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"Search engines such as Google and popular cloud computing services may have been "sued out of existence" if they started in Australia, while consumers who make remixes or mash-ups of copyright songs and videos are also breaching the law. These are just some of the glaring issues with the Copyright Act that have been raised today by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and copyright experts. The ALRC has released a new issues paper for its inquiry into whether Australia's copyright laws have kept up with the digital age."

"At the end of the twentieth century, intellectual property rights collided with everyday life. Expansive copyright laws and digital rights management technologies sought to shut down new forms of copying and remixing made possible by the Internet. International laws expanding patent rights threatened the lives of millions of people around the world living with HIV/AIDS by limiting their access to cheap generic medicines. For decades, governments have tightened the grip of intellectual property law at the bidding of information industries; but recently, groups have emerged around the world to challenge this wave of enclosure with a new counter-politics of "access to knowledge" or "A2K." "

Copyright Law explained by The Little Mermaid and Buzz Lightyear (video) Using Disney characters to explain copyright law and related concepts such as public domain and fair use, Bucknell University professor Eric Faden produced this cartoon cut and paste masterpiece, A Fair(y) Use Tale. Poetic justice indeed, considering how Disney has tried slamming the copyright door shut behind itself, having built its own empire on the public domain fairy tales such as those used here.   

"What does privacy mean in an age of ongoing privacy breaches? With new privacy law coming online in Australia on March 12, our Privacy in Practice series explores the practical challenges facing Australian business and consumers in a world rethinking privacy."

"Digital Citizenship addresses our digital society and the relevance and importance of understanding and obeying the norms, rules, and laws of this society in our classrooms. Nine elements will be explored: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security."

Lessons help students understand what's at stake with copyright.

"I wish I could say that teaching students about copyright is easy, because in a world where digital tools are making creating and sharing content easier than ever, understanding copyright is incredibly important. But intellectual property law is exceedingly complex, making even a nominal introduction to the ideas surrounding copyright -- copyright law, fair use, the public domain -- a challenge. "

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"Our first phone app, Below the Belt: Sex, Selfies and Cyberbullying, was launched in November 2013 on Google Play. Below the Belt has information on sex and consent, sexting and cyberbullying for young people in Australia, including victims of sexting or cyberbullying and friends who want to support them. As well as providing information about the law in every state, Below the Belt has interactive features young people can use to help navigate the issues."

"Social network sites must ensure that children's profiles are visible only to the child's friends and cannot be found on a search engine, the European Commission has said. The Commission adopted its stance after a survey (13-page / 198KB PDF) found that an increasing number of children were flouting social network age limits to set up their accounts. The survey was funded by the Commission and published by the EUKidsOnline network. EUKidsOnline quizzed 25,000 young people across Europe and found that 38% of children aged between 9 and 12 have a social network profile. The figure was 77% for children aged between 13 and 16. Most social networks ban children under the age of 13 from having profiles. "Growing numbers of children are on social networking sites but many are not taking all necessary steps to protect themselves online. These children are placing themselves in harm's way, vulnerable to stalkers and groomers," Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said."

"What does privacy mean in an age of ongoing privacy breaches? With new privacy law coming online in Australia on March 12, our Privacy in Practice series explores the practical challenges facing Australian business and consumers in a world rethinking privacy."

"Today, we acknowledge that the digital citizen is a global citizen. There has been, like the U.S. Constitution drafters recognized, a need for a definition of checks and balances that will govern this "new" world-wide technology. While it certainly is not a governing set of laws or even enforceable, digital citizenship nevertheless defines the model behavior of today's Global Digital Natives. So how do we make the definition clear for all? What are a few of the Global Digital Citizenship myths that we can get nipped in the bud? Read on …"

"Cyberbullying is back in the spotlight with the recent suicide of a Rutgers University freshman following his roommate's posting online of a video of him engaged in sex with another man. And many pundits and legislators are now calling for more stringent laws around cyberbullying and online harassment. Bullying is, of course, nothing new although undoubtedly, the Internet has changed the speed and the breadth with which cruel behaviors, comments, photos, and videos can be spread. And it has extended the persistence of this information as well."

"D.A.R.E. America and iKeepSafe.org have teamed up to create 14 simple activities that teach important internet safety principles to children (4-10 years). Each activity is designed to be used with a parent, teacher, or law enforcement officer or perhaps an older child. Expect about 10 minutes for each activity."

I'm really excited about this article. Although the American laws may seem foreign, we have similar privacy and child protection laws. What caught my attention was the strategies to encourage and monitor the use of social media by learning groups and the inclusion of three elements of my own social media policy, namely alternative work options, the use of real names and initial rather than avatar and the recording of the effectiveness of using social media.

"The recently released Public Discussion Paper, supporting the development of Australia's first Cyber White Paper, makes use of the term 'digital citizenship'. It's an odd term. Citizenship has traditionally been associated with being part of a nation, for example an Australian citizen. National citizenship has also been associated with a set of rights (the right to vote, the right to a level of protection, etc) and obligations (abide by the laws of the land). This concept of citizenship is underpinned by the notion of mutual consent. Citizens' consent to governments' political authority in return for governments' exercising their power justly, legally and in the interests of their citizens. This agreement between citizens and governments is commonly referred to as the 'social contract'. "

This is a disturbing story. While the comments of PhD researcher, Ninia Funnell, make sense on one level, her comments about age and the law don't match the child protection law in NSW. As Michael Flood points out childhood curiosity can lead to unplanned consequences, which is one reason legislation seeks to protect children.

This is an interesting document designed by M. Schlemok, administrator of an elementary school in Alberta, that resembles Stephen Covey's best-known book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. All digital citizens should familarize themselves with Covey's teachings, in particular, his series of habits. Covey advocates what he calls "The Character Ethic", that is aligning one's values with "universal and timeless principles". He see principles as "external natural laws" while "values are internal and subjective". He believes that values govern people's behaviour and principles ultimately determine the consequences.