Rick is the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. Additionally, he has a tech entrepreneur background and loves good whisky and fast motorcycles.
All governments of the world are cracking down on privacy and increasing mass surveillance, sometimes in the name of copyright enforcement, sometimes in the name of fighting terrorism, sometimes because…
Cryptocurrency will cripple governmental ability to collect taxes, and they won't see it coming. When it's already happened, expect major changes to take place in how society is organized on…
When we aspire to have privacy, we may do so for a number of different reasons. All these reasons are valid, but some are more urgent than others, psychologically speaking.…
In a first, a Swedish court has ordered censorship of The Pirate Bay in a case of copyright industry vs. an ISP. While cases like this have been common in…
Net Neutrality is being discussed again, and it's important that your friends understand why this concept is crucial. Instead of explaining it in typical technical terms, it's usually better to…
In a previous column, I outlined how the copyright monopoly is fundamentally, irreparably incompatible with privacy at the conceptual level. While the copyright industry may appear behind the times --…
Britain and France have been the primary copyright hawks in the EU, pushing for stronger distribution monopolies and harsher penalties at every turn. With Brexit in the cards, and a…
Several European countries will start requiring photo ID from passengers to ride trains, similar to airport identity checks. The requirement concerns the high-speed Thalys and Eurostar services in Europe, with…
Asia Nikkei has just reported that the Trump administration has formally withdrawn from the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a protectionist agreement masquerading as a free trade agreement. This also indicates…
Amnesty International has issued a report criticizing most European governments for rapidly eroding the foundations of liberty. The last years, Amnesty writes, have marked an attitude shift in policy that…