Daily Californian covers Diebold and N.Q.B.

The Daily Californian is running a story (pdf) on Diebold, Not Quite a Blog and me. Andrea La Pietra definitely does a better job with this story than the recent Harvard Crimson article on Derek Slater.

A few comments:

• It's too bad that Andrea couldn't get some quotes from the other Berkeley students participating in this action as I'm sure they have valuable things to say: Parker Thompson, Ping Yee and Sean Savage. This action achieved it's goals of getting the documents out there and in to the hands of investigators solely because so many students weighed the issues (copyright v. freedom of speech, privacy, etc.) and were willing to take the risks involved with posting the documents.

• "Self-proclaimed Internet activist"? If copying a file and sending a few targeted emails is Internet activism, I'm guilty... but I've never described it like that. I suppose "electronic protesting" or "digital protesting" is more appropriate. So many other activists do more important work every day... I'm just a geek.

• I didn't technically receive a cease-and-desist letter... it would more properly be called a DMCA section 512 takedown notice. Andrea does use "take-down notice" correctly later in the article. You can learn more about what a "DMCA section 512 takedown notice" means at the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse (especially about the DMCA's section 512 here).

• I never am really satisfied with quotes attributed to me. This article is similar to Declan McCullagh's recent piece in this respect. I hope I don't come off sounding like that in person.

• It's also too bad that the recent activity in the California Secretary of State's Office didn't make it in the article. This is important as it's the content of the memos that is the impetus for the SoS's suspension of certification of new Diebold machines and the ongoing audit and investigation of all Diebold machines in California.

Posted by joebeone at Noviembre 12, 2003 12:00 AM