[Las Vegas Sun] Newspaper copyright infringement lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas was hit Wednesday with an order to pay $119,488 in attorney's fees and costs in its failed lawsuit against former federal prosecutor Thomas DiBiase.
This was by far the largest fee award against Righthaven, but likely will be dwarfed by an upcoming award in Righthaven's failed suit against the Democratic Underground. Before Wednesday the largest fee award against Righthaven was for $34,045 -- an amount Righthaven says it's having trouble paying or even posting a bond to cover.
The DiBiase case was noteworthy because his attorneys at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco said DiBiase's nonprofit website performed a public service assisting law enforcement officials in bringing justice to crime victims -- and that his post was protected by the fair use concept of copyright law.
Case law created by the Righthaven lawsuits suggests DiBiase's use of the story would be protected by fair use as it was noncommercial and judges have found there can be no market harm to Righthaven for such uses since there is no market for copyrights Righthaven obtains for lawsuit purposes.
Hunt didn't rule on the fair use claim, but in the DiBiase case he ruled Righthaven had wrongly been claiming it had the right in its lawsuits to seize defendants' website domain names.
That standard lawsuit demand was criticized by defense attorneys who said it was meant to bully defendants into settling, though Righthaven insisted it was a legitimate demand especially against copyright infringers who wouldn't stop infringing or who failed to pay a court judgment to Righthaven.
DiBiase's attorneys received every dollar they asked for in their fee request.
"Righthaven's lawsuit against Mr. DiBiase was a shameless attempt to extract a nuisance value settlement from someone who spends his free time trying to assist prosecutors and Sherlocks by maintaining a one-stop Internet resource for information about `no-body' murder cases. Mr. DiBiase prevailed in this action because he demonstrated that Righthaven could not -- as a matter of law -- establish the first element of a valid copyright infringement claim: ownership of a copyright. Righthaven's case was objectively unreasonable from the outset and motivated by improper purposes throughout," their fee request said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/27/2011 11:41 ||
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#1
HAHA!!! Die you parasitic fucks! DIE!!!!*
*in a business model and professional reputation sort of way, of course. I don't wish harm on the lawyers except for maybe a kick in the balls.
[www.macon.com] A Wilkinson County man has pleaded guilty in what authorities said was the largest food stamp fraud investigation in Georgia's history.
Elbert Eugene Shinholster, the owner of Shinholster's Grocery and Meat Market in Irwinton, pleaded guilty to charges against him in U.S. District Court on Monday. Authorities said the food stamp fraud and money laundering charges involved a $4.6 million scam.
The Irwinton store was the target of an investigation earlier this year along with a McIntyre convenience store.
The probe, dubbed Operation Handout, uncovered the state's largest food stamp fraud in terms of monetary loss to state taxpayers, said Ravae Graham, a Georgia Department of Human Services spokeswoman.
Nationwide, 230,000 retailers participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food stamp program. In 2010, the USDA conducted 5,000 undercover investigations of participating stores, and 14,000 stores were put on a watch list, said Aaron Lavallee, a USDA front man.
In a plea agreement filed in court this week, Shinholster admitted that he defrauded the food stamp program of more than $4.68 million during a five-year period by conspiring with nearly 2,000 food stamp recipients.
Food stamp recipients receive an allotted amount of money monthly on an electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card to buy food from authorized stores. Shinholster's store had been an authorized store since 1990.
Between June 2006 and March 2011, food stamp recipients would tell Shinholster or his employee how much cash they wanted in exchange for their food stamps, according to court records. On each occasion, the recipient's card would then be debited as though the person had bought food, but they received a cash payment instead. In exchange, the store also debited 30 percent of that amount from the card as a kind of interest or courtesy charge. "Courtesy charge"? The loan sharks call it viggorish. And they don't even charge that much.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/27/2011 00:00 ||
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Makes you a little nervous with everything going on in the world right now. October 28 and 29 were the specific dates that I saw people identify. The old-timers would say that when cash was in short supply that was the beginning of it. So any cut in welfare now will cause the vilification of any party tagged for doing it. Cuts would fuel the Occupy commie sorts. People out of work. Students educated for what. Socialism will look good to them. Universities will be the breeding grounds and staging points. Union guest speakers, hollywood concerts and political speakers. One mind, one thought. Attacking wealth, prosperity, with a president's blessing and his enablers. What galls the daylights out of me is money will come pouring in from everywhere to fuel this. The administrative expenses will be tremendous.:)
#2
The super committee had the potential to be the worm in the wood where tough choices could be made and blamed upon the committee...but in order for that to happen the public rhetoric had to be toned down. Has not happened because somebody is up for re-election and he needs cash cash cash before sammy takes his t-bills away, or as his party members say, elections should be suspended.
#3
So what about the holders of the EBTs? Kind of like arresting the hooker and letting the johns walk, shouldn't the recipents of the $$ also be charged? (although since they only received 70% of the value the cry will be that they 'suffered enough')
[An Nahar] Desperate survivors of Turkey's devastating earthquake looted truckloads of aid supplies as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged failures Wednesday in the relief effort.
As night-time temperatures dropped to below zero and snow was forecast to fall overnight, authorities were in a race against time to provide some form of shelter for the thousands of people who faced another night out in the open.
The last official corpse count was 471 and more than 1,600 injured, but the International Federation of Red Thingy and Red Islamic Thingy Societies has said that "hundreds, possibly thousands" of people are still trapped under the rubble in eastern Van province.
While a 27-year-old teacher was plucked to safety in the early morning, hopes of finding more people alive were fading fast.
Excavators in Van began clearing rubble on Wednesday evening as rescue workers estimated that no survivors were left beneath the debris.
With complaints about the pace of the relief effort mounting, the government finally agreed to accept help from abroad although Erdogan insisted that things were now coming under control after a tricky beginning.
"We accept that there were some failures within the first 24 hours," the prime minister said in remarks on Turkish television, in particular acknowledging problems with the distribution of tents.
However he also said it was understandable that there would be teething problems given the scale of the disaster and that he had sent a number of ministers to oversee the relief efforts.
"Almost a quarter of the cabinet is there now ... we have brought the situation under control in the last couple of days," he said.
There have been frequent complaints among residents of the mainly Kurdish region that the Ankara government would have acted faster if disaster had struck elsewhere.
"We did not discriminate between Turks, Kurds or Zaza people ... We said that they are all our people," Erdogan said.
But the revelation from the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy that 17 aid trucks had been raided highlighted the sense of despair among survivors.
Ahmet Lutfi Aker, the national head of the organization, told Agence La Belle France Presse that the trucks had been looted both in the picturesque provincial capital Van and in Ercis, the town which bore the full brunt of the quake.
Locals in Ercis recounted seeing the driver of one of the trucks assaulted before his attackers made off with food and blankets.
There was uproar among the crowds on Wednesday when they learned that the local governor's office had stopped distributing tents, instead transferring responsibility to village headmen.
"Yesterday I waited here until midnight and I received nothing. I came back this morning at 3:00 am and have been waiting since then and now the distribution is canceled," said 29-year-old Erdal Bayram, a construction worker.
"I need a tent for myself and for my father. We made a makeshift tent to sleep under but it rained last night and the wind was blowing."
While the government initially refused outside offers of help it reversed that decision late Tuesday.
"We were not expecting such a huge demand for tents," the daily Milliyet quoted Besir Atalay, the deputy prime minister, as saying.
"When people ask for tents for 100,000 households, you cannot meet that demand."
Israel's foreign ministry said that it had been asked to help despite the recent deterioration of ties between the two countries.
After the rescue of a 16-day-old baby, her mother and grandmother sparked scenes of joy on Tuesday, emergency teams managed to beat the odds again on Wednesday by pulling 27-year-old Gozde Bahar from the debris of her home. The teacher was immediately rushed to hospital after a 66-hour ordeal.
But her rescue was a rare slice of good news as the number of body bags mounted.
In the village of Guvecli, locals said they had had to recover the bodies of their loved ones by themselves.
"We had to do it by our own means, by shovels and digging tools," Guvecli resident Ahmet Yayin told AFP as he clustered around a fire to keep warm.
As well as the offers of help in the relief effort from abroad, there have also been other shows of solidarity.
During his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI called on the world's Catholics to pray for those who had lost their life and "be spiritually close to many who are in distress."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
It's not called looting anymore- it's called redistribution for a better equality.
#2
called redistribution for a better equality
And without knowing for sure, it might even be true - quite possible that the Kurdish victims were being ignored in official aid channels and took matters into their own hands.
You'd think they'd bridle their tongues out of gratitude, and concern that rudeness might decide the Israelis to rescind their offer. You would be wrong.
First plane of earthquake relief departs for Ankara; Turkish FM Davutoglu maintains harsh rhetoric, says Turkey must "press hard" on Israel.
The first of what is expected to be several civilian planes full of Israeli earthquake relief aid set off for Turkey on Wednesday, even as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu kept up his tough rhetoric against Israel.
The 747 plane chartered by the Defense Ministry carried seven prefabricated homes that have all the necessary electric wiring and can be lived in immediately by people who lost their homes in Sunday's earthquake that devastated the eastern province of Van and killed more than 460 people. The plane, which will land in Ankara, is also carrying warm clothes, blankets and mattresses.
A Defense Ministry official said that one, and possibly two more planes will be sent on Thursday. The official said the ministry chartered a civilian plane not because of a Turkish ban on IDF planes flying over Turkey, but rather because the 747 could carry more than an IDF transport plane.
But even as the plane was being loaded, Davutoglu -- on a visit to Jordan --called for forceful pressure on Israel, saying that only such pressure would force Jerusalem into giving up on a number of principles and making it easier to establish a Palestinian state. "We believe that if we will press hard enough on Israel, we will bring it to a situation where it will be convinced that it needs to carry out its part of moving the diplomatic process forward and establishing a Palestinian state," Israel Radio quoted Davutoglu as saying.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/27/2011 12:17 Comments ||
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#2
Let's hope for Argentina's sake that it doesn't take that long...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/27/2011 12:31 Comments ||
Top||
#3
If there does turn out to be a bunch of oil out near the Falklands, I expect China to take great interest in encouaging/helping Argentina to 'recover' its lost territory (and to modify its new capital retention law.)
#4
..once again reminding those who own and operate juntas [or similar types of national management], that you might as well go out fighting than just wait around for someone to deal with your sorry ass later. A lot of people paid the ultimate price to bury the Duck of Death. While some may say his demise is a warning, others may take this also as a warning in calculating how they want to transition from power.
#7
Argentina is having allot of problems right now. They believe that England is weak now and they want the islands as bad as ever especially with oil production. Brazil has cut back as many other countries because the world economy has slowed. This is keenly felt in Argentina. The financial situation is bad currently. The weather on top of it all has been severe. There you have the stark extremes of wealthy and poor. I think she'll pull a Chavez and nationalize. Some time ago they did a default as I recall. What of the youth of Argentina?, the young people are reviving the Tango. So the world moves on.
Last Friday state leaders of the Yucatan Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) presented an impeachment petition to the state Chamber of Deputies charging the governor, Ivonne Ortega Pacheco of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) with embezzlement, acts of repression against Yucatan society and jeopardizing the future finances of Yucatan.
The petition was presented to the body by Blanca Estrada Mora, a former PAN government advisor to the previous state government, and representatives of other political groups, namely Frente Civico Familiar de Yucatan and Sociedad en Movimiento.
Most of the signatories to the petition were identified by the office of Governor Ortega Pacheco as having political ties to PAN.
Details in the petition, according to press reports, are that Ortega Pacheco's government was disorderly in its management practices, maintained a lack of transparency with regard to state finances, maintained poor accounting practices and diverted Mexican federal funds to other uses.
The document charges that the public debt of Yucatan is "unprecedented", debt which will affect future administrations.
However Wednesday, the Mexican Secretaria de Hacienda y Duenda Publico, the ministry which monitors the Mexican national treasury and finances said that Yucatan was seventh from last in total debt assumed, and fourth from last in debt per capita.
The head of the Yucatan state Planeacion y Presupuesto del Gobierno the Yucatan state budget office, Ulises Carrillo Cabrera, declaimed concerns for the debt by pointing out that the total debt contracted was less than 0.9 percent of the state GDP and eight percent of the total outlays for 2011 for Yucatan state.
Three banks hold the Yucatan's total debt of MP $1.6411 billion (USD $122,222,828.70), Banorte MP $308 million (USD $22,940,055.60) for 18 years, Bancomer MP $676 million (USD $50,348,953.20) for 15 years and Bank Bajio, with MP $656 million (USD 48,859,339.20) for 18 years.
"This is a manageable debt," Carrillo Cabrera is quoted as saying.
The federal treasury report included all 32 Mexican states and Distrito Federal. Of those political entities, according to the report, the top five held more than 57 percent of all state contracted bonds in Mexico. Four of those states include in inverse order, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Quintana Roo and Nuevo Leon.
The most indebted state in the nation was Coahuila with MP $11,948 per capita (USD $889.89), which held per capita total debt more 40 percent higher than the second most heavily indebted state entity, Nuevo Leon, which holds per capita debt of MP $8,134 (USD $605.83).
Perhaps more revealing are the percentage of debt to state's GDP the two top state entities hold. Coahuila's debt is 7.3 percent while Quintana Roo, its closest competitor in terms of debt to GDP holds debt equal to 4.3 percent. both ratios of which are by far much less than Yucatan's relatively conservative 0.9 percent.
According to news accounts, the treasury report did not quantify the debt problem as serious, except to point out that much of the revenues did not go to what are commonly considered priority areas such as education and health.
Indeed, in Mexican politics use of Mexican federal troops, be they Marines or Policia Federal carry a cost that must be borne by the state. Those security costs must be paid whether the governor asked for the added security or not.
The writers of the treasury report did not consult with Gustavo Madero, leader of PAN. With PAN being hammered in the last 12 months for its drug war policies nationally as well as internationally, PAN's fortunes in the upcoming presidential election to be held July 1st, 2012, appear to be declining.
In many newspaper polls held online, to be sure a poor indicator ot a future election, PRI is virtually assured a slow windy walk to Los Pinos; if you believe PRI, anyway.
Madero's ace and what appears to be his one current play to poach sympathy and even votes from PRI, and which appears at the moment his only ace, is in fact a wild card by the name of Humberto Moreira Valdes, leader of the PRI.
Moreira, elevated to lead PRI last winter in an easy walk, was the governor of Coahuila until February, 2011. Under Moreira, Coahuila's public indebtedness skyrocketed from MP $233 million (USD $25,934,832.80) to MP $32 billion (USD $256,939,520.00).
Madero's decision to put the political crosshairs onto the back of a man expected to lead PRI back to taking over the national government appears to have been an easy one.
And now joining in the tide rising to deal with Moreira and the issue of government debt, a resolution was brought forth by PAN senator Guillermo Anaya, and approved by the senate asking the national attorney general's office (Procuradora General Republica) (PGR) to investigate alleged irregularities in contracted the latest rounds of debt in Coahuila.
It is unclear just how much pressure can be brought to bear on Moreira. The subject of his stepping down had already been broached by PRI leaders last month and dismissed by Moreira out of hand, but it seems to be clear that Moreira's resignation from PRI may well be the goal of Madero and PAN.
The Yucatan impeachment petition shows just how hard even local PAN politicians are willing to fight for 2012. In tomorrow's Rantburg, Part II
#2
Yes EU oops! you know what I meant. Good pictures but I would like to see that bread oven for 65,000 dollars?, I forget. So now they have done the deal just who are the 40 some bond holders getting the hair cut and a shave?. Not 50% now 60%. Shave
The Obama admin. told Rep. Darrell Issa that Kevin OReilly Gunwalkers possible connection to Obama was in Iraq and unavailable. Hes there, but available. After we called him, his phone number was deactivated.
The committee recently requested to speak with former White House National Security Staffer Kevin OReilly. According to CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson, the Obama administration answered:
OReilly is on assignment for the State Department in Iraq and unavailable.
Through a tip, PJ Media learned that Kevin OReilly was unexpectedly named director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau for Iraq (INL-Iraq). Long-time INL-Iraq employee Virginia Ramadan had been expected to get the position many were quite surprised when she did not.
The previous occupants of the Director, INL-Iraq position Joe Manso and Francisco Palmieri were not considered unreachable to press or government access.
On October 21, PJ Media reporter Patrick Richardson called the number for Office of the Director, INL-Iraq:
1-240-553-0581, ext. 3275
Richardson reached a voicemail message confirming that it was indeed the correct number. He left a message that was not returned.
On Monday Richardson called again, and an assistant answered. Richardson asked to speak with Kevin OReilly, and the assistant asked who was calling. Richardson gave his name and stated he was with PJ Media.
The assistant said OReilly was currently on a conference call, and asked if Richardson wanted to leave a message. Richardson gave his phone number. His call was not returned.
This morning, Richardson called again. He received a prerecorded message saying this number is not in service.
PJ Media is aware that the number was in service as the line to the directors office for several years prior to Richardsons calls.
Today, PJ Media is forwarding this information over to Darrell Issa, along with some suggested questions to ask of the Obama administration:
Why were we told Kevin OReilly was unavailable if he was employed in a position that has always been open to media, and indeed was easily reached by PJ Media?
Why did Kevin OReilly suddenly get sent to Iraq for the Director, INL-Iraq position when another employee was widely considered the most-qualified person for the job?
Now that we know he is in the Director, INL-Iraq position and not in a position ever considered unreachable, when will you be sending him to Washington to testify?
Background on O'Reilly
The documents show extensive communications between then-ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office Bill Newell who led Fast and Furious and then-White House National Security Staffer Kevin OReilly. Emails indicate the two also spoke on the phone. Such detailed, direct communications between a local ATF manager in Phoenix and a White House national security staffer has raised interest among Congressional investigators looking into Fast and Furious. Newell has said he and OReilly are long time friends.
The email exchanges span a little over a month last summer. They discuss ATFs gun trafficking efforts along the border including the controversial Fast and Furious case, though not by name. The emails to and from OReilly indicate more than just a passing interest in the Phoenix offices gun trafficking cases. They do not mention specific tactics such as letting guns walk.
#1
*shrug*. Send the House Sergeant At Arms with a couple of whatever his aides are called -- in full uniform and with a full video conferencing crew (perhaps C-Span can help with that) -- to assist the gentleman in fulfilling his duty. Broadcasting the arrival and seeking out of the gentleman live could prove amusing, as would sending the bill for extraordinary expenses to the office of the Secretary of State, since it was her people who chose to not make the gentleman available once he came under their purview.
#2
Nobody in Asia understands what the big deal is about the Nazis. To them, Hitler was just another second-rate failure as a dictator, somewhere between Khadaffy and Khrushchev. It's only Westerners who see him as the Devil, because he was "one of us" and did evil.
The rest of the world has those sorts of dictators all the time.
#3
Perhaps someone made them read the uncorrected history books because technically, and this is a fact, we were on the Fuhrers side when WWII started - the Allies bombed us, remember? Mr. Kong said.
The reason Thailand wasn't punished after WWII for siding with the Axis was the USA wanted to stop the Europeans recolonizing SE Asia.
#4
I wonder what would happen if they dressed up in Japanese uniforms?.
The part that draws people to this is the cult like effect. Racial purity, Darwin with superiority by evolution. The many symbols carefully chosen to summon unseen powers to their cause. The date Hitler died is very significant in the occult I understand. That his movement would be reborn.
#5
Actually Thailand tried to take advantage from France's defeat in 1940 and from the destruction or internment by the British of most of France's fleet so it made war on Vichy France's Indochina but its Navy got a licking from the outnumbered and outgunned French Navy units present. Since Thailand had planned to supply its Army by sea it had to cancel the invasion.
Now from distant memories.
A year later it made a mock resistance of a few hours against Japan. By the end of the war when the Japanese Army in the zone was crumbling Thailand switched sides and declared war on Japan. Since the Japanese were not interested in Thailand and already had they share of trouble with the Allies they evacuated Thailnd with very little combat.
#6
Since the Japanese were not interested in Thailand and already had they share of trouble with the Allies they evacuated Thailnd with very little combat and Thailand was able to pass as being on the Allies (aka victors) side.
#8
Not entirely surprising. I imagine that from the Thai perspective, the war in Europe involved farangs fighting farangs for the privilege of ruling the world. And the idea that they should sit up and pay attention because one group of farangs massacred another would probably seem odd. These kids are obviously students, but their rendition of Nazi uniforms is not so much a pale shadow as a bizarro version of the real thing.
#9
Yep, and Che and Mao [he of the biggest kill credits for the 20th Century] shirts, accessories, and styles currently on display among the occupiers hardly gets a mention by the LSM. The National Socialists come in third in headcounts compared to the International Socialists variety like Mao and Stalin.
#11
Procopius, both Stalin and Mao benefitted from much more time and far larger pools for killing. Even if you are far worse than Hitler, Mao and Stalin combined you will have a hard time matching tehir head count if you are the ruler of San Marino (population: 31,887).
If we account for time and population then the worst is not Hitler, Stalin or Mao but Pol Pot.
#14
The following comments aptly point out the tempest in a teapot nature of the outrage:
How arrogant we are. We just assume that because an event, WW2 was and is a big deal to us, then children on the other side of the world should be taught it in detail nearly 70 years later. I am guessing they have a whole history of their own to teach at school without doing recent history of countries they are probably aware of but little else. Try asking British kids about how Siam became Thailand, the Vietnam war, Pol Pot etc what would you get? In fact ask them about Hitler and they probably know very little. Get real people and start to realise the world does not revolve around us
- Pete, Nottingham uK, 27/9/2011 7:20
Are we going to teach the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Pol Pot's reign of terror, the opium wars etc etc in British schools along with other terrible such happenings in Asian history? All the outraged Westerners should think how aware they are of the true nature of many Historical taboos on the otherside of the world before they judge some young school girls so harhly. If Price Harry makes the same mistake and he should know better, how can anyone be so harsh on a group of young misguided girls in S.E.Asia!?!?
#15
So we are arrogant (the Obama we). So we are ignorant. So we are harsh. Had they been dressed up as some other group we could see similar criticism.
This is a war of ideas and some ideas just get a pass. "All the outraged Westerners" I guess that just about covers everyone in the West.
#16
So we are arrogant (the Obama we). So we are ignorant. So we are harsh. Had they been dressed up as some other group we could see similar criticism.
This is a war of ideas and some ideas just get a pass. "All the outraged Westerners" I guess that just about covers everyone in the West.
The Thais can't really be expected to view the Holocaust in the same light as the typical farang. Asians have their own Holocausts - events that we've probably never heard of. The arrogance is in assuming that foreigners in their own land should (1) be aware of our history and (2) genuflect before us. Obviously, as the superpower, we can force their collective heads down and make them lick our boots, but is that really the kind of behavior that endears us to anyone? I think it's unseemly for us to pull a Chinese-style hysterical fit while whining about how they've hurt the farang people's feelings. Now, if German school children pulled something like this, that would be a whole 'nother story.
When Western companies pulled back from Iran after the government's bloody crackdown on its citizens two years ago, a Chinese telecom giant filled the vacuum.
Huawei Technologies Co. now dominates Iran's government-controlled mobile-phone industry. In doing so, it plays a role in enabling Iran's state security network.
WSJ's Steve Stecklow has the story of Chinese telecom firm Huawei, which dominates Iran's government-controlled mobile industry. Photo: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Huawei recently signed a contract to install equipment for a system at Iran's largest mobile-phone operator that allows police to track people based on the locations of their cellphones, according to interviews with telecom employees both in Iran and abroad, and corporate bidding documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
It also has provided support for similar services at Iran's second-largest mobile-phone provider. Huawei notes that nearly all countries require police access to cell networks, including the U.S.
Huawei's role in Iran demonstrates the ease with which countries can obtain foreign technology that can be used to stifle dissent through censorship or surveillance. Many of the technologies Huawei supports in Iransuch as location servicesare available on Western networks as well. The difference is that, in the hands of repressive regimes, it can be a critical tool in helping to quash dissent.
In Iran, three student activists described in interviews being arrested shortly after turning on their phones. Iran's government didn't respond to requests for comment.
Iran beefed up surveillance of its citizens after a controversial 2009 election spawned the nation's broadest antigovernment uprising in decades. Authorities launched a major crackdown on personal freedom and dissent. More than 6,000 people have been arrested and hundreds remain in jail, according to Iranian human-rights organizations.
Iran's telecom market, which generated an estimated $9.1 billion in revenue last year, has been growing significantly, especially its mobile-phone business. As of last year, Iran had about 66 million mobile-phone subscribers covering about 70% of the population, according to Pyramid Research in Cambridge, Mass. In contrast, about 36% of Iranians had fixed-line phones.
As a result, mobile phones provide Iran's police network with far more opportunity for monitoring and tracking people. Iranian human-rights organizations outside Iran say there are dozens of documented cases in which dissidents were traced and arrested through the government's ability to track the location of their cellphones.
Many dissidents in Iran believe they are being tracked by their cellphones. Abbas Hakimzadeh, a 27-year-old student activist on a committee that published an article questioning the actions of Iran's president, said he expected to be arrested in late 2009 after several of his friends were jailed.
Worried he could be tracked by his mobile phone, he says he turned it off, removed the battery and left Tehran to hide at his father's house in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
A month later, he turned his cellphone back on. Within 24 hours, he says, authorities arrested him at his father's house. "The interrogators were holding my phone records, SMS and emails," he said.
He eventually was released and later fled to Turkey where he is seeking asylum. In interviews with the Journal, two other student activists who were arrested said they also believe authorities found them in hiding via the location of their cellphones.
#1
First Symantec bought Verisign and then Huawei bought Symantec.
I'm sorry but I'm a little uncomfortable with that. And it's one more reason why I was never really comfortable with carrying a cell phone wherever I go.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Las Vegas Sun] Newspaper copyright infringement lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas was hit Wednesday with an order to pay $119,488 in attorney's fees and costs in its failed lawsuit against former federal prosecutor Thomas DiBiase.
[www.macon.com] A Wilkinson County man has pleaded guilty in what authorities said was the largest food stamp fraud investigation in Georgia's history.
