Japan is on the verge of passing a law to ban informing the public about government secrets.

Stores want to track customers by their mobile phones' WiFi MAC addresses. The EFF says that a proposed opt-out system is an inadequate safeguard.

As far as I'm concerned, just having a phone company track me (or you) is too much.

A Wisconsin court went to great lengths to respect human rights for a fetus, but not much for the woman it is in.

To take drugs that could cause abnormalities in the fetus is a grave act if the fetus develops into a damaged human being. It's legitimate for the state to take steps to prevent this, but imprisoning the mother-to-be doesn't seem very constructive, and neither was imposing conditions that caused her to lose her job.

The absence of universal medical care in the US seems to play a role in the problem. This woman can't afford to see a doctor.

However, there is a point I don't understand. When she was invited to take her drug under medical supervision, she declined. That sounds like gratuitous noncooperation, and doesn't make sense. But maybe she had a reason — for instance, would she have had to pay for it, which she could not afford?

Censorship is a bad way to try to address social problems, even really bad ones.

About bills under consideration in the US Congress to curb general surveillance.

What the EFF recommends would be a step in the right direction, but in order to really stop general surveillance we need to prevent the creation of a massive dossier about each person.