The dispute centers around fees collected from technology companies to reimburse the music industry for losses incurred by music copying and swapping.

Canadians are legally allowed to copy music for personal use. In exchange, a small fee is added to the price of recordable CDs to compensate musicians and music publishing companies. Similar "royalties" are collected in more than 40 countries, including the United States under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992.

But in the wake of the Canadian music industry's proposals for higher and broader levies in 2003, much of Canada's technology and retail industry is now calling for the levy's repeal.

In 2000, the levy per recordable CD was 5.2 cents (Canadian); in 2001 the fee rose to CN$0.21. The proposed fee for 2003 is CN$0.59.

In addition, the Canadian Private Copying Collective, the music industry group that collects the levy, has proposed new levies to be applied to any device that can store music, such as removable hard drives, recordable DVDs, Compact Flash memory cards and -- of course -- MP3 players.

ZDnet Commentary By Declan McCullagh - News: Gov't spying: What's the real threat?.

The biggest problem with criticism of Adm. John Poindexter's massive spy proposal is not in the argument over the system being so darn creepy.

Of course it's creepy. This new federal agency deliberately chose the motto "knowledge is power," crafted a logo certain to inspire conspiracy theories, and is itching to assemble a detailed computerized dossier on every American. And that a figure such as Poindexter--disgraced in the Iran-Contra scandal and with a database addiction dating back to at least 1987--is running the show is a detail worthy of a Jonathan Swift satire.

No, the biggest problem with the criticism of the Total Information Awareness system is that it's too shortsighted. It's focused on what the Poindexters of the world can do with current database and information-mining technology. That includes weaving together strands of data from various sources--such as travel, credit card, bank, electronic toll and driver's license databases--with the stated purpose of identifying terrorists before they strike.

But what could Poindexter and the Bush administration devise in five or 10 years, if they had the money, the power and the will?

That's the real question, and therein lies the true threat. Even if all of our current elected representatives, appointed officials and unappointed bureaucrats are entirely trustworthy--and that's a pretty big assumption--what could a corrupt FBI, Secret Service or Homeland Security police force do with advanced technology by the end of the decade? What if there were another terrorist attack that prompted Congress to delete whatever remaining privacy laws shield Americans from surveillance?

For a hint at what the future might bring, it's worth reviewing some of the projects already underway at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA), which is the parent agency for Poindexter's Information Awareness Office. Combine that information with the technology trends toward smaller sensors, cheaper hardware and ubiquitous wireless networks, and the possibilities are immensely disquieting. We could face the emergence of unblinking electronic eyes that record where we are and what we do, whenever we interact.

Boston Globe Online / Business / Over 140,000 join list to block telemarketers.

Anne L. Collins, deputy director of the state's office of consumer affairs, said about 20,000 Massachusetts residents signed up in the days leading up to the official opening of the list on New Year's Day. On Wednesday and yesterday, she said, another 140,000 signed up.

''These are pretty dramatic numbers,'' Collins said, noting the state is expecting about 1 million people to sign on by the end of January.

Registrations are easy and can be completed by mail, by phone (866-231-2255), or online at www.mass.gov/donotcall. There have been some delays in pulling up the Web site, but state officials attribute the problems to heavy volume.

Slashdot | Your Rights Online - 160,000 Join Massachusetts Do-Not-Call List.

MacAndrew writes "The Boston Globe reported that over 160,000 people signed up since the first of the year for the state's new do-not-call list, which imposes penalties as high as $5,500 per violation. Nonprofit and political calls are exempt. This list is being implemented well in advance of the proposed FTC national do-not-call list. Residents can sign up by mail, phone, or online. Mass. officials predict a third of the 3 million residential lines will enroll. Legal challenge from marketers appears likely, although the Direct Marketing Association helpfully lists state do-not-call registries. Click here for the DMA's side of the story."

OpenCA PKI Development Project.

The OpenCA Project is a collaborative effort to develop a robust, full-featured and Open Source out-of-the-box Certification Authority implementing the most used protocols with full-strength cryptography world-wide. OpenCA is based on many Open-Source Projects. Among the supported software is OpenLDAP, OpenSSL, Apache Project, Apache mod_ssl.

The project development is divided in two main tasks: studying and refining the security scheme that guarantees the best model to be used in a CA and developing software to easily setup and manage a Certification Authority.