Yesterday, lame duck legislators returned for their final week before handing the reins over to the 110th Congress next month. While it looks like there won't be any mischief on the digital freedom front, major record labels might once again try to sneak through mandatory restrictions for digital radio...

After another election with flawed touch-screen electronic voting machines, Cuyahoga County, Ohio may say enough is enough. The AP reports:
"The commissioners of the state's most populous county are considering getting rid of touch-screen voting machines and putting in a new system for the presidential election in 2008.
...

"Apparently, Hollywood believes that you should have to re-purchase all your DVD movies a second time if you want to watch them on your iPod." That's what I said last week, commenting on the Paramount v. Load-N-Go lawsuit, in which Hollywood studios claimed that it is illegal to rip...

Justice Department Watchdog to Probe its Role in Warrantless Surveillance
"After conducting initial inquiries into the program, we
have decided to open a program review that will examine the
department's controls and use of information related to the
program."
Browser Caches Aren't Possession,...

Make magazine's
href="http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/11/the_open_source_1.html">Open
Source Gift Guide is an eye-opening collection of the products and services
that aid your freedom to tinker, share, improve and learn seriously. Some of
the goods offered are more aspirational than practical holiday gifts: you'll be hard
put to track...

The Copyright Office/Library of Congress today issued its determination in the latest triennial DMCA exemption rule-making. Six exemptions were granted, the largest number so far.
Persons making noninfringing uses of the following six classes of works will not be subject to the prohibition against circumventing access controls (17...