“Over 61 million Americans use peer-to-peer systems — more than voted for our President,” added EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. “It’s time we found a way to ensure that artists get paid without killing off this tremendous new technology.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to support free expression and privacy online.

If all of our search queries were put on public display, chances are some would be downright embarassing. Whether it’s obsessively Googling an ex or researching that mysterious fungus on your foot, we rely on search engines to provide fast, anonymous information on the day-to-day problems that plague us.

WIRED reporter Joanna Glasner takes a look at the privacy issues inherent in this medium in an article called What Search Sites Know About You.

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A former parliamentary candidate for the UK Independence Party has been awarded £10,000 in damages after winning a defamation case.

Michael Keith Smith had sued over postings in an internet chat room. According to reports, Smith, who put himself forward for the Portsmouth North seat at the last election, was a participant in a discussion on the Iraq war, held on a discussion board run by Yahoo!.

Another participant, Tracy Williams, had taken objection to his anti-war comments and, using an alias, had posted a series of defamatory remarks about Mr Smith.

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