As film studios and recording studios urge Congress to extend copy protection to every home entertainment device, Andreessen said the entertainment industry need look no further than the software industry's own expensive, failed attempts at encryption to realize it is ineffective at stopping piracy.

``If a computer can see it, display it and play it -- it can copy it,'' said Andreessen, in a keynote address to the National Association of Broadcasters convention.

Privacy News from Wired News - Court Overturns Bookstore Ruling.

The Colorado Supreme Court refused to order a bookstore to turn over customer sales records to the police, saying the First Amendment and state constitution protect the right to purchase books anonymously.

Cosmiverse - Smile -- The Internet is Watching .

Websites have been using increasingly sophisticated methods to track what surfers are doing and to make ecommerce pay.

Thirteen/WNET (PBS in NYC) - The Prisoner. McGoohan 1968 classic: alienation/dehumanisation

I don't know the local schedules but my local PBS station has just started rebroadcasting the classic series. Its a chance to see it again or for the first time.

BBC News | SCI/TECH | Why one spam could cost $50.

In its fight, MoFo is suing a Silicon Valley e-mail marketing firm called Etracks. Mr Jacobs says while it wasn't the only company sending unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), it was one of the biggest offenders and more importantly it's based in California.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - Another Go At Making Spam Cost Money.

Star Tribune - Bill would ban ISPs from disclosing customer information.

Lobbyists from America Online, Yahoo and other Internet giants are fighting a bill in the Legislature that would prevent Internet service providers from disclosing personal information about customers such as which Web sites they visit.

[ ... ]

Kelley and Republican House Majority Leader Rep. Tim Pawlenty of Eagan have passed bills through their respective chambers by large margins. Each would also make it easier for Internet users to block unwanted e-mail.

But there's a key difference. Kelley's version of the bill would automatically prohibit ISPs from disclosing the information unless they get permission from customers first. Pawlenty's version would allow customers to elect to keep their information private, but otherwise let companies distribute the data.

Kelley says he doesn't have any examples of ISPs that are disclosing information about customers' visits to Web sites now. But Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney with the "Electronic Freedom Foundation", says there's no way to know if they are or aren't.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - Minnesota Bill Would Prevent Disclosure of Web Habits.