On ICT law, politics and other digital stuff
Twenty years ago I jumped into the future.
I wasn’t actually aware of it. To me it was just matter of meeting “cool” people who, like me, loved (someone else’s:)) computers.
Twenty years after I’ve realized that I have been part of something great, though unacknowledged.
Join the Metro Olografix Twentieth Birthday Party at MO20.olografix.org.
We are the Internet’s humanity.
Please, don’t call us “monsters”. Or “sorcerers”. Or “masked avengers”.
We are just human beings driven by a powerful desire to learn and communicate.
Crossing the physical distances, filling the cultural voids.
In a network made of people.
This is the incipit of the foreword I wrote to Giancarlo Livraghi‘s book “L’umanità dell’internet“, published in Italy about fifteen years ago.
A lot of time went by, but this is still the reason why I use the Internet.
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* Questo è il testo originale:
Siamo l’umanità dell’internet. Non fateci passare per mostri. O per stregoni. O per “vendicatori mascherati”. Siamo semplicemente persone animate da una grande voglia di conoscere e di comunicare. Superando le distanze fisiche. Colmando quelle culturali. In una rete fatta di persone.
Notwithstanding the Data Retention Directive has been bashed by the EUCJ Ruling, there is a wide agreement on the fact that its national implementation might still be valid if not in contrast with the main Data Protection Directive.
Just yet, neither the Italian Parliament nor the Data Protection Authority ran the “stress test”, thus leaving ISPs into a void of uncertainty.
Furthermore, the news is new as today, there is a case where the actual providing of Internet access whose contract terminated back in 2010 has been challenged in court by the former customer. Under the Italian Supreme Court jurisprudence, in this case it is the ISP who must provide the evidence that the agreement has been fulfilled. But, guess what? Under the strict (and wrong) interpretation of the Data Retention Directive this ISP deleted the log files and now has problem in supporting its defense.
True, keeping the traffic data for legitimate purposes (such as legal defense) is allowed by the Data Protection Directive.
True, the Data Retention Directive can be interpreted as an exception that doesn’t overrule the Data Protection Directive.
True, an ISP has more than a chance (in theory) to successfully support its choice of keeping the traffic data for legal defense purposes even exceeding the mandatory term seth forth by the DRD.
But all this means fighting an all-round legal battle, explaining to the Court that the traffic data have been legally retained and are, thus, valid evidence, standing against a possible Data Protection Authority investigation, and so on.
To put it short: a waste of time, money and resources, that could be spared if only the Powers-that-be had dedicated a fraction of their time to solve this riddle, instead of toying with this Internet Bill of Right nonsense.
Starting from Oct. 27 and for the next four months ahead, the “Commissione per i diritti e i doveri relativi ad Internet” (Commission for the rights and duties related to the Internet) of the Italian low chamber launched a series of hearing with the major Italian and European players to gather information and suggestion about this “revolutionary” initiative.
I wander who will have the … gut to tell them that:
Let’s wait and see…
By purchasing an Iphone and an Ipad through the Apple “Business” Store I discovered that to Apple there is no actual difference between a professional and a private customer: both orders fall within the same SAP pipeline and there is no “fast lane” for the corporate world (at least for the average “business Joe”.)
Furthermore, at least in Italy, Apple Financial Services (actually, GE Capital) ? doesn’t accept a digitally signed agreed, as on the contrary, the rest of the business and public administration bodies do.
Not too bad for a company that claims to be able to shape the future…
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Post scriptum to Apple’s legal and/or public relations directors: of course I do have evidence of what I ? just wrote. Sometimes it pays to be a lawyer 🙂