Bloggers are not journalists, Lithuanian parliament
Bloggers are not journalists, and therefore do not have the rights and protections accorded to them, says the Lithuanian parliament.
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2891&iArticleId=3754044

UK regulators ‘relaxed’ on net neutrality
Ofcom and the Department for Trade and Industry argue against net neutrality legislation as the debate reaches Westminster
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39286400,00.htm

American Studios’ Secret Plan to Lock down European TV Devices
An international consortium of television and technology companies is devising draconian anti-consumer restrictions for the next generation of TVs in Europe and beyond, at the behest of American entertainment giants. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the only public interest group to have gained entrance into the secretive meetings of the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB), a group that creates the television and video specifications used in Europe, Australia, and much of Asia and Africa. In a report released today, EFF shows how U.S. movie and television companies have convinced DVB to create new technical specifications that would build digital rights management technologies into televisions. These specifications are likely to take away consumers’ rights, which will subsequently be sold back to them piecemeal — so entertainment fans will have to pay again and again for legitimate uses of lawfully acquired digital television content.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1713

UNESCO states position on ethical issues in the information society
UNESCO has published a brochure entitled “Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies” dealing with the consequences of the use of RFID chips, biometric identification systems, and location-based services (LBSs). Written by lawyers from the US, the brochure was published as part of the “NGO Geneva Net Dialogue” in which non-governmental organizations stated their case after the UN World Summit on Information Freedom and the Internet Governance Forum. The results of the dialogue are to be included in the WSIS Action Line C10 “Ethical dimensions of the Information Society.”
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/86719

eu: Mobile TV warned to standardise
A European Commission official has issued a stern warning to those involved in mobile TV to agree on adopting a single technology standard. EC telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding said that if the industry did not agree on one, she would do it for them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6459161.stm

Sweden seeks telecoms monitoring
Sweden’s government has presented a bill to give its defence intelligence agency powers to monitor any e-mail or phone call into or out of the country.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6431863.stm

us: Justice Department takes aim at image-sharing sites
The Bush administration has accelerated its Internet surveillance push by proposing that Web sites must keep records of who uploads photographs or videos in case police determine the content is illegal and choose to investigate, CNET News.com has learned.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6163679.html

French to limit violent net clipsFrench people could be prevented from posting images or videos of violent acts online under new laws.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6426235.stm

Berners-Lee: Congress should consider net neutrality
Timothy Berners-Lee advocated that the U.S. Congress protect net neutrality and questioned the value of DRM (digital rights management) Thursday. Berners-Lee, speaking before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet in the U.S. House of Representatives, said it was “very, very important” for lawmakers to protect the ability of users to access the Web content they want regardless of their ISP.
http://infoworld.com/article/07/03/01/HNcongressnetneutrality_1.html

Berners-Lee pushes Congress on ‘nondiscriminatory’ Web
World Wide Web father Tim Berners-Lee told politicians on Thursday that it’s critical to shield his seminal innovation from control by a single company or country.
http://news.com.com/2100-1034_3-6163616.html