Ministers Express Doubts on Expanding Data Protection Laws

BERLIN — E.U. justice ministers reacted coolly on Friday to a plan that would give consumers the ability to expunge the personal details Internet businesses have collected on them, essentially allowing individuals to block most kinds of online ads.

During an informal meeting in Dublin, the ministers expressed reservations about elements of the proposal, which would impose new limits on data collection and profiling and give national regulators the ability to levy hefty fines equal to 2 percent of sales on companies that failed to comply.

Alan Shatter, the Irish justice minister who chaired the closed-door meeting, said the ministers were concerned that the measures would stymie the Internet’s development by hampering the targeted advertising that makes possible most free services.

“An overall conclusion is that there is widespread acceptance of the need for a uniform approach to regulation,” Mr. Shatter said at a news conference. “There is also a widespread understanding of the need to ensure that business can properly work under any new structure while ensuring the existence of certain protections.”

Ireland holds the European Union’s rotating presidency through June, and Mr. Shatter is seeking an agreement among justice ministers on the proposal. The ministers must approve the plan before a proposal is put to the European Parliament.

Europe last updated its primary data protection laws in 1995, when the Internet was in its infancy and the concept of mining consumer data did not yet exist. The legislative effort to produce an updated law is expected to continue into 2014.

Mr. Shatter described the discussions with ministers as “very interesting and considered” but noted that the conclusion of the group, at least initially, was that updated E.U. data protection laws must be “balanced and proportionate” and not stifle businesses.

The comments by the ministers, their first public statements on the proposal, suggest that privacy advocates have a long road ahead. Viviane Reding, the European justice commissioner who initially proposed the changes last year, said much work still needed to be done.

Appearing with Mr. Shatter, Ms. Reding referred to the “difficult work on the table” before officials could put forth a plan. She said enhanced consumer protections would encourage more online commerce, which in turn would bolster the European economy. She referred to a European Commission study showing that Web businesses could save an estimated €2.3 billion, or $3.1 billion, in legal and other fees if E.U. data protection laws were harmonized.

“There needs to be the trust between citizens and the data controllers,” Ms. Reding said, adding that the more trust there was, the better it would be for business. “So this is a growth-enhancing project.”

Web businesses and advertisers see it differently. They consider the effort to tighten controls a threat to the advertising model that finances much of the Internet. Individual E.U. members are also divided on the issue.

According to a confidential memo prepared on Dec. 12 by E.U. administrators from Cyprus, which at the time held the Union’s rotating presidency and presided over meetings on the issue last year, several European countries have reservations about expanding consumer protections on the Internet.

Four countries — Austria, Estonia, France and Ireland — supported the new right to be forgotten, according to a summary of the meeting seen by the International Herald Tribune, but many countries expressed doubts, like Britain, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Luxembourg.

Representatives of Britain, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands said a new online “right to be forgotten” could be used to limit freedom of expression, chilling the flow of information on the Web.

According to the memo, representatives of Britain, which has one of the largest advertising industries in Europe, repeatedly objected to many elements, citing concern for how the measure would affect the Internet’s development.

Comedian Katt Williams’ Onstage Meltdown in Oakland, He Had Suge Knight As Protection

Angry fans demanded refunds after comedian Katt Williams’ show Friday night at Oracle Arena disintegrated into chaos, with Williams delivering rambling monologues devoid of jokes and being dragged off by his own security after he challenged a heckler to fight.
Williams was already facing legal trouble over his stop in Oakland, with police arresting him in connection with a Wednesday night brawl aboard a tour van and the man he allegedly assaulted promptly suing for damages.
After Friday night’s show, angry comments from fans poured in on Facebook and Twitter, with some complaining that Williams’ show had ended after 10 minutes. Many said they expected a refund; ticket prices ranged from $33 to $94, plus service fees.
“It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Erick Lucero, who was working on the arena floor as a security guard. “The whole show went really well (before Williams’ main set). … It was a packed house, and everyone was really satisfied with the show” up to that point.
The show, which was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., started about an hour late, according to Christopher Douglas, 22, who came to Oakland from American Canyon. Williams came on stage briefly to start the show, tossed a Frisbee to the audience and told a few jokes about the election before introducing the opening acts.
“He was joking like he does in all four DVDs of his that I own,” said Douglas, a magnetic inspector at Pacific
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Steel in Berkeley who was seeing Williams live for the first time. “I thought it was going to be a normal Katt Williams show.”
After the opening performances by fellow comedians and a couple of songs by Oakland rapper Too $hort, Williams took the stage about 10:40 p.m., Douglas said.
The comedian joked about selling out the arena, something he said the Golden State Warriors couldn’t do. An audience member asked about the Wednesday night brawl, and Williams said he had been released because even Oakland police were fans.
About seven or eight minutes after Williams took the stage for his set, Lucero said, he “started acting weird,” taking off his shirt and sweating profusely. Douglas said he quickly transitioned into his familiar closing bit, rattling off his various nicknames before leaving the stage.
“I was like, ‘That’s it?’” Douglas said. “After that, I saw everyone leaving … throngs of people leaving.”
Douglas and his father, who came to the show with him, left as well.
About 15 minutes passed, and between a quarter and half of the audience left, before Williams returned. Once he came back on stage the second time, Lucero said, “there were no more jokes.”
One video shows Williams sitting on a stool, hunched over, delivering a disjointed monologue about spending time in Oakland and discussing God.
In another video, a member of Williams’ entourage walks on stage and speaks to the comedian for a moment. As the man leaves the stage, Williams follows him and appears to strike the back of his head with the microphone.
A profanity-laced video posted to YouTube shows Williams challenging a heckler to come onstage and fight him and telling the person to come backstage after the show. A burly security guard hauls Williams away from the stage’s edge and to the backstage area.
Lucero said many people leaving the arena accosted him, saying they wanted a refund. Security personnel are instructed to have unhappy ticketholders contact the outlet where they bought their tickets.
Douglas said he “absolutely” felt he deserved a refund. Representatives from promoter Live Nation could not be reached for comment Saturday.
A spokeswoman for the Save Mart Center in Fresno confirmed Saturday afternoon that Williams’ show, scheduled for Saturday night, would continue as planned.
The incident Wednesday night resulted in Williams’ arrest, according to Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson, but the comedian, whose real name is Micah S. Katt Williams, was not booked into jail and has not been charged.
An 18-year-old aspiring rapper, Delvahn Mosely-Davis, sued Williams on Friday, saying the chance encounter near Oakland’s Courtyard Marriott Hotel began with fans greeting the comedy star and ended with Williams bashing him in the head with a bottle.
Williams’ Nov. 1 show in Denver ended with the comedian jumping into the crowd to confront hecklers about a half-hour after he took the stage.
Williams is also facing a $5 million lawsuit filed earlier this month by his personal assistant, who alleges he hit her in October in Los Angeles and caused permanent eye injuries.
In June 2011, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested him on charges of false imprisonment for an incident involving a man on a tractor in Palmdale, according to published reports. Between November 2006 and June 2011, Williams was arrested at least two other times on weapons charges and burglary, and he spent time in jail in those cases, according to published reports.

The Arrest: Katt Did Tell people that there would be no show. Maybe they forced him to do the show?

The Show Footage:

Gadgetwise Blog: Device Protection, Without the Armor Plating

Phone and pad covers generally fall into two categories: highly protective with the delicate design of an M1 Abrams tank, or chic and generally useless.

Hard Candy has split the difference with its Bubble cases for iPhones 4 and 4s, iPads and Kindle Fire tablets.

All the cases in the line have a 1960s-looking pattern of polka dot indentations. Austin Powers might feel pretty groovy carrying one.

The iPhone version is hard plastic, available in an imitation metallic chrome, gold or glossy black, or a soft textured matte red, pink, black or white case. The bottom slides off for charging. The case is priced at $35.

The $40 Kindle case comes in black and white with rubberized protective edges.

But for protectiveness, both pale compared to the $60 Bubble 360 case for the iPad, which advertises itself as “bump proof, kid proof and even latte proof.” I’d say it’s more like resistant.

While it does have rubber edges, like the Kindle case, the Bubble 360 has very little padding inside, which makes me wonder how much of a bump it can really take. The screen is covered by a thin sheet of plastic, but if you splash it with a latte, don’t dawdle mopping it up. The screen on my test model didn’t seal all that securely.

Still, without adding much bulk, the case added more protection than the average fashion case, and it certainly looks more stylish than a tank.

Gadgetwise Blog: Extra Protection for Weekend Warriors

The Urban Elite Laptop Backpack is part of a new line of protective gear from Pelican ProGear that includes backpacks, hard cases and micro cases.  

Pelican Products has long been known for making durable cases for military and industrial fields. Seeking to reach a wider audience of consumers, the company recently began offering a new line of portable protection for laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The new line, Pelican ProGear, includes backpacks, hard cases and micro cases. The best in the line, the $300 Urban Elite Laptop Backpack, has a built-in rigid case that can accommodate a 15” laptop, or a 17” MacBook. The case is shockproof and waterproof and has a pressure valve that prevents a vacuum lock.

I had no worries about the safety of my laptop when I took it on a recent flight to Orlando, Fla. At first, I noticed the laptop knocking softly against the inside of the case when I walked, so I added some padding provided by Pelican, and it held the laptop firmly in place.

But the extra protection comes with a tradeoff. The backpack is heavy, weighing eight pounds when empty. When it wasn’t strapped to my back, I was wishing it had wheels to make it easier to lug. And it’s quite big, so don’t expect to stow it under the seat in front of you. It won’t fit.

But even when full, the backpack was comfortable to wear. It has an ergonomic design and extra padding for your back. The exterior is made of ballistic nylon, and it has adjustable compression straps to hold contents tight. And there are plenty of pockets, which I find crucial for a good backpack. I hate digging for keys or change at the bottom of a backpack.

Because of its weight and bulk, the Urban Elite is not really a good fit for the casual or business traveler. Its audience is still pretty niche: weekend warriors and other adventurers who need to travel with their electronics.