New EU Lawsuit Claims Google Failed To Forget ‘Sensitive’ Information, Such As Their ‘Political Affiliation’

For years, we’ve pointed out that the “Right to be Forgotten” (RTBF) in Europe is a dangerous tool that has been and will continue to be abused as a tool to censor freedom of expression, while hiding behind a claim that it is to protect “privacy.” While the concept has been around for a while, it really took off online with a EU Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling from three years ago, saying that Google’s search results index counted as a data repository on someone, and thus, an individual could force Google to “delink” certain results from searches on their names. But, the court left some leeway to Google to decide whether or not the requests were valid. Basically, if the information is no longer relevant for the public to know about the person, then Google should delink it. Now, obviously, that’s a horribly subjective standard, and Google has had to staff up on people to determine whether or not any requested delinking qualifies.Part of the problem with all of this is that it seems to produce tremendous liability. Fail to get a delinking request “right” and Google is right back in court, which is exactly where we are today. Google has rejected just under 60% of requests to delink info in Europe, and four individuals in France were so upset by this, that they complained that their rights were being violated. The French data protection regulator, CNIL, actually agreed with Google that the information shouldn’t be “forgotten.” However, the four have appealed their case, and it’s been kicked back to the European Court of Justice. The four individuals are claiming that the information is “sensitive data” and are suggesting that just being “sensitive data” alone is enough to require forgetting — no matter what the “public interest” may be in that info.

Source: New EU Lawsuit Claims Google Failed To Forget ‘Sensitive’ Information, Such As Their ‘Political Affiliation’ | Techdirt

How Will the “Death of MP3” Affect You?

If you grew up in the 1990s or 2000s, you might have a special connection with the audio format known as MP3. MP3s were the audio format of choice for the ordinary person, audiophiles notwithstanding.Whether you were ripping a CD onto your computer, downloading an album from iTunes, pirating a song online, or simply copying your friend’s meticulously crafted song collection, you probably chose MP3. Which is why the recent “MP3 is dead” headlines might have unsettled you.

The good news is that, contrary to headlines, the humble MP3 isn’t actually dead. This isn’t the apocalypse, your locally stored songs will still play perfectly well, you’ll still be able to rip CDs, and distribute podcasts as MP3s to boot.

What’s the truth behind the headlines? Let us fill you in.

Source: How Will the “Death of MP3” Affect You?

Gay Porn Featuring Sex Scene Attacked for Cultural Appropriation

A gay porn clip showing two men having sex using a didgeridoo has been attacked for appropriating Australian culture.“Didgeridoo Me”, a scene by US publisher Men.com, features two actors effectively using the Aboriginal instrument as an enormous dildo.Critics online lashed out at the scene, saying it is disrespectful to the didgeridoo, which plays a part in aboriginal spiritual life.The scene features two white actors – named as Aspen and Jack.One wakes his partner up by loudly playing the wind instrument while his opposite number is sleeping.He then flies into a rage, snaps the instrument in two, and takes “revenge” by using it as a sex toy. It features the line “I’m gonna didgeridoo you in the ass”.

Source: Gay Porn Featuring Sex Scene Attacked for Cultural Appropriation | Heat Street

Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh adopts unprecedented techniques

World leaders, including Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and US President Donald Trump, inaugurated the Global Center for Combating Extremism headquartered in Riyadh as the US-Islamic Summit came to a close on Sunday.Riyadh hosted on Saturday and Sunday three anticipated summits during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia with nearly 50 leaders, mainly from the Muslim world will be attending.“We want to convey a message to the West and the world that the Muslim world is not an enemy,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said.

Source: Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh adopts unprecedented techniques – Al Arabiya English