns based on the TV series. ... The Open Rights Group, which advocates for civil and consumer rights in the UK, has supported the 'Dr Who' fan. A spokeswoman said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off handbags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future.
2008-05-14 - Web User - Doctor Who aliens spark online row
Summary: A Doctor Who fan has removed knitting patterns of characters from the TV show from her website after a request from the BBC. ... While Becky Hogge, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, wrote: "The approach the BBC have taken with Mazz's knitting patterns demonstrates a distinct lack of flexibility." "It is quite possible that through transforming the characters in Doctor Who into knitting patterns, Mazz may have infringed upon the BBC's copyright. But it's hard to see how Mazz's non-commercial knitting patterns actually damage the commercial interests of the BBC."
2008-05-14 - Metro - Dr Who knitter 'crossed the line', says BBC
Summary: A Doctor Who fan has been told by the BBC to stop producing knitting patterns from the sci-fi TV series ... The Open Rights Group, an advocacy organisation for civil and consumer rights, is helping to publicise the case. Becky Hogge, the group's executive director, said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off handbags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future."
2008-05-14 - Daily Mail - BBC monsters Dr Who fan for creating internet knitting patterns of the sci-fi series' characters
Summary: At first glance it is hard to tell what they are. But these knitted blobs have landed one unsuspecting Dr Who fan in hot water with the BBC. ... After her Dr Who patterns were discovered on the internet, Mazzmatazz was sent a letter by the BBC demanding she remove all the designs from her website. ... Becky Hogge, executive director of the Open Rights Group, which helped to publicise the case, said it illustrated the problems with copyright law. "This case illustrates what's wrong with copyright law in the digital age, it can't really discern between a breach by people sharing knitting patterns of popular characters or a guy on a market stall selling knock-off handbags." She said Mazz had not been selling either patterns or dolls and her activities had not harmed the BBC's commercial interests.
2008-05-14 - BBC - Dr Who fan in knitted puppet row
Summary: A Doctor Who fan is embroiled in a row with the BBC after she published knitting patterns for the sci-fi drama's monsters on the internet. ... Her case is being publicised by the Open Rights Group, a lobbying organisation which specialises in digital rights issues. ... Executive director Becky Hogge told BBC News: "She doesn't feel she's doing anything wrong yet she's being threatened with legal action." "In the offline world, what she'd be doing would be fine. But because she's doing it online, which is a public space, it causes a problem."
2008-05-14 - The Telegraph - Doctor Who's new enemy: the BBC lawyers
Author: Andy Bloxham
Summary: A Doctor Who fan who gave away knitting patterns which created vague recreations of the programme's aliens has been threatened with legal action by the BBC for copyright infringement. ... Legal experts said the case showed the changing nature of copyright on the internet. ... Becky Hogge, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, which helped to publicise the case, said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off hand-bags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future."
2008-05-13 - The Times - Alien knitting patterns undo Dr Who fan
Author: Dan Sabbagh
Summary: A Doctor Who fan who created knitting patterns for the programme’s monsters and gave them away online has been told by the BBC to stop or face the threat of court action. Becky Hogge, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, which helped to publicise the case after trying to advise Mazzmatazz, said: "We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off hand-bags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future."

April

2008-04-11 - BBC - Europe rejects anti-piracy plans
Summary: European politicians have voted down calls to throw suspected file-sharers off the net. The idea to cut off persistent pirates formed part of a wide-ranging report on creative industries written for the European parliament. the Open Rights Group, it does "signify resistance" among European law makers to the strict measures that nations such as France are implementing.
2008-04-11 - ITPro - EU rejects file-sharing laws
Summary: The European Parliament threw out attempts to criminalise file sharing in a plenary vote yesterday. Although not legally binding, the 'no' vote is expected to hamper plans on the part of some governments in Europe to introduce a 'three-strikes' rule that would force internet service providers (ISPs) to ban users found sharing copyrighted files of music, TV shows or films via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. ... The Open Rights Group (ORG) backed the decision and observed: "The report is not legally binding, but it does signify resistance among MEPs to measures currently being implemented in France to disconnect suspected illicit file sharers."
2008-04-11 - The Inquirer - EU Parliament rejects file sharing ban
Author: Nick Farrell
Summary: The eu parliment narrowly threw out a vote that would have banned file sharing by private individuals and decided against banning copyright abusers from the Internet. ... The move has been at the instigation of France, which already has similar laws in place ... Many observers, including the UK-based Open Rights Group, expect it to push for EU-wide rules similar to its own.
2008-04-11 - Slashdot - Europe Rejects Plan To Criminalize File-Sharing
Summary: Lineker points out a report that the European Parliament has rejected plans to criminalize file-sharing by private individuals. The amendment to remove the anti-piracy measures passed by a vote of 314-297. The decision is expected to influence how France, with its strict anti-piracy polices, approaches this issue when it assumes the EU presidency later this year. From InfoWorld: "France's so-called Oliviennes strategy to combat copyright abuse includes a 'three strikes and you are out' approach: Offenders lose the right to an Internet account after being caught sharing copyright-protected music over the Internet for a third time. The report is significant because it 'signifies resistance among MEPs to measures currently being implemented in France to disconnect suspected illicit filesharers,' the Open Rights Group said in a statement.
2008-04-10 - The Register - Civil liberties groups challenge Data Retention Directive in ECJ
Summary: UK groups the Open Rights Group (ORG), Statewatch and Privacy International, amongst 40 others, have submitted their arguments in support of Ireland's ongoing case to have the Directive repealed.
2008-04-09 - OUT-LAW - Civil liberties groups challenge Data Retention Directive in ECJ
Summary: European civil liberties groups have lodged an objection to the EU's Data Retention Directive with the European Court of Justice, claiming that the Directive breaches a fundamental right to privacy guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights. UK groups the Open Rights Group (ORG), Statewatch and Privacy International, amongst 40 others, have submitted their arguments in support of Ireland's ongoing case to have the Directive repealed.
2008-04-07 - ZDNet - Thinktank: Phorm a 'green light for lawbreaking'
Author: David Meyer
Summary: The Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) said on Sunday that it hoped the Information Commissioner would "reconsider what appears to be a green light for lawbreaking". These words came after the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) made a long-awaited statement about the system, which is called Phorm. ... "We have had detailed discussions with Phorm. They assure us that their system does not allow the retention of individual profiles of sites visited and adverts presented, and that they hold no personally identifiable information on web users," the ICO said. "Indeed, Phorm assert that their system has been designed specifically to allow the appropriate targeting of adverts whilst rigorously protecting the privacy of web users. They clearly recognise the need to address the concerns raised by a number of individuals and organisations including the Open Rights Group."
2008-04-05 - The Scotsman - BT under fire over 'spyware'
Author: Matt Williams
Summary: Privacy campaigners criticised BT yesterday after the telecoms giant admitted "spying" on its broadband customers. The Open Rights Group said software BT used to track the web-browsing habits of 36,000 people was potentially illegal. The data watchdog, the Information Commissioner is now investigating, following a complaint. BT said spyware software developed by US firm Phorm was trialled on customers during 2006 and 2007.
2008-04-04 - Channel 4 News - BT condemned on internet 'spying'
Summary: Privacy campaigners have attacked BT after the telecoms giant admitted to "spying" on thousands of its broadband customers. The Open Rights Group said software used by the firm to track the web-browsing habits of 36,000 people was potentially illegal. Data watchdog the Information Commissioner is now looking into the affair following a complaint.

March

2008-03-18 - Information World Review - Phorm slammed as 'illegal'
Summary: Online advert system Phorm is in contravention of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and illegal in the UK, according to the Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR). ... The Open Rights Group (ORG) recently raised concerns over potential privacy violations caused by the ad system Phorm. "Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue", said ORG in a statement.
2008-03-17 - The Market Research Industry - BT Accused of Bad Phorm
Summary: UK ‘phone giant BT is facing a possible lawsuit after it admitted using business customers’ data without permission, in a trial run for ‘Webwise’ software from analytics and ad-serving company Phorm. Others including Webfather Tim Berners-Lee have been joining the privacy debate.
2008-03-17 - Information Age - BT admits using customer data without consent
Summary: Telco confesses that test run for market analytics product Phorm used live customer data without permission; customers threaten lawsuit. ... Phorm, a web analytics package, has been accused of being ‘spy-ware’. The Open Rights Group (ORG) last week called for more details about Phorm – which has been trialled by BT, VirginMedia and TalkTalk – to be released to the public. ORG suspects that the software invades the privacy of web users. "Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue", said ORG.
2008-03-16 - BBC Click - The pros and cons of DRM
Summary: Is Digital Rights Management saving or killing music sales? Click's Spencer Kelly speaks to Richard Gooch from the International Federation of Phonographic Industry and Becky Hogge, director of the Open Rights Group.
2008-03-16 - Scotland on Sunday - True to Phorm
Summary: Internet service providers BT, Talk Talk and Virgin have opted into a trial of a new system that collects data about internet surfers' habits for advertising purposes. The Open Rights Group, a digital political campaign organisation, has complained that the system, called Phorm, violated the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act without benefiting customers.
2008-03-14 - Information World Review - Privacy group questions Phorm system
Author: Guy Dixon
Summary: The Open Rights Group has raised concerns over potential privacy violations caused by the Phorm advertising system. The monitoring system analyses users' surfing habits and is proving increasingly popular with ISPs looking to more accurately target subscribers with advertising. Talk Talk, Virgin and BT are all currently working with Phorm on a pilot basis.
Note: Also reprinted in WhatPc Privacy group questions Phorm system, CRN Privacy group questions Phorm system, IT Week Privacy group questions Phorm system, vnunet Privacy group questions Phorm system, Computing Privacy group questions Phorm system
2008-03-14 - Zero Paid - From Privacy to Censorship - Activists Have Their Hands Full
Summary: The Open Rights Group have recently compiled information related to the Phorm controversy. Essentially, Phorm is a technology employed by an Internet Service Provider to drop ads onto users browsers based on content being viewed. "On top of this, question marks are beginning to appear over Phorm’s compliance with the law. Can ISPs' employment of Phorm comply with the Data Protection Act?" Asks Open Rights Group poster Becky, "Is intercepting traffic in this manner an offence under section 1 of RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act)? The Information Commissioner has issued a statement (pdf) saying his office is making inquiries – but is this enough?" Open Rights Group then points to a petition with over 4,000 signatures which demands that the government stop ISPs from breaching privacy through advertising technologies. The last known case of an ISP trying to intercept the browsing experience and placing content over top of the requested page occurred in Canada where Rogers placed warning messages about users net usage late last year. ...
2008-03-13 - Digital Trends - Phorm's ad system is proving very controversial in the UK, and it hasn't even started yet
Author: Christopher Nickson
Summary: Phorm’s ad system is proving very controversial in the UK, and it hasn’t even started yet. ... the Open Rights Group (ORG) is demanding more details about Webwise. "Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue," the group said, and wondered openly if the system complied with the law, although a Home Office review concluded that it did, as long as users gave their permission and also agreed to new terms and conditions.
2008-03-12 - BBC - Open Rights Group questions Phorm
Summary: Campaign body the Open Rights Group (ORG) has called for further detail on the workings of ad system Phorm. BT, Virgin and Talk Talk have signed up to trial the system, which intercepts users' web surfing to analyse habits. More than 2,500 people have signed a Downing Street petition expressing concern about privacy implications. "Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue", said ORG.
2008-03-12 - Boing Boing - Open Rights Group to Downing Street: find out how Phorm works!
Summary: Over the last few weeks, the story that BT, Virgin and TalkTalk are signed up to trial a new technology called Phorm, which tracks users' online surfing habits in order to target ads at them, has caused a storm all over the internet. The Open Rights Group (ORG) has called for further detail on the workings of ad system Phorm. More than 2,500 people have signed a Downing Street petition expressing concern about privacy implications. 'Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue', said ORG.

February

2008-02-24 - The Observer - MPs must thwart the dark plans of the state
Author: Henry Porter
Summary: Parliament has never been less vigilant about the many measures to increase Home Office power. In the name of the great democrats of the past, act now. ... If you want to know how Britain will be in 20 years' time, the best place to look is the legislation affecting children. An excellent report produced by, among others, Action on Rights for Children, Liberty, the Open Rights Group and No2ID, paints a horrific picture of the intensive surveillance of our children who are being conditioned to tolerate the collection of biometric data (fingerprints for library use) and the endless attention of these faceless monitors.
2008-02-15 - The Times - New lease of life for ageing rock stars
Author: Dan Sabbagh
Summary: Now the European Commission has struck a chord with the rock dinosaurs and their music companies by proposing that the rights for recorded music be extended from 50 to 95 years. ... Critics said that extending copyright would benefit only a few artists. Becky Hogge, from the campaign group Open Rights Forum, said: "A handful of artists will get most of the rewards, and it is not clear this will benefit the economy."
2008-02-14 - Intellectual Property Watch - European Commission Seeks Copyright Extension, New Levy Debate
Author: William New
Summary: In a flurry of intellectual property-related activity Thursday, the European Commission proposed extending copyright protection for performers from 50 to 95 years, resurrected debate on the contentious issue of copyright levies on blank media, and ranked member states on their innovativeness. ... McCreevy's move was welcomed by the International Federation for Phonographic Industry, which has been pushing for a longer term of protection for performers. The UK-based Open Rights Group, however, said McCreevy is ignoring evidence in favour of "emotive arguments." The case against copyright term extension was clearly made in the UK and in a study commissioned by the Internal Market Directorate-General, said the group’s executive director, Becky Hogge. Longer copyright terms risk "consigning vast swathes of cultural heritage to a commercial vacuum in favour of the very small percentage of tracks still making their creators money 5 years after they were laid down," she said.
2008-02-07 - BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours
Summary: Discussion about how consumer demand for new ways of distributing content online can lead (slowly) to changes in intellectual property and licensing practices. The debate was sparked by a new "online PVR" service, TVcatchup.com, which launched at the end of last year. Becky from the Open Rights Group explains some of the issues.
2008-02-06 - BBC - Rights attack on smart card plan
Summary: Civil liberties groups say Welsh A Assembly Government proposals for a "smart card" are a way of introducing identity cards "through the back door". ... However, Suw Charman, founder of the Open Rights group, which campaigns on digital rights, described the scheme as "pointless". She told the BBC Wales programme CF99 on S4C: "I haven't seen an argument about what's wrong with the existing cards." "Why do we need to put all this information on one smart card that's going to keep a log on what people do and where they go? It's treating people like criminals."

January

2008-01-23 - Computer Active - ID cards to arrive in 2012
Author: Andrea-Marie Vassou
Summary: UK citizens will receive their compulsory national ID card two years after the proposed date, according to documents leaked to the Conservative party. ... Security expert Richard Clayton agreed, attributing the delay to the Government's recent "incompetent handling of private data". Becky Hogge, director at the the Open Rights Group told Computeractive: "It would come as no surprise if the Government was to reconsider its plans for ID cards given its recent record on data protection."
2008-01-09 - OUT-LAW - Commission consultation: the need for pan-European copyright licence
Summary: The European Commission says European media businesses should be able to offer creative content in a single legal environment. It has launched a consultation that calls for multi-territory licences and interoperable digital rights management (DRM) systems. Digital media rights activists, though, have warned that the plan covers much more ground than just copyright, and that consumer rights could be damaged by it. ... the plan could threaten consumer rights in a number of areas, according to digital consumer rights pressure group the Open Rights Group (ORG). "Looking at some of the details of the European Commission consultation document it seems to be that they are proposing a lot more than just a cross Europe licensing scheme," said Becky Hogg, executive director of ORG. "There is stuff here about transparency and interoperability in digital rights management systems, there is stuff about codes of conduct between internet service providers and rights holders to encourage legal access and discourage unauthorised file sharing." "These sorts of proposals have been causing waves in the consumer rights community since the last part of last year when France announced an experimental project where ISPs would monitor and disconnect users suspected of illicit file-sharing online," she said. Hogg said that the consultation was likely to touch on difficult questions that the UK has already answered, such as the proposed extension of the copyright term in sound recordings beyond the current 50 year limit. This was a proposal that was rejected by Andrew Gowers in his 2006 review of intellectual property law, which the Treasury has backed. "Gowers has already rejected this so it will be interesting to see how that goes, but we will be keen to see the evidence that Gowers collected on that being put before the European Commission," said Hogg. Hogg said, though, that ORG had no principled objection to a pan-European copyright licence, and that it could solve a problem that certainly exists. "It is certainly good news that the European Commission is looking it and if there can be a simpler system then both for artists and consumers that is good news," she said. "But what's clear is that this is yet another front for consumer groups to be aware of."
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