ID cards go in 'liberty' shake-up - mirror.co.uk
The Mirror reports: "The Deputy Premier said the Government would scrap ID cards, biometric passports and the children's database. The bonfire of 'antiliberty' laws will also see a reduction of the DNA database, scaling back of CCTV cameras and scrapping of centrally held internet records."

My Way News - Facebook page that led to Pakistani ban removed
My Way News reports: "A Facebook page that was considered offensive to Islam and led to a Pakistani ban on the site has been removed, possibly by its creator."

Comment: It didn't take them long to cave, hope Zuckerberg's not afraid of being beheaded. Don't want to offend those nice followers of Islam, just keep smiling, don't make any sudden movements and back away slowly.

My Way News - Muslim concerns trigger Pakistani Web bans
My Way News reports: "Pakistan blocked YouTube and many other Internet sites Thursday in a widening crackdown on online content deemed offensive to Islam, reflecting the secular government's sensitivities to an issue that has ignited protests in the Muslim country."

My Way News - China says Internet fully restored in Xinjiang
My Way News reports: "China blamed the rioting on overseas-based groups agitating for broader rights for Xinjiang's traditional majority Uighur ethnic group and cut Internet service in the region, saying the Web had been used to foment unrest."

My Way News - Airport security speedup program to relaunch
My Way News reports: "The Clear program, which allowed members to breeze through airport security before it abruptly shut down last year, is expected to be up and running again by the fall [...] To join, passengers must be fingerprinted and have their irises scanned for positive identification, plus turn over information including Social Security numbers that the company shares with the TSA. In return, they get access to shorter security lines at about 20 airports across the country."

NYT - Cellphone Payments Offer Alternative to Cash
The New York Times reports: "A number of big and small companies — including eBay’s PayPal unit, Intuit, VeriFone and Square — are creating innovative ways for individuals to avoid cash and checks and settle all debts, public and private, using their cellphones."

My Way News - Russia considers new powers for KGB successor
My Way News reports: "Russia's parliament is considering a government-drafted bill that would increase the power of the security services and restore practices once associated with their Soviet predecessor, the KGB."

My Way News - China wants telecom companies to inform on clients
My Way News reports: "China is poised to strengthen a law to require telecommunications and Internet companies to inform on customers who discuss state secrets, potentially forcing businesses to collaborate with the country's vast security apparatus that stifles political dissent."s

CNN - Facebook makes it easier for users to share interests across web
CNN reports: "Facebook on Wednesday announced plans to turn the web into one big cocktail party [...] 'We're building toward a web where the default is social. Every application and product will be redesigned from the ground up to use a person's real identity and friends.'"

Comment: I find two things interesting about this. First, that it's all keyed to your identity. In other words, this is not anonymous aggregate data, it's very specifically tied to your likes, dislikes, favorite sites, and social network. It's all about you and the people you know. It's an advertisers dream, and a totalitarian governments holy grail. As Facebook expands into less than free countries we will have to watch how they manage government requests for this data. As Google demonstrated this week, there is a rising tide of government attempts to access user data, and we can only assume this trend will increase over time.

Second, this is a good example of a new trend online that allows you to interact with sites using your social network identity. In other words, you are already authenticated as a trusted user by virtue of your social network membership. Is it at all unreasonable to imagine a future in which the market uses similar authentication for consumers? If social networks like FB add a payment platform this will be something with profound implications. It would probably start out with mobile commerce, using your cell phone to make purchases billed to your social network account, but augmented reality apps and bluetooth connectivity could easily allow mobile assisted checkout at standard brick-and-mortar stores in much the same way a supermarket scanner can now scan a coupon directly off your cell phone.

It's not the app platform that matters, it's the concept that your identity and secure payment info are encoded in an object (with you, in you or on you) that can be easily scanned and authenticated.

My Way News - Hitler `Downfall' parodies removed from YouTube
My Way News reports: "'Downfall,' a German film released in 2004 about Hitler's last days, has been adopted for wildly popular YouTube parodies that have spanned mock rants about topics as varied as playing Xbox video games to Kanye West to Apple's new iPad."

Comment: In the U.S. a copyrighted work may be used for the purposes of parody, education or news commentary...until a large corporation complains.