Today’s Links: October 31, 2011

OPINION

SONIA ARRISON: “Don’t Be Afraid to Live Longer, Justin Timberlake”
“While the film [In Time] is fun, it falls into a dystopian trap, assuming that greater longevity would create a terrifying society. But it gets almost everything about human life extension wrong. Scientists are on the verge of discovering ways to radically extend human life—though they probably won’t figure out how to maintain the pristine looks of 25-year-olds any time soon. In Time seems to argue that we should be concerned about this looming longevity. But there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

MATTHEW INGRAM: “Looks Like Congress Has Declared War on the Internet”
“Many internet users in the United States have watched with horror as countries like France and Britain have proposed or instituted so-called “three strikes” laws, which cut off internet access to those accused of repeated acts of copyright infringement. Now the U.S. has its own version of this kind of law, and it is arguably much worse: the Stop Online Piracy Act, introduced in the House this week, would give governments and private corporations unprecedented powers to remove websites from the internet on the flimsiest of grounds, and would force internet service providers to play the role of copyright police.”

HASAN. M. ALAHI: “You Want to Track Me? Here You Go, FBI”
“In an era in which everything is archived and tracked, the best way to maintain privacy may be to give it up. Information agencies operate in an industry that values data. Restricted access to information is what makes it valuable. If I cut out the middleman and flood the market with my information, the intelligence the F.B.I. has on me will be of no value. Making my private information public devalues the currency of the information the intelligence gatherers have collected. ”

NEWS

HALLOWEEN – “Power Rangers Halloween Costumes Morph Into Lawsuit”
“This Halloween, the most legally hot costume might be a Power Rangers uniform. The company that owns the rights to the Power Rangers television series, brand and related products is suing a website that’s selling the color-coded outfits.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT – Google Refused to Remove Police Brutality Videos, It Says
“In its most recent Transparency Report, Google states that it has received multiple requests from law-enforcement officials to remove videos.”