The Full Jullian Assange Extradition Judgement

The full Jullian Assange extradition judgement can be found here: http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Judgments/jud-aut-sweden-v-assange-judgment.pdf.

In fact as I am satisfied that extradition is compatible with the defendant’s Convention rights, I must order that Mr Assange be extradited to Sweden.

Assange has seven days to appeal the decision.

Negotiating with Computer Systems

I was shopping online for flowers and found a nice bouquet that I wanted to buy as a present. I entered my personal details, filled in my credit card number and made my way to the checkout page. There I saw that $ 15 was added just for delivery. It was the first time that these extra costs were mentioned. I firmly closed the browser window as I felt sure that I could get a better price at another online flower shop.

Dear Customer,
We were so sorry to see you leave our site a few minutes ago. If you come back now we will be waiving the $14.99 Service Fee on any order that you place! From You Flowers offers Same Day Delivery anywhere in the US when your order is placed before 3pm in the recipient’s time zone!

I didn’t do a full search for other webshops yet, so I went back and confirmed my earlier order. $ 15 dollars off, that’s a good deal! Without realizing it, I had negotiated with a computer system.

There probably is a system in place that contacts customers that leave in the final stages of the checkout process. I am not good at bargaining in shops – I am a coward – but by showing the computer system that I was in doubt, I bargained without knowing it. The system of course didn’t recognize my emotional state of indecision, it was simply a matter of counting down time. It made me think what other simple negotiating skills can be implemented by simple computer scripts without entering the field of computer recognition of emotions.

I was always under the impression that prices on the Internet were fixed and bargaining was something you could only do in the offline world, with real people. Now I know better. How many euros and dollars could I have saved by simply postponing the checkout process?

Apple removes unofficial WikiLeaks app – I’m Happy I bought an Android phone

Yesterday I ordered a new phone, the Samsung Galaxy S that runs on Android. Why not the new iPhone?

What I dislike about the iPhone is its centralized software distribution system (the ‘App Store’) and the way that Apple uses it to control the information I have access to. Through the App Store, Apple governs what apps are installed on iPhones, iPods and iPads. This power can be used to stifle competition. An excellent example is Apple’s rejection of Google’s ‘Google Voice’ app. It can also be used to moralize.  Apple has rejected many apps that are objectionable. For instance, an app that allows you to download the Kama Sutra. Or an app that lets users jiggle breasts.

So far, we haven’t seen any politically inspired rejections or removals. However, today I read that Apple has removed an app from its store that gave access to WikiLeaks site content. Unless the app clearly violated Apple’s Terms of Service, Apple’s decision has to be politically inspired.

I am not a WikiLeaks-fan, but I do think that people should judge for themselves whether or not they would like to access WikiLeaks – the same goes for jiggling virtual breasts. Even if the information on WikiLeaks should be considered illegal, it is still not up to Apple to decide on the lawfulness of that information. We have judges to do that job for us.

Update

The New York Times has some news on why Apple rejected the WikiLeaks app:

Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman, said the company had removed the app “because it violated our developer guidelines.” Ms. Muller added: “Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or group in harm’s way.”

Tim Wu on Communications Policy and Monopolies

Jeffrey Toobin talks with Tim Wu, Columbia Law School professor and the author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, about how forms of communication, from the telephone to the Internet, are eventually controlled by monopolies. Wu talks about Google Books; the battle between Apple and Google; and there’s some net neutrality in it too!

So, who’s going to win most monopolies? Google or Apple?

Dutch company likely to be prosecuted for involvement in Israeli West Bank barrier

The topic of this post has nothing to do with the topics I usually blog about, but still I find it interesting enough to do a quick write up. It is about the Israeli West Bank barrier, which is a separation barrier being constructed by Israel.

In 2003, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its advisory opinion on the lawfulness of the wall. In essence – and over-simplified – the ICJ found that the Israeli wall is in conflict with international law.

This decision had no or little impact on the situation in Israel. However, today it did impact one company in the Netherlands. The Dutch public prosecutor announced (Dutch) that it will investigate Riwal’s involvement in building the Israeli West Bank wall. Riwal is a Dutch company specialized in telescopic booms, scissor lifts and telehandlers. The public prosecutor received two complaints against Riwal and will later decide whether it will bring action against the company. It is (yet) unclear on what grounds Riwal would be prosecuted.

Google Takes Rogue Pharmacies to Court for Circumventing Advertising Policy

Google is getting sick and tired of advertisements of rogue pharmacies that are illegally selling drugs on the Internet. Despite its best efforts, Google has been unsuccessful in banning all illegal online pharmacies from its advertising platform. So this morning Google filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against those advertisers that have broken Google’s advertising rules:

Litigation of this kind should act as a serious deterrent to anyone thinking about circumventing our policies to advertise illegally on Google. As we identify additional bad actors, we will add them to the lawsuit. Rogue pharmacies are bad for our users, for legitimate online pharmacies and for the entire e-commerce industry—so we are going to keep investing time and money to stop these kinds of harmful practices.

I’d love to read more about it, but unfortunately there is no more to the story (yet).

Update - September 22, 2010; 8.30PM GMT+1

Eric Goldman has posted the Google complaint on Scribd.